One in 20 women spend more than £50,000 in lifetime on colouring their hair, survey claims

Blonde was colour most likely to be chosen, poll finds 

Emma Elsworthy
Tuesday 01 October 2019 16:16 BST
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The study found that the average woman will go through six different hair styles during their lifetime
The study found that the average woman will go through six different hair styles during their lifetime (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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One in 20 women will spend more than £50,000 during their lifetime on colouring their hair, according to a new pool.

Results from the survey of 2,000, suggested that respondents spent at least £100 visiting a salon every six-and-a-half weeks for a colour change.

One in four said they would spend £18,370 over their lifetime or the equivalent of £291.60 annually altering the natural colour of their hair.

Blonde was the colour most likely to be chosen, with 44 per cent of women opting for highlights or something similar.

The study also suggested that many coloured their hair in a bid to feel more confident and more attractive.

“Hair shades have a big effect on confidence and we’re lucky we can switch from our natural colour if we want to try new things," said Michael Shaun Corby, global creative director at Living Proof haircare, which carried out the poll. “Having a good hair day can give men and women alike a huge confidence boost, whatever colour their locks are.”

The study also found that the average respondent would go through six different hair styles in their lifetime and four varieties of colour.

Just 18 per cent of those polled had had the same colour hair for their entire life.

Half had tested out light blonde hair, four in 10 had gone light brown at some point and almost one quarter had tested out having purple hair.

A further 45 per cent had dyed their hair red and one in 10 had experimented with blue.

Overall, 55 per cent said they felt better about themselves when they had a new hair colour and eight in 10 admitted their confidence levels were directly affected by the condition of their hair.

The average respondent waited until they were 20-years-old before experimenting with hair dye, but one-third experimented with hair colour in their early teens.

When first changing their natural colouring, light blonde was the most popular shade to try while one-eighth chose dark brown and 19 per cent opted for red.

Respondents also said they were more likely to spend their wages on getting their hair done than they were on paying for the gym or exercise.

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