Rachael, 27, had to break up with her hairstylist after the cost of dyeing her hair blonde had become too expensive for her budget.

‘I could buy a plane ticket to Europe with one hair appointment,’ she told DailyMail.com.

Millions of women in the United States are finding themselves unable to afford expensive trips to the salon for high-maintenance dye jobs, just like she is not alone in this struggle.

Enter ‘recession blonde’.

This trend, which is becoming increasingly popular on platforms like TikTok and in real-life salons, revolves around low-maintenance hair colors and cuts that help individuals cut back on their expenses during times of economic instability.

Posts and videos featuring “recession blonde” have been circulating on social media, where long-time blondes proudly display their grown-out dark roots as a result of financial constraints preventing them from getting touch-ups.

However, not everyone is willing to ditch the self-care tradition of dyeing their hair. Instead, they’re opting for more manageable (and frugal) shades of blonde.

According to expert hair stylists, an increasing number of clients are requesting these money-saving services, and some even think the ‘recession blonde’ trend is here to stay.

‘Recession blonde’ refers to the low-maintenance colors and cuts that allow people to scale back on spending amid the woes of economic uncertainty

According to expert hair stylists, an increasing number of clients are requesting these money-saving services during rising tariffs

The trend allows for women to opt for more manageable and cheaper shades of blonde, with some saving more than $1,000 a year on their hair care bills

Kate Ross, a 25-year-old beauty PR Manager at Irresistible Me who lives in New York City, has been dyeing her hair platinum blonde every six to eight weeks for the past five years.

With each session costing Kate up to $350, she was dishing out a whopping $1,800 to $2,100 a year at the salon, and that’s not including tips or haircare products such as purple shampoo.

The frequent touch-ups required for platinum blonde were draining Kate’s budget, so she instantly decided on a transformation after learning about the recession blonde trend on social media.

‘With rising costs – rent, groceries, everything – I needed to cut back without losing my style,’ she told DailyMail.com.

Instead of her usual icy blonde, this time Kate went for a warmer, darker blonde with softer roots. Now, she visits the salon every 12 to 16 weeks, paying just $150 for partial highlights and a cut.

‘That switch saves me over $1,000 a year,’ she said.

Kate’s math isn’t entirely wrong, said Jessica Ruby of The Flamingo Lounge hair salon in Los Angeles. 

For Jessica, who’s been doing hair for more than 20 years, this isn’t the first time she’s seen people cut corners at the salon amid financial strain. As such, she’s begun to offer her loyal customers a sliding scale of services – pay what you can, when you can. 

Actress Sydney Sweeney is known for her dirty blonde locks, with darker roots at the scalp that transition to a honey blonde shade

Model and influencer Sofia Richie Grainge often showcases her hair on Instagram, which some people have previously described as ‘old money’ blonde

Cara Delevingne, who’s sported many bleached hairstyles in the past, opts for a manageable shade of blonde these days

She needs to keep the lights on, too, of course.

‘With my regular clients, if they come to me and say, “I can’t afford this, my husband just got laid off,” I will say, “What is a budget that you can work with?”‘

The most popular recession-proof styles currently being requested at salons, according to stylists, are: a ‘hand painted balayage’ or ‘reverse balayage’, a coloring technique that creates a softer, multidimensional transition from root to end; a ‘money piece’, which offers highlights around the face; and a ‘gloss’, a low-cost color service that adds shine to otherwise dull hair.

While these recession blonde styles may still cost a pretty penny, averaging from $200 to $400 depending on the salon, Jessica revealed that some customers have saved thousands of dollars by visiting the salon less frequently for such lower-maintenance treatments.

A 2024 report from Advanced Dermatology, found that American women spend an average $1,064 a year on their appearance – $286 on haircuts and hair coloring alone.

However, one in six women admitted to spending more on beauty and wellness than they can afford. The study also found that nearly one in 10 Americans have gone into debt to pay for appearance-related products and services, with the average debt amounting to $1,342.

This was unsurprising to Kristina Maccaro, the founder of Love Lane Salon in Jersey City, New Jersey. She’s witnessed first-hand a downturn in clients shelling out hundreds of dollars for their usual color and cut.

‘One of the things that we’re hearing a lot right now is just how to be more cost-effective, and how to be lower maintenance with in-salon services or just routines in general,’ she said. 

Hope, 25, shares a photo of her dark grown-out roots before asking her hair stylist for a ‘recession blonde’ style

For Hope, the threat of potentially losing her job forced a decision to retire the dyed bleach blonde hair she’d previously favored and embrace her natural-born dark roots

‘Some of those touch ups can range from $200 to $700 a session, so clients are definitely concerned.

‘They’re embracing looks now that have more low lighting and more lived-in dimension,’ Kristina added. ‘We have a lot of clients who have families, so they’re thinking about their obligations to their children, or other bills that they’re starting to see increase.’

For Hope, a 25-year-old database manager at a non-profit company, the threat of potentially losing her job forced a decision to retire the dyed bleach blonde hair she’d previously favored and embrace her natural-born dark roots.

She went into her local salon in Brooklyn and asked for a reverse balayage despite the internal monologue attempting to convince her that the darker hair color would ‘take away’ from her bright and sunny personality.

But the freedom to spend a few hundred dollars on her hair only twice a year, compared with once every three months, was worth the mental gymnastics. 

Plus, seeing hundreds of other women on TikTok show off their recession blonde results has made Hope feel cautiously optimistic that she’ll implement the money-saving hack for many years to come.

‘In the back of my head, I think seeing people avoid bleaching their hair as a trend has made me not want to bleach it as often because, at the end of the day, I’m a follower of the trends,’ she said.

Recession blonde isn’t the only cost-saving beauty trend to emerge online in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. 

Tracy, 47, has spent up to $400 every eight weeks on her high-maintenance platinum hair for the past 15 years

After asking for a ‘recession blonde’ hairstyle, Tracy has reduced her hair salon budget to just $50 to $80 every three months

Do-it-yourself goods such as hair glossing kits, press-on nails, lash extensions, self-tanners, brow lamination kits and at-home waxing products have risen in popularity for achieving salon results without the hefty price tags.

Young women are also buying ‘dupes’ – products similar in appearance and functionality without the high cost, especially when it comes to more affordable makeup and beauty products.

Not only has 50-year-old Liz spent the past four months letting her dark roots grow out, but she’s also cut back on trips to the nail salon, too.

‘My manis and pedis are off the budget and I’m letting my roots grow in, and will only be going to the salon three times a year at most, but more likely twice a year,’ the Idaho-based marketing and PR executive told DailyMail.com.

And Tracy, who’s spent up to $400 every eight weeks on her high-maintenance platinum tresses for the past 15 years, has reduced her hair salon budget to just $50 to $80 every three months.

‘For me, the change is permanent,’ she said. ‘I might get some highlights in the future, however, I’m keeping it natural because it just feels better – more me, less pressure.’

Recession blonde is just one of the hundreds of beauty trends to emerge on social media in recent years but both life-long blondes and expert hair stylists agree that this particular trend actually has staying power regardless of economic uncertainty.

There is a consensus that recession blonde is more cost-friendly and lower maintenance than a full-head of highlights or bleach blonde locks, and it’s also more appealing to the eye.

‘I honestly think this trend is not going away because it just looks better,’ said Nikki Corzine, the founder of Canyon Salon in Westlake Village, California. 

‘When you have a little bit of depth at your root, it just brings out your features and it overall looks better on people’s skin tone.’

For now, it’s unclear exactly how much the beauty and haircare industry will be impacted by a potential recession. 

After all, some financial experts have long theorized that women actually spend more money on self-care goods and services during economic uncertainty – cough, cough, the ‘lipstick effect’ – as a way to treat themselves for being otherwise frugal in all other aspects of life.

But if recession blonde is here to stay, at least these women can rest assured that their darker locks will always be on trend.