Tired of Hidden Hair Salon Fees in Malaysia? Here’s What to Ask

Summary

• The advertised salon price may only cover the basic service, especially for colouring, bleaching and other chemical work.
• Hair length, thickness, bleaching rounds, toner, treatments and stylist level can all change the final price.
• Treatments recommended during a chemical service may be useful, but you should know whether they are necessary or optional.
• Be wary when one appointment slowly turns into several add-ons or a large prepaid package.
• For services with variable pricing, get an estimated total once the stylist has actually seen your hair.

Friends, have you ever been lured to a salon chair because of a cheap/affordable price advertised loudly on a website or store front, let’s say “RM138 FOR FULL COLOUR HAIR DYE”, only to be met with a:

• “Your hair is long, so that costs more.” 
• “The shade needs bleaching, but toner is separate yeah. “
• “Your ends could use a treatment. “

Oh, and since we are already here, have you considered this scalp treatment too?

Somewhere between the consultation and the colour bowl, that RM138 for a full-hair colour ballooned out of control. 

An example of this happening.

Now to play devil’s advocate, not every additional charge is nonsense. Yes we know it’s rich coming from a hair salon JB that will benefit from extra charges, but hear us out!

Long, thick hair genuinely uses more product. Going from dark brown to ash blonde is obviously more complicated than putting brown over brown and previously bleached or damaged hair can also require more careful work.

The annoying part is finding all of that out once you are already wearing the cape, which is what we want to talk about today.

Why Do Some Hair Salon Bills Cost More Than the Advertised Price?

A RM138 one-tone colour and a smoky beige balayage starting from previously dyed black hair are technically both “hair colouring”, but they are not remotely the same job.

The second might involve removing old colour, bleaching, perhaps bleaching again, toning and then treating hair that has just been through several chemical processes.

So “from RMX” does not automatically mean something shady is happening.

The problem starts when “from” is doing far more work than the customer realised.

Customers understand that complicated hair costs more. What they don’t understand is the lack of transparency and the upsell. 

If the final price depends heavily on the hair in front of the stylist, there should be a conversation before the work begins.

Which Salon Services Commonly Come with Additional Charges?

Colouring and chemical services are where the salon maths can get very creative, because the amount of product, time and technical work varies.

Here are some of the usual suspects:

Long or Thick Hair Charges

If you have very long or thick hair, you probably already know this one.

It is such a familiar concern that Malaysian salons regularly advertise promotions with phrases along the lines of “all hair lengths” or “no extra charge for long or thick hair”.

That marketing would not exist if customers were not thinking about it. And yes, charging more can make sense.

Someone with extremely thick, waist-length hair may require more colour or treatment product than someone with a short bob, and the appointment can also take longer.

What gets people’s backs up is when the surcharge appears as a surprise.

If a promotion is only valid up to a certain length, that condition should be said out loud.

Our Recommendation: For anyone with long or dense hair, it is worth checking whether the advertised figure actually applies to you before booking!

Bleach, Toner and the Colour You Actually Want

This one causes a lot of confusion because customers understandably shop by result.

You see hazel brown, milk tea beige or ash grey colour on the salon’s feed and think: I want that.

The stylist, however, sees several processes.

If your starting colour is too dark, your hair may need lightening first. Depending on your history and desired shade, one round might not be enough. After bleaching, toner may be needed to get that cool, expensive-looking shade rather than something suspiciously orange.

So when a promotion says “hair colour”, it does not necessarily mean every process required to turn your existing colour into the photograph.

This is where the consultation should do some heavy lifting.

You should come away knowing whether:

1. The look involves bleach
2. Roughly how much lightening is expected
3. Is toner is part of the price
4. What happens if your hair needs another round?

These 4 should be explained during consultation so you have a rough estimate of the process.

Treatments That Suddenly Join the Appointment

Pre-chemical treatment, bond treatment, scalp protection and repair treatment, all very useful in their own way. But add up together, and mahal would not even describe it.

At the very least, if the stylist is being very sale-sy and keep pushing the service, ask the stylist:

Is it needed because of my hair condition or is it an optional upgrade?

This on the spot question is effective at getting the stylist to rethink. 

Some Lemon8 and Reddit salon reviews from Singapore describe customers feeling that additional scalp or hair treatments were presented with enough urgency that saying no became uncomfortable, and that’s not cool.

A good recommendation should leave you better informed and not pressured to pay the extra RM150 treatment that you really don’t need.

Festive Surcharges

And because this is Malaysia, we should talk about festive pricing.

Hair appointments before Chinese New Year are serious business, and some salons introduce seasonal surcharges during busy periods. 

Always ask if there is a festive surcharge and say so before the appointment.

Nobody wants to discover that Chinese New Year/ Raya has somehow added another line item to their haircut while standing at the counter.

What Should You Ask Before Agreeing to a Hair Treatment?

You want to know what today’s hair is going to cost, not merely what the service menu says it can start from. That means being slightly more specific when you book or during the consultation.

Show the stylist your current hair.  Mention previous bleaching, box dye, rebonding or whatever else has happened to your hair before today.

Then talk money.

You are about to pay for a service, so it is perfectly normal to want to know approximately how much.

For colour work, it helps to understand:

• If your length or density changes the price
• Is bleaching required
• Whether more than one round might be needed
• Toner is separate or not
• Any extra cost for treatments 
• Is washing, cutting and styling included
• Do different stylist levels have different rates (Big one!)
• Any seasonal surcharge is currently in place

And when three different treatments suddenly sound essential, establish which ones actually are.

Because there is a very big difference between: “Your hair is too fragile to safely bleach again today.” vs “Your hair would benefit from this premium treatment.”

How Can You Identify Unnecessary Salon Upselling?

Stylists are allowed to recommend things. In fact, you probably want your stylist to tell you when your hair is damaged, your chosen colour will be difficult to maintain or a treatment would genuinely help.

That is part of the job.

But anyone who has spent enough time in salons, aesthetic centres or beauty businesses knows another version of this conversation too.

You decline, they explain again.

You decline again, suddenly there is a promotion.

You still decline. Miraculously, the promotion becomes even cheaper.

SG Horror stories of hair is insane

Online discussions from Singapore’s community contain plenty of complaints along these lines, including customers describing repeated treatment-package pitches and prices dropping substantially as they continued saying no.

A professional recommendation should still allow you to say, “No thanks.” So if they are still very stubborn about the package, just say “no thanks, I just want what I paid for.”

And speaking of packages.

The Prepaid Package Conversation

Packages deserve their own little mention because beauty discussions are full of them.

There is nothing inherently wrong with buying a salon package. If you visit regularly, like the salon and understand exactly what you are purchasing, it can even be convenient.

The problem is spending a large amount because the deal sounds fantastic while you are sitting there, only to realise later that the credits expired or every appointment somehow requires another top-up.

Before committing, understand the basics:

• What your money actually buys
• How many visits you are realistically getting per year
• When the package expires
• If prices change
• What happens to unused credit
• More importantly, what the refund or cancellation terms are

What Does a Transparent Salon Pricing Policy Look Like?

Transparent pricing does not mean every head of hair must cost exactly the same. It means the customer can understand why her price is different.

A salon could quite reasonably charge:

Short hair: RMXX
Medium hair: RMXX
Long hair: RMXX
Extra-long or thick hair: Quoted after consultation

Nothing inherently wrong with that, the important part is that the condition is clear.

The same applies to complex colouring. Sometimes an honest “we need to see your hair first” is more honest than putting an attractively low number online just to reel you in

Good pricing information makes it clear what you will be charged with and why from the beginning.

Should You Request a Final Quote Before the Service Begins?

Yes, we highly recommend it  especially when bleach, balayage, perming or anything long-lasting is done on your hair.

This is a great example, they specifically said thick or extra long hair cost additional RM30

Hair consultation is important for this very reason because everyone’s hair is different. You can also simply tell them your budget, although we know most customers are reluctant to do so.

But genuinely, if you have RM300 to spend, say so.

Maybe the full transformation you saved needs RM500, but there is another colour or technique that gives you the same vibe within your budget!

A Good Hair Transformation Should Not Come With a Plot Twist

Hair services are not always easy to price with one universal number.

Two women asking for “brown hair” can arrive with completely different starting colours, lengths, density, damage and hair histories. Naturally, the work involved can be different too.

At REDS Hair Salon, our service menu shows starting prices where applicable, while more complex colour techniques are quoted following consultation. We have a handy-dandy hair salon pricing, where what you see is what you get.

If you are planning a major colour change, bleaching, perming, rebonding or another chemical service, tell us what you want, show us your hair history and let us know your budget!

We will walk through you in the consultation phase, so book an appointment with REDS Hair Salon today!