Going to the hair salon these days can really lighten your wallet. Last month, the average price for a women's haircut was 19,558 won, a 24% increase compared to five years ago. By region, Incheon was the most expensive at 25,000 won, while North Jeolla Province was the cheapest at 15,200 won.

According to Statistics Korea, the consumer price index for beauty service fees last month was 118.73 (2020=100), up 3.5% from the same month last year. This is more than double the overall consumer price inflation rate of 1.7% during the same period.

Statistics Korea also reported that the beauty service fee index rose by 3.5% year-on-year last month, which is twice the overall inflation rate of 1.7%. In addition, extra charges based on hair length, hair damage, and stylist rank are major sources of consumer dissatisfaction.

Since 2013, the government has required salons to display price lists outside their businesses under the "Outdoor Price Display System." Violations are subject to fines, but due to additional charges for hair length and extra treatments, the actual amount paid is often much higher than expected.

The system where prices vary depending on the stylist's rank is also considered problematic. Consumers are dissatisfied because higher-ranked stylists charge more, but a significant portion of perm or dyeing procedures is handled by lower-ranked staff.

Even just trimming bangs costs 5,000 won. Since bangs grow quickly and need frequent trimming, more and more office workers in their 20s and 30s are buying hairdressing scissors at Daiso and cutting their own bangs for economic reasons.

YouTube and Instagram are flooded with self-haircut and self-dyeing tutorial videos. There are step-by-step guides that are easy for beginners to follow, and even plenty of reviews from ordinary people, with some videos reaching millions of views.

Olive Young now sells 159 products just in the hair dye and perm categories, and Daiso offers 34 different items. Self-hair dyeing products now come in a wider variety of colors and are easier to use, making them much more accessible.

With the economic downturn and the rise of self-beauty, more hair salons are closing down.

●2022: 11,503 locations

●2023: 12,646 locations

●2024: 13,292 locations

Already this year, 8,229 salons have closed, and the number is expected to reach 13,000 by the end of the year.