Edinburgh residents spend nearly £200 each on their pre-holiday ‘glow ups’, says new study

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In Edinburgh, the most popular treatment to get done before a holiday is a haircut, followed by hair colour / highlights and a blow dry.

Holidays are always something to look forward to, so it’s only natural that many people want to look their best when they head away.

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However, from haircuts to manicures, spray tans to facials, millions of Brits are splashing more than £150 on hair and beauty treatments before they go abroad or take a staycation.

And in Edinburgh specifically, the average cost of a pre-holiday ‘glow up’ is even higher at £196, placing it in the second spot in the UK top ten.

Getting hair and beauty treatments done before a holiday is very popular.Getting hair and beauty treatments done before a holiday is very popular.
Getting hair and beauty treatments done before a holiday is very popular.

That’s according to a recent study by hair and beauty supplier, Capital Hair & Beauty.

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The UK cities where residents spend the most on average on hair/beauty treatments before a holiday (top 10)

  1. Southampton (£238)
  2. Edinburgh (£196)
  3. Newcastle (£182)
  4. Manchester (£177)
  5. London (£173)
  6. Birmingham (£154)
  7. Nottingham (£152)
  8. Norwich (£148)
  9. Glasgow (£135)
  10. Bristol (£134)

Just outside the top ten was Leeds (£133) and Liverpool (£129).

Their nationwide survey revealed that more than three-quarter of Brits (77%) get some sort of professional hair or beauty treatment done before they go on holiday, to help them look their best.

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In Edinburgh, the most popular treatment is a haircut (64%), followed by hair colour / highlights (20%) and a blow dry (17%).

Nationwide, the five most popular treatments to have done before going away on holiday are:

  1. Haircut (77% have this done)
  2. Blow dry (29%)
  3. Hair colour / highlights (25%)
  4. Facial (22%)
  5. Manicure (18%)

One in ten will take their pre-holiday ‘glow up’ even further, adding a pedicure, eyebrow shaping and tint, bikini wax and body scrub into the mix.

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This increases the total spend on professional treatments to a staggering £300, which the same price as three return flights to Paris (£300)!

As may be expected, women typically spend more on these types of appointments, than men.

According to the data, women will spend a whopping £166 to get their hair cut, coloured and blow-dried. Men, on the other hand will spend just £20 on average on a haircut.

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Gen Z’s are not afraid to pull out all the stops to feel good for their holiday too.

In fact, 18-24-year-olds were the most likely to get at least one professional treatment done before they jet-off (85%), and they’re also the most likely to splash more than £900 on these.

Karen Hicks, Marketing Manager at Capital Hair & Beautycommented: “For many of us across the UK, gearing up for a holiday isn't just about throwing some clothes into a suitcase and arranging transportation to the airport – it’s also about the hair and beauty preparation! Think fabulous haircuts, booking in for a fresh new hair colour, meticulous waxing sessions and those all-important eyelash extensions.”

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