As the U.S. economy continues its depressing presence, Louisianians are looking for ways to trim their budgets. Hair maintenance is often one of the first expenditures to get  the cut,   and that has the salon industry working hard to keep people in the chairs and away from the bathroom scissors.Jessica Colon, salon coordinator at Lockworks Salon on Highland Road, said since the recession hit, people are trying to get the most out of every salon appointment.”People are trying to get more value for their dollar,” Colon said. “People will not come back if they feel they haven’t gotten a value out of it.”Since the hair industry has no fixed prices for services, stylists can charge what they feel is reasonable based on talent and experience. Haircuts range from $12 to more than $100, and coloring hair is even more expensive.To save money, some people do their own salon work — many times with disappointing results.Hairstylists are only too familiar with the client who comes in with hair color that is too bright, too dark or just plain wrong.Others have made the switch from salon to bathroom sink without a hitch.Laura Smith, kinesiology junior, started dying her hair at home in January and is pleased with the results. “I wanted a difference in my life [and] it only cost about $18,” Smith said.Although she has to condition her blond hair twice weekly, Smith said it was worth the $70 she saved by not going to her usual colorist for highlights.Colon said since the recession hit people stretch their time between appointments, even changing services to get the most for their money.”We have had a lot more requests for highlights because that’s easier to go with less maintenance if they’re done correctly,” Colon said. “You don’t notice as much, as opposed to a big block of roots [with all-over hair color].”Dawn Davis, stylist at the Hair Factory in Baton Rouge, said men in particular are extending time between appointments, but they remain regular customers because their jobs require them to look properly groomed.”Men that work in professional jobs … have to look presentable,” Davis said. “Men come in just to keep looking tidy.”Robin Stewart, salon coordinator at Studio One2One in Lafayette, said business has        remained steady, but regular customers are waiting longer to get a trim.  “Everybody is still coming in on a regular basis, but clients are stretching out their appointments by maybe a week,” Stewart said.Charles D’Agostino, executive director of the Louisiana Business and Technology Center, says small businesses, such as salons, survive rough economic times better than large corporations because they are “leaner” in terms of employees and expenditures.”Small businesses are impacted [by recessions], but much less because they don’t have a lot of waste,” D’Agostino said. “Every person has a job and a duty that they have to get completed.”Faced with the threat of clients going to another business that is cheaper—or even doing the work themselves—salons are offering services included in the price of a cut or color to keep clients walking through the door.”It used to be mostly about quality, but now it’s getting to be very competitive because there’s always someone willing to do more for cheaper,” Colon said. “We do always worry that some people wake up and think, ‘I can cut this service out.’ Anything you can add to [a service] for the same cost of the service alone that’s big. Values like that are what really keep people justifying it.”Colon said one service Lockworks offers that clients enjoy is education on how to get the salon style at home.”We’re really good about educating people on how to style their own hair so they can go maybe a little longer without a haircut,” Colon said. “They definitely appreciate a personal interest.”Charlene B. Miller, owner of Hair-N-Things Beauty Salon in Jackson, Miss., said that even in the United States’ dire economic situation, women will still keep visiting salons.”In the beauty business, women are going to get their hair done,” Miller said.Colon said she felt fortunate to work in an industry that she feels is almost recession-proof.”Not everyone can justify a $50 haircut when they’re broke,” Colon said. “But this is one of those industries that no matter how the economy is doing, it’s never going to really suffer because a lot of women cannot justify cutting out a beauty regimen that gives them the confidence to live their daily lives.”—Contact Sarah Aycock at [email protected]