woke up like this.
I like most women am a sucker for beauty and hair products. I’m a marketer’s dream. Show me how this will hydrate or clear my skin and something that will make my hair look like I came straight out of a Pantene commercial (we all know Pantene doesn’t actually do that, right?) and I will likely purchase it. I’ve foregone drug store brands for the ever-so-chic Sephora. I’ve even paid upwards of $50 for a face mask or two. But just because I’m a sucker for skincare and a super-fresh face doesn’t mean I’m a sucker.
My beloved blow dryer that had been with me for twelve years was recently in the beauty version of hospice and I had the terrible task of replacing it. I did what anyone does in 2014, I Googled replacement dryers.
A dryer that topped most of the fashion mag’s lists was the Harry Josh Pro Tools 2000 Pro Dryer. First off, it has the word “pro” in the title twice so it must be good. It also claims to be the most powerful dryer in it’s class (according to Harry Josh’s website) with a long life A/C motor that lasts 2000 hours and blow dries hair more than 60% faster than the competition. Sounds good to me. It also has a dual filtration system that reduces energy by 70%. So not only is the dryer green in color but it’s actually green. And last but not least it has heat, speed, and ion settings. For those of you that don’t know, ions have something to do with making your hair silky and shiny.
So here it is, my replacement dryer…until I noticed the price. $250. Yes, you read that correctly. Oh hell f’ing no! I get that a nice hair dryer is expensive but $250 is outrageous even if it lasts twelve years like my previous one. When did the beauty industry decide it was okay to gauge its devoted customers? Yes, I know that Harry Josh is a celebrity hair stylist with clients like the caliente Sofia Vergara, but that still doesn’t seem $250 worthy to me.
I did some more research and found out that the chain of blow dry salons, DryBar, sells a dryer for $190 and get this, a curling iron for $125. Please someone tell me how their 1.25” curling iron is that much better than one from Hot Tools. This is one beauty trend that is no bueno. And then it occurred to me, is it people like me that have made this possible? Ponying up for high-priced products makes the industry think that they can continuously grossly overcharge for their tools?
So I say we take a stand and band together and just say no to this ridiculous trend. I mean if women could give birth before the invention of the epidural, I can surely hit the town without a $250 blow dry. From now on I’m going to Target for my beauty tools.
