I Sold My Soul for a Haircut: Sponsored Content as an Influencer

I don't know if everyone realizes it, but influencers get paid to promote brands. This can come in the form of blog posts, Instagram Reels, posts, and Stories, Facebook posts and lives, even Pinterest posts. The FTC requires all influencers to disclose paid partnerships but not everyone follows the rules. With Wardrobe Oxygen, I try to only partner with brands that make sense for me and this audience, but sometimes I make mistakes… like the time I felt as though I sold my soul for a haircut. Let me explain…

I Sold My Soul for a Haircut: Sponsored Content as an Influencer

I was contacted by a national chain of hair salons inviting me to do a sponsored post and giveaway. This company offered me a flat rate payment as well as a substantial gift card to cover the appointment.

The contract asked for me to get a cut and/or process at my local salon and share before and after photos of my experience here on the blog as well as on social media. I've been seeing my current stylist for over a decade. I have tried other salons and even DIYed my bang trims and root touch-ups at home, but I usually regret it. Having a stylist I know and trust has really improved the relationship with my hair.

That being said, the salon chain was offering me one of my highest rates for a paid partnership, and I was due for a cut and color so I accepted it. The money was really nice, plus it was a savings as I didn't have to pay for my salon visit.

Justifying a Bad Brand Partnership

Many of you readers tell me you can’t afford fancy salon visits and are always looking for quality yet low-cost beauty alternatives and I made myself believe that this partnership was good for the blog and good for you readers.

In all honesty, I was terrified. I went on Yelp and checked out the four closest locations of this chain and read the reviews. I asked friends and neighbors for stylist recommendations so I wouldn’t be flying completely blind. Even so, I kept putting off making an appointment, fearing an unknown stylist may butcher my hair.

The post had to go live before the end of the month, and the next thing I knew, I only had a few days left, so I made an appointment for the next timeslot available from a stylist who had some positive reviews on Yelp.

Standing outside the salon after my appointment, fighting back the tears and trying weird angles and poses to hopefully capture a decent “after” photo, I realized I sold my soul for a haircut.

Walking the Talk as an Influencer

The salon experience was… fine, and I was glad I had longer hair at the time so it was easier to hide a bad haircut. The whole experience was very… mediocre. But Wardrobe Oxygen isn’t about being mediocre on a budget; it’s about choosing quality in every aspect of your life within your means.

I don’t want you to settle. You deserve so much more than that. Some things you should spend time and money on – your shoes, your skin, your purse, your hair. These are things that truly determine your style, your comfort, and your confidence. All four can be rocked on any budget, but all four should be purchased and chosen with care.

You can get a budget-friendly haircut at many salons, and you may have an amazing stylist at this very chain who gives you covetable hair on a regular basis. But if you are receiving mediocre for your hard-earned cash, you deserve better.

This… fine haircut only cost $15 less than the ones I get from my stylist at an independent, well-rated salon, and I think I could have had my mom give me a better cut, sitting on the toilet in her master bathroom, using her hair scissors from 1986.

This haircut is everything I am against on Wardrobe Oxygen – looking for the best deal and losing your personal style and dignity in the process. It’s easy to get lost in the land of extreme couponing, freebies, and gifts with purchase. It’s easy to settle for mediocrity when it’s cheap and convenient. This experience reminded me I need to walk the talk and practice what I preach.

Quality not Quantity

Quality, not quantity, has always been the motto of Wardrobe Oxygen. I try to live my own life by this motto. If I can’t afford a brand new pair of boots for winter, I get my old, well-made boots reheeled and resoled buy some new inserts and give them a good shining. If I’m on a budget and it seems that my entire medicine cabinet and makeup drawer have expired or run out simultaneously, I scrimp on lipstick but splurge on facial moisturizer.

The point is that you can be thrifty in one way to justify the cost for another to maintain quality. Prioritize, stick to your budget, and don’t sell your soul or your style for a good deal… or a sponsored post.

Now I'm off to play with barrettes and Bobby pins to make my hair look decent until this hack job of a haircut grows out…