The latest recession indicator? The number of “recession blondes” walking around with their natural roots showing.

President Donald Trump has played coy about the possibility of his tariffs causing a recession, telling NBC News earlier this month that any economic pain would just be part of a “transition period.” But hairdressers and others in the beauty industry are already seeing hints of a recession, as business tapers off, and clients let their hair grow long and uncolored.

Kayla Lofaro, a hair stylist and owner of Discotheque Salon in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, says she’s definitely feeling some bumpiness because of Trump’s economic “transition.”

The dip in clients mirrors the drop-off her salon experienced during the writers’ strike in 2023, when many of her clients in the entertainment industry were temporarily laid off and stopped coming in.

“Los Angeles is still reeling from the effects of the strike, and we’re definitely feeling the economic downturn now,” Lofaro told HuffPost. “Usually, I have clients that maintain their color every six to eight weeks but now that is stretching to about three to four months. A lot of clients are also skipping haircuts and just getting color.”

Lofaro opened her salon at the height of the COVID pandemic, so she knows how to weather hard times like these.

“Something that we did during COVID, that we will most likely do during these current unprecedented times, is to hold ‘specials’ for the month, like free haircuts with any color service,’” she said.

When times are tough financially, Lofaro knows that beauty is bound to take a backseat.

During the Great Depression, women staved off buying new clothes or going in for costly hair treatments but still bought lipstick when they could swing it.

That phenomenon ― where sales of relatively affordable luxury goods like lipstick increase during economic downturns ― became known by economists as the “lipstick effect,” or the “lipstick index.”

Beauty routines are becoming more low maintenance now, too. Like before, instead of cutting back on discretionary spending entirely, women on TikTok are sharing ways they’re keeping up appearances while avoiding paying a small fortune at salons: There’s tons of videos on how to apply lash extensions or press‑on nails yourself, and guidance on how to get an (almost perfect) DIY spray tan.

And then there’s the aforementioned “recession blonde” and “recession brunette” trend: To save money, women are letting their hair grow out darker at the root and blending it out with lighter, more golden shade toward the bottom. Maybe they’ll go in for a balayage or highlight treatment once or twice a year, which gives them a more lived in look that doesn’t need to be touched up so regularly.

Angelina Murphy, a celebrity hair extensionist and founder of SHEBA Luxury Hair, said “recession blonde” can “absolutely still be beautiful,” it’s just all about blending, tone and finding the right face-framing placement.

“For blondes or high-maintenance color, I actually always recommend going deeper, adding a root melt or shadow root to blur the regrowth line,” she told HuffPost. “Embracing your natural base with subtle brightness around the face gives you more time between visits and looks intentional.”

Christina Carlsson, a hair stylist and owner of Marquee Salon and Studio in Vancouver, Washington, specializes in color, but said more and more new clients are coming in for haircuts over costly color treatments.

“Clients are wanting to see bigger changes to their style and are exploring more dramatic or alternative haircuts,” she said.

Carlsson said her regular clientele has remained steady but that’s also because she’s been consistently practicing what she calls “sustainable hair” for the last decades. That means haircuts and color that can last months between appointments, educating her clients on proper home care, and intentional product usage and offering styling lessons so her clients feel confident about styling their hair on their own.

To ride out the “hair recession,” the hair stylists we spoke to said they’re trying to diversify their revenue streams. For instance, Murphy is promoting her hair extension line and coaching other stylists through Sold Out Stylist Collective, a membership program she started during COVID to bring in extra money.

“That season taught me to never rely on one income source and to always know how to market yourself online, recession or not,” she said.

Because the bond between a longtime client and stylists can be a strong one, some people may feel guilty for not coming in as frequently. But the stylists we spoke to said there’s no reason to feel bad about needing to scale back.

“I would never want my clients to feel guilty about taking a break from salon services or needing to downsize their hair routine,” Carlsson said.

Getting your hair done isn’t the end of the world, but for plenty of people, it’s “absolutely a meaningful source of self care,” Carlsson said, so she tries to meet her clients where they’re at financially.

“One of the most important things to me as a hair stylist is that my clients trust that they can come to me when they need advice,” she said. “I’ve had clients for 20 years who’ve gone through financial hardships, and we’ve worked together to find realistic options for downsizing.”

Murphy adds that there are other ways to support your local hairstylist.

“We get it — times are tough,” she said. “If you can’t come in as often, consider smaller support: book just a cut, buy your stylist’s retail products, share their work on social media, or refer a friend,” she said.

“When a client does express guilt for not booking as often, I always remind them that their loyalty still matters, even if it looks different for now.”