Hair raising: Some women will spend £50,000 in their lifetime doing this

Blonde is the colour most likely to be chosen in the salon, with 44 percent of women opting for highlights or similar. The average dyeing service takes around two hours and 46 minutes – which means some women are spending up to 1,260 hours, or just under two months, sitting in the hairdresser’s chair. It also emerged almost 22 million women are colouring their hair in a bid to feel more confident, and more attractive. Michael Shaun Corby, the global creative director at Living Proof haircare, said: “Hair shades have a big effect on confidence and we’re lucky we can switch from our natural colour if we want to try new things. “While experimenting with colour can go both ways – I’m sure we all have some old photos we’d rather keep buried – sometimes they can give us a whole new outlook.

“Having a good hair day can give men and women alike a huge confidence boost, whatever colour their locks are.”

The study also found the average woman will go through six different hairstyles in their lifetime, and four varieties of colour.

Just 18 percent of those polled have had the same colour hair for their entire life.

Natural blondes have had the fewest different looks while those with grey locks have had up to eight.

Half of British women have tested out light blonde hair, four in 10 have gone light brown at some point and almost one quarter have even tested out having purple hair.

A further 45 percent have dyed their hair red and one in 10 have experimented with blue.

It also emerged a third of women dye their hair because they “get bored”, but one in four want to improve their confidence.

Overall, 55 percent feel better about themselves if they have a new hair colour, and eight in 10 admit their confidence levels are directly affected by the condition of their hair.

The average female waited until they were 20 years old before experimenting with hair dye, but one third experimented with hair colour in their early teens.

When first changing their natural colouring, light blonde was the most popular shade to try while one eighth chose dark brown and 19 per cent opted for red.

Current hair trends are growing as well, as 20 per cent have also tried out the ombre look and a sixth have experimented with balayage.

Wanting to enhance their natural shade is the most common reason for colouring their hair (31 percent), followed by covering their greys (22 per cent), and hairdresser recommendations (16 per cent).

The research also revealed one quarter of the 2,000 women surveyed, via OnePoll, said they are more likely to spend their wages on getting their hair done than they are on paying for the gym or exercise, proving looks can be more important than staying fit and healthy.

Michael Shaun Corby, for livingproof.co.uk, added: “This survey indicates women really do feel more confident with freshly coloured hair and as such are prepared to invest in its style and condition.

“It can be tricky to keep hair looking how it did when you left the salon, but our new Color Care range of products are scientifically proven to protect and prolong the colour and alleviate brassiness, dullness or fading.”

Top 10 most wanted hair colours:

1. Light Blonde

2. Dark Brown

3. Light Brown

4. Dark Blonde

5. Red

6. Platinum blonde

7. Purple

8. Grey/Silver

9. Black

10. Pink