To ask how much you pay for beauty services like your nails, hair, etc?

[ChattyChai]

I’m 39, turning 40 at the end of the year.

My husband thinks I’m being ridiculous with what I spend, but we can afford it comfortably and it makes me feel good.

I spend £42 every 3-5 weeks on nails, and every 3 months or so an extra £15 to get my eyebrows waxed and tinted.

i spend £140 every two months on getting my hair extensions moved up, and then every 4 months an extra £77 to get my roots done.

he thinks this is silly money and an extra £110 a month we could be saving, but I work, it’s my only real splurge each month and it makes me feel great. Am I spending too much? How much do you spend?

This is kind of my thinking! I got pregnant when I was 16 and that was that, we got married at 18 because that’s what our parents said we should do, I’ve had 4 children in total, I’ve paused my career at times, been through labour three times, and now he doesn’t want me to do this one small thing!

Then its not for him to tell you what to do with your money, is he controlling generally?

I spend £0.
Relative cuts my hair.
I don’t colour it.
Do my own eye brows and don’t have my nails done I just paint them myself.

I think it’s more of a case if you can afford it and enjoy these things then it’s fine.

£28 every 3 weeks for nails

£35 for hair cut about event 3 months, I box dye at about £12 per month.

Haircut 2 or 3 times a year £70 per cut. Hair colour at home £7 every 6 - 8 weeks. Used to have salon highlights but can't be bothered with frequent trips to hairdressers and actually now prefer the.box colours.

Nails £32 every month but only recently because I’m a nail biter and it’s the only way I’ve been able to stop
Hair - £40ish perhaps once /twice a year
£7.99 for home dye from Boots
I pluck the grey eyebrow hairs and random chin hairs myself using a magnifying mirror
( fecking horrendous but wonderful things that they are !)
Moustache - see above

I’m not sure I’d say controlling but very strict with he wants a lot in savings, thinks I should contribute more now

Nails £22 a month
Hair is £37 8 weekly

As it's your money tell him you chose to spend your downtime differently to him which means it is not different 🙂

So you list c.£1,635 expenditure per year after tax. I think it’s a lot. I spend about 10% of that. Two hair cuts a year. I do my own nails. I only like short, neat nails with clear nail polish. I am also unwilling to support nail bars, given their association with people trafficking.
Presumably you also buy shampoo, conditioner, face cleaners, moisturisers… Are these expensive or budget?

You can only spend money once.

Dry cut £16 every 8 weeks eyebrows £12 wax and tint every 6 weeks, don't bother with nails or hair colouring as thought it was damaging my hair

I took a class in razor cutting hair some time ago and have done my own hair ever since. I do my youngest's too. I do my own skin care. I do my own nails weekly, maybe a couple times a year use polish.

I do get an occasional massage and go to the Korean spa. That's my splurge. So maybe $200 every few months.

Hair, £45 every couple of months.
Nothing else, I do my own manicure (short nails, just clear polish) and pedicures in sandal season.

This is similar to me, I started doing it all at home so it looks more like.

£150 or so once to have everything I need to do my own gel extensions at home

£15 or so every 6 months+ whenever I need new nail supplies and maybe an additional £10 to add a new polish.

£10 or so every year to buy the eyebrow and eyelash tint I use and another £10-15 for hair dye- my hairdressing scissors were given to me by a hairdresser so £0.

£50 once to buy a wax kit and pennies to get new supplies in bulk.

Most skincare gives me a rash or dries me up and I wear minimal makeup so that’s like £50 a year at the maximum.

It’s all very easy with a little practice, I’d never go and spend more on something I can do at home. That being said your husband can piss right off, what you spend to look and feel your best (which actually benefits him) out of money that I assume you contribute towards earning, is none of his business really.

I don’t go to a nail bar, it’s a solo nail tech in my local area, she’s set up her own salon in her back garden. My shampoo etc is reasonably expensive but it can last a good 3+ months, hair oil lasts years etc.

edit: my skincare routine all in is probably £135 but it lasts 6 months minimum!

Nails: I get my hands done and I filled every 4 weeks £60 approx and then 8 weeks I get a soak off, new set and toenails £100

Hair: Extensions moved up every 10 weeks £110. T section highlights, tone & olaplex every 12-14 weeks £120. New extensions every year approx £900. New shampoo & conditioner £60 every 5months. Blow dry every 1 or 2 weeks depending on what I’m doing £30.

Lashes every two weeks £30

Waxing: £0 as I lasered off. Used to spend a small fortune before this. I have an IPL machine that I invested in to keep my lasering in check. Go over it probably twice a year.

Brows: £0 as mine all fell out!

Microneedling with hydra facial: £100 every 8 weeks. £250 skin boosters every 6 months.

Skincare: £35 ish a month

@ChattyChai The physicality of child birth changes your body forever and I think it’s easy to lose yourself after such a big change. For me having these little things give me some me time but also help me feel like myself. Even with my clothes, I think maintaining my personal style (even though it is a bit different and more modest) has helped me to feel like myself and ultimately makes me a better mum because I’m happy. I don’t think men get it, but it’a not silly as long as you’ve got the means. If we spent the money I spend on myself on the kids they would probably just end up with more toys which they don’t need.

Eyebrows £16 every six weeks or so.

Hair around £60 but I only get it trimmed about once a year.

This is how I feel. Our eldest are 23 and our youngest is 12, it just feels like a little treat to myself, he golfs three times a week minimum and I don’t understand why he’s against me having a little bit of time to myself

He would say that though wouldn't he 😆

I'm sure you "network" too 😉@ChattyChai

It is enough that you say "it makes me feel great" 🤗

Has he never heard of happy wife, happy life? What a silly fellow 😂

You work and your "fun money" covers it.

End of story.

He can put a sock in it, paying £200 a month for golf but expect you to put your fun money in savings. Golf isn't really something that by itself is going to keep him in physical condition.

This sounds like he's starting to be financially controlling.

Hair highlights, root colour plus c&bd around £62 every 7/8 weeks

Used to get gel polish done professionally every few months but now do it myself with just a good quality polish

Had micro blade brows & lip blush done, £200 each & still looking good 2 years on, just use vaseline on them both every day

Nothing else that I can think of

Haircut once a year. Don't do nails or anything.

But I do spend £280 a month on personal training sessions and have done so for 2.5 years. I like my figure and feeling healthy and strong is my priority. Don't care what my hair, face or nails look like.

£30 every 3 weeks for nails
£50 every 3 months for hair

Fair enough. It’s nice supporting a local business.

It sounds like you have non-European hair. That naturally requires a lot more care and styling. I have thick, long blonde straight hair. I’ve never had extensions. It doesn’t hold a curl. It responds exactly the same way to expensive shampoo and something cheap like Head and Shoulders. It doesn’t need oil - that would just make it greasy. I get complements on my hair and requests for tips on getting it so glossy and thick. The only advice I have is that I don’t bleach or colour it, which is not what people want to hear.

In that context, I don’t think you can really gauge what reasonable expenditure on hair is by asking in mumsnet. You know your hair and what it takes to control it.