In a world where the promise of clearer skin, plumper lips, perfect hair, and sculpted bodies dominates our screens and permeates everyday life, the quest to stay beautiful and youthful has transformed from simple personal rituals into a $570 billion industry.
Yes, you heard that right!
Waxing. Laser hair removal. Lash lifting. Lash filling with extensions. Keratin hair treatments. Silk Presses. Blow Outs. Eyebrow Lamination. Fixing nails. Botox. Teeth whitening. Lip Blushing.Lip fillers. Eyebrows threading. Microblading. Facials— the list is never-ending.
We are now in a world where beauty maintenance has surpassed personal care and is no longer an occasional indulgence but has become an often exhausting commitment to achieving and preserving an ideal that keeps shifting.
A recent survey revealed that Nigerian women place the highest emphasis on beauty standards across Africa. In fact, a whopping 74% of Nigerian women between 18 and 25 spend a lot of time and money maintaining their appearance. Of those surveyed, 59% responded that they have a daily skincare routine because they believe it is important to look good in public.
The question arises: How much is too much for beauty maintenance?
4 Women Share How Much They Spend Monthly On Beauty Maintenance
Dorothy
Dorothy* is a 24-year-old housewife who lives in Lagos, Nigeria. She doesn’t have a fixed monthly income, but on average, she receives 400,000 naira from her husband, a businessman in the healthcare sector. Here’s a breakdown of how much she spends on beauty maintenance.
Braids– 20,000-30,000 naira
Nails (Acrylics)- 15, 000-20,000 naira
Lashes– 16,000 naira
Waxing – 20,000 naira
Reason for beauty maintenance: “ I feel good when I look good. My husband works from home, I adore him and want him to see me beautiful at all times.”
Chidera
Chidera* is a 30-year-old project manager. She earns 318,000 naira monthly. This is a breakdown of how much she spends monthly on beauty maintenance:
Locing hair– 20,000 naira
Nails – 0 naira (”I like my own nails, sometimes I buy cortex to paint it”)
Lashes– 0 naira (”Mascara will do, please)
Waxing– 0 naira (”I don’t grow too much hair on my body, and for the places I grow hair in, hair removal creams work perfectly)
Pedicures– 6,500 naira
Reason for beauty maintenance: “Less is more, so I don’t do too much when it comes to beauty maintenance. I’ve been on natural hair and low cut, and I have come to realise that having locs is the most cost-efficient, low-effort hairstyle for me, and I look really good in it”
Seun
Seun* is a 24-year-old university student. She receives a monthly stipend of 120,000 naira. This is how much she spends on beauty maintenance:
Skincare– 60,000 naira (”I usually buy in bulk twice a year”)
Braids– 10,000-30,000 naira
Nails– 15,000 naira
Lashes– 16,0000 naira
Full body waxing -10,500 naira
Pedicure-3,000 naira
Reason for beauty maintenance: “Honestly, doing all these makes me feel…productive. I don’t like working or attending classes looking crusty. Yes, a lot of times, my routine eats a lotfrom my savings. The few times I have tried to be cheap about my routine, I ended up regretting it, so…But anyways, money that goes, eventually comes.”
Charis
Charis* is a 25-year-old associate at a corporate law firm. She earns 400,000 naira monthly.
Collagen supplements– 47,500
Facials-25,000 naira
Hair- 18,000 naira (“I am on dyed low cut, and that is basically for redyeing my undergrowth. I alternate that with wigs”)
Lashes– 13,000-18,000 naira
Lip blushing– 75,000 naira (“It was a one-time thing”)
Waxing– 0 naira (“It’s torture, please. I shave myself)
Reason for beauty maintenance: I grew up with only sisters who had, and still have, serious beauty routines. So I think I can chalk it up to learned behavior. When I don’t have lashes on, my face feels incomplete.”
Read Also: Are We Still Buying Human Hair Wigs at These Outrageous Prices?
Pre-colonial Beauty Standards in Nigeria
Before European colonisation, Nigerian beauty standards were rooted in cultural practices that celebrated distinct features such as dark skin, fuller figures, and unique facial or body markings.
In fact, the majority of Nigerian beauty standards celebrated a curvaceous and voluptuous figure, often linked to fertility and desirability. Broad hips were seen as a sign of a woman’s ability to bear children, which was central to perceptions of her worth as a wife.
One interesting age-long tradition of the Efik people is the Nkuho practice. Between the ages of fourteen and fifteen, the girl, according to the custom of the land, had to be fattened in preparation for womanhood and marriage. She goes into seclusion in a well-prepared room – the fattening room (ufok nkuho), where her body is painted with white chalk (random) and massaged with some ground roots to make it soft, smooth and beautiful. She is also fed about six large portions of food every day. Thus, she becomes Nkuho (fattened woman).
Furthermore, in many Nigerian societies, beauty was not limited to physical appearance but extended to character, wisdom, and contributions to the community. For instance, Among the Igbo people, the word “ợ chakomaka” is used metaphorically to refer to a woman who is only endowed or physically attractive but lacks good manners. A woman described as such is usually avoided, loathed and not desired or valued despite her stunning physical features. This holistic view stood in contrast to Eurocentric ideals that emphasised slim figures, light skin, and specific facial features.
Beauty ideals varied across Nigeria’s ethnic groups. Among the Yoruba in southwestern Nigeria, linguistic expressions vividly described body parts like the “ẹyinjú” (eyeballs) or “ìdí” (buttocks), imbuing them with cultural meaning and admiration. Phrases like “ẹl-éyinjú-ẹgé” (delicate, graceful eyeballs) highlighted how language itself celebrated physical features.
Among the Fulani, intricate hairstyles and facial tattoos, which older women favoured, symbolised beauty, wisdom and social respect. Similarly, ceremonial attire and adornments often indicated marital status or social roles. In that sense, beauty was intertwined with cultural values and responsibilities.
Pre-colonial beauty standards represented a blend of tradition, language, and cultural identity. They emphasised that beauty is not universal but a reflection of the diverse ways in which societies celebrate individuality, community, and heritage.
Yet, while it’s grown significantly more harmful in recent decades, the commodification of beauty has always existed. The pressure to purchase specific products or undergo physical procedures to achieve a particular look has existed for centuries. However, with the rise of social media and its influence on consumer behaviour, beauty standards have skyrocketed to unprecedented levels in recent decades.
Beauty in the Social Media era
Globalisation and its consequent social media boom have led to an overconsumption of beauty, which significantly eats away at women’s savings and time.
Beforehand, most women who felt a need to keep up with all this were sex workers, trophy wives and celebrities. And the thing is that women in these categories received an immediate return for their investment in satisfying the male gaze.
This isn’t to say that women are solely into beauty maintenance to appease men; it is merely a critique of how beauty maintenance culture has become problematic. How do you consistently “fix” yourself to meet certain standards that are ever-evolving and getting more expensive daily?
It’s also nauseating how girls harshly criticise themselves because their nails or hair aren’t done. It’s commonplace to hear women apologise for not wearing make-up at social gatherings.
Every day, your favourite beauty store stocks a new product offering the magic cure of made-up insecurity to women—because really, what’s imperfect about hip dips, hair on our bodies, our natural nails, nappy hair, two-toned lips, etc.? The beauty maintenance culture antagonises our unique features and wants everyone to look the same.
Women as a collective need to redefine what female beauty maintenance should look like. Let’s start with language. Calling these procedures “maintenance” implies that they—lashes, waxing, installs, nails—are condition precedents for beauty. Remember that beauty is a social construct, and there should be no monopoly on how beauty presents itself.
Reflect on beauty from a more holistic perspective rather than one that gives life to a very capitalistic beauty industry—we need to rewire our brains into realising how ridiculous it is to spend disproportionate amounts of our income on female beauty maintenance.
I suggest that, at the bare minimum, beauty maintenance should include daily sunscreen usage, a good exercise plan (it doesn’t have to be that expensive Pilates class, girl), incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet, and routine visits to your ob-gyn.
To challenge conventional beauty standards, expand your perception of beauty to include diverse shapes and sizes of body types and facial features. Avoid consuming media that glorifies a single ideal appearance, and instead focus on appreciating your own unique beauty. You don’t need to go broke trying to conform to societal expectations of what a beautiful woman should look like.
