Spending R10 000 a month on hair and nail care may sound like a lot but it is entirely possible – depending on your purse.

Hair and nail spending habits were a hot topic of conversation on Wednesday after it emerged that a 30-year-old woman from Midrand‚ who gave up her job to become a “good housewife”‚ is seeking R63 100 a month in spousal maintenance from her estranged common-law husband – pending their divorce.

Hair and nail care amounted to R10 000 and food R2 500 a month in her claim‚ reported the Pretoria News. 

Beauty and hair salons contacted said it was entirely possible to spend that sum of money per month.

“It is possible if one is buying the hair and going to the salon twice a month. I guess it also depends on the type of hair and length the person prefers. Indian hair is much more expensive‚” said Prisca Ndhlovu‚ owner of Prisca Hair and Beauty salon in Sandton.

According to Ndhlovu the client would spend a lot on nails if they opted for items such as gellish on tips‚ which was expensive.

Michael Nkomo‚ a hairstylist at MosDefinite hair and beauty salon in Rosebank‚ said hair was expensive and spending R10 000 was not an exaggeration. “It does happen that a person spends that much on hair and nails. If they come to me for instance‚ they would have to do a proper consultation. Their hair needs to be relaxed‚ treated and plaited before we weave the extensions in.”

Nkomo said that buying hair extensions could cost up to R6 000. “She (the client) would have to get a 32-inch weave. To relax‚ treat and plait hair can cost up to R1 200 and the labour is R800. If they want to put colour on the weave‚ they pay separately for that.”

If the client did their nails‚ they could pay up to R1 000 for a pedicure and manicure. “It all depends on what the person wants to achieve and how much they want to spend.”

Devona Jones from Hair Extension Experts in Randburg said it was possible for someone to spend almost R10 000 on hair‚ but not necessarily on nails.

“It usually depends on the type of hair extension you are going for and the length. Some hairstyles might require more hair‚ which means more money. So you can spend up to R7 000 to R8 000 or more. For example‚ if it’s Indian Remy hair extensions‚ one can pay a lot of money‚” said Jones.

She said this did not mean that a person would pay that much every month‚ as “from there you would just go for maintenance‚ which is around R1 500 to R2 000 once a month. And you would pay way less than that for nails as they are not as expensive.”

“Yes it is possible‚ because weaves are expensive nowadays and it depends on inches and brands‚" said Mpho Thwala‚ who buys weaves. "Peruvian‚ Indian and Brazilian hair range from 3k to 8k. Add nails‚ you end up paying more or less R10 000."