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 For instance, just try to tell your spouse how much he or she should
spend on getting their hair done.
Guaranteed nuclear war.
I asked my social media followers about the way couples should
handle the significant costs of getting one's hair done, and the
reaction was fiery.
A sampler: "There are some things you don't share with your spouse,
and hair cost is one of them."
"It costs to look this good ... and no, hubby doesn't need to know,
nor does he ask."
"Smart husbands don't mess with the hair-doing budget."
"Two things men should only address if they have something good to
say: hair and weight."
Haircare, in particular, seems to be an intensely personal subject
for couples. Throw money concerns into the mix, and it can lead to
the financial equivalent of a really bad hair day. Indeed, financial
arguments are by far the No. 1 one predictor of divorce, according
to research by Sonya Britt, a professor at Kansas State University.
There is no doubt the costs of haircare can add up, and quickly.
U.S. spending on hair services in 2014 amounted to a record $46
billion, estimates Parsippany, New Jersey-based consulting firm
Kline & Co.
The average salon client drops $67.17 per visit for hair services,
according to American Salon's Green Book industry report. That's a
repeated cost, of course, with men going to a stylist 11.2 times a
year on average, and women dropping in 12.9 times annually.
"As a woman you grow up feeling like expensive hair treatments are
mandatory, almost like you're being shamed into it," says Dr.
Phoenyx Austin, a fitness expert in Washington and author of "If You
Love It, It Will Grow" and the children's book "Love Your Hair."
"You don't want someone telling you you're spending too much money.
It's a very touchy subject."
That said, Austin says the final tab can easily get "out of hand,"
when you are combining pricey appointments with expensive take-home
products. She knows of women who spend up to $1,500 a month on their
hair.
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ELABORATE PROCEDURES
Costs can disproportionately affect minority communities, where
haircare procedures tend to be more elaborate. The average cost of
getting extensions or weaves, according to the Green Book: A
whopping $487.25 every time, up $137.29 in a single year.
Austin, who is African-American, went for a more natural look years
ago, which saves a ton of money on processes like chemical
straightening. But if times are tight and there is room for your
family's salon budget to be cut back, she advises that you look in
the mirror first.
"The worst thing is to come at your spouse complaining about a salon
bill, when you're shelling out lots of money on other stuff," she
says.
"Make sure to frame the discussion that any cutbacks will go into
family savings, or to your kids' college. That's a good way to
massage it into the conversation."
Samantha McGarry once went into battle on the subject, and the
skirmish was brief and decisive.
"At one point, my husband said something about the cost of getting
my hair done," says the 47-year-old public relations executive from
Framingham, Massachusetts. "So we had a little conversation, and now
he knows to focus on other areas."
If times got really tough, McGarry would find room to trim spending
and try more do-it-yourself coloring jobs. Truth be told, McGarry
doesn't spend crazy amounts on her hair: $120 every now and then on
a cut-and-color. She certainly does not want that budget shorn.
"It's about feeling beautiful, it's about having 'Me Time,' it's
about all of that," McGarry says. "Spouses should probably steer
clear in order to keep the peace."
(Editing by Lauren Young and Jonathan Oatis)
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