I had a conversation with one of my coworkers recently about getting our hair done. I had just dyed mine back to platinum blonde, which I do about once a year. She noticed and complimented me, but then said, “I just can’t spend that much money on my hair, I just dye mine with box dye from Walmart.” That comment, along with a few other conversations, led me to write this article.
As women, we have so much societal pressure to look a certain way and to keep up with the next fads. From Botox to lip fillers to eyelash extensions, to nails, hair, and skin routines, vampire facials, vitamin injections, weight loss drugs, and everything else in between, we should actually be talking about this and how it affects our personal finances in a way that men don’t necessarily feel. I don’t see this discussed much, and today I’m going to shed some light, open some eyes, and honestly, even prove to myself that I am justified in not participating in most of these purchases.
The Pink Tax
The pink tax has been written about before and is generally defined as higher prices on women’s products. Historically, this looked like identical items being marketed to women at a higher price, like deodorant or razors. I think that still exists, but it’s not as obvious as it used to be.
The modern pink tax, to me, is the ongoing cost of maintaining a socially expected appearance in a world full of services designed to enhance or change the way we look.
Cost Breakdown
For the sake of this article, I listed prices for some of the services women are offered and encouraged to participate in, and came up with an average annual cost breakdown to hone in on my point. My mom contributed to this conversation because I am certainly not a “girls girl” in this sense.
| Service | Price | Frequency | Annual Total |
| Hair Appointment | $300 | Every 10-12 weeks | $1560 |
| Botox | $400 | 4x a year | $1600 |
| Lip Filler | $400 | 2x a year | $800 |
| Facial Peels | $300 | 2x a year | $600 |
| Generalized Filler | $500 | 2x a year | $1000 |
| Nail Salon | $60 | Every other week | $1560 |
| Eyelash Extensions | $250 initial, $60 maintain | Initially, then every other week | $1810 |
| Hair Removal | $70 | Monthly | $840 |
| Skin Care | $100 | Monthly | $1200 |
| Clothing Upkeep | $150 | Monthly | $1800 |
This is a total of $12,770.
That number is insane to me, so I asked a few friends who actively participate in this world (because I do not), and these are the services they routinely use:
Hair→ $1560
Botox → $1600
Nails → $1560
Lashes → $1810
Skincare/Makeup → $1200
Total = $7736
To be clear, neither of these lists are all-inclusive. Just check out one of your local spas’ price pages; there are services on top of services available for people to participate in.
Almost all of this is a choice. Some of it feels like pressure, but ultimately, you decide whether to spend your time and money on these things. You can also participate without overindulging.
I got my hair done once last year, took my daughter 5–6 times to get her nails done, went shopping for myself maybe twice, and I do pay for a yearly wax subscription. My total for this is about $2,500. I’m not trying to shame anyone for doing what they enjoy, but we shouldn’t feel pressure to spend like this if it doesn’t fit into our budget. Especially if it’s in place of investing.
Now for the part that stings.
Opportunity Costs
My personal finance brain compares things in life to stock market returns. So what if you took the same amount of “pink tax” money and invested it in a broad-based index fund like the S&P 500?
Historically, the market has returned about 10% annually. After accounting for inflation, a more realistic long-term return is closer to 6–7%. So let’s take our three different totals and run the numbers.
| High Pink Tax | $12,770/year |
| Moderate Pink Tax | $7,736/year |
| Low Pink Tax | $2,500/year |
| Category | 20-year returns on investment | 30-year returns on investment |
| High Pink Tax | $523,000 | $1,200,000 |
| Moderate Pink Tax | $317,000 | $730,000 |
| Low Pink Tax | $102,000 | $236,000 |
Talk about financial freedom.
Why This Happens
Unfortunately, we live in a world with these kinds of social pressures that we, as women, have to navigate. I see the expectations, especially in certain professional roles. You’re supposed to look a certain way, dress a certain way, and you’re constantly being compared to others, especially on social media.
I can understand how people justify it: “This is how I take care of myself,” or “This is the only alone time I get.” And trust me, I understand burnout as a mom, business owner, and breadwinner. These things can feel like a reward for everything we do (and we are awesome).
But most people don’t even realize how much they’re spending. You don’t feel the cost because it comes in smaller increments, monthly or every few months, and it’s completely normalized. I’m not anti-self-care at all. I absolutely believe we should take care of ourselves. But for me, that looks more like being active and paying attention to what I put into my body, and less like what I wash my face with or the services available to change my appearance. That said, I know some people genuinely value spending money in these categories, and this isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition.
So practically, what do we do about it?
Budget
The solution comes down to budgeting. I’m a huge advocate for having a budget and actually following it to achieve your financial goals. In my budget, we prioritize travel. Experiences with my kids matter deeply to me. So I don’t really have a “beauty budget,” but some people can, and it still doesn’t have to derail your goals. Decide what really matters to you. Put those things into your budget as a line item, so you have a plan the next time you’re tempted to say yes to everything at the spa.
This helps cut out default spending and easy add-ons. Even reducing this by 25% creates money you can redirect toward investing. A budget makes your spending intentional. However, just like travel in my budget, your beauty spending should never replace or reduce your investing. Our travel spending fluctuates, but investing stays a priority. That’s for our future selves, and we try to keep that as sacred as possible.
Conclusion
I know realistically that the industry behind all of this will continue to grow. There will always be a new treatment, a new product, a new “must-have” service. But what I wish would grow alongside it is awareness because this isn’t really about Botox, lashes, or hair appointments.
It’s about understanding what we’re trading. We are trading hundreds of dollars a month, often without thinking, for something that feels small in the moment but becomes massive over time. We are trading future flexibility, future options, and in some cases, future financial freedom. And again, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t spend the money.
It just means you should know what you’re choosing instead. Because when you see the numbers laid out like this, $300 here, $100 there, $60 every other week, it doesn’t feel like much. But when you zoom out and see $7,000, $10,000, $12,000 a year… or $500,000+ over time, it becomes something entirely different. So the goal isn’t to eliminate it all. The goal is to bring it into the light. To question it. To decide what actually matters to you, and cut out the rest.
Because poor financial habits don’t need to stay hidden, and it is never too late to start redirecting your money toward the life you actually want.