When finance blogs talk about saving money, they always mention housing, cars, food, and investments. But for many women, there’s another big expense that rarely gets discussed: beauty. Hair, nails, skincare, lashes, and makeup are not luxuries in society’s eyes, they are expectations.
The idea of beauty without the price tag seems foreign. It feels unattainable, mostly because we have attached the idea of being put together with spending money; especially beauty at a certain level: picture the high-end weaves, expensive makeup artists, jewelry and designer clothing.
We think elegance is about buying heaps of products. The truth is elegance is about styling, creativity, consistency, and carriage. The world has changed, we now have so much knowledge at our fingertips, than we know what to do with. Why not take advantage of it by learning from the wide array of beauty tips and tutorials available on the internet?
As the Nigerian economy takes a beating, and prices are rising, beauty specialists: make-up artists, estheticians, hair stylists, and nail techs have raised their prices in response. This leaves a lot of people feeling like they have to choose survival over elegance, especially since salaries are not rising with inflation. When it comes to beauty budgeting, I recommend embracing DIY.
This post is about how people on a budget can work with what they have, so that they can still look put together long term without breaking the bank. We’ll talk about skincare, nails, makeup, and hair.
Skincare: The Real Foundation of Beauty
Clear, healthy skin is the universal foundation of beauty. Your face is the first thing people see when they look at you. If you have clear skin, it signals attractiveness, health, and elegance.
Myth: You need a ten-step routine with imported products.
Reality: At the core, skincare is about cleaning, moisturizing and protecting. Invest in the essentials: face wash/cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and retinoid. Everything else can be done at home.
While trying to save money on skincare, research will be your best friend in identifying what kind of skin you have and what nourishes it. Take advantage of Youtube videos, blog articles, and Tiktoks especially from Nigerians or creators with your skin type. Lean into DIY face scrubs and exfoliators made from natural ingredients. Consider doing your facials at home once or twice a month instead of at a spa. The skill required to do these are definitely learnable over time. If you start now, think how good you will be at it in let’s say, a year’s time. Consistency matters more than buying every new product you hear about on Tiktok. Stick with the basics and wait for results before trying out new products.
DIY Starter Kit
– face moisturizer
– body moisturizer
– face wash
– toner (optional)
– Vitamin C/B3 serum (optional)
– SPF 50+ sunscreen (non-negotiable).
– some form of retinoid at night for anti-aging (retinol, tretinoin)
– extractor tool (for facials)
– exfoliator. This can be a DIY scrub e.g honey and sugar scrub
– face sponge (for washing)
– face mask (hydrating masks/mud mask, depending on skin dryness). This can be DIY as well.
– portable steamer (alternative: boiled water in a bowl). This is for at-home facials
– portable mask led light (optional, but very useful for long term use)
Safe & Practical DIY Options
– Physical exfoliator: eg. sugar & honey scrub
– Masks: eg. yogurt & honey, tumeric & yoghurt
– At-home facials: face wash -> steaming -> exfoliator -> extraction -> mask -> (toner,serums, moisturizer) -> led light -> sun screen (if daytime) or retinol (if night)
– Moisturizer: coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil
Don’t Try This At Home
> Never DIY sunscreen, serums, chemical exfoliants and retinoids
Nails: Beauty in the Details
Nails are expected to be at the very least clean, and in some circles like the medical community, short. At its elegance peak, nails are given the manicure and pedicure treatment, and women also get artificial nails with nail art and the ocassional refills that cost as high as ₦15,000 per session as of 2025. If you do that twice a month, that is ₦360,000 a year. DIY manicures at home cost a fraction.A one-time ₦30,000 starter kit can last over a year. With practice, you will get salon worthy results, without the bills.
Myth: To get peak nail elegance, it has to be done professionally.
Reality: With time and patience, on a budget, you can get free nail care from your own self, gradually cutting off reliance on nail techs. All you need to do is watch videos on this. Lots of actual nail techs have tutorial videos on whatever nail design, manicure or pedicure you can think of. You can start with basic practice by doing your own manicure and pedicure, then work your way up to nail art, if you have time.
DIY Starter Kit
– pumice stone/ foot scraper (for scrubbing feet during at-home pedicure)
– epsom salt (for pedicures)
– nail file and buffer
– cuticle remover
– cuticle pusher
– acetone nail dehydrator (alt: isopropyl alcohol)
– nail primer
– nail polish remover
– polygel (best for beginners)
– UV led lamp
– sunscreen or UV gloves for led lamp (to protect hands from UV rays)
– slip solution (alt. isopropyl alcohol)
Lashes: The Frame of the Eyes
Lashes, when highlighted with either mascara, eyeliner or lash extensions are glamorous. Women tend to add lashes to their elegance game whether on a quick trip to the market or to a wedding party.
Myth: you have to consistently pay for the service of getting your lash done for it to look glam.
Reality: this is another skillset that can be done at home by yourself, once you have good lighting, a clear mirror, and the right tools, you are good to go. If you learn this, you become able to do your own strip lashes, and lashes for everyday wear. Avoid DIY-ing lash sets with industrial glue, that’s best left to professionals. You can start your DIY by buying individual lashes, that can be installed by someone else cheaply on you and work your way up to cluster lashes. As you get better, you could experiment with different lash styles, shapes, and lengths.
DIY Starter Kit
– Individual Lashes
– Cluster lashes
– micellar water
– lash glue
– lash seal
– spoolie/lash brush
– eyelash curler
– tweezers
Makeup: The Art of Enhancement
Of all the beauty aspects, I think makeup is one which a lot of people already do on their own. That being said, a lot of people still hesitate to do this one themselves because they feel like they could never get as good as a professional MUA and you may be right. But you spoend more time with your own face more than anybody else, so you know what works for you and what doesn’t. You have a large range of time to figure out what makeup combination makes the best sense for you over time if you learn to do your makeup yourself.
Myth: you can never do as good a makeup as a professional make up artist can do on your face, especially for high profile events.
Reality: It can be done. You’ve seen the girls on IG, Tiktok, giving story time and doing their own makeup simultaneously with great results. If they can do it, why not you? You could start with light makeup for a market trip and work your way up to bold glam that is fit for a Nigerian wedding party, free of charge. In 2025, there is a clip making the rounds of Davido’s Chioma doing her own makeup herself for her wedding because the makeup artist was late and they were running out of time, and that’s someone who can definitely afford a MUA. So learning this skill can definitely come in handy in other ways outside of saving money.
DIY Starter Kit
– brush set
– makeup sponge for application
– foundation
– concealer
– blush
– setting powder
– eye and lip liner set
– lipsticks
– lipgloss
– eye shadow set
– contour
– setting spray
– miscellar water
– face wipes
– primer
– brow gel
Hair: A Woman’s Crown
This may be the most controversial suggestion, especially in Nigeria where hair making is not particularly expensive, depending on what style and where you are going to be making your hair from. I personally spend a lot on my hair monthly, on purpose. As of 2025, I pay a range of 25-40k for my hair monthly, depending on the hairstyle. I do this because I sometimes like making very complicated hairstyles that I found on Pinterest and my choice of salon gets it exactly right. I don’t want to risk getting it wrong at a cheaper salon. Been there, done that. I get compliments on my hair everywhere I go because of this. But, the salons are increasing their prices too much for my comfort, and I finally decided that I was going to learn to do it myself just like I learned to do my nails, facials, lashes, and makeup. So that one day, I may decide to just stop paying their expensive price all the time or altogether.
A single wig can cost the same as starting a small investment portfolio. Yet, many feel it’s non-negotiable, especially for women working in environments that require them to look put together. For the everyday Nigerian who wants to have options, instead of being solely reliant on hair stylists and expensive wigs, it could save you way more money learning to do your own hair yourself but it does require a lot of learning time, so I would understand why someone may balk at learning this. This is for advanced players.
Myth: It’s a high level skill that can not be learnt on my own for my own use. Learning this means you are too cheap to pay for your hair.
Reality: Hair styling is indeed a high level skill, but that does not mean that you can not learn enough to save some money. If the only style you learn is cornrows, so that you can wear your wig, then you save yourself a lifetime of paying someone to do cornrows for you. It could also just be a packing gel style that you learn to do at home for emergency outings or for times when you are just flat broke but still want to look presentable. You could learn to refurbish your own wigs: wash, detangle and curl them. Crotchets are also not that hard to do, once you learn cornrows with hair extensions. Think of all the hair styles you can crotchet yourself. You can even go as far as learning braids and wig making. It’s up to you, how far you want to go.
If you learn this, you gain long-term savings on hair, complete creative control, ability to redo/fix old hair mid-month, and styling independence in foreign locations or emergency situations.
DIY Starter Kit
– Mannequin training head with hair and tripod stand (makes it easier to build muscle memory while plaiting before you try on your own head)
– blow dryer (for stretching natural hair)
– comb set
– crotchet pin
– cutting comb/rat-tail comb
– sewing kit (for weavons)
– three-way mirror (for easy viewing of the back of the head)
Being able to work on your own beauty gives you options especially when you are short on cash, or trying to stretch your funds. These valuable skills will keep you looking elegant without spending a dime on anything but your working materials.
It’s not about never spending on beauty. It’s about being mindful: choosing when to DIY, when to splurge, and when to redirect that money into your bigger goals. After all, your wealth should grow with you, not just sit on your face, nails, or hair.
Which of these will you start DIY-ing first? Let me know at hello@mindfulnaira.com