Salon Gossips: Cheating Husbands, Parenting And Other Secrets Women Share At Beauty Parlors

The salon, for many women, is not just a place to pamper themselves with hair makeovers and beauty treatments; it’s also a social hub for companionship.

As women gather in the cosy embrace of salon chairs and under the warm glow of hair dryers, it becomes a sanctuary for the exchange of stories, the sharing of secrets, and the expression of personal experiences.

The conversations naturally gravitate towards topics such as sex, family life, and parenting styles. These discussions help women connect, empathize, and seek advice from each other, making each visit to the salon an anticipated opportunity for this reporter to catch up on the latest gossips.

As a single lady, the reporter eagerly anticipates these ‘salon gossips’ every two weeks when she visits to make her hair at BB12 Beauty Parlour to do her hair.

Located in Dutse Market, Abuja, women who visit the salon often exchange stories that traverse politics and lifestyle.

During the reporter’s visit this week, the salon’s customers ventured into a controversial topic: cheating husbands.

Blessing, known as ‘Mummy Femi’, opened the discussion when she admitted that she was aware of her husband’s infidelity but is unbothered so long as he performs his obligations to her and their children.

“My own is, he should provide me with money; I don’t care. God save him if I get any infection,” she said, adding in Pidgin English “Na that time you go know say madness get levels.”

Blessing’s confession about her husband’s extramarital affairs set the stage for a lively discussion.

Angela, another customer at the saloon, shared her own perspective on cheating husbands. “Where I will have an issue with you is when you fail to take care of your responsibilities or rub it on my face,” she explained.

Angela shared an instance when her husband did not return home after hanging out with friends: “My husband the other day went out and didn’t come back, and you expect me to call him?” she laughed. “Nah, so he came back the next day and picked a fight because I didn’t ask about his movement. I only said, ‘Thank God you are back safe.”

According to Angela, she would allow anything to tamper with her “mental stability because of some cheating man that calls himself a husband.”

Betty, this reporter’s personal stylist, shared similar views on cheating husbands: “I don’t even have enough time for myself, children, and work, let alone to start monitoring a cheating man. He should go ahead, but he shouldn’t forget I’m also pretty, and men make passes at me too,” she declared with a confident smile.

She went on to recount a funny tale about her husband’s jealousy, highlighting the hypocrisy that sometimes exists within relationships.

“My husband and his friends engaged in a talk about my beauty regimen and how I don’t dress as they expect a married woman to. Interestingly, my husband approached me and asked me to stop whatever I was doing to maintain my radiant skin, with a stupid assurance that he would love me regardless of my complexion. It’s funny coming from someone who can’t take his eyes off beautiful women he sees.”

After a while, Cecilia, who owns the larger part of the salon, changed the topic of discussion to parenting. The hairstylist who is often accompanied by her children to the saloon says she believes in advising her kids rather than chasing them around.

“Any life you choose to live will be on you,” she firmly stated. Cecilia believes parents should adopt a hands-off approach to parenting and encourage personal responsibility by ensuring that their children understand the consequences of their actions.

Betty also shared her story of growing up with a strict mother who, while loving, kept her on a tight leash.

She attributes her youthful marriage to her mother’s vigilant eyes: “If my mom was soft or lenient enough, I wouldn’t have gotten married at the age I did.”

She continued, “I couldn’t even have a male friend without my mother’s knowledge, or she’d report it to my father. She scared me into keeping nothing from her.”

Not long after, Miriam, a skilled makeup artist who initially appeared uninterested in the conversation started a discussion about the unhealthy competition among hair stylists and makeup artists.

“These hairstylists and makeup artists can kill for a customer,” she said, recounting an argument with Cecilia, another stylist, who she blamed for not referring a customer to her.

Cecilia, in her response, explained that customers have a right to choose whichever stylist they like.

“I simply asked why you didn’t recommend the customer to me, as I’m capable of making the hairstyle she desires. Please, let’s not misinterpret what I said,” she said.

Editor’s Note: Out of respect for the privacy and confidentiality of the individuals mentioned, we have altered their real names, with one exception — Cecilia.