CHECKING her bank balance, Bella Kehl lets out a sigh of relief as she sees £1700 has landed in her bank account.
With two kids money will be tight when it comes to food, bills and keeping the kids entertained but there is one thing she is not prepared to sacrifice.
Once she has picked up her weekly food shop , Bella, 26, will head straight to the salon where she will blow £75 in one pamper session .
The mum will hand over £10 for a sunbed session, £40 for a gel manicure and £25 for an eyebrow tint and wax.
It may seem extravagant but single Bella says it’s an essential part of her being a great mum, and as the month goes on she will spend another £150 on further beauty treatments .
“I’m a mum of two toddlers on benefits but my three sunbed sessions a week are essential,” she argues.
“I spend £225 of my benefits a month on my mummy glow-up, it’s more than I spend on our food shop but it’s non-negotiable.
“Some months my pampering is the biggest expense apart from rent . Trolls can call it selfish but they are just wrong.
“It makes me feel good and that makes me a better mum, besides I’m a brilliant budgetter and my kids never go without.”
Former cleaner and student Bella lives near Maidstone, Kent, with her children, ages two and three, in a two bedroom council home costing £490 a month.
She receives just over £1700 in Universal Credit, including housing benefit, standard allowance, child support and £187 in Child Benefit.
The mum pays £27 a month council tax and qualifies for free NHS prescriptions, dentist, eye tests and school meals and says she stretches every pound to allow for her beauty habits.
Bella pays £40 for a gel manicure and another £25 for her brow wax and tint monthly while her sunbed sessions are £100 a month.
Every three months, she spends £180 on a full cut, colour and blow dry.
She does this by putting £60 away a month to help cover the costs totalling £225 meaning months she has a hair cut her total beauty bill is £345.
“It’s worth every penny, I’m not walking around pale and miserable just because I’m on Universal Credit,” says Bella.
“I’ve earned my glow, let them judge, I don’t care.”
Bella first became a mum at 22 while working as a cleaner and studying business.
Her son, now three, was born in March 2022 and she split with his dad shortly after.
“I wanted to start my own eco-cleaning business but my little lad has special needs and needs me full time,” she explains.
HOW BELLA SPENDS HER CASH
Monthly income: £1,760
(£1,710 Universal Credit + £50 Vinted side hustle)
Monthly spend: £1,722
- Rent – £490
- Council tax – £27
- Beauty & tanning – £225 (£345 when she has a hair cut)
- Groceries – £200
- Gas – £100
- Electric – £80
- Water – £30
- Internet – £40
- Phone – £40
- Car (fuel & insurance) – £180
- Kids’ essentials (incl. clothes) – £180
- Entertainment/outings – £100
- Misc (school, birthdays etc.) – £30
Leftover each month: £38
Bella briefly reunited with her ex, fell pregnant again, and had her daughter, now two in April 2023 before they sadly split again.
“Things didn’t work out and with two under two, I stayed on benefits,” she says.
“It wasn’t a plan, it was a necessity.”
Bella says she was bullied in school over her appearance, particularly her pale skin.
“I swore I’d never scrimp on my looks when I got older and I meant it,” she says.
She got the idea for her glow-up after meeting fellow mums last March.
“I thought they’d been to Ibiza, turns out they were on benefits too, they just prioritised their self-care,” she says.
I felt sexy, alive, confident and I knew it was something I wanted to maintain
Bella Kehl
Inspired, Bella started her benefits bronzing and pampering program.
She began with five minute sunbed sessions three to five times a week.
“I got a cheap starter deal and I was addicted after one month,” she admits.
“I felt sexy, alive, confident and I knew it was something I wanted to maintain.
“It’s cheaper than therapy and makes me feel human again.”
While her dedication to self-care might leave them on the breadline, Bella says it’s important she demonstrates to her children the importance of caring about your appearance.
Risks of sunbeds
THE promise of a constant glowing tan is too tempting for some people to deny.
But while popping to the sunbed shop may seem harmless, people who use tanning beds should be aware of the risks.
Approximately 10 per cent of the population of Northern Europe use sunbeds on a regular basis, the World Health Organization says.
Some people use them for years on end, accumulating risk of serious disease.
We are here to give you the lowdown on sunbeds and if they are safe to use.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking.
Like the sun, they give out harmful UV rays that damage the DNA in your skin cells.
Over time, this may lead to malignant melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – studies have shown.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , there is significant evidence to show that using tanning beds causes melanoma.
They report that sunbeds increase the risk of skin cancer by up to 20 per cent, and also state that they have no positive benefits to our health.
Cancer Research back this statistic, adding that ” there is no such thing as a safe tan from UV radiation”.
One study found that sunbeds can almost double the risk of cancer compared to never using them – with women 83 per cent more likely to develop the disease.
While some people think tanning beds are safer than sitting out in the midday sun, according to Cancer Research , the risk is still twice as high when compared to spending the same amount of time in the Mediterranean sun at lunch time.
The Sunbed Association claim there is not enough evidence to link sunbed use with melanoma, adding: “It is over-exposure and burning that will increase a risk of skin cancer, not responsible UV exposure.”
But the WHO says: “The majority of tanning parlours provide inadequate advice to their customers.
“The use of eye protection such as goggles or sunglasses should be mandatory.
“However, as sunbed users aim to have an even tan, they often decide against protecting any part of their body.”
Referring to the link with skin cancer, the world health experts add: “Sunbeds for self-tanning purposes have been available for the last two decades and due to the long latency period for skin cancer and eye damage it has been difficult so far to demonstrate any long-term health effects.
“Even though the causes of malignant melanoma are not fully understood, tumour development appears to be linked to occasional exposure to intense sunlight.
“Sunbeds subject their users to intermittent high exposures of UVA and UVB radiation – this may provide the ideal setting for the development of malignant skin cancer.
“However, the few epidemiological studies that have been carried out to date have not provided any consistent results.”
Despite the WHO’s cautious stance on the skin cancer link, it discourages the use of sunbeds, quoting an expert who said the use of tanning parlours is like “an industrial-scale radiation exposure experiment”.
Regardless of skin cancer, sunbeds don’t just have long-term health risks.
Users have reported a range of short-term symptoms including itching, dryness and redness of skin, freckling and photosensitivity.
Common outcomes in the longer term, especially in fair-skinned people, may involve blistering of the skin.
“ Sagging and wrinkling of the skin are an almost certain price to be paid by frequent sunbed users”, the WHO says – not quite the outcome you hope for when going to the sunbed shop for a beautiful, youthful look.
She says: “I value my appearance and show my children if you look good no one will disrespect you.”
“My kids don’t miss out because of it, we still go on wonderful woodland adventures for free like having a picnic.
“Spending £300 on a specialist theme park to treat them isn’t better, it’s different and at their age they likely won’t remember it.
“My kids love playing in a few large cardboard boxes and using old sheets to make dens.
“Why would i spend £150 on a toy they dump in ten minutes.”
Cancer Research UK says almost 3 million Brits use sunbeds and the fastest growing users are women aged 18 to 29.
Sessions cost £3 to £8 depending on how many minutes you buy.Many people use monthly or ‘happy hour’ deals ranging from £25 to £75 plus past as you go top up minutes for around a pound.
Despite NHS and Cancer Research campaigns warning of melanoma risks, a survey by Public Health England showed one quarter or 25% of women aged 18–29 say tanning helps them feel “more confident and in control.”
Bella explains: “I know people bang on about cancer risks, but when the influencers I follow are all loving sunbeds, it makes me think they can’t be that bad.
“It doesn’t make me a bad example to my kids. I have done the research and you have to be over 16 to use them. “
Research from Teesside Uni found one third of women on all incomes see beauty treatments as emotionally essential.
Even broke mums will still get their nails done or spend on lippy or a hair cut, we need that boost
Bella Kehl
The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology says 67% of women earning under £20k class them as must-haves in what is known as the ‘lipstick effect.’
“Even broke mums will still get their nails done or spend on lippy or a hair cut, we need that boost,” says Bella.
“People blow money on booze and no one says a word. I get my eyebrows, hair, nails and enjoy pampering and I’m labelled irresponsible.”
Bella says that she expects backlash from trolls but she won’t let it get to her.
“It’s my cash, I’ll spend it how I want,” she says.
“I don’t ask strangers to hand over their payslips.”
Bella’s now planning to train in aesthetics or open her own tanning salon.
“This isn’t just beauty, it’s a future investment for me so my monthly spend is about business and education,” she says.
“I’m setting glow-up goals and I won’t be ashamed of self-care and more mums should take the same stance.”
