Ladies, this pandemic has been an eye-opener in terms of how much upkeep it takes for us to maintain our ‘everyday fabulous’. It is exhausting keeping up with laser appointments, getting eyebrows done, waxing, facials, and whatnot. Let’s not even touch how much we spend on skincare and makeup brands to get that perfect ‘sun-kissed’ or ‘autumn air-brush’ look that seems so effortless but demands concentration and mastery that befits runway models.
This article is a guide on how to become self-sufficient and take better care of ones’ self, even as the vaccinations enable state administrations to lift COVID-19 restrictions:
The Hair
It is an ideal time to embrace your natural hair texture, instead of constantly taming them into styles you see on Instagram. Take a break from cutting, coloring, styling, and let them grow out. Now that awareness about diversity is also working its magic, it’s okay to embrace your roots. Also, refrain from washing your hair too often to oil-train them. Gradually, start washing your hairs after 2 – 3 days to limit their exposure to harsh chemicals which are abundantly present in the products.
If a maintenance-free all-natural look is not your thing, try giving yourself a cut. It might sound like a horrible idea but social media channels are flooding with hair experts showing you how to cut your hair (without ruining it). Our advice? Start with something simpler like trimming the ends. If you have the stamina for it, you can try hair dye kits by tried and true haircare brands. According to Bakkila (2020), some easy-to-use hair care dyes can help you save some serious cash.
Also, give DIY hair treatments a try with ingredients from your kitchen:
For buildup: use apple cider vinegar and rosemary oil
For protein conditioning: add mayonnaise, coconut oil, olive oil, honey, castor oil to your deep conditioner for a natural protein treatment
For smooth, healthy hair: use rice water
For hydration: use yogurt as a hair mask
The Face & Neck
Let’s start with the brows, shall we?
Groom ‘em brows
We know it can be a daunting undertaking given the fact that wrongly shaped eyebrows can entirely change how you look. According to (MacCulloch, 2020), allowing your brows to grow in during lockdown can lead to better-shaped and fuller eyebrows when you do meet a stylist. However, if you do want to groom them yourselves, use a good brow pencil to create the shape you want and tweeze the excess hair out. Beware of the alignment and don’t be overzealous with the tweezers. As long as you keep to the outline, you should be safe. Also, trim sparingly, as you don’t want to be done away with your natural resources.
Reclaim your glow
Now, for the skincare, you can either go all-in or maintain a doable routine that will sustain you, even as you are ready to take back the world. We’ve got nothing against super expensive serums, but since we are going back to basics, this is how you can get that healthy glow with a simple routine:
Every morning: cleanse, moisturize, use a broad-spectrum sunscreen (SPF 30+)
Every evening: cleanse, use a serum + toner + essence treatment and moisturize. This routine is great for targeting acne, dark circles, and dry skin.
Sounds doable right? You should also use a cold roller at the end of your skincare to minimize pores and encourage natural firmness. Rollers also enable the skincare products to penetrate deeper into the skin. Additionally, you can complement this routine with weekly face + body exfoliation to eliminate dead skin cells and dullness caused by the sun. Follow that up with your favorite sheet mask (we are all about hyaluronic masks these days). If you are a coffee or tea lover, adding teeth whitening strips or DIY teeth whitening tricks will go a long way to prevent teeth staining.
Your neck is also on the line
Be careful as to never ignore your neck in this routine. It is a mistake that so many of us make and forget that neck is where the initial signs of aging appear. So when putting on the sunscreen, also cover your neck and chest area. Do not forget to exfoliate and moisturize.
Beauty Supplements: Yay or Nay?
It is a truth universally acknowledged that good skin comes from within, not to mention that given our stressed-filled, unhealthy lifestyles, getting that ideal skin texture can be hard. That’s why supplements can help us against our daily combat dullness, dehydration, and blemished. According to Vogue and Elle, the following skin and hair care supplements can see you through:
Zitsticka Skin Discipline Daily Supplement
Votary Super Glow Skin Nutrition
Sarah Chapman Omega+ Booster Supplement
Dr. Barbara Sturm Skin Food
111 Skin Reparative Beauty Dose
Lumity Day & Night Nutritional Supplements
Oskia MSM Bio-Plus
Heaven by Deborah Mitchell Inner Age Defiance
The Beauty Chef Collagen Inner Beauty Boost
Vitabiotics Perfectil Haircrush Gummies
Hair Gain Hair Gummies
Viviscal Maximum Strength Supplements
Know your ingredients
Once you decide to include supplements in your beauty routine, don’t go in blind. Know what are you buying and how will it help your hair and skin goals. We are going to list off the best compounds that you will be getting with these supplements:
Hyaluronic acid
What is it: Hyaluronic acid is a gooey substance that acts as a lightweight hydrator and benefits most skin types. It keeps the skin supple and prevents it from dryness. Skincare products with hyaluronic acid formulation have shown wonderful anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, space-filling, and face rejuvenating properties.
How to get it: Creams, moisturizers, serums, toners, and other skincare products.
Probiotics
What are they: Probiotics are made of beneficial bacteria that fight off bad bacteria. Probiotics not only help repair skin barrier but they also trigger fatty acids that protect the skin against flakiness, dandruff, and eczema. They are also known to treat and heal wounds.
How to get them: Yogurt, pickles, bananas, oatmeal, pills, powders and other probiotic supplements.
Collagen
What is it: A major skin compound, it helps strengthen the skin and boost elasticity and hydration. It also plays a vital role in restoring and replacing dead skin cells.
How to get it: Fish, chicken, and beef. Products that claim to contain collagen are unlikely to do anything for your skin because collagen molecules are too large to penetrate through skin. And so, foods are your best source to get it.
Niacinamide
What is it: A form of vitamin B3 that is a versatile skincare ingredient benefitting a wide range of skin conditions. It’s a godsend for acne-prone skin. It not only protects the skin against environmental stresses such as UV light, pollutants, and toxins but also helps build the skin cells and improves skin texture (Bukhari et al., 2018).
How to get it: Skincare products.
Argireline
What is it: Argireline is a lightweight peptide serum which is proven to have significant anti-aging effects. It targets wrinkles and facial areas prone to developing dynamic folds, especially around the eyes and in the forehead area (Wang et al., 2013).
How to get it: Skincare products e.g. The Ordinary Argireline Solution 10%.
The Hands
Taking care of one’s hand is essential, as these beauties help you perform everyday tasks. However, we all are guilty of neglecting them more often than not. Simply, getting your nails done and an occasional manicure isn’t going to cut it. Giving yourself a manicure every once in a while can have a therapeutic effect. Here’s how you can give yourself a pro-level manicure at home:
1. Clean your nails with a nail polish remover.
2. Clip the overgrown nails and file them in any shape you like. Take the smooth side of a nail buffer and rub it over your nails to make them shiny and glossy.
3. Use cuticle sticks to gently push back the cuticles.
4. Use your favorite scrub to exfoliate hands, wrists, and forearms to get rid of dead skin cells.
5. Moisturize your hands and cuticles. You can also go for a paraffin wax treatment.
6. Apply a base coat to hydrate and protect nails.
7. Apply a coat of your color of choice and after two minutes, do a second coat.
8. Finish with a topcoat.
9. Clean up the rough edges and let the nail dry.
The Body
Okay, this could be a weekly regime. You need to soak in an essential oil bath by adding your favorite oils like lavender, rosehip, or ylang-ylang to warm water and letting them bathe the worries of the week off you.
After taking a relaxing, languid bath, use a body cleanser. When you get out of that shower, dry off with a luxurious towel. (Invest in a super fine soft towel, you will thank us later). Next, you should scrub off that dead skin with an exfoliator. Also, learn to shave the right way, as most of us make a lot of mistakes while shaving. After you are done with shaving, hydrating your skin with cream or lotion is always a nice idea.
We all love that sun-kissed look, so it might be time to turn to a self-tanner and get that lovely glow. Smooth it on evenly three times a week – but sparingly around joints – to get a streak-free tan.
The Feet
If your lifestyle or career demands you to be on your feet all day, your soles might be aging prematurely. To evaluate the condition your feet are in, check the bottom of your feet. If they look dry, patchy, or scratched; it’s time to take care of them. Invest in a good foot cream and fuzzy socks. Lathering your feet in foot cream and putting on comfy socks is the best treatment for your feet. It may just be the perfect beginning to a great night in.
When talking about taking care of your feet (that look oh-so-great in those heels that were way over budget but you simply couldn’t help yourself), you should indulge in an at-home pedicure every now and then. Let's walk you through a simple but heavenly pedicure:
Step 1: Soak your feet to get rid of calluses or corn. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, soaking feet in warm water for 10 minutes should do the trick.
Step 2: Next you need to smooth and exfoliate these calluses and corn. Taking pumice stone to these roughened areas in a circular sideways motion will eliminate the dead skin.
Step 3: Hydrate the feet with a moisturizing lotion or cream on slightly damp feet to lock in the moisture.
Step 4: Clip the toenails. Don’t cut them too short and clip them straight across to avoid ingrown nails. File the nails to a gentle and smooth look.
Step 5: Apply a few drops of cuticle oil to the toes to soften them up, hydrate and condition
Step 6: Paint your nails in a color that cheers your feet up. You can pick nude, coral, polka dots, and white shades for a timeless look.
The Lifestyle
Yes, you read that right, post-pandemic self-care is majorly oriented around an overall theme of showing better love and care for your own self and that involves your lifestyle. Try making small adjustments now to have better health and wellbeing consequences in the longer term. Don’t, worry, we can start with small steps:
1. Mediate – Take 5-minutes each day (morning and evening) to allow your mind to breathe.
2. Go outdoors – Reacquaint yourselves with the sun and let your body soak in some Vitamin D.
3. Switch to green beverages – Even cumber, mint and lemon-infused water should work miracles
4. Give herbal teas a twirl – They help with sleep and detoxify your body
5. Watch what you eat – None of us is superhuman – and truth be told – who can resist a French fry? However, with small adjustments, you can achieve better health.
6. Be at peace with yourself – Keep a gratitude journal and improve your acceptance of things beyond your control
7. Invest in a creative hobby – Having a hobby doesn’t mean you need to master it. It should just be something that makes you happy and fulfilled.
Before we part….
As the world emerges on the other side of this global pandemic, people are realizing that many habits that they thought they couldn’t do without, weren’t actually necessary at all. For instance, many of us are finding out that makeup is NOT a daily necessity (who knew, right?).
Women all around the world are coming to grips with their natural hair, brows, and un-waxed bodies and it's helping them regain confidence in their natural forms.
The pandemic is also about getting out of your comfort zones. If you were avoiding looking a certain way because of how it will seem, this is the time to change that. It is time to find that exact right beauty routine that you can maintain. Do not spend thousands on serums, products, and pills, but instead find out what works for you and stick to it.
References:
Bakkila, B. (2020, April 16). 10 Best At-Home Hair Dyes for Shiny, Gorgeous Hair. Good Housekeeping. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty-products/hair-dye-reviews/g792/best-home-hair-color/
MacCulloch, E. (2020, April 29). The Dos and Don’ts of Grooming Your Eyebrows at Home. FLARE. https://www.flare.com/fashion-beauty/how-to-do-your-eyebrows-at-home/
Norris, R. (2020, August 10). How to Take Care of Your Neck and Dècolletage Over Time. Martha Stewart. https://www.marthastewart.com/7846418/neck-decolletage-beauty-care-tips
7 Shaving Mistakes You Could Be Making- L’Oréal Paris. (2020). LorealParis. https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/skin-care/skin-care-concerns/shaving-mistakes-to-avoid.aspx
How to treat corns and calluses. (2021). American Academy of Dermatology Association. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/injured-skin/burns/treat-corns-calluses
Ma, K. (2020). Beauty in the time of lockdown: Re-evaluating,our attitudes and assumptions. Alive: Canada’s Natural Health & Wellness Magazine, 456, 48–51
Wang, Y., Wang, M., Xiao, S., Pan, P., Li, P., & Huo, J. (2013). The Anti-Wrinkle Efficacy of Argireline, a Synthetic Hexapeptide, in Chinese Subjects. American Journal Of Clinical Dermatology, 14(2), 147-153. doi: 10.1007/s40257-013-0009-9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23464592/
Bukhari, S., Roswandi, N., Waqas, M., Habib, H., Hussain, F., & Khan, S. et al. (2018). Hyaluronic acid, a promising skin rejuvenating biomedicine: A review of recent updates and pre-clinical and clinical investigations on cosmetic and nutricosmetic effects. International Journal Of Biological Macromolecules, 120, 1682-1695. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014181301833770X
Cynthia Cobb. (2017). What is collagen, and why do people use it? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/262881