Lockdown living has become the new norm for many of us around the globe, with social distancing likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It can feel increasingly difficult to focus on staying positive but in the spirit of silver linings, quarantine life is a great opportunity to step up your beauty game. We’re talking about making those time-consuming beauty investments that you’ve always wanted to try in theory but never had the time (or the privacy, because things don’t always go to plan) for. Well, the time has now come so line up those #throwbacks and commit to making-over your beauty routine:
Start using actives
Trying new skincare products can be a little risky if you have sensitive skin or have suffered from adverse reactions in the past. This is an ideal time to try all the products you’ve been coveting from afar (not all at once!) particularly those formulated with actives such as retinol, acids or vitamin C. These types of products often lead to temporary side-effects such as peeling, dryness or breakouts, which fade as your skin adjusts. Retinoids are particularly notorious for their adjustment period and if you’ve always wanted to step up your anti-ageing routine but didn’t have 6 – 8 weeks, now’s the time.
Adjust to natural deodorant
You may already be thinking about making some long-term changes to live a cleaner lifestyle, and avoiding the preservatives and aluminium in deodorant could be one of them. We are going to be honest - it can be a little painful.
Natural deodorants do just that – remove odor. ‘Regular’ deodorants are often also antiperspirants, which work to inhibit sweat by plugging your pores, usually with aluminium salts. Sweat is actually odorless, and body odor occurs as a result of bacteria breaking down on your skin. Deodorants allow your body to sweat but target this bacteria, usually alongside masking it with a particular scent. When you stop using an antiperspirant and switch to a natural deodorant, you’ll not only feel sweatier but will likely also experience an increase in odor as your sweat glands will be purging years of trapped toxins and bacteria. Don’t give up! It’s a temporary phase and your body will eventually re-balance as the bacteria subsides and moisture levels decrease. This whole process may take up to 30 days so lockdown is an ideal time to start (maybe not for your family or housemates).
Adjust to clean haircare
Just like our armpits, our scalps may need a break from the potentially harmful chemicals they’re bombarded with daily. And just like with our armpits, the journey can be rough.
Most conventional shampoos are formulated with foaming agents, such as sulfates, which work to create the rich lather we associate with feeling clean. Unfortunately, this lather can also strip your hair and sensitive scalp area of their natural oils, leading to dryness, itching and a rough hair texture. In addition to the wellness benefits, switching to ‘clean’ haircare can actually make your hair look and feel much stronger and healthier in the long term, but may require a detox period. Your hair may over-produce oil for a period of time – around two weeks – until it rebalances.
Deep condition your hair
Not only is the lockdown an ideal break from heat styling, it’s also a great time to treat yourself to some serious deep conditioning (should we be calling it a lockdown? Too much? Are we losing it?) Grab your favourite mask or treatment, apply to freshly washed damp hair and leave on for a few hours if not all day. When you’re done, lightly shampoo before sealing with a conditioner for best results. If you don’t have any hair masks to hand, substitute with coconut or olive oil before washing and voila! Soft, silky hair you can’t stop admiring. It is possible to over-do it, however, so we don’t recommend this type of deep-conditioning more than once a week to avoid build-up.
Reacquaint yourself with your natural beauty
We love makeup. It enhances your best features, lets you have fun, and makes you feel confident and ready to face the world. It’s incredibly addictive. We also haven’t worn any for weeks now and are starting to like it! In the beginning, it felt strange, but over time our natural features become more comfortable, familiar and beautiful. This doesn’t mean that when this experience is behind us, we won’t be wearing and enjoying our makeup again. We may just appreciate what's underneath a little more.
