Mind Full: Lockdown on Beauty Care
by Kayleigh Roberts and Christine Harris
We are experiencing a wide range of reactions about changing beauty routines due to sheltering in. Some report feeling liberated to relax makeup, hair dyes, products, unnatural materials, and heavy metals. Not going out as much and working from home has allowed many the opportunity to opt for a more comfortable style. Some enjoy being able to express their gender freely and openly without feeling judged or the need to perform.
Others are hit hard by the Zoom Factor, are hyper zoomed in on any perceived facial flaw, and feel more self-conscious than ever. Some are disengaging from social media, while others are more active than ever on dating apps, social networking, or Zoom meetings that place the face as a strong focal point.
Whether you’ve been feeling liberated or exposed, it’s worth experimenting with your beauty routine to find out what makes you feel empowered. Taking a break from your typical beauty routine is a good way to discover what you value, what you can do without, and what you can tweak to work for you.
Your Self-Care Beauty Routine
Now is the opportune time to experiment with your look. You go for a low maintenance haircut. You can try something new: new colour, going grey, a haircut you’ve wanted but weren’t confident in pulling off, henna freckles, makeup trends, as well as opting for no makeup. What’s important is having fun with your look.
For many of us beauty care is a form of self-care. Who doesn’t enjoy being pampered? It is incredibly rejuvenating to set aside time for
yourself, where the focus is on you and what you want. For some that is getting your hair done or having fun with DIY haircuts.
It’s normal to miss beauty-care services for the therapeutic effects, pampering, relaxation, quality attention, gossip, and experience as well as visual expression. It’s also normal to feel empowered by creating your own beauty self-care and enjoying pampering yourself.
Full Body Beauty Care
Taking a break from in person events or turning video off on Zoom can be an excellent form of beauty self-care. Without the constant pressure to perform, you can experiment and truly discover what works for you in your body.
Vital components of exercise are both the experience of resistance and relaxation. Yoga Nidra, a form of progressive muscle relaxation, teaches you to move throughout your body by stressing and then relaxing from head to toe of your body. This technique allows you to really notice where you are holding tension, learn about your body, and allow yourself to relax and strengthen.
Hiding your preview on Zoom or other video chats will help you focus on who you’re talking to instead of being overly self-aware of your image through the lens of a typically non-flattering webcam. It’s also absolutely okay to request phone calls or to turn off your video if you aren’t feeling it. Staring at a computer screen for too long in itself leaves us feeling drained, and it’s important to check in to see how you are reacting to using webcam technology more frequently these days. If you find yourself feeling more insecure, it may be time to take a break and practice more self-care.
We often overlook how vital hydration is to skincare and feeling our best. Drinking plenty of water as well as eating nutritious foods allows our skin to glow. The beauty industry focuses heavily on treatments and what you
put on your skin, but you get out what you put in as well. Taking in around 8 8oz glasses of water everyday is as much akin to skin care as exfoliating, moisturizers, and facials. Eating fresh, colourful fruits, vegetables, and nutrient rich foods will leave you looking and feeling more alive.
Massage and relaxation amp up our beauty self-care routine and help us connect with our bodies. Whether giving yourself a facial, epsom salt foot soak, manicure, pedicure, or taking a bath, focus on the therapeutic aspects. Creating your own easy sugar, salt or coffee scrub is an excellent way to exfoliate, relax, massage tension out of your body, and get in touch with yourself. Enjoy your experience. Play ambient music or audiobooks. Light candles or burn incense.
No matter what your beauty care routine is, do it for yourself. Focus on what makes you feel confident and comfortable in your body.
What is your beauty self-care routine? Do you use beauty care to fit in or express yourself? Do you relax and spend time on yourself, for yourself?
Build Your Strength
Look into a mirror and say “I love you” or “I love myself.” Repeat “I love you” for 2 minutes while looking at yourself in the mirror.
Alternately you can look into a mirror and say 5 things you like about yourself.
Try this exercise everyday for 2 weeks, and see how you feel after 2 weeks.
Be sure to check out our Next Article on Navigating Transitions During Covid 19.
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