After more than a year of no salons, gyms, Botox injections, and bikini waxes, women across the globe grapple with one question: Is the beauty and fitness industry on the verge of embracing an easygoing lifestyle? If things go back to normal, will we re-adopt those old habits and race back to our hairdressers and trainers to return to our pre-quarantine selves?
While we’ve all been itching to return to our beauty habits, most of us would admit the pandemic has forced us to put beauty and wellness into our own hands. One example is knowing how to trim our hair or embrace a new hairstyle. Since many salons and barbershops closed down, many are left with no choice but to rely on their skills. Those who took hairstyling seriously got themselves their pair of barber scissors to trim their partner or family member’s hair.
The pandemic era was a year defined by new and unfamiliar ways of beauty and self-care strategies. The time we spent on lockdown paved the way for a global concern towards self-care. As we pause our once busy lives, we suddenly have plenty of opportunities to focus on our physical and mental health.
The changes in people’s behavior led to widespread interest in beauty and wellness regimes. To know more about the changes in the beauty world, we’ll talk about how COVID-19 has affected our self-care routines.
More trials and experimentation
The closure of spas, the need for distractions, extra time indoors, and the desire for healthy hair and skin encouraged women to be more experimental, creative, and open with homemade beauty treatments or DIY skincare.
More women got re-introduced with natural ingredients and pantry items they can include in their skincare routines. Many discovered their multipurpose benefits not just for their body but also for their skin. From rice, avocado, turmeric, green tea, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar, these natural ingredients offer countless benefits to help rejuvenate the skin.
In a survey by Bazaarvoice, the most widely used at-home treatments by women during the pandemic include facials, hair trims, teeth whitening, hair coloring, manicures/pedicures, and anti-aging treatments. Most of the treatments are only limited to professionals, but experimental consumers are also trying them out.
While women are happy about the success of their skincare experiments, some also have their stories of failure and how they’re eager to visit spas, salons, and aestheticians again.
The low maintenance look is the new normal.
As more people stay indoors and work from home, they’re becoming less conscious of how they look. This paved the way for a low-maintenance look as the new go-to style.
More women wear less makeup during the lockdown, while others have entirely given up as they rarely go outdoors. Those who still opt to wear makeup are trying out other products or toning down their makeup habits. Of course, it’s plain useless even to wear lipstick, blush-on, concealer, or a full-face foundation if you have to wear masks outdoors all the time. They choose to wear makeup only if they appear for Zoom calls at work or video chat with friends or family members.
The low-maintenance look has inspired women to embrace their flaws and be confident with their natural skin. It makes them feel good they have the opportunity to let themselves loose and allow their skin to breathe.
Currently, the top products women consider essential to buy during the pandemic include mascara, lip balm, and eyeliner. Since there’s less makeup to wear, women are turning their attention towards skincare.
Simple styling techniques when meeting people
People have also shifted their hair washing routines during the lockdown. Some are still washing and styling their hair in regular intervals, while others reduce their hair upkeep. Buns, ponytails, air-dry, and loose natural hair became famous among women. Hair spray, dry shampoo, and hair serums are popular among shoppers who lean towards no-fuss routines for a full day at home.
While several women think hairstyling and wearing makeup are pointless because of social distancing, there are still few who stick to their regular skincare routines to gain a sense of normalcy amid the uncertainty around them.
From rethinking how we style our hair, how we wear makeup, and how we stay fit, the pandemic has indeed transformed every aspect of our personal lives, exceptionally our beauty routines. While keeping a safe distance from spas and salons, we can say our situation is a healthy change as we learn to get to know our bodies and how to take good care of them.