Beauty behaviours during pandemic

Shahnaz Husain *

As women look for ways to spend their time stuck at home during the pandemic, beauty routines have been a focus for some. From advancing their skincare routine to giving themselves a haircut, women have taken their beauty and personal care into their own hands. From the personal to the professional, the role of beauty–how we express and access it has changed since the second wave of the pandemic broke out in this country.

As the second wave of coronavirus devastates India, we are living in a time like no other, with the pandemic affecting every aspect of our lives and not least our beauty regimes. Thanks to the 'Zoom boom,' we've also become a lot more comfortable and accepting of seeing each other wearing less make-up.

With no signs of slowing down, and the pandemic worsening in many parts of the country, many of us have changed our beauty priorities since the second wave intensified. This might sound like a long, boring and stressful time, but it is also the perfect opportunity to detox, or upgrade your beauty routine to make working from home a transformative period by exploring new makeup trends and improve your skincare routine in extra time.

But being stuck at home does come with a silver lining. You'll have more time on your hands with nowhere to go or people to meet, so there's been no better time than now to to catch up with your beauty needs and practise more self-care.

With limited exposure to the sun, pollution, dust and grime this is the perfect time to whip up some home remedies and concoctions for your skin even if you can not go to parlour. It's a great time for yourself, to catch up with your beauty needs.

You have enough time to try something new and change up what you're applying on your face and body every morning and evening in routine matter during your busy schedule. Ask yourself what does your skin really need right now ? Is it hydration ? Is it a deep cleanse ? Is it an anti-ageing boost ? Then, adapt your products accordingly while indulging in some guilt-free self-care.

We are going to share with you the herbal beauty tips which can be used for daily beauty routine while you are in Lockdown.

Make an avocado face mask

Homemade Avocado Face Masks are amongst the best natural face masks that nourish your face with non-greasy moisture and revitalize the skin. This fruit is packed with skin-friendly minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, copper, magnesium, etc., vitamins A, E, B, and K and unsaturated fats.

One mashed avocado with 1 teaspoon of honey works fine as both act as natural moisturisers. Take 1 fully ripe fresh avocado and mash it up into creamy pulp in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon of fresh plain yoghurt and stir until it turns into a uniform paste. Apply to skin and leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse off the mixture with lukewarm water and pat dry your face with a soft towel. This mask works wonders for mature, wrinkled and dry skin.

Always use a ripe avocado for making face masks. To make the avocado mask cool and refreshing, keep it in your fridge for a couple of minutes before applying it.

Your skin is constantly exposed to pollutants and environmental aggressors even if you aren't going outside, indoor pollution can be up to five times more concentrated than outside. You need to essentially protect your skin with sunscreen while at home.

Apply Sunscreen

Sunscreen should be applied every day to exposed skin, and not just if you are going to be in the sun. During Lockdown/curfew period when you are going to be indoors, apply sunscreen on the areas not covered by clothing, such as the face and hands. Sunscreens can be applied under makeup. Sun protection is the principal means of preventing premature ageing.

You may, indeed, be harming your skin if you don't wear sunscreen—even indoors. So even if you're indoors, if you're close to a window you still run the risk of exposure to UVA rays and possible skin damage. That's because, while glass effectively blocks most ultraviolet (UV) rays, it does not block all of them in equal measure.

Your sunscreens should have an SPF of 30 or higher that provides broad-spectrum coverage against sunburn and tanning etc. You should prefer water-resistant sunscreens so as they cannot be easily removed by sweating or swimming etc.

Avoid Heat Hair Tools

Another thing that you can avoid for the next few weeks during Lockdown/curfew period is using heated hair tools, such as blow dryers, curling irons, tongs, straighteners etc and allow the hairs to dry naturally as you have sufficient time with you. The heat styling tools can cause breakage, damage and drying.

Once you've washed your hair, lightly pat it with a towel. Then leave the hair to dry naturally for at least 15 minutes. Once your hair has been towel-dried, use a wide-tooth comb to detangle. Be very gentle with your hair at this stage. Wet hair is weaker and more prone to breakage.

Moisturise Your Hands

We're all washing our hands much more often (or we should be!) which leads to a lot more hand eczema cases.All that washing and hand sanitiser dries out the skin. Many people are experiencing cracked and chapped hands due to excessive washing of hands time and again as a matter of precaution or tension.

"If your hands are cracking, coconut oil is one of the best things you can use." You can also use the regular, original petroleum jelly if you want. You can, however, use castor oil on your face. castor oil can be beneficial to your skin.

Have a Luxury Bath

You can try one of the following bath additives. Some of these can remove fatigue, while others replace oils, or relieve itching. Select one according to your needs. A bath that leaves your body soft, smooth and perfumed can make you feel really good.

Honey Bath : Add two tablespoons of honey to a bucket of bathwater. It is said to induce relaxation and leave your skin soft and moist.
Vinegar: Add two tablespoons of vinegar. This helps to relieve itching.
Eau de Cologne : Adding a few drops of cologne makes you feel cool and leaves the body fragrant.
Almond Oil: Add one tablespoon almond oil to your bath water if you have dry skin.
After-bath Body Lotion : Mix together 100 ml rose water with one tablespoon pure glycerin. Keep in a bottle with a lid.
Face Mask: Mix ripe papaya pulp with two parts honey, two parts yoghurt, two parts powdered dried orange and lemon peel and 3 parts oatmeal.

Tips: Your bath or shower water should not be too cold or too hot. Give your body scrub with a loofah or sponge. This helps to stimulate the skin and remove dead cells, leaving the body thoroughly cleansed. Pay special attention to areas where the skin is hard, like the elbow, knees and feet. If you have dry skin, use glycerine soap. Baby soap is also gentle on the skin.

After drying the body, apply a moisturizing lotion, while the skin is still damp. This helps to seal in moisture. Apply the face mask and while it is drying, soak cotton wool pads in chilled rose water and apply over the eyelids. Lie down and relax for 20 minutes. Wash off the face mask.

Have an Organic Pedicure, using natural oils and extracts. You will need a nail brush, pumice stone or a heel scrubber, nail clippers, emery board, cotton wool, cotton buds, massage cream, polish remover, nail polish and a small tub for soaking the feet.

After removing old polish, soak feet in warm water, after adding some herbal shampoo, oil and coarse salt. Let the feet soak for 15 minutes. Then clean the nails with the brush. Use the pumice stone on the heels and side of the soles. Avoid metal scrubbers. You can also scrub the entire feet with a rough towel or loofah. Wash the feet in clean water. Dry with a towel.

If your nails need cutting, better to use a nail clipper. Toenails should be cut straight across. Do not cut the cuticles. Do not use sharp instruments to clean the nails. Apply almond oil and push back cuticles gently with a cotton bud.

Then, give feet a scrub treatment. Mix ground almonds with yoghurt and some sugar. Apply them on the feet. After 15 to 20 minutes, rub gently on the skin with circular movements. Wash off with water. Then massage the feet with olive oil or sunflower oil. Wipe the feet with a moist towel.

If you wish to apply polish, put some cotton wool between the toes. Apply the nail varnish in broad strokes, from the base of the nail to the nail tips. After the first coat dries, apply the second coat of colour.