If someone would have told me six months ago that I'd very soon find myself on the floor of my bathroom waxing my nether regions [1] on my own due to salon closures, my response would probably have been a mixture of nervous laughter and tears. Still, that's exactly what I found myself doing back in May, several weeks into sheltering in place due to the spread of COVID-19, and I have to admit that my experience wasn't terrible.
But that's not the point. What I'm trying to get at is that life as we know it has changed a lot over the last five months, and that includes the way we've all been taking care of ourselves. Not only have many of us used this time at home to make some changes to our overall beauty routines [2], but as the aforementioned anecdote suggests, our grooming habits have shifted as well. From shaving less to shampooing more, read ahead to see how a few of our editors have switched up their everyday grooming routines.
Jessica Harrington, associate beauty editor
"I have zero shame in admitting I've definitely washed my hair less over the last few months. Heat styling my hair has been completely placed on the back burner — instead I'm just letting it air dry and do its thing. Because of this, I'm using less products in my hair (hair spray, texture sprays, heat protectants) which keeps my hair cleaner longer. Plus, ponytails and messy buns are totally acceptable work-from-home style for multiple days in a row, so what's the point?"
Kelsey Castañon, senior beauty editor
"Right before salons closed in March, I was booked for a long-overdue wax. To be clear: I'm not afraid of rolling up my sleeves and DIYing the wax process [3] myself at home, but it was a little tricky in the beginning to find that kind of 'me' time since moving in with my girlfriend. Then, at about the two-month mark of being around each other 24/7, all rules went out the window — and next thing I know she's whipping out the Bliss Poetic Hair Removal Kit [4] ($23) to help me with the deed."
Victoria Messina, associate editor, trending & viral features
"Usually during the summer, I shave my armpits every day or every other day because I'm constantly out and about wearing tank tops and sleeveless dresses. But seeing as I'm rarely out and about these days, and I'm stuck at home with no one to impress but my parents, I've been shaving my underarms, like, once a week. The same goes for my legs. Razors are so darn expensive these days, I just honestly don't see the point of shaving if I'm not going out in public."
Danielle Jackson, assistant beauty editor
"I've seen a lot of people talk about how they've been washing their hair less during this time, but it's been the complete opposite for me, as I've been washing and conditioning my hair way more than I was previously.
My hair is natural, so washing it is like an all-day event for me, which is why I previously would put it off and wash it every two weeks. Nowadays, I'm making sure to wash once a week — I only use shampoo every other wash — followed by a regular deep conditioning treatment to make sure my hair is getting all the moisture that it needs.
Outside of that, I've also tried waxing myself a couple of times, and the experience wasn't nearly as terrible as I was expecting it to be. I've tried out a couple of different products, but my favourite so far has been the Sugar Me Smooth Bikini Hair Removal System [5] ($48) that I used on my bikini line about a month ago. It was pretty east to use and get the hang of, and it wasn't incredibly painful, but the jury's still out on whether or not this is something I'll want to continue doing on my own once we're done sheltering in place."
Rebecca Brown, senior editor
"The biggest change I've made is that I've stopped applying so much heat to my hair. I used to blow-dry for volume, then flat iron my ends and use a 1 1/2-inch curling iron to create texture. I'm all about that air dry life now, but with a twist. My hair is naturally wavy but since I highlight my hair (or, I used to) the front pieces are dead and don't dry nicely. So I let everything air dry and I use a little Oribe Supershine Moisturising Creme [6] ($54). Once it's all dry, I use a 3-barrel waver and fix the front pieces."
Samantha Holender, assistant beauty editor, makeup.com & skincare.com
"In the summers past, I've let the ocean do it's thing, embraced my heat-free beachy waves and given my hair a chance to rehab itself from my excessive hot tool use. But given COVID-19, we've decided to not head down the shore.
Instead of frying my hair with blow dryers and straighteners galore in the ocean's absence, I've been determined to recreate my easy, low-maintenance and heat-free summer hairstyle at home. To help, I've been leaning on the Maria Nila Ocean Spray [7] ($22). The salt water spray gives me volume, texture and tames my typically frizzy hair without feeling too crunchy. The best part though is that every time I add a refill to my cart, 5% of the proceeds go to the Perfect World Foundation [8] and their work to save the ocean."