Not all beauty treatments [1] are as sexy as slathering on body lotion — and that's OK. There's nothing wrong with not wanting people around when you make the switch to natural deodourant or wax your upper lip [2] (let alone try a mask that makes your feet skin peel off or "detoxify your butt [3]"). There are just some things that you save for the comfort of your own home when no one else is around and you can operate freely without fear of judgement [4].
You can also take comfort in knowing that even the weirdest, less-than-pretty beauty treatments out there aren't really that "weird" at all. We guarantee someone else is currently at home doing the same thing . . . including, most likely, one of our editors. Ahead, we're spilling the details on all of the not-exactly-appealing beauty treatments we're confidently taking part in while staying home.
"I feel like I've talked about this at nauseam, but it's important for everyone to know that I take pride in my Baby Foot Original Exfoliant Foot Peel [5] ($25) and its results. It took about a week and a half for my feet to completely shed and now that it's over I really miss it. It was more entertaining than whatever vampire family I recently made on the Sims. The box says don't pull the dead skin, but let's be real, we all do it and love it." — Samantha Sasso, associate native beauty editor
"My mom actually asked me outright last week during a FaceTime call, 'Oh, honey, when was the last time you washed your hair?' She straight-up snorted in laughter when she laid eyes on my loose, snarled curls sitting slightly askew in a half-up bun on my head, but the answer, mother, was actually the night before. If you saw me, though, you'd probably understand; I've fully retired my hairbrush and blow-dryer this last month, letting my natural, frizz-laden waves run wild like I've wanted to do forever but always had a face-to-face meeting to go to. Instead, and ironically, I've been leaning on those embarrassingly oversized jaw clips my mom used to wear in the '90s any time I need to look a little more presentable. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." — Kelsey Castañon, senior beauty editor
"I'm not sure if it's the slower rate that I've been drinking my coffee or maybe the increase in cups, but my teeth have been showing it. (Aren't you glad I shared that with you?) Luckily, this work from home situation allows me to use my MySmile Teeth Whitening Kit with LED Light [6] ($35) without judgement. That is, from my co-workers. My boyfriend on the other hand does a double-take every time he comes into the room and I have this little blue light glowing from my mouth." — Jessica Harrington, associate beauty editor
"I saw one girl on TikToko use self-tanner for her body to contour her face so now I do the same thing . . . every single day. I look absolutely bonkers because I ran out of almost every other translucent self-tanner I own so I'm left with ol' faithful, Self Tan Classic Bronzing Mousse [7] ($32). It's incredibly dramatic with the guide colour and looks messy while it develops, but it makes me feel really good about myself so I'm not totally sorry that my coworkers have to see me like this over Zoom." — SS
"I've been going to bed with nappy rash cream on my face. I developed scaly dermatitis on the outer corners of my eyes (crow's feet area) about a month ago, and while a good eye cream helps, I was still waking up with dry, puffy patches. I adopted this nappy rash cream ritual a few days ago, and it has almost cured it." — Dawn Davis, senior editorial director, Group Nine Media
"With ample time on my hands, I've decided to put my razor down and take up a new hair removal treatment at home. I've tried a few DIY waxing kits [8] but never really stuck with one. My impatience always got the best of me, especially when it came to letting the hair grow back to the appropriate waxing length. However, because my wardrobe consists of leggings only at the moment I figured now is as good a time as any to give the Flamingo Body Waxing Kit [9] ($10) a go." — JH
"I know like this sounds like the reverse (or at least, the oddest) act of self care, but I've finally decided to remove my toenail polish [10] while self-isolating. Instead of keeping up with appearances, I'm letting the stained areas recuperate from years of pedicure after pedicure, and trying to heap on After Gel Healing Base Coat B. 03 [11] ($20) to keep them well-hydrated. It's not your typical mood-boosting activity per se, but it's certainly the most care I've ever given my feet — at a time they really need it most." — KC
"I decided I wasn't going to touch my eyebrows at home a long time ago. I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to let the tails of my brow really fill in and grow. Who cares if I have a random black hair sticking out like a sore thumb? No one's going to see it. Not only is it saving me time at night from having to pluck stray hairs, but the whole process has been sort of freeing. By the time I go back for a touch up appointment, I'm hoping to not need any additional product to fill in the gaps in my eyebrows. However, I will add a caveat to this by saying my stance may falter depending on how much longer I have to wait to see a professional." — JH
"I've never been a smelly person, but I normally wouldn't dare leave my apartment without first swiping on an antiperspirant deodourant (and any time I did, I could practically hear Julia Roberts [12] saying, 'Big mistake. Huge' in my ear). That said, given the fact I'm rarely going anywhere at all these days, I saw it as a rare opportunity to finally try my hand at natural deodourant — because if I've got pit stains at the end of the day, who cares, right? Every day for the next two weeks, I slicked on the Drunk Elephant Sweet Pitti™ Deodourant Cream [13] ($16), which felt hydrating and non-irritating on my sensitive skin. It also has a neutral, barely-there scent that's completely different from the overly floral formulas I'd tried in past. Surprisingly, it's also wicked away sweat better than any natural deodourant I've tried in past, so while I can't say that I'll be going au naturale for good once things get back to normal, Sweet Pitti has provided a nice break for my armpits during this in-between period." — KC
"I'm used to covering my natural hair up and wearing it in protective styles, and while there's nothing wrong with that, I was also letting my hair health slip through the cracks because of it. Wash days can often take up a whole day for me, and they're quite the arm workout, so I would go way too long without re-moisturising my hair before all this. Now that I've been in the house, I've not only gotten accustomed to deep conditioning at least once a week and making sure my hair stays moisturised, but I'm letting my hair do whatever it wants to give my scalp time to breathe." — Danielle Jackson, assistant beauty editor
"I recently started using Doctor Sweat Clinical Strength Antiperspirant Pads [14] ($20). I think I've had them in my collection for over a year, but I figured that now is a good time to start using because why not? It doesn't sound like it'd be gross, but the residue is kind of chalky and leaves my armpits relatively dry and a little crusty. On the bright side, I've noticed a significant reduction in the aroma that typically comes from my stress sweat. In fact, I haven't had to use deodourant or antiperspirant in at least two weeks." — SS