How One Year of the Pandemic Has Affected Our Beauty and Wellness Routines
One word to describe the occurrences of the past year: unprecedented. From a global pandemic to pervasive wildfires, this last rotation around the sun has been filled with sadness, confusion, and anticipation. However, like all things in life, it's helpful to find a silver lining within the "unprecedented" mess we are all collectively enduring. Within these difficult moments, some of us have had the privilege of learning something new, reading a great book, or mastering a new and improved wellness routine.
Ample time in lockdown made way for a universal concern with self-care. As our once busy lives suddenly paused, we were left with increased opportunities to take care of our physical and mental health. For some of us, this meant nurturing our skin with new products and focusing on our gut health. From implementing meditation into our daily lives to doing the necessary research about things we put on our skin and into our bodies, our increased interest in our beauty and wellness routines might be one of the silver linings that emerged from this momentous time. Here are a few ways they have changed for the better.
Checking Labels
Now that our morning routines are less limited by catching a train or beating busy traffic, we finally have the time to read the ingredient lists on our favorite skincare and beauty products. What we once turned a blind eye to could finally be confronted, and some of our go-to products were banished to the bin. As a way of passing idle time and remaining stimulated, many of us have skillfully reimagined our beauty routines, and this time consciously avoided harmful ingredients.
DIY Treatments
We also got re-acquainted with pantry items that we can incorporate into our beauty routines. Tumeric, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, avocado, rice, baking soda, and other natural ingredients are all ingredients that have multipurpose uses in beauty and wellness. From DIY face masks to at-home hair treatments, these on-hand ingredients helped boost our regimens.
More Me-Time
Decreased socialization and increased free time were at first daunting, but as we continue to adjust to this new way of life, alone time has proved to be highly productive and essential to self-care. More me-time means taking 20 minutes out of your day to do a face mask or an at-home facial, and more importantly, it means that we have built-in a moment during our days to step away from the business (or mundanity) of daily life.
Focus on Beauty from the Inside Out
Quarantine diets were a hot topic throughout the last 365 days. Staying healthy while remaining indoors proved to be a hard task, but people got creative with indoor workouts and exciting new recipes. TikTok, the viral video streaming app, was a source of inspiration in these departments. From quick apartment-proof exercises to fun vegan meals, taking care of our bodies proved to be a valuable way to spend our unexpected free time.
A Happy Mind is a Happy Body
Journaling, mediation, social media break, and creating positive affirmations are just a few ways that people remained self-aware throughout the pandemic. These practices, which were not as acknowledged pre-pandemic, were finally recognized as essential to mental health and wellness. It is always a good idea to prioritize mental health, so if this pandemic brought us anything, it gifted us with the time to take care of our minds as well as our bodies.
Hair Care is In
We tend to forget about the maintenance of our hair, but our strands deserve as much love as our skin. During the past year, we have finally taken the time to nourish our locks with the right products, tailoring our shampoos and conditioners to our hair type, not just the generic option. People have been increasingly open to DIY hair care methods as well as luxury treatments. Collectively, we have all been made aware of harmful hair care ingredients that leave our hair dry and prone to breakage. This general awareness of how we treat our hair and body was absolutely born out of the time we have had to do research, try out new things, and consciously take care of ourselves. Hair care and skincare have undeniably become the pillars of beauty routines everywhere.
