5 Isolation Beauty Habits To Do At Home

Are you missing the salon? Because we are certainly missing you! Social distancing probably means you’ve already stopped wearing makeup and you’ve cut ties with your hairdresser and got yourself a new stylish slightly wonky fringe. Stuck at home has given us the opportunity to give yourself a bit more time for self-care and do those hair and beauty chores that we never get around too.

Hopefully will become a habit that we will continue when we are allowed back in the big wide world.

Make time for your hair and scalp

So normally bathing and showering is a quick 5 minutes in the morning before work, and now we’ve made it enjoyable ritual, where you can apply a hair treatment, read a book and enjoy a glass of wine.

This is one habit I will not be giving up after lockdown.

We have a range of ‘take home’ treatments in the salon to really make your hair and scalp feel amazing.

Scalp health is key to healthy hair growth. Choose one of Philip Kingsley three bespoke scalp masks, depending on your specific scalp concerns: Stimulating, Exfoliating and Soothing.

Then follow up with a great mask we love “Philip Kingsley Elasticiser and Montibello Repair Mask.”
Particularly if you can sit in the bath and let the steam from the water really get everything working.

If you don’t have access to your favourite hair mask you can always use avocado and coconut oil from the kitchen cupboards. Most of all its about creating a nice ritual whilst benefiting your hair and scalp at the same time. 

Perfect your home pedicure

It's official that the last pedicure we had has come to the end of life and the next appointment cancelled for the foreseeable.

Well this is actually the perfect time to get you at home foot maintenance routine down to an art. 

If you don’t have a foot spa a washing up bowl will do. Fill with warm soapy water and some essential oils if you have them, soak your feet for about 10 min, towel dry and rub some exfoliator on your feet concentrating on the dry areas like your heals, if you don’t have any exfoliator you can mix some granulated sugar with a bit of oil any oil will do and create a paste.

If you have really hard skin, you may need a foot file again if you don’t have this a soft sandpaper will do the trick. For pedi-perfect results, follow up with a base coat, couple of coats of your favourite polish and a topcoat on your toes.  Once varnish is dry apply a thick moisturiser to your feet and put socks on to let it really soak in.

Embrace dry body brushing

Dry body brushing is one of those things you know you should be doing, but rarely actually do. In fact, you probably have a brush already, at the back of a drawer somewhere, go and find it. Lockdown is the perfect time in which to make it a habit. “Body brushing is one of the cheapest and simplest favours you can do for yourself, and brings great returns on little effort Here is some of the benefits to Body brushing:

It can help reduce the appearance of cellulite
Eliminates Dead Skin
Enhances Blood Circulation and Cleansing of The Lymphatic System
Promotes Even Fat Distribution
Enhances Nutrients Absorption by The Skin
Rejuvenates the Nervous System
Enhances Digestion and Kidney Functionality
Smooths and Tightens Skin
Relieves Stress
Promotes Happiness
 
All you need to do is flick the brush over your skin, upwards towards your heart – feet to thighs and hands to shoulders for 2-3 minutes. Do it in the bathroom, before, during or after your shower or bath, or after a workout. 
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Think of body brushing as a way to jolt your body back to life.

Get to grips with retinol

There has never been a better time to bite the bullet and get onboard with a great retinol. Despite it being an anti-ageing powerhouse capable of boosting collagen production, improving texture and evening out skin tone, retinol’s reputation for requiring “downtime” means many of us have put off making it a part of our routines. It can take a little time for your skin to build a tolerance to retinol, that’s why a lockdown is a good time to start.

We love Dermalogica overnight retinol repair:
Concentrated customizable nighttime Retinol treatment cream accelerates skin renewal and reduces the appearance of skin aging. Active 0.5% microencapsulated pure Retinol helps increase cell turnover. 

Begin by using it just a couple of evenings a week, before building up to more regular use. Remember even if you feel like you are never leave your sofa at moment, follow up with a good SPF every morning, since retinol makes skin more sensitive to sun damage.

Finally start washing your hair and make-up brushes

Washing your brushes is a bit of a chore, we know, but the benefits far outweigh the cost. 
First let start with your hairbrushes as these are easy, remove any excess hair and gentle wash them with you shampoo, leave to dry naturally.

Now lets concentrate on your make up brushes. 

Aside from the fact that good hygiene feels especially pressing right now, washing your brushes makes them last longer and helps you to apply make-up more effectively, too.

When it comes to my makeup brushes, give them a wipe over once a week with make up brush cleanser spray. 
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We love to give them a good deep cleanse with a shampoo twice a month. We recommend putting a little shampoo into your palm, swirling your wet brushes around in it until they lather, then rinsing and repeating until the water runs clear. Afterwards, smooth the brush hairs back into shape, and place on a towel with the bristles hanging over the side of a table, so not to lose their shape and air dry quicker.