5 Beauty/Self-care Routines I do From Home
Hi! As we approach the new year, I am reflecting on all self-care/Beauty routines I did from home this year. Some of these may be controversial, but I love doing these things myself. Don’t get me wrong sometimes it’s great to have a professional do these too and sometimes I do, but for the most part I find these processes therapeutic and enjoyable doing them myself. These are just things I have slowly adopted to doing at home. One, because I am a homebody and love self-care. Two, it saves me a lot of money and time. And three, I am a perfectionist and really like things done a specific way. I get such a sense of accomplishment doing these things myself and getting better at them each time too! I am surely not an expert or a professional on any of these things, but I have taught myself and have fine tuned how I do each of these with lots of trial and error. Once in a while I do love to treat myself and get these things done professionally, and I am not saying anything is wrong with doing these things by a professional. If you can afford it, and you prefer to leave it to the professionals that’s great! This is just what I like to do and I thought I would share.
Manicure/Pedicure
DND Gel- Burgundy Mist
DND Gel- Rose Powder
DND Barbie Satin
I love a fresh mani/pedi, but I cannot stand the environment and time spent at a nail salon. Not to mention the toxic fumes going off in those buildings, I just can't. I am not someone who likes long fake nails anyways so I rarely want that. When I do, I use Celebrities press ons. They are the best press on nails I found. I can remove them whenever I want without going back to the salon, again. And it is the perfect manicure each time.
On a monthly basis, I will give myself a full pedicure. Same steps that you would get at a nail spa. I have a pumice stone, cuticle clipper, nail clipper, cuticle softener, acetone, nail brush and a foot bath that no other feet have touched besides me and my hubby LOL. You can find all of these things relatively inexpensive on Amazon. I have built up my collection over time.
As far as polishes go I have a lot of different ones. Some of my favorite brands are Essie, OPI, Olive and June, Manicurist and DND. I use the DND gel polishes for when I want a gel manicure. I have tried other brands and I find this one is the best. It does take me like 2 hours cause I am very meticulous, but I find it very therapeutic. I just put on an audio book, tv show or listen to a podcast. You will need a UV light to cure the gel and acetone to properly remove the gel. One tip I can give you for removing the gel is soak the polish with acetone and a cotton ball and allow to sit for 20 minutes before attempting to remove. If you don’t soak them long enough, it will not peel off properly and that’s how you can damage your nails. Which is one main reason I don’t like to go to a nail place. They always use a drill to remove gel and I find that damages my nail beds. I work in retail and am constantly opening boxes/washing my hands so my gel set usually last a week or 2 before chipping and peeling, but I tend to do this once every 10 days.
Brow Maintenance
I tweeze/trim/shape my own brows, only me. I still have PTSD from the early 2000s when I over tweezed. If you are a millennial, you know. And the few times when I got them done and the professional over shaped them still haunts me. It has taken me YEARS to grow my brows back and I am not gambling that with anyone, regardless how good they are. I tweeze once every 2 weeks and only tweeze stray hairs that are out of place. I do not reshape them or remove hairs that are not necessary. I will trim the longer hairs too. Tweezerman makes the best tools for this IMO. Sometimes I will tint my brows too. I find this tip a great way to darken your brows, make them appear fuller and makes getting ready each day much easier. I am a brunette and have dark eyebrows but some of my hairs are blonde, so I will dye them a dark brown once a month and it just gives a nice polished look. Plus I don’t have to fill them in each day in the sparser areas. There are a lot of brow dyes out there but I just use Just for Men beard/mustache dye. It lasts forever and works great every time. Lastly, I use a brow serum for growth. There are a lot of pricey ones out there but, I have used the Ordinary Brow serum and it’s inexpensive and seems to work!
Trim my own hair
Oh I know this is going to ruffle some feathers, but yes, I cut my own hair. Well, most of the time. I do go get a professional hair cut once a year, usually at the very beginning of the year, but trims through out the year I do myself or I recruit my husband to help. He also cuts his own hair and honestly he is damn good. He could have been a hair stylist. I make sure I am always using quality hair sheers that I are specifically intended for cutting hair. Do not use kitchen or craft scissors! I use the Butterfly cut to add layers when I want that and this method to trim the ends. Now if you have a very short hair style or a lot of layers, this may not be doable and you should probably go to a salon. When I had my bob, my husband cut it for me since it was all one length, but if it was short and I had layers, i’d go to a professional. I do not dye my hair anymore but I have in the past and of course did that myself too.
Teeth Whitening
I have never gotten my teeth professionally whitened. I have heard horror stories about how painful it is and I already have very sensitive teeth so, I am opting out of that. Honestly, I just don’t think that can be good for your teeth. I use this non toxic, very gentle whitening strips and they work great. I also have their mouthwash and toothpaste. I am not as consistent with this as I should be, but I try to do it once a week or so.
Dermaplanning
As a former esthetician, I understand the importance of having a licensed professional do this for you. If you do not feel equipped to do this, don’t! This is a treatment I get done every time I get a facial and it is just as amazing as me doing it myself. I just cannot afford to get a facial once every 2 weeks LOL. I feel comfortable doing this treatment myself and I like to do it once every 2 weeks, sometimes once a month. You want to make sure you have a very sharp, sterile blade. I use the Tweezerman stainless steel facial razor and sterilize it properly after every use. I have tried those cheap disposable razors you can get on Amazon, but they are not the best and I would recommend a better quality blade. I make sure my face is 100% clean and dry before doing this. This process removes all the peach fuzz off of your face while gently removing dead skin. Your skin is so smooth after this. Make up and skin care lay beautifully after this. I like to follow up with a very soothing facial cream after. I usually go for the Avene Tolerance cream which is specifically for freshly treated skin that needs help recovering. Anytime my skin is reactive or irritated, I use this. It’s magical honestly. I don’t use any harsh actives or exfoliants on my skin for 48 hours post shave. I have been doing this for years and it makes such a difference to the quality of your skin.
I think sometimes we doubt our capabilities and get intimidated by these things and think there is no way we could do it ourselves. But with a little practice, determination and research you can do a lot of on your own. I firmly believe some treatments should be left only to professionals so always use your best judgment, obviously. Are there beauty treatments you do from home?
Xo,
Charlene
