It’s been one year of work from home, one year of attending meetings in our PJs, one year of no commute, and one year of obsessing over banana bread. Can you imagine last March, we knew nothing about Zoom, face masks meant beauty treatments, and hanging out with our friends was the norm.
So, as we inch towards celebrating one year of working from home, we asked Team POPxo if this period has taught them anything about skincare, haircare, or wellness, and here’s what they had to say.
Team POPxo On The Beauty Lessons They’ve Learned After One Year Of WFH
Mom-Approved Skincare Hacks Are Everything
So, during the initial lockdown in March 2020 I was stuck in Goa with my fiance, and here’s what happened. With all the restrictions we couldn’t go out and I ran out of makeup remover and we just couldn’t find it at any store nearby. While I was looking for a jugaad, my mom suggested I try using raw milk and trust me, it worked like magic. It’s been a whole year now and I haven’t bought any makeup remover and I don’t think I ever will!
– Janvi Manchanda, Writer
Skincare = Self-care
Last March, the entire country went into lockdown and because I was stuck at home with nothing to do, I started trying out DIYs. Orange peel, aloe vera, milk, and turmeric- I tried them all. The only habit I’ve stuck to this year has been religiously following my basic skincare routine- I cleanse my face, use a serum, apply moisturiser, and then put on sunscreen. This little ritual makes me feel good about myself and it’s a short self-care regime.
– Anandita Malhotra, Junior Editor
Cleansing Your Skin Twice A Day Is Essential
During quarantine, I learned the hard way that just because you no longer wear makeup, it doesn’t mean you can skip washing your face before bed sometimes. After dealing with some pesky uninvited visitors on my face, I’ve become extremely strict about my morning and night skincare routine-makeup or no makeup!
-Tanya Sharma, Junior Editor
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Break Up With Toxic Chemicals
I have not been to a salon for the past year now. I took the whole ‘be aatmanirbhar’ concept quite seriously. In short, I’m my own parlour wali aunty and hairstylist for a while. I chopped my hair thrice in the past year but still struggled with hair fall and frizziness. That came to a good end when I started using DIY hair oils and performing pre-poo rituals religiously. I use masks made up of banana peel and egg whites every week. Coconut oil, aloe vera, and vitamin E are my lifelines ATM. I keep my hair away from chemicals and harsh products and honestly, I can see the difference.
– Kanupriya, Content writer
There Is No One Size Fits All
Ever maintained a skin journal? Well, I did during the pandemic lockdown and highly recommend that you should do it too. As soon as I realised that I was going to be confined to my home for a long long time, I decided that I would use this time productively. I generally like to keep my beauty routine as clean as possible and fuss-free. However, during the lockdown, I decided to experiment and see what works the best for me. From applying ice to my face to trying on some new serums & creams, I did it all. I kept a journal to record what worked for me and what didn’t. Verdict? I am currently following the most effective beauty routine of my life. It’s custom-made and thus works the best for me. The learning? There is no one size fits all solution when it comes to beauty and we should give it some thought and time to figure out what works out the best for us.
– Khushboo Sharma, Senior Writer
Maintaining Habits That Keep Stress Levels In Check Work Wonders
Over the past year, I’ve learned so much about my skin. I was seeing everyone on my feed gushing about how their skin was thriving in the lockdown, thanks to reduced exposure to pollution, but that wasn’t the case for me. My skin was breaking out badly and nothing I did would help. Finally, after talking to my dermatologist, it came down to one culprit: stress. It had thrown my hormones off balance and had taken a physical toll on my skin. What followed was me doing little things to manage my stress like switching my phone off, staying off social media, cooking, and trying to maintain a gratitude journal. Believe it or not, it worked!
– Drishti Kapadia, Senior Writer
Less Is More
I was someone who would buy, try and use makeup every single day. The pandemic has taught me 3 very important lessons. First, how to be comfortable in my own skin, makeup, or no makeup. I’ve also picked up some great skincare habits along the way. I have a fixed routine from Monday to Sunday with various skincare products in rotation – I’m taking Vitamin C, Retinol, AHAs, and BHAs. I could open my own apothecary with the number of magic potions I keep playing around with. And the third, possibly the most important lesson I learned was to stop hoarding – a lesson learned the hard way. The initial 3-4 months during the pandemic, I didn’t have access to malls or online shopping and it took a while to sink in, but it made me realise that I’d been ‘buying’ stuff as a way to fill up an emotional void. That introspection was so important and although it feels like just yesterday we went into lockdown, I’ve evolved a lot as a person over this past year.
– Nidhi Kavle, Beauty Editor
So, which beauty lessons have you learned during the pandemic?
Featured Image: Team POPxo
