Hacks
Now that we’re 137 weeks into quarantine, personal hygiene services are some of what I miss the most. I know I’m not alone, because when I said something about gray hair on Facebook a few weeks ago, there was suddenly a flurry of comments about it. No services are worth risking someone’s health — mine or the workers’ — so I’m glad they’re closed. But I’m getting creative about taking care of these things at home. Here are products I’ve actually tried (and I get no $$ for talking about these; this is just genuine information that I’m sharing because it’s been useful to me):
Hair Removal
Eyebrows, I pluck myself. Legs, I shave every few days. But I’ve been going to an aesthetician for waxing services for … other hair removal for years (personal choice; no judgement on how anyone else manages theirs!) I have tried home wax kits that just really seem messy and not effective. Shaving has turned out to be painful in a rather long-lasting way. But before waxing became my norm, I used to use Veet with pretty good results. A quick Amazon search reveals that, yes, this product is still on the market. I haven’t returned to it yet but very likely will soon.
Hair
Before I had kids, I used to dye my hair myself. Now I pay a very talented person whom I like very much quite a bit of money to do that on a very regular basis. But of course, desperate times call for desperate measures! I went back to my old standby: Lush’s Caca Marron.
Pedicure
I love everything that Rinse Soap makes. When I owned my store, they were the first brand I chose to carry. I’m absolutely devoted to their body spreads, shower bombs and bath salts. I can personally also vouch for their Peppofoot Polish. You can use it right in the shower, and at least on my feet, it’s just as good at removing dry, dead skin as the scraper tool salons use.
Pros: it’s inexpensive ($27.95 for a brick; I cut it in half, so it’s really two treatments-worth). It covers gray very well. It’s pretty easy to administer all by yourself. It’s also vegan-friendly and totally natural ingredients, which is important to me.
Cons: It’s messy and smells strongly like coffee grounds. And it takes about 5 hours from start to finish to really let the color develop.
There’s no leg massage or pretty nail polish, but if you’re just trying to make your feet presentable in sandals, this is perfect! (Or if you’re tired of blankets getting snagged on rough spots on your feet. Not that I would know anything about that firsthand.)