When life gets busy, some things are always going to fall by the wayside. Often, it’s those little exercises which can have a big impact but don’t drastically alter your life should you forget.
While we’re all safely tucked away at home, it’s a good time to consolidate a few habits given the extra time up our sleeves. So, by the time normal life somewhat resumes, these little practices will have already become non-negotiable habits.
We’ve curated a few ideas of what you can add into your routine. Most of these will have a big impact for very little input.
☆ Switch to natural deodorant: Switching to a natural deodorant takes time — a few weeks at least — as your body adjusts to a product without aluminium. While there is insufficient evidence that regular deodorants cause cancer, it doesn’t hurt to lower the load of toxins placed on your body.
Your body is naturally designed to sweat and using an antiperspirant product basically blocks that from happening. According to Nivea, aluminium “narrows the upper ducts of the sweat glands so that we sweat less. Using antiperspirant also results in a reduced flow of sweat, meaning less odoriferous soil is available to our odour-causing bacteria.”
So, this is the perfect time to make the switch to natural deo, as most of us have nowhere else to be. While your body goes through the detox process — which can be a little smelly and sweaty — you won’t unleash this on any colleagues or friends. What a silver lining.
There are a number of natural deodorant products on the market but we love this one by No Pong, which is bicarbonate based. While scooping out the product with your fingers and spreading it on your armpit takes a little getting used to, this product definitely does keep body odour to a minimum.
☆ Dry body brushing before showering: Dry body brushing has been popular for years thanks to its health benefits, which include increased blood circulation and the promotion of lymph drainage. It’s also great for unclogging pores, getting rid of dry skin and it stimulates your nervous system.
The best time to body brush is just before jumping in the shower. Start at the feet and work your way up, using long strokes in a circular motion. Don’t use too much pressure when doing this, as you don’t want to scratch your skin. But, it’s normal for your skin to look like a little pink after brushing, thanks to increased circulation.
Incorporate this into your everyday shower routine and post-shower, apply a body cream or oil to lock in moisture. This body brush by Hydrea is made from natural Cactus plant bristles that have been cut on a smooth angle to hug the body and prevent scratching the skin.
☆ Let those brows grow: While we currently don’t have the option to visit our brow technician, leave those bad boys alone! Whatever you do, don’t get tweeze happy as you’ll most likely regret it shortly after.
Growing out your eyebrows isn’t a fun task but as we have nowhere to be or no one to see, now is a perfect time. You honestly can’t see those stray hairs on a Zoom chat. Hopefully, those sparse patches that many of us have will finally have the time to grow in resulting in more luscious brows post-iso.
☆ Try new skincare: Mixing up your skincare routine can always be a risk. Will this serum make me breakout? Will this product result in a painful reaction? While this can be dicey when you have to go to work and just generally see people, now is the time to change it up, should you want to.
☆ Experiment with hair removal: Not the most fun of beauty practises, sure, but maybe it’s time to change up your hair removal routine. If you’re a loyal shaver, now might be the time to try an at-home IPL device.
This one by Happy Skin Co is easy to use and gentle on skin. The results are usually visible within a few uses and the device can be used on any body part. You’ll be thanking your past self when summer rolls around and you barely have to do anything!
☆ Floss every single day: Flossing your teeth is a boring but necessary evil. Many people struggle to simply find the time (or motivation!) to do it, but it can have repercussions for the health of your teeth. According to Healthline, flossing helps remove plague from “between your teeth and underneath the gums. These hard-to-reach spots are where the most destructive microbes live. Failure to remove plaque from these areas can cause gum disease, such as gingivitis.”
☆ Incorporate cuticle oil into your routine: Our hands all are pretty ravaged right now, thanks to the constant handwashing and use of alcohol-based sanitiser. Your nails are probably suffering as well so to ease the dryness, try regularly applying a little cuticle oil on each nail. Add this small task in each time you cut or shape your nails and it’ll make your nail beds look much healthier.
☆ Wash your makeup brushes: Experts recommend washing your makeup brushes every two to four weeks, but it’s easy to forget to do this. If you haven’t washed your makeup brushes recently, go go go! You’re probably not wearing a tonne of makeup at the moment but it’s still a good habit to get into whilst at home. When “normal” life resumes, set a brush washing reminder on your phone for every second Sunday to cement the habit.
☆ Learn to use a gua sha tool: Using a gua sha tool (which is similar to a jade facial roller) is all the rage in the beauty world at the moment but according to The Chalkboard Mag, gua sha predates acupuncture and is an ancient East Asian and Chinese technique.
When used for facial massage, the tool helps with collagen production and “it sculpts and tones the face shape, allowing inflammation to drain and muscles to become free of tension.” So, it’s a nice excuse to practice some self-care and be rewarded with healthier skin in the process! There are heaps of how-to videos on YouTube so hop on there and give it a go.
☆ Use a tongue scraper every day: This ancient Ayurvedic practice involves dragging a small rounded metal or plastic tool down your tongue. Tongue scraping removes the build-up of bacteria, debris and dead cells from the surface of your tongue.
Removing these particles can actually help to improve your sense of taste and is a good remedy for bad breath. Get into the habit of using this device daily to improve your mouth hygiene (alongside brushing and flossing!). A tongue scraper will only set you back about $10, like this one from Nourished Life.
☆ Learn to meditate: Meditation can feel daunting if you haven’t done it before so this is a perfect time to learn. Starting your meditation practice in iso gives you the chance to really get it down pat before returning to your regular routine. You can practice guided meditation via apps like Smiling Mind and Aura, or sign up for virtual classes with Australian-based studios like Centred Meditation and The Broad Place.
Read more stories from TheLatch— and follow us on Facebook.
