We’re going through a historical event these days, as the entire country and the world as a whole is under lockdown for over a month now. Everyone is at home, except the frontline workers – the police, the health workers, and other officials.
Being at home for such an extended period is a massive change for many of us, and it has turned our lives upside down. It’s affected the way we eat, the way we dress, the way we sleep and also, the way we take care of our skin.
Skincare has changed in a big way too. Parlors are shut, beauty stores are closed, and couriers are not delivering. With so many limitations, what has this lockdown taught us? Let’s see!
Sunscreen is a Must Every Day
We’ve heard it a million times, and it’s been drilled into our brains that sunscreen is a must, but what if you’re spending all day indoors! A few days into the lockdown and we realize that without sunscreen, our skin undergoes damage.
UVA rays are present throughout all seasons, and they can reach you whether you’re indoors or outdoors. They can penetrate through closed windows too, so you’re not immune to sun damage even when inside.
So the lesson we learned long ago still applies if we’re restricted indoors. While the sun may not cause damage as severe as sunburn, it can still cause UV damage that can lead to premature aging.
There is No Compromise on Moisturizer
When we’re at home, we don’t typically apply makeup, and we’re just lounging around. While going au naturel is excellent when it comes to makeup, completely letting your skin go can result in dry, itchy skin or the other extreme of oily, greasy skin.
Skin loses natural moisture daily, even if you’re at home all day. Our skin does have the ability to replace the oils to combat this, but this reduces as we age. Also, if the air conditioning is on for many hours in a day, it’ll further dry out your skin.
A moisturizer also helps in making sunscreen more effective. What’s more, it protects against the damage caused by high energy visible light sources from the screens we’re spending so much time nowadays. A face mist also helps in cooling up the skin, when applied periodically.
Everything Your Skin Needs is in Your Kitchen
Did you find yourself running out of your favorite natural skincare product? We feel you! This has happened to many of us since the lockdown, and we didn’t get the opportunity to stock up. The result – we’ve found our own solutions!
Our mothers and grandmothers did not have access to these brands, but they still managed to have great skin, and this lockdown has taken us back to those remedies. We’ve all discovered that pretty much everything our skin needs can be found in the kitchen.
And you don’t need exotic ingredients either. A mix of raw milk, honey, and turmeric is a great cleanser and moisturizer. A blend of gram flour and buttermilk makes a great exfoliator. You can also try plain honey or yogurt for some refreshing moisturization.
You can also make your own custom skincare remedies. Grind some cucumber and aloe vera and freeze and rub a cube all over your skin for instant perkiness. If a toner is what you need, use diluted apple cider vinegar or water from soaked coriander seeds. Plain old rose water with cucumber juice and lemon juice makes a great facial spray.
Skincare is Not Just Your Face
When we talk about skincare, we generally tend to talk with facial skin in mind, but being stuck at home has probably brought our attention to other parts of our body! This is particularly true of our hands, since all the hand washing and sanitizing really dries out the skin of our hands.
This naturally makes us look at our feet and the rest of our body. Since we have the time now, we can take the effort to focus on these parts of our body and offer them some more tender loving care.
If you’re running low on hand cream or body lotion, DIY also works here. Applying coconut oil all over the body is a traditional bathing ritual, and an excellent way for smooth, soft skin after your bath. A scrub with used coffee grounds and coconut oil also offers some exfoliating benefits and reduces cellulite.
Cutting Down On Junk is Wonderful for the Skin
Now that everything’s shut, your favorite fast food outlets are shut down. Even when you go to the grocery store or order groceries online, you’ll find that processed foods are not as readily available as staples like wheat, rice, and pulses.
Naturally, this has led people to consume home-cooked food more than ever, and cooking blogs and YouTube channels have seen a massive increase in viewership. As we wean ourselves away from refined foods and chemical preservatives, our body’s exposure to inflammatory ingredients decreases.
Conversely, we are now eating more fresh fruits and vegetables that prevent free radical damage. We are also consuming more healthy oils and Omega-3 fats, which improve skin structure, collagen production, and make skin supple and glowing.
Stress Ruins Everything
Have you noticed any untimely, unexpected breakouts, despite eating well and moisturizing? It could be because of stress and poor sleep as a result of all the uncertainty. When we are stressed, our bodies produce more cortisol as a coping mechanism. This leads to increased production of sebum, resulting in oilier skin and breakouts.
The skin usually repairs itself at night when we sleep. However, with a lack of activity and enough sun exposure combined with stress, we may have trouble sleeping, which again affects the skin’s ability to repair itself.
Naturally, the only solution is to opt for ways to relieve stress, like meditation, exercise, hobbies, and journaling. A massage is also a great way to let go of stress, and you don’t need a spa for it –self-massage works just as well.
A Self-Massage is More Than Just Relaxation
As mentioned earlier, you probably have more time now to pay attention to your hands and feet. If you’ve tried massaging any part of your body, you may have realized how good it feels!
Yes, self-massage is excellent for relaxation, but it’s also got many benefits for the skin. It makes facial skin tighter and firmer and makes cheekbones and other features more defined. That’s why it’s always recommended to gently massage while applying a scrub or pack on the face.
It’s not just the face that can benefit from a massage – it’s the whole body! A massage purges the skin of all those accumulated impurities and toxins by promoting enough lymphatic drainage. It also increases body awareness and encourages body positivity.
