Title: How Quarantine Changed our Beauty Habits for Better and Worse
As the old saying goes, “You don’t miss a good thing until it’s gone!” Oh boy, is this right. When COVID-19 hit us like a ton of bricks, our lives changed overnight. Many things that we took for granted such as going out to dinner, going to the movies, getting our nails done, were taken from us instantly. This led to many online movements asking “What are you looking forward to after quarantine?” or “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when outside opens back up?”
A survey conducted by Econolight asked people where they were most excited to go post-quarantine. Surprisingly only 2.5% of people are excited to head back to the nail salon, and only 1.9% of people are happy to return to the beauty salon. Perhaps people got really good at DIY haircuts, manicures, and pedicures. Well, if you did, good for you! However, many people became exhausted with all of the grooming maintenance that was now solely up to them.
In fact, some people gave up on their usual personal grooming routine, since they had nowhere to go. According to a study by Unilever, personal grooming products took a major hit during quarantine, as 25% of personal care, like washing hair or putting on deodorant is tied to people getting ready for work or school.
On another note, some people saw it as an opportunity to reinvent themselves and really focus on their beauty routines. Without the usual everyday stresses, people had time to think about their skincare routine, try a new hairstyle, or give themselves a much-needed pedicure.
One blogger, Melanie Yvette, noted that the increased interest in at-home beauty could be a psychological reaction to the pandemic. Yvette pointed out that when people are faced with a situation they can’t control, they often times focus on something they can control. In this case, it’s self-care and beauty.
Whether your main beauty focus is hair, nails, or skin not having access to your usual groomers, can be quite stressful. Many people didn’t know how to take care of their own hair, paint their nails (well), or wax themselves. As a society, we had to just figure it out. However, one great thing about quarantine beauty is that most of us have a better understanding of self-care, and we don’t take our lovely hairstylists, nail technicians, and estheticians for granted.
So, since many places are back open for business, please, go get that hair cut! Oh, and happy grooming!
