The Best Beauty Tips For When You're Stuck At Home
While your early 20s might consist of spontaneous weekend getaways and late nights out with your best group of pals — the older you get, the more likely you are to find joy in spending time within your own home. However, even for the most introverted people, being forced to stay home for weeks at a time can get old pretty quickly.
Aside from running out of furniture to rearrange and DIY Pinterest projects to try and complete, you'll likely find that being stuck at home majorly disrupts your beauty routine — especially if you're a person who relies on professional hair colorists and nail technicians to keep you looking and feeling like your most confident, beautiful self. Fortunately, however, the great indoors is filled with endless DIY possibilities when it comes to your self-care and beauty regimen. In fact, after trying some of these at-home tips and tricks from beauty experts, you may find yourself spending less time (and a lot less money) at the salon.
From whitening your teeth with a certain food in your kitchen to covering your gray roots with a specific makeup product, here's a list of the best beauty tips for when you're stuck at home.
An easy beauty tip when you're stuck at home is to tame your mane with a DIY hair mask
Whether it's long, short, or somewhere in between, hair requires some TLC outside of the shower. While it's important to wash your hair (though, not too frequently), it's equally as important to spend time conditioning your tresses to keep them from becoming dry, brittle, and frayed.
As master colorist Joel Warren told HuffPost, hair masks "impart shine, help with manageability and work to nourish the cuticle." In other words, applying a hair mask conditions your mane and injects the extra hydration your hair so desperately needs.
Hairstylist Liana Zingarino told Good Housekeeping she recommends a hair mask containing olive oil and avocado. "Packed full of omega-3 fatty acids, this hair treatment provides the ultimate strength and shine for your hair," Zingarino said. According to the hairstylist, this hydrating DIY mask only requires half an avocado, a single egg, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a tablespoon of honey. And while there are a variety of hair mask products on the market, this conditioning treatment makes for an easy DIY beauty project you can do when you're stuck at home.
If you run out of shaving cream when you're stuck at home, reach for this product
American women started shaving their body hair in the early 20th century, thanks to some pointed advertisements from the man behind the invention of the best-selling safety razor — King C. Gillette (via Bustle). And while some women have decided to accept and love their natural body hair, many American women still seek to have smooth, hairless legs and armpits.
As anyone who's ever shaved can attest, using shaving cream or gel is essential to achieving a clean, painless shave. But what do you do if you pick up your shaving cream canister in the shower only to realize it's empty? According to beauty product expert Fadi Mourad, you should grab the nearest bottle of conditioner.
"You want a product that has skin and hair softening properties, so you get a comfortable shave in place of your shaving product," Mourad told Dollar Shave Club. He continued, explaining, "Conditioner has the ... conditioning ingredients for an emergency shave." Regarding this beauty tip, Mourad added that, if you don't have conditioner to spare, you could use a moisturizing body wash, noting that "the white, creamier types work best because they're more conditioning."
When you're stuck at home, refrigerate your beauty products to make them last longer
If you follow along with the latest beauty trends on social media, you've probably seen at least one makeup guru showing off what they call a #shelfie. Photos of mini-fridges containing an array of candy-colored beauty products, shelfies are all the rage amongst beauty bloggers who believe some products should be kept in a refrigerated area, as noted by Shape. And according to experts, those bloggers have a point.
"Keeping certain products in the fridge helps to keep them stable, increase efficacy, [and] helps with preservation (just like food), so they stay efficacious longer, and of course the soothing anti-inflammatory benefits a cooling effect can provide," aesthetician Joshua Ross, the founder of SkinLab, told HuffPost. He continued on with this beauty tip, stating, "Particularly with expensive products that you aren't using frequently, it's great to pop them in the fridge to extend the shelf life."
Of course, extending the shelf life of your favorite beauty products is ideal, especially when you're stuck at home and taking a shopping trip to your nearest Sephora isn't an option. However, Ross warns against refrigerating any facial oils. "When oils are exposed to cold they will solidify and thicken," he explained to HuffPost.
One of the best beauty tips when you're stuck at home is to take a product holiday
You've almost certainly heard the old adage, "Less is more." And according to beauty experts, less is best — especially if you're going to be stuck at home for the foreseeable future.
Dr. Kathleen Suozzi, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine, told Insider that people should think of an extended stay indoors as an excuse to go makeup-free. "Give your skin what I call a product holiday, where you strip it down to a gentler, simpler routine," she explained.
According to Suozzi, while being stuck inside is far from ideal for many, it does provide an opportunity for people to revisit things that are usually lost within the hustle and bustle of their normal lives — such as a daily skincare regimen. The dermatology professor told Insider that people stuck indoors should skip the makeup and focus instead on getting back in the habit of taking care of their skin. As Suozzi told Insider, it's important to "maximize correction while you're inside and have the time to focus on it." That's one beauty tip we can definitely get behind!
When you're stuck at home, use this to take off your gel nails
For many women, getting a manicure is one of life's greatest treats. Not only do manicures feel great and leave your hands super soft and moisturized, having a pretty set of nails just puts an extra oomph in your step.
If you opt for gel nails, that oomph could last for two weeks or more. However, since gel polish doesn't grow with your nails, you'll eventually need to have it removed. And while you'd usually return to your nail technician to get your gel polish taken off, you can easily do it yourself with the help of a common kitchen item.
Speaking with the New York Post, nail salon owner Amy Lin said all you need to get rid of gel polish is nail polish remover, cotton balls, and tinfoil. If you're looking to remove gel polish when you're stuck at home, simply wet a cotton ball using an acetone-based nail polish remover and apply it to your nail. Then, take a small piece of tinfoil and wrap it around your finger to hold the cotton ball in place. Let it work its magic for 10 to 15 minutes, and voila — no more gel!
Do this if you want to cut your bangs when you're stuck at home
When you're stuck at home alone with nothing to do, you may yourself suddenly inspired to do something kind of, well, crazy — like giving yourself bangs. While a change in style is always nice, creating bangs for yourself at home without the steady hand of a professional hair stylist is almost never a good idea.
However, if you already have bangs and simply need a trim to keep them out of your eyes — it's still in your best interest to wait until you can pay a visit to your stylist. That said, if you can't wait a second longer to trim your bangs, stylist Shelly Aguirre of Maxine Salon has one golden rule for you to follow. "I would recommend chipping into the bangs while they are dry as hair shrinks from wet to dry," Aguirre told CNET.
According to the stylist, it's also important for at-home trimmers to remember that less is more when it comes to cutting your own hair. Of this beauty tip, Aguirre explained, "You can always go back and trim a little more." But you cannot go back and reapply the hair you've already cut. Fortunately, there are some things you can do if you accidentally cut your bangs too short.
Shape your eyebrows when you're stuck at home by using this
If you were a teen in the early aughts, you've likely experienced quite the eyebrow journey throughout the years — growing your brows from the paper-thin lines they once were into the beautiful, bushier brows they are now. And if you're stuck at home for an extended period of time, you'll almost certainly find that your brows desperately require much needed maintenance and shaping before they take over your entire face.
According to celebrity brow stylist Joey Healy, an eyebrow pencil is the best companion you could have if you're shaping your brows at home. Healy told Refinery29 to use an eyebrow pencil to mark the starting point, end point, and peak of your brow's arch. However, as Healy warned, don't make the mistake of thinking your arch is located in the dead-center of your brow, or else you'll end up with two rainbow-shaped eyebrows. "You really want the arch to be two-third's of the way out," Healy told Refinery29 regarding this beauty tip.
Finally, using your eyebrow pencil, connect the three dots by drawing lines between them — and then carefully tweeze whatever stray hairs are left outside the lines.
Use this common makeup bag product to cover your grays when you're stuck at home
No one is safe from stubborn gray hairs. Whether you're 22 or 62, gray hairs can appear at any time — and will likely pop up in the one place that makes them entirely too easy to spot every time you look in a mirror... like right in the middle of your hair's part.
While some people have the enviable ability to pull off a cool, gray streak (we're looking at you, What Not to Wear star Stacy London), most of us would rather keep the gray at bay for as long as possible. Unfortunately, if you're stuck at home with no plans to see your hair colorist for the foreseeable future, covering your stubborn gray roots can feel like an impossible task. However, according to Clairol's color director Marie Robinson, the secret to covering those pesky gray hairs until you can snag a color appointment lies within your trusty makeup bag.
"Try dusting a matching shade of eyeshadow on your part to hide grays," Robinson told TotalBeauty.com. She continued, "Take a makeup brush, dampen the bristles and dip [the brush] into powder. Then, dab the [eye]shadow on your part where it's gray." Not a tough beauty tip to try out when you're stuck at home!
For a brighter smile when you're stuck at home, reach for the fruit basket
Marilyn Monroe is often quoted as saying a smile is "the best makeup any girl can wear." Of course, if there's one famous figure we wish could give us beauty tutorials, it's definitely Marilyn Monroe — and it seems many people feel the same way. After all, teeth whitening products are everywhere you look these days, with many dentists even offering teeth whitening services to patients.
However, if you're used to whitening your teeth, being stuck at home with no dentist appointment lined up or whitening strips at your disposal might make you feel self-conscious about your smile. Fortunately, there's an easy at-home beauty tip to make your not-so-pearly whites shine bright like a mouthful of diamonds.
According to dentist Gerry Curatola, the secret to a whiter, brighter smile can be found in your fruit basket — specifically, in a banana peel. "The rich minerals in a banana are absorbed into your enamel and have healthy whitening effects," Curatola told Women's Health. For best results, the dentist recommends you rub a ripe banana peel on your teeth for two minutes after brushing and flossing and says to repeat the process once more before bedtime.
Don't forget this beauty tip to brush your... nails?
Considering you look at your hands more than you look at almost any other part of your body, it's important that you like what you're seeing. Unfortunately, being stuck at home means not getting to visit your manicurist, leaving your fingernails vulnerable to becoming dull and surrounded by dry and overgrown cuticles.
Fortunately, a professional manicurist isn't required to get your nails back in tip-top shape. In fact, if you have an extra toothbrush lying around your house, you have one of the most useful beauty tools one could possibly wish for. "Once you realize all the different ways you can use [a toothbrush], you'll find yourself keeping one in your purse," Florida-based hairstylist Nancy Alegreto told Today.
According to Today contributor and beauty expert Angela Cruz, you can get rid of dry, unwanted cuticles and dead skin by following this beauty tip: Apply a softening oil or cream directly to your cuticles, and use a toothbrush to gently massage the area around your nails in a circular motion. And for brighter, cleaner nails, Cruz recommends running a wet toothbrush over a bar of soap and gently scrubbing your nails until they're sparkly and clean.
Go longer between washes to preserve your hair color when you're stuck at home
If you rely on hair color to keep your mane looking fresh and vibrant, you're far from alone. According to research, 85 percent of American women dye their hair an average of every eight weeks (via Forbes). So, whether you have your hair colored by a professional stylist or opt for drugstore box color, you're in the majority.
Of course, being stuck at home for weeks at a time will almost certainly disrupt your hair coloring schedule, leaving your precious tresses at risk for becoming dull, gray, or both. And while you may not be able to book that much-needed color appointment or visit the store to pick up your preferred box color for a few weeks, there is one beauty tip you can do to keep your hair color from fading too quickly.
Speaking with The Oregonian, hairstylist Paul Burton revealed a helpful hair color beauty tip, saying, "Don't wash your hair every day [if you want] to extend conditioning and color treatments." In other words, this is dry shampoo's time to shine, baby!
Do at-home workouts to prevent fine lines and wrinkles
Let's be honest — no one truly loves to work out. Still, it's impossible to deny the positive health benefits that come with a good, daily workout routine, no matter how uncomfortable said daily workout routine may have you feeling in the heat of the moment.
When you're stuck at home for weeks at a time, it's especially important to move your body and not fully morph into a couch potato. And, according to celebrity dermatologist Simon Ourian, a good, at-home workout will benefit more than just your belly and booty.
Speaking with Page Six, Ourian — who serves as the Kardashian clan's go-to dermatologist — revealed that breaking a sweat while exercising at home actually has positive, anti-aging benefits for your skin. "Any type of cardio exercise brings a higher amount of oxygenated blood to your skin," the dermatologist told Page Six. He continued on with this beauty tip, explaining, "Your skin needs this oxygen and extra nourishment to build itself and get a new production of collagen and elastin, which is the key to more balanced, healthy-looking skin."
Spice up your skincare when you're stuck at home by using kitchen pantry items
Being stuck at home for weeks at a time can be incredibly stressful and can cause major anxiety — even if you know it's for the health and safety of yourself and others.
As anyone who's ever had a pimple likely knows, stress and anxiety can wreak havoc on your skin, which is why it's important to take the time to treat yourself to a DIY, at-home spa facial. And while you may not be able to head to your nearest Sephora to pick up your favorite face mask, you probably have all the ingredients you need for a nourishing, refreshing DIY mask in your kitchen. In fact, dermatologist Marina Peredo recommends spicing up your skincare by lathering on a turmeric-based face mask. "Turmeric is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties that even out skin tone and gives you a healthy glow," Peredo told Teen Vogue.
According to the dermatologist, a turmeric face mask works especially well when mixed with non-flavored Greek yogurt. Yep, you can add this mask to your list of things you didn't know you could do with Greek yogurt. As Peredo explained, the yogurt will work to cool and soothe your skin, getting rid of any redness along the way. Of course, if you have any food allergies or if you're skin is super sensitive, you may want to skip this one beauty tip when you're stuck at home.