The Beauty Step 23% Of Women Wish They Could Skip Forever
Beauty routines can be an opportunity for self-care, relaxation, and indulgence. There's nothing quite like slipping into a warm bath after a long day, sheet mask in place and glass of wine in hand. However, some parts of our routines are more tedious than they are soothing. You know, the things we have to do to maintain our hygiene or appearance, but don't necessarily enjoy doing.
In a recent poll of 574 women, The List learned exactly which of these activities women wish they could skip forever. Some answers will have you nodding along in agreement, while others may surprise you. For instance, did you know that nearly 21 percent of participants find putting on makeup to be the most annoying step of their beauty routine? One might think, "Well, then why apply makeup at all?," but that would prompt an entirely different discussion about the pressures women feel to look a certain way, and we just don't have time for that.
Read on to discover the number one beauty step women wish they could skip.
Most women do not enjoy taking care of their hair
As it turns out, women are generally pretty annoyed with their hair routines. It's understandable why; hair can be super finicky and there's rarely a once-size-fits-all solution for common problems, as everyone's hair is so different — plus, your individual environment and climate plays a key role. The number one step women wish they could shirk forever? Blow drying. In fact, 23.17 percent of those polled would love nothing more than to never pick up a blow dryer ever again.
Other hair-related annoyances: eyebrow tweezing, which 19.51 percent of women reported as their least favorite beauty activity. Washing (13.24 percent) and curling your hair (11.32 percent) were the next popular answers, followed by drawing on eyebrows at 8.71 percent. (3.14 percent selected "other.")
It's not totally surprising that blow drying would clock in at number one. After all, it's a somewhat unpleasant experience (especially when it's warm out) that can result in tired arms and flushed cheeks. However, there are things you can do to cut down on time spend blow drying. Alli Webb, founder of Drybar, tells Byrdie that trying to blow dry soaking wet hair is a common mistake. "If you start with really wet hair, it's just going to take you that much longer," she says. Webb suggests squeezing the excess water out of your hair first, then wrapping hair in a microfiber towel before applying a heat protectant and then blow drying.