Here are 5 beauty activities you can do to while in isolation to pass the time, practice self-care, de-stress, and of course, beautify! It can be very stressful not knowing how long this health crisis will continue and how it will impact the economy, but it’s important to remember that anxiety doesn’t help and there are elements way beyond our control at play. The best thing you can do, is take care of yourself, be healthy, and stay home. Taking care of yourself means mentally and physically. De-stress, exercise, un-wind, mediate, do a puzzle, yoga, organize, keep a routine, eat properly, and drink lots of water! And lastly, know that we are all in this together, even if it feels lonely at times.

For us, beauty routines are calming and help us unwind, so if that’s not your thing - find something else you love that ‘sparks joy’. Another activity that people often enjoy is organizing or sorting (think kitchens, bathrooms and closets). Start your spring cleaning early?! If you’re anything like us, this will also give you a sense of accomplishment. If you’re kids are home - get them involved too! For today, we’re sharing 5 beauty activities you can try! This is a great time to give your skin a break from makeup and reset.

1.GIVE MICRO-NEEDLING A TRY

If you’ve been worried about trying this - now is a great time - as you’ll be able to stay out of the sun and see how your skin reacts. Skin needling, also called micro-needling therapy is a collagen induction therapy (CIT) (which means it stimulates the body’s natural production of collagen), and percutaneous collagen induction (PCI), is a minimally invasive skin-rejuvenation procedure that involves the use of a device that contains fine needles (the micro roller).  The needles create hundreds of little micro punctures on the skin to create a controlled skin injury.  Sounds scary, but it actually just feels like a tingle on your skin.  This ‘injury’ basically tricks your body into repair mode, and your face will get some extra attention and collagen.  

Staked Skincare’s founder Kerry Benjamin (who’s micro-roller is often recommended among beauty experts and celebs) explains, “Basically, the skin around your eyes is very thin and delicate. When you see dark circles, you’re actually just seeing the blood pool around your eyes through the skin.  By micro-needling and making those tiny injuries in the skin, you’re putting collagen production into overdrive and literally thickening that skin.” Doing so makes the blood much less visible and fills in those bags and lines, too.  Here’s what sold us on this trend: Micro-needling plumps and firms skin by activating EGF's (epidermal growth factors) and significantly increases product absorption up to 90%.  So you can get the best results from your serums ingredients! We like that!

2.DOUCE YOUR HAIR IN LEAVE IN CONDITIONER

Again - take this time to get extreme with your hair care / conditioner routine. Let your hair AIR DRY, NO IRONS, NO BLOW DRYING and constant leave in deep conditioner. Order our favorite hydrating hair mask from Amazon and use it daily - leaving shampoo out of the equation. It’s called 911 Hair Mask and it’s our holy grail haircare item. It’s a super rich, indulgent mask that cleanses and revitalizes the hair delivering extraordinary softness to even the most damaged strands. Seriously! The creamy mask contains proteins from quinoa extract, minerals and vitamins which treat the very core of the hair fiber.

3.The Inflammation Mask

Make DIY home face masks everyday to address different issues. This one is anti-inflammatory and pH balancing but you can find 5 other here.

Directions: Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda, one teaspoon of honey, and one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Apply to face and let sit for 10 minutes, rinsing face with a cold cloth to close your pores. Baking soda is an excellent agent to rebalance pH levels and clear bacteria, which can cause inflammation and redness.

4. Dry Brush Away

Dry brushing has numerous health benefits not only for your skin but for your body as well. By doing a dry brush daily you aid not only with detoxification of your body but by increasing circulation you can help eliminate cellulite. You shed dead skin cells, aid in regenerating new ones, and open clogged pores. Dry brushing also helps in the absorption of vitamins and minerals by increasing blood flow. We like dry brushing as opposed to using a loofa as it is less harsh on your skin and has so many surprising health benefits that can get you softer skin and possibly help your immune system fight off intruders!

Benefits of dry brushing

• Stimulates the lymphatic system (which helps the body get rid of toxins)

• Exfoliates dry rough skin→ leaving it smooth, ingrown free, and ready for moisturizer

• Removes dead skin cells and helps stimulate growth of new ones

• Improves blood circulation

• Reduces the appearance of stretch marks and tightens and tones skin

5. Give Oil Cleansing a Chance

If you’ve been hesitant to try adding oils to your skincare routine, specifically our favorite one (seabuckthorne oil) from living libations, well now is your chance to give it a go. Of course, like all truly effective skincare ingredients, this plant seed has been used for centuries in ancient medicine to heal and revive skin. HOWEVER - it’s new for me - so I am excited. It’s called Seabuckthorn and it’s from the Himalayan mountains. Some people are nervous that their skin will break out and can never find a good week to risk it, but self-isolation provides a nice window of opportunity to test it out. You can order it here from Well.ca. We highly recommend all of their products which are super high quality, concentrated, and natural!

Seabuckthorn sends its lipids deep into the skin, diminishing imbalances from the inside out. This supercritical extract is packed with omega fatty acids 3, 6, 7, and 9, antioxidants, vitamin, palmitoleic acids, carotenoids, and phytosterols. A single drop of seabuckthorn oil contains 190 different bioactive compounds. This bright orange essence is incredibly regenerative and complexion clearing - relaxing redness and paring puffiness. Seabuckthorn is an excellent addition to cleansers for acne. It helps to harmonize skin with sun.