During one particular grooming low during lockdown, I sat on the floor of my bathroom, and decided to unearth a toenail that likes to push into my nail bed. Tool in hand, I administered the treatment that I thought would rid me of uncomfortable tightness surrounding that errant toenail. Check this Nail places nearby to help your problem.
Things did not go to plan, and I ended up with a swollen toe and an unhappy and uneven nail situation that now means I will clearly need to see a podiatrist, when allowed to visit one once more.
Other lessons learned following forays into tending to my beauty needs included; that hair colourists are really enormously skilled to blend roots into mid lengths (with one adventure leaving me with a very clear line between the top of my head and my grown out balayage), and that shaving very coarse and curly hair can come with the price of ingrown hairs.
Do these realisations sound familiar? Did you too have a nadir where a job best left to professionals went awry? Or did you discover that you could in fact manage more than you thought without help?
On Monday 12 April, lockdown will ease and more establishments will be permitted to reopen, including hairdressers and nail salons.
So as we start making bookings again (you’ll be lucky to get one before June at this rate) here are some good rules to govern what you can safely do at home to save some cash and what should absolutely be left in the hands of professionals.
Do: Look after the health of your hair at home
The fact of the matter is that hair that is over processed, i.e. dyed and styled to the max, will lose its sheen and bounce pretty quickly. Conversely, hair that has been hydrated and left to its own devices as much as possible will remain more healthy and therefore more likely to be shiny and manageable.
And while a trim plays a role in looking after the quality of hair, it is only half the story; the rest of it is up to you at home. Do you to use hot tools every single time you wash your hair, or could they be saved for special occasions? Could you add the odd mask into your routine? And maybe a hair conditioner?
Ideally don’t cut any of your hair yourself, but the fringe rule is absolute: nobody in the history of home hairdressing has ever successfully navigated this one and in all likelihood you will end up with either a woefully crooked edge or with an unintentional micro fringe.
Do: Use root touch up products at home
If you don’t like emerging grey hair and want to cover it, root touch up powders and sprays are a good solution