Since we’ve been under quarantine for two full months now, I’ve been focusing on my self-care and really taking the time to do things like hair treatments, face masques, and full body scrubs ahead of self-tanning. Now, more than ever, I’m loving all of my beauty products and their results so I figured what better time to share all of them with you?
HAIR:
I rotate an Olaplex treatment into my routine about once a week as well as use the Olaplex shampoo and conditioner every time I wash my hair. The shampoo lather is so frothy and luxurious — I absolutely love it! I use the Olaplex conditioner and I think that it works well as part of the Olaplex system, but I wouldn’t say there’s anything dramatically noticeable about the way it feels or special about how my hair feels after using it (but I’m sure that it’s repairing, strengthening and hydrating as it advertises because my hair feels healthy overall).
As the first step of my showers, I apply shampoo to my scalp and massage it it well into the roots of my hair. Then I squish any excess foamy product throughout the rest of my hair, rinse out the shampoo and gently squeeze as much moisture out of my hair as I can. While my hair hangs down my back I take this time to wash my face… this step is to allow as much water as possible to leave my hair strands so that they can best absorb the conditioner. After I rinse off my face wash, I gently squeeze out any remaining moisture from my hair and then apply the conditioner mid-strand to the ends of my hair, coil it up into a bun and use my claw clip to secure it while I finish the rest of my shower.
Once I am down to the last step of washing my body (read: shaving my left leg), I rinse the Olaplex conditioner out of my hair and use a bit of a Pantene Rescue Shot ampule (I can usually get 4-5 uses per tube). I apply it the same way as my conditioner (removing excess water, applying mid-strand to ends, coiling up in bun with clip) and then shave my remaining leg. The reason why I wait until this point of the shower to apply the Pantene Rescue Shot is because it only needs to be on your hair for one minute; leaving it on any longer doesn’t have any extra effect. Once I’m done with shaving my legs, I rinse the conditioner treatment out of my hair and I’m all done!
Between the overnight Olaplex treatments and the extra Pantene in-shower conditioning treatments I have been able to keep my hair especially healthy between haircuts which has been especially helpful during shelter-in-place. I’m truly blown away (ha! accidental hair pun) by how soft my hair has become from rotating these products into my routine.
FACE:
I always double-cleanse, starting with my Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Cleanser and followed up by good ol’ Neutrogena Acne Wash. My combination skin just behaves better when I wash it with a bit of salicylic acid. 🤷🏼♀️ The Glycolic Acid Cleanser not only smells amazing, but it’s made of natural ingredients and helps to slough off any dead skin on my face / neck which essentially preps my skin for the Acne Wash.
About once a week or so I will notice that my face just feels a little extra rough so I’ll substitute the Glycolic Acid Wash with the Coconut Sugar Scrub instead (which totally smells like a beach vacation); it always leaves my skin super silky smooth. I also like to use this Coconut Scrub as a facial skin prep ahead of applying my self-tanner.
BODY:
I absolutely love this Coconut Hibiscus Sugar Scrub. I’ve been using it for years and I’ve tried multiple other products (even tried making my own homemade scrub!) and none of them have given me results as good as this one. I use it on my elbows, knees, chest, butt, and bikini line during every shower (removing dead skin and helping to lift hairs for shaving) and then I’ll use it all over on the occasions that I am prepping to self-tan.
As far as shower gel goes, I recently switched from my go-to body wash from Bath & Body Works to one by Nécessaire and I’m really pleased with the change. The formula is a bit thinner than I am used to, but it has a really nice lather. I chose to try the sandalwood scent as it blends nicely with my signature fragrance which has a musky base, but going forward I’ll probably just order the unscented body wash (the sandalwood smells really nice, but it seems slightly more masculine; I’ll keep the sandalwood scent for my candles. 😉). Making the switch from B&BW also makes me feel really good about using a product that is clean and supporting a company that prioritizes being eco-friendly (they’re totally carbon neutral as of January 2019 and making strides to improve even further!).
TOOLS:
In an effort to lift / remove any product buildup on my scalp, I like to use this silicone scalp scrubber while I am shampooing my hair. I especially like using it after I’ve gone a day or two without washing my hair and have used a lot of dry shampoo that has definitely built up on my scalp.
My hair is super long, so to keep it out of my way and off my body while I’m conditioning it (trying to avoid bacne!) I use a large claw clip… I think technically this style is actually called an “octopus clip”? I like these clips in particular because the shape gives it a great grip so my hair feels secure and doesn’t fall down, even when it’s been saturated with a slippery conditioner.
I use these waffle-knit microfiber cloths to wash my face; they’re super gentle on my skin while also having some scrubby texture to help remove dirt and grime! I bought a bunch so that I never reuse a washcloth (reusing a washcloth is basically rubbing any dirt and bacteria that’s on the cloth back onto your face!). They were a major upgrade from my crappy generic ones from Target, but are still super affordable. I don’t know what took me so long to make the change, but I wish I had done it years ago.
My silicone scrubber has been such a great find for using all over the rest of my body; it’s ultra flexible and is so great to use with your shower gel to really get yourself squeaky clean. I definitely prefer it to a loofah or sponge (which are much more difficult to clean / disinfect).
Of course, you already know how much I love my billie razor… if you missed it, I wrote an in-depth comparison / review here between the 3 top razor brands.
POST SHOWER:
Your skin is most “thirsty” immediately after you shower, so it’s the best time to apply your moisturizers and serums. After every shower I use Nécessaire Body Lotion and La Mer Soft Cream to re-hydrate my skin.
I absolutely love all of these products / tools and how they enable me to take the best care of my hair and skin. Let me know if you have any questions!
Sending hugs —
xx, Natalie
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