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Beauty in The Time of Coronavirus

7/30/2020

16 Comments

 
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COVID-19 has made my beauty routine a DIY adventure.  
 
Of course, this all began in March, when Life As It Used To Be turned topsy-turvy.   
 
Prior to that time— though only months ago, it feels like years—my vanity essentials had been covered for decades by professionals.  Really, I couldn’t imagine not going to a salon because their magic has always made me look and feel far greater than anything I might have attempted on my own.  
 
Getting my hair right is the most important. 
 
So, my tresses were colored once a month, courtesy of the only stylist in Southern Oregon who carried the identical organic line as my California hairdresser.  They also tinted and trimmed my brows and put fun colors on my bangs, including violet, blue and green, which made me look like the Girl Clown I’ll always be.  And, both waxed my upper lip, which needed attention every three weeks.  
 
Larger waxing needs—arms and legs—used to happen every six weeks at a Vietnamese owned salon, where efficiency was key. Here in Oregon, I found a thorough and speedy hairdresser who did the same.  After a sloppy bang trim from the organic stylist, this new waxer started cutting my hair, too    
 
Mani-peds were less frequent, every two months or until the gel polish on my toes had dulled and shrunk so much (thanks to new nail growth) that I couldn’t stand it anymore.   
 
So, even though I needed three separate folks to look my best, it worked. 
 
Then everything closed.
 
An ancient adage instantly came to mind: necessity is the mother of invention. 

But now, it wasn’t merely a sentence.  Now, it was a proverb that had to be put into action.
 
First up was asking the Hubster to color my hair. 
 
To say he was hesitant is an understatement, but I did my best to cheer him on.  After pinning up my locks in several places, then draping towels on the dining room floor and my shoulders and lap, we both read the package directions several times.  Finally, carefully putting on the thin disposable gloves that were inside the box, he began.  
 
My brave spouse has done the same thing three times now, and more than a few friends say that they prefer
the drugstore color over the salon look.  Also, he has trimmed my hair (which, thankfully, has no layers) and that
looks good, too.
 
Waxing was next, and it has been the most challenging. 
 
The big beauty supply store in town was also closed, so I ordered a starter’s waxing kit online.  I’d watched countless women over the years apply the sticky stuff and deftly strip it away, so I figured it couldn’t be difficult.
 
As it turns out, those folks only made it look easy. 
 
For whatever reason, my expertise at lip waxing isn’t bad.  But trying to do the same on my arms and legs hasn’t worked. I’ve made nasty adhesions by pulling the wrong way, or maybe using too much (or not enough) wax.  Worse, the wax gets everywhere.  Last week, a glob of it wound up in the washing machine.   
 
When I moaned about this online, a friend suggested Nair, the cream depilatory that made its debut in 1940.  I’d used this product in college and recalled the awful medicinal smell; also, it made my skin red and itchy.  But there are many updated versions out today, which depending on choice, boast nourishing additives with shea butter, Vitamin E and
baby oil. 
 
I chose the latter and it worked.  But I also know that the process was a success because after decades of waxing, the hair on my arms is thinner, and I have less of it, than when I was younger.  
 
The same goes for my legs, but I couldn’t get to the places I wanted to with depilatory.  That’s when the Hubster came to my rescue one more time.  He’s a member of Harry’s Club, which sounds like a strip joint but is a company devoted to superior shaving products.  Using a special pivoting Harry’s razor, along with the recommended aqua-colored shaving cream, my legs are now smooth.
 
Finally, I needed to figure out my nails.
 
My professional in this area texted me with instructions about how to remove the gel.  I gave it my all, taping large cotton balls on every toe, each soaked with industrial strength nail polish remover, for 10 minutes.  But the color remained.
 
Perhaps sensing my despair after reporting this failed effort, the expert arrived at my back yard.  There, both of us donning masks, I sat on a picnic chair while she squatted in front of me and vanquished the polish.  She has offered to return for a complete pedicure, but right now, I’m staying au natural.      
 
Here are three things I’ve learned by going DIY.
 
One, I’ve saved a ton of money, meaning, close to $800.  Two, perhaps the Hubster will consider a new calling in the world of hair color.   Lastly, while none of these routines has yielded professional results, they don’t look half bad.
 
Now, the question is this.
 
Once the pandemic has passed, will I ever return to a salon?
 
You bet.  

16 Comments
Larry Grant
7/30/2020 07:24:13 pm

No new career here!!! - The Hubster

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Hilary Grant
7/30/2020 10:38:38 pm

Well, you're getting a lot of practice now. xo

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leslie spoon
7/30/2020 07:54:30 pm

Hilary I am glad that your arms recovered after the first time you did the wax !!!! When I was working yrs ago I always did my own nails and enjoyed doing it in the evening. Now since we have to wear a mask when we go out I don`t even bother with makeup anymore.

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Hilary
7/31/2020 12:39:56 pm

LOL -- the last time I wore makeup was nearly a year ago. :)

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Pam Thomas
7/30/2020 08:09:17 pm

Can’t believe you do all that! Consumed with handwashing here, LOL! I did cut three inches off my hair, by myself. Liberating! Wardrobe has disintegrated. It’s like hibernating.

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Hilary Grant
7/30/2020 10:36:45 pm

We are consumed with handwashing as well! Since I moved up here, my wardrobe pretty much consists of comfortable drawstring pants and tee-shirts, so I was already pretty much there in terms of the hibernation look. I haven't worn any makeup for nearly a year, too. But I have to keep my haired colored and regarding waxing and Nair... let's just say that my grandparents were all from Eastern Europe.

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Laura Patterson
7/30/2020 11:08:18 pm

The beauty regimen I miss the most is getting my nails done. My self manicures are barely passable, but when this is all over, hair and nail salons will probably continue to suffer because their clients have figured out how to be self sufficient 😢

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Hilary Grant
7/31/2020 09:05:30 am

I agree. Larry does such a great job on my hair color that I won't be returning to the organic colorist; that's the bulk of where I've saved the most money. I did get a Brazilian blowout last week from an entirely different person, because it had been more than a year since my hair was straightened. This person's husband is a contractor and literally built her a separate building on their property for a small salon. Only one client enters at a time and the hairdresser stays masked, and even w/ a shampoo, I never had to take off my mask! My mani-pedi person will come to my backyard and actually so will my waxing person... but Nair and Harry's Club work great.

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Tammy Dalcin
7/31/2020 09:25:21 am

Yes you are right Hilary, this is right up my alley.
This whole Covid thing has been a challenge for all hair stylists. The one thing that really ruffles my feathers is that I am considered NON essential.... Really? Then explain to me why my phone is ringing off the hook with panicked clients trying to get in a haircut or color before we shut down? It really hurts my feelings to even have to put that down in words. Of course my job is essentail. The beauty industry is a billion dollar buisness. My sister is an Instant Cart shopper. she said the first thing she noticed was the boxed hair color was flying off the shelfs. She was calling me with hair color questions because if the store didn't have the color the customer wanted she could substitute with another color with my guidance.
My husband had to sacrifice part of his garage to put in my temporary salon. Thats right... i am on under ground hair stylist. i have the whole set up, my chair, mirror, flooor mat. I'ts a sweet set up. good enough to just stay at home and never have to pay rent at a shop again. speeking of saving money. I could save 450 a month.
Also i have become a traveling hair dresser. Helping the people who are elderly and can no longer drive, but still want to look good, and feel good about themselves. i hear it time and time again from clients that I'ts not just about getting a haircut, its therapy too. Being pampered makes you feel good doesn't it ? Oh and because my clients are so appreciative that i can accommodate them that they pay me double for a haircut! not to shabby. So I am acctually making more money and staying busy during these crazy times. NON essentail my ass! Oh and one final thing. I feel thta i'ts much safer working one on one with clients, outside or in my garage with two doors open with cross ventilation. I always wear a mask and so do the clients. I santize everything before every client and iI limit my Clientele in my garage to only 4 a day and space them out.
Hilary I'm glad that you have found ways to keep yourself beautiful. Thank you Larry for helping too! I am also glad to hear you will be going back to the salon when you are able. I miss doing your hair and our conversations, and of course our friendship. You were absolutely one of my favorite clients.

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Hilary Grant
7/31/2020 12:37:05 pm

Salons are still open here but I expect that sidewalk will be rolled up again, and soon. I do miss the pampering! Still, w/ my age and compromised lungs, I won't go to a salon right now. My trimmer has come out to the backyard to do the sides of my hair, because that hair is tiered and I don't want Larry to do that! And of course, the mani-ped person I mentioned. I insist on paying both of them extra, as it should be, so I'm glad it's working for you. Who knows, at some point you're not going to need to rent a chair! :)

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Holly Tibbles
8/1/2020 08:00:20 pm

COVID has made me even more grateful that I stopped dying my hair. The nails are another story. I feel like my feet look like a swamp thing. But, there are more important things to worry about. I’m making do, and the mask seems to encourage everyone give a little more grace. I love not putting on makeup; my skin has improved, too! Strange days.

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Hilary Grant
8/1/2020 09:46:32 pm

Yup, it really makes no sense to wear makeup w/ a mask covering more than half of our faces. As for letting my hair go gray, I may get there someday, but not now. My mani-ped person removed not just the gel polish when she came over, But, not in a hurry to get a full-on pedicure. Strange times, indeed.

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leslie spoon
8/2/2020 07:57:08 pm

Hilary I agree with Tammy too. Getting my hair cut once a month is therapy for me too.

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Hilary Grant
8/2/2020 10:07:09 pm

Absolutely! :)

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Susan J.
8/3/2020 11:45:21 pm

I was dark-haired as an infant, light blonde as a toddler, but dark blonde-lightish brown after that, with a bit of reddishness throughout. It always lightened with the sun, and, for some reason, turned rather dark when I lived back East as a young adult for a couple of years in the early nineties. I experimented with some color over the years, including henna-rinsing at home. It was great fun to be a brunette and a redhead for awhile in my twenties and thirties. In 2005, the silver hairs that had first sprouted at the top of my head when I was 21 (21!), became more frequent, and I decided I wanted to go to the trouble of slowly going blonde. My stylist, an artiste of the highest calibre, helped me do it, and with his help, I've been blonde since 2005...until Covid-19.

I last got my hair done in...February 2020, which is now six months and the absolute longest I've gone without having it colored and cut. I've joked for 15 years now that my personal motto when it comes to my hair is, "Out with the silver and in with the gold!". Now the silver is overtaking the gold.

I've had thick, multitextured hair since childhood, and it's always been impossible to get a comb through the ripples tangling themselves in the brambles growing out of the back of my head. My hair is 90% curly, but most people think it's straight because the top (10%) is straight, and grows out and over the rest. Little do people know that my hair is in a constant fistfight with itself. I could knit a sweater from what in my hairbrush in a month. I use double the conditioner - probably triple - what a normal person does.

So now I have two-tone hair, and am in the market for those open-hole, crocheted beanies to at least take some of the attention away from my white gold, lol. The length is ridiculous. I want to get to the salon very much, but concerns about the virus getting to me or me bringing it to my mother make that a no no. I miss my visits, and my stylist is a friend of decades.

Nails have never been a thing for me, but brows and lashes are for sure. Thank goodness for masks and glasses. If I can find the proper cotton beanie, I will look like an Old West train robber everywhere I go.

The masks HAVE been nice in the makeup category for sure. And tweezers have taken the place for now of the professional lip waxers.

But I cannot wait to get taken care of again. That I miss a lot.

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Hilary Grant
8/4/2020 11:37:26 am

You've been w/ your stylist for so long--I'm wondering if she can come to your backyard area and give you a cut and thin your hair out or vice-versa. I've had my hair cutter person come out twice to my yard--the first time was the day that salons were closing and the last time was a month or so ago when she came to taper the sides of my cut, which frame my face... I didn't want my husband to tackle that. Regarding the color, that has to wait, I think. As I wrote, I pretty much have all of my beauty needs covered, but I do miss the pampering. Especially those nice shampoos in the shampoo bowl where no mask was required. Someday. We all have to just keep hanging in. :)

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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