Wouldn’t you know it, one of my goals for March was to schedule a hair appointment and get my nails done to celebrate the start of Spring. Then schools closed, working from home became mandatory, and non-essential businesses, like salons, shut down. I saw this meme on social media that read “Feels like we’re 3-4 weeks away from learning everyone’s real hair color.” Another on-point meme was a grid of 80’s school pics and the caption read, “The return of at-home haircuts coming to a household near you!” In the grand scheme of this global crisis, hairdos are far from a critical concern. But, while it’s important to keep a sense of humor, you don’t want to completely give up your beauty routine during these days stuck at home. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, we will have to show our faces again, and it’ll be much easier to do so if we’ve maintained even a minimal hair and skincare regime.

First, if you absolutely need a haircut, proceed with the greatest of caution. Call your regular hair stylist/barber and ask them to talk you through the cut via video chat or Skype. If you have a trusted loved one in your home to wield the scissors, by all means have them do so. Same goes for color, maybe your stylist can even mail you dye already mixed and talk you through the process. These are extreme measures and you’ll definitely want to compensate your hair professional through PayPal or Venmo for their time and expertise. In general, it’s best to just let your hair grow and order some hair ties and headbands from Amazon. Look on YouTube for tutorials on braiding, blowouts, and buns. Unless you normally color your hair at home, resist the urge to dye your own hair, because corrective color treatment can be much more expensive than your normal color appointment. While you wait for salons and barber shops to reopen, be sure to purchase a gift cards for the hair cut/color you meant to get before being stuck at home and help support that local business.

Besides getting my hair cut, I also get my eyebrows waxed. Now is not the time to try at-home waxing on your face, or any other part of your body. You can still maintain your arches and keep unwanted facial hair at bay with tweezing. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll hold you over. For those of you already practiced in at-home waxing, you may want to give yourself a break and wax less frequently but try to keep your waxing practice semi-regular for the time being. You don’t want to the night before you return to work to be the night you wax for the first time in 3, 6, or 8 weeks!

Next up, nails. Many women are quite deft at doing their own nails. I myself am not one of those women, but I do try to keep my nails trimmed and filed. If you’re looking for some activity to pass the time, give yourself an at-home manicure. You can really go bold with color, or simply clean up your cuticles with a clear coat. Indulge yourself with an at-home pedicure by soaking your feet in the tub with Epsom salts, then give your toes and heels a good scrub to exfoliate away the dry winter skin. I love the idea of a rainbow pedi with each toe following the ROYGBIV pattern with an extra ROY.

Even with everything going on, spring has still sprung! So, since you have the time on your hands, why not take this as an opportunity to revise your skincare routine from winter maintenance to spring awakening. Take stock of your products and cosmetics and start transitioning the heavy creams and colors of winter toward exfoliated treatments and pastel shades. You may also want to try out new makeup looks. Experiment with lip colors, false eyelashes, and bronzer, if for no other reason than to keep the boredom at bay. I love the idea of watching a makeup tutorial and then giving it a go. Most times, for me, it’s good for a solid belly laugh from the end results. I’d also recommend taking time to pamper yourself with clay masks, sheets masks, and any type of at-home facial treatments.

For men, don’t be afraid to let yourself get a bit shaggy during this stay-at-home period. You may even try out a self-quarantine beard. However, you’ll want to follow what my husband calls “play-off-beard etiquette” where in you keep your neck clean and trim your mustache. Just because it feels like we’re all hibernating doesn’t mean you want to look like an unkempt animal holed up in a cave for 5-7 months.

It’s been a challenging time and will continue to be so. Hopefully, by distracting yourself with some at-home beauty treatments, you’ll be able to relieve the stress of school closures, social distancing, and the run on toilet paper.