Our Team’s Beauty Routine during Quarantine – The New Normal

Keeping up with everything during this pandemic is a struggle, including beauty routine. Here is our team’s beauty routine during quarantine. Discover whether the pandemic has made us care more for our skin, and what we’re doing for hair removal (secrets revealed)!

shilpa-ahuja-skin-care-waxing-skincare-tips-advice

Since the coronavirus pandemic started, there has been a lot of talk in the industry about people using more skincare products. So we decided to interview people in our office to give you a realistic picture of how beauty routine has changed for the average young woman in India. We’re hoping that this research will normalize both sides of the spectrum as far as beauty is concerned.

With the pandemic taking over the world and everything shut down, it is easy for us to ignore ourselves. We can easily feel bored or stressed by sitting at home all day. Since there is no surety as to when things will get normal, we need to learn to adapt ourselves to such a lifestyle. We have to update our routine to cope up with this new lifestyle, including skincare. Although staying at home can be a little daunting, it has given us a lot of time to focus on self-care.

I wanted to know what other people over at ShilpaAhuja.com were up to and how they have altered their beauty routine during quarantine. So, I decided to ask 11 members of my team what new changes they have incorporated. Let’s take a look at the key insights.

Team Beauty Routine during Quarantine

Morning Skincare Routine

Daily Skincare Routine

Most of my teammates are between the age of 18-36 years and have a daily skincare routine. Their skincare mostly comprises of washing the face with a face wash/ cleanser to get rid of dirt and sweat that may have accumulated overnight and then applying a moisturizer or face oil to hydrate the skin. 4 out of 11 also like to use a face pack daily.

Shilpa: Washing face with water only. I use a mild face-wash twice a week or so.
Neelima: Clean up, exfoliate, and moisturize.
Prerna: Lemon face wash during the shower and Notre 5 in 1 perfecting cream post-shower.

Weekly Skincare

During the weekends we have a bit more time and we can easily indulge in pampering our skin a little more. When asked about their weekly skincare, 6 out of 11 teammates said that as a part of their beauty routine during quarantine, they use a face pack, face mask, and scrubs to get rid of the dead cells.

Shilpa: I scrub my face with apricot scrub or massage with aloe vera gel once a week.
Saliha: Scrub- double cleansing- face mask (usually a clay mask).
Sadaf: I scrub my face with semolina seed and milk. I also apply a charcoal mask once a week or once in two weeks. I use a face pack twice a week.

Nightly Skincare Routine

Nightly Skincare

50% of us have an every-night routine. The routine mostly comprises applying a good moisturizer or face serum on a clean face. A few of us also use an eye cream which is essential in reducing under-eye bags, wrinkles, and dark circles.

Sucharitha: Applying aloe vera gel or moisturizer on the face and feet.
Saliha: Just a cleanser-and a night serum but usually bare face and lip mask.
Shazia: Hydrating Serum + under eye gel + lip balm.

Weekly Night Skincare

There isn’t a significant difference in the weekly routine when compared to the daily routine. Most of the SlubTeam members did not report any specific weekly routine.

beauty routine during quarantine applying facepack

Shilpa: Washing face with water or moisturizing the dry areas if necessary.
Shazia: Once in a week I use a facial brush to scrub and then use a sheet mask.
Prerna: Lemon face pack.
Sadaf: Apply aloe vera with serum.

Beauty Routine During Quarantine Compared to Before

Here is a graph that shows a comparison of my teammate’s beauty routine pre-Covid vs. post-Covid.

Beauty routine during quarantine compared to before

Daily Skincare Routine

With work from home, the time consumed by traveling was eliminated. This gave us a lot of free time to pamper our skin. So we can easily have an elaborate beauty routine during quarantine. 4 out of 11 of my teammates like to wash their face frequently. They also use face wash and moisturizer daily. I also found out that only 30% of us reported that we like to stay hydrated throughout the day and eat healthy. Here are some of the skincare tips from us that can be very helpful to everyone.

Sucharitha: I apply moisturizing cream daily after a bath, especially on hands, legs, and feet. Post lockdown, since I don’t go out much, I started using talcum powder instead of deodorant or perfume. I found it more beneficial in terms of long-lasting scent, sweat-absorbing, and it’s easy on the skin.
Neelima: As soon as I wake up, I clean up my face with foam face wash. Not too harsh. Then during a bath that I take after a few hours, I exfoliate my face with warm water and then later apply water-based moisturizer.
Saliha: I use 2 different cleansers, a brightening one in the morning, and a gentle cleanser at night. I use the Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery facial oil.
Prerna: I apply lemon face wash twice daily. Notre skincare cream as a moisturizing agent post that and Biotique Basil and Sandalwood setting powder for a matte finish.

Weekly Skincare Routine

During the week when you have a little more time to relax, pampering your skin a little more could result in youthful and glowing skin. 50% of us like to scrub our face once a week. A few of us also use a peel-off mask and charcoal mask.

Facial during quarantine

Avni: Rubbing my face with lemon and then apply a homemade face pack that includes coconut oil and aloe vera.
Sucharitha: Once a week I use a facial scrub to wash my face. Apply face masks once or twice a week. Do a body scrub using besan, turmeric, coconut oil paste occasionally. Sometimes I prefer having a bath with loofah and shower gel. It helps to remove dead skin and leaves the skin feeling smooth.
Saliha: A face mask that I found on YouTube, chemical exfoliator, a face massage, and steaming.

Monthly Skincare Routine

60% of my team has a monthly skincare routine. Blackhead removal, steaming the face, and face mask are some of the things we like to do once or twice a month.

Sucharitha: I have an oil bath once a month. I give myself pedicure/manicure once a month.
Neelima: Twice a month I put a Kara face mask to clean the pores.
Sadaf: Steaming my face and blackhead removal at home.

Facials

Facial routine during lockdown

Not many of us go for facials and facials are especially uncommon among our team-mates who are younger than 24 years. However, 2 out of 11 of us like to have an at-home DIY facial as a part of our beauty routine during quarantine.

Facial Hair Removal

Facial Hair Removal Methods

Facial hair removal methods during lockdown

Here you can see the facial hair removal methods we used before the pandemic and the method we incorporated post-quarantine. 35% of us have stopped removing facial hair altogether.

Body Hair Removal

Body Hair Removal Methods

Body hair removal methods during quarantineThe graph shows the various methods uses by my teammates during quarantine compared to before. Since beauty salons are closed, we have to remove body hair at home and so shaving is the most used method of body hair removal.

Frequency of Facial Hair Removal

Frequency of facial hair removal team beauty routine

The graph clearly shows a drop in the frequency of facial hair removal. Since all of us are working from home and beauty salons are closed, most of us remove our facial hair once or twice a month.

Frequency of Body Hair Removal

Frequency of body hair removal during quarantine

Here you can see that 45% of my team are removing their body hair once every 2 months or less; compared to pre-lockdown, where 85% either removed it monthly or every 2 months.

Makeup Routine

Pre Lockdown

During the pre-pandemic times, 8 out of 11 of us used makeup before going out, special occasions, or before taking pictures. Moisturizer, eyeliner, base (foundation), sunscreen, and lipstick were a must.

Shilpa: I used to wear a full-face of makeup once a month for shoots (including base, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, blush, highlighter – everything); For weekly outings or once in a while for office, I had a 1-2 product only rule – either eyeliner only or concealer only or lips only.
Saliha: Tinted moisturizer (BB cream), sunscreen (chemical sunscreen), blush, winged eyeliner, and matte lipstick
Rishika: Apply aloe vera gel and lipstick.

Post Lockdown

Since we are all working from home and not socializing, 7 out of 11 of us have eliminated makeup from our beauty routine during quarantine altogether. If we have to look presentable for a virtual meeting, we prefer to use minimal makeup. This includes base and lips. However, some of us only use kajal or eyeliners before going out as our face is mostly covered with a mask.

Shilpa: Moisturizer with concealer for the base, covering under-eyes and discoloration. Eyeliner, lip gloss, or a dab of light lipstick over lip balm and brushing eyebrow hairs into place.
Ayushi: Only base makeup

Frequency of Makeup

Frequency of makeup routine during quarantine

During quarantine when everyone is working from home, none of my teammates like to put on makeup daily. Whereas pre-lockdown, 45% of us wore makeup everyday.

Haircare Routine during the Past Few Months

Hair care routine during quarantine

When asked about the hair care routine, all 11 of us said that we have started to take care of our hair more as now we have ample time to do so. Even oiling the hair is not an issue as we are not worried about going out with greasy hair.

Shilpa: Pre lockdown: Washing and conditioning twice a week; deep conditioning once in 3 months or so.
Post-lockdown: Same as before; I’ve been conditioning less. Earlier I used to condition with almost every wash (twice a week); now I condition only with every alternate wash. Also, I’ve been trimming my hair more frequently so they look naturally healthy and clean (hair-trims at home are free whereas salon cuts get so expensive).
Neelima: I have finally switched to no parabens, no sulphates shampoo. And I get time to oil my hair longer at home.
Sucharitha: Earlier, due to office routine I used to ignore my hair and preferred quick hair routines. During the lockdown, I started giving more attention to haircare. Washed my hair more often. Gave myself oil massage regularly. Brushed my hair often. Tried hair packs. All these reduced my dandruff and hair loss issues.

New Hair Trends

Trying the latest hair trends during lockdown

Recently the internet went crazy with people changing their hairstyles and hair colors. Although 90% of my team has altered their beauty routine during quarantine, I really wanted to know what they were up to with the hair trends. It turns out that none of them dyed their hair but 6 of us tried to give ourselves an at-home haircut. The results were impressive.

Shilpa: Nothing too crazy but I tried to give myself a layered feather cut, which came out quite OK. I would never have dared to do so before the lockdown!
Brinda: I have long hair and my aunt keeps sending me hairstyle videos, so my mom has been trying out a few hairstyles on me.
Sucharitha: One of the biggest (and craziest) achievements I had is cutting my hair on my own. I went through a few DIY videos on haircutting styles. The results were unbelievably great. I loved how my hair looked and relieved that the haircut turned out good. 
Prerna: Yes. I cut my own bangs. Looks cool. I look like a Korean now.

Hair Color

hair color during lockdown

Getting Ready for a Virtual Meeting

Finally, I asked everyone how they get ready for a Zoom meeting. Although we have altered our beauty routine during quarantine, especially makeup, attending a meeting would not be the same. I was curious to know as 90% of us attend online meetings and 75% of us attend classes online.

makeup during quarantine

Shilpa: I wear a comfortable non-white top, so it reflects pink tones on my face so I don’t look washed out or tired! For makeup, I go for a no-makeup-makeup look. I start by applying lotion followed by translucent BB cream, covering under-eyes and discoloration, setting it with compact powder. Next, I go for a thin stroke of eyeliner. And obviously I pick a pink lip gloss, or I use my fingers to dab a light lipstick over lip balm.
Rishika: Before a zoom meeting, I would pull out a garment that matches the mood of the meeting and will choose the makeup accordingly. Apply lip gloss and a little kohl to define my eyes and lips. I mostly like to keep the look subtle.
Ayushi: I will wear a casual outfit like kurta and jeans and will comb easy 2 mins hairstyle like side pinup or pony with base only for the face.

I hope this article gave you an insight into our beauty routine during quarantine as well as some amazing tips and products that you can incorporate into your routine. Do share your skincare routine with us in the comments below and tag us on your skincare routine selfie @shilpaahujadotcom on Instagram.

Read more:

Ayurvedic Beauty Tips you Need to Try
8 Cool Ways to Wear a White Shirt for Work and Weekend

Leave a Comment