It's "gotten real," like, six times over.
Your Facebook posts about really needing nail-salon services have taken on an edge. You're stealing glances at other people to see if their hair looks more unkempt than yours. Your roommate's hipster beard now looks like it's straight outta Duck Dynasty. And oh yeah, you're sporting alligator skin.
To the rescue: Dressing Room, with Part Two of a double feature of self-care tips from a few of our temporarily immobilized beauty, barber, spa and nail professionals. (Note: These and other such professionals are the subjects of a petition that asked Gov. Asa Hutchinson to allow salons to do a "soft" reopening on Monday. A decision will be made May 1, Hutchinson announced last week.)
Tim Debose, barber educator, Washington Barber College:
Deciding whether or not to cut your own hair? Debose gives these three strong words of advice: "Know your limitations."
"Please, if you know that you cannot cut your own hair, don't do it," he says. "If you make a mistake, that mistake is probably going to look a lot worse than it did before you started, so just be patient." Looking ungroomed won't be as bad as having missing hair due to a pair of clippers gone amok.
Until the shops reopen, go to Walmart and get some home clippers and shavers just to maintain yourself, Debose advises. There's a wealth of videos on social media to guide you through the basics. Do shampoo and moisturize, or condition, your own hair on a regular basis.
By the way, Debose pleads with barbering clients "not to put pressure on your barbers to actually service them" despite the barber-shop shutdown, thereby going against state guidelines. In other words, don't ask your barber to make a house call or meet with you on the sly to work on your hair.
"Just go back to [self-care] basics. You're just going to have to step up and do some things." Debose adds that this is a good time for fathers to teach their sons about proper grooming habits.
Rosalyn Brown, Nailtorious Nails:
Before removing your artificial nails with acetone, Brown suggests adding four to five drops of cuticle oil to the acetone to keep it from whiting out and drying out the skin. Once the artificial material is removed from your nails, clip them short, because they're weak. "They might be long when you take [the artificial overlay] off, but they're going to break anyway," Brown says.
Once you've removed your artificial nails, it's all about the cuticles. Moisturize them with cuticle oil, but "do not start chopping on them," she implores. "Please do not clip on your cuticles because people go too far." If your cuticles are so far gone that you feel you must clip, note that the white area of a cuticle represents dead skin. That's what you clip. "If [there's] color, that's your skin. And you will bleed."
When shaping your real nails, don't round them. "Keep them square," Brown advises. If you round off your nails, you're subject to end up with hangnails. This is especially a danger with toenails. "Do not clip your toenails at an angle. You clip your toenails straight across and you file straight across." Why? "Your nail grows straight-up square." If you clip and file your nails at an angle, "that nail [is] going to continue to grow into your skin."
Brown emphasizes the importance of applying a calcium-based nail hardener to your natural nails. "Your nails are damaged. When you take off acrylics the wrong way, you're taking off layers of your nails. So you need something to coat that. If you do five coats, it's fine. That's going to keep your nails from chipping and breaking."
If your artificial nail manicure has some remaining life, but a nail is damaged, you can make minor repairs, Brown adds. For instance, if you have a fingernail with a chip that's too close to where the nail attaches to the finger, you can repair it by taking a tiny piece of cotton ball or paper towel and gluing it into the crack, letting it dry or using a nail-glue dryer, and filing it down. Brown adds that you can, at times, also use a small bandage on a cracked nail and glue it.
For those giving themselves pedicures, Brown strongly warns against using foot exfoliators that are too strong and therefore may take off too much skin.
Lisa Henderson, owner, Vitality Day Spa:
Henderson suggests going through all the products sitting in your cabinet and discarding anything you haven't used in a year or two. She says to begin using those products you've been putting off using, such as facial masks and body masks, and soaking in an Epsom-salt-and-baking-soda bath, which can help detoxify and soften the skin. People "can even make their own face and body scrub with a little baking soda and a little bit of water or if they want to -- add a couple of drops of their favorite essential oils," Henderson says.
Homemade tightening masks can be made from egg whites, she adds. And if you're at home with a loved one, you can massage each other's shoulders. "That helps relieve the tension." Need a natural toner or astringent? Try some apple cider vinegar, diluted with water.
"If you're using conditioner in your hair, or any other product for that matter that needs to be rinsed out, don't forget to ... rinse your back off ... [If it's] not completely rinsed off, it can lead to breakout on the back area," Henderson says. She also advises people not to use dryer sheets. "A lot of times that can leave a coating on our linens, and that can lead to breakouts."
A hot compress is good for treating blocked pores, Henderson says. You can add a little jojoba, olive or coconut oil to those areas that are broken out, and then do a hot compress. "You can repeat that several times and it can help loosen debris that's in clogged skin," Henderson says, noting that you can give yourself a light face massage with these oils.
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If you're out in your yard, be sure you're wearing sunscreen with an adequate sun protection factor, she says. Make sure you hydrate regularly and are getting plenty of sleep.
JT the Groomer, manager, Be Unique Luxury Salon Spa; founder, Iconic Grooming:
"Wash your hands before you touch your face and beard," JT says. Even without covid-19 factoring in, "cross-contamination will only lead to irritated skin and unclean facial hair."
JT suggests identifying your skin type -- normal, dry, oily, combination -- so that you can use the proper products to satisfy your hair and skin. Stay away from products with alcohol, he says. "They will dry your hair and skin out," unlike a natural astringent, such as witch hazel, which he recommends. "Natural products are always the way to go. So always check the label." As a daily routine, use a gentle facial wash and follow up with a witch hazel-based product twice daily.
When shaving, always go with the grain of the hair. "This will prevent razor bumps and razor burn," JT says.
Shaving your bald head? Use a hot towel to soften the hair first, then follow up with a shaving cream/gel for sensitive skin. Always allow the weight of the razor to do the work. This will prevent razor marks and cuts on your scalp. Again, follow up with a witch hazel-based product. Use a few drops of vitamin E oil to moisturize your scalp and keep your skin soft; as a bonus, add a few drops of peppermint oil to the witch hazel for a cool, refreshing feeling after you have shaved your scalp.
If you have a wife or girlfriend, "trust me, she will thank you for this," JT assures.
Dressing Room appears monthly. Please email any fashion,- beauty- and grooming-related news releases to:
hwilliams@adgnewsroom.com
High Profile on 04/26/2020