How have Your hygiene routines changed considering that the start of the Pandemic?
The last two years have transformed how lots of of us think about personal comfort and appearances — like wearing high heels, for example — so here’s today’s related question: how have your hygiene routines changed considering that the start of the pandemic? We did an open thread a long time ago called “thoughts on bathing,” but let’s make this one certain to post-2019 world we’re all living in.
So, do tell! In a normal week, how often do you wash your hair, shower, bathe, and shave — and how has this changed over the last two years? If you’ve returned to the office after working from home for a long time, have you gone back to your normal workday morning routine from the before Times, or not?
{related: how often do you wash your hair?}
For me, at the height of the pandemic, I absolutely lowered my expectations for how I looked when I (rarely) went out — to the grocery store, for example. My thoughts typically were, “It’s a pandemic! who cares that this bedhead clearly shows I haven’t showered today?” I didn’t quite get to the “wearing pajama pants in public” stage, but hey, it could have happened. My work-from-home outfit typically consisted of a graphic tee, a comfy zip top like my Columbia Sherpa fleece (soooo soft), and fuzzy pajama pants. (Zoom calls were rare, clearly.)
Here’s some brief context for our discussion:
Washing your hair: There’s no magic number for how often you must wash your hair, as this Cleveland clinic post explains. However, it’s not a good idea to use dry shampoo a lot more than two or three times a week, as a dermatologist told real Simple.
Washing your body: This Harvard health publishing post notes that Americans have a different view on bathing and showering than lots of other cultures, in that a lot of of us shower daily. The web site notes, “showering several times per week is plenty for a lot of people (unless you are grimy, sweaty, or have other reasons to shower a lot more often” and pointed out “daily showers do not improve your health and could cause skin problems or other health issues.” (How about you, readers? Do you tend to develop dry skin when you shower daily?)
{related: how long do you spend on your hair for work?}
So, let’s discuss! compared to the before Times, how have your hygiene routines changed, if at all? how often do you shower, bathe, wash your hair, and shave? What about appointments for things you normally “outsource,” like brow or bikini waxing? Do you take less care with your appearance in general — for example instead of straightening your hair daily only doing it for “important” days?
{related: do you have a new “beauty minimum” post-kids? [CorporetteMoms]}
Stock photo by means of Deposit photos / VitalikRadko.