5 Ways to Minimize: Your Health and Beauty Routines
This is my 4-year-old’s ‘pretend’ makeup she got from her favorite auntie. Scroll down for my actual makeup collection…
Everyone’s usual routines have been disrupted these days, which is an opportunity to reflect on what actually makes sense for you. As an aspiring minimalist, I’ve minimized my health and beauty routines to the point that my travel toiletry bag is just shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, sunscreen, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a hairband, a razor, and a comb. Here are some ways that I have saved both time and money over the years while also maintaining personal relationships and until recently a job that involved being physically close to other people, with no complaints (well at least not to my face!).
Take control of your periods
Good news ladies, periods are optional. I was on the pill for years and still every month somehow it would sneak up on me and I was of course never prepared. That week of placebo pills that make you get your period? You don’t have to take them. Just keep taking the active pills. That’s all those fancy extended-cycle pills do.
If you are on the Nuva Ring, you can just leave it in for 4 weeks, don’t take a break, and swap it for a new one. These tweaks also make your birth control more effective, because the riskiest times to forget is after you’ve been off hormones.
Or even better, get a hormonal IUD. You need to get a trained health provider to insert it, which might be tricky right now, but when the next wave of the pandemic hits you will be glad you don’t have to worry about refilling your prescriptions.
Yes, this is my actual first IUD which I had removed 6 years ago in Bangkok. I was pregnant a few months later…
I love the IUD because you can never forget to take it, it’s more effective than having your tubes tied yet completely reversible, and almost all users have light to no periods after a few months. Mirena and Liletta are the best (Skyla and Kyleena are just marketing ploys), get whichever your OB/GYN has (or better yet, go to Planned Parenthood where they do these all the time). They are labeled for 5-6 years but undergoing trials to push that out to 7+.
Think of all the brainpower (and money) you can save by never having to remember to take a pill or pack a tampon!
2. Shower like a European
When I studied abroad in France and lived with a host family, one of the things I was warned about from the trip organizers was not to take “American showers”. Utilities cost more in Europe and American-style long hot daily showers had caused complaints from host families in the past.
I know the French have a bad rap in the smell department, but unless you are sweating a lot during the day there is really no need for a daily shower, and certainly not washing your hair every day. As we were packing up to leave Tanzania, I noticed I was still using the same shampoo and conditioner I had bought the last time we visited Mexico...a year ago (to be fair, they were almost empty).
To make this as-needed shower plan work, deodorant is a must. I usually employ a quick pit sniff and hair grease check (although dry shampoo can also work wonders!) to decide if it’s worth the time and water. You’re welcome.
3. Save Makeup for Special Occasions
Society tells women we need to do all kinds of things to be presentable. And then makes a lot of money selling us stuff to make us think we can look like supermodels. More good news: you look just fine the way you are.
I’m all for women being empowered to do what they want, especially with their bodies, so if you really love buying and spending time putting on makeup every day, go for it. However, if it’s because you worry about what other people will think if you don’t do it, then just stop. The person that pays the most attention to your so-called flaws is you, and anyone else that judges you for not wearing makeup is not worth your concern.
My actual makeup collection. I’m pretty sure I got this eyeliner in Mali in 2011…is that bad? In any case, I can’t remember the last time I used any of it, except the lip balm from my Kilimanjaro climb!
The first few times people see you without makeup, they might think you look tired or sick. But the good news is people adapt quickly to the new normal, and then when you do feel like throwing on some mascara for a special occasion everyone will be bowled over. Read Mrs. Frugalwood’s Frugal Beauty Manifesto for more inspiration.
4. Get LASIK.
OK, so this doesn’t apply to everyone, but it was a gamechanger for me. I was the first in my class to get glasses when I was 8 (they were light blue and huge, and I looked super dorky), first to get contacts when I was 12, then in high school, I even tried the new leave-in contacts (do those still exist?). My parents got me LASIK as a college graduation gift, and while I was scared during the actual procedure (almost 15 years ago, so I’m sure it’s better now!), it was probably one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.
If you’ve always had 20/20 vision, it’s hard to explain the miracle of being able to see clearly for the first time without glasses or contacts. No more worrying about losing a contact in the pool, or accidentally falling asleep with them in, or misplacing your glasses and being too blind to find them - plus the money savings of new lenses, frames, contact solution, etc. Also, I just freaked myself out thinking about putting in contacts in the time of coronavirus. Eek. Wash your hands, everyone.
5. Rock A Hairstyle that fits Your Climate
I like how I look with bangs, but not when I’m living in hot sticky climates. Using a blow dryer in tropical heat sounds like torture, and fighting nature with hair products never worked well for me anyway, so I just embrace the hair I have in the climate I’m in. Mostly via messy bun, which for my hair makes nice waves if it’s ever cool enough to actually put my hair down. I don’t really know what to do in cold weather...it’s been a while. A hat?
I showered like a European the day before yesterday and have had my hair in a messy bun since…