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Daily maintenance.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Just out of curiosity, now that we’ve all explained our scheduled maintenance, how long does your day to day routine take? Do occasional jobs cut down on your daily, or do people with more appointments also spend more time on it day to day? I’m also curious how people regard these activities—self-love, a trip to the dentist, or something in between?

I wash my hair weekly, shave most times I swim, and do the turmeric/coffe scrub and henna occasionally, but my daily routine is quicker than my son’s. It includes a shower (most days), deo, lotion, tooth-brushing, and maybe 4 makeup products (concealer, eyeliner, bronzer, lipstick/moisturizer). I comb my hair & might pull it back. That’s it. Much faster than when I was in high school & used makeup & hot rollers.

Any attention my nails get is on the side, while I’m doing something else, never the main activity. I can’t say getting my legs waxed or sugared takes time off the regular stuff, because I often go weeks without shaving, especially on my legs. So any kind of hair removal, whether shaving, waxing, or anything else, is a bump up in time spent.

The waxing at my son’s favorite hotel that I’ve had done 2 or 3 times is surprisingly nice. The day to day stuff is boring routine. If I shaved every day or did more other stuff, I expect I’d resent it.

General

17 replies

Latest reply was from Helena

Preppy Pear

Veteran

I wash my hair every other day, dry shampoo on “off” days. On wash days it takes me about 50 minutes, on non-wash days about 30. This includes showering, very occasional shaving, skincare, makeup, sunscreen and drying my hair on wash days.
This does not include the hour I spend before all this with my coffee, lol.
Oh, yeah, I don’t do anything to my eyebrows and nails - that all happens at the salon. When I wore my hair shorter I washed and dried it everyday, plus more frequent haircuts.
I don’t find my routine burdensome - I’ve got it down - but I do enjoy how fast I can get ready on non-wash days. I only skip my makeup if I’m sick.

Synne

Veteran

I do as little as possible! I have sensitive, acne prone skin. Now with added bonus: wrinkles.
I have never looked or felt worse than when I showered 3x a day, washed and scrubbed my face with the most expensive clinic soaps and lotions. Tonic'd and moisturized.
Curious; do you mean you shave in the public showers? You are so bad ass, Fash

Anonymous

I was just about to comment on the other thread- so thanks for starting this!
I'd say my routine takes about an hour each morning. I shower and shave legs and underarms each day, wash my hair every 2 days. My hair doesn't take too long, but I do fight with it when it flips up. Haircut about every 4 months, color as needed (I do myself). But if there are some greys, I'm not freaked out about it.

Makeup depends on the day. Mascara, liner and brows are essential, even at home, and mineral foundation powder (though waiting on bb cream to streamline). I add eyeshadow and a little blush or bronzer for work and such, maybe a lip gloss or pencil lip color. Vitamin C serum (morning) and hyaleuronic acid (night) for skin care. I'm not going overboard with anti aging "miracle products". Eventually the wrinkles will come, that's life.

I'll get a professional mani when my cuticles get ragged in winter but otherwise DIY. No fingernail polish, just file and buff. I paint my toenails the 6 months of the year I wear sandals. Think I did when I was swimming in winter too.

DH considers me high maintenance. Compared to him I am, but I feel like I do the bare minimum. Many people do much more than me in that regard. I just do enough to not feel sloppy and chaotic!

I don't hate the salon, but I prefer to do other things. I also don't think of it as self care. Real self care is alligning oneself with their true direction, saying "no" when appropriate, taking time for the activities and people they love, etc. "Self care" in the form of spa days and such is thrown about as though it's a cure for a life out of balance. It's not bad, but it's better to address the root cause.

nemosmom

Veteran

15-20 mins tops, excluding the obligatory cup of coffee beforehand

Irina

Veteran

My daily routine:
- 15 minutes of stretching exercises for my bad back every morning is a must or I will be back to a doctor’s office
- morning and evening skin care takes about 5 minutes, I’m very disciplined about it
- shower & shaving
- I don’t wear makeup every day now, when I do it takes about 5 minutes to apply mascara, a bit of brow pencil and lip pencil in the color of my lips plus a lip balm. If my face is too shiny from sunscreen, I use some loose powder.

I wash my hair every 4 days and do a hair mask before or in a shower.
I mostly air dry my hair now. I do my own manicure and pedicure once in 2 weeks. And yes, I consider myself a low maintenance kind of woman

kkards

Veteran

Hmmm…my WFH/COVID daily routine is very very low maintenance

shower everyday, but wash my hair generally Monday, Wednesday & Fridays. Brush and comb every day, but even on hair washing days, that’s the the end of my hair routine. Ok, maybe every couple of week or so, if I remember i use argon oil.
Wash my face once a day, teeth 3 times…
And pretty much that is it….

if my skin is feeling really dry, I’ll use moisturizer.
If i’m going to be outside on a sunny day, I’ll use sunscreen.

I shave twice a week in the summer & once a week in the winter.

LaPed

Veteran

I usually wash hair every 4 - 5 days and wash face once daily (twice if wearing sunblock or makeup). I don't really brush or comb my hair now that it's longer. When it's short, I need to wet it every day and then set it into place with a comb to combat weird bedhead lines; with longer hair I can usually just get up and go and my hair is fine (silk pillowcase has completely eliminated tangles for me). I cut my hair short for a long time thinking it was the lower maintenance option, but I'm reconsidering that now. Not that I won't go back to pixies and bobs again, but I think they're actually higher maintenance. I shave once a week at the most, and don't do my legs at all between Nov - Mar. The most time-consuming parts of my routine are skin care (a little face routine of a "redness relief" cream that has to sit for five minutes before applying other products, two serums, a probiotic spray, and a lotion) and teeth (two minutes brushing, then floss and mouthwash, twice a day). My showers are *always* shorter than DH's! I've mostly given up trying to retrain him.

Love Suntiger's last paragraph! I tend not to think of this stuff as self-care or indulgence, more like routine maintenance I guess?

Bijou

Veteran

My daily routine is similar to Preppy Pear's and on a hair wash day takes about an hour for me to get ready:

Shower / deodorant / moisturise (1x daily)
Shave legs and underarms (2 times a week)
Wash hair (every 2 days) and apply a hair mask (alternate between a purple colour correcting mask and a protein mask) that I leave on for 5 minutes and blow dry / style my hair using heat protector spray and finish with a light spray of hair spray
Face: cleanse, tone, moisturize with serum and cream - 2 x daily
Make-up: Daily (foundation, powder, blush, highlighter, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, eyebrow pencil, lip liner, lipstick)
Spray of favourite perfume

Like Preppy Pear, I need my morning coffee (and breakfast) before anything else too. I find my daily routine soothing, I am not a morning person, so this give me time to wake up before facing the world.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

I spend more time on my daily yoga (about 25-30 mins) than getting myself ready, I think. When I first get up, I use my allergy nasal spray, roll on a darkspot lightener, use mouthwash and brush my teeth. I'll skip up to shower time now. I'm going in to work daily. I shower every day and shave my pits every day. (My hair only gets washed on the weekend, when I will also do a face mask. Once a month I give myself a pedicure and dye my brows). I sleep with my hair pineappled, so after my shower I pull it out, run my fingers through it and spritz with water and sea salt spray. I give it a goods scrunch and let it air dry. On my face, I use a moisturizer, a serum and a primer with sunscreen. I put on body lotion and bodyspray and deodorant. Then I do my makeup- concealer, foundation, powder, bronzer, blush, brow gel/pencil, mascara, liner, eye shadow pencil, and lipstick (all in all, about 5-10 mins for make up). I think I'm fairly efficient in getting ready. The products that I use aren't expensive or time consuming, but I think they make a difference in my appearance.
At night I just brush my teeth, wash my face, apply moisturizer and the spot stick.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I shower, wash my hair, style it, apply bodily moisturizers, apply a bit of makeup, and choose an outfit to wear and enjoy EVERY morning. No exceptions. Takes about 35 mins. Longer if I dawdle.

I shower again most evenings, remove make-up, moisturize, and get into lounge wear. Takes about 15 mins.

Everything else self-care that I can do at home myself, I do over the weekend. Nails, brows, etc.

Since getting Jo, no morning yoga. I spend that time with glorious and precious puppy who is up early like a baby! I do “Joga” as hubs Greg calls it, and my day starts around 5am to 5.30am.

I drink A LOT of tea during the day.

Irina

Veteran

I have to add that I use different products for evenings & mornings on my face (including cleaning products) and different moisturizers for body, feet and hands.

rachylou

Veteran

I give myself 30 minutes to get ready - and this includes making lunch. I don’t shower in the morning mostly because it’s too cold for me then. I also think it makes more sense to wash the day off before bed. On the other hand hand, Lilypup tried to hide a barbecue rib in my bed the other day, so I don’t know what I think I’m protecting, lolol!

My hair is a thing tho. My hair is a five hour appointment at the least. I have to clear the day for it.

Echo

Veteran

I spend about 35 minutes in the morning and 15 in the evening. I shower and was my hair, brush teeth, dry and style hair and put minimal makeup on every morning and wash my face and brush my teeth in the evening (unless it has been a sticky day). I always shower after exercise, too.

Waxing eliminates the shaving I used to do daily, so it's a time saver for me. Pedis only take about 15 minutes every 3 weeks. Hair cuts have been intermittent at best.

Style Fan

Veteran

I don't know how long my daily maintenance takes. On the days that I don't wash my hair, it is probably about 30 minutes. When I wash my hair, it is probably more like an hour. I shower, moisturize, style hair, a tiny bit of make-up, and I am good to go.,
Since we got Garth, I get up very early to walk him. He does Yoga with me. Puppies need a lot of care.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I can do it all (shower, hair, clothes, moisturizer/ sunscreen, teeth, makeup) in as little as 15 minutes but most mornings it takes me half an hour altogether. And about 10 minutes at night to wash face, brush teeth, moisturize. I only wash my hair about 3 times a week (depending on weather, activity level, etc. -- I wash more often in extreme dust, dirt, humidity) but I wet it every morning.

Sloper

Veteran

I haven't timed it out. Since I'm not working and am at home most days due to COVID, I take mornings a bit methodically, (fortunately) without haste. My routine is all habit to me - wakes me up in the morning, settles me down at night.

Shower & shampoo every day. Shave once a week. Upper lip every 2-3 weeks. Pluck strays as necessary. Rub some hair product in my hands and scrunch through my short hair after shower. Moisturize face, elbows, hands, legs. Aquaphor on the heels. Brush teeth after breakfast.

If I'm going out - sunscreen, maybe some light foundation, luminizer and or glow stick, blush stick - mostly above the mask line. That all takes 5-10 minutes. And lipstick or gloss - even with a mask I like to use it.

At night I spend about 10 minutes on my teeth - brush (electric brush), floss, inter-dental brush, Biotene. Don't wash face unless I've used sunscreen and/or makeup. And body moisturizing again.

Helena

Veteran

So fun to read everyone's routines!

My daily routine (every day but Sunday, usually) is:

- body care (shower, shave, shampoo and condition hair, moisturize, deodrant, scent) - about 10 mins
- makeup (cc cream, powder/bronzer/blush as needed, brows, liner, mascara, lipstick, maybe eyeshadow if I want to spruce up a little more) - 5 - 10 mins
- hair (usually let it airdry for a while if I have time, then blowdry and either curl or flat iron) - about 10 mins, maybe a little more if I'm curling

So generally would be done in 30 minutes from tip to toe.

Sundays we usually relax at home, so I will often skip some of the daily stuff (e.g. might give my skin a break from makeup) but spend more time on other things (extra skincare, exfoliation, hair removal that is more involved than a razor, DIY mani/pedi).

And I would say this is mostly self-care, along with liking to be 'par for the course' in terms of my personal presentation, relative to my surroundings, and DH does appreciate the effort too!