Take a Vacation from Your Beauty Routine

Time to Go All Natural Ladies!

Summer’s here and it is a perfect time to take a break from your usual beauty routine. After all, when better than summer to allow your skin a chance to breathe, rebalance and decongest? Is that what happens when you take a holiday from makeup and the traditional beauty routine? In a word: yes.

Not only can going makeup free for a few days let the skin rejuvenate and recharge, but it is also a great way to allow your skin, hair and even nails to enjoy the same benefits. Yes, it may sound odd, but it is absolutely true that from the tips of our hair to the tips of our toes, our physical “shell” can be stressed out. The good news is that it is actually fun, enjoyable and easy to help your body take a bit of a break and end up looking better than ever.

Why It Happens

So, precisely why would your hair, skin and nails stress out if you are using all of the compounds sold as “good” for them? That question requires us to answer it on a sort of case by case basis. For example, why on earth would keeping our hair clean and conditioned cause it stress?

We’ll find out shortly, and look at:

• Hair
• Skin
• Nails
• Feet

We’ll consider what you might be doing to lead those areas to experience stress or be less vibrant than they might, and then learn what you can do about it to take a vacation from your beauty routine.

Hair Holiday

So, let’s answer that question: why on earth is hair so stressed out if it is spoiled all of the time with healthy products? That idea that washing and conditioning every day is something many of us need to forget.

As one expert wrote about hair, “Many things that make summer fun for you are really tough on your hair. ‘Ultraviolet rays, salt, and chlorinated water compromise its outer layer, allowing moisture to seep out.'” Add to that the fact that we typically bathe (and shampoo) each day, and all of these things rob our hair of its hydration.

The products we use to manage hair, including heat and chemicals will also fry the hair.

So send your hair on a blissful break by simply shampooing less. Go to every other day or even less frequently. You can use dry shampoo if you are worried about body and oil, and by all means finish any wet shampoo with a leave in conditioner or use a spray on conditioner as your styling agent. Don’t towel dry your hair if possible and do a real “spa” experience for your hair with a simple apple cider vinegar rinse. This is a great way to deep clean hair and leave it crazy shiny.

Related: Can Your Hair Get Used to Hair Products?

How do you do it? Just dilute ½ cup apple cider vinegar with 1½ cups water. You might want to add a few drops of essential oil to mask the smell (lavender works best). Transfer the mixture into a spray bottle and use it on dry hair, massaging it into the roots and scalp and leaving it for five minutes before rinsing.

Remember that the summer’s bright sunlight can harm your hair and that it is a good idea to consider the use of a hat or sunscreen for the hair.

Skin Vacation

Now, skin gets a lot of stress from any number of factors. We clean and scrub our bodies on a regular basis, and that can leave the skin stripped of natural oil, fats and other essential compounds. As a result, our skin can appear dull and dry at almost any point – from the soles of the feet to the elbows and the face. We might also have uneven texture, breakouts on places like the back and chest in addition to the face, and more.

Many of us also wear makeup each day. The cleansing to remove it and the makeup itself will have a harmful effect on the skin. As one expert said, “Face makeup, especially when it contains SPF, can congest skin and block oxygen from flowing in and out of our pores. The more you use, the worse the case. Plus, depending on your makeup’s ingredients, overuse can lead to acne and dehydration.”

Fortunately, there is an easy remedy to the problems with makeup and over washing to remove it, and that is to take a makeup holiday, go makeup free. Yes, though it seems impossible for many to imagine, one of the best things to do is to actually just stop wearing makeup for a few days.

In fact, one report noted the following: “dermatologists recommended women adopt a so-called ‘5:2 skin diet’ by limiting their makeup use to five days of the week.”

If you are someone with acne-prone skin, another report noted that “taking period breaks from makeup can give your skin time to recharge and purge itself.”

Really?  Makeup Free?!?

However, it is understandable that many people just won’t feel themselves or comfortable without some basic makeup. One dermatological institute went so far as to say that it’s not “necessary for every cosmetics lover. As long as your makeup is the right base — it’s not too oily or drying for the skin — and doesn’t contain ingredients that aggravate the skin, such as pore-blocking materials, you should be in the clear.”

Yet, if you do want to take a break from that daily application of primer or base, foundation, blush, mascara, eye shadow and lipstick, you absolutely can, and your skin will thank you. However, there are some caveats to this.

One is that you must do a thorough cleanse when removing that last application of makeup, especially if you are a fan of foundation. It is a major reason for clogged pores and so you will want to use a pre-cleaning oil or makeup removing product and then cleanse with a face wash and toner.

Then, keep the process going by skipping a morning cleanser. Since you have no makeup on the skin, you don’t need to strip away any unwanted compounds. Just rinse with warm water, blot dry and apply a sunscreen or light moisturizer with SPF protection. At the end of the day, consider doing one or two nights of warm water washing rather than cleansing with your usual compounds.

You should also skip the evening moisturizer at least once a week to help your pores remain open and unclogged; shedding waste materials readily.

More Skin Vacation Tips

Keep in mind that the days that you are makeup free become the ideal days of the week for a mask or peel to help really recharge cellular turnover. You can opt for a DIY mask or invest in sheet or mud masks that are ideal for your skin type. The key with any masks is to do proper prep beforehand. Washing the face just before using the mask often opens the pores and allows the essences or ingredients to be readily absorbed. You may also want to exfoliate or even clean with a power brush to guarantee that pores are free of debris or dead skin.

Leaving it on for the appropriate time is also important (for sheet masks it is usually 20 minutes or less, but for mud or clay masks it is usually until the product is almost dry). After removing sheet masks, you can go on about your day. With clay or mud masks, you always want to moisturize immediately.  A nice DIY mask can be made from plain full fat yogurt and organic whole oats. Just combine 1/2 cup of each, apply it to the face and allow to remain for 15 minutes before rinsing. This soothes skin and reduces redness, inflammation while it brightens.

If you are still on the fence about going makeup free, just consider that it:

• Fills and clogs the pores with unnatural compounds
• You absorb many of the ingredients in makeup
• It is often quite costly and does not last long
• Some people develop allergies to makeup
• Going makeup free will remind you of how good you look naturally
• It can save you a lot of time a few days each week
• Going makeup free helps to maintain skin tone
• Your eyes get a bit of a breather, too since you won’t be wearing mascara or anything else that can clog pores and stunt lash growth

Once you enjoy makeup free for one day and all of the steps it requires to put it on and take it off, you may find it easier and easier to take makeup vacations. Don’t forget you also get the masks that improve skin condition, too.

Nails Getaway

Our hands take a beating each day, even when we are careful, and it is our nails that really take the brunt of it all. They are frequently wet and dried, causing them to split. They handle lots of chemicals and other materials that can leave them stripped of essential compounds, and they can even become infected with bacteria that cause them to loosen and degrade.

There are even further reasons that our nails become stressed. They are put through manicure and pedicure treatments where lots of metal instruments and chemicals are used on them, and quite often, the layers of protective cells are removed with all of that buffing and polishing. The use of acetone in most nail products also strips nails and causes everything from peeling and breaking to separating and splitting.

Related: Check Out the All In One Glass Nail File

What Does That Mean?

What that means is that the makeup vacation has to also include a break from those mani-pedi treatments. It can be tough to skip nail sessions when it is sandal season, but it results in healthier toenails and fingernails. As one expert said, “in warmer weather I often recommend getting a salon manicure less frequently and just buffing nails in between appointments for a quick, healthy, high-shine look.”

If you really miss the feeling of being treated when getting nails done, you can make an at home sugar scrub that sloughs away dead cells and hydrates the nails. This works on both hands and feet, and requires just one cup of olive oil and two cups of sugar. You blend the ingredients together and then rub the mixture all over the hands and feet, with attention on the cuticle area. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then remove the scrub with a warm, wet wash cloth.

You will also want to avoid the hand sanitizer during your nail’s vacation and invest in a good bottle of cuticle oil to rub on each evening. Naturally, you want to curb any nail biting habits as this is also detrimental to the nails. Lastly, though you may want to leave polish in place for weeks on end, that too is a destructive thing to do to your nails and it is better to remove it and let the nails rejuvenate.

Feet Escape

Finally, though you don’t wear makeup on your feet, you do wear nail polish and use any number of creams or products to reduce odor and soften callouses. To give the skin on the feet a bit of a break, and reduce some of the stress, try to skip all of those products for a few days. Instead, break with the norm and wear some socks instead of the sandals or flip flops. This is particularly helpful if you have also gently exfoliated your heels when showering.

Related: Tips to Get Your Feet Summer Ready

After all, if you are forgoing the mani-pedi, you cannot have your heels treated by a salon professional. That means using a foot file to slough the dried skin and then slipping into those socks right after to preserve moisture and eliminate odor. If you are worried about foot odor, a simple soak in traditional black tea does the trick. Brew a pot of tea, let it cool and then soak the soles of the feet for at least 30 minutes. When done, the tea helps to reduce sweating, odor and leaves skin silky smooth.

Now you have escaped from head to toe and are probably ready for an actual vacation!  Way to go makeup free ladies!!

More Great Resources:

7 Reasons To Take A Break From Makeup

8 Ways You’re Damaging Your Hair

Once And For All, Is It Bad To Wear Makeup Every Day?