A self-care routine is a healthy way for many people to regulate their stress, feel happier and more confident, and learn to enjoy some of the mundane tasks of life.
The best self-care routine is always personalized to YOU — whether that be exercise, eating well, beauty treatments, or expressing your emotions in a healthy way … there are many ways we can show ourselves the love we deserve. Here are six of my favorite self-care items to elevate your regimen.
• Good body scrub – A body scrub at least once a week can help exfoliate dead skin all over the body and leave you feeling softer and cleaner. My favorite is Tree Hut, $10.99, which offers luxurious scents for a jar. Dr. Teals, $6.99 a jar, offers less fragrant and more earthy scents. You can even make your own with sugar or salt, coffee grounds (the caffeine can help firm skin), coconut oil for hydration and emollience and your favorite body wash.
• A hair mask – Hair masks are a wonderful way to replenish nutrients that may have been stripped from your hair due to color, styling, washing, or environmental factors like sun or swimming. For people with long hair, I would recommend a moisturizing mask with rich lipids like argan oil, coconut oil, castor oil or olive oil.
You can even make your own hair mask with coconut oil and/or a mixture of those oils. There are very affordable single-use hair masks from Hask, $2-$3. For people with curly hair noticing extra frizz, damage or lack of a curl pattern, a clay mask made with Aztec clay, $10.49 can be amazing for rejuvenating your hair.
• Body lotion – After you exfoliate in the shower, replenishing moisture back into your skin is essential. Cerave and Aveeno offer affordable, nourishing formulas that are fragrance-free and great for anyone with skin or fragrance sensitivities. The TikTok-viral EOS scented body lotions are incredible at a good price as well. If you wear a fragrance, spraying it after a shower on slightly damp and moisturized skin will help your scent last throughout the day.
• Conditioner for your hair type – Choosing a conditioner for your hair type can make all the difference in your hair health. There are many types — for blonde, curls, frizz, damage repair, color-treated hair, and many more. Figure out what boxes your conditioner needs to check for your hair type. My all-time favorite is the OUAI conditioner line, which has different formulations for fine, medium, and thick hair.
My favorites for blonde are the L’oreal and Olaplex purple conditioner. My favorite for wavy and curly hair is the Tresemme Flawless Curls conditioner, $7. My favorite for damage repair is Olaplex No. 5, $30. People with long hair should also consider a leave-in conditioner to prevent breakage and hydrate the hair until the next wash.
• A nighttime moisturizer – Everyone can benefit from a nighttime moisturizer because our skin barrier is most active in its repair process at night and is most receptive to the absorption of nutrients through the skin barrier. If you have a drier skin type and/or experience irritation or redness, the Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask, $32, or the “dupe” from La Roche Posay, $17 (Cicaplast Baume B5) has a key ingredient to help your skin recover overnight. If you have an oilier skin type and/or experience acne,
Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, $34, a more lightweight formulation with niacinamide will help control the oil that can cause breakouts. If you are looking for de-aging effects for wrinkles or dark spots, moisturizers with actives like anti-aging retinol (Vitamin A) and dark spot interrupting Vitamin C can be a good option. The Derma E Vitamin C Intense Night Cream, $25, is good for treating visible sun damage, age spots, and post-acne marks. Good Molecule Gentle Retinol cream, $8, is an amazing retinol option for even sensitive skin that can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and can even help treat acne by gently resurfacing the skin over time.
• Micellar – As an alternative to face wash, this no-rinse option cleanses the skin without stripping its moisture and removes dead skin, sweat, sunscreen, makeup, and pollution. Garnier offers micellar water with other additives your skin will love like vitamin C, hyaluronic acid for hydration, or even glycolic acid for chemical exfoliation as an extra boost while you cleanse (I would recommend the yellow, orange, teal, or blue bottle). As someone who could never commit to using a cleanser, micellar water is the perfect low-maintenance option for all skin types, regardless of your regimen.