Can you believe it’s already halfway through fall? And that the end of the year is technically just around the corner?

We’re almost there, we just need to be a little stronger, both for ourselves and our loved ones.

And in the meantime, there are a few things you can do to prepare and ensure you greet 2021 with a fresh face. Like beneficial beauty habits that are surprisingly simple and easy to follow.

Here are three of them to get you started:

Wave goodbye to your heavy towel

It’s OK if you use it to dry your body after a shower or a bath — keep doing that. But if you’ve been drying your hair with it like you did a decade ago, please stop. Not only does it cause breakage, pull at your scalp, and get in the way when you’re doing anything else (hello body lotion woes), it really doesn’t dry your hair that well. So… what’s the point?

Instead, try a turban, designed to stuff your hair inside and keep it nice and tight. It secures it in place without the heaviness, and it dries it a little better than a towel. Of course, it depends. A cheap fabric will likely leave it more damp than thicker, nicer material.

Switch to nail dipping powder

Hey, if COVID-19 taught us anything, it’s that being self-sufficient in your beauty routine comes in handy. While many women walked around with outgrown fake (or broken) nails, outgrown hair dye and rough-looking feet, a lot of women who keep it easy and simple looked… the same as always!

What’s the secret? Use products that hold up, deliver the results you want, and that somehow last as long as possible. 

One of those products is nail dipping powder — basically as close as you can get to gels without the UV light mumbo-jumbo. It lasts anywhere from three to four weeks, doesn’t chip easily at all, and looks to die for. 

Sure, it’s hard to remove, but not if you’re patient. Simply let them outlive their welcome, then wrap in foil with a little nail polish remover to soften.

Do yourself a favor and stop using heated hair tools

I know, I know — it’s hard, it’s addicting, and… wait, how are you even supposed to style your hair?

Well, first of all when I say don’t use heat on your hair, what I really mean is don’t use it unless you’re going to an event (which might not even be the case during a pandemic anyway).

Outside of that, if you’re at home, on conference calls for work, running errands, or hanging out with family, why bother?

The best thing to do is to:

• Learn what type of hair you have
• Determine what your issues are
• Research what products work well with your hair (highly-rated)
• And develop a routine that works for your lifestyle (don’t commit to anything high maintenance or outside of your budget)

A rule of thumb for anyone looking to undo years of blow dry and hair straightener damage, though, is to trim your hair. (Once you have split ends, there’s no fixing them like some ads would have you believe — you can only prevent split ends). 

After you do that, find a shampoo designed to improve scalp health — the healthier the scalp is, the better the hair (makes sense). 

And finally, do a hair mask at least once a week, and always let your hair air dry with some sort of product in it, either hair breakage serums or Argan oil. This will protect your hair, promote growth, and help it air dry frizz-free.

— By Jennifer Mendez

Jennifer Mendez is a content creator and Lynnwood resident who specializes in copy, graphic design and photography for her clients. Whenever she’s not creating something, she’s exploring new places to eat in the area.