5 Essential Workers on Using Beauty as Self-Care During COVID-19

If the flood of at-home hair makeovers in the last couple months has taught us anything, it's that aesthetic changes are a really common way of coping with times of uncertainty or stress. People often turn to things like makeup or skin-care routines to find balance or pleasure during chaotic times, so it makes sense that people are doing so during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Essential workers have reported stress, immense pressure, and mistreatment throughout the day as they work to ensure others can stay safe. Those in the medical profession put themselves at risk of infection every day, and many food service workers, for example, are underpaid and often do not have paid sick leave. In light of all this tension, beauty routines can provide some much-needed levity. Allure asked five people all about their routines and found that using a favorite makeup or skin-care product can be both a fun distraction and an important form of self-care.

Makeup can be a necessary distraction

Elizabeth Collins, a sales associate in West Virginia, tells Allure that applying makeup every morning has not only been a nice distraction, but a way to keep her calm in an intense work environment. “Even though my mask at work covers most of it up, I still use makeup every day to help keep my nerves under control,” she says. “Using these products helps me de-stress because it’s just very healing. There’s something about changing yourself into a new person through makeup that helps you feel better.”

She’s not alone in this feeling. Nurudeen Awadallah, a food service worker in New York state, agrees. According to Awadallah, the most stressful part of his job is handling his customer’s anxieties. He says that using makeup has allowed him to feel calmer and more grounded, which makes it easier to be there for his customers while also protecting his own energy.

“I have been experimenting with makeup like eyeliner and mascara, which has been fun,” Awadallah tells Allure. “It's been interesting to be able to still make myself feel nice despite wearing an unflattering mask, and finding the little things that make life feel less like a pandemic are relaxing in and of themselves.”

Beauty routines can heal

Often, using particular [skincare] SKIN-CARE or beauty products is more than an aesthetic choice for an essential worker; many use their beauty routines to combat the ways that their job can be physically taxing. Essential workers have to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as a mask, gloves, helmets, or goggles for long periods of the day, which can be drying or irritating to the skin. A regular beauty routine can combat this.

“We are faced with a low supply of PPE, prolonged N95 mask use, and the impacts of that on our health, including our ability to breathe, concentrate, and skin irritation,” Sally Helmi, a nurse in New Jersey, explains. “I am juggling the emotional labor of a pandemic, duties such as proper hand-washing more times than I can count, educating on infection prevention or cross-contamination, and advocating for nurses and patients in a failing system.”

To help combat this, Helmi relies on a regular skin-care routine. “Raw shea butter is the holy grail of my skin-care routine because it’s extremely moisturizing and has anti-inflammatory properties that are crucial for my sensitive and dry skin,” she says. “I am usually really exhausted after work, so having a body oil that’s a super quick way to moisturize and soothe my skin is also essential.”

Taylor Crumpton, a case manager working with houseless youth in California, also uses a regular beauty regimen to fight the dry skin that PPE can cause.

“I’m faithful to Trader Joe’s Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer with aloe and green tea extract,” she tells Allure. “Throughout the day, I apply it periodically because PPE dries out my skin because of the tight confinement on the face. I reserve makeup for going out, which has been canceled, so I’ve reverted to using essential oils throughout the house, and application of facial oils with my rose quartz roller to provide moisturizer and relaxation to my face.”

Beauty is self-care

While makeup and beauty routines can be a nice distraction or necessary armor during a rough day at work, these regimens can also serve as self-care rituals when essential workers are off the clock. Things like aroma therapy or essential oils can help curate a safe and relaxing home after a stressful day in the outside world. 

Leda Falzarano, a worker at a welfare agency in New Jersey, uses her beauty ritual to unwind after a long day on the job. “When I’m off work I like it quiet,” she explains. “I use Epsom salt baths with a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus oil. No big agendas at home except for taking it easy to regroup, go back out, and give it my all the next day.”

“While I am increasingly more drained by the current state of working during this pandemic, I truly believe in the importance of self-preservation and having a self-care routine, especially now,” Helmi adds. “I enjoy keeping it simple, but also have noticed how holistically beneficial taking time to make myself feel better has been during these trying times. During self-care, whether I am tired and fresh out of a shower or applying makeup on a day off, it is a moment for me to slow the hell down and breathe, feel grateful for these luxuries, and reflect on my ability to give myself comfort for a moment.”

While it’s lovely that essential workers can take solace and find pleasure in a beauty routine, the pressure they are facing at work cannot be minimized. We all must do our part in ensuring that essential workers can get through the workday with as little stress as possible.

“Be nice to your essential workers,” Collins advises. “Whether it is a McDonald’s worker or a first responder, we are all out literally risking our lives so that you can have what you need. Just treat everyone you encounter working right now with a lot of respect because we are just as scared as you are.”

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Read more stories about beauty and COVID-19:

• The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Changing What I Consider "Essential" in Beauty

• Facing a Pandemic During Pregnancy, Beauty Offers a Much-Needed Means of Escape

• Why the Pandemic's Long-Term Impact on the Beauty Industry Scares Me as a Salon Owner

Now, watch Emma Chamberlain's entire routine, from waking up to playing Fortnite:

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Originally Appeared on Allure