I was thinking of giving this article a title of "DIY" or do-it-yourself but since that it is somehow connected to the new normal that we are currently in right now, I decided that this would be a continuation of my articles about Life during pandemic. If you may recall, part 1 was about having no social life, part 2 was about being cautious to the point that some people were being judgmental to others and being a clean freak and my part 3 would be the use of technology to communicate with our loved ones no matter the distance.
The things that we do on a regular basis before have stopped because of the pandemic. But that doesn't mean our life also stops because of it. Parlors, salons and spas are just some of the many businesses that were affected by the virus. I know that there are some that have permanently closed their shops and some are still recovering. Now that there are some salons that are open, when was the last time you had a haircut? Colored your hair? Got a hair treatment? How about the last time you waxed your unwanted hair? Facial or a massage?
I know some of you may have already learned how to cut and color their own hair and wax any unwanted hair from different parts of your body during the pandemic. Even before I used to cut my own hair whenever I feel like cutting it when I am in the shower. My hair is curly so it isn't noticeable if it's not of the same length and for sure when I blow dry it, I would see that I made a horrible decision of cutting my hair but I never did because I might regret it. LOL.
Growing up I wasn't the type of girl who likes going to a salon for a haircut because I don't like the person that I see in the mirror. I hate everything about me back then so I would ask my dad to cut my hair for me since he always cuts his hair, I always let him cut mine. Though there was a time when I told him to cut just by my shoulder and he ended up cutting up to my lower ear. It was so short because my hair was still wet but when it was dry, it became shorter because my hair was curly. From then on, I never aaked him to cut my hair. LOL.
If you would know me, my hair is always in a ponytail. I only let my hair down for special occasions or whenever I feel like letting it down. But from grade school up to college, I never went to school with my hair down. I always tie it even if it is still wet so that is the reason why at an early age I had white hairs. So when I was having my summer vacation at our relatives' house, I saw my boy cousins colored their hair with a henna that they bought from a sari-sari store. For me to cover my white hairs, I joined them and got scolded by my mom when she came to fetch me when summer was about to end. She said that I shouldn't have colored my hair because my natural hair color was reddish brown. I told her the reason but still I had a lot of sermons that day as if she wanted to shave my head. LOL.
Ever since then, I have learned how to do things for myself especially if it involves cutting, coloring and blow drying my hair. It was only when I have loved myself that I went to the salon. The last time that I had my hair cut was February of last year. I see to it that I get to have a yearly hair cut. But did you know that there is a saying in some Chinese people to cut your hair before welcoming the new year so you also cut away all the bad things that had happened to you during that current year? I have only heard of this a day before 2021 and during that time I still didn't know if I will cut my hair or not because I also wanted to get rid of those not so good events that happened to me last 2020. But what if you also cut away your good luck? Has anyone of you heard of that saying? Well, I wasn't able to cut my hair and this year I am planning to cut it and color it. I even want to bleach my hair but I am afraid that my hair will get mad at me and it might damage it. Have you tried bleaching you hair? How was it? What did you use?
They say that for girls our hair is our crowning glory. I guess for some it is but growing up I never really liked my hair because it was curly. Have I already said it? I apologize if I keep on repeating it because that was the truth. It was only when I was old when I started to love my curls. I remember I used to ask my mom to straighten my hair when I was young. She said that it isn't advisable for kids because of its chemicals and that it will damage my natural curls. I learned to appreciate what I have because there are some who has hair problems.
Now let's move on to waxing our unwanted hair. I used to go to a waxing salon and pay for an underarm and brazilian waxing. Sometimes I would also have my eyebrows waxed if I have an extra budget. Now that we are limiting ourselves in going out, I have no choice but to do it at home. I bought some cold wax online last year and I must say that I have already saved a few bucks and I plan to do this even if we go back to normal. I also did my mom's legs and she was very happy. With my eyebrows, I haven't plucked them nor waxed them for years now and I plan to keep it that way.
For facial, years ago I have bought a peeling mask and it was an easy way to remove blackheads and whiteheads. So during this pandemic, I bought it again and use it at least once a month. I am also planning to buy a portable facial steamer so I would really feel like I am at a facial salon. Most of you may already know about my acne breakouts that is why I am really obsessed in taking care of my skin. I even wanted to try those collagen drinks that some Youtube influencers are drinking. Has anyone of you tried drinking collagen? What brand? How was it? Did it improve your skin's texture, appearance or elasticity? The effects of being influenced right? LOL. I may be easily persuade but most of the time I don't really give in to temptation. I am just curious that I also want to try what they are using even if I know that some products may work for them but not for me and vice versa.
What other do-it-yourself activities have you tried during this tough times? There are things that we thought we couldn't do it but really all we need is a little practice. We just have to believe in ourselves that we can do it. There are a lot of step by step tutorials now on Youtube that can help us with a lot of things. Who knows maybe we can be a great hair stylist. We just have to believe that we can do it.
