The Ultimate Quarantine Self-Care Guide

Here's how to take care of your nails, hair, and skin at home—because if there was ever a time to be kind to yourself, it's now.
woman sitting in a bubble bath talking on the phone
Try to find some time to relax in whatever way works for you, whether that's two bubble baths a day or 12 hours spent playing Animal Crossing.Photograph: LMPC/Getty Images 

We are still living in strange times.

In the middle of March, we were all asked to practice social distancing and quarantine in our homes, which meant the responsibility of grooming yourself fell completely into your hands. Some states reopened in phases, allowing you to return to salons if you wore a face mask. But now case numbers are exploding, and states are backpedaling on openings. If you've been sick, are at high risk, or live with someone who is high risk, you still shouldn't be venturing out of your house.

I’ve always been a huge proponent of at-home self-care, mostly because trips to the salon require serious cash. So here are a few ways you can treat yourself from the comfort of your home, from practicing nail art to trying on new face masks (the other kind). Throw on a robe, start a bath, and play that next episode of whatever you're binging right now.

For more advice, check out our guide for staying calm during quarantine. We also have tips on how to work out at home and how to set up a home office.

Updated for December 2020: We've added a few more items, like lip treatments and Nailest press-on nails. We've also added tips for combating mascne and updated our section on hair removal.

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Taking Care of Your Hands and Nails

You're probably washing your hands excessively right now (you should be!). That might be drying out your skin though, so you should follow up with a moisturizer. Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream is a favorite with some WIRED staffers.

De-Stress With a Manicure

With all that extra time spent on your hands, don't forget about your nails. There is no shortage of prepackaged manicure tool kits, but you probably don’t need them. They often include a bunch of products you likely won’t use. Instead, get yourself the basic tools:

  • Green Bell G-1008 clippers: These are sharp, sturdy, and will last a long time. The downside is there’s no built-in tool for cleaning out under your nails, but a simple nail brush will do the trick.
  • Tropical Shine and Beauty Secrets nail files: These are two inexpensive emery boards. Professional nail techs recommend crystal or metal files since they are easier to clean. I prefer crystal, like this ASP file.
  • Tropical Shine buffers: Buffers smooth your nails and make them shiny, but don't use them more than once a month or you might accidentally wear down your nails.

I know it’s tempting to cut and push those cuticles, but you should refrain from doing that, as you can introduce bacteria and cause an infection. Try a cuticle oil and keep your hands moisturized to avoid cracking.

If you're set on a manicure in a box, Olive and June Mani Kits offer polishes and the high-quality tools you need without all the extra junk. Depending on the option you go with, you'll get a nail clipper, file, buffer, nail polish remover, thin nail brush, cuticle serum, polish, and a universal polish bottle handle that helps keep you steady.

As nice as it is to have a freshly painted manicure, nail polish chips. Nail stickers don't. We use Dashing Diva; they're easy to put on—just use the included file at the edge of your nail to remove and smooth out the excess—and they come in a lot of fun prints. This sticker manicure should last over a week, and you don't have to deal with chipping or waiting for your nails to dry. Most importantly, they don't look like stickers.

False Nail Fix
Photograph: Nailest 

If you typically wear acrylic or other false nails, you might need to fill in the gap from where your nails have grown.

We really like Kiss' fill kits if you feel comfortable doing your own nails. (There are endless instructions you can follow along with on YouTube.) Unfortunately, they're selling out fast, so if you can't find them online, try looking for them when you're out shopping for other essentials like food and toilet paper. You can also try Kiss' dip kits, which might be an easier interim solution.

But if you're not feeling confident enough to try your hand at a DIY manicure, now's a good time to give your nails a break and let your natural nails strengthen up. Kiss also makes easy-to-use, affordable soak-off kits. All you need to do is pop the included caps on your nails and wait a few minutes. The layers of polish, acrylic, and glue will come right off, allowing your natural nails to breathe.

Press-on nail kits are also good alternatives too. I (Louryn) swear by Kiss' false nail sets—a manicure using them lasts me about 10 days—but ImPress nails are also great for temporary wear. Other brands we like include Static Nails and NailHur.

The Nailest nail kits are more expensive than Kiss, but they're quite impressive, with different shapes, lengths, and styles for nearly everyone. I (Medea) showed them to my mom, who owned a nail salon and did acrylics for nearly a decade, and even she was impressed by the craftsmanship of them. Each one you buy comes with a small file and nail glue, plus sticky strips if you want to go the glueless route.

Try Nail Art

I (Medea) had a horrible nail-biting habit for the first half of my life. The only thing that stopped it was when my college roommates and I got really into nail art.

If your polish collection is lacking, you don't have to go out and buy every Essie color there is (at $9 a pop, it adds up quickly). As long as you've got one or two base colors, look for design polishes with a long, fine brush like these. They make it easy to do line designs or to add a pop of color to otherwise basic nails.

If you’ve already got a solid collection of colors, opt for thin nail polish brushes instead. Just be sure to clean the polish off the brush immediately so the bristles don't dry up. Dotting pens make it easy to draw flowers and polka dots. If you want to go all-in, you can get a nail art set that includes brushes, dotting pens, glitter, sequins, and anything else you could possibly want to put on your nails. We haven’t tried this one, but it has great reviews.

When it comes to nail art, you have to be willing to try and try again, no matter how many times you mess up (and you will mess up). If there ever was a time to learn, it's right now, as no one will see them.

Photograph: Jack Louth/Getty Images
Relax With a Beauty Mask

Sheet masks are good for temporary problems, like when your skin is desperately in need of extra hydration. They're usually best used as a part of a regimen, but they're also just plain fun and relaxing. Here are a few of our favorites.

If you can spend a little more, I (Medea) love Foreo's UFO Smart Mask Device. It's a 90-second spa treatment that uses heat, cryotherapy, vibrations, and LED light so you don't need to sit around with a mask for 20 minutes if you don't want to. I'm always surprised at just how much better my skin feels after using it over a typical sheet mask, and how relaxing it is.

A jade face roller is not going to change your appearance, but that doesn't mean it doesn't feel nice to use. As New York esthetician Joi Lin Tynes explained to me, a roller won't boost product penetration or help stimulate collagen as some companies claim, but it can still be good for a light lymphatic drainage massage or for depuffing skin if you put it in the refrigerator first.

There's a lot of bad skin-care advice out there, and we all have different skin types, so what works for us won't necessarily work for you. You should take this downtime to do your own research and ask questions. Skinclasshero, Tiara Willis, and LaBeautyologist are some of my favorite experts to follow, because they offer legitimate advice for everyone, not just those with extra money to spend. There's also a fantastic subreddit, SkincareAddiction, which is overflowing with advice.

The best thing you can do for your skin is moisturize and use SPF everyday—yes, even if you're inside. And you still need to moisturize and hydrate even if you're oily. My favorite for my dry skin is Tatcha's Dewy Skin Cream, but at $68 it's a splurge if there ever was one. Neutrogena's Hydro Boost Water Gel is my default moisturizer.

Combat Mascne

The other kinds of face masks we've been wearing might have a negative effect on your skin. We're talking about the dreaded mascne—AKA mask acne. We have a separate guide on what causes it and how to prevent and treat it, but the short version is: Wash your masks frequently (here are our favorites), avoid wearing makeup in areas the mask covers, keep your skin hydrated, and try pimple patches. Our favorite pimple patches are Mighty Patch and Starface. ZitSticka microdart patches work well for deep cystic acne, but they're expensive.

Moisturize Your Lips Too

Lips are often forgotten when it comes to skin care, at least until they suddenly become painfully chapped.

This lip exfoliator can help slough off dead skin, leaving your lips soft and creating a good base for moisturizing products—like the Fresh sugar balms we like. Three Ships' exfoliator smells great, is made with simple vegan ingredients, and it works well to prevent mask-related chapping.

If your lips have already found their way into painfully chapped territory, this overnight lip mask from Victoria's Secret has saved my lips many a time.

Don't Forget Hair Care

Just like your skin and nails, your hair needs some love. Louryn's guides on how to cut your own hair and how to dye your hair will help you avoid disaster.

Olaplex, a system that works on a molecular level to restore hair's broken bonds, has gained popularity in the hair community these last few years. I (Medea) started using a full Olaplex routine and am in love with how much softer my usually coarse hair feels. I use the Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment, Hair Perfector, and the Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner. A WIRED photo editor told me to buy the Perfector and to "never not use it. It will change your hair life." She was right.

Olaplex products are expensive, though, so you can look for trial-sized kits first. There are cheaper options out there, too, like Pantene's Intense Rescue Shots. Or, if you have a bottle of mayonnaise (yes, mayonnaise) in your fridge already, slather it on wet hair for a DIY softening treatment.

A shampoo brush is always a worthwhile addition as well; they help scrub your scalp clean, especially if there's a lot of product buildup hiding among your roots.

At-Home Hair Removal

If you normally get monthly waxes, you might be feeling a little off right now, but you can keep your hair under control at home with these options. See our hair-removal guide for more details.

There's really no need to spend the money on going to a salon for any facial waxing; I'd reserve that for sensitive areas like your bikini line. If you've never used wax before, carefully follow the directions and do a patch test first to be safe.

Pre-waxed strips for eyebrows make me nervous, even ones designed to mimic an eyebrow shape. There's just too much room for error. Instead, try a precision wax applicator like Parissa's Waxing Pen. It helps you apply the wax only where you want it. Start slow, and remember: It's better to finish up with tweezers than to take off too much.

Nair's Leg Masks have been a lifesaver for me, since shaving irritates my skin. They're easy to use and leave your legs feeling smooth, but they do have that distinctive Nair smell. If you want longer-term results, and are strong willed and can bear ripping a wax strip off your own leg, Glee's pre-waxed strips come highly recommended by WIRED writers.

If you're ready to permanently reduce hair growth, the HoMedics Duo Lite IPL device works wonders. Intense-pulsed-light (IPL) devices such as this target the hair root, causing it to fall out and greatly reduce regrowth over time. I had little hope this would help, but after a few weeks of use, my leg hair really started to decrease. But similar to laser hair removal, the company says this IPL device is not safe for use on blonde, red, or gray hair, nor on very dark skin.

Soothe Sore Muscles

Self-care and relaxation go hand in hand, so there's some overlap between this guide and our guide to keeping calm during quarantine, particularly when it comes to soothing all the aches and pains your human suit endures.

My favorite method is taking an epsom salt bath at the end of the day (or sometimes in the middle of the afternoon) to fully relax. Over the last few months, I've found other ways to keep my muscles happy. When we tried the new Theragun percussive therapy devices, I felt like I was treating myself daily to a mini-massage. No muscle knot can stand up to the 60 pounds of pressure those machines can produce. The biggest downside is that they're all quite expensive. From the $400 Elite that was our favorite overall to the $200 Mini, a Theragun is an investment.

For a less expensive (though still not cheap) method of relaxation, I've been lying on a Bed of Nails acupressure mat for 10 to 20 minutes every few days. Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, but instead of needles, the mats and pillow are equipped with round plastic plates (or "nails"). The pressure of those nails against your body is said to release endorphins—and it doesn't hurt, I promise. I've been using it when I notice my back is starting to ache from slouching over the computer, and while I can't say it scientifically helps my body, anecdotally it feels like a nice body reset.

Find Peace for Yourself

If grooming and face masks aren't what you need right now, try to find some time to relax in whatever way works for you, whether that's two bubble baths a day or 12 hours spent playing Animal Crossing. You can even try a weighted blanket—I love curling up in bed and pulling the 20-pound Yaasa (plus a 13-pound cat) over me

I know it's hard when it feels like the world is ending, and people on the internet are talking about ways to be productive during this pandemic. But your mind will benefit from any time you put aside for peace (maybe log off Twitter for a bit). You don't need to work out every day, write the next great American novel, or learn a new craft. Just let yourself be OK.


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