General self care as a woman??

[happydontjudgeme]

Ok, hear me out.. this may sound silly but after seeing all the influencers post about self care tips on insta/tiktok.. like double cleansing skin in the shower, all the products they use etc.. I’m starting to wonder if my self care is a bit…. Simple?

my mum wasn’t overly present growing up, so now I’m wondering if I do.. enough? Little things like cutting cuticles (I get my nails done once a month so just leave them until then) or waxing toe hair 😂 are we regularly whole body moisturising? I guess I should be I’m in my 30’s!

I am SO intrigued to know people’s self care tips they swear by that are genuine, no matter how simple!!

thanks ❤️

Honestly I think “self care” is just a term to beat women into thinking they have to spend time and money meeting arbitrary beauty standards.

imo getting my nails done isn’t “self care”, it’s doing something I dislike because society tells me I have to.

i keep clean. I exercise. I keep out of the sun. Hand cream and moisturiser if my skin feels dry.

Beyond that I only do things if I want. I’d rather sit with a book or a tv episode than go to the nail or hair salon. You couldn’t pay me to get waxing done, or any other sort of hair removal.

it’s interesting that most posters “self care” refers almost exclusively to “beauty” routines- skin, hair and makeup. It’s about how they look, not how they feel.

self care to me is doing what makes you happy. If that’s sorting your kitchen cupboards, great. If it’s getting your nails done, great. If it’s going to the cinema and eating pick and mix, great.

do what you want to, not what influencers or any other section of society tell you to do.

I’ve never followed an “influencer” in my life, I don’t have instagram.
The things I do, I do for me, because I like them. So yes, I full body moisturise every day (with a £6 moisturiser) because if I don’t, I feel dry and scaly.
I have a skin care routine, because I prefer not to be spotty, my nails and feet are done because I like them to look nice. My hair is done, my eyebrows are done, my eyelashes are done, my waxing is done. All for me. I also exercise daily and walk about 45 miles per week.
And no, I’m not “high maintenance” because no one is maintaining me, other than…me.

My self care is having therapy and making sure that my husband shares the load at home.

I would recommend it to every woman, no amount of skin care steps will make up for an unequal workload at home and will probably save you both from divorcing later which is stressful and expensive😊

100% agree with you.

Though, being post-menopause, I would say that moisturising my body is as much about how I feel as how I look. I wish that I had been taught to do this when I was younger, before my skin dried out, before it became thin and sensitive. So I taught my dds. Ditto sunscreen on neck and décolleté, not just on face. For me moisturiser and sunscreen are not about keeping your skin looking younger, they’re about keeping it healthy and comfortable.

Self-care…I’m doing some self-care right now. I’m eating my supper in the garden, listening to birdsong. I’ve angled my chair so that I can see the lilac blossom and the hawthorn blossom, and the bugs dancing in a sunbeam. 😌

I never used to do a great deal but have started to do a few things lately, more in response to peri menopausal facial collapse than any outside influence.

Every morning:
Cleanse with a hydrating cleansing wipe.
Cleanse again with just water.
Hyaluronic acid serum.
Garnier skin food - I whack it on. Its very heavy and greasy but, then, my skin as nature intended looks like one of those arid desert landscape photos they used to show in Channel 4 schools documentaries.
Bit of make up. Straighten hair. Spritz of perfume.

Evening:
Cleanse again - same stuff.
Serum again.
Aldi Rejuvelate cream on face and neck.
More Skin Food.

Twice a week:
Bubble bath
Shave furred extremities
Hair mask- whatever is on offer during weekly shop.
Body moisturise
Sheet mask - super cheap Korean brand I found online.
Pluck eyebrows.
I have naturally silver streaks in my dark hair, so I dont dye it as I rather like them.

Every 3 weeks:
Gel manicure - usually go for quite a plain look.

That's it. Not the best but, I suspect, also not the worst. I try to drink a lot of water, do quite a bit of walking and eat a fair amount of vegetables.

My skin has noticeably improved since I started doing the face stuff - everything else pretty much the same, but I feel quite good.

Agree that influencers will tell you to do more as it perpetuates the system they benefit from. Ignore the fuckers and focus on what makes you feel good.

Yeah I listed beauty because that’s what the OP asked

but for me it’s also reading, a long bath, exercise, cuddling the cat, batch cooking with music on…
skincare and beauty is part of it for me because I genuinely enjoy faffing about with (as my dad calls it) “lotions and potions”

My routine is

Exercise 3-4 times a week a combo of strength and cardio, I had high blood pressure and it's come right down since I've been going to the gym as I've lost weight and built lean muscle
Limit alcohol, in fact I hardly ever drink at all, maybe at special events I'll have champagne such as a wedding etc.

I always always take my make up off without fail
exfoliate face and body 2-3 times a week it's not too bothersome as I do it in the shower/bath.

I put on body lotion twice a week and that seems enough to keep skin soft for the whole week ( Palmers cocoa butter is the best for me)

I've started to have Korean faces masks, not sure how they'll go as I've just started to do them so the jury is still out on that!

I have my hair cut and highlighted every 8 weeks and that makes me feel like a million dollars, they give a fabulous head massage at the end

The above looks a lot but it's not really as it's all slotted in quite easily. I feel so much better in myself if I do this routine