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Self Care & Wellness Ideas

7 Beauty and Self-Care Rituals You Can Do With Your Extra Hour

Lindsay Tigar
Writer and expert6 years ago
View Lindsay Tigar's profile

Alarm clock on bedside table 1

While springing forward might leave you sleepy-eyed and drowsy, falling back in autumn means you earn another hour of sleep. Or, you can use those 60 minutes to add more TLC to your beauty routine. Instead of investing in expensive cosmetic rituals at the dermatologist's office or making a trip to the hairstylist or dentist, there are plenty of ways to make your skin radiant, strengthen your locks and empower your smile with at-home DIY treatments. From indulging in an olive oil–infused bath to whitening your teeth right at home, experts give their best suggestions for what to do with that extra hour this season.

1. Give yourself an at-home facial.

With just a few tools, makeup, hair and male grooming expertSophia Porter says you can save on hiring an esthetician to clean your face and give yourself a facial instead. Porter explains that the benefit of this deep cleansing ritual is how it primes your pores to better absorb products, leaving you with a brighter and softer complexion. To begin, use a facial steamer, like Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Pro Facial Steamer, for ten minutes to loosen any dirt or oil that’s trapped in your skin. 

Next, exfoliate your skin to remove any dead skin from the surface. While there are plenty of exfoliants available, Porter recommends paying close attention to the ingredients, with a superstar in mind: glycolic acid. “This is a fantastic ingredient to incorporate into any routine,” she says. “It’s also wonderful to lessen the appearance of any dark spots on the skin.” Try Cane + Austin Miracle Pads + 30% to scrub away one layer to reveal another. Porter says you can stop here, or soak up that full hour by applying a hydration mask for 30 minutes (she likes Peter Thomas Roth Blue Marine Algae Intense Hydrating Mask), followed by a serum while your face is still damp. “Damp skin ensures optimal absorption of serums into the skin, increasing their spreadability,” she explains.

2. Indulge your skin in multi-masking.

Multi-masking is not only selfie- and Snapchat-worthy, board-certified dermatologistTsippora Shainhouse, MD, FAAD explains that this growing trend helps to solve multiple beauty woes at once. “Multi-masking refers to the layering of more than one facial mask, or applying different masks to different parts of the face at the same time. Because your skin's needs may vary on different areas of your face and neck---or maybe you want to address more than one skin issue---this method allows you to manage each one,” she says. Depending on your specific skin type or your goals, Shainhouse recommends these masks:

Oily skin: A charcoal mask will soak up the extra oil that clogs up your pores, like GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment.

Sensitive skin: If your skin is finicky, you need a gentle exfoliant that’s rich with enzymes, like Jan Marini Skin Zyme.

Dry skin: Especially during cooler months, your skin could need more hydration. This sheet mask from Karunais soothing and extremely moisturizing. 

3. Book a laser treatment (or DIY at home).

As a way to make a dramatic change in the condition of your skin, director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital, Joshua Zeichner, MD explains that many dermatologists combine laser treatments that stimulate collagen with antioxidants for maximum benefits. However, if you don’t have the time to take off from work to recover from this procedure, or the extra cash, Zeichner says you can reap similar rewards with an at-home process like SkinCeuticals’ Age-Defying Laser + Antioxidant System.

Though you can begin with your hour-long gift from daylight savings day, Zeichner says to remember that lasers need time to take effect. “Lasers create microscopic damage to the skin and take advantage of wound-healing properties to create new collagen,” he explains. “This translates to healthier skin with more even tone and texture. Antioxidants further improve skin pigmentation and enhance production of healthy collagen.”

4. Give yourself a stress-relieving scalp and hair treatment.

Admit it: sometimes you wish you could get a haircut or a blowout merely for the massage in the washing chair. Hairstylist and makeup artistJules Annen explains that this soothing effect of having someone touch your head is caused by engaging acupuncture points. You can re-create these feel-good sensations yourself with just a little time and flexibility. To begin, shampoo your hair as you normally would. Then, apply a scalp oil, like Dr. Hauschka Revitalizing Hair & Scalp Tonic.

“Apply pressure to your bai hui point (also known as paihui) at the center of the top of the head. To find it, draw an imaginary line from your nose up. Stop when it crosses the extension top of the ear on either side,” she explains. “Massage with the rollerball or with your fingertips on the point with vertical pressure for five to ten minutes. Remember to be gentle as to not damage your hair.”

In addition to cleaning your hair, Annen says you’ll also experience relieved muscle tension, improved lymphatic drainage and venous circulation, stimulated nerve pathways and an abundance of happy hormones.

5. Attempt a new hairstyle.

Between maintaining and connecting your friendships to exceeding up the corporate ladder and working out, those days of playing might feel long ago. Since you have the extra hour, celebrity hairstylistDeycke Heidorn encourages you to give yourself a hot second to experiment. “You own hair tools you have never used but always wanted to try? Like, that curling wand you bought because you really wanted to try these beach waves yet never used it because you don't have the time. Use this extra hour of daylight savings time to treat your hair and try out a new style using all of the amazing hair tools you have collected over the years,” Heidorn suggests. And hey, if that means tuning in to YouTube videos for the latest and most creative trends, pour yourself a glass of wine and get to watching. The hour (or more) is yours.

6. Try an olive oil treatment for soft skin.

There are two types of edible ways to relieve stress for most folks: something sweet or something savory. If you fall in the latter boat, always reaching for fresh-baked bread with caprese salad instead of a slice of cake, you’ll definitely be into this hour-long treatment recommended by beauty professional Beth Minardi. Chances are high you already have everything you need, in fact, in your kitchen. After drawing a warm bath halfway full, she suggests standing up and massaging a mixture of olive oil and salt all over your body. Then, relax in the tub, and, using a washcloth, gently exfoliate for 15 minutes. “The olive oil will maintain a very soft film on the skin and serve as a natural moisturizer,” she explains. To finish this treatment, pat dry your skin thoroughly and apply your favorite moisturizer, working your way down from head to toe. “Then, slip into cotton socks and jammies for an overnight beauty boost,” she adds.

7. Whiten your teeth.

Ask most anyone and the quest for a brighter, whiter smile is always on their dusty list of to-do’s. If you can’t seem to make it to the dentist for the treatment, you can receive similar results with an at-home kit that uses advanced technology to make you radiant even more when you laugh. One recommended product by celebrity cosmetic dentist Dr. Lana Rozenberg is GLO Science’s GLO Brilliant Personal Teeth Whitening Device. “This system works with a LED light that activates the gel in the mouthpiece and whitens your teeth through the oxygenation process of gel entering the enamel tubules and lifting the stains,” she explains. You can make it your goal to use this at-home solution consistently until the next daylight savings day, giving you ample time to see clear---and pearly white---results.

Lindsay Tigar
Writer and expert
View Lindsay Tigar's profile

Lindsay Tigar is a travel and lifestyle journalist who contributes to a myriad of publications—from Travel + Leisure and Vogue to Glamour and countless others. She's a digital nomad who works from every corner of the globe, scoping out the best coffee, collecting artisan crafts and testing every beauty product she can find. You can find a collection of her work at LindsayTigar.com.

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