Mornings can be hectic for anyone with a full-time job, especially if you have a million other things to do before heading to work. Sometimes, you even find yourself arriving at the office only to realize that you haven’t even had the chance to comb your hair. If this sounds familiar to you, here are some strategies that can help you take care of your skin and hair with little time in the mornings:
1. Do the majority of your hair & skincare routines at night
It’s not so easy to wake up earlier in the morning to do your hair and skincare routines, and most busy people need to have all the sleep they can get before another day at work. If you don’t have time in the morning for your hair and skincare routine, do most of it during the night before going to sleep.
Wash your hair to remove any product from your locks, if you use any, then brush your hair to stimulate the release of oils on your scalp. Remove your makeup, clean your face, then apply your aesthetic-doctor-approved creams and toners before turning in. Doing this simple nighttime routine is a great way to make up for the lack of care during the morning rush, and it also helps you look fresher when you wake up.
2. Choose a simple daily hairstyle
Do you need to use a curling iron every day? Or do that hairstyle that eats up thirty minutes of your morning prep time? Probably not. If your daily hairstyle takes too long to achieve in the mornings, choose a simpler, more doable style that you can whip up in ten minutes or less. In this way, you can make more time for other things, like eating breakfast or applying makeup.
3. Use multi-purpose products
Instead of using a dozen different products on your skin and hair, choose products that have multiple functions, like a moisturizer that doubles as sunscreen or a hair leave-in condition that also works as a styler. Multi-purpose products help you save time, money, and counter space. They also make your morning routines simpler.
4. Go old-fashioned with curlers and braids
If you want to wake up with gorgeous curls that need no styling, sleep with your curlers or braids in. When you wake up, spritz on some hairspray or styling creme to make your waves last until the end of your workday.
5. Apply your makeup at work
When you’re going to be late for work, skip the makeup routine altogether and start your commute. If you have a few minutes to spare before the workday begins, head to the bathroom with your makeup kit and apply your makeup there. Chances are, you’re going to do your makeup better when you’re not in a rush, and you won’t risk being late for it.
6. Keep your counter organized
Keeping your skin and hair care products organized is one of the best ways to save time in the mornings. When you’re not fumbling with a thousand products on your countertop, you’re going to have a much easier and faster time doing your hair and skincare routines.
Get rid of the products you don’t use, especially the expired ones. If there are products you use less frequently, store them in the cabinets or somewhere else where they won’t get in the way in the mornings.
7. Reserve more complicated tasks for the weekends
For beauty regimens that take too much time to do on weekdays (both in the morning and at night), reserve them for the weekends instead. These tasks can include applying a hair mask, exfoliating your skin, tweezing your eyebrows, deep conditioning your hair, and more.
8. Take advantage of dry shampoo
We all have those mornings when we have less than half an hour to get to work before our boss calls us. During these unfortunate occasions, use a dry shampoo to clean your in record time. Don’t go without it if you haven’t washed your hair in a few days–you don’t want to go to work with greasy hair and make it more evident that you’ve just rolled out of bed.
Being busy shouldn’t stop you from taking good care of your skin and hair. If you have little to no time to prepare in the mornings, use these strategies to make your prep time easier, faster, and stress-free (but not without sacrificing your health).
