Stuck in a soul-sucking video conference meeting? Watching over the kids while they play in the living room? Waiting for the chicken to marinate before cooking it? If you’re consumed in a task that can honestly be done simultaneously with something else, why not use the time to catch up on your beauty and self-care regimens?
Here are some of the best beauty and self-care activities you can do while doing something else:
1. Teeth whitening
Whitening your teeth with the best store-bought teeth whitening product can help you achieve a brighter smile in a less expensive way than going to the dentist. A bit of even better news: whitening your teeth at home is far from a complicated process, and it can even be done while you work on something on your laptop or watch TV. Simply apply the whitening gel to your teeth, insert the mouthpiece, and then focus on something else while you wait for the process.
2. Face mask
Applying a face mask is one of the easiest and most common passive beauty activities that you can do. You can use a face mask while working, studying, cleaning, or even while in the bath–which means that even while you’re doing something else, you can moisturize your skin simultaneously.
3. Hair mask
A hair mask works best if it’s left on the hair for enough time to absorb into the strands. But if you don’t have the time to stay in the shower or sit in the bath for as long as the hair mask needs to stay on your hair, you can put your hair into a shower cap and step out of the bathroom to do something else. If you wash out the hair mask too soon, you probably won’t be able to enjoy its full effects.
4. Hot tea or coffee
Enjoy a hot cup of your favorite tea or coffee while doing something else, say, catching up on work or fixing your schedule for the week. The warmth of the drink itself is enough to provide a soothing feeling for your body. But when you’re doing it while doing something that is not particularly fun (or even possibly stressful), it can help ease your nerves and keep you calm.
5. Exercising
The thought of exercising may not be particularly relaxing, but it’s an active form of self-care that can provide benefits to both your physical and mental well-being. Don’t have the time to work out? Try integrating exercise into your everyday tasks instead. Housework definitely counts as exercise.
But when you’re working from home, you can also integrate desk workouts to help you stay active while sitting. If you have a treadmill, you can also go for a walk or run while listening to a podcast or watching a lecture.
6. Face massage
You can do a face massage almost anywhere, like when sitting through a Zoom meeting or waiting for the kitchen timer to ring. Buy a facial roller and get those face muscles rejuvenated at every opportunity you can get.
7. Foot mask
Another great skincare treatment you can do while multitasking is using a foot mask. Some masks require you to have them on your feet for thirty minutes to one hour for the best results. Luckily, you can use that time to do other tasks–but preferably those that don’t require you to be on your feet.
8. Aromatherapy
Using essential oil for aromatherapy is a passive form of self-care that you can do anytime. In fact, having an essential oil diffuser in the same room that you’re doing other tasks can make the atmosphere more relaxing. As a result, you may feel less tired after finishing what you’re doing.
9. Listen to a themed podcast
Doing household chores or working on your hobby is more fun while listening to a podcast. Try listening to beauty- or self-care-themed podcast the next time you do a round of chores or sit down to engage in your hobby. It will feel less lonely, too, with someone talking in your ear
10. Lip mask
No one wants dried-up lips. Not only are they painful, but they can affect your overall appearance and make you look tired than you really are. To keep your lips hydrated, apply a lip mask, and leave it on for a few minutes. Unless you have to eat or drink, you can multitask while letting your lips soak up the mask.
Engaging in beauty and self-care activities don’t have to take your attention away from other important things that you have to do. Although it would be nicer if you could sit down and focus on these activities, not all of us have that luxury due to busy schedules. That said, doing these self-care activities while multitasking is the next best thing.
