With salons closed, here's how to keep hair and nails looking good

If ever there was a time to focus on inner beauty, this is it.

With hair and nail salons closed for the foreseeable future, some of us are starting to feel a little unkempt.

“I thank the good Lord that someone invented headbands,” says Teri Bowes of Hempfield. “They’re a great way to hide your roots.”

Bowes, a regular on the Greensburg social and fundraising circuit, normally has her short, platinum hair cut and colored every four or five weeks. She also has regular manicures, pedicures and facials.

“I do it all,” she says. “And I was due for all that stuff when they said ‘no more.’”

Although she never worked in a salon, Bowes says, she’s had a cosmetology license for about 30 years. She also studied fashion merchandising and modeled for a store and local magazines in Hilton Head, S.C., so she may be better prepared than the average gal (or guy) to keep up her style game at home.

But there are a couple of things she says that everyone can do.

“Look, ladies, pluck your eyebrows,” she says. “And if you have anything going on on your upper lip, shave that baby off.”

Hair coloring, though, that’s a different story.

“If you’re a novice at that, now is not the ideal time to do it yourself,” she says.

In the interest of helping everyone to look and feel good about themselves despite coronavirus-related shutdowns, we consulted with a couple of local experts on hair and nails.

A hairy situation

“A lot of cosmetics will help cover up your roots — eye shadow, mascara, brow pencils,” says Eric Smith, owner of Eric Smith Salon in Greensburg. “Of course, that’s temporary, because it will wash out.”

There also are cover-up sprays, gels and powders that will accomplish the same purpose.

“The trick is choosing the right color, so you might have to try different tones,” he says.

Smith seconds Bowes’ advice about do-it-yourself hair-coloring, if you’ve been having your color professionally done.

A professional stylist probably is using several tones to get your color just right, and you won’t be able to duplicate that in your kitchen.

“You don’t want your hair to turn out orange,” he says.

If you’re thinking of taming your overgrown shag with your kitchen shears, think again.

“We’re all in the same boat, so it’s better to put it off as long as possible,” he says. If you can’t stand it another minute, remember that less is more when it comes to home-style haircuts.

“Cut very gingerly,” Smith says. “Less is more. You can always take more off, but you can’t put it back on. The smaller, the scissor, the better. Use manicure scissors and cut a small amount at a time.”

If there’s someone in the household with a steady hand, ask them to help, he says —especially if you need to trim the back.

That nails it

One challenge for nail polish wearers right now is safely removing a gel manicure, says Ginny Clara, owner of Clarabella Beauty Bar in Greensburg.

Here are the steps Clara recommends for doing it yourself:

• Use a nail file to remove the shiny surface of the gel

• Soak bits of cotton in pure acetone and place them on nails

• Wrap each nail with foil — this helps hold the acetone against the nail and keeps it from evaporating

• After 10-15 minutes, pull the foil and cotton off one nail at a time — if the gel looks wrinkled, it’s ready to remove

• Use a cuticle pusher or orange stick to push the gel off the nail

• Follow up with a light buffing and apply nail strengthener.

To keep nails at the length you prefer, file in one direction. This helps keep them from splitting, Clara says. If you prefer them longer, wear gloves for protection when working around the house or in the yard.

If you’re a novice and want to apply your own polish, Clara says, “Call your mom or grandma, because Sally Hansen nail hardener and red nail polish have been around forever. That’s where I first learned how to do it.”

While a DIY coat might not last as long as a salon manicure, it should get you through. Polishes off the shelf are all fairly comparable in quality and safe to use, she says.

And with all the hand-washing we’re doing, Clara says now also is the time to invest in a quality hand lotion (and don’t forget to apply it to your feet, too).

“Something to look for in a lotion is one with a high oil content,” she says. “Stay away from anything with alcohol as a top ingredient, because alcohol has a drying effect.”

For added softening, moisturize with cream or lotion and then apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly.

“That helps push the moisturizer into the skin,” Clara says.

Your true beauty

While it’s easy to relax your primping routines when you’re not going anywhere or seeing anyone but family, Clara says there’s value in doing a little self-pampering.

“I put on makeup for the first time in three weeks and my husband said, ‘It’s nice to see you looking like yourself,’” she says. “Caring for yourself makes you feel better. I know it makes me feel better.”

“Don’t get discouraged and give up,” Smith says. “Go about your business and take care of yourself.”

“I’ve been telling my friends that keeping a routine is important right now,” Bowes says. “But it’s just hair, it’s no big deal. Real beauty comes from the inside.

“Some people have the weight of the world on their shoulders right now, so be kind, have a smile, say ‘hi’ as you pass somebody in a parking lot.”