I think that most of us are breathing a huge sigh of relief that our salons are finally opening. Whether it is our hair in desperate need of a good cut, nails crying out for a good manicure or our skin screaming for some serious care and treatment, we can all begin to make our appointments and plan.  

So if you haven’t already booked yours, then I would advise that you do so quickly to secure a suitable appointment.

I thought it would be a good idea to talk you through some of the treatments you may wish to consider, particularly if you don’t know where to start and you just feel ready for a general beauty overhaul.

Fancy Feet

Foot care is so imperative in order to keep us healthy, particularly as we get older.

Danger can hit for some when we get older and for various reasons cannot reach our feet or if you are a sever diabetic, then special care and attention to our feet is needed. 

Our feet work hard, and if they are not healthy and in condition, it can affect the way we walk. For those of you in this category visit a podiatrist or chiropodist and you do not need to wait until salons open as these are essential services.  

For those who just feel their feet are feeling neglected and perhaps dreading the thought of exposing your feet in open-toe shoes or sandals then having a good pedicure will make your feet look and feel great.  

You can start to prepare your feet now to make the most out of your treatment, by exfoliating the feet regularly, and oiling your cuticles and applying a good foot cream twice a week.  

My favourites are CAUDALIE Foot Beauty Cream, I use this after my morning shower, Scholl Cracked Heal repair cream and O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet foot cream, which I use before going to bed if my feet are very dry. 

Trend the right nail colour

Either go for vibrant shades or soft pastels, so there should be a shade to suit everyone. Just make sure the colour is good against your skin tone, your manicurist should help advise you.   

If you don’t like bright colours you can also go for classic nude colours. Spearmint and minty shades are also trending this year.

If you love the classic colour red on your nails, then coral red is the way to go this summer. I love these types of colours for summer toenails.

If you are having both finger and toenails painted a good look for this summer is go for the same colour but a darker shade of that colour on the toes.

Beautify your brows

Natural full brows will be the look for the summer, so soften those harsh lines on the brows and use fine brush like strokes if using brow liner or powder. Keep them at a natural shade in keeping with your hair, so if you have gone for super dark brows, start to let them gently lighten. Hopefully, lockdown has helped this happen any way with salons being closed.

Remember salons may well ask you to have another tint test before you have a lash or brow tint even if you are a regular. Better to be safe than sorry as you can develop an allergy.

Super charge your skin

If you have been neglecting your skin over lockdown, all is not lost. 
Restart your daily skin routine and get a facial booked if you can for when the salons open.

Fabulous facials, when dealing with skin it is not a one treatment fits all, and skin should be treated for the different areas on the face, for instance the cheeks will be treated in a different way to around the eyes.  

I suggest that you should book in for a consultation if you are unsure of which facial will suit your skin, never be afraid to discuss your time limits and financial restraints if necessary, good salons will always try to work with you. 

If you have a lot of peach fuzz (fine downy hair on the face) dermaplanning will leave your skin looking smooth and bright, I love this treatment as it also prepares my skin for a deeper treatment. 

Comcit is a great boost to the skin which combines dermarolling (fine needles), hyaluronic acid and oxygen, to leave the skin looking even, plump and hydrated a great boost to the skin.  

I often combine this treatment with a Caci non-surgical face lift to lift around my eyes, mouth and jaw. 

I am also a great advocate of radiofrequency treatments, which stimulate the collagen and firm the skin on the face and neck, as well as IPL to tidy up thread veins and even pit pigmentation.

If your skin is just dull and in general need of exfoliating, then a facial using microdermabrasion may be the treatment for you. 

I tend to mix technologies and tailor all facials to suit the individuals’ skin and target problem areas.

Now you should be all set to get a beauty overhaul when the salons reopen.

A problem shared

The problem: This problem was shared during the first lockdown.  

A lady in her later years was, in her words, unhappy with some unsightly marks on her skin.  

Northwich Guardian:

When questioned, it sounded like she had suffered with some ingrown hairs and milia (see picture above for an example of what milia can look like) which are white pearl-like spots often due to dryness as the dead skin can block the pores causing little white heads, that when released can come out as tiny white pearls. 
It turned out that she had been picking her skin and the marks were tiny scabs, which she then treated with TCP.

My Advice: Firstly stop picking at your skin. This can lead to scarring and skin infections. 

Either trim, pluck unwanted hair on the face, alternatively when salons open book in for a consultation and their may be a more permanent solution for hair reduction, such as electrolysis, or IPL if the hair isn’t grey or white. 
Another temporary method of hair removal is waxing. 

We also discussed the need to exfoliate twice a week and to use a good moisturiser. 

IPL could also help the skin look better where new scars are. It will take time to get the skin looking great again, but it will look better if the advice is followed.

Feel free to write in for any skincare or beauty advice, or even share with me some of your beauty lockdown disasters at emma@thecheshirebeautybarn.co.uk