If you don’t live in South Florida, it’s very possible that you have no idea that there’s a tropical storm/potential hurricane named Erika heading our way. About a year after I moved from NYC back to Florida (10 years ago), we had an insane hurricane season (i.e. Katrina) and I learned many valuable lessons that I’m taking into account now to ensure my family is safe, nourished and happy under the worst of circumstances. But let’s be honest… None of us want to deal with this, and none of us want to be a beast, so here’s my guide to pre-hurricane beauty prep (and you can find your other survival tips elsewhere).
Hair
I happen to have a meeting today so I just washed and
styled my hair—despite the fact that I got my roots done yesterday and my scalp is super-sensitive (and the itch is
unbearable). The good news is that if I play my cards right, this blowout could
last until next Tuesday (possibly Wednesday) with proper planning, and then we
should be back to business as usual. The main essential is dry shampoo—but not
one that makes your hair greasy. My pick is Klorane’s
Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. I prefer the non-aerosol because it gives me a
lot more bang for my buck, but I essentially have white hair so it’s
indetectable. For darker hair, the aerosol version is a better pick. Just a
little bit every day can stretch your next styling session well into next week,
when Erika is a mere memory.
Face
I’m not taking any major pre-hurricane facial precautions,
but I am doing some pre-storm exfoliation. Why? Because it will help your skin look
fresh and dewy, and that’s always a good thing, even if you lose power and have a natural (i.e. sweat-induced) glisten. And if it gets to that point, trust
me, you’ll want to look as fresh as possible in your un-illuminated mirror
because you probably won’t be wearing makeup since you’ll be literally locked in
the house—and every little bit will help. Keep the skincare products and makeup
to a minimum, because too much heavy stuff will make you (and your skin) miserable.
Your best choice: A BB cream that makes you feel presentable without all the
work.
Body
When faced with the threat of losing power, you need
to do anything possible to “smooth things over” because it’s going to get hot. Real
hot. Even if you plan to flee to Orlando (bad idea because the storm is heading
north) or Naples (that’s our plan), if you’re without power you’ll inevitably
be saying “It’s hot in herre.” (And Nelly won’t be there to make things better.)
Do yourself a favor and give yourself a preemptive shave. To the best of my
knowledge there’s no such thing as hurricane sex if you have kids (and a hurricane is actually a big party if
you don’t), but this will go a long way when you’re stripping down to the bare
essentials because you don’t have A/C and it’s SO hot. I’m personally skipping the self-tanner because I’m thinking about making bags of ice and
filling bathtubs, but if you need a confidence boost while wearing the bare
minimum, bust out the fake tan. NOW.
Please know I understand that safety is the first priority when it comes to an approaching storm. But with that said, it’s possible to offset some of the stress and inconvenience by preparing yourself (and your skin) properly. Plan ahead, stay safe and try to make the most of the situation, but it’s totally OK to take a little time for yourself before the storm arrives—between trips to the grocery store.
Here’s to a last-minute shift in the track, and an easy storm for everyone! Remember to put safety first, and don’t
obsess about what you may look like because that’s not (really) what matters.
XOXO,
IBB