If you’re the slightest bit interested in anything beauty and fashion-related, then you’ve definitely heard of the term “maintenance routine.” This term originated from the TikTok trend of people sharing their personal beauty rituals. These “high maintenance to be low maintenance” routines are daily, weekly, monthly or annual routines to regularly maintain a self-image of beauty. Maintenance routines have many benefits for those who are interested in beauty and self-care. Those benefits mainly include convenience and self-love. The downside of maintenance routines is that they can be quite expensive. All the treatments and products can quickly add up. The beautiful thing about a routine is that it can be customized to personal preference! No matter who you are, what your budget is and what you prefer, a maintenance routine can be beneficial for anyone.
A maintenance routine can be as simple or as intense as you’d like it to be. For example, a daily routine can be skin care. Something as simple as the bare basics such as face wash, moisturizer and sunscreen. It can be as complex as skin care, hair, makeup, salon treatments, appointments with beauty professionals and high-end beauty products. TikTok user danielleathena shares her in depth beauty routine. For hair she oils and exfoliates her scalp, washes her hair, uses a microfiber towel to dry her hair and strictly sleeps on silk pillowcases. She gets monthly manicures and pedicures. Believe it or not, but this is not the most intense that these routines can get!
A great example of a high-maintenance routine is from TikTok user Courtney Michelle. She gets her manicure and pedicure every month, eyelash extensions biweekly, botox and filler quarterly, hair extensions and laser hair removal. This is definitely not an average routine — a routine like this can be quite pricey. Courtney shares these prices and what it all adds up to be. Here is the breakdown:
The mani-pedi is $150;
Eyelash extensions are $175;
Botox filler is $600;
Hair extensions are $600 with the installation being $500;
And laser hair removal is $2000 for 8 sessions.
This routine’s grand total adds up to $4,025.
The main downside to maintenance routines, especially high maintenance routines, is the high cost. These routines are meant to be a fun form of self-care. If that comes at the cost of financial security, then of course it’s no longer fun and fresh! That’s why there’s a routine for everyone. It can still be high maintenance even if it’s DIY at home!
My own maintenance routine is something that brings me so much comfort and self-confidence. Daily, I do skin care, hair, and makeup. My skincare routine is pretty simple. It’s just face wash, tretinoin (only at night), exfoliant, moisturizer, sunscreen and a weekly face mask. Occasionally, I see an esthetician. For hair I do a weekly hair mask, weekly scalp exfoliant and leave-in conditioner. Other occasional parts of my routine include: getting my eyebrows done, gel mani-pedi, hair dye and new makeup products.
A maintenance routine (how many times have I said that already?) can be whatever you want it to be. The whole point of it is that it’s supposed to be fun. It should be something that brings you happiness. No matter the budget and no matter how complicated the routine is, it’s all in the name of self-care!