It all comes back around.

Remember a few weeks ago when we discussed how everything from politics to wars to pandemics can affect the beauty industry? Trends follow the way the world changes and adapt to suit our lives, and 2020 was filled with tons of big changes. Our lives are drastically different than they were 12 months ago, and so are our self-care routines.

I knew I couldn’t be alone in this, so I decided to do a little research on some of the predicted beauty and self-care trends that will be big this year. As a surprise to no one, many of these trends are direct products of the pandemic. To understand our future, we must always look back at our past.

These are the four biggest beauty and self-care trends we can expect to see in 2021.

(More) sustainable beauty

With more time spent at home, we had a chance to slow down and look around. I don’t know about you, but I realized this year just how much garbage my household creates, especially when it comes to my products. I’m constantly throwing away tissues, non-recyclable shampoo bottles, little skincare jars and more. Beauty can be wasteful, but thankfully tons of brands are moving in the right direction to cut back.
LastRound are reusable cotton rounds made of 100% sustainably sourced cotton and work great to remove makeup, take off nail polish or anything your regular cotton round would do. According to the brand, LastRound replaces 1,750 single-use cotton rounds. While you normally would toss a round after a single use, just wash these and they’re as good as new.
Dieux Forever Eye Mask, meanwhile, replaces wasteful single-use sheet masks while also making use of products you already have. Apply the serum, gel or cream of your choice to the silicone patches, allow the product to get tacky and place the patches on your undereyes for 10 minutes. Remove, wash and save for next time.

Beauty sleep

Since we’re stressed and spending more time at home, the Pinterest 100 predicts a restful night’s sleep will be a top priority into 2021, with an increase in searches for things such as “sleep blends for diffuser” and “silk sleepwear.” Catching ZZZs helps your body regenerate and repair, which leads to healthy skin and hair as well as better overall wellness.
Get your aromatherapy on with InnoGear Diffuser to diffuse lavender and/or bergamot essential oils, both of which are rich in linalool and linalyl acetate, aka compounds with well-known relaxing properties. Swap your regular pillowcase for a satin or silk one such as Kitsch Silky Satin Pillowcase to minimize frizz, damage to your hair, and the formation of fine lines and wrinkles on skin. The soft, smooth material won’t snag your hair or tug on your skin like their cotton counterparts. They also aren’t as absorbent, so your hair and skin stay healthy and hydrated while you snooze.

Beauty on a budget

While online shopping soared from March onward, funds were low for millions of Americans out of work thanks to the pandemic’s fallout. When it was time to cut back on spending, people began to search for the best affordable dupes of their favorite prestige products. Thankfully, legendary mass-producing brands such as CoverGirl, Maybelline, L’Oreal, CeraVe, Vanicream and Neutrogena have seriously stepped up their game. You also can’t go wrong with products from Pacifica, Versed, NYX, E.L.F. and Flower Beauty. Keep an eye on brands available at Sephora and Ulta, such as the Inkey List and the Ordinary, both of which offer seriously great skin care for under $15.

Back to basics

In the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, we couldn’t get professional color or cuts, so we focused on keeping our hair as healthy as possible. Searches for “hair masks” increased by 50%, according to Elle.
Try K18 Hair Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, a seriously smart treatment that carries amino acids into the cortex of hair to reconnect keratin chains to bring damaged strands back to their original state. I swear that introducing this product during quarantine is the reason why my bottled blonde hair is longer and healthier than ever before.
We also became most accustomed to our natural selves, from the way our hair air-dries to the freckles, spots and lines we typically cover up. Dewy skin tints such as L’Oréal Paris Skin Paradise Tinted Moisturizer and Revlon ColorStay Light Cover Foundation give us just enough coverage without completely masking what makes our skin so unique to us.