Between work, school, pets, families, social events, and extracurricular activities, our time gets booked  quickly! Sometimes finding time to move our bodies can takes a back seat. What I’ve always loved about Power Life is that no matter when I can find time to spend 45 or 60 minutes in the heat, there is likely a class being offered. For those days when the only time I have to squeeze in movement is right before I have to log into a meeting, I was looking for tips to make it look like I hadn’t just spent two hours in a 100+ degree sauna (not dramatic, I show heat and sweat so easily). After some trial and error, here are my best post-class beauty hacks that will leave you feeling confident that no one will even know what you were doing right before you log on to zoom for that meeting.

Hack #1: Cold Shower

If you’re like me, your first thought when reading this was probably “absolutely not”. As someone who has been forced to take cold showers before, I know they are difficult to power through. However, when you only have 20-30 minutes to get ready post-workout, doing a quick 2 – 3-minute rinse off in a cold shower will immediately help lower your body temp. I love this as a first step for two reasons! One, lowering your body temp will help prevent you from continuously sweating while getting ready. Trust me when I say there is nothing worse than sweating while trying to apply makeup, do your hair, get dressed, etc. The other reason I love a quick, cold shower post-class is that it will help start to reduce redness in your face (we’ll touch on other things that can help with this later on)!

Hack #2: Waterproof Mascara

When it comes to getting ready or freshening up, makeup can sometimes take the most time. If you’re trying to squeeze in a midday or post-work-before-dinner-with-friends workout class, waterproof mascara is a must. It doesn’t have to be a fancy brand, anything in the Target beauty section will do, but having something that can withstand the sweat, towel-offs, and a quick shower will save time.

Hack #3: Braids and Dry Shampoo

Getting your hair back to looking like you haven’t been sweating in a 90 degree+ room is a challenge when you have limited time to freshen up after class. Those with long hair know that when working out the natural tendency is to throw our hair in a bun on top of our head to keep it all back. If you know you won’t have time to wash/blow dry your hair after class, try throwing your hair in a braid for class instead! Sweat naturally helps set your hair so with a braid, natural-looking waves are possible whether you’re walking out wearing your hair down or in a low, slicked-back pony! A braid can also help retain your natural part which can speed up your hair-styling process. Regardless if you rock a braid in class or default to a messy bun, dry shampoo is a must-have for your gym bag. Applying dry shampoo on your roots will help soak up sweat and bring volume back to your hair all while leaving your hair smelling like you had time to wash and condition your hair after class! If you don’t have a go-to dry shampoo, Batiste is a great brand to try out – it smells amazing, is reasonably priced/easy to find, plus they have different colors of dry shampoo to match different hair colors.

Hack #4: Facial Spray

While it usually takes time for post-workout face/neck/chest redness to totally go away, keeping a refreshing face mist on hand can be used to help with rehydrating and reducing that redness. Aloe and cucumber are two must-have ingredients in a facial mist you’re using for a few reasons! The first is that cucumber has a cooling and anti-inflammatory effect on skin which is proven to help ease redness or any other skin irritation. For anyone who has had a bad sunburn and used aloe, this probably won’t come as a big surprise, but aloe is one of the best hydrating ingredients for your skin. In addition to being highly moisturizing, it also is proven to unclog pores and leave your skin feeling soft. While there are lots of face mists/sprays out there to try, Mario Badesco has a great, inexpensive facial spray with aloe, cucumber, and green tea which you should consider a new staple for your gym bag in 2022!

With these four hacks, I hope you’re able to enjoy all the benefits of working out – the movement, the hard work, the heat, and the strength building – without any of the stress of how little time you may have to freshen up after class before you pick back up on your to-do list. I also hope these tips help you feel confident knowing that you can take time for yourself while also leaving a workout looking and feeling your best!