How much time do you spend getting ready for the day? I clock in at about an hour, although that time is divided between the night before (when I shower and dry my hair) and the morning when I fix my now pillow crimped, weird hair, and put on a minor amount of makeup. About an hour. Sometimes more, sometimes less but if you were to round it out I'm gonna go with an hour.
According to my totally informal, unscientific and possibly grossly inaccurate Facebook poll, that's about the same amount of time a lot of you devote to getting ready every 24 hours. Unless you're Wendy Ann who says it "Only takes 10 minutes, when you have fine hair and don't wear makeup or jewelry or clothes". But I think she's the exception.
One of my sisters on the other hand takes almost twice that amount of time (although that includes her sitting with her coffee waiting for her hair to set or some 1950's thing). The other sister is less high maintenance but still wakes up extra early so she can clean. Who ARE these people of mine?
The two hour sister and I were talking about the amount of time we both spend getting ready, she 2 hours, me 1 and thought wouldn't it be fun to calculate how much time in our lifetime we lose by showering, doing our hair and putting on makeup.
That's some amusement park level fun for middle agers right there.
We both started doing quick calculations in our heads but because we're both more linguistically skilled than mathematically we mostly just stared at our fingers as we tried to remember if we'd counted that one already.
Out came the iPhone. Let's see. We start worrying about showering and doing our hair at around puberty, although honestly, I didn't wear a stitch of makeup until I was out of University, much to the chagrin of Betty who was constantly chasing me with "rouge" and lipstick.
But let's say most people start taking care of their appearance and start a daily getting ready routine at around the age of 14.
Canadian women have an estimated life expectancy of 82 years, much longer if you're healthy. Let's go with 82 though for the purpose of this very scientific study. Assuming you maintain the same level of "getting readiness" throughout your lifetime, that's a total of 68 years of waking up and getting ready.
Just a pic of me in my shower cap which I wear when I want to save 30 minutes of my life by not washing my hair.
An hour a day every year is 365 hours per year of getting ready. That works out to 15 days a year GONE to showering, hair and makeup. And I mean full days. A full 24 hours each.
Multiply that by 68 years and it's 1,034 days of getting ready in a lifetime.
What does that mean?
It's almost 3 years.
If you didn't shower or get ready you'd have enough extra time in your life to become half of a doctor.
3 years of beautiful dreams, laughing out loud, hugging your friend, reading a book, listening to music, watching the birds, walking in the grass, eating ice cream, relaxing at the cottage, yawning, crying, talking, listening. ALL gone. So you don't stink and have good(ish) hair.
I don't have a solution. No fix for it. It's just a reminder to pay attention this weekend to enjoying things because 3 years of your life is going down the drain.
Have a good weekend!
Linda J
No one will want to hug you if you don't shower or kiss you if you don't brush your teeth and so on. You will be all alone with all that time on your hands. Go have a shower and brush your teeth.
Karen but not that karen
Oh for heavens sakes! She didn’t say “ dont brush ypur teeth “
Thomas Wood
I shower daily for 3min a day (wash my hair once a week & let it dry naturally +2mins) 2mins brushing my teeth and about the same brushing my hair. So about 10min a day. I don't style my hair, no make-up, or jewellery. I clip a finger nail when it gets a hitch but apart from that they don't get touched always worn down. Toenails get trimmed monthly or my socks get holes. Do I save any time? No, I waist it on sleeping 😴 🤣🤣
Tina
An hour a day?!? 30 minutes to wash your hair?!?
I’m old, I take good care of myself. It takes me 11-15 min each night to take a shower and wash my hair. The longer period is for nights I pumice my feet and shave legs, etc. I don’t grow much hair anymore. I lay my clothes out for the next day, that takes 2 minutes. I’m thinking about what to wear while in the shower. I lotion my entire body while getting into bed. I don’t dry my hair.
In the morning, I run a brush through my hair, brush my teeth, and splash my face. I put on daytime lotion and sunscreen and get dressed. I feed my cats, let the dogs outside, and feed them. From getting out of bed to sitting at my computer with my coffee is 9-12 minutes.
I can’t imagine wasting more time of it all. I certainly can’t imagine devoting 2 hours to that. The idea is making me tired.
Randy P
Cute pic, although if I'm being honest once I got past how cute you are and how easy it is to get lost in your eyes I was left wondering where you were headed wearing a zip-up leather jacket and a shower cap. Didn't know they had Walmarts in Canada.
Karen
😆 Oh we do indeed. Leather jacket with shower cap is more of a dollar store outfit though. ~ karen!
Leslie Barnard
Okay, but what if you spend that shower time singing and vocalizing and practicing conversations with people who aren't there, or better yet, famous(ish) people you've never met but if you ever do, you'd know exactly what to say? I'm not even counting the corrected, hindsight remarks that you didn't get to say but have to repeat to perfection so you can put that one to bed.
WoniyaWaken
Oh man...I've done this calculation. But it hasn't been about hair/make-up or showering..it's been about commuting. And that's a depressing loss of time...I'm up to five whole years just sitting in traffic 24 hours a day... or on BART, or on a bus or some stupid thing. So I say YES to go have fun whenever I can, and YES to no commuting to dead end job-o-rama whenever I can..which is never. But I plan to say yes when I can!
Chris
I did that calculation at one stage too, although mine was entirely on public transport so I could at least read. It was the catalyst for an entirely different lifestyle and a move to the country. I was able to work from home (before it was a 'thing') and my commute was reduced to less than a minute. The only down side was a lack of forced reading time but the benefits far outweighed that.
So go for it - there's always a solution.
SusanR
I never took an hour to get ready for anything. Not even my wedding. Until I was in my 30s, I didn't wear makeup. I had long, straight, fine hair that I washed, combed and let hang dry because it refused to do anything else, anyway.
Then I discovered perms! I would have my hair permed once a year into lovely, long, soft, romantic curls. That removed the need to comb it, and resulted in what I happily referred to as my wash-and-wear hair. I'd wash it, flip my head forward and back a few times which would get rid of the excess water, separate the curls into their original permed state, and make the curls nice and springy, and be on my way, letting it dry naturally, which would happen quite quickly. Makeup consisted of mascara and lipstick. Period.
Now that I'm too old to pull off the long romantic curls without looking like Baby Jane or something, I have very short hair which dries on its own and is allowed to just lay on my head however it pleases because it's still baby fine and refuses to do anything else. When I was working, it took 20 minutes to shower, and apply foundation, mascara, lipstick and eyebrow pencil, and dress. For the observant, the addition of foundation became necessary with aging, to even out the skin coloring.
My recommendation is to buy a good wig for special occasions and bad hair days, use as little makeup as you can get away with, and try to figure out how to have wash-and-wear hair the rest of the time.
Leeuna
Since I retired I've found so many different things to waste my time on it's hard to choose.
Karen but not that karen
Same , girlfriend!
Kelli
ha HA, joke's on you! Unemployment means only showering every 4-5 days. If that.
;-D
Renee Hays
Agree. Covid changed all the rules. Just pj’s and a good show.
Benjamin
hugs
tiffany
not one but two articles in the Lee Valley newsletter, you tomato grower extraordinaire .
Pits and parts daily, shower and hair wash only if I am extra dirty or sweaty from the garden.
Is anyone else having problems trying to type responses?
Ann
I like your explanation of your hygiene routine. It is exactly what I do and wrote, but no where near as eloquently.
Dina
I'm with Wendy Ann. I do dog rescue; 19 dogs in the kennel; I don't have time for any of that stuff; barely have time to eat!
connie
LoL , gardening in dress! Good for you Karen. I don't see anything wrong in that ;) At all. Reminded me of the time I'd gone into the city all dressed up. Came home to dark rainclouds and just enough time to cut the grass if I hurried. Wanting to seize my oppourtunity ( we've had so much rain!) I didn't stop to get changed. I hopped on the riding lawn still wearing my full length skirt and heels and finished as the first drops were falling. Should have heard the comments from the neighbours. " Well, that's a first - I've never"....haha. I'm new in town , they'll get used to me.
You Go Girl !
Jennie Lee
Since I'm retired, I only go out among human beings once or twice a week, so I clean up right before I go out. I've never worn makeup. I started wearing my hair short when I retired, and I wished I'd done it years before-- I love it. I shampoo and manicure once a week. Even though most of what I do is what I WANT to do, I still keep very busy, and haven't enough time for everything. How on earth did I ever waste time watching bad TV shows?
Kathi
True, showering, hair, and make-up can be time wasters when you overdo them. But at least you smell and look good! My hideous time waster is Netflix at night. Not so much the movies, but the seasons of great thriller or 'spy' shows that keep you guessing all season until the last episode conclusion. Way too addictive! And the shame when I finally turn off the TV. 😱
Deb Ketchum
pondering: should i waste time being clean or should i be dirty & old ...
no question in my mind that make up and hair styling - other than obligatory church/holiday/wedding - would be a bane to my existence.
Kath
Confession-me neither!!! Thought I was alone in this. Over 5 yrs ago I decided to see how long I could go w/o washing it b/4 it would look bad enough to frighten the horses. Because I have the worlds DRIEST hair& skin, turns out I could do 2 weeks, easy peasy. After a lot of searching I found a stylist who does a fabulous blowout for 40 bucks American. I did the math, figured I spent almost that much on product to do it myself plus the hours on my feet in front of the mirror and it never looked 1/2 as good. I haven't washed my own hair even once ever since. And I will never do it again. Come the apocalypse I'm just gonna go full Britney, but til then it's blowout city sweetheart.
Kath
Whoops! Wtf? How did i do this twice? Supposed to be for Sabina- sorry
Sabina Missana
Confession: I don't wash my hair!
I have baby fine, wavy hair that can curl with the right level of humidity. At the advice of my hair stylist guru I stopped washing daily it a few years ago and it's much healthier and curls better now. The only time it gets washed is when I go for a cut or a color, so basically twice a month.
Don't judge... ;)
Kath
Confession-me neither!!! 5 yrs ago I decided to see just how long I could go without washing it before it looked bad enough to frighten the horses and, due to the fact that I have the worlds DRIEST hair and skin, I can do 2weeks easy, peasy. Longer in the dry winter months. After a lot of searching I found a stylist who does a fantastic blowout for $40(USD) + well-deserved tip. I did the math & found I'd been spending almost as much on product to do it myself plus hours on my feet in front of the mirror and it didn't look 1/2 as good. I haven't washed my own hair even once since then and it routinely garners the most compliments after day 12. So now there are 2of us.
Sabina Missana
❤️
charlotte tataryn
Hi Karen and Kath; this is a very interesting subject. Due to 3 years of bad health, none of which I was 'responsible' for, and far too many surgeries, I determined that I was going to try and go as chemical free as possible. My body requires plenty 'o scripts so I pay far more attention to my liver's well-being. I confess I still drink wine and beer; life is too short, and thus far, my liver is fine, which is proven every time I have a blood test which is, at the very least, often. I read labels. I googled contents listed on labels. I almost fainted. More googling led me to a billion, perhaps 2, sites relating to home made, or DIY everything. As a result of all this, I no longer use any soap except on my hands, I shower very rarely, and when I do, it's with very cool water, and I'm in and out in under 5 minutes. I scrub my skin with cotton face cloths, while in the shower, to remove dead skin and dirt. My shampoo, used on average, once every 8-10 days, is a paste made from double-sifted rye flour and water, rinsing with diluted vinegar which is left in. My hair is amazing, it is super healthy, and if my head gets itchy, a lemon squeezed on my head, and left for half an hour solves that.
My facial moisturizer is Aloe Vera Gel, and astringent is Apple Cider Vinegar. I only use Mille water to remove sun screen which is ridiculously hard to take off any other way. My skin isn't dry, I have zero body odor and have a sensitive nosed husband to assure me of that. Spot washing is done regularly, but just with water. We should all try to use fewer chemicals in our homes: there are SO many options, and likewise pay more attention to what goes into, and onto our bodies. You're the ONLY blog I read and you are one clever, intelligent and entertaining woman. Thank for you sharing your interesting thoughts with all of us fans.
Charlotte T
Kirsten
Im one of those hairstylists. I have several ladies that I do this to and no one understands how they go that long. A good blowout on thick dry hair is worth its weight in gold.
Ella
There are ways to reduce the time it takes to get ready without ending up being offensive to those around you. Laser hair removal has shaved a lot of time off my routine (see what I did there?), business like showers, multi-purpose skin care products and a dyson hair dryer. The dryer has been life changing - dries my hair so quickly and leaves it straight and shiny eliminating the need to straighten. I exercise hard every day so skipping a shower and shampoo is simply not an option. I NEVER leave the house without at least mascara and lippy. NEVER!
Jody
I too, like to see how many years various things take. For instance, I have just checked out Michelle Duggar (yes the mother with 19 children). Two of her pregnancies were twins and at least one did not go full term. However if all her pregnancies had gone the full 40 weeks gestation she has been pregnant for a total of 13 years. Elephants have the longest mammal gestation period at 95 weeks.
And that is an hour of my life I will never get back.......
Leeuna
Bahaha! This comment made me snort-laugh.
jaine kunst
Karen, you are too funny...gardening in a dress, LMAO. OMG, I've got coffee coming out of my nose.