There is nothing like enhancing natural beauty with a touch of makeup and quick fixing of the hair. When you can reflect how good you feel on the inside to how you look, it can be incredibly empowering. This is especially true for women living with physical or chronic disabilities.
As a female who has lived with Cerebral Palsy, I have found it gratifying when I can beautify myself with a minimum amount of help. My condition has affected the range of my muscle movements and I often have muscle spasms. The right side of my body is always tighter and weaker than the left side. I usually need physical assistance with any occupational activity.
I am nothing but persistent with overcoming the challenges of being physically disabled, though. I have learned how to improve my independence over the years by trying out unique types of adaptive equipment and tools. I am gradually getting to where I don’t have to rely on my husband or personal care attendant to help me with my make-up and hair fully anymore.
All women deserve to experience the joy of doing their own makeup and hair. Here are a few crafty tools to try out to enhance your hair styling and make-up skills independently:
Let It Blow
Blowing out your own hair can be a hassle when you don’t have the flexible, sturdy arms to hold a hair dryer. What do you do if there is nobody around to help?
- Having an adjustable hair dryer stand will make the task easier.
- Once you place the hair dryer into the holder and adjust the height, you can sit or stand under it and let your hair dry.
- It will only take a few minutes.
- It isn’t too heavy and wide. Most hair dryers fit in it.
- Most of them are around $20-$30.
Spray and Slay
Do you enjoy refreshing your hair with dry shampoo or hairspray as much as I do? Do you have trouble holding the bottle while spraying?
- Using spray paint can gun helps you to spray your hair completely.
- You just place the can nozzle into the gun and squeeze the trigger whenever you are ready.
- It is light and the trigger isn’t difficult to press. Any can fits.
- You can get more areas of your hair with it.
- Most are under $10.
Get A Grip Sis
Ever struggle with opening small makeup products, removing caps, or holding onto things?
- Rubber pencil or tubing grips are great for opening skinny round things like eyeliners, liquid lipsticks, or some eyebrow products.
- All you need to do is place a rubber grip on the end tightly and twist to open.
- You can also use the rubber grip to steady your grip as you do your eyeliner or lipstick.
- Most are around $10 and under.
- If you don’t enjoy using rubber grips, a universal ring holder attachment might be the right tool for you.
- All you have to do is to stick the attachment to the top of the product and use it to open or hold the product.
- Most packs are under $10
- I have recently tried out the makeup brand Guide Beauty.
- Their mascara, eyeliner, and eyebrow products have adaptive twist tops and they are easy to hold.
- The eyeliner tool is a little tricky and the mascara is super thick. It takes a while to get used to the tools. However, I think the products are good for women who have weak, tight hands.
- You can also watch the tutorials they provide for each tool.
- The price range for the products is about $24 to $50.
Crazy Eyes
Putting on eyeshadow and mascara is trying to color inside the lines of a very detailed mandala. I always end up with raccoon eyes whenever I try to do my eyes. Do you?
- Using eyeshadow shields can prevent the problem.
- You only have to remove the release paper and stick them under your eyes.
- I suggest doing your eyes before your foundation so the stickiness won’t mess up your foundation.
- They catch any shadow or smudges from getting on your cheeks.
- You also can put one on your chin if you struggle with getting lipstick on your chin.
- A pack of 120 is under $10 on Amazon.
Go ahead and see how these tools and techniques help boost your style and your confidence. The best you can do is try.. It took me a while to feel comfortable about trying to make myself pretty. I sometimes end up looking like a clown, but I keep on trying. Practice makes perfect!
