Although beauty is quite subjective depending upon the preferences and taste of an individual, there are always small things that you can do everyday that add to your physical attractiveness. We have listed out six simple and easy things that don’t take much time and lean more towards grooming than actual beauty routines that make you look more put together and improve your overall appearance.
Brush your teeth for two whole minutes
We all have heard it on multiple toothpaste adverts and through our parents on how brushing our teeth twice everyday is very essential for good oral hygiene. A survey conducted by Journal of Dental Research in 2016 concluded that people who brush their teeth for less than two minutes twice a day are more prone to cavities, gingivitis, and gum diseases. It also keeps your mouth and breath fresh. When you brush your teeth, you must be able to reach the inside areas of your teeth and mouth too – like the sides of your molars, your gums, chewing surface and the back of your teeth. And 30 seconds of brushing will not cover all these areas. For better oral health, you should also floss your teeth at least once every day.
Shower daily but wash your hair every other day
Including the ‘You should shower everyday’ passage in this list might come off as a super basic thing but you would be surprised to learn how many people avoid showering every single day. Besides keeping you clean and eliminating body odor, taking a shower has a lot of other health benefits too including relaxing muscle tension, inducing sleep, increasing lung capacity, boosting the immune system, and reducing stress. A shower at night is more favorable. But do not wash your hair everyday as it strips the scalp of the necessary oils. Washing your hair every single day also results in dry and frizzy hair that is very hard to manage. Ideally, you should wash your hair two or three times every week.
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Moisturize your skin and brush your hair
Your appearance is probably the first thing that most people take notice of and the two key players to having a good appearance are your skin and hair. Despite what most beauty and hair styling commercials want you to believe, you can have both of those aspects in good condition by following a few basic tips. A must for good skin is thorough cleansing. Wash your face (and neck) every morning and night with a face wash or cleanser that suits your skin type and requirements. Moisturize your face after washing it and use a sunscreen before you head out.
As for your hair, do not get your hair trimmed in whatever hairstyle that catches your fancy. Instead, think of a good hairstyle that will suit you and request a haircut in that particular style. Make sure you use a hair mask or oil your hair at least once every week and use a conditioner after you wash your hair. Additionally, you can also use hair gels or serums to further style your hair.
Keep your nails clean
The most basic way to take care of your nails is just keeping them clean. Go for a manicure every month or, if you are more of a low maintenance person, just get your nails trimmed tidily once every two or three weeks. Also, do not forget to file your nails after trimming them as this gives them the shape and helps maintain a neat look. Nails get dirty very quickly so do not forget to clean them once everyday with a nailbrush. For healthier and stronger nails, you can also apply a paste of baking soda (two tablespoons) and hydrogen peroxide (one teaspoon) over and under the lunula (white part of your nails) for approximately two minutes before washing them off. This whitens your nails, makes them stronger and shinier. Lastly, apply cuticle oil on your nails at least once every week or so.
Take care of your feet
Even though your feet are mostly hidden, it is still very important to clean them often and take proper care of them. Wash your feet everyday before bed or as soon as you enter your house. Let them dry properly before doing anything else. Use a pumice stone to smooth out the skin of your feet. Also, wear socks wherever you go. If not socks, then at least put on something like a foot cover as direct exposure to most footwear will subtly but surely affect your feet in the long run. Also if you are wearing socks make sure you use cotton ones during summer and woolen ones during winter. You should also moisturize your feet every night before bed.
Pay attention to how you smell
How you smell says a lot about you and works to create a good first impression too. And it is not just your perfume that makes you smell good. For a good base, you can start off with a scented body wash or body soap. Just pick a scent that you love. Then you can also enhance that smell with a scented moisturizer. Do not pick contrasting smells, stick to scents that complement each other. Use the same technique on your shampoo, conditioner and any additional hair products you use to get good smelling hair. Doing these things will ensure you smell good all the time. But you can always enhance this by spritzing on your favorite perfume every time you head out the door.
