Sure, you might know some already! But it never hurts to hear the do’s and don’ts of your teen years again to take note right? From brows to about-face, check out a few good habits that’ll let you say “I woke up like ‘dis!”
Showing Some Skin
Your skin is the first to show the world, “Hey I’m a teen now!” And as awesome as it is being a teen, sometimes the skin part sucks something awful. Mine was bad growing up, so I did everything in the world to try to control my oily skin, get my pimples to go away and to minimize those blackheads. Here are a few tips you can apply today:
FACE
Face Wash
First thing’s first, use a face wash that works for your skin daily. Using the wrong one could be causing your skin to get greasy and produce more oil and acne.
Instead, try using Purpose from the drug store. It’s inexpensive and a good start. If you can afford something more high end, I would use Anna Lotan Clear Mineral Liquid Soap. That’s my splurge for face wash now because it helps to control my oily skin the most.
How to wash is also important! Don’t use scolding hot water. Keep it nice and warm and if you can, try rinsing it with cold water in the end. The splash of cold water helps to close your pores and it feels so good once you get used to it. I love it.
And don’t skip washing your face—all that gunk can really build up and cause problems. Proper face washing is a small thing that can help you out big time. (You should email me or comment below and let me know if you see a difference in your skin after using those products)
Toner
Toners are great for your skin; they help clean up extra dirt off your face or anywhere else you might have acne. For girls, it gets rid of extra makeup that didn’t get washed off all the way and for guys it helps with getting that extra clean face. Toner is also a good antiseptic for any open wounds from picking at pimples. (Stop that!)
Pimple Treatment
If you’re suffering from really bad skin, don’t hesitate to see a doctor! I didn’t find a pimple treatment that helped me out big time until a doctor recommended one to me when I was about 18. I wish I knew about it sooner! It’s called Benzaclin and it works miracles.
Seriously, after using it my skin cleared up like never before. While results are different for everyone and Benzaclin might not be the perfect match for you, I definitely recommend taking the extra step to get prescription-level acne help.
Now that my awful teenage acne is gone, I use a spot treatment Anna Lotan Drying Lotion and it’s amazing. It helps pimples go down by morning and clears up your skin. I used this for one year straight and any extra adult-pimples cleared up. These days, I only use it if I get a new pimple but it’s definitely worth it to save up and get the best stuff.
Face Lotion
Repeat after me: You NEED to wear face lotion! Especially girls before you apply your makeup. You really don’t want to wear makeup on your bare skin.
What keeps my face from getting oily is Anna Lotan Skin Balancer. This is the best I have tried. And in case you think adult-skin is that different, my face still gets oily with anything else.
Extra tip: If you order it on Amazon it takes a while. In the meantime, you can try Purpose Dual Treatment Moisture Lotion SPF 15 for almost-as-good results.
For girls who wear makeup check out this article on My Favorite Makeup for Oily Skin
What if you’ve got really bad skin?
Trust me, I know it’s not fun having problem skin when you just want to enjoy your teen years, go to school and not worry about your skin! But the truth is everyone has their own problems and at the end of the day, everyone is more worried about how they looked than your skin.
I remember walking past people at school and when they would look at me, I felt so uncomfortable. I don’t like too much attention and I also had all sorts of problems but then I would just tell myself “I don’t really know what they are thinking so why would I think they are thinking something bad?”
The truth is, they probably just looked because I walked by and now they are looking at the next person. Confidence starts in the mind and when you have the right thoughts and attitude it shows! Physical stuff can be fixed if you don’t like something. It’s just a matter of not being lazy and taking the steps to achieve the desired results.
Just remember that to fix anything, you have to be ok with getting out of your comfort zone a little. We all do it to achieve what we wish for.
HAIR
This is the easy part. I know in my teen years my hair got oilier than ever and wished someone would have told me there are really easy ways of dealing with that.
Shampoo and Conditioner
If your hair is oily, try using a Sebastian Volupt Shampoo and Conditioner Liter Duo volumizing shampoo and conditioner. Shampoo your hair twice, rinse well, squeeze out all the water, apply conditioner to the ends only, leave on for a couple minutes and rinse well.
If you want to take the extra step and get a little volume, then on damp and clean hair use Thick Spray by Rusk on your roots and blow dry your hair all the way at the roots. Blow dry all the way even if you wash your hair at night. When hair is blow-dried all the way with Rusk it helps to keep it clean longer.
Dry Shampoo
If your hair gets oily the next day or by the middle of the day don’t worry. Just get this amazing Dry Shampoo by Batiste and spray anywhere it’s oily. This stuff is magic at absorbing oil and gives you that clean look. It often goes on sale at Ulta so keep it in stock. (This is something I always have.)
FACIAL HAIR
Hey, we all have it! I get threaded on my face every couple weeks because it makes me feel good to know when the sun hits my face, it’s nice and smooth. Plus, with all the hormones injected into our food these days, lots of people have hair growing where it probably shouldn’t!
If it’s hair above the lip you can get it waxed or threaded at any cosmetology school for super cheap. You can also wax it yourself if you’re brave. Just get a wax kit at Sallys Beauty and check out some YouTube videos. You can also try a lightening kit to bleach the hair, which is how I started out.
And guys this one is very easy for you: just shave. Hair that grows out after it has been shaved looks way better than that baby hair mustache. Check out my article on hair products for you: The Ultimate Guide to Styling Hair for Men.
Sound like a lot of stuff? Yeah, it can be—and it can feel pretty pricey, too. But in my experience, if you want to fix an issue, getting anything other than what works is a waste of money! If there’s something you really need, talk to your parents about what could help.
BODY
Aw yes, our dear bodies! To feel good, we have to stay healthy and have energy. Even at a young age we can feel we don’t have energy if we don’t take care of ourselves. Thankfully, it’s very trendy right now to be healthy….so join the mass and feel good! There are some really cool pages to follow for tips on healthy eating and tips on achieving a healthy body if you’re interested in learning more.
Body Odor
This best thing I can say on this is this: if you can smell it then so can others.
I’m not trying to be gross but I mean, like, if your shirt needs to be washed don’t second guess it, just wash it. Guys especially, if something doesn’t smell fresh, perfume or cologne won’t help it. Seriously, JUST WASH IT.
Same goes for our dear armpits, lol! If it needs a wash don’t just apply deodorant over it to hide it. It won’t work. Wash and use deodorant. First and foremost, you will feel good and looking good is all about how you feel. P.S. – If you shower every other day, you still need to use deodorant every day.
Also don’t use detergents with lots of scents. Use something mild. You don’t want to smell like detergent or fabric softener sheets. When our bodies get hot, those detergent scents start to get way too strong, and you’ll smell like a flower shop—in a not-great way.
That’s my list of top tips to help start good grooming habits!
It’s great for all ages, but especially teen guys and girls. Hope this helps and feel free to forward it to your friends. And if you feel like exploring, there are some other good articles on this site that give useful info, too.
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