Self-care is personal. It is your way of attending to your body’s needs after a long, sweaty day, like watching your comfort movie. Your body may feel so exhausted that you don’t even know where to start. I’ve been there, and I still am, but along the way, I found some tips that might help you, like they helped me.
Skin-care
I know how it feels, having suffered with acne for over 3 years; the feeling of not wanting to look in the mirror or your phone camera, worried that the shiny, red bumps will lower your self-confidence than it already has. That’s why I’ve tried product after product and ate weird food combinations the internet recommended. Here were some things that helped me:
- Sunscreen Even though it may not seem like a big deal, sunscreen has a big impact on your skin and how long it takes to heal. Wearing it everyday can fade your acne scars, and make you wrinkle slower too. Anessa sun-screen works well for my super oily skin. However there are many other options from brands such as Roundlabs, Neutrogena, Ponds, Cetaphil, Physiogel, CosRX and LaRochePosay. These brands have all been certified by many people by the way, so don’t worry.
- “Green juice” This green concoction consists of celery, cucumber, pineapple, lemon and a little bit of ginger (don’t judge until you’ve tried it, guys). You may have seen a lot of people drink this juice all over the internet. And being easily influenced, I had to try it myself. Apparently, it’s supposed to clean your gut which, in turn, clears your skin. Even though it did make my skin clear up to a certain extent, you shouldn’t drink it everyday forever for the rest of your life. That’s because this green juice consists of celery and cucumber which, if consumed too much can lead to gas, bloating and diarrhea . Stay safe, my girls with sensitive stomachs. I recommend that you drink it everyday for a week, and see how it goes. Remember to drink it in the morning on an empty stomach. If it goes well, drink it for a week every month. You’ll see improvements.
- Double-cleanse When I first heard this term, I thought we had to use our cleanser twice. Actually, it’s using a cleansing oil to cleanse your makeup, remove SPF and all that dirt and gunk that has piled up over the day; then, it’s going over with a cleanser for a super thorough clean. If you wear makeup like me, I really suggest you try double cleansing, even if you have oily skin, you should still use a cleansing oil. I’m currently using the Anua Heartleaf cleansing oil, and it’s pretty good.
Hair-care
- Heads-and-shoulders helped me with my hairline acne I used to have these angry, red bumps all along my hairline. At first, I thought it was just regular acne but it had something to do with the shampoo I was using. After trying countless shampoos, I finally settled on the heads and shoulders classic clean shampoo and it actually worked.
- Effortless heatless curls You want your hair to look good without actually trying in the morning? I got you. Before you go to bed, or after you get out of the shower, grab a pair of socks. I use long socks but I guess it could be any kind. Wrap your hair along the socks and tie the end using a hairband. Do the same on the other side. If it slides down, you could clip the tops of the socks with a claw clip or wrap your hair tighter around the socks (you’ll have tighter curls though). A common mistake I made was twisting the sock as I twisted my hair, this can cause your hair to slide down the socks, so avoid doing that. Also, to me it works better when my hair is dry, but it’s all personal preference.
- Why your hair might be oily My hair used to be so oily after just a day, so I had to wash it every single day . What I didn’t know was that washing it as I came home every night was making it even oilier. Not to mention it was making me lose so much hair. I was practically balding at 9 years old. Instead, try washing it every other day. I know it’s hard but you’ve got to start somewhere, or else it’ll be an endless cycle of washing and balding. Plus, imagine all the cute hairstyles you could do with oily hair. Right now though, I am still washing my hair every other day, as my hair still gets oily fast, but way less than when I was young.
Physical appearance
- Face bloating and staying hydrated To get rid of facial bloating, you can dip your face in ice cold water, or get an ice cube and run it over your face. There are many things that contribute to facial bloating, like eating too much sugar or processed food, such as bread, microwave-ready meals or even meat. There’s nothing wrong with eating these foods, just not too much. Also, did you know that staying hydrated helps to de-bloat your face? Drinking water has many benefits, so don’t forget to stay hydrated!
- Plucking your brows Your brows play an important role in balancing the ratio of your face, you can enhance their appearance simply by just shaping them. If you don’t trust yourself, you can try and ask your mom or sister to help shape your brows, just by a little trimming and shaving. This can make your face look more put together and well-balanced.
- How I keep myself mentally-sane Comfort movie ideas There are a few movies I have reserved for bad days, as I know that they’ll never fail to cheer me up. If you’re opting for a more fantasy theme, The Hunger Games series is the way to go. Maze Runner and Avatar: The Last Airbender (my guilty pleasure) are so good as well. However, if you’re going for a more rom-com kind of movie: Wild Child, Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging (excuse the name), and A Cinderella Story will keep you up all night. Empowering movies such as Little Women, Legally Blonde and Enola Holmes 2 are my all time favorite confidence boosts.
- How do I forget embarrassing moments? Lastly, I will end this article with the question I ask myself the most. Embarrassing things happen all the time, and as much as I try not to let them get to me, they do. The first thing I do is always try to talk to someone that is brutally honest, and of course they’ll make me feel bad, but they’ll also make good points to lessen the blow. However, someone once told me to try to think of another person’s embarrassing moment. It’s hard right? You can’t really remember anything. So will others, when you do something embarrassing, they’ll forget about it. Life goes on and people forget. Remember that.
Thank you for letting me be your big sister, and I’ll leave you with these tips for now. Lastly I want to say, “Girls, go out and have your fun”; cry with your friends, laugh at silly jokes, have fun at school, have fun at home, savor it all. After all this, maybe one day, you’ll be a big sister to another girl as well.