I love to play around with my makeup and get creative with a variety of bold makeup looks. Makeup is a lot of fun, and I find that it enhances my personal style. That said, I also like to go without makeup a lot of the time. Whether I’m in lazy girl mode or I just don’t find makeup necessary for my look, I appreciate it when my bare face is glowing on its own. I also must say that having glowing skin also lends itself to my makeup going on much smoother and easier. And when my hair is also cooperating, it makes for a great get-ready session.
Needless to say, caring for my skin and hair is a major part of my beauty routine. And I’m not exclusively talking about my direct skin and haircare routines and the products that I use for them. Nor am I just talking about everything showers and those wonderful bits of self-care that make for a great “me time” session. I’m talking about underrated beauty secrets that may often fly under the radar, or even go overlooked. Some of which we may not attribute to beauty, but will have us glowing from within.
1 — Looking After Your Wellness
Wellness and beauty are not separate from one another. The way that we take care of ourselves often reflects in our skin and our overall appearance, as well as in our perception of ourselves. I’ve noticed that when I take good care of myself, my beauty radiates from within. My skin will be clear, soft, and smooth. My hair will be softer, easier to style, and more manageable. I’ll also notice that my nails grow stronger and faster.
Likewise, when I start to neglect my wellness, not only do I tend to feel physically and mentally cruddy, but I notice I tend to look a bit more frumpy. I’ll notice that my skin and hair tend to look a lot duller when I’m not taking good care of myself. When I’m not drinking enough water, I’ll notice that dry patches tend to develop across my face and body. I may also develop some breakouts from eating poorly, unmanaged stress, or both. And when I notice my nails becoming brittle and breaking, as my hair refuses to cooperate with me, it makes the funk I’ve gotten myself into feel even worse.
That said, while we all get into a funk sometimes, it’s important to pull ourselves out of it as quickly as we can. Not just for beauty-related reasons, but because we deserve to feel well. Our bodies will thank us for reprioritizing our wellness, and we will glow from within once again.
2 — Affirming Your Beauty
There are so many wonderful things that you can manifest into your life by affirming them. And enhancing your natural beauty is no exception. As a matter of fact, enhancing your natural beauty may even be one of the easiest things to manifest through affirmations! Especially given the fact that so much of our beauty tends to come from within. And beauty is often a matter of our own perception of ourselves. So let’s stop bashing ourselves in the mirror because we’re all too beautiful for that self-deprecating nonsense. Instead, let’s hype up our looks and remind ourselves how lovely we are.
Seriously, tell yourself how beautiful you are, and repeat it until you believe it yourself. Affirm to your subconscious that you have soft, clear skin. Affirm that your hair is soft and silky and that your nails are strong. Your words hold so much power, along with the way you care for yourself and choose to put yourself together. So speak kindly about your beauty, and it will be reflected back to you in the mirror.
3 — Gua Sha, Facial Rollers, and Scalp Massages
I know that Gua Sha, facial rollers, and scalp massages are actually very popular forms of self-care. However, I personally originally got into doing them because they felt nice and helped relieve feelings of tension in my face and scalp. It feels good to roll and scrape away the tension of the day. Especially when applying just a little extra pressure around my temple area. But aside from feeling amazing after a long time, I also quickly discovered that Gua Sha is also an incredible beauty secret. It was only a matter of days of daily massages before I noticed soft, smooth skin. And within a couple of weeks, others were asking me what I was doing to have such great skin.
And it makes sense, considering that these massages promote more healthy blood flow to the skin. They also help drain excess fluids that can cause our skin to look puffier. It’s an added bonus to relieving the tension that builds up in our faces after a long day.
4 — Keep Things that Touch Your Face Clean
While we may not think about the cleanliness of our beauty tools, pillowcases, towels, phones, and hands to be a beauty secret, it actually is. Residual products and makeup, dead skin cells, and bacteria can build up on these things through regular use, which can eventually be the catalyst for breakouts if we don’t cleanse them. Plus, having old, excess makeup on our makeup brushes can also make it harder to get smooth, even coverage. And you most likely want to keep your makeup brushes, pillowcases, and towels in the best shape possible.
And in terms of our hands, let’s not forget that touching our face with unwashed hands can not only potentially cause breakouts, but can also potentially get us sick. The same goes for putting a dirty phone to our cheek when we use it as an actual phone. Since it is such a frequently touched item for most of us.
So, let’s be sure we’re always washing our hands before we do our skincare and makeup routines. And make an effort not to touch our faces with unwashed hands throughout the day. Let’s be sure we’re also deep-cleaning our makeup brushes and sponges at least once a week. And while we’re at it, let’s also wash our pillowcases, sheets, and towels as a part of our weekly reset routine. Honestly, I’d actually keep enough towels on hand to swap them out at least every other day. If not every day. And don’t forget to wipe down your phone, even if you don’t use it as a phone.
5 — Take Your Makeup Off When You Get Home
I’m not going to lie, sometimes, it can be a bit of a bummer to remove a great makeup look. But while I want to enjoy the look for as long as possible, my skin is ready to breathe when I get home. So, as I change into my athleisure to wear around the house, I also choose to promptly remove my makeup. That way, I don’t have to worry about washing my makeup off later in the evening. Nor do I have to worry about falling asleep in my makeup if it’s off before I even sit down. Much less have a chance to lie down, stain my pillowcase, and clog my pores with makeup that I know better than to sleep in.
Honestly, my primary point with this one is to never sleep with makeup on. But, honestly, let your skin breathe when you’re at home resting. Remove your makeup ASAP after a long day at work or a fun afternoon of shopping. And don’t you dare go to bed without at least taking your makeup off after a night out! You’re not too tired to prevent a potentially painful breakout, my lovely.
6 — Style Your Hair Overnight
Full transparency, I like to be as lazy as possible about styling my hair in the morning. So I tend to either braid it to create a wavy look, or I’ll put silk rollers into my hair while it’s still slightly damp. I have relatively fine hair that holds curls very well, so I find that overnight curling methods work wonders for me. Not only is my hair usually done within 5 minutes in the morning after a few minor touchups and adding in some accessories, but I don’t have to use heat to style my hair.
Of course, the overnight styling methods that work best for you will depend on your hair type. As well as your tolerance for what you’re able to still sleep restfully while using. Don’t sacrifice sleep just to style your hair overnight. I would also say to avoid going to bed with wet hair to avoid putting more friction on your hair in its more fragile state, and avoid bacterial growth on your scalp and pillowcase. I also highly recommend using silk rollers over other types of curlers, as they tend to be the most comfortable for sleep, and they’re also gentler on the hair. And using a silk bonnet and/or pillowcase is also great for reducing friction on your hair overnight.
7 — Use Products That Work For YOU
There are a lot of amazing products out there that end up trending on social media. Be it for the product itself, the pretty packaging it comes in, or both. It may also be popular because of the brand or the celebrity/influencer behind the brand. Likewise, it seems to be in everyone’s makeup bag. Or in their skincare, haircare, or shower routine. And those products may also be working wonders for the people who rave about them. But keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for another, and may even cause breakouts and irritation for another.
We all have different hair types, skin types, and needs with our skincare and haircare. Some of us may also have an allergy to certain ingredients and need to be mindful of reading the product label. We may also have different preferences for what we like and dislike in a product. For instance, it may be difficult to get past the strong fragrance of a certain body wash or shampoo. Or a moisturizer that has a consistency that feels too thin or too thick.
And before you build a multi-step skin or haircare routine, remember that it’s better to implement new products slowly, rather than all at once. That way, if any adverse effects occur, you can more easily pinpoint the problem. On that same note, remember that it’s also okay to keep it simple with your skincare and haircare.
Conclusion
It can truly pay off to be a little high-maintenance to be low-maintenance when we really don’t feel like putting makeup on or taking the time to style our hair. Plus, it feels great to be able to feel confident going out with a bare face and wearing our natural hair. So let’s be sure to take care of ourselves from the inside out, and let our beauty radiate from within. Sometimes it’s the things that we might overlook the most that may make the biggest difference in enhancing our natural beauty.
What are some of your biggest beauty secrets that may be a bit underrated or under the radar? Or that one may not typically think of as being a beauty secret.
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