If you use TikTok it’s impossible to escape the phrase ‘glow up’, with hashtags surrounding it having billions of views. Glow-ups can mean different things to different people, but at the end of the day, it usually comes down to deciding to start investing in yourself.
A glow-up is all about making changes and forming new habits that make you happier, healthier, and of course, make you glow from the inside out. You’ve likely seen ‘hot girl walks’ and the ‘75 soft challenge’ on TikTok too, and these all come back to the glow-up mentality – to glow up you need to put time into yourself.
Lifestyle changes are key to glow-ups but there are also skincare, bodycare, haircare, and wellness changes you can make, or just put more time into, to make you feel like the best version of yourself too.
Top Lifestyle Changes for a Glow-Up
When you decide to embark on a glow-up journey, it’s important not to think of it as a makeover only focused on the aesthetics. What’s made the concept of glow-ups so popular is how good they make you feel because you are building yourself up and doing things to make you feel your best, rather than just focusing on things to make you look your best.
Some of the top glow-up tips to try and build into your routine include…
1. Drink more water – Drinking at least three litres a day is highly recommended as a good place to start when you want to take better care of yourself. There’s nothing better than being well-hydrated to make you glow.
2. Eating more fruit & veg – Many fruits and vegetables can contribute to glowing skin – antioxidant-rich berries, and greens for example. Plus, ensuring you are eating well can help you feel healthier overall and nothing feels better than that. You’ll see you can also add antioxidant-rich products into your skincare routine to really go after a literal glow.
3. Doing daily moderate exercise – The point of a glow-up isn’t to force yourself into the gym every day, it’s about taking the time to do things that are good for you in an enjoyable way. So when it comes to daily exercise, just getting out of the house and going for a 30-minute walk can be great. It will make you feel better, and it’s good for the body and mind. Follow our tips on gym hair health to look after your hair whilst exercising. And if you prefer wearing makeup to workout in, we have tips for that too.
4. Improve your sleep quality – Getting enough sleep every night is a glow-up essential, and the quality of your sleep is key too. A good night’s sleep allows your body to recover so you can feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead. You can get yourself a satin eyemask, to help block out light – great for sleep health, whilst also being kind to your skin. Another top tip is switching to satin or silk pillowcases – they will benefit your skin and hair, so you can literally ‘glow-up’ whilst you sleep.
5. Reducing screen time – A lot of glow-up recommendations include setting time aside to read more or journal. And all this comes down to spending less time on your phone doom-scrolling, and more time on you. You can do this by making time to read or listen to an audio book, or by journaling and reflecting. A great way to invest time in yourself whilst on your glow-up journey.
Skincare, Bodycare & Haircare Glow-Up Tips
There are a few beauty essentials that you should absolutely add into your routine if you are setting off on your own glow-up journey…
1. Gua Sha
Taking the time to Gua Sha your face daily can work wonders for your complexion and face shape. If you feel puffy all the time the combination of this with drinking lots of water will make all the difference. Put aside 10 minutes during your evening skincare routine, you’ll need a gua sha, a face oil, and our guide on how to gua sha. Once you’ve done it a few times it will become part of your routine easily, it’s a great way to unwind and relax before bed too – so you can improve your sleep quality this way as well. So many glow-up tips are covered in just one routine change!
2. Ice Rolling
Similar to gua sha, ice rolling has many benefits including giving you a natural glow and reducing puffiness. Try adding ice rolling into your morning skincare routine – it’s a great way to wake yourself up, and it will make you feel so much fresher. You might even think of it as an instant glow-up!
3. Stick to Your Skincare Routine
It’s easy to skip a double cleanse, or avoid all your brightening serums and creams if you’re feeling tired. But putting in the work and sticking to all your skincare steps is absolutely worth it. It will help you stay on the path to happy glowy skin.
4. Treat Yourself to a Weekly Everything Shower
Rather than a daily adjustment to your routine, this is one way you can make yourself feel like you’ve had a full glow-up every week. We’ve mapped out a full everything shower routine, so you can start incorporating this into your glow-up plan. It’s a great way to both prioritise you time and to do more luxurious self-care tasks like using hair masks, body scrubs, and face masks on the reg.
5. Prioritise Hydration (Hair, Face & Body)
Staying hydrated by drinking your three litres of water a day is just one way of improving your hydration levels. When it comes to a beauty glow-up essential, you also need to commit to hydrating your skin, hair, and body. So, assess your routines and ensure you are incorporating a body moisturiser after showers and baths, hydrating hair masks at least once a week, and good daily serums and moisturisers into your skincare. Look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, as this will help your skin or hair retain moisture too. Nothing helps you improve your glow and feel better than well-hydrated hair and skin.
What you do for your glow-up is completely personal to you, these are just some steps that always help us feel better if we’ve been neglecting ourselves. What are your glow-up essentials?
