Beauty tips?

well, i recently cut my hair to that length, and i find that the most important thing to do if i want it to look half-way decent in the morning is to put it in a teensie ponytail at your neck, and pin down the edges with bobby pins. that way, there's no frizz

as for skin, i find that if you put on lotion even when you don't take a shower (like before bed, for example) it's a lot smoother in general. and use lotion on your hands often- i don't know about you, but that's a problem for me if i don't do it often. and if it's not, than you'll have nice, soft skin.

overeating has always been a problem for me, but i find that if eat often but eat less, i'll be ok. for example, eat a normal breakfast of cereal, and if i get snackish, i eat watermelon. eat enough watermelon, and you'll be full to the brim, believe me. the idea is that whenever you get hungry, have a little fruit snack or something healthy like that to tide you over 'til the next meal. and that way, when, say, dinner time rolls around, you won't want to eat as much. as for excersize, i try to make it fun- for example, if you have a dog, run with your dog, or if you go to your local pool, swim. just getting up and moving and having fun will up your motivation a ton, and getting up and moving (whatever it may be) always seems to work for me. here are a few more fun excersize examples: racing your arrogant cousin (and beating him- oh yes! ), dancing, playing basketball- etc. anything that's fun and active will definetly help.

i hope this was helpful!!

 

I'll reply to this point because I don't know about the other two.

In my opinion the first step for anyone who wants to lose (or maintain) weight is to stop drinking anything except for water. Fruit juices, energy drinks, typical alcohols and soft drinks typically contain 420kJ per glass, and are essentially empty kilojoules (i.e. they have no nutritional benefit - you can argue that fruit juices do but it is minor).

If you drink 4 glasses of these a day, that's 1680kJ or a 20% overconsumption; over a week that's 11,760kJ, or almost a whole 1.5 days worth of energy. Over a year that is equivalent to 70 days worth of food (based on average daily intake of 8700kJ). And that's only for 4 a day, many people drink much more - a can is equivalent to one and a half glasses, so three of those and you're already over 4 a day.

Additionally these drinks all have other adverse affects, such as dental damage and decay, plus they cost you money AND require packaging which inevitably ends up in landfill.

On the other hand, water has no energy, is more optimal at rehydrating you (which may reduce appetite), has no adverse effects, and is free (or atleast very cheap). Proper hydration will also promote good skin health, which you are interested in.

Diet versions of drinks do not have the energy component, but the artificial sweeteners may still interfere with blood glucose levels and encourage weight gain - rats given sugar substitutes still gained weight during testing. They will also still have the additives that can lead to tooth discolouration and other health complications.

Other drinks like coffee, tea, milkshakes etc. have energy levels that vary from zero (such as plain green tea) to 1000+ (for ridiculous things with cream, milk and sugar).


Plus I don't think they taste very nice now either :rolle: so there are absolutely no downsides and lots of upsides to switching to water for me.

 

hmm, i've always had long hair and pretty much always use conditioner on it, or if not a separate conditioner, then a 2-in-1 product. my hair is a lot softer and doesn't tangle as much that way. other than that, just trim regularly to get rid of split ends, etc.

are you using plain soap on your face? if so, maybe try one of the moisturizing body wash type products? one trick i learned when i had very dry skin was to put on a thin coat of vaseline before getting in the shower, and then wash it off in the shower. kept it a lot softer and more moisturized than just using lotion afterwards. i like cocoa butter too, or body butters from the body shop

 

I used to have long hair and conditionner is definitly a must. Choose your shampoo and conditionner according with your hair type ( a hairdresser can help you with this if you don't know what kind of hair typer you are). Apply the conditionner starting with the length, than put what's left on your roots, leave it on for a few minutes and then rince a long while until there is nothing left on your hair (they should feel "crispy" if you see what I mean). I also use a hair mask once a week (and use it the same way I use conditionner).
Don't untangle your hair with a hair brush but with a combe, it's less damaging.
I used to myself a plait at night so that my hair wasn't too hard to untangle in the morning.

For your face skin, don't use soap. It's far too agressive. Use a facial cleanser and then put some moisturiser on according with your skin type. You can find quite unexpensive and good moisturisers in drugstors. If you tend to have a sensitive skin, I would recommend Avene creams (Ictyane especially). It's a french brand that is really great and that I think you can easily buy from the internet. Oilatum is also great, but can't easily be found outside the UK (it's a british brand).

I hope it helps a little.
Take care, Cécile

 

I'm actually just starting in on hair removal myself! I started shaving my arms & legs and it is quite time consuming, so I'm giving waxing a try now. I usually do all of this shaving while either in or just after the shower (if afterwards, moisturizer is a must for me), but if shaving during the shower, all I need do is moisturize a little less afterwards. The downside to shaving, of course, is that it must be done on a much more frequent basis, otherwise unsightly stubble will appear & just be generally uncomfortable. Ideally, for hair removal tho, especially for girls like us, the absolute best way to go is electro or laser hair removal, which can be expensive, but lasts much, much longer.

 

As for my hair, I just started using a seperate shampoo & conditioner. I also have shoulder length hair & want it to look as nice as possible. Switched to Garnier Fructis Body Boost to increase the fullness of my hair & the conditioner is Garnier Fructis Pure Clean. So far after a couple of uses, I'm pretty happy with the results, as my hair looks a little bit more feminine & IMO, even smells nicer too. However, I'm going to wait until I have finished both bottles & see how everything works out. I may even give Herbal Essences a try too, just to experiment with brands, but I don;t want to go too crazy as I don't want to damage to my hair...

 

honestly, i change shampoo and conditioner brands all the time, it doesn't harm anything. i love nice-smelling products, and i'm prone to trying whatever's on sale on a whim. my dad used to work for a major cosmetics manufacturer, so i've tried everything from pretty expensive stuff on down. haha but i have a soft spot for suave kids 2-in-1, they smell great and detangle easily

 

Best beauty tip someone can ever give you:

Look in the mirror for five minutes focusing on the thing you like the most about yourself and saying "I'm beautiful".

Best thing of it? It's free. And the best you feel about yourself, the rest of us will pick up that positive energy and you'll be happier as well. Remember beauty should come from the inside out. <3

 

Hi, Doria! (*hug*)

You've already gotten a lot of advice, but I'll go ahead and throw my two cents in as well.

As far as hair goes, everyone's is different. Even guys have to try different things to figure out what works for them.

For skin, the best stuff I've ever found for your hands and feet is this:

Amazon.com: Philosophy Cinnamon Buns Body Souffle 3.5 Oz: Beauty

It comes in different "flavors" (my fav is Strawberry Milkshake), but this is the best price I've ever seen. You will LOVE it.

As far as weight loss goes, the most important thing is to burn more calories than you consume. Sign up for something like fitday.com so you can track your calories. You HAVE to track your calories, as everyone eats more than they think they do. Maintaining your weight takes about 15 calories per pound for an active person. Losing weight takes about 10 calories per pound. So if you're 150 pounds, don't eat more than 1,500 calories per day. Then, as you lose weight, keep adjusting your daily caloric intake down. Some people might argue that, but I've found that people tend to make it more complicated than it needs to be. I've never know anyone who didn't have success with this simple formula.

I'm in fairly good shape, but I'm 41 and the beer was starting to give me love handles and a belly. I have a flat tummy again and am wearing a 32" waist after only 6 weeks because I quit drinking beer and starting eating better. Some staples for me include yogurt/honey/granola (a GREAT combination) and smoothies. I like making them with OJ, frozen strawberries, a banana and honey. And learn to love your fresh vegetables! You get complex carbs from them which helps you to stay away from the starchy stuff. When trying to lose weight, I'd avoid things like bread and potatoes all together. And no fried foods! Those are a killer. But always allow yourself a "cheat day" once a week. Not to pig out, but to allow yourself some french fries or ice cream or whatever bad food it is you crave. Once a week isn't going to wreck your progress and the point isn't to make yourself miserable.

Hope this helps! You can do it! Good luck!

 

lol i c what ur sayin on the dorky dancing thing. i don't do any other type of dance but that, but my sister got into dancing by just goin to a class and fallin in love w it- do you know of any dance studios in ur town?

 

I love these ideas. I use Vaseline for EVERYTHING. Like EVERYTHING. Its an amazing product. I use it to moisturize before bed and its an amazing thing for chapped lips.

 

i'm sorry- and i totally get the shyness thing, i'm shy to the umpth degree. what about jogging? every now and then i go out jogging and it's extremely satisfying. when u do it alone, it's just you and your thoughts- or ur ipod, if that's what ud prefer. and i suffer from insomnia a lot, and i noticed that it puts me out like THAT (there's no snapping fingers emotocom here, but you get the idea!), so if u ever hav a hard time fallin asleep, this is good for it

 

I can totally relate to the whole only when nobody's home thing. The only time I look like me is when my parents are gone. For the first time tho last nite, I was myself in front of my new friend Steph & she almost cried when she saw me & said I was beautiful, so I'm happy that I have someone to be myself around now! She even said that her & I are totally going clubbing out of town at this trans-friendly club, so I really can't wait for that nite!

She totally wants to do a whole transformation nite for me, so I should have some more advice on makeup & skin care, etc once us girls get together. Steph & Cat pretty much told me they are literally going to teach me everything! Plus, Steph's daughter is even wanting to help out with my nails & hair, which her mom said that she wouldn't even do for her!