By Molly Edwards
It’s been a long winter. We’ve been stuck inside for months, binge-watching Netflix shows, and waiting for the summer to get here. Well, the warm weather is finally here and it’s time to get ready to have the best hot girl summer of your life.
Before we get into it, let’s get one thing clear: you’re already perfect. Every single body is a beach body. And you don’t have to lose weight to wear a bikini. Too many articles out there focus on losing your winter weight in time for the summer—that’s messed up. You don’t need to change anything about yourself to feel good about yourself. That being said, summer is the perfect time to debut that new look you’ve always wanted. Here are five glow-up ideas you can do this summer that have absolutely nothing to do with your weight for once.
Whiten Your Teeth
A bright white smile can do wonders for your confidence. Since your smile is often the first thing someone notices about you, it’s important to make a good first impression. But crooked, missing, or stained teeth can make you feel less confident about showing your amazing smile. While you probably can’t fix your teeth with braces by the start of the summer, you can definitely have your teeth whitened.
There are tons of teeth whitening options out there. You can whiten your teeth from home with strips, pens, and custom trays, but it may take a while before you start to see the stains lifting from your enamel. Dentist offices usually offer teeth whitening services, which is often quicker and safer than doing it yourself.
Spray Tans
Everyone knows how harmful tanning beds are. And while we love having glowing skin, we’re not about to risk skin cancer for it. If you want to get a little glow before your upcoming vacation, spray tans are a great and inexpensive option.
Most tanning salons offer spray tans as well as UV tanning beds. But unlike those beds, spray tans provide immediate results without harming your skin. You can also try one of the dozens of self-tanning lotions, mousses, drops, and wipes on the market. If you don’t mind the distinctive tanning lotion smell, they’re great for building up a natural-looking, sun-kissed skin tan. Just be careful, it’s easy to go overboard and start looking more orange than brown.
Color Your Hair
We’ve all been there. You’ve just been dumped and slowly, those box hair dyes are starting to look pretty fun. Or maybe you’re stressed about your job and those blunt bangs you keep seeing on Pinterest seem like something you can do yourself at 2 am (it’s not).
While those aren’t great reasons to make drastic hair changes, getting a nice cut and color can make a world of difference in your mood. The summer is a great time to update your look and try something new that will make you feel confident and look amazing. Blonde highlights can help you look like you spent all day lying in the sun. And cutting your hair short can help make the hot summers more bearable.
Make a Vision Board
Vision boards may seem a little weird at first, but hear me out. If you’re hoping to reinvent yourself this summer, or simply start some better, healthier habits, you need a vision board to help envision your ideal life. Your vision board shouldn’t just focus on the material things you want in life. Sure, everyone wants to have a better car, a bigger apartment, and a closet full of nice clothing. But for this exercise, try focusing on the non-material things that you want to include in your daily life. How do you want to feel? The more you focus on what you want on this deeper level, the more you’ll find that material things won’t necessarily make that goal feeling possible.
Put your vision board in a space where you’ll see it every day. Put it on your dresser, in your living room, or even on the bathroom mirror. Every time you pass by, you’ll have a short visualization of the life you want to curate and make small changes every day to make that dream a reality.
Find Your Go-To Health Foods
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be for weight loss. More than anything, eating healthy makes you feel better. You’re more energetic, you sleep better, and you generally lead a happier life. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place for brownies and McDonalds—and you 100 percent should make room for those less nutritious foods in your routine. But having some staple health foods around the house will improve both your physical and mental health. Lots of veggies, fruits, and lean protein will give you the energy to stay out in the sun all day and live your best life.
