improve my appearance

I’m at college and I’m learning how to take care of myself!
For some reason, I thought college would take its toll on me within the first month, but I’m actually looking healthier than before. I give a portion of credit to the beautiful mountains and hiking trails, clean air, and healthy food in the cafeteria =)
I’ve also been leaning toward natural products more, and I think they’re having a great effect. I use jojoba oil as a facial moisturizer, and I’m going to try shea butter, too, when it arrives. I use a homemade sugar scrub to exfoliate every few days, and I’m cutting hair products completely out of my routine (again…).
I get to sleep at ten or eleven, I’ve been thinking positive lately and preventing a lot of stress that way, I take a vitamin each morning and drink plenty of water. I’m also loving the fresh air and sunshine. It does the body good =)
I’ve got a list of things to work on, though.

- Get my retainer from home over Thanksgiving break and start using that again. Call my orthodontist and make them continue working on my teeth, which are most definitely not fixed yet.
- Use my teeth whitening kit (doing so right now). The one I bought is supposed to do it in two hours…I’m extremely skeptical, but we’ll see.
- Continue eating healthily and eating only what I need.
- Go for hikes by the river more often.
- Let my hair keep growing out. My school recently formed a haircutting crew, but I’ve been cutting my own hair for a few years now, and I don’t like letting anyone else do it. I brought my shears with me, so I can give myself a trim if I need it =)
- Keep the window open in my dorm room. I know that it’s technically wasting electricity because the heat is on, and my roommate always ends up closing it anyway, but there are so many sick people this time of year, and the vent in my room is just spewing out germs. I don’t care how chilly it is, I want my fresh air!

Well, so far I’ve made some progress. I bought the whitening strips and got halfway through them, and I’m already seeing a difference. I’ve been using the lemon juice on my face at night, and I like the effects. I bought a nice mesh pouch for my soap, to make it easier in the shower, and I bought a nail brush so I can scrub them clean. Also, I haven’t used any makeup since I started this goal, and I think I’m overall better off that way.

WHAT I STILL NEED TO DO
- Continue letting my hair grow out.
- Schedule an orthodontist appointment.
- Finish the whitening strips.
- Keep my eyebrows neat (threading?).
- Take care of and use my piercings.
- Continue drinking plenty of water each day.
- Continue eating healthy food.
- Improve my posture.
- Buy new clothes (secondhand).
- Get my anemia test out of the way.
- Exercise (biking, running with my dog).
- Get more fresh air.

I’ve never put a whole lot of effort into my appearance, and I don’t really plan to change that now…so I guess the point of this goal for me is to find routines or actions that will help me improve my appearance without taking up significantly more time or effort.

WHAT I’VE DONE
- Hair: I went through several styles in the past year and a half, and I’ve finally settled on what works for me. I cut my hair myself now, I’ve vowed not to dye it again, and I stay away from using too many products. Currently, I wash my hair with a little bit of shampoo and conditioner every few days, soak up the excess water with a towel and then let it air dry.
- Face: I’ve found products that I believe work for me, and I moisturize every day. I do use a mineral powder sometimes, but I’m trying to steer away from becoming dependent on it. I’ve let my eyebrows grow out to my satisfaction, and now I hardly need to pluck them. I use chapstick whenever I feel I need it. I brush my teeth three times a day, and floss and use a fluoride rinse twice a day.
- Body: I use hand moisturizer whenever I need it, and I also carry around hand sanitizer because my school’s hygiene is a little questionable. Better safe than sorry =) I’ve adjusted the mirrors in my car and refrain from readjusting them, which forces me to sit up straight and improve my posture.

WHAT I PLAN TO DO
-Let my hair grow out. I think it looks good short, but I miss having long hair.
- Apply lemon juice to my skin at night, to clear up unevenness and acne scars.
- Continue avoiding makeup. I feel better when I don’t have to rely on it and check up on it throughout the day.
- Schedule an orthodontist appointment to adjust my retainer.
- Buy some whitening strips for my teeth.
- Stop biting my lips or licking them when they get dry.
- Take care of the piercings I have and wear earrings more, and possibly get a few more piercings.
- Find a nicer soap than the ones I’ve been using for my body.
- Keep my nails trimmed and clean.
- Exercise and stretch each day.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat healthier and take my vitamin each day, for personal and medical reasons.
- Quit messing with my skin and just let blemishes be.
- Try to improve my posture.
- Buy new clothes, especially pants, which I need desperately. I’m going to make a point to only buy clothes that I look and feel good in.
- Schedule an appointment for blood tests (three different ones XP) to get those out of the way and figure out what medical procedures I’ll need to take. I’ll count this under improving my appearance because I find myself drained of energy often due to these issues, which makes my appearance a little haggard.