# How to maintain a good physical image with others People only take you seriously when you appear healthy: - People draw many intuitive prejudices from your presentation. - [Good hygiene](body-hygiene.md) is the implication of health through hiding any odors or dirt. - Grooming is the additional appearance of hygiene through well-maintained elements on your body. People begin their [story](stories-why.md) about you based on the impression they get from your grooming: - You don't need to look *fabulous*, but certain ways you can look or smell will violate [folkways and mores](people-why.md). [Your clothing](clothes.md) communicates many messages about who you are: - Even when *you* don't [identify](people-identity.md) with what you wear, other people define your [image](people-image-why.md) (especially your [social class](people-classes.md)) from your clothes. - Often, the clothes we wear shape small characteristics of how we express ourselves. ## Groom yourself Most cultures require grooming because it gives an added impression of hygiene. To look well-groomed without trying, [have a proper diet](body-diet.md) and [exercise regularly](body-exercise.md). Never groom around others, especially when you're trimming nails. You can often remove or mask odors without washing: - Peel an orange. - Vigorously rub the area with baking soda, then rinse. - Rub vodka into your skin (especially for foot odor). - Soak or wash in vinegar (especially for garlic/onion odor). - Soak or wash in mouthwash one or two times a week. - If a skunk has sprayed you, soak the affected areas in tomato juice. Keep your fingernails trimmed and filed. - Wet your fingernails and the trimmer before cutting to prevent nails from launching across the room. Sweat management is the simplest way to minimize odors: - Sweat is either propionic acid (smells like vinegar) or isovaleric acid (smells like cheese) - Eccrine glands secrete mostly water to cool the skin down, but apocrine glands (primarily around the armpits, groin, nipples, and eyelids) are responsible for most body odor. - Multiple sources alter sweat production: - Strong-smelling food like red meat, seafood, egg yolks, garlic, onions, yogurt, beans, asparagus, cabbage, and spices - A well-balanced diet low in sulfide-causing compounds - Medication that can increase sweating - Hormonal changes like puberty or menopause - Genetics - Good hygiene or deodorants that cut down on bacteria or antiperspirants that cut down on sweating - Deodorant masks body odor - To increase its effectiveness, apply it the night before. - Apply baking soda powder or lemon juice directly to the armpit. - Make deodorant yourself 1. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup cornstarch, tapioca starch or potato starch until it's clump-free. 2. Add 8-10 tbsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp at a time, mixing each time, until the mixture is like dough. 3. Cut a 1 ft square piece of cling wrap and spoon the mixture into it. 4. Place inside an empty toilet paper tube, then mold the excess to form a mound. 5. Wrap the excess cling wrap around the mound on top, then set in the freezer 6. Take off the cling wrap cover and push the stick from the bottom as you use it. Make your hair look cleaner and more even with hair conditioner: - Soak it in hair conditioner for at least half an hour. - You can make conditioner out of household items like honey, olive oil, Epsom salts, and vodka. You don't *need* perfume or cologne, but it adds to your image: - Cologne should only give a slight aroma to someone hugging you. - Splash a tiny bit onto your wrist, then rub your wrists together. - Do *not* apply more than once. - Apply Vaseline before spraying to lengthen how long the scent stays on you. Men and women should usually stay clean-shaven: - A man can maintain a well-groomed beard, but must treat it like a second head of hair. - Shave with the hair's grain and keep the razor as clean and sharp as possible to avoid small nicks and cuts. - Use a lubricant like shaving cream, olive oil, hair conditioner or soap lather to avoid dry-shaving and risking more cuts. Keep your skin looking healthy: - Don't neglect skin problems like eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis. - Don't use store-bought skin moisturizers, since they will often make your skin dry and ashy over time. - Rub Vaseline into the skin, especially on cracked elbows or heels. - Mix honey with olive oil or with eggs and some flour to make your own lotion. - Add vinegar to a bath to help with extremely dry skin. - Try to prevent acne: - Acne skin products often cause more breakouts over time, so don't use them. - Drink plenty of water and oolong tea. - Keep your phone screen clean along with anything else that gets near your face. - Wash your pillowcase daily or cover it with a clean towel or t-shirt for at least a few weeks. - If you must pop acne and can't because it's too painful, put it under hot water for a few seconds. - Wear red clothing to hide any breakouts or puffiness. - If you get a sunburn, take a hot shower the next day and then use a lint roller. - Reduce the appearance of bruises by holding a banana peel or vinegar-soaked cotton ball on it for 10-30 mins. - Regularly apply honey to scars to bleach them. While warts aren't uncommon, they are unsightly: - Apply duct tape or apple cider vinegar to the wart consistently. - Dissolve an aspirin in water to make a paste and apply it, then tape over it with duct tape. Depending on your body and culture, a tattoo *might* look good on you: - Hang a picture of a tattoo you want somewhere you'll see every day for a year. - If you still want it after a year, it's worth getting. - Keep in mind that the tattoo will stretch over time and changing/updating it later is often expensive and painful. ## Advanced grooming Most males should neglect advanced grooming unless they want to appear homosexual, but females usually need to maintain themselves more than males. Make sure your body looks healthy without makeup before applying it. - Make sure to maintain any parts of your body that aren't covered. Store your makeup in a glasses case. Most advanced grooming is contextual to culture and trends: - Observe and imitate your peers. - The beauty industry delivers a continuous message of "you're not good-looking enough" to market their products. - Since beauty is relative, most women are attractive to someone without much change even if they don't believe it. - Many elements of appearance like hair color, body hair, body type, makeup, and complexion are completely a matter of culture and preference. Try to use natural skin treatments: - Look at the slivers on the ends of tubes: - Green means the product is all-natural. - Red means it has both natural and synthetic ingredients. - Black is an all-synthetic product. - Mix beeswax with any oil to make a lotion-like formula. - Coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer. - Make your own body scrubs and bath bombs instead of buying them. Keep your nails healthy-looking: - You don't need a manicure if you work with your hands frequently. - Pedicures are essential if you're accentuating your legs, but otherwise a luxury. Remove unwanted body hair: - Shave your legs and arms, but don't bother with a product or constant shaving. Your jewelry should accentuate your natural features: - Jewelry should draw more attention to your face. - If you wear a necklace, you should have a story behind it. - Draw more attention to your hands, legs, and feet with rings or bangles, but avoid excess. ### Pay particular attention to everything around your face Use facial masks, face scrubs, and makeup to accentuate your natural features. Keep your lips healthy by avoiding lip balms that use drying agents. Use lipstick to draw more attention to your lips. Hair maintenance: - Keep your hair healthy with plenty of conditioner. - Trim your hair's split ends before they run and rub Vaseline on them. - Squeeze a lemon or lime into your hair to stop it from frizzing in humid weather. - Accelerate hair growth: - Eat onions, garlic, or salmon. - Massage aloe vera into the scalp and let it sit for an hour. - Good hairstyles don't have to be complicated or elaborate. - For males, a standard fringe, brush up, or comb over is perfectly fine. - For females, a ponytail or bun is usually acceptable. - Only shave your head if you have a small frame or are trying to look like you've [committed a crime](legal-crimes.md). - Audacious hairstyles like undercuts, mohawks, and short hair (for women) are all risky. - When you go to a hair stylist, take a photo of what you want before you go. - Color, straighten, and curl your hair carefully. - Since hair is dead tissue, more messing with your hair will fray it and make it frazzled. Pluck and shape eyebrows to make your face look like an oval: - Your eyelashes should look long and healthy with an eyelash curler. - Long faces need a flat shape to break the aesthetic. - Round faces need a high arch with a definite curve. - Square faces create balance with a curved shape and more angle. - Pointed chins start with a high arch and curved brow and add more volume. - Alternately, remove your eyebrows and use eyeliner. ## Grooming crises If you have dark circles under your eyes: - Apply coffee grounds for about 12 minutes. - Routinely apply 1 tsp raw honey for 20 minutes. If you have red, puffy or irritated eyes: - Hold an ice cube to it. - Use Preparation H (it's meant to constrict blood vessels). - Mix equal parts Epsom salts and hot water, then wait until it's cooled to a comfortable temperature before applying. If you have unwanted redness in your face, apply a mix of egg yolk and lemon juice. If you have a hickey (skin marks on the neck): - Apply a cold spoon or ice cube to the area. - Scrape it with a coin or brush with a toothbrush. ## Hold yourself correctly Learn to be [happier](mind-feelings-happiness.md) to *immediately* look more attractive. Improve your posture: 1. Stand up straight with your hands at your sides. 2. Breathe out while forcing your belly in. 3. Hold 15-30 seconds and repeat 10 times. 4. When you turn your head, your posture should place your eyes squarely in the middle of your shoulder. You look larger than real life on camera wearing yellow, but wearing green makes you look smaller. When you think you're prepared to meet people, make sure you know how to [respect them](people-3_respect.md)!