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I have watched so many of these glow-up videos, and while most of them steer you in the right direction, a lot of the advice given is outdated and not backed by scientific literature. This one is different. I'm going to walk you through clear beauty habits that do hold up to research, that are evidence-based, that have a very high return on investment, that give you the biggest results for the least effort. And the best part is, some of these are ridiculously cheap and easy to implement. You just don't know about them.
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Let's start with skincare because this is where I feel most people waste the most money. You don't need a 12-step skincare routine. A lot of skincare actives do have a fair amount of evidence, [clears throat] but I want to focus on what is going to give the best results to the vast majority of people. There are only three things that get you most of the way to healthier, clearer, better aging skin. And if you only do these, you will get 80% of the way to the best your skin could potentially ever look. This is the Pareto principle. 80% of your results come from 20% of what you do. And we're going to apply this across every single section in this video because you only have so much time, energy, and money. The goal is to maximize your return on every single thing you invest in.
So, the first thing is vitamin A derivatives or retinoids. It doesn't matter what skin issues you might be dealing with. This is almost certainly guaranteed to help. This is one of the most evidence-backed skincare actives out there, and it's not even expensive. I am not telling you to buy creams with retinol in them. That is not what I'm referring to here. Please do not buy that. We're going to do something a lot more effective, and I will tell you exactly what.
What retinoids do is increase cell turnover, which means they are going to speed up the rate at which your skin sheds old cells and creates new ones. It's going to reduce the amount of breakouts you have, fade hyperpigmentation, smooth out your skin. Retinoids also have a ton of evidence for their anti-aging properties. And if you're using other actives in your skincare routine, it can help them penetrate better.
Now, there are a lot of vitamin A derivatives on the market. Retinol is probably the most commonly found in cosmetic cuticles, but it's going to take a really long time for you to see results from these, and they're actually often quite irritating in relation to how effective they are. So, we are not buying those. Remember, we want a high return on investment. So, instead, we're going to go for the heavy hitters: retinol, adapalene, or tretinoin.
If you don't have particularly sensitive skin, just buy adapalene. You can get it over the counter and it's dirt cheap. It will change your life. Trust me, it's going to work for the vast, vast majority of people. If you do have sensitive skin, go with retinol. It works 10 times faster than retinol while not being as irritating. It's often in pretty expensive skincare, but it's worth it if your skin cannot tolerate certain actives. But the most effective is tretinoin, commonly referred to as Retin-A, but it is prescription only. So only try to get it if you have severe skin issues that have not been resolved by other over-the-counter ingredients, or, and this is my case, my dermatologist specializes in cosmetic dermatology, and I will be asking her for a tretinoin prescription because I've been trying to upgrade from adapalene. That is another way that you can get tretinoin.
The next one, I'm sure a lot of you think is a gimmick because I used to think it was gimmicky. Turns out it's not. I know you've seen those influencer posts where they're walking around with their red light mask, and it looks so crazy that I personally always thought it was absolute nonsense. Turns out I was wrong. There are over 8,000 studies done on red light therapy and its various usages. Red light therapy boosts collagen, which leads to better-looking skin and wrinkle reduction. Clinical studies have reported that red light treatments plump the skin and reduce fine lines after consistent use over multiple months. Other clinical studies show an improvement in skin radiance, texture, skin tone, and increased elasticity.
There are a lot of masks on the market, and they can get very expensive, but you don't have to spend a premium price to get the benefits from red light therapy. The most important when it comes to these masks is that the wavelength is correct and the irradiance is adequate. I will insert the necessary requirements that you should look for on the screen. But if you're just looking for a recommendation for an LED mask that checks all the important boxes, let me introduce you to the sponsor of today's video, AURA. After reviewing the research and comparing multiple LED masks, AURA is the one I personally kept reaching for. What made the biggest difference for me wasn't just the technology, but how easy it is to actually use consistently. The mask is lightweight, comfortable, and designed so it doesn't sit directly on the skin, which makes it feel more hygienic than a lot of silicone masks on the market. It's hands-free, easy to wear while doing things around the house, and the sessions are short enough to realistically fit into a routine. That ease of use is the main reason I've been able to stay consistent with it. This is my first time using red light therapy, and I've honestly been pleasantly surprised by how low effort this is. I've been using this for a few weeks now, and it's been very easy to incorporate into my skincare routine. I haven't had any negative reactions, and it hasn't interfered with the rest of my routine. And because it's been so easy to stay consistent, I've also started to notice my skin looking clearer overall with some fading in of my hyperpigmentation spots. This is the only change I've made to my routine, but I'm very aware that results like this take time and consistency, so I'm excited to see how things continue.
AURA works with three different modes, each combining specific light wavelengths to target different concerns: Purify, Glow, and Firm. Glow mode combines yellow, red, and infrared light. Red light therapy is well-studied, and yellow light also has supportive evidence behind it. Together, they're used to support overall skin radiance and help with uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation. Firm mode uses red and near-infrared light and is designed to target fine lines, wrinkles, and overall skin firmness. Purify mode includes blue light alongside other wavelengths and is designed to target acne. Blue light has been shown to reduce activity in oil glands that contribute to breakouts.
I do want to add an important note of caution here. Blue light can trigger hyperpigmentation in more melanated skin tones. Personally, I stick to Glow and Firm, but if you do want to use Purify, I recommend keeping sessions short, around 5 minutes, introducing it in slowly, and following up with red-only infrared light to reduce pigmentation risk. In my routine, I use a mask on clean skin before applying other actives. The controller is simple to use, remembers your last mode, and shuts off automatically. You can use my code FLID to get $90 off, which gets the mask right under $200. If you want to check it out, I'll leave the link in the description. Thank you again to AURA for sponsoring this video.
The third thing is crucial, and nothing you do skincare-wise will matter if you don't follow this one. And I know you've heard it, and I know that some of you are still not doing it, but it's so important. You need to apply sunscreen. I'm sure you've heard this one before, so I'm going to keep it brief and focus on why it's so important. Approximately 80% of skin aging can be attributed to sun damage. And studies show that people who applied sunscreen daily had no detectable increase in skin aging over 4.5 years compared to those who did not. So, despite the industry focus on anti-aging cosmeticals, the best way to look young as long as possible remains regularly applying sun protection. And this holds even if you have a more melanated complexion. Fun fact: dark skin offers protection that would be equivalent to SPF 13, while white skin is more so around SPF 3.4. So, you still want to use a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 plus, 50 plus if you can.
A lot of people will tell you to apply sunscreen every day, but you don't actually need to do that, especially if you don't live in a hot area. You can check the UV index to know whether or not you should apply sunscreen on that day. Anything above a three, and you should be wearing sunscreen. If you're trying to cut out unnecessary steps, just get a moisturizer that doubles as a sunscreen as your daytime moisturizer, and you'll know for sure that you're protected year-round.
So, this is your blueprint for perfect skin this year. It's quite simple: cleanser, red light therapy, retinoid before or after moisturizer, and sunscreen. This will get you 90% of the way there. And for these things to work, you need to be consistent with them for months. Retinoids are a long-term game. Red light therapy is a long-term game. And don't even get me started on sunscreen. You will be so thankful 10, 20 years down the line that you've done these things. And let me be clear, there is nothing wrong with aging. The alternative is so much worse. We're not trying to stop or reverse aging here. We're trying to give the best to our future older self so we keep getting better and better.
Next up, we're going to discuss the only scientifically proven ways to grow your hair, your eyebrows, and your eyelashes faster and longer. Because hair has a surprising impact on the way you are perceived. Notably, longer, shinier hair is associated with higher attractiveness. Shine is highly dependent on hair texture. The straighter the hair, the easier it will reflect light. I'm not going to advise you to go around straightening your hair all the time. I'm a natural hair girly, so we're not going to do that. So, we're going to focus on something else we can control: hair growth.
When it comes to hair growth, there are actually very few things that are proven to help. And I know that a lot of you are against the first one. Let me try to convince you. But if you still don't want to use it after hearing me out, I have an alternative that might work just as well. If you have hair thinning, I'm really sorry to tell you this. I'm sure you've heard it, but minoxidil is your best bet by far. Minoxidil works by increasing the blood flow to hair follicles, as well as prolonging the growth phase. So, it basically allows you to go beyond your genetic potential. It has the most evidence behind it. Rosemary oil, castor oil, sea buckthorn oil – none of those have nearly the amount of literature supporting them that minoxidil has. You can take it orally as a pill or apply topically as a mousse. If you do get the mousse, you should get the men's version. It's cheaper. Taking minoxidil orally has a few drawbacks, but it's more effective than the topical solution and it's easier to deal with. But the topical solution also has its cons. You just kind of have to pick whatever annoyance you want to deal with.
You might wonder why someone would not want to take the scientifically backed miracle in a bottle. Well, that's because you do have to keep using minoxidil forever because the moment you stop using it, all its benefits will go away, and shedding will ensue. There is a potential exception to this. There might be a way you can use minoxidil to permanently grow hair. I will explain later. I don't understand why this pushes people away from using it though, because this applies to so many things in life. If you stop brushing your teeth, you'll no longer benefit from the fluoride in toothpaste protecting you from cavities. If you stop exercising, you'll no longer be fit. If you stop using minoxidil, and your hair was thinning before, it will start thinning again. However, I did say that it's your best bet if you have hair thinning. And the hair thinning part of that sentence is extremely important. I would not use minoxidil if you are simply struggling to retain length because it comes with so many potential drawbacks. For example, significant hair shedding is to be expected when you first get on minoxidil, and some people report unpleasant side effects. So, the results should really be worthwhile for you to make that jump.
If you're trying to grow longer eyelashes and fuller eyebrows, same thing here. Minoxidil has been proven to increase facial hair as well. Be aware that you cannot use a topical version for your eyelashes, only the oral version, but you can use a topical version for your eyebrows. And here, people have gotten spectacular results. But it is possible that if used on facial hair and for long enough for the hairs to become terminal, the eyebrow growth on minoxidil would become permanent. There is no actual study done on this, but in multiple threads, people report that they have kept the results on their beards and eyebrows years after stopping minoxidil.
And to link this with skincare, a way to increase effectiveness is to pair minoxidil with tretinoin. Minoxidil actually doesn't work for everyone, only for about 60 to 70% of people. But when paired with tretinoin, its efficacy is enhanced, and it ends up working for people whom it didn't before. In a 1989 study, 43% of patients who did not respond to minoxidil alone showed improvement when tretinoin was added. Again, this is going to be your best bet.
But you might be wondering about lash and eyebrow serums. There's something called bimatoprost, which has clinically been proven to work for eyelash and eyebrow growth to the same level of effectiveness as minoxidil. This is what is commonly used in the most effective lash serums such as Latisse. But the major drawback with those is the darkening of the eyelid skin and the fat loss around the eyes, as well as a change in eye color in people with hazel or green colored eyes. And that change in eye color is permanent, by the way, but it's actually quite rare. Other serums that do not contain bimatoprost typically contain peptides, but those have little evidence behind them. I have myself tried The Ordinary's lash serum for months without any sort of results, but it has worked for some people. You can go that route if you want. I don't think it's worth the time, but it's an option that you can consider.
But if you really, really, really don't want to use minoxidil for hair growth, another option is light therapy. Numerous studies have shown that low-level light therapy can increase the duration of the growth phase of hair follicles, improve the thickness and density of hair in individuals with common male and female pattern hair loss, and reduce inflammation around the follicle, which may slow or halt hair loss progression. A lot of the devices sold for this purpose do not meet the requirements needed for them to work, and they are expensive. Whatever you're buying should at the very least be FDA cleared for hair loss treatment, otherwise, I would not trust it. But if you already have a red light mask at home, you can attempt to use it for this purpose as well. I've seen a lot of people do this online. The wavelength at which red light is effective for hair growth is 630 nanometers to 670 nanometers. AURA's mask fulfills this requirement. So, it's worth a try.
If your hair is just breaking off all the time and you're struggling to retain length, but don't have any issues related to hair growth, an easy fix is bond repair products. Bond repair products strengthen your hair from within by targeting the bonds that link the proteins your hair together. I have a video series in which I test out all bond repair products on the market and the evidence behind them to figure out which ones are worth your money.
With that being said, let's move on to body care. A lot of the principles that apply for skincare also apply for body care. But since the body is such a large area that is often covered by clothing, I struggled a bit to figure out what could be a cost-effective way to implement a big change. I ended up deciding to tackle issues a lot of women struggle with so that we can get to an even more beautiful complexion.
A good [clears throat] alternative to retinoids for the skin on your body areas are BHAs such as lactic acid, glycolic acids, and salicylic acid. Lactic acid and salicylic acid in particular have been proven to help with keratosis pilaris, also known as chicken skin. If, on the other hand, you are struggling with hyperpigmentation on your body, especially in places like under your armpits or from previous acne scars, first of all, be aware that this is very normal for people with darker skin. Still, if you want to do something about it, you might want to reach out for glycolic acid instead. It has been proven to reduce hyperpigmentation in darker-skinned individuals. Of course, you still need to avoid excessive UV exposure, as it will worsen pretty much every skin concern on your body. And make sure to moisturize your skin after every shower. I eventually want to dive deeper into body care. It's such an underrated part of self-care. Please let me know what areas you might be struggling with so I know what to tackle next.
Onto my favorite section. If I told you there's a magic pill you could take to transform your body and mind entirely for the better, that magic pill is free, yet so many people refuse to take it. Would you believe me? Exercise is one, if not one of the best things you could do for your body. And you might be wondering, what does that have to do with beauty? Well, a lot. Take it from someone who was extremely fit before having children, and whose butt got kicked by pregnancy and it's not bouncing back up. It's a completely different life on the other side of fitness.
This section and the one after are definitely the most important part of this video. If there is anything that I want you to take away from this video, it is please start exercising. It's going to have the most drastic change on your life, on your beauty, on the way that you look, on the way that your body performs. It's unbelievable. But since this is a science-backed beauty guide, let me bring up a few studies to you. A 2023 study found that exercise had clear effects on the genes and proteins involved in maintaining healthy skin and counteracting aging. Remember this study, I will mention it again later. It's also likely, although there is no study on this, that exercise will benefit hair growth because the body is experiencing increased blood flow when you exercise. As blood flow rises to the scalp, more nutrients and oxygen reach the scalp. Exercise also improves sleep, and we're going to talk about the importance of sleep later on.
What type of exercise do you choose from between Pilates, weightlifting, cardio, high-intensity interval training, etc.? Let's go back to our ROI concept. When it comes to exercise, the best kind of exercise you can do is the kind of exercise that you can stick with. I will give you recommendations based on your goals, but this is a very important mindset. You will get more benefits for the type of exercise you can stick with for decades than the kind you can stick with for four weeks. And if you hate all kinds of exercise, and nothing I've said so far has been motivating because the idea of having to do something for years to see results sounds daunting, don't be afraid. You do not have to wait that long at all. Some forms of exercise will give you significant results in a matter of weeks. That is the case for strength training. This is the most effective way to drastically change your appearance for the better, as well as the form of exercise with the best anti-aging properties.
Sedentary adults lose 3 to 8% muscle mass every decade. This is essentially what causes that look older people in their 70s and 80s have: the sagging and the loss of tone. Again, this is not an age-shaming space. What I'm referring to here is the loss of tone. You'll notice often times when people look at female celebrities and say they have an ageless look, it's often cosmetic procedures, but it goes beyond that. It's that muscle tone. Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Gabrielle Union are very good examples of this. There is nothing but strength training that will give you this look, this toneness well into your 60s and your 70s. And the best thing about strength training is that you don't need to do it for a long time to see results. Even a relatively short program, let's say 10 weeks, can add 1.4 kilograms of lean mass and boost metabolism by 7% while simultaneously reducing fat weight. This effect of strength training is referred to as body composition. By increasing [snorts] your muscle mass, your body will become more efficient at burning fat. So even while you're inactive, you'll burn more calories than before, and over time, your body will look better.
There is this prevalent idea that you can get your dream body through strength training alone, and I heavily disagree as someone who has managed to make it happen. Yes, you can. I mentioned earlier that a 2023 study found that exercise had a clear effect on your skin's appearance. The exercise they talk about in the study is cardio and strength training. Strength training also protects bone density, reduces inflammation, improves posture, and so on and so forth. It has so many benefits. I personally think it's the best on the ROI scale.
But if you absolutely hate strength training and you never want to do it ever, I'm quickly going to highlight the benefits other popular forms of exercises have over strength training. I mentioned earlier that the 2023 study found that exercise has a clear effect on your skin's appearance. The exercise in the study was cardio and strength training. And while strength training had positive effects on the skin, only cardio was shown to increase the thickness of your skin, which is a very good thing. Aside from moderate cardio, believe it or not, it will take longer to see weight loss from that compared to strength training. One edge that cardio has over strength training is that it does slow aging over your entire body down at the cellular level in a way that other forms of exercise might not. This is called stimulation of mitochondrial biogenesis. More and healthier mitochondria improves your endurance and also contributes to slowing aging, since loss of mitochondrial function is a hallmark of aging. Also, consistent cardio has been linked to improvements in markers of biological aging.
I know that Pilates is very popular, but I actually think that if you have a limited amount of time, you're better off either doing cardio or strength training. But the one advantage that Pilates has over strength training is that a lot of Pilates focuses on pelvic floor health and supporting that, which is actually extremely important for women, especially if you have given birth in the past or if you plan on giving birth in the future. Pilates will also help you gain muscle tone, but that change will take a lot more time than with regular strength training. There's a study I found in which they had women aged 59 to 66 go through a weekly Pilates program for 12 weeks, which resulted in no change in body composition. So again, if body composition is your goal, you're going to be better off with strength training. Pilates is also very good at improving your posture.
I've kept this section for last because it's definitely the most important, the easiest to implement, and the cheapest. You need to get more sleep. This is non-negotiable. This is severely underrated. Lack of sleep messes with your body in so many different ways, and people can tell where you don't sleep enough. In one study, women averaging five hours of sleep per night had significantly higher signs of skin aging and slower recovery from skin stressors like sunburn. Whereas those sleeping eight hours had smoother, better hydrated skin that recovered faster. The patients who were classified as good sleepers also felt more attractive and were happier with their appearance. And in another control trial, observers rated photos of individuals after only 5 hours of sleep versus the same individuals after a full night. Lack of sleep consistently resulted in darker under-eye shadows, more fine lines, drooping eyelids, and downturned corners of the mouth. Another study showed that people were less likely to socialize with people who got insufficient sleep and rated them as less attractive as opposed to when they got a full night's rest. And finally, people who sleep less than 7 hours per night have higher risks of weight gain and obesity, even when they are on a controlled diet. Sleep also has a direct impact on your brain, cognitive function, on inflammation, on insulin resistance, disease risk, and so many different things.
I find it very important to bring all of this up in this video because women are at more risk of insomnia and poor sleep than men because of our hormonal fluctuations. So, it's even more important for us to prioritize sleep. Sleep hygiene as a whole is determined by so many different factors and it's worth of an entire video. But the easiest changes to implement that will make the biggest impact are:
Number one: Morning light exposure. Try to get outside light exposure as soon as you can after waking up. Light is the single most important element for setting our circadian clock or internal 24-hour rhythm, and morning light is key. According to a professor of neurology and sleep specialist, this is backed up by data.
Number two: Keep a cool, dark, quiet sleep environment. Darkness reduces retinal light input, which lowers alerting signals, which lead to increased melatonin production, and melatonin is the sleep hormone.
Number three: [clears throat] Consistent sleep and wake times. This is the first tip emphasized on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's website, so that should tell you all. Also, exercise has a positive impact on sleep studies. So, since you're going to implement what we've discussed in the health and fitness section, you'll sleep better. And voila.
This is your ultimate minimal science-based beauty guide for 2026. Pick an area that you really want to focus throughout the year. Implement those changes. And please come back to let us know what results you've gotten. I'll be linking a quick summary of this video with product recommendations below, as well as all the products I'm mentioning in this video. So, feel free to check the description box. Also, if you want stronger, healthier hair in 2026, I recommend you to check out my bond repair series on all the bond repair products on the market. Thank you for watching. I'll see you next time.
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