Glow Up Tips for 13 Year Olds (Healthy and Simple)

6 min read · Glowmaxx

The best glow up tips for 13 year olds are simple: sleep 8 to 10 hours, wash your face gently and wear sunscreen, keep your hair clean with a cut you like, stand tall, move your body and stop comparing yourself to filtered photos. You don't need expensive products, a 10-step routine or a diet. At 13, your body is still growing and changing, and a healthy glow up works with that, not against it.

Here's the whole plan, for girls and boys, with nothing to buy except the basics.

A quick, honest note before we start: Glowmaxx, the app we make, is for adults 18 and over, so this guide won't send you to it. If a parent or older sibling wants to do their own glow-up alongside you, they can Start my glow-up, while you use the free paper checklist below.

What a glow up at 13 should (and shouldn't) be

A glow up at 13 should be about feeling good and taking care of yourself. It shouldn't be about fixing your face.

A healthy glow up at 13 is:

• better sleep, so you look and feel less tired
• a simple, gentle skin routine
• hair that's clean and has a shape you like
• moving your body in a way that's fun
• standing up straight and feeling more confident
• figuring out your own style

It is not:

• dieting or trying to change your weight
• copying an adult's 10-step skincare routine
• rating your face or features
• "mewing," "bonesmashing" or any face-changing hack from the internet
• editing your photos until you don't look like you

Your face and body will keep changing for years. That's normal. Nobody is "done" at 13, and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something.

Sleep comes first

If you only do one thing from this list, make it sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends 9 to 12 hours for kids 6 to 12 and 8 to 10 hours for teens 13 to 18. Plenty of teens get less than that.

Sleep shows in your face (less puffy, fewer dark circles), your mood, your focus at school and your energy for sports.

How to glow up as a 13 year old with better sleep

1. Charge your phone outside your room, or at least across it.
2. Same wake-up time every day, even weekends (give or take an hour).
3. Wind down: shower, read, music, anything without a bright screen.
4. Cool, dark room if you can.

Simple skin care

Should a 13 year old have a skincare routine?

Yes, a simple one. At 13, most people's skin is getting oilier and breakouts are common because of puberty. A gentle routine helps. A complicated routine with strong acids, retinol or anti-aging products usually does more harm than good at this age.

The whole routine:

That's it. Four steps, a few minutes a day.

Skin tips that actually help:

• Don't pick or squeeze spots; it can make marks last longer.
• Change your pillowcase often.
• Wash your face after sports.
• If breakouts are painful or aren't getting better, ask a parent to take you to a doctor. There are safe treatments that work.

Glow up tips for 13 year olds girl naturally

A natural glow up at 13 means skipping heavy makeup and letting clean, moisturized skin, groomed brows and healthy hair do the work. Lip balm, SPF and sleep will do more than foundation.

Hair and grooming

Hair

• Wash your hair as often as it needs (oilier hair might need it more often during puberty).
• Get a haircut you actually like, and keep it up every couple of months.
• Find two easy styles you can do in five minutes.

Grooming basics for everyone

• Shower daily, especially once you're active or sweating more.
• Deodorant every morning. Puberty changes how you smell, and this is the single biggest "glow up" some people notice.
• Brush teeth twice a day and floss.
• Keep nails short and clean.

Glow up tips for 13 year olds boy

For guys: a good haircut, a daily shower, deodorant, face washing and clean clothes that fit. If you're starting to get facial hair, ask a parent or older sibling to show you how to shave safely, or just leave it until you're ready. For more, see our guide on how to glow up as a teen boy.

Posture and confidence

Standing up straight is a glow up that works in seconds. Try this:

1. Stand with your back against a wall, heels a few inches away.
2. Let your head, shoulders and backside touch the wall.
3. Step away and keep that feeling.

Confidence builders at 13:

• Say hi first.
• Join one club, team or class you're curious about.
• Learn one skill you're proud of (an instrument, a sport, drawing, coding).
• Keep a list of things you like about yourself that aren't about looks.

Tracking all this in your head is hard, and on a bad day you'll forget the progress you made. So keep it on paper.

Free paper tracker (copy into a notebook): each day, tick Sleep 8+ hrs / Face washed / SPF / Water / Moved / Posture check / Something kind to myself. At the end of each week, count your ticks, not your flaws. (If you're 18 or older reading this for yourself, Glowmaxx tracks your routine with a streak and scores a daily selfie on five things you can change. Start my glow-up)

Things to skip at 13

Best advice for a glow-up at 14 (or 12, or 15)? Skip these:

• Diets or "what I eat in a day" trends. You're growing. Eat regular meals.
• Adult skincare: retinol, strong acids, anti-aging creams. Not needed.
• Face-rating apps or quizzes. Your face is still changing.
• Looksmaxxing and "mewing" content. Much of it is made for adults and a lot of it is unhealthy.
• Comparing yourself to influencers. Many use filters, lighting and editing.
• Staying up late scrolling. It undoes your best glow up habit.

Glow up tips for 10-15 year olds, in one list

• Sleep enough
• Wash your face, wear SPF
• Shower and deodorant
• Haircut you like
• Move every day
• Stand tall
• Wear clothes you feel good in
• Be kind to yourself

For more ideas that work at any age, see 12 healthy glow up habits and our self care glow up checklist.

A glow-up the whole family can do

The best glow up tips for 13 year olds are habits, and habits are easier when someone does them with you. If you're a parent, older sibling or adult reading this, Glowmaxx is built for you: in the next minute it can score your selfie on five things you can change and give you three moves for today, and the teen in your life can run the paper checklist beside you.

Start my glow-up

FAQ

How can a 13 year old glow up naturally?

Sleep 8 to 10 hours, wash your face gently, wear sunscreen, drink water, move your body and get a haircut you like. No makeup, diets or expensive products are needed.

Should a 13 year old have a skincare routine?

A simple one, yes: gentle cleanser, light moisturizer and sunscreen. Skip strong acids, retinol and anti-aging products. If acne is painful or not improving, see a doctor with a parent.

What are good glow up tips for 12 year olds?

The same basics, with even more focus on sleep (kids 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours). Showering, deodorant, washing your face and keeping your hair clean are the main steps at 12.

What are glow up tips for 15 year olds?

At 15, keep the same foundation and add a bit more: a haircut that suits your face, tidy brows, clothes that fit, and learning which light makes you look best in photos. Keep the diets and face-rating content out of it.

What is the best advice for a glow-up at 14?

Don't try to change your face. Build habits: sleep, a simple skin routine, daily showers, movement, posture and a style that feels like you. The biggest glow ups at this age come from growing up plus good habits, not from hacks.