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Every person who is addicted to smoking knows about the health risks involved with this particular recreational activity. However, what a lot of people don’t know is that smoking not only poses health risks but also has a strong impact on how you look.
If you are considering giving up smoking, whatever method you intend to use to do it, these are some of the beauty benefits that you can look forward to as you begin to recover from being a smoker.
Cleaner, Fresher Smelling Hair
People who smoke tend not to notice the tobacco smell on their hair and clothes. However, it is something that non-smokers find very off-putting. You only have to ask someone who does not smoke what they dislike most about smoking and they will usually say that they hate the way it smells. When you quit smoking, you will find that your hair smells fresh and retains the smell of the products you use on it for longer.
This is not the only hair benefit, however. Because of the way that smoke clings to hair, you end up with discoloration, and this is especially noticeable on hair that has been lightened or bleached. Bleached hair can even turn green when exposed to cigarette smoke, or you can end up with brassy nicotine stains in your hair. Whether you have bleached hair or not, your color will last longer and look better if you are not in smoky environments. You may even find that you do not have to wash your hair as often, and regular washing is actually bad for the hair. If you can get away with only washing your hair a couple of times a week then this is actually better for it. Of course, if you have to worry about cigarette smell and residue from smoke, you probably wash your hair more than that, and so this could be a benefit of giving up.
Smoking Ages Skin
Another very serious effect on beauty from smoking is that it causes aging of the skin. This may be something that you are not concerned about yet if you are young, however, skin tends to look duller, thinner, and it loses its elasticity faster when you are a smoker. While giving up smoking will not reverse any aging that has already taken place, it will prevent further premature aging, and will be something that will keep you looking youthful for longer.
A Whiter Smile
Teeth are something else that are affected by smoking. As you might expect, one aspect of this is nicotine stains on the teeth. Having your teeth professionally whitened or using whitening products at home can improve the color of your teeth temporarily. However, you have to repeat these processes often if you continue to smoke. Smoking also causes the gums to recede, which is bad for oral health and may lead to gum disease.
In addition to these benefits to your teeth, you will also naturally experience fresher breath if you stop smoking.
More Attractive Hands
Yet another aspect of your appearance that is affected when you smoke is how your hands look. Your fingers and nails will become discolored when you smoke, and this is even worse if you smoke roll-up cigarettes instead of filtered ones. Whatever you smoke, you will have to deal with stains on the nails and fingers that can be very hard to remove.
There are various methods to remove the stains, including a scrubbing with lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda. However, wouldn’t it be better to just enjoy having cleaner skin on your hands and better-looking natural nails by giving up smoking altogether?
Different Methods of Quitting Smoking
If this is enough to convince you that it is a good time to make the jump from smoking to becoming a non-smoker, then there are lots of methods that you could try. One thing that is popular is to switch from smoking cigarettes to vaping instead. Vaping allows you to continue to take in nicotine and to have a habit similar to smoking a cigarette in terms of what you do with your hands and mouth, but the water vapor that comes out instead of smoke is generally less harmful and doesn’t smell like cigarette smoke. It also causes less staining.
Vaping is a popular method of quitting smoking because it allows you to reduce the amount of nicotine you are taking in gradually over time, while still getting it from a less harmful source. It also means that you do not have to deal with giving up the habit side of smoking straight away while you are still dealing with the nicotine addiction.
Some people reduce the nicotine in the vaping liquids down to zero but continue vaping until they feel ready to give up that social habit. It has not yet been proven whether or not vaping is completely harmless, as nobody really knows the long-term impact of it as it’s only been around for about a decade. However, it is widely agreed that it is much less harmful than smoking tobacco.
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Other popular methods of quitting smoking include trying to give up cold turkey on willpower alone, using other forms of nicotine replacement therapies such as patches, gum, and inhalers, and also some new drugs that are being used in some areas that can help combat the cravings.
Some people have to try several different methods before they find the one that works for them. However, it is worth continuing to try until you find something that works so that you can get all of the benefits of giving up your cigarette habit.
As you can see, there are many aesthetic benefits you will get when you give up smoking, and although these are not as important as the lowered cancer risk and other health benefits, they are well worth considering when you are motivating yourself to stop smoking.