Guide

Looksmax: how to get started

An evidence-graded guide to looksmaxxing basics: fitness, posture, skin, grooming and teeth, plus what doesn't work.

By Joel Runyon May 25, 2023 Updated November 1, 2026

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Updated November 1, 2026.

Looksmaxxing means working to improve how you look. This guide sticks to the basics that have evidence behind them, and flags the shortcuts that don't.

What is looksmaxxing?

Looksmaxxing is the process of improving your appearance. Depending on the community, it covers everything from showering and grooming to surgery.

Wikipedia describes it as an online self-improvement practice focused on male attractiveness. Low-risk steps like skincare, grooming and fitness are often called "softmaxxing". More extreme steps, like unapproved drugs and cosmetic surgery, are called "hardmaxxing".

Setting realistic expectations

Some parts of looksmaxxing involve drugs, peptides and surgery. This guide sticks to the basics. Where it mentions peptides, it links to our evidence guides so you can see what's proven and what isn't.

Many people in looksmaxxing communities are in their teens. If that's you, skip anything involving drugs, injections or surgery.

What's actually supported

We graded each common looksmaxxing step by the strength of the evidence behind it.

A: strong evidence from large trials, systematic reviews or major health bodies.
B: good evidence, but from fewer or smaller studies.
C: limited, indirect or mixed evidence, or expert opinion only.
D: no good evidence.

Step	Grade	What the evidence says
Fitness and lower body fat	B	Exercise has strong evidence for health. For looks, one small study found that faces of women at an average weight were rated healthier and more attractive than heavier faces.
Posture	C	In one study, people shown in open, expansive poses got more interest on a dating app. It's one study, but posture work is cheap and low risk.
Skin basics (sunscreen, gentle care)	A	In a 4.5-year randomized trial, adults who used sunscreen daily showed no detectable increase in skin aging. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher.
Grooming (haircut, beard, clothes)	C	There is little formal research, but grooming is cheap, quick and low risk.
Teeth (brushing, cleaning between teeth)	A	The American Dental Association recommends brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and cleaning between your teeth once a day. The grade is for oral health. The effect on looks is indirect.
Mewing	D	There is no good evidence that it reshapes your face. Orthodontists warn that heavy tongue pressure can harm your teeth and bite.
Jawline exercisers and gum	D	There is no good evidence that they change jaw shape. Dentists in the British Dental Journal warned that hard-resistance trainers strain the jaw joint.
Peptides and tanning injections	D	Most have little or no human evidence for looks. Melanotan II is not FDA approved for any use. See the peptides section below.
Surgery (for example jaw surgery)	B	For people with a diagnosed jaw problem, a 2019 review of 30 studies found jaw surgery improves quality of life, with high satisfaction. It is major surgery, not a shortcut. Start with an orthodontist or oral surgeon.

Fitness

About 40% of US adults have obesity, and about 72% have overweight or obesity, according to CDC data from August 2021 to August 2023. So a healthy weight already sets you apart from most US adults.

For most people, fitness is the place to start. The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening work on at least 2 days.

Losing body fat often changes how your face looks too. There is no single body fat number you need to hit. Work toward a healthy range for you, and talk to a doctor if you have a lot of weight to lose.

Posture

Posture changes how you come across. In one study, people in open, expansive poses got more interest from potential dates than people in closed poses.

If you want to start, read our guide to improving your posture.

Nutrition

What you eat matters for fat loss. Pick an approach you can stick with. Some people like a structured plan such as keto or paleo. Others do fine with simple portion control.

No single diet is clearly best for weight loss. In a 12-month trial of 609 adults, a healthy low-carb diet and a healthy low-fat diet led to similar weight loss.

If you want help planning meals, try a simple meal planning app.

Face

Your face changes with your body fat, so fitness and nutrition come first. After that, these are the basics.

Mewing

Mewing means resting your tongue on the roof of your mouth. Despite the claims online, there is no good evidence that it reshapes your jaw, and orthodontists warn against pressing hard. Read our full mewing guide for what it can and can't do. The same goes for jaw exercisers.

Beard

Keep it trimmed and even, or keep it shaved. Beardbrand has a long series of beard care guides.

Hair

Minoxidil is a common hair-loss treatment, and some people add microneedling. In a 2013 randomized trial of 100 men, weekly microneedling plus minoxidil grew more hair over 12 weeks than minoxidil alone. Talk to a doctor or dermatologist before you start any hair-loss medicine.

Read our derma roller guide for how microneedling works. More Plates More Dates also has a long series on hair loss.

Teeth

Brush twice a day with fluoride toothpaste and clean between your teeth once a day. That's the American Dental Association's advice.

Get these habits right before you look at whitening, cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics.

Skin

The basics do most of the work: daily sunscreen, a gentle cleanser, moisturizer and enough sleep. Start there before you spend money on anything else.

Sunscreen has the strongest evidence. In a 4.5-year randomized trial, adults who used it daily showed no detectable increase in skin aging. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.

Copper peptide serums (GHK-Cu) are the most-discussed next step. The evidence is modest: one published trial and some industry studies showing small gains in fine lines and firmness over 8 to 12 weeks. Read our GHK-Cu evidence guide before you buy one, and see what happened when it was paired with microneedling.

Peptides, tanning injections and other shortcuts

Looksmaxxing forums push peptides as shortcuts for skin, hair, fat loss and tanning. Most have little or no human evidence, and some carry real risks. Check what the research actually shows first:

Melanotan II, the "tanning peptide": not approved anywhere, with case reports of changing moles and melanoma. A tan from it doesn't protect your skin. Sunless tanning lotion and sunscreen are the safer route.
GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu, the copper peptides sold for skin and hair: cosmetic serums are legal, the evidence is thin, and injectables have no legal source.
Peptide stacks like GLOW and KLOW: no blend has been tested in people.
Semaglutide and other weight-loss drugs: prescription medicines. Get them from a prescriber, not a "research" seller.

Every peptide we cover is graded the same way, from FDA-approved down to anecdotal. See all peptide guides.

Confidence and mentality

In our view, confidence matters as much as any of the steps above. You can build it in small steps, and it makes the other habits easier to keep.

If you want some reading to keep you motivated, here are a few books we like. These are Amazon affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you buy.

Can't Hurt Me

See today's price on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

What is the first step in looksmaxxing?

Start with fitness, sunscreen, basic grooming and your teeth. They are cheap, low risk and have the best evidence.

Does mewing give you a better jawline?

There is no good evidence that it does. Losing body fat may make your jawline more visible. For a real jaw or bite problem, see an orthodontist.

Is looksmaxxing safe?

The basics are. The risky parts are unapproved drugs and peptides, surgery without a medical reason, and "bone smashing". Facial surgeons warn that hitting your face risks fractures, nerve and blood vessel injury, deformity and changes in vision.

Do peptides help with looks?

Most have little or no human evidence. Melanotan II, the "tanning peptide", is not FDA approved for any use, and the Skin Cancer Foundation warns against it. See the peptides section above.

Should teenagers looksmax?

Stick to the basics: exercise, sleep, skin care, grooming and teeth. Skip anything involving drugs, injections or surgery, and talk to a parent or doctor before trying anything more.

More looksmaxxing resources

References

Joel Runyon

Joel is the founder of MoveWell and IMPOSSIBLE. He became the youngest person to run an ultra marathon on every continent, and created MoveWell to make recovery easy with routines he would actually do.