What Is the Clean Girl Aesthetic? How Do You Get the Clean Girl Look?

Let’s talk about the newest craze in beauty: the clean female look. You may have come across videos showing beautiful ladies with glowing skin and a simplistic yet sophisticated look. The kind of look the opposite gender may assume is natural. It all gives off a vibe of effortless, stunning beauty. That’s the style of the clean girl aesthetic.

What Is Clean Girl Aesthetic?

The clean girl aesthetic is a relatively new trend, mostly because of TikTok; however, the idea itself has existed in the minds of many for decades, especially amongst colored women. 

Today, this look describes a slim body, flawless and glowing skin, plump lips, slicked-back buns, and minimalist accessories. Simply put, the clean girl aesthetic consists of wearing “no makeup” with elegant-looking but uncomplicated clothing and basic, high-end jewelry.

This social media trend has over 230 million views on TikTok and is supported by Zoe Kravitz and Hailey Bieber.

Several content providers have created materials that demonstrate how to act, dress, speak, and walk like a clean girl in response to this recently popular trend. While this trend seems to have a Euro-centric undertone, you’ll agree that it gives off a vibe of class and elegance.

How Do You Get the Clean Girl Look?

In attaining the clean girl look, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Here are 10 key steps to transform you into a clean girl.

1. Take Care of Your Skin.

Skincare is crucial to creating the clean girl look.

Cleanse: Use a quality cleanser to remove dirt from your skin without causing any damage.

Exfoliate: Over time, dead skin cells accumulate on the skin. This causes your skin to look darker and duller. An exfoliating toner gets rid of the dead cells, removing the dullness from your skin.

Hydrate: Stay hydrated from inside out and outside-in. Take adequate water to keep your entire body hydrated and healthy. On the other hand, keep your skin hydrated from the inside out with a lightweight moisturizer or a hydraulic serum.

Protect with sunscreen: Apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to your skin at the end of your skincare routine to shield it from the sun’s harmful rays. Sunscreen is essential for maintaining long-term skin tone equity.

2. Keep Your Hair Simple.

For the clean girl look, less is more. You don’t need to have a flamboyant hairstyle that screams in every room you step into. Instead, focus on grooming your natural hair to be healthy and radiant. Then, style it into a simple bun, or simply straighten your hair and tame flyaway hair with a serum. 

Keep in mind that effortlessness is the key to a clean appearance. You’re gunning for an effortless glam, so an elaborate hairstyle doesn’t sit in this look. The clean girl’s hair is always simple. The simpler, the cleaner.

3. Make Your Hair Shiny.

Aside from keeping the hair simple, the clean girl takes it a step further by making it shiny. Making your hair shiny makes you look sophisticated and organized. Having shiny hair contributes to an overall polished and healthy look—a key element of the clean girl style.

4. Keep Your Makeup Simple.

The clean girl’s skin is dewy and radiant. And so, you must be careful to choose a foundation that will help you achieve this look. The goal is to have a “no makeup” look, so nothing heavy comes in. Hash contours, bright blushes, and loud eye-shadows have no place in the clean girl aesthetic. All you need is a quality foundation that matches your skin tone, a clear lip gloss, an eye pencil, and some mascara.

Here are some brands to consider for the clean girl face glow: Armani, Glossier, Fenty Beauty, and The Ordinary. However, feel free to explore different foundation brands, provided they are lightweight and safe for your skin.

5. Shop Minimalistic Wear

The clean girl aesthetic outfits are centered around simplicity and comfort. Casual gym wear and two-piece outfits are a go-to. Even lounge wear works. For more corporate settings, consider wearing structured blazers with plain tees. And you can never go wrong with a white button-down shirt. 

Dress up or dress down as the occasion demands, but remember to keep it simple. Think clean girl; think model off duty.

6. Embrace Neutral Hues

Another element that contributes to the clean girl look is its color choice. The clean girl aesthetic is largely built around calm and neutral colors. 

Avoid bright (or shouting) colors like bright neon. Also, avoid loud prints and patterns. Instead, go for neutral colors like cream, brown, grey, or khaki. Monochromes are always a great option too.

7. Keep Your Nails Simple and Manicured

Your nails should always be simple and well-manicured. When going for the clean girl look, avoid making your fingers an expressive work of art with diverse colors or creative patterns. Go for minimal accents, natural colors, and shorter nails.

8. Stay Smooth

Unlike makeup, removing body hair is not an obvious clean girl move. However, it adds to the polished and intentional look. Sophisticated ladies usually do not keep dark, hairy underarms, so as a clean style girl, you shouldn’t either. 

Body hair removal methods include shaving, waxing, and even laser hair removal. You may improve your clean and fashionable appearance while also enhancing your confidence and comfort by shaving your undesired hair. 

9. Adopt a Clean Lifestyle

To be a clean girl from the inside out, beyond looking like a clean girl, you may need to make lifestyle changes. This will include engaging in physical exercise regularly, eating healthy, and living a soft life. You may also need to develop your organizational skills and self-confidence. That way, beyond looking like a clean girl, you ooze poise and class.

Must-Haves for a Clean Girl Style

If you’re ready to explore the clean girl aesthetic, here are items you must have as a clean beauty, whether you’re a millennial or Gen Z. Think of this list as a ready-made shopping list to begin your clean-girl style journey.

Skin Care

Cleanser: This removes dirt and excessive oil from your skin, keeping it clean. This way, you avoid breakouts that may jeopardize the flawless skin look you’re gunning for.

Moisturizer: Using a moisturizer hydrates your skin. This keeps your skin looking supple and radiant.

Sunscreen: exposure to harmful UV rays affects your skin health and may cause you to develop uneven skin or dark patches. By using sunscreen, you’ll protect your skin and stay youthful.

Lip balm: remember, the clean girl look features plump, well-moisturized lips. Lip balm is a must-have to keep your lips moisturized.

Body Care

Soap or body wash: This is a necessary product for your daily hygiene care. Consider getting a scented soap to enjoy an after-bath fragrance.

Moisturizer: Use a body moisturizer or moisturizing cream to keep your skin hydrated.

Body scrub: Exfoliation removes dead skin cells that cause your skin to look dull and dark. A body scrub is needed for exfoliation.

Deodorant: Look clean, feel clean. Get deodorant to stay fresh through the day.

Perfume: Get a preferred fragrance to smell clean throughout your day.

IPL hair removal handset: smooth, hair-free skin suits a clean girl. The Ulike IPL hair handset helps you get a smooth skin feel with ease.

Hand cream: Having a soft, supple palm complements the clean girl look and gives you a soft girl outlook. Hand cream helps keep your hands supple.

Make-Up

Concealer: Concealer helps to conceal or hide imperfections on your skin. What makes it right for the clean girl look is that it hides your skin flaws while retaining a natural feel.

Lightweight foundation: the Clean Girl foundation offers light coverage and smooths out the skin without causing any masking effect or caking. Note that your foundation is a key element in the “no makeup” makeup look.

Lip Gloss: A clear lip gloss gives your lips a subtle shine that looks pretty and effortless.

Mascara: Nothing over the top; just defining your lashes with mascara elevates your face without looking flamboyant. It almost looks like you have naturally full eyelashes.

Hair Care 

Styling combs: As a clean girl, you’ll need different types and sizes of combs, depending on your hair texture, for styling.

Shampoo: Cleanliness is an integral component of the clean girl style. Shampoo is needed for clean and healthy hair.

Conditioner: You’ll need a conditioner after washing your hair.

Hair styling products: This may include styling gels and edge control to tame flyaways. You could also get a simple tool like a hair straightener for straightened, sleek, clean girl hair.

Clothing

White Button-Down Shirt: A white button-down is a staple for every corporate clean girl. It can be paired with just about anything. Whether you’re going for a business meeting or a simple hangout with friends.

Quality Blazer: Get a tailored blazer that is preferably in a versatile style that can be paired with various outfits.

Jean: Jean is a go-to minimalist wear for the clean girl. It could be styled in multiple ways to achieve any desired look.

Joggers or Workout Wear: The clean girl’s outfits are simple, comfy, and flattering. Workout wear sits perfectly in this category.

Accessories

Minimalist Jewelry: Get simple jewelry pieces to finish your look. Necklaces, bracelets, and wrist watches are all acceptable in the clean girl style. Simple loop earrings are a go-to. The key is to keep it simple and sophisticated.

The Problem of Clean Girl Aesthetics

The clean girl aesthetic seems to promote simplicity and natural beauty on the surface. However, this trend may pose some problems.

• Eurocentricity

This new trend seems to reinforce a Eurocentric beauty standard because it emphasizes certain features: light skin, straight hair, facial structure, etc. Moreso, many products promoted in the trend are primarily for Eurocentric beauty ideals. Foundation shades and styling products usually do not cater to colored women.

• Unrealistic Expectations

The “no makeup” makeup look of the clean places undue pressure on many women who have skin blemishes, as it has become the “ideal.” Moreso, men who do not recognize that makeup is used in achieving the “clean girl” or “no makeup” look may expect their partners to look this way after waking from bed.

• Impact on Self-Esteem

Whatever you do, don’t get sucked into constantly comparing yourself with clean girls on TikTok. The clean girl trend on TikTok showcases the perfect, simple life without showing how much work and effort goes into creating it. So, if you’re not careful, you may end up comparing your life with others without sympathy, thus impacting your self-esteem negatively.

• Financial Constraints

A lot goes into achieving the clean girl aesthetic. You’ll need to invest in quality skincare and makeup items. This financial demand may not be practical for everyone. If it’s fine for you, though, it’s okay to invest in your skin and health.

• Time and Effort

The clean girl style always looks natural, requiring no effort. However, this is far from true. Glowing skin is not gotten at the tap of a button. It requires having a consistent skincare routine. Moreover, staying ahead of the trend may be exhausting.

• Pressure for Perfection

The clean girl look is perfect yet simple. Sadly, some people genuinely think the look is 100% natural. The clean girl seems to have everything effortlessly put together and organized at all times. In reality, though, no one is always that organized and polished. This trend may place undue pressure on other women to measure up.

Conclusion

The clean girl trend celebrates simplicity and is the closest to the natural beauty that makeup has gotten. Plus, its simplistic nature makes it attractive to both men and women. However, this aesthetic trend also has its downsides.

The best approach to embracing the clean girl aesthetic is to take time to nurture your skin at your own pace and always keep it simple. The cherry on top is to keep your skin smooth and your dressing sharp always.