January 17, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Though there are a lot of different hair types and textures out there, I think we can all agree on one thing right now: Our hair is dry. Thanks to the dry AF weather and even more drying indoor heat, our strands are currently feeling frazzled, parched, and begging for moisture. And hair pros say that the first way to help prevent hair dryness is by using a heat protectant. As a refresher, your hair contains keratin proteins and hydrogen bonds, which are broken down every time you use heat on them says Andrew Fitzsimons, celebrity hairstylist. “While we love heat tools for their ability to manipulate the hair into different styles, they do strip your hair of its natural oils and proteins,” he says. “To put it simply: Heat tools compromise the quality of your hair, so repeated use of them will completely dehydrate your strands and lead to breakage.” That said, we are smack in the middle of winter, so we’re not exactly trying to run out of the house with damp hair—our blow dryers are key. So Fitzimons says it’s really, really important to protect your hair and keep it healthy by spritzing on a heat protectant. “I never use a heat tool without heat protection,” he says. “Heat protection will keep your hair shinier, healthier, and less prone to breakage.” This way, you can use the hot tools you love without having to completely dry out your hair (which will then
Category: Beauty
How to pick a product if your skin is oily *and* dry, according to a derm
January 16, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXLjprqwVGs] Whether you’re dry or oily, the cardinal rule when choosing any skin-care product is to make sure it works for your skin type. But what the heck are you supposed to do if you’re… both? According to board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD, that’s actually the case for most people, and finding the right product isn’t as complicated as you might think. The way we talk about skin care makes it seem like you should fall seamlessly into only one skin category, but that’s not actually the case. “We don’t all fit perfectly into one skin-care bucket, which is why ‘combination skin’ is the perfect skin-care descriptor for most of us,” she says. “Some people skew more toward the oily side, while others are more dry, but in general we all have patches of oily skin in some places and dry skin in others.” All of this begs the question: If you’re dealing two skin types at the same time, how the heck are you supposed to find ingredients that work for both? In the latest episode of Dear Derm, Dr. Gohara lays out the info on exactly that. The trick? Understanding which areas are which, and targeting your products appropriately. Take moisturizer, for example: “You use lipstick on your lips and eye shadow on your eyes, so why can’t you use a heavier cream on the dryer parts of your skin, and a lighter lotion on the parts that produce more moisturizer?” says Dr.
I’m a dermatologist, and these are the mistakes I see people make when treating eczema
January 15, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Having dehydrated skin is one thing, but dealing with eczema takes dry skin woes to another level. Since we’re smack in the middle of winter, a lot of people are experiencing eczema flareups, and there are a few key things to keep in mind when combatting this type of irritation that go above and beyond your usual dry skin treatments. As in: You’re going to need more than your trusty hyaluronic acid serum. “Eczema is a skin disease that’s characterized by dry skin that becomes inflamed,” says Loretta Ciraldo, MD, a Miami-based dermatologist and founder of Dr. Loretta skin care. You’ll typically see the skin condition, also known as atopic dermatitis, show up as extra-dry patches of inflammation, which she says tend to be really itchy. “Drier, colder weather can worsen it, as can using certain skin-care ingredients like alcohol and coloring,” says Dr. Ciraldo. While there are definitely things you can do to dry skin that also help with eczema, eczema is more about giving extra attention to your skin’s barrier. “People with eczema have skin that doesn’t function well as a barrier,” says Shirley Chi, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles. So it takes an extra level of TLC, and that includes avoiding certain lifestyle habits (one, for example, happens in the shower). Keep scrolling for the most common mistakes that dermatologists see people make when treating eczema. 1. Using heat Basking in hot water in your shower can feel good, but
When you buy a super-expensive beauty product, this is what you’re paying for
January 15, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Call me a beauty snob (or just very gullible), but I’ve always assumed that luxury skin-care products are superior to their budget friendly counterparts—the higher price point must mean they’re more effective and less likely to trigger my highly sensitive skin, right? But the more I witness the Well+Good beauty team raving over their favorite drugstore finds, the more I’ve started to question that logic. According to my extremely discerning colleagues, it’s totally possible to find hard-working serums, moisturizers, and sunscreen for less than $20, and the quality of mass-market beauty products just keeps getting better. So what’s really the difference between, say, a $30 retinol cream and a boutique version that costs $100? According to cosmetic formulator Stephen Alain Ko, ingredients all play a role in the cost of a beauty product—things like sourcing, purity, and the difficulty of manufacturing a given add-in. Take green tea extract, for example. “Green tea extract is a relatively common ingredient, but the purity of the ingredient can change the cost of the raw material by many magnitudes,” he says. This could be one reason why a 2010 investigation found that making a $320 jar of Crème de la Mer with standard ingredients would only cost around $20—the brand responded by saying that the sea kelp it uses is rare and sustainably sourced, rather than the more commonplace sea kelp found in lower-priced products. (Of course, in this extreme case, branding probably also has something to
Your complete guide to hitting the right boutique fitness class for you
January 15, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC Boutique fitness studios are like universes unto themselves. Each has its own distinct brand, from the look of the sweat box to the vibe of its classes to what the workouts are actually like once you’re in them. Because of this, boutique fitness can feel hard to navigate and, let’s be honest, intimidating if you have no clue where to get started. It doesn’t have to be such a scavenger hunt, though. To make finding the right fitness class feel breeze, we’ve broken each out by its very specific specialty. Are you into restorative yoga flows, or do you prefer quick-hit vinyasas? Are you a barre person or a Pilates person? Would you prefer dance cardio over spinning, or would you choose running over anything else? Keep scrolling to find your sweat match, based on your favorite way to get your heart rate up. And hey, maybe you’ll even find a new fave way to sweat at one of these nation-wide studios. View this post on Instagram When life knocks you down, do a burpee. #NationalGetUpDay A post shared by Orangetheory Fitness (@orangetheory) on Feb 1, 2018 at 6:08am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js Orangetheory If you like: HIIT or heart-rate training If you can’t live without your tracker and are constantly trying to work out near your max heart rate, Orangetheory is right up your alley. It’s essentially a HIIT class that’s broken down into a treadmill segment, a weight training segment, and a rowing segment,
Cult-fave brand Skinceuticals is opening its first IRL shops—and facials are involved
January 13, 2020 at 07:44PM by CWC Derms and beauty lovers, rejoice! SkinCeuticals is launching SkinCeuticals SkinLab, the first brick-and-mortar shops since its founding in 1997, where customers can get a specialized treatment and shop the brand’s best products. “With SkinCeuticals SkinLab’s approachable aesthetics, we are bringing in the next generation of aesthetic enthusiasts to our doctors and brand to further our ultimate goal of sharing the wealth of knowledge that our physicians have and our experience with advanced skincare combined with professional aesthetic treatments,” says Christina Fair, general manager of SkinCeuticals, in a press release. SkinCeuticals SkinLab opens February 2020 in Napa, California, (led by dermatologist Karynne Duncan, MD) and Stamford, Connecticut, (led by dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Kim Nichols, MD). A third location in Houston (led by plastic surgeon Forrest Roth, MD) opens its doors in March, with further expansion slated throughout 2020. Photo: PRNewsfoto/SkinCeuticals The SkinCeuticals SkinLab will offer three signature treatments: SkinSmooth, an LED micropeel and phyto-corrective gel treatment using red-light therapy and a chemical peel; SkinBright, a non-invasive laser therapy followed with the brand’s vitamin C serum, C E Ferulic; and SkinFirm, microneedling followed by Hydrating B₅ Gel. Each location will also offer aesthetic services aligned with the expertise of the leading doctor, including body contouring, injectables, and vitamin IV drips. And when your treatment is done, you can stop by SkinCeuticals Dermablend Professional station for touchups to your makeup following treatments. If there isn’t a SkinLab opening in your city, you can still shop the
Inside the growing backlash against the birth control pill
January 13, 2020 at 07:38PM by CWC The creation of the birth control pill in 1950 is largely considered a watershed moment for female reproductive freedom. For the first time in human history, there was a reliable, relatively safe contraceptive method that allowed people to have more control over when they got pregnant and with whom. While some at the time clutched their pearls about the implications of being able to have sex without the consequence of pregnancy (gasp!), usage of the Pill (and later, other forms of hormonal contraception) became widespread and highly accepted… until, it seems, right now. The number of women using hormonal birth control pills is on the decline—per the CDC, 12.6 percent of women using contraception were on the Pill between 2015 and 2017, compared to 18.9 percent of women in 2002. While some of the decrease can be explained by increased use of other hormonal contraceptive methods (including a rise in IUD use from 1.3 percent to 7.9 percent, and an increase in implant and patch use from 0.8 to 3.5 percent), there is a small but growing movement of women (currently representing 5.4 percent of women using contraception, per CDC data) who are shunning hormonal contraceptive options altogether in favor of more “natural,” hormone-free options. Among them is Ashley*, who was 17 when her doctor diagnosed her with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and wrote her a prescription for birth control pills—a common treatment for the hormonal disorder to help regulate periods and hormone levels.
How to save a relationship that’s struggling (and when it’s best to let it go)
January 13, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC No matter how strong a relationship may be, you’re bound to hit a few rough patches along the way. These issues can show up in a number of ways including infidelity, a cycle of being on-again and off-again that feels endless, a lack of fun between the sheets, or perhaps a situation that’s become downright toxic. All of these examples (and countless others) may leave you wondering both how to save a relationship that’s struggling and whether doing so is even the best course of action. The good news is experts say there are ways to discern whether you have reason to stick around, and there are also strategies you can call upon to restore the health of your partnership that’s currently struggling. Keep reading for signs that a relationship is in trouble in the first place, how to know when letting go is the best course of action, and then get tips for how to save a relationship and restore its status to healthy. How to know when to save a relationship and went to let go Although optimism always gets a gold star, the truth is that not all relationships are meant to be saved. Before deciding how you’ll proceed, it’s important to first get clear on whether your relationship is worth saving or whether it’s best for you and your partner to go your separate ways. There are a few key components to take into consideration when making your decision about
Well+Good TALKS: ReNew Year: What (and How) You Will Eat in 2020
January 13, 2020 at 03:54PM by CWC It’s a new decade, and we’re drowning in “healthy” eating plans—which makes figuring out how, exactly, to eat for your well-being feel very complicated. Sort through the noise with intel from food experts on how to form long-lasting healthy eating habits that work for you—no matter how trendy they are. Featuring a special pre-panel conversation between Well+Good’s Executive Editor Abbey Stone and Co-Founder of UPGRAID, Helene Rutledge. EVENT DETAILS Tuesday, January 28, 2020 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Location: WeWork Now | 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010 THE PANEL Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, MS, RD | Host of Well+Good’s You Versus Food Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and author of the newly released book, “The Better Period Food Solution.” She is a nationally acclaimed nutrition expert, influencing millions through media with magazine and online features, podcasts and YouTube videos. Tracy is the host of Well+Good’s YouTube food and nutrition series, “You Versus Food” and the health and nutrition consultant at Betches Media. Her straightforward, yet friendly voice has allowed her to break through the wellness space as a refreshing and honest nutrition expert. Haile Thomas | Wellness and Compassion Activist + CEO of The HAPPY Org Haile Thomas is a 19-year-old international speaker, health activist, and the youngest Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach in the United States. At 12, Haile founded the nonprofit HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth) to address the need for affordable plant-based nutrition and culinary
I never thought I’d have full eyebrows, but brow lamination changed that for me
January 13, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Even though my waxer once told me that my eyebrows were a beautiful color in the ninth grade (I haven’t forgotten, BTW!), they aren’t perfect. If I don’t brush them out and gel them down, they tend to look a little sparse and wimpy, which isn’t exactly the look that I’m aiming for. But doing this day in and day out can get a little tired, so when I heard about brow lamination, a boy-browification treatment for your arches that lasts upwards of six weeks, I was sold. Often referred to as a brow lift, the after effect of lamination is really meant to make your arches look fuller and flatter by perming the brow hairs. While other brow treatments do this by adding pigment (brow tints, for example, dye the hair, while microblading adds pigment to the skin surrounding the arch), this treatment is actually meant to focus on the texture of your brow hair. By straightening and lifting the hair, arches appear fuller and take up more space on the face. “Basically, it’s redirecting the hair in the way and shape [that] you want it to go,” says Josh Beeler, a lash and brow specialist at Shen Beauty in Brooklyn. “A lot of the times we use it to redirect the brows to make them appear thicker and fuller or flat.” Here’s what they look like usually: Photo Well+Good Creative As I sit down for my own lamination treatment (which at