And as hairstylist and brand founder Josh Rosebrook reminds us, once you damage your strands, you can never fully mend what you’ve done. “There are a lot of products out there—conditioners, serums, shampoos—that promise to heal and restore dry, damaged hair. Sadly, there’s really no way to heal damaged hair. Hair is not a living tissue with regenerative abilities, so it can’t heal,” he says. And if you do get chemical treatments, just be mindful that you go to a stylist you trust to take good care of your tresses....

Feminism is many things to many people. But put simply, it’s about advocating for a society in which women enjoy the same rights and privileges as men. Since men have overwhelming power and privilege, they are in a unique position to hasten change for women. That means that we should be raising our sons to be savvy about gender inequality, and ultimately, to be feminists. Some conversations are for older children, of course....

Though actually using body wash is relatively self-explanatory, there are a few ways to get the most out of your cleansing product. We’re here to give you a few tips and tricks to do just that, some of which may surprise you. Let’s go into it. A quick expert note on the topic: “Bar soaps’ pH levels are between nine and 10, while our slightly acidic pH skin level is between four and five,” board-certified dermatologist Zenovia Gabriel, M....

Oily scalp, heat damage, and/or otherwise sensitive strands are exactly why good hairstylists encourage less hair washing and more dry styling. The less washing it endures, the fewer oils it has to make. Slowly but surely, the natural oils in your hair achieve a balance, allowing your strands to be nourished, shaped, and styled. It’s a win-win. I’m also interested in learning how to let my hair dry naturally. If you’re a recovering heat-styler too, you understand....

This year definitely emphasized the role that my outfit plays in my day and my mood, but it also slashed my shopping budget in half. Since I am someone who definitely works hard to budget my monthly fashion allowance, I jumped at the chance to test out Rent the Runway’s newest membership (and I even got them to give me a discount code—RTRXMBG—for 50% off your first two months of their 8 or 16 item plan; it might even be the best deal you’ll find)!...

Ah, the other “F” word, family. When we physically enter the family zone, all the growth we’ve been working on pretty much goes out the window. Our family dynamic sucks us back into its dysfunction whirlwind. This is because our family, especially parents, have not experienced secondary change. They are the same people who gave us ultimatums and didn’t allow us to express our feelings. So what do we do?...

Wouldn’t it be nice if your body could just tell you the problem? Luckily, our skin finds ways to do just that. When I announced that my facial practice would be shutting down in March due to the mandated lockdown, I knew it would be a struggle for many people with skin sensitivities. Why? Many people rely on their facials to de-stress from their lives. These services are not necessarily about vanity but are an opportunity to practice the act of receiving care to feel your best....

After all, we’ve become accustomed to doing seemingly everything from home: working, ordering food, teaching, and scheduling telehealth visits. So it’s no surprise performing at-home medical testing from the comfort of our kitchen counters feels pretty, well, normal—and experts predict the at-home testing market will be worth more than 25 billion by 2025. This option to self-administer a lab test, find out the results, and then go to a health care provider for treatment is changing trends in health care....

To say the least, apple cider vinegar has been used to support health for literal ages.* But what do we have now that the B.C. times didn’t? Apple cider vinegar in the form of gummies. The new Garden of Life mykind Organics Apple Cider Vinegar Gummies maintain all the benefits of apple cider vinegar and have added clinically studied ingredients that work synergistically with the acetic acid to promote health benefits like energy levels, healthy weight1, and immunity2*—but without the fiery and unpleasant taste....

In these meditations, the object is to cultivate and send out compassion to the world and all living beings in it, including ourselves. According to Marci Quinn, spiritual author of A Teen’s Spirit: Changing the World Through Love and Kindness, “A loving kindness meditation is a powerful tool to help you experience forgiveness and compassion for yourself, those you know, and even those you don’t. By actively visualizing yourself extending love to people during your meditation, a deep sense of peace and calmness sets in....

Histamine has other roles too, like helping with digestion, wound healing, and nerve signaling in the brain1. Because of this, it’s important to have some, but problems arise when you’re exposed to too much or develop a reaction to normal amounts. A histamine intolerance develops when the amount of histamine that accumulates in your body is greater than the amount of histamine your body can eliminate. Having a histamine intolerance doesn’t mean that you’re allergic or sensitive to histamine; it simply means that there’s too much in your body....

Here’s what to know about middle child syndrome, whether you’re a middle child or you’re raising one. As Paulette Sherman, Ph.D., psychologist and author of Dating From the Inside Out explains to mbg, many of the characteristics we associate with birth order today mirror what Adler described in this early theory. They include the following: When considering why middle children are the way they are, one comprehensive book by two therapists titled The Middle Generation Syndrome notes, “If there are only three children, the first gets to be the oldest and the youngest gets to be the baby....

“A person will hold a pendulum still over the board and ask a question, and whichever word the pendulum swings over is the answer,” Lyons tells mbg. While there’s no scientific proof that the answers they provide are accurate, divination experts believe that these boards work by helping users access their intuition and tap into deeper levels of their subconscious. Both are believed by some to help connect you to spirits or guides, and “both rely on unseen forces supposedly moving the divining object around,” Lyons explains....

It has thick, succulent-like green (and sometimes cream-colored) leaves that absorb and store water reserves in case of drought. Interestingly enough, in the wild, Peperomias can grow on other plants. “Peperomia plants take up their nutrients from the air, rain, and debris around them, so they don’t actually need to be planted in soil,” explains Danae Horst, founder of Folia Collective and author of Houseplants for All. In a home setting, this means the Peperomia can make for a great mounted plant....

Rhaphidophora Tetrasperma, Etsy ($9.99) Ficus Audrey, Etsy ($30) Aloe Vera Plant, Plants.com ($32.99) Monstera Deliciosa, The Sill ($56) Philodendron Birkin, Bloomscape ($65) Sansevieria Sayuri, PlantVine ($52) Zamioculcas Zamiifolia, Home Depot ($39.97) Epipremnum Aureum, The Sill ($37) Rattlesnake Calathea, Bloomscape ($35) Maidenhair Fern, Etsy ($16.95) Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,000 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes....

For many, diffusers rank at the top of the list of must-have-on-hand-at-all-time items. I According to celebrity hairstylist Nate Rosenkranz, “A diffuser slows and distributes the airflow coming from within the dryer,” he says. “It works to gently dry the hair without disrupting the curl pattern, which is typically highly susceptible to frizz.” What’s great about the tool is it doesn’t affect how much air is coming out, just how that air is directed....

As beneficial as all this is, a lot of people find potent retinol serums or prescriptions a bit too harsh to handle, so instead they opt for a gentler retinol cream. These formulas are typically less strong and filled with hydrating ingredients to provide a bit of a buffer for those active properties. Oh, and if you want all your retinol questions answered—don’t forget to check out our retinol Q&A guide....

This year, there’s been a rise in digital resources that guide users through how to grow and maintain their houseplant collections. As someone who loves both houseplants and incessantly picking up my phone, I am here for the trend. I decided to try a couple out to see if they could improve my existing plant routines. Once you photograph, identify, and name a plant, the app creates what is essentially a baseball card of stats on it: when it needs to be watered and fed, what kind of humidity and temperatures it likes, etc....