But like a regular blanket, weighted blankets get dirty—and if you want to maintain yours over the years, it’s important to know how to take care of it. Here’s how to wash your weighted blanket and some tips for keeping it fresh for cozy nights to come. Some weighted blankets use dense fabric and are plenty heavy without fillers. These blankets—made from natural fabrics such as cotton, flannel, and fleece—can be easily washed in a machine in cool/lukewarm water and dried on low heat....

Using hydrogen peroxide for acne might seem like the do-it-all solution you can snag at your local drugstore, but is it really safe to put on your skin? Well, not so much. Here’s what derms have to say on the matter. According to board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., hydrogen peroxide should definitely not be your primary treatment for acne. Even if you do decide to go the spot treatment route, it’s “only a short-term solution and would only theoretically work on inflammatory acne, not blackheads, and not deep cysts,” she says....

With these stability moves, you’re about to discover your deep strength. But you’ll also need some gear that’s as steady as you are—like the Under Armour Project Rock HeatGear No-Slip Waistband Ankle Leggings. Life loves to throw the unexpected our way, but with the Project Rock HeatGear Sports Bra and Unisex UA Project Rock BSR Training Shoes, at least our gear is on our side! Devon’s first book, Earth Women, is coming soon....

We consulted experts in fitness and nutrition to figure out whether coffee helps or hurts a workout, when to drink it, and how much you should consume. “The high content of polyphenols in coffee can help with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection, as well as blood sugar balance,” he says. Each of these aspects is important for exercise performance and especially for post-exercise recovery and tissue repair. Along with the polyphenols, the caffeine in coffee has performance-enhancing properties....

Just mentioning that you frequently go to bed with wet hair will trigger aghast faces from most experts: It’s something that is widely considered a no-go. But, c’mon, is it really that bad? And even if it’s not ideal for strands, is there any way to make it better for the nights there’s really no other option? Or are you—gasp—going to be forced into a life of morning showers for good?...

But the connection between diet and mental health goes a lot deeper than getting a little hangry now and then. About five years ago, I learned this firsthand. After suffering increasingly severe symptoms from a mystery illness (which I’d later learn was Lyme disease) to the point that I could no longer walk more than five minutes without debilitating pain, I had to leave my job in NYC and move back in with my parents....

The healthiest sunflower oil is the high-oleic acid variety. “Oleic acid is an omega-9 fatty acid that has been associated with improved heart health—specifically, reduced cholesterol and reduced inflammation,” explains mbg Collective member and registered dietitian Jess Cording, M.S., R.D., CDN. “Linoleic acid is an omega-6 fatty acid. While we need some omega-6, too much has been associated with increased inflammation in the body.” These differences in health outcomes are linked to the fatty acid’s ability to resist oxidative damage during refining and cooking....

“I often drink Topo Chico daily, sometimes up to four to five bottles per day but usually one to two,” Attia told mindbodygreen. “As I fast for seven days once a quarter, Topo Chico helps me get through not eating food…having somewhat of a variety compared to just water is amazing.” If drinking nearly half a dozen bottles of Topo Chico a day seems extreme, consider that few brands enjoy as vociferous a devotion as this particular sparkling mineral water, which is bottled in the north Mexican city of Monterrey....

Here was my experience with IVF, how it strained my marriage, and what I learned from the experience. The night after our awful fight, I got a text from a friend that said, “I love you, and I’m here for you.” I realized then that I hadn’t said those very words to my own husband. My own grief hadn’t allowed me to acknowledge his. He had stood by me when I was at my lowest and now it was my turn to stand by him....

Thanks to a number of scientific studies and reviews, I now know that these health benefits are due to the unique pairing of two synergistic compounds: L-theanine and caffeine. And no surprise here, Buddhist monks discovered and harnessed matcha’s powerful cognitive effects long before I ever did. L-theanine is a less-known (but very up-and-coming) bioactive amino acid that’s especially concentrated in green tea. Both caffeine and L-theanine naturally have nootropic properties, which means they impart unique mechanisms and actions in the brain....

As crystal expert and founder of Goldirocks Yulia Van Doren tells mbg, moss agate is actually technically not agate. “True agates have bands of colors, and moss agate does not—but moss agate is the accepted name for this translucent, mossy-green variety of chalcedony. It commonly has inclusions of brown and black coloring in addition to green,” she says. As crystal expert Heather Askinosie previously told mbg, if you’re using your moss agate for gardening or connecting with nature, green aventurine and clear quartz are good additions....

But flipping over the package revealed that this seemingly innocent cookie had 26 grams of total carbs. What gives? Here, we asked some nutrition experts for their thoughts on net carbs, whether it ever makes sense to count them (as opposed to total carbs), and what might be more important to focus your attention on while sticking to a low-carb diet. So, depending on who you ask, you might get a slightly different definition on how net carbs are actually calculated....

The eight-hour misconception is one that Rafael Pelayo, M.D., a professor at Stanford Medicine and the author of How To Sleep: The New Science-Based Solutions for Sleeping Through the Night, comes up against time and time again in his line of work. Another board-certified sleep specialist Michael J. Breus, Ph.D., also named it as one of the most common myths in the sleep space on a recent episode of the mindbodygreen podcast....

The sun cycle diet comprises a few simple steps, including getting direct sunlight on your skin every morning (whether from sun or sunlamp) and reverse fasting, which is a type of intermittent fasting in which you skip dinner instead of breakfast. That means that five days a week you are doing a 12- to 13-hour fast—drinking only water or calorie-less liquids—and then two days a week, you are fasting for 15 or 16 hours....

There’s a reason the shadow is often ignored or denied: These qualities don’t fit in with our conceptions of ourselves. For example, she says, consider someone who has a core belief that feeling resentment in motherhood correlates with being ungrateful or a bad mom. “Instead of embracing their shadow self [and] experiencing anger or frustration at times toward her child or a situation in her life impacting her as a mom, she ignores or denies or thinks she’s less than because she’s having the feeling or thought or experience,” Nicogossian explains....

“Aside from the metaphysical uses of smudging, research is showing that sage can also be used to benefit physical, mental, and emotional well-being,” says Reshma Patel, PA-C, MMS, CEO and founder of Ananda Integrative Medicine. In traditional Native American culture, burning sage is also thought to cleanse people of negativity and promote healing, wisdom, and longevity. If you are a non-Native person choosing to smudge, buying sage from an Indigenous company is one way to directly support the communities where this practice originated....

Your bedroom might be too hot or too cold. Maybe you’re on a sugar high from dessert or have been overexposed to blue light from your devices. The culprit could also be various noises keeping you up at night, and if that’s the case, you might want to consider investing in a sound machine to drown out any unwanted commotion disrupting your ability to snooze. That being said, there isn’t enough research to definitively say whether or not the specific sounds and frequencies emitted by these machines improve the quality of sleep....

For this stovetop side dish, any type of sweet potato or yam will work, as would butternut or Hubbard squash. I added some spice and heat to the maple butter to bring in a bit of sophistication. Then I skipped toasty marshmallows as the sweet-potato topping and added crunchy, candied pepitas instead. If you don’t have pepitas, you can sub another nut to the spicy, candied topping. This side dish is glorious!...

That being said, beauty treasures don’t have to be expensive. Some are sentimental, many are priceless, and others, yes, are very, very sparkly. Below, the beauty team compiled all the products we proudly displayed on our vanities this December—you’ll be sure to find your newest prize. Farmacy Wake Up Honey Eye Cream Oui The People ALL IN ALL Retinol Body Balm Sunday Riley B3 Nice 10% Niacinamide Serum Henry Rose Windows Down Candle...

It’s also, if you weren’t aware, a prime ingredient for the hair and scalp. The essential oil is extracted from evergreen leaves of the Australian Melaleuca alternifolia tree and has been used locally there for some time—so while many are well versed in the active’s multiple roles, others may be new to this particular use. So, here, we dive into tea tree oil for your hair and scalp: One study found that using shampoo that contained tea tree oil was an effective way to improve mild to moderate dandruff1....