Category: Lifestyle

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

What Is Micellar Water And What Is It Good For?

Full disclosure: I actually had to ask my editor “what is micellar water?” when she asked me to write this piece. I’d never heard of it, but she assured me I’d love it.
And hey, I’m always down to try new beauty products (that’s what micellar water is, by the way). I headed over to Gypset and Pearl, a beauty boutique down the street from my house, where owner Brittany Cramer Manning helped me select a micellar water to try out.
I ended up purchasing Eau Thermale Avène Micellar Lotion Cleanser, an affordable French product that’s (thankfully) available in the U.S. I spoke to Manning and other skincare experts to answer all my burning questions about this cult fave product: What is micellar water? Does it really work? Which ones should I buy? and more.
Plus in the name of good journalism, I’ve been using it for the past two weeks so I can personally attest to how micellar water works—and why I think it should become part of your beauty routine ASAP.

So … what is micellar water, really?

The history of micellar water is actually kind of fascinating. Apparently French tap water is sort of le pits. French water, especially in Paris, is extremely hard, meaning it contains large deposits of minerals like magnesium that can wreak havoc on your skin and hair.
So the French figured out a skincare solution for hard water: micellar water.
What is micellar water’s secret?
“Micelles are tiny balls of cleansing oils suspended in water, and the formula is simple but sophisticated,” says Margot White, a health educator and owner of The Choosy Chick, an online boutique and educational source dedicated to non-toxic, green beauty products. “These micelles attract dirt and oil. You need to suspend the liquid on an absorbent material like cotton pads. The cotton pads saturated in micellar water absorb all the grime and makeup, leaving clean, hydrated skin behind.”
Unlike soap, micelles gently remove impurities from the skin without stripping away the natural oils your skin needs, as a toner might.
“Micellar water is gentle and hydrating,” says board-certified Yale-trained dermatologist Rhonda Q. Klein, MD. “It won’t remove heavy makeup (like waterproof mascara), but is great to remove basic makeup, cleanse, and freshen the face without drying, stinging, or leaving behind residue.”

Can I use micellar water every day?

Yes! You can! In fact, Klein says she uses micellar water at night to remove makeup and natural toxins that have accumulated during the day and in the morning to prepare her face for the day. So I did the same.
To get a truly unfiltered experience with the product, I’ve been using micellar water only, even giving up my beloved Pond’s moisturizer in the name of research.
Micellar water is gentle enough to use twice daily (or even more) if you need to wipe down your face after a sweat sesh or a day out in the elements.
In addition to finding out what micellar water is, I also needed to get the lowdown on the best way to use it. It turns out that using micellar water couldn’t be easier.
To use micellar water, simply soak a cotton pad with the water and gently rub your face. If the cotton pad becomes saturated with makeup or dirt, get a clean cotton pad, soak in micellar water, and start the process over. After cleansing with micellar water, your face should feel soft and hydrated.
And if you’re worried about how micellar water will react to your skin type, here’s some good news:
David Lortscher, MD, founder of bespoke skincare company Curology, tells HealthyWay: “Micellar cleansing water can work well for most skin types because it is usually free of harsh ingredients and astringents, meaning it is gentle enough for most skin types. However, there are specific micellar cleansing waters formulated specifically for each skin type, so it can still be a good idea to select the right formulation for your skin.”
So yeah, it’s basically the perfect skincare product.

Million Dollar Question: Does micellar water work?

Once my micellar water research journey was well underway and I had progressed from “what is micellar water?” to “how does micellar water work?” I had to find out if it works. And I read some interesting claims.
I have to admit I was skeptical when I read that micellar water could replace my facial wash, toner, and hydrating cream as an all-in-one cleanser, no rinsing required. Because while any old soap will do for my facial cleanser, I am straight up addicted to my Pond’s dry skin cream. Let’s just say I had some doubts.
So was I able to replace all of my facial cleansers and creams with micellar water?
Short answer: No. I used micellar water as my only facial cleanser and moisturizer for a couple of days, and by day three my eye was swollen shut as a result of clogged eyelid glands. Now, I’m not completely blaming the micellar water. After all, I didn’t clean my makeup brushes as often as I should have, so that could have resulted in an eye infection. But not rinsing my face for three days certainly didn’t help.
Still, I’m a micellar water convert. Now that I’m using it as the first step in my cleansing routine (rather than as the only step), my skin feels softer, my skin tone is more even (especially where I’m prone to dark circles under my eyes), and I haven’t even missed my beloved Pond’s this week!
The best part is that micellar water really does work for most skin types. I was nervous about giving up my face cream for this experiment because I have incredibly dry skin. But because micelles are tiny drops of oil, my face didn’t feel dry, even after rinsing away the micellar water. If you have oily skin, the micelles in micellar water will actually remove the “bad” oils that clog your pores and cause breakouts, leaving soft, clean skin behind.
Some people may be able to use micellar water as an all-in-one cleanser, and that’s fantastic. But most people will want to use micellar water as a great addition to a skincare routine, perhaps replacing a harsher toner. Micellar water is perfect for removing makeup and other gunk from your face, but it’s still a good idea to wash your face with your favorite cleanser afterward.

Doesn’t micellar water contain surfactants? I thought those were a skincare no-no.

One caveat (hey, nothing’s perfect!): Micellar water contains surfactants, or surface active ingredients, which may irritate sensitive skin.
One common surfactant found in micellar water and other cleansers is sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Although SLS has been linked to some scary-sounding research, there’s no definitive proof that SLS causes cancer or other diseases, and the Environmental Working Group lists SLS as a low-hazard chemical. Still, micellar water that contains surfactants could irritate sensitive skin. When purchasing micellar water, always read the label first to see if it’s an SLS-free product.
If you find your skin is red or irritated after using micellar water (SLS-free or not), be sure to use a second cleanser to rinse it off after use. If the problem persists, micellar water (and surfactants in general) may not be for you.

Should I splurge on micellar water?

There’s no need to spend mega bucks on micellar water.
Here’s a rundown of the top micellar waters that dermatologists recommend. They’re all priced right around $20, so you can get that chic French girl glow for trés cheap.

INIKA Organic Micellar Cleansing Rosewater ($22)

“Many of the mainstream micellar products contain additives like ‘fragrance,’  so we recommend using an organic option,” says White. One micellar water she recommends is INIKA’s Organic Micellar Cleansing Rosewater. It’s certified organic, cruelty-free, vegan, and halal, so it’s a product that fits almost any lifestyle. Plus, just as White said, it doesn’t contain chemical fragrance, so if you smell anything, it’ll just be a delicate floral hint of rosehip.

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water ($11)

“Bioderma has long been the micellar water gold standard,” says Klein. What’s nice about Bioderma products is that you can shop for a micellar water based on your skin’s specific needs. So if your skin is ultra dry like mine, Bioderma’s hydrating micellar water contains ingredients designed to combat the effects of dry skin. If you have different skin issues, like acne or sun damage, they’ve got a micellar water for that too.

Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water ($7)

“I recommend Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water because it is a generally affordable brand while also still being an effective product. Furthermore, Garnier carries micellar cleansing water for most all skin types,” says Lortscher. Garnier’s mattifying micellar water is ideal if your skin tends to be oily. And if you’re addicted to your waterproof liner and mascara, Garnier has a micellar water specially formulated to remove stubborn makeup. They even come in cute travel sizes, perfect for when you’re on the go.

Simple Micellar Cleansing Water ($6)

There’s a reason Simple’s Micellar Cleansing Water has legions of fans. It’s inexpensive, it’s SLS-free, and it’s won a ton of skincare awards, including a 2016 Allure Magazine Best in Beauty award. Simple’s micellar water is designed to leave sensitive skin clean and hydrated, and it’s perfect for all skin types.

Can I make my own micellar water?

Ready to play scientist? With just a few supplies, you actually can make your own micellar water at home. Rebekah Epling, an herbalist who creates her own botanical products, shares her favorite micellar water recipe.
“The key to craft homemade micellar water is using a good quality water, an alcohol-free astringent, a humectant, and an oil,” says Epling. “The good thing about this homemade micellar water is that there is room to make it your own and tailor it to your own skin needs.”
When shopping for a water to use, Epling says that she prefers hydrosols, which are the byproduct of stream distilling plant matter for essential oils, but if you don’t like floral scents that come from products like rose water, you can use plain distilled water as well.
In this recipe, witch hazel is the astringent ingredient. The witch hazel that is sold in most grocery stores and pharmacies can contain up to 50 percent alcohol. If you have sensitive skin, you’ll want to purchase witch hazel that doesn’t contain any alcohol, like this one from the Homestead Company. If you do purchase an alcohol-free witch hazel, it won’t be as shelf stable, says Epling, so you’ll need to store it in the fridge.
To make your own micellar water, simply combine the following ingredients and gently shake in container to mix:

For a one-ounce bottle:

“You can also mix this up fairly quickly, so small batches are easy to make, especially if you’re concerned about shelf-life. …Drops or emptied pills of vitamin E also prolong the freshness of your product. You can even make a large batch, freeze it in ice cube trays, and thaw as needed, says Epling.
And there you have it, folks: If you’ve been wondering “What is micellar water?”, the answer is that it’s the beauty product you didn’t know you needed in your life.

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

These Unknown Factors Are Affecting Your Hair Health

At some point or another, we’ve all been there: staring at ourselves in the mirror, examining the volume and sheen—or lack thereof—of our hair. Maybe you’ve had a terrible hair week, a months-long bender of dry ends and dull strands, or perhaps waning hair health has been a lifelong battle. And it’s not like you haven’t read up on what could possibly be the cause. You’re well-versed in the dangers of chemical processing, heat styling, and running around in the sun or splashing around in chlorine without proper protection and post-care.
Here’s the thing, though. There are a handful of underlying causes affecting your hair health that you might not be aware of, such as hormonal imbalances, genetic predispositions, physiological issues, and even diet. If you’re still trying to pinpoint the reasons why your hair won’t grow, lacks luminosity, or is constantly breaking off, you’re in the right place.
With the help of a dermatologist, hairstylist, and registered dietician, we’re here to help you do a 180 on your string of no-good hair days.

The Top Factors for Hair Health

Though all the factors we’re outlining below won’t apply to everyone, it’s entirely possible that you might be dealing with one or two of them. This is especially true if you’ve been battling unhealthy hair for an extended period of time and can’t pinpoint the issue to some of the more obvious contributors to poor hair health, such as going overboard with heat styling (put the flat iron down, friend) or excessive processing.

1. Your Environment

“Everything you do is either damaging your hair or preventing damage. Sleeping on cotton or silk pillows, the fiber of the brush you use, how often you touch your hair, how much wind exposure it has—on and on and on,” noted Cash Lawless, a celebrity hairstylist for SEVEN haircare.

iStock.com/mladen_zivkovic

Sleeping on silk versus cotton and brushing your hair with high quality bristles will prevent tugging and snagging. Touching your hair often can result in greasiness and limpness. Another environmental factor is your water quality.
[pullquote align=”center”]”Yes, moisture is great for your hair, but when it’s 90 percent humidity, it can be really be your worst enemy.”
—Cash Lawless[/pullquote]
Additionally, soft and hard water are notoriously damaging to hair and require adjustments in your routine. Hard water means your water has high amounts of minerals, which can result in brittleness and lack of shine. If your shower has chalky white residue buildup, you have hard water. Either splurge on a water softener, or stock your shower with color-protecting products and chelating or clarifying shampoos. Soft water may require you to wash your hair more frequently, and you should actively avoid parabens and sulfates.
iStock.com/FredFroese

Lawless said that climate is another major factor to consider.
“This is almost solely due to our greatest hair friend and enemy—water! Yes, moisture is great for your hair, but when it’s 90 percent humidity, it can be really be your worst enemy. The right products are essential to battle humidity,” he said.
Opt for shampoos and conditioners that are smoothing and styling products that are anti-frizz. These create a protective layer of the hair to add a little weight and reduce flyaways.

2. Hormones

There are a handful of hormones that affect your hair health, but one of the most pervasive is cortisol, which is known as the “stress hormone,” notes Jeanine Downie, MD, a dermatologist for Zwivel. High quantities of cortisol in your system are responsible for thinning hair and a reduction in overall growth.

iStock.com/laflor

Downie said that exercising five to seven days per week, sleeping seven or more hours, and avoiding excess alcohol and caffeine can also help keep the stress hormones at bay. Beyond that, reducing your workload and carving out time for yourself can help reduce stress.
“Thyroid conditions, variations in estrogen and progesterone, as well as testosterone, can all impact hair health, as well as loss and growth,” adds Downie. “Peri-menopausal women typically start to notice hair texture changes and potentially eventual loss that we usually check in the office when looking at causes for hair changes. In addition, many postpartum women suffer from hair loss associated with or directly related to breastfeeding hormones; this is a very common complaint for many women after giving birth.”


These are issues that ought to be addressed by a professional on a case-by-case basis. Schedule an appointment with your doctor or a dermatologist.

3. Medical Conditions

There are a handful of medical conditions that affect your hair’s integrity. If you suspect you have one of the below, we highly advise meeting with a doctor to devise a treatment game plan.

iStock.com/Artfully79

“Androgenetic alopecia—commonly known as male or female pattern baldness—is related to a gradual thinning of the hair that leads to eventual loss,” says Downie. “Common treatments include nutraceuticals (my favorite is Nutrafol, although Viviscal has also had numerous clinical studies to support its effectiveness), Rogaine topical, finasteride for certain male patients, and spironolactone for certain, eligible female patients.”
https://twitter.com/nadiner_weiner/status/1000004467834703872
Hirsutism, or excess, unwanted hair growth, is another relatively common disorder that Downie sees. She said it’s most often experienced by postmenopausal women, those with genetic predisposition for hair in unwanted places, or in individuals with polycystic ovarian syndrome.
“We usually check to make sure there is no hormonally-associated condition if this is a new finding for an individual, but most often treat the unwanted hair effectively with laser [linkbuilder id=”6707″ text=”hair removal”],” she said. “Several sessions are required on a monthly basis and depending on the location and the individual, treatments may be required beyond a year. However, permanently getting rid of the unwanted hair is certainly worth the wait, and my patients (and I) can vouch to that!”
https://twitter.com/princessleahh92/status/999270603839459336
Inflammatory conditions that impact the hair growth negatively, said Downie, include seborrheic dermatitis, which is one of the most common causes of adult dandruff, ringworm (clinically known as tinea capitis), psoriasis, contact dermatitis from potentially inflammatory ingredients found in some hair products, and predispositions for inflammation.
“Depending on the cause, treatments range from prescription and over-the-counter shampoos and solutions, anti-fungal topical or oral treatments, as well as prescription oral medications to treat the inflammation, injections of steroids for severe inflammation, and even biologic medications in the case of hard-to-treat psoriasis,” says Downie.

4. Diet

A consistently poor diet will almost certainly affect your overall hair health, noted Brooke Alpert, a registered dietician and author of The Diet Detox. As a general rule, you should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and reduce your intake of processed foods. To help narrow your focus to a specific hair health issue, though, we’re addressing three primary categories: protein, iron, and antioxidant-rich foods.
https://twitter.com/MrGOODWRK/status/639457561775763456
“Diets low in protein have been shown to result in hair loss, and protein intake has also been shown to prevent hair thinning. Make sure you’re getting the recommended daily amount, which for most women, that’s at least 46 grams of protein per day,” said Alpert. “My recommendation is to have a good quality protein source at every single meal. Opt for organic or wild sources of eggs, fish, beef, and chicken.”

iStock.com/a_namenko

Regarding iron, Alpert noted that [linkbuilder id=”6215″ text=”iron deficiency”] is one of the world’s most common nutritional deficiencies and that it is a well-known cause of hair loss. Premenopausal women, specifically, are at the highest risk for this anemia, she said, and they should consume iron-rich foods, like beef, liver, lentils, spinach, and black beans to prevent it.


“Antioxidants are compounds that prevent something called oxidative damage in our bodies,” she says. “Oxidative stress has been linked to hair loss, so fill up on these to keep your mane looking shiny and long. Foods high in antioxidants include blueberries, blackberries, dark chocolate, and dark leafy vegetables.”

5. Damaging Styling Habits

We’re all guilty of making hair mistakes, but with knowledge comes power and, in this case, healthier hair! Lawless said that one of the most common no-nos he’s seen is the combination of oil and heat.

iStock.com/CasaraGuru

“This is an especially big mistake made by women with texture who love their moisture,” he said. “Oil is an amazing treatment for the hair, but when you add high levels of heat with the oil still in the hair—like irons or blow dryers—this will make the hair incredibly brittle and susceptible to breakage.”
iStock.com/beboopai

This is also true for leave-in conditioners, so make sure you’re only using a heat-protectant product and not a conditioner or oil before heat-styling your hair. Another big mistake is using sea salt before blow drying, flattening, or curling. Lawless said that sea salt and heat will absolutely fry your hair.
Finally, being overly aggressive with your brush—or creating a lot of tension on wet hair—can damage your locks, too.
iStock.com/ipopba

“If you are putting your hair under tension, like a pony tail, and then letting it dry in that position, you are stretching the hair under that rubber band and allowing it to dry in a brittle state. The next time you brush or pull that rubber band out, the chances of breakage are much higher,” said Lawless. “Also, I see women just beat their hair with their brush. Please use a detangler. Collectively, your hair may be strong, but each strand is weak. Over time a little snap here and little break there adds up.”

The Last Strand

Our best piece of advice is to be proactive about your hair health. If you notice something is really off, schedule an appointment with a doctor or dermatologist to pinpoint the cause and start turning things around.

iStock.com/CasarsaGuru

Also make small changes that have a lot of impact, like switching out your cotton pillowcase for a silk one, abiding by the recommended daily allowances for all of your macronutrients and micronutrients, taking more evening strolls to reduce cortisol levels, and avoiding the common hair mistakes we outlined above. Not only will your mane look better when you do all the above, you’ll feel better.

Categories
Healthy Her Way Lifestyle

Alison Wu Of Wu Haus

This week’s Healthy Her Way feature is wellness guru and matcha maven Alison Wu.
Stylist and blogger Alison is all about healthy living; she focuses on eating a plant-forward diet that includes fresh, organic, and local (where possible) ingredients, and if you’ve seen the inside of her fridge—a Smeg that’s in the dreamiest kitchen ever—or pantry, you’ve probably felt some serious envy. How can someone eat like that all the time? Well, luckily for readers, Alison also develops recipes on her blog, Wu Haus—and most of them are actually way simpler than they look! Her incredible layered smoothies and colorful bowls are way attainable and have definitely served as inspiration when I am dragging myself to the kitchen to cook dinner.
Alison is open, though, about the times she doesn’t make choices she loves for herself, like when she’s not eating food that’s exactly fit for the ’gram or when she struggles with self-love. In March, she wrote this candid nugget about her Instagram feed: “Everything I share here is an authentic expression of who I am and what I love, but is by no means a full picture of my life. When I’m stressed or overworked, sometimes I skip meals or make poor decisions like eating a piece of toast for dinner like I did on Saturday night. This whole weekend, I was so focused on other things that I let healthy eating fall to the wayside.” Been there, sis.
Feeds full of picture-perfect shots sometimes feel unrelatable, but if you read Alison’s captions or her blog posts, you’ll quickly see that she actually shares a lot about the parts of her life that some people hold closer to the chest: thoughts on marriage and friendships, her wellness journey, selfies with skincare issues, and honest accounts of when she feels she didn’t do her best that day.
As she wrote on that post in March, “I slip up. I make bad decisions. I neglect self care. I let my impulses take control. I am human.” What’s more relatable than that?
HealthyWay

A Day in the Life

What does your daily routine look like?

My husband and I usually end our days around 6:30 p.m. and begin prepping dinner to our favorite playlist of the moment. Eating nutrient-dense, nourishing meals is incredibly important to us. I’m a big proponent for understanding what your body needs and feeding it accordingly. For example, in times of heightened stress or anxiety, we’ll cook warming, grounding foods that balance the chakra—muladhara or root—to bring us back down to earth.
My husband usually helps me cook, and we chat about our days. To begin the unwinding process, I’ll prepare a cup of calming tea using herbs like chamomile, peppermint, lavender, rosemary, lemon balm, and cinnamon, which all have comforting effects on the nervous system. I use tea time to unplug from my phone and computer and focus my attention on the present moment, read an inspirational book, or write in my journal.
Creating a bathtime ritual is one of my favorite ways to practice self-care. I love making over-the-top baths with florals, citrus, and crystals and really taking the time to relax my body and my mind. I’ll skim through a book of poetry or just close my eyes and let my senses take over. I love to prepare a castor oil pack with a stress-relieving essential oil blend and apply it for 20 to 30 minutes while lying in bed reading a book or catching up on the news.
One of my intentions for 2018 was less scrolling, more page turning, so it’s important for me to disconnect from my phone before bed in order to fully relax.

What are your favorite ways to practice self-care?

  • Slowing down and listening to my inner voice
  • 3 liters of water a day
  • 8 hours of sleep a night
  • Quality time with people that bring me joy

How do you stay inspired?

I’m constantly gathering inspiration from my surroundings: nature, shapes, texture, interiors, fashion, fantasy. If I’m going through a period of feeling uninspired (like we all do), I try to be gentle with myself, remind myself that inspiration ebbs and flows. There’s so much in the world to be inspired by. Honestly, sometimes it’s overwhelming! A lot of times I find getting quiet, disconnecting from technology, and immersing myself in nature inspires me the most.
HealthyWay
HealthyWay
Disclaimer: Just so you know, if you order an item through one of our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.

Loving Lately…

What are your favorite apps?

Audible, Instagram, VSCO, NYTimes

Whose Instagram is on your radar?

@cleowade

What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

I’m reading the Steve Jobs’ biography, watching The Handmaid’s Tale, season 2, and listening to Frank Ocean’s Spotify station.
HealthyWay
HealthyWay

Alison IRL

What is your bucket list travel destination?

Well, I just got back from Puglia, Italy, and that’s all I can think about. Next maybe India or Australia.

Would you rather explore space or the ocean? Why?

Space. Seeing all the plastic in the ocean would make me depressed.

What’s your coffee order?

All about the matcha! My favorite is the one I make at home with coconut butter, collagen, adaptogens, cardamom, and ½ a Medjool date.

What piece of advice has impacted you the most?

Our thoughts shape our reality. I always keep that in mind, especially when I’m feeling down and find myself in a cycle of negative thinking.
HealthyWay
HealthyWay
Follow Alison on Instagram and at her blog, Wu Haus.

Categories
Fresh Fashion Lifestyle

Faux Leather Pieces That Look And Feel Like The Real Thing

Are you lusting after the newest dusty rose moto jacket gracing the shelves of your favorite boutique, but can’t justify buying the gem, knowing the potential ethical costs?
Luckily for you, sustainable, faux leather is a rising star in the fashion industry and is an important player in the mindful consumerism movement. This animal-friendly sister of traditional leather is good for your wardrobe, good for your conscience, and good for all creatures, great and small.
It’s clear that cruelty-free businesses have headed a widely welcomed shift in collective consciousness. We now have a seemingly never-ending list of items that are as humane as they are chic. From jackets to pants and shoes to purses, you can feel safe making faux leather a staple in your wardrobe.

What is faux leather?

If you’ve ever heard the term “faux leather” thrown around, then you’re likely familiar with imitation leather made from plastic—and let’s be honest, you may be a bit hesitant about it as well. Although “pleather” might ring a bell, don’t get the millennial-era staple confused with what’s trending today. Now the name of the game is faux leather, and it’s been getting serious play in the last few years from brands big and small; Stella McCartney is one of the biggest major brands laser focused on this form of cruelty-free sustainability.
The leading material for faux leather in previous years was PVC. Thanks to some major reworking in the ’70s, polyurethane became the widely accepted leather alternative. But now our faux leather pieces feel like the real thing, if not better.
Truth be told, though, polyurethane isn’t the most environmentally sustainable choice considering the details of its production. Many of the solvents polyurethane pieces require are highly toxic, and the product itself is incapable of biodegrading or being recycled. That said, any form of faux leather is arguably better than animal farming for something as impermanent and insignificant as pop culture’s aesthetic waves.
While most brands still opt for 100 percent pure polyurethane as the chief component in their faux leather products, others focus on truly sustainable leather alternatives create their textiles from recycled nylon, cardboard, rubber, and cork. Each one boasts its own benefits, but all are valid alternatives to painfully produced cowhides. For our friends who are eager to support businesses that decrease our carbon footprint and eliminate animal harm, then the latter group of materials is for you.

The Brands to Look For

If you’re looking for high-quality pieces that are also kind to our furry friends, look no further than these eco-friendly brands.

Fauxgerty

The leather jacket: Is any wardrobe complete without one? Now you can get a cruelty-free one that looks and feels just like the real thing. Fauxgerty, based in St. Louis and Los Angeles, is rooted in mindfulness and consciousness. Every piece is cruelty (and PVC!) free and ethically made. Brand founder Chrissy Fogerty pays Fauxgerty sewers 36 percent over the regional average because she stands with and values those involved with the company’s mission. We’re torn between the vegan leather and suede Dolma and the faux suede Swazey, which comes in a stunning olive green. Might just need to get both.

Shop More Faux Leather Jackets:

Jeane & Jax

Montreal-based luxury vegan brand Jeane & Jax has mastered the art of blending cruelty-free fashion, reasonable price points, and premium quality. We especially love the Chloe tassel bucket in ivory and the Maya perforated zip crossbody in coral.

Shop More Faux Leather Bags:

Matt & Nat

Matt & Nat’s pieces are some of the most consistently stylish ones on the market. For a modern take on another ’90s trend, try their Aki belt bag. Need something a little roomier? We like the Mini Fabi, which is perfect for on-the-go fashion.

Shop More Faux Leather Accessories:

Dr. Martens

Even Dr. Martens has hopped on the vegan leather train. The ’90s staple remains relevant by creating their classic 1460s with 100 percent vegan construction; try the cherry red color for a modern twist. We’re always happy to recommend a good Chelsea boot, and you can’t go wrong with the Flora.

Shop More Faux Leather Shoes:

Categories
Life x Culture Lifestyle

How To Make A Budget That Actually Works For Your Lifestyle

According to recent research, in 135 out of 144 countries, women know less about finances than men do. (Guys aren’t off the hook, though—about 38 percent of men are financially illiterate.)
The problem isn’t going away anytime soon. In the United States, women hold roughly two-thirds of all student debt, and the gender pay gap is totally still a thing. Women make less, owe more, and often have trouble creating basic budgets that actually work, thanks to cultural biases and outdated societal expectations.
Yes, it sucks. Fortunately, there’s a way to get the money you do make in order: Learn how to make a budget. Don’t worry; it’s not nearly as painful as it sounds, and it’s a remarkably simple process once you’ve got the right outlook.

If you’ve been putting off learning how to make a budget because you’re worried about ruining your awesome lifestyle, relax. Learning how to make a budget actually reduces stress, eliminates debt, and—our favorite—gives you spending money.

It’s basically awesome financial witchcraft performed with a spreadsheet, smartphone app, or (our preference) a paper planner. Unless you have access to actual financial witchcraft (let a girl know), you’re going to want to read on.

How to Make a Budget, Step One: Understand why most people can’t stick to budgets.

Budgeting has a bad reputation, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people who are learning how to make a budget for the first time often end up cheating a little…then eventually dropping their budgets altogether. More often than not, they’re trying to do too much without understanding the first rule of budgeting.
“The goal is to make the budget realistic,” says Michelle Hung, who is a Chartered Financial Analyst and the founder of online financial education platform Sassy Investor. “It’s no fun setting so many restrictions on yourself, because you’ll start to resent your life.”

“It’s like a diet,” Hung explains. “If you are super strict and don’t allow yourself little splurges, or if you set up unreasonable workout schedules, then you’re just setting yourself up for failure.”

That’s not to say that you won’t be reining in the expenses. But before you try to conquer your mountainous student loan debt (sorry to bring that up) or cut your food budget down to a dollar a day, make sure that you’ve got the right perspective. For most people, that means thinking carefully about what you need versus what you want.

Remember, when you figure out how to make a budget that works, you will be able to make space for wants. But for that to happen, you need to take a long hard look at your perception of money.
“For the ‘big spender,’ they have to distinguish between needs and wants, and this can go even further back and dig deep into what they value,” Hung says. “Do they value material things? Do they spend on these things to make them feel good? Are they insecure about something? Can they simplify their life and not have so much ‘stuff’?”

As you start figuring out how to make your budget, keep asking yourself those tough questions. Try not to take anything for granted—and trust that, in the end, you’ll still have money for the occasional splurge.

First, though, you need to reach for a pad of paper.

How to Make a Budget, Step Two: Write down income and expenses (and ask questions).

Okay, ready for the hard part of learning how to make a budget? (Spoiler: It’s really not that hard.)

Start by listing all of your income sources along with every recurring bill or predictable expense. You’ll want to list everything from your Netflix subscription to your mortgage. If you don’t have exact numbers (like for utility bills, for instance), it’s okay to estimate.

Once everything’s listed, break your expenses into categories. Some common examples:

  • Entertainment: The aforementioned Netflix subscription fits in here, along with books, movie tickets, and other non-essentials.
  • Personal Care: This might include skincare products and cosmetics, but you can also lump in haircuts or spa treatments.
  • Mortgage or Rent: For most people, this the biggest single item in the budget, so it often gets its own category.
  • Wellness: This might include things like health insurance, therapy co-pays, or gym memberships.

Those are just a few basics, and you’ll build in plenty of other categories as you work through your list. If you’re struggling to think of categories, apps like Mint, You Need A Budget, and Mvelopes can help (we’ll have a few more words on those in a moment).

Right away, if you’re not already living frugally, you’ll see a few places where you can trim down your expenses. However, remember to look closely. Some “needs” might actually be “wants,” and properly identifying them can help you avoid sinking deeper in debt.

With that said, we’re not quite at the “eliminating expenses” stage yet, and we’re not quite done with that paper.

How to Make a Budget, Step Three: Set up your financial goals.

Here’s the whole point of learning how to make a budget: It’s time to set up your goals. This is where you’ll start to see how your budget will revolutionize your financial life, so be prepared to celebrate (ideally, without purchasing any new bottles of champagne).

First, let’s address one of the other major reasons that people don’t follow their budgets: They encounter an emergency scenario, start spending…and immediately run out of money. That emergency might be a busted car, an unexpected visit to the doctor’s office, or a layoff you didn’t see coming.

Therefore, your first financial goal should be to build up some savings. Budget experts often call this “paying yourself.”
“Unfortunately, many people put this last on the priority list,” personal finance consultant Andrea Woroch tells HealthyWay. “What happens then is that some months may get tight with additional expenses and [saving] gets ignored.”

Woroch recommends incorporating a hard-and-fast rule as you make your budget: Always put a percentage of each paycheck directly in your savings, without exception. Experts often recommend 20 percent, although the exact percentage will change with your financial goals over time. The point is that you’ll always be paying yourself.

“Put this money into a separate account,” she says. “Consider opening up an online savings account to get a better interest rate.”

Set your emergency fund goal to cover several months of your essential expenses. Your emergency fund will be your first major goal, after which you can think about home down payments, retirement funds, and fun things like vacations and private Cardi B concerts (hey, we don’t know how much you’re budgeting).
There’s one thing that should take precedence over your rainy day fund.

“In building a budget, there are a few things [women] should do before saving for their goals,” explains Hung. “One being, if they have credit card debt, or any high-interest loans, they need to get rid of that first—before saving for their emergency fund or their goals. Then, they definitely should have an emergency fund set aside, ideally three to six months of expenses, depending on the risk of their primary income or [whether they have] dependents.”
If all goes well, you’ll eventually set up your monthly budget with last month’s income, which is an incredibly liberating feeling if you’ve been living paycheck to paycheck.

How to Make a Budget, Step Four: Track your expenditures.

At this point, your budget is pretty much good to go. It’s time to start tracking every single payment you make.

That might sound like a big deal, but depending on your current spending habits, it might not be too bad. Dedicate 20 to 30 minutes at the end of the day to tracking those expenses (though you probably won’t use that entire chunk of time, unless you’ve been doing some serious shopping).

The good old internet makes expenditure tracking pretty easy. If you pay for everything with a debit card, check your bank statement at the end of the day and enter expenses in each relevant category. If you use credit cards for some payments, track them at the point of purchase, making a note of the payment type so that you’re able to pay down the credit account at the end of the month.
Apps like Mint can help you track payments automatically, but our financial experts recommend tracking transactions by hand wherever possible. Whether you’re entering numbers into a spreadsheet or writing down expenses in a money planner, you’re thinking about the transaction and creating a habit that might stop you from overspending in the future.

How to Make a Budget, Step Five: Make mistakes, make adjustments, and enjoy your new budget.

You’ve learned how make a budget, you’ve set some goals, and you’re meticulously tracking every purchase you make. You’re doing everything according to plan.
Guess what? You’re going to screw up.

We’re not just being pessimistic! Successful budgets aren’t rigid, inflexible rulesets. They require constant adjustment, and in some cases, you’ll find yourself going over budget in certain categories.

The best practice is to pass those overspends off to the next month, where possible. For instance, if you budget $200 for entertainment and spend $210, budget $190 next month to get your books back in order. When that’s not possible, learn from your mistake, adjust your budget or spending habits, then move on. Don’t dwell on mistakes, and don’t get discouraged if you don’t immediately upgrade your financial habits.
While you’re logging expenditures, look for places where you can save without significantly reducing the quality of your lifestyle. Sometimes that means rethinking old advice.
“If you’re expecting a kid, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need a bigger house or car,” Woroch says. “Babies don’t need much room! Stay put and save up until you can truly afford more space.”
That’s a fairly extreme example, but it gets to the heart of the problem: Learning how to make a budget is all about differentiating the wants from the needs and logging absolutely everything. Commit to those two principles, and you’re probably in good shape. There’s no hard-and-fast rule, and your budget will adapt to your lifestyle over time.

“As long as people live within their means, are being diligent with saving, and are not overspending, especially on fixed items (e.g., having a mortgage they cannot afford so they end up being house-poor), then it really is up to the person what works for them,” Hung says.
“I believe budgeting is something anyone can do, and frankly should do,” she notes. “I always say that if you know how to make money and spend money, you certainly need to know how to manage it properly.”

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

Meet Skinno, The App That Wants To Tell You What's In Your Skincare

Aqua. Propylene glycol. Aloe barbadensis leaf juice. Phenoxyethanol. Fucus vesiculosus extract. These are all ingredients of the closest skincare product to my desk right now (Mario Badescu’s Facial Spray—rosewater version, obv).
But what are those things? Aqua: water—got it. Aloe barbadensis: aloe vera is good! The rest? Not so sure. Some of them sound pretty chemical-y, and I never did too well in chemistry class. That extract though, that’s probably good, right?
And herein lies the problem with skincare: Most people don’t know what’s in their products. And even if they’ve heard of some of the product’s ingredients, the average consumer doesn’t know what those ingredients do. Or if they’re effective for their skin type. Or if they’re even all that safe.
You’ve likely heard various reasons we should avoid synthetic chemicals: If you can’t pronounce it, don’t use it! That ingredient is a chemical! Chemicals are used to clean toilet bowls! (Nevermind the fact that even plain old water is a chemical substance—effectively, everything is, in fact.) This fear of chemicals, often termed “chemophobia,” is misguided at best, as plenty of researchers attest.
Still, the cultural trend toward safety via nature has led to an industry-wide movement—which is a bit misleading given the fact that “natural” means zilch to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates (but doesn’t approve) cosmetics and skincare in America. That term, and some others like “clean” or “green,” aren’t actually regulated at all. While the FDA does ban intentionally false or misleading packaging, it’s the responsibility of the manufacturers to act in good faith when it comes to what can be put on the front of products.
So what’s a consumer to do?
This is a problem Lisa Guerrera has been researching for years. A self-described skincare junkie, Guerrera is a chemist focused on the science of skincare. She did her undergraduate thesis on chemophobia, and now she’s pursuing her master’s in cosmetic engineering and building Skinno, an app aimed at educating consumers about ingredients in their products.
Most consumers have difficulty decoding ingredients and their applications. Guerrera, Skinno’s founder and CEO, realized that this lack of knowledge—combined with the largely unregulated cosmetics industry—leads consumers to make decisions about products based on marketing and scare tactics instead of concentrating on ingredients.
Guerrera co-founded Skinno with Christina Torres, whose background is in biology and science communication, in October 2017. The app, which has been in development since February, uses a scanner to read ingredient labels and break down what’s in your product and what those ingredients do. The app’s searchable ingredient database is entirely sourced by Torres, who has professional experience with biological databases; she personally researches each ingredient and writes consumer-friendly descriptions. Skinno also has a Routines feature to help users remember to actually use their products.
As the Skinno team develops the app further, they’re focusing on personalizing users’ skincare experiences: What does your skin need and why? What are the best ingredients to achieve that and why?
We hopped on the chance to speak with Guerrera about the app and how it can help consumers navigate the current skincare market.

HealthyWay: I love the idea of knowing what each ingredient in my products is used for. What’s your ultimate goal for Skinno?

Guerrera: Ultimately we want people to be educated about their products before they buy them. Consumers have the right to easy access to scientifically accurate information about products, and we know Skinno will be able to help with that through instant education and personalization.

What can ingredients tell us about our skincare products?

Ingredients can tell us a lot! These days, a lot of products are marketed based off of some “miracle” ingredient that will cure all our skin woes, but in reality, if you look up the ingredient, there is no real research backing up those claims. Ingredients can tell us if a product is really doing what it’s claiming to do for our skin.

What should people be paying attention to when they’re buying their skincare?

Definitely pay attention to what’s at the top of the ingredients list. Those are the most concentrated ingredients in a product. So if a product is claiming certain things, you would want the ingredient that will do the thing to be toward the top. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but it’s overall a good rule of thumb.
People should definitely pay attention if they have a known allergy or sensitivity to an ingredient. Sometimes ingredients can be called a different name, but it’s still the same ingredient. So it’s important for people to pay attention to the label to make sure the product doesn’t contain allergens. Skinno will actually alert you if an ingredient you’re allergic to is in a product!

Are ingredients with names we can’t pronounce or things that are “chemical-y” necessarily bad? What about ingredients we notice all the time or ingredients that are “natural”? How can Skinno help users tell the difference?

Everyone has heard the rule, “If you can’t pronounce it, don’t put it on your skin!” But that is so wrong! There are tons of amazing ingredients in skincare with long, complicated names or names that are unfamiliar. Just because something “sounds” like a chemical doesn’t mean it’s bad for you. The idea that chemicals are “bad” stems from the societal phenomena of “chemophobia,” or fear of chemicals. We are conditioned to be wary of unfamiliar chemicals or anything that sounds chemical-like. With Skinno, my hope is we can educate people to know that just because it sounds scary, doesn’t mean it is!
Natural ingredients are interesting … They don’t really exist. Natural has no meaning or definition under the FDA, so companies can label pretty much any product as “natural.” So even ingredients that are “naturally derived,” usually from source plants or other means, are usually put though many chemical processes before arriving in your skincare bottle. This by no means makes them worse; I just want people to see that there isn’t much of a difference just because something is labeled natural.

How can skincare junkies know what’s best for their skin, besides trial and error? How do you see Skinno helping them?

The best way to mitigate trial and error when it comes to product choice is to make educated decisions before purchase. Being a skincare junkie myself, and someone on a budget, I research every product as much as possible before I decide to buy it. Skinno can really help people with this task. Instead of taking hours to do research on every product, you can just scan to see what each ingredient does and, in the future, if it will actually work for your skin type. Certain ingredients can work better for certain skin types, and we can help you decipher that!

Skincare is really having a moment. Why are you building this app now?

Honestly, it was just good timing! I’ve always loved skincare, and the opportunity to build this app fell into my lap, so to speak. But I really felt people were craving more information about the products they use every day. Ingredient consciousness is on the rise, especially in skincare, which is uniquely chemistry-driven and difficult to dissect. I wanted to help people become smarter consumers.

Tell us more about the app’s tech! The scanning feature is one of the coolest things I’ve seen and reminds me a lot of technology I’ve only seen in shopping apps or on Google Translate.

Yes exactly! So we are using optical character recognition or OCR technology to literally read ingredient labels with your smartphone camera. It’s the same tech Google Translate uses; we’re applying it to ingredient labels. This means that if a product is not in our database or doesn’t have a barcode, you can still scan it and get a readout on the ingredients, which is totally unique to our app!
We do have a barcode scanner just in case the ingredients aren’t on the product. We’re also launching the app with machine learning in September, so the app will learn about you and your skin over time to give you personal recommendations.

Right now, the app is in beta. What can beta testers expect from the experience?

So right now the app can only give you simple ingredient explanations, and you can use the routine feature and be able to flag ingredients you like and ingredients you’re allergic to or don’t like. But we’re pushing new updates to the app every few days with improvements and fixes. Users will basically get a glimpse into how an app is really made. They will see us grow a lot in the next few months. All the features in there now are very basic, but they are stepping stones to help us get to the final version of the app. We always ask users to give us as much feedback as possible. We’re building this for you!

What features are you hoping to incorporate as you further develop the app?

Our biggest project is the complete personalization of the app. We want to be able to give easy-to-understand, simple, and personal skincare recommendations to users, instantly. That means when you’re shopping and scan a product with Skinno, we can tell you immediately if we think this product is worth the purchase based on multiple factors such as skin type, your environment, and budget, to name a few!
To do this, we will be using machine learning and a skin type quiz (that we’re developing right now) to learn about the user over time. The other big feature is product comparison. We can automatically compare the ingredients so you know whether to splurge or save!

What challenges have you faced creating this app?

We face a lot of challenges since we’re building a product using technology that’s never been applied to this space. Definitely the biggest challenges we face are building out an extensive database with ingredients verified by science literature. It takes a long time to truly research each ingredient. Next is our OCR scanner: Round bottles or shiny packaging can be challenging, so we are in the process of creating our own technology to read special packaging. Lastly is automating something so personal! We have to consider skincare and people’s preferences from all angles, so I talk to a lot of people about skincare daily.
Both Christina and I are women in science, a sometimes difficult position to be in professionally, but getting better every year thanks to amazing initiatives. But now we are also women in tech, a notoriously hard industry to get into, especially knowing that only 3 percent of companies backed by Venture Capital Investment are women-owned. We’ve definitely had people doubt us, ignore us, and assume we didn’t have the knowledge to execute this, but that only makes us work harder and smarter. We also have amazing mentors that have believed in us from the start, so that has been very encouraging.

Can you tell us about your personal skincare journey?

My skincare journey has been a long and very difficult road. Since I was 12 I’ve dealt with cystic acne, a severe type of acne that comes in the form of very painful, long-lasting cysts on the skin. I tried so many products, went to many dermatologists, and over the years developed my knowledge on skincare via trial and error, reading, googling, and getting my degree in chemistry and learning formulation. I even remember at multiple points in my life looking at my face in the mirror and actually crying because of all the painful cysts. I still have acne today, but thankfully it isn’t as bad now because I found it was hormonal acne and took the steps to get treated for it. Now I focus on acne scar reduction and keeping my dry skin moisturized.

What are your favorite ingredients?

That’s such a hard question these days! Definitely a favorite is ceramides. Such an amazing ingredient to have in a moisturizer. Another is lactic acid: It’s a gentle yet effective exfoliant that’s great for dry skin like mine.

What are your favorite products right now?

Products I’m loving are the CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser; it’s been my holy grail cleanser for years. Next is the Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream, a new favorite moisturizer. Lastly, the e.l.f. Cosmetics Primer sheet mask, it’s got some surprisingly great ingredients and only costs $2!
Download Skinno for iOS to try it out yourself and follow Skinno on Instagram to keep up with their progress.

Categories
Healthy Her Way Lifestyle

Laura Scott Of A Little Bit Of Lacquer

“You don’t need to be there every minute of your kids’ life for them to know they’re loved.”
Read that sentence again. And again. Okay, just one more time.
When I read that on Laura Scott’s blog post about being a working mom, it instantly resonated with me—hey, I’m a working mom! My daughter has attended daycare, is currently in a before- and after-school care program, and my family babysits her all the time—all of which allow me to juggle my career, a social life, and self-care. Even though I know time apart is important, the mom guilt constantly creeps in. But reading Laura’s posts on the importance of finding a village (and using that village!) was so important for me; it never hurts to be reminded that my daughter is loved and well cared for, even if I’m not there every hour of her life.
So that’s why I’m happy this week’s Healthy Her Way feature is Laura Scott of A Little Bit of Lacquer. Because of posts like that (and so many others), it’s clear that Laura is a mom who gets it. Plenty of moms on the internet are at the harsh end of pointed fingers for not doing enough for their kids, for not being there enough, for having other priorities too. Laura, on the other hand, is open about the fact that she does do a lot besides parent her three daughters. Of course, she’s more than just a mom (aren’t we all?)—she’s a graduate of Harvard Medical School, a dermatology resident specializing in skin of color, a wife, and a blogger. To say that she’s got a lot to juggle is an understatement.
Laura started her blog in her second year of med school to hold herself accountable for the interests she had outside of medicine (and constant second-year studying). Today, it helps pay the bills that come with being a med school graduate and mom of three. She regularly posts about being a working mom, her interests both professional and personal, and how she and her husband, Nathan—who’s also a Harvard Med grad because of course—make it work.
Reading Laura’s blog and scrolling her ‘gram, you get the sense that she won’t lead you astray with her recommendations. You won’t find any Flat Tummy Tea or appetite-suppressing lollipops here. Instead, she works with brands that actually meet her needs and those of her followers. She shares details about her working mom style and how to look put together when you’re feeling anything but (polished nails, well-fitting clothes, and good shoes are her top three tips). And, ever the doctor, she regularly posts skincare tips, dermatology issues to watch out for, and advice that will help us all stay safe in the sun.
If I haven’t convinced you to follow her religiously until the end of time, check out her responses below: She’s totally badass. She’s #blackgirlmagic embodied. She’s definitely one of my favorite finds, and I’m really excited to feature her this week.
HealthyWay

A Day in the Life

What does your daily routine look like?

Wake up between 5 and 5:30, take care of emails and maybe some studying, get ready from 6 to 6:30, then wake up the girls and get them dressed and fed. We’re out of the house by 7:20, drop them off at daycare, then head to work to be in by 8. In clinic it depends on the day, but I can be seeing general adult dermatology, pediatric dermatology, or be doing skin cancer surgeries and reconstructions.
I love the variety of things we do every day! Most days I’m done by 5:30 or 6, pick up the girls, and relax. I either cook something easy or order takeout, my husband usually gets home shortly after, and we play with the girls and just catch up on our days. The girls are in bed by 9, then we usually stay up until 11 or so working on various projects, catching up on Netflix, and spending time together!

What are your favorite ways to practice self-care?

Self-care is such a hot topic right now and I feel like everyone thinks it should mean some fancy green juice and hot yoga—but neither of those are my kind of thing! Self-care is whatever fills your cup! So for me it’s getting down on the ground and playing with my kids, indulging in a good movie and delicious takeout, and getting to spend quality alone time with my husband.

How do you stay inspired?

I’m incredibly lucky in that so much of my inspiration literally gets sent to me daily. Every day I get messages from young women all over the world who share how my life has impacted them. So many of them started school again after having a child, or decided to push through and apply for a new program, or just keep working hard knowing that what they want in life is attainable. It’s those messages that really push me and remind me not only of how blessed I am but how important it is that I keep going!
HealthyWay
HealthyWay
Disclaimer: Just so you know, if you order an item through one of our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.

Loving Lately…

What are the best products you’ve discovered recently?

I am obsessed with Dove Beauty Bars—old news for any dermatologist since we always recommend their sensitive skin bar to most of our patients, but I’ve recently discovered their scented bars and the Go Fresh Revive beauty bar is my current obsession!

What are your favorite apps?

On the fun side, I’d say the app Snug—it lets you plan your IG feed to see how your pictures will fit and play around with the look. It definitely helps in planning a cohesive gallery! On the work side, I’d say Evernote. I use it for all my notes and ideas and screenshots and even saving receipts, and the best part is it’s searchable!

Whose Instagram is on your radar?

Oh my goodness it’s impossible to pick one! I love the IG community and surround myself with inspiring accounts! I think my two favorites right now are @travelnoire for constantly inspiring me to travel and empowering women of color to do so, and @thehomeedit. Literally every single one of their pictures makes me want to organize my house—another form of self-care for me: cleaning!

What are you reading, watching, or listening to?

Dear White People, Season 2
HealthyWay
HealthyWay

Laura IRL

What would the title of your autobiography be?

Ramblings. Anyone who watches my Instagram stories would know about my ramblings!

What woman in history would you love to take to brunch?

Madam C. J. Walker—often cited as the first female self-made millionaire in the U.S. and one of the most successful African-American business owners ever

What superpower would you like to have?

Move at superhuman speeds—like Quicksilver!

What’s your coffee order?

Blonde roast with cream and sugar: cheap and it’s the roast with most caffeine!
HealthyWay
HealthyWay
Follow Laura on Instagram and read (every single post on) her blog, A Little Bit of Lacquer.

Categories
Conscious Beauty Lifestyle

The Truth About Shampoo

When was the last time you sat down and thought about shampoo?
We’re not talking about spending 20 minutes browsing through bottles of TRESemmé during a shopping trip. We’re talking about the actual function of shampoo itself. Why is it necessary? Is it really necessary? And is there really any difference between the pricey products lining the walls of your favorite salon and, say, the cost-effective options at the drugstore? Or a bar of soap?

iStock.com/JackF

We’ve been thinking about shampoo for a long time now—probably too long, according to our friends and family—so we decided to reach out to a few experts to get some answers.

First of all, what does shampoo actually do?

You can probably guess the basics, but to really answer some of the difficult questions about shampoo, it’s important to understand how it works.
“[Shampoos remove] two things: the natural oil that accumulates in the hair and dirt from the environment,” explains Laura Waters, PhD, principal enterprise fellow at the University of Huddersfield. Waters is a forensic anthropologist who studied shampoo for BBC Two‘s Horizon.
Dermatologist Fayne Frey, MD, gets a little more specific in an email to HealthWay: “Shampoo is basically a liquid cleanser designed to clean the scalp of sebum, sweat, desquamating skin cells, styling products, and dirt.”

iStock.com/MihailUlianikov

Desquamation is the clinical term for when skin sheds (it’s also our new favorite word). Sebum is the oil our skin naturally secretes.
Basically, shampoo works in exactly the same manner as bar soap: It uses detergents to get rid of oils. The detergents are the heavy lifters, and other ingredients thicken the shampoo (watery shampoos don’t sell well), prevent bacterial contamination, add a pleasant smell, and make the mixture foam up in the shower.
[pullquote align=”center”]”… well-formulated shampoos will clean the hair adequately and leave the hair aesthetically pleasing to the consumer. The trick is finding one you like.”
—Fayne Frey, PhD[/pullquote]
People respond to that foaming action, but foaminess doesn’t guarantee cleaning power.
“Most consumers think foaming equals cleansing, although the two are not related,” Fayne clarifies. “Almost all shampoos are built around detergents that are blended together to achieve the [optimal] amount of cleansing, depending on the type of hair.”
iStock.com/gilaxia

“Harsher detergents, or surfactants, strip the hair of almost everything,” Fayne continues, “leaving the hair dull and lackluster, often [susceptible to] static electricity,” she explains. “Milder surfactants don’t clean as well but leave the hair more manageable. Certain ingredients are added to shampoos to address manageability, and other ingredients are added to make the shampoo itself more appealing to the consumer.”

What about specialty shampoos?

Specialty shampoos are big business. Baby shampoos, for instance, promise “no tears,” while oil control shampoos promise to detoxify the scalp and reduce grease. That’s not all marketing, but it doesn’t imply any massive differences in the formula’s basic composition, either.
“There are many different ‘types’ of shampoo claiming to be for different groups of the population,” Waters says. “They all do the same job—clean your hair. It is just that some, such as baby products, use milder [or more dilute] surfactants, which means they will be less likely to irritate the skin but also not be as effective if you have a lot of oil/dirt to wash away.”

iStock.com/South_agency

“Most of the other types of shampoos, such as ‘volumising’ and that sort of thing, have added ingredients as well as the surfactants,” she says. “Some put a coating on the hair to make it seem thicker, some have extra conditioners, but they still all contain surfactants.”
That’s also true for bar soaps. In fact, if you find yourself in a situation where you’re completely out of shampoo, a little bit of bar soap should accomplish the same basic thing.


That’s right; shampoo is, ultimately, unnecessary. That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t serve an important purpose.
“Most people believe that their hair looks better when the oil is removed,” Waters writes. “It looks and feels cleaner, but there is no need to wash it away, really.”

That brings us to the “no-poo” movement.

Disregard the silly name; the idea is that hair is healthier without shampoo because the natural oils in our hair are, well, natural. Why strip away something that’s supposed to be there?
It’s not a ridiculous idea, and it’s gone somewhat mainstream. Gwyneth Paltrow is an avid no-poo-er, per a report in Express.co.uk, and publications like Marie Claire and The Telegraph have published fawning testimonials from no-poo adherents.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BidF3QCB__b/?tagged=nopoo
There’s even a dedicated site, nopoomethod.com, to guide new non-users. According to Frey, there’s nothing wrong with foregoing shampoo completely, provided that you don’t mind some changes in the texture and feel of your hair.
“For healthy scalps, personal preference [determines how often you should shampoo],” she says. “[There’s] no consensus. No evidence that shampooing at any given interval is beneficial to scalp health.”
https://twitter.com/itmaehata/status/984488616905920514
If you don’t wash your hair at all, sebum will build up, potentially causing itchiness or oily dandruff. With that said, Frey notes that scalp health and hair aesthetics are two entirely separate issues.
“Individuals with scalp conditions, redness, itchy scalp, scaly scalp, or other irritations should seek medical attention and see a dermatologist before expecting to cure their scalp ailments with [over-the-counter] shampoos and conditioners,” she says.

We asked Frey whether our shampoo habits might harm the health of our hair.

“The bottles say lather, rinse, repeat, but they never tell you when to stop!” says Frey.
We’ll always appreciate a decent shampoo joke.

iStock.com/dolgachov

“The answer to your question is there is no consensus on how often [to shampoo] or if any given individual with a healthy scalp really needs to shampoo,” she explains. “Before the 1930s, shampoo didn’t even exist. Folks used bar soap if they desired to clean their hair.”
The first liquid shampoo hit markets some time around 1927, but of course, people had been washing their hair for centuries prior. Modern shampoo is largely safe; cosmetic shampoos are regulated, for both their contents and their branding, by the Food and Drug Administration. Medicated shampoos must be approved by the administration.

That means those scary-sounding sulfates listed on the back of your shampoo bottle are safe—within limits. One study published in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science did find that sodium lauryl sulphate, a common commercial shampoo ingredient, caused noticeable damage to hair proteins. That study was carried out at a microscopic level, however, and the authors didn’t recommend against shampoo use; their goal was simply to compare the conditioning effects of different hair products.

Frey says that, provided you have a healthy scalp, you can shampoo your hair as frequently or infrequently as you’d like.

“Folks who don’t want to expose themselves to the chemical ingredients in shampoos … never need to shampoo,” she tells us. “Shampooing daily has become part of the American culture, but for most [is] totally unnecessary. Some say it is un-American to not shampoo, but the ‘no-poo’ movement is growing.”
https://twitter.com/pimpgotdistress/status/996367948251049985
For what it’s worth, we couldn’t find anyone who says that it’s unpatriotic to forego shampoo, but we’ll take Frey’s word for it. The takeaway is that if you like oily hair, you can safely stop shampooing. Just be prepared for the results.

“It is perfectly normal to have oily hair, but most prefer not to … . [How] quickly your hair generates oil depends on how often you need to wash it away,” Waters says. “Dirt from the environment sticks to the oil, and so the former makes the latter seem worse.”

Ever thought about pH levels? Maybe you should.

“Certain characteristics of shampoos and conditioners will affect hair appearance,” Frey notes. “The pH of a shampoo can affect [hair strength] and manageability. Unfortunately, the pH of … shampoos and conditioners is not found on the labels. Consumers must contact the manufacturers for this information.”

iStock.com/Steve Debenport

“The pH of the scalp is around 5.5; pH of a hair shaft is around 3.6,” Frey continues. “Very alkaline products (high pH) can leave the hair with static and difficult to manage.”
According to one study in the International Journal of Trichology, shampoos with an alkaline pH may “increase the negative electrical charge of the hair fiber surface and, therefore, increase friction between the fibers.” That friction, in turn, could lead to cuticle damage fiber breakage.
iStock.com/stock_colors

While the researchers advocate for pH labeling on shampoo bottles, they acknowledge that further research is needed to figure out what the optimum pH range is.

Our experts agreed on one point: Great conditioners, it seems, are worth the money.

When we asked Frey whether shampoos can ever really add volume to hair, she quickly got to the real issue.
“Possibly, for some people, it can appear to have a small effect for the short term,” she writes. “[But] it’s the conditioner that makes a much bigger difference.”
“The idea of beautifying the hair is a secondary issue for shampoos and better addressed by well-formulated conditioners,” Frey says.

iStock.com/skynesher

Conditioners basically bind cuticle flakes to the shaft of each hair, providing a smooth feel and improving appearance. They’re not magical—they can’t add new hairs to your head, either—but they can provide the so-called “volumizing” effect that manufacturers love to tout.
“Shampoo doesn’t tend to be left on the hair for long and is quickly washed away, whereas conditioning products are left on for longer and more likely to have an effect,” Waters says.
“The price of a shampoo is only partially about the ingredients: it is also the image, such as the packaging, et cetera,” Waters continues. “… I wouldn’t buy the [expensive bottle of] shampoo, as it isn’t that much better than [an inexpensive] bottle.”
[pullquote align=”center”]”Some like their hair a bit wavy, others not so much. Beauty, when it comes to hair, is truly in the eyes of the beholder.”
—Fayne Frey, PhD[/pullquote]
Frey recommends experimenting to find what works well with your hair and scalp.  

“Of course, well-formulated shampoos will clean the hair adequately and leave the hair aesthetically pleasing to the consumer,” Frey says. “The trick is finding one you like.”
When buying any product for your hair, it’s imperative to keep that you in mind.
“Some folks like the full, wild hair look, others prefer flat,” Frey says. “Some like their hair a bit wavy, others not so much. Beauty, when it comes to hair, is truly in the eyes of the beholder.”

Categories
Fresh Fashion Lifestyle

20 Wardrobe Staples You'll Need This Spring

When those blustery winter days finally come to an end, it’s truly something to celebrate. Gone is the season of snow, ice, and single-digit temperatures. We can finally get out of our heavy coats and be comfortable leaving our homes again. If you don’t have a good set of spring basics, switching out your winter wardrobe for warm-weather pieces can be a struggle.
Whether you’re looking to add to your collection or need to build up your wardrobe, we’ve got all the spring essentials you need to make the transition.

Jackets

Though the temps do warm up when spring rolls around, that doesn’t mean that you won’t need an extra layer from time to time. For those days when a bit of chill is still lingering in the air, keep a lightweight jacket close by to warm up or stay dry.

Denim

A denim jacket is a great essential to have on hand for any season because it can easily be paired with pretty much anything. They’re especially perfect for spring, though, because they add a layer of lightweight warmth that won’t make it feel like you’re still lugging around a winter coat. You can easily incorporate a denim jacket into your look for the whole day, or throw it on or off when you need to.

Utility

A lightweight utility jacket is the perfect touch to any spring outfit. They’re effortlessly stylish and offer a few different options when it comes to how you style them. This particular jacket has snap closures and a high collar for times when you really need to keep the wind out, along with roll tab sleeves to stay cool and comfortable.

Rain

If there’s one item you need to have when spring rolls around, it’s a rain jacket. Unexpected rain showers are a pain to deal with, and this option from ethical fashion brand Everlane is classic and lightweight, perfect for carrying with you or keeping in the car. It’s also the perfect length for keeping your outfit dry with snap closures to help keep the rain out.

Shop jackets:

Tops

Gone are the days of heavy sweaters and thick flannel (sometimes much to our dismay). Instead, spring is a time for fun colors and light layers that you can build up when you need to.

Basic Tee

If you’ve been looking for a classic, lightweight shirt, Madewell’s Whisper Cotton Crewneck Tee is perfect. From the first wear, it’s feels like a shirt that you’ve had for years: incredibly soft, airy, and drapey. It’s also available in a range of neutral shades that’ll pair perfectly with any outfit.

Denim Button Down

A good, light denim shirt is an essential piece to have in your closet, especially when spring rolls around. The long sleeves offer a little warmth on chillier days, but the fabric is typically lightweight so you won’t feel weighed down. You can roll the sleeves up for a more casual look or wear them down for something more classic.

Eyelet Top

Whether you’re heading to an outdoor party or taking a stroll around your local zoo, this eyelet top is the perfect addition to your spring wardrobe. Casual yet polished, it’s a simple shirt that still makes a statement with the eyelet detailing. Pair it with jeans and flats for a day out or with dressier pants and a heel for a stunning outfit to wear to the office.

Bell Sleeve Top

Spring is all about light pastels and breezy, flowy silhouettes, and this light blue top is the perfect embodiment of the season. Bold and feminine, the bell sleeves add a dramatic touch while the white stripes give it classic look, making this shirt an unexpected upgrade of the standard striped button-down.

Shop tops:

Bottoms

It’s not truly necessary to switch between different pants for winter and spring, but there are certain styles that tend to make more sense when the weather is warmer and brighter. Switch from heavy corduroys and knits to lighter and brighter fabrics this season.

Dressed Up Jogger Pant

Whether you’re running weekend errands or it’s a more casual day at the office, these upgraded jogger pants are the perfect way to look comfy yet put together. The front pleats give them a dressier touch, but the stretchy waistband and cuffed ankles will keep you cozy all day long.

Casual Boyfriend Jean

These will be your new favorite warm-weather jeans with the classic style and cropped ankle. Cuff at the ends for a retro yet contemporary vibe, and pair with a simple t-shirt and sneakers or strappy sandals to look and feel cool and relaxed.

White Skinny Jean

Most people don’t reach for a white jean during the winter months, so spring is the perfect time to incorporate them back into your rotation. If you’re worried it’s a style you can’t rock, we can pretty much guarantee this mid-rise version from Old Navy will flatter everyone.

Shop bottoms:

Dresses

When the sun is out and the weather is warm, dress season is truly back in session. Winter dresses are great with layers, but spring dresses are brighter, bolder, and made to stand out on their own.

Midi Dress

If you need a dress that’s perfect for an outdoor spring event, this eyelet midi dress is the one. The design is simple yet stunning, giving off a flowy spring vibe that can still be dressed up. It’s available in seven different colors, so everyone can find an option that’s perfect for their next party.

Knit T-Shirt Dress

For more casual days, a t-shirt dress is a great option to have in your closet. The material is soft and comfortable, keeping you cozy all day long while offering a slightly fitted look for effortlessly chic style. Wear it alone or pair it with a denim jacket and baseball hat for a cool, relaxed touch.

Floral Dress

Spring is all about the florals, and this fun flowery dress is perfect for any occasion. Especially on cooler spring days, the long sleeves and knee-length hem will help keep you stay comfortable in any setting. The tiered bell sleeves are a feminine touch that’ll make this dress a gorgeous go-to.

Shop dresses:

Accessories

The right accessories are important for any season, and spring is no exception. From hats to shield from the sun to the perfect bag to tote outdoor-event essentials, accessories for spring should be cute and functional.

Hat

A Panama-style hat is a classic that’s perfect for spending the day outside, whether it’s at the beach, in the park, or even just at a backyard barbecue. The style is simple and can be paired with virtually any outfit, adding a cool and casual touch to your style.

Scarf

This lightweight scarf is perfect for days when you need a scarf but don’t want to bundle up in a heavy knit option. It’s a great everyday scarf that can be worn all day long or just as a little extra protection against the wind when you need it.

Bag

No one wants to lug around a huge bag at an outdoor event, and this adorable tassel bag is perfect for holding only the essentials while still giving you the room you need. It also has a long strap to make carrying it all day easy—either over your shoulder or as a crossbody.

Shop accessories:

Shoes

When it comes to transitioning your wardrobe from winter to spring, it’s truly all about the shoes. Tuck those heavy-duty boots back in your closet until next season and get ready for sandals, strappy booties, and fun sneakers.

Slide Sandal

A simple sandal is the perfect option for a casual day, but many of us need an upgrade from our $2 pair of flip flops. These slides go with virtually everything, whether it’s a flowy dress or a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. They’re also available in a few different colors so you can find a pair that’ll work with your wardrobe.

Spring Bootie

Booties aren’t just for winter, but the pair you’d wear when there’s snow on the ground might feel a little too stuffy for spring. These eyelet booties are the perfect taupe gray to go with any outfit, and the cutouts give them an airy feel that’s perfect for warmer weather. The low heel also makes them a comfortable option for any outdoor or indoor event.

Block Heel Sandal

Spring weather means the return of strappy sandals, but we don’t just mean flats. These block-heeled sandals can be worn casually or with a dressier outfit, perfect for a day at the office or attending an outdoor party. The heel is also just the right height to keep your feet comfortable all day long.

Fashion Sneaker

Spring showers tend to sabotage plans of wearing fancier footwear, so having a good pair of sneakers on hand for rainy days is crucial. These classic adidas sneakers are a go-to for any spring weather conditions and are perfect for anything that requires a more casual shoe, whether it’s running errands or just hanging out in the backyard.

Shop shoes:

Categories
Happy Home Lifestyle

Why Air-Purifying Plants Are A Breath Of Fresh Air

Air-purifying plants sound like something out of science fiction, so maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we know about them thanks to a NASA study. In the 1980s, a team led by Bill Wolverton, PhD, determined that plants are capable of removing volatile organic compounds from sealed environments.
Obviously, those findings were important for aerospace professionals—a typical spacecraft has a significant amount of weird compounds bouncing around inside of it—but the NASA Clean Air Study also had important implications for typical American households.

We decided to look into the practical side of the science: Can houseplants really improve indoor air quality, and if so, to what extent? Are certain plants better than others?

How Volatile Organic Compounds Affect Indoor Air Quality

First, let’s take a quick step back: Volatile organic compounds (better known as VOCs) are a problem because they’re thought to cause various ill effects, including fatigue, allergic skin reactions, headaches, nausea, and even serious problems like central nervous system damage. Some are known carcinogens, per the Environmental Protection Agency. There’s even evidence that VOCs cause something called sick building syndrome, which occurs when the occupants of a building become mysteriously ill.
Unfortunately, we basically invite these pollutants into our homes: VOCs can be emitted by certain paints, flooring, furniture, computer printers, aerosol sprays, and hobby supplies.

So, how do air-purifying plants get rid of VOCs?
Do they chow down on them, Little Shop of Horrors style? (Not quite.)
To find out how air-purifying plants do their jobs, we reached out to Wolverton, who’s continued to research plants’ effect on indoor air quality since his groundbreaking work with NASA. He’s also written several books, including his most recent, Plants: Why You Can’t Live Without Them.

“Plant leaves produce negative ions as they emit water vapor during the process of transpiration,” Wolverton tells us via email. “Plants with the highest transpiration rates produce the most negative ions. Negative ions have the ability to destroy airborne molds and bacteria. Negative ions are charged particles that attract dust to their leaves. This is why dust often accumulates on their leaves.”

“So, in essence, the negative ions are pulling dust particles to the leaves and reducing the amount of dust particles that are suspended in the air,” he continues. “This same mechanism assists in the removal of VOCs from the air. The transpiration process pulls air down to the plant roots. VOCs in the air are brought down to the root zone, where microbes biologically break them down and utilize them as a source of food for themselves and their host plant.”

We’d love to simplify that as “Yes, plants chow down on pollutants, Little Shop of Horrors style,” but it’s a bit more complicated than that. There is some evidence that micro-organisms surrounding the plants do most of the heavy lifting. In any case, plants do seem to eliminate VOCs, but scientists disagree as to the extent of the effect.
Majbrit Dela Cruz of the University of Copenhagen has also studied how potted plants remove VOCs.
“In our group, we have not investigated homes or offices, but there are a few other studies that show that plants remove VOCs in real-life conditions,” Dela Cruz tells us. “Unfortunately, there is not much research that has investigated removal of VOCs by plants in real-life conditions. At the moment, I would say that it’s impossible to make a general statement to what extent plants can improve our air.”

Wolverton, on the other hand, strongly believes that houseplants can affect indoor air quality (IAQ), and not simply by producing oxygen.  

“Most homes do not use mechanical ventilation, and interior plants can be very effective in improving IAQ in energy-efficient homes,” he writes. “While at NASA, we conducted a study in a tightly sealed structure that we termed the ‘Biohome.’”

“Through sophisticated analytical instrumentation, we showed that interior plants could remove most of the chemicals within this structure that was laden with indoor air pollutants.”

Are certain air-purifying plants better than others?

All of that research is fascinating, but it doesn’t really help us choose between a Boston fern and a peace lily.
“I’m often asked the question Which plants should I choose for my home and how many?” says Dela Cruz, shortly after we asked her those exact questions in that exact order. “This is not possible to answer.”

To be clear, Dela Cruz does believe that plants improve air quality, but she didn’t want to recommend specific plants, simply because she believes that researchers need to study the issue in greater detail before offering advice.

“People wonder how difficult it can be to quickly test a lot of plants,” she writes. “It may not be difficult to screen a number of plants to see if they have a potential to remove a few compounds, but to investigate if they can remove hundreds of compounds over a long time period (which is what they should be able to do in real-life conditions) will take a lot of time.”

Wolverton, however, isn’t shy about making recommendations. His company’s website notes formaldehyde (a common and potentially harmful VOC) removal rates for a number of different potted plants in potting soil, so if you’re looking for specific air-purifying plants, these are the plants Wolverton recommends based on his research.

Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata Bostoniensis)

The Boston fern showed the highest removal rates in his study: 1,863 micrograms per hour. While you probably won’t be measuring micrograms of VOCs, it’s good to know that this easy-to-care-for fern is at the top of Wolverton’s list. If you get one, don’t forget to keep this baby humid—it thrives in damp soil!

Dwarf Date Palm (Phoenix roebelenii)

The dwarf date palm comes in second in Wolverton’s tests, with a removal rate of 1,385 micrograms per hour. If you’re feeling tropical vibes, this is the plant for you. It’s an easy plant to love, but make sure you’ve got space: They can grow to between 6 and 12 feet tall.

Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii)

If you’ve got a low-light space, the bamboo palm might be your best bet for air-purifying plants. Wolverton notes that this plant removes 1,350 micrograms of formaldehyde per hour. Though it’ll get tall like the dwarf date palm, it’s a little more low maintenance.

Dracaena Janet Craig (Dracaena deremensis ‘Janet Craig’)

The dracaena Janet Craig may be the perfect houseplant: It’s easy to care for (sensing a theme?), its colors are beautiful, and Wolverton says it removes 1,328 micrograms per hour. Get yourself a Janet.

English Ivy (Hedera helix)

We all know English ivy. Though it’s usually grown outside, give it some bright light and something to climb up (or down), and it’ll be perfectly happy purifying the air of your abode. Wolverton notes that its removal rate is 1,120 micrograms per hour, too.

Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)

It’s a tree! Inside the house! And though it has a sad name, the weeping fig will bring joy (and a decrease of 940 micrograms of formaldehyde an hour) into your house. Though its natural habitat is the rainforest, it’ll work well in your house too—provided that you leave it alone.

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum ‘Clevelandii’)

Not quite a gardener? Start with a peace lily. It’s not actually a lily, it’s hard to kill, and it’s pretty. Plus it’s on the NASA study’s list and Wolverton’s list as a household air-cleaning plant, thanks to its removal rate of 939 micrograms per hour.

Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens)

You haven’t seen a plant on Instagram if you haven’t seen an areca palm on Instagram. This big palm, with a 948 microgram removal rate, will cover up a bare corner or wide wall easily. They can live for up to 10 years, so be ready to commit.
(Wolverton does note on his site that these removal numbers come from chamber-sealed studies, not in a real house where “conditions could vary significantly.” So he recommends doubling up if you’re looking to buy one—or more!—of these air-purifying plants.)
Regardless of contradictory research about VOC removal, having plants within the home is a great way to reduce carbon dioxide and increase the amount of oxygen, which is beneficial on its own. If you’re looking to get started, Wolverton writes on his website, “I recommend at least two good-sized plants per 100 square feet of space within a home. Of course,” he notes, “if the homeowner can maintain more plants, then it is even better.” Plant ladies, unite!
When choosing any new air-purifying plant, keep these tips in mind:

Remember that some plants are toxic to pets and humans.

According to the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, examples include the morning glory, lily of the valley, iris, foxglove, and hyacinth. Flowering plants, in other words, tend to be poisonous, whereas plants like the Boston fern, jade plant, and snake plant (ironically) tend to be safe. Research any new plant before bringing it into your home, regardless of how cute it looks on your kitchen table.

Suit your houseplants to your lifestyle.

Your new plant can’t purify the air if it’s dead. Some of the HealthyWay crew aren’t natural green thumbs or used to sticking to watering schedules, which is why we picked up a cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) in our office; it got its name because it’s incredibly tough! Other hardy options include the jade plant and spider plant. Boston ferns aren’t too tough to care for, either, but they require plenty of light and high humidity.

Finally, if you’ve got allergies, avoid blooming plants, as they can produce pollen.

Wolverton also suggests taking a few extra steps to eliminate standing water. “It is best to cover the potting soil with a layer of porous material, [for instance] aquarium gravel, hydroculture pebbles, etc.,” he writes. “This allows the surface of the plant container to stay dry, and therefore, [it] will not grow mold.”
This might also boost the plant’s air purifying powers to some extent. “I recommend that people with allergy sensitivities grow their plants in hydroculture,” Wolverton writes. “In hydroculture, plants are grown in pebbles instead of soil and the container is sealed. Therefore, you eliminate the problem of standing water in the drain tray when using potting soil. Our studies show that plants grown in hydroculture are more effective in removing VOCs because the air can more easily travel to the plant’s roots through pebbles than in compacted soil.”
If you’re concerned about VOCs, the best way to keep them out of your home is to stop them from entering in the first place. Choose low- or no-VOC paints, renovate with low-VOC construction materials, and buy higher quality furniture (secondhand where possible—it’s better for the environment, and antiques beat IKEA any day).  

With that said, a few houseplants will certainly improve air quality, and although the extent of the effect is debatable, we’re pretty happy with our cast iron plants and Boston ferns. Plus, we get to tell our houseguests about “biofiltration.” That’s certainly worth a trip to the gardening center.