Use lingerie bags for washing delicates AND sweaters
I hate washing things by hand. In addition to sweaters, I think that other delicate clothing/unmentionables last longer if you wash them by hand. My first victory was moving somewhere with a washing machine that has a delicate cycle. But I was still doing multiple loads of delicate laundry since bra hooks and knit sweaters do not mix! The next victory was what I like to call a “baskets moment” or in my case, a “bags moment.” For people who apparently live under rocks like I do…
ShamPHree: Why I decided to stop shampooing my hair
When I was a kid, I had a DIY hair-ruining experience that traumatized me. My hair melted off and it was my own fault for not reading the warning on the perm bottle. Over processing happens to many of us at some point. But it left me feeling very self-conscious about the way I looked. At the age of nine, I had officially became the perfect target market for Big Beauty ad campaigns. It took me 20 years to look back and understand the origin of my unwavering belief in the words printed on plastic bottles. As a hairdresser, I had been hearing about the no-poo method for years. No-poo-ing means using Baking soda and Apple Cider Vinegar or lemon juice to cleanse and condition the hair. My first thought was 1. Gross for not shampooing your hair, and 2. Double gross for using the word “poo” associated with hair.
What are your experiences with the new generation IUDs?
as anyone used a new-generation intrauterine device (IUD)? My doctor brought it up, and it sounds like a great form of birth control. I like the idea of local medical interventions (a hormone-relasing IUD) when possible, rather than systemic (the pill). However, I frankly am still a little creeped out by something in my uterus. Clearly everyone should only take medical advice from their doctors, but I am asking for personal advice here. Have any Offbeat readers had favorable or negative experiences with one of the new generation IUDs? How did it fit into your lifestyle?
8 tips for developing personal style when you have none
I have never considered myself “fashionable.” Growing up, I had the tomboy thing down and wore jeans and t-shirts through high school. Every so often I would get the urge to “dress cuter” and swear not to acquire any more free unisex t-shirts, and wear a skirt here and there. But inevitably I ran out of outfits to wear and reverted back to the same jeans-and-t-shirt look, not because it was more “me” but out of habit and because it was easy. Then, I decided this was the year that I would finally dress the way I really want to, as part of my quest to figure out what being an adult really means to me. After a few months of going through my closet, lots of online searching, and one exhausting trip to the mall, I am starting to get a wardrobe I really like and figured I could share some tips for those of you who also didn’t just figure this stuff out at puberty.
Mark Poulin makes jewelry for nerds and animal-lovers
Y’all get ready to do SQUEEing and AWWWWing over Offbeat Home & Life sponsor Mark Poulin‘s quirky and cute jewelry. From octopodes (or quadrapodes?), dogs and cats to sloths and dinosaurs… these pieces are guaranteed to be the cutest damn things you will see today. Ready to take the “I dare you not to say AWWWWW, while you check out this jewelry” challenge? Ready… go!
How To Hair Girl wants to show you how you can do your own hair at home
Roxie Hunt is the DIY hair blogger who’s site is geared towards empowering you to experiment and have fun with your hair at home. Let’s talk about ALL the ways that Roxie’s How To Hair Girl site can revolutionize the way you think about your hair on the daily…
On the virtues of the comfy sweater, or: How sometimes old, green, and baggy is just right
Ah, the comfy sweater. You all have one, whether you want to admit it or not. Occasionally you think about donating it, but you just can’t do it. Maybe it’s like mine — old, green, at least two sizes too big, and shapeless as a potato sack. It might not be a sweater at all; it could be sweatpants, a hopelessly faded t-shirt, or jeans so old and worn it’s like they were molded for your ass. I think it’s time we celebrated this much-maligned garment.
Ok yes fine, I got a haircut: on ditching your signature style
After I off-handedly changed my Gravatar over the weekend, several Offbeat Empire commenters asked if and why I cut off the pink-tips off my hair recently. As one said, “I guess this is the kind of staff gossip we want.”
These days, I mostly my personal life private, but heck: it was sort of a weird thing to cut off the pink tips that have defined my head for the last seven years, so fine: let’s talk about it.