I won’t be found complaining about winter.

I love my sweaters, my boots, my leg-warmers and my kid-couch cuddling. After all, it feels like people complain all summer about the heat and then just move into their next “problematic” season.

That said, I simply cannot stand staticky hair. At all. It is, perhaps, my archnemesis of all weather-related problems.

So I’ve decided to share with you the few remedies I’ve discovered that truly help tame flyaway hair.

1. Moisturize.

Essentially, static-infested hair comes about during winter because the air tends to be cold…and dry. Personally, I’m not really into store-bought conditioner. If you are and you have fine hair like I do, then you can always condition before shampooing. (Yes, I said before. It works. Trust me or, better yet, try it.)

However, my preferred method is to apply a light oil like argan to my wet hair after my shower. The key is to apply lightly. Put less than a pea-sized amount of the oil onto your palm, rub your palms together and pat your hair—lightly.

2. Skip shampoos.

If possible, skip shampoos. Consider washing every other day, or use a hydrating shampoo.

3. Don’t use plastic.

Plastic combs and brushes create static. Ditch them.

4. Dryer sheets.

To be fair, this is the most effective thing I’ve ever used: scent-free dryer sheets rubbed on hair. But—and this is a big but—I’ve essentially stopped using this method because it feels wasteful. Still, I’m adding it in because it does work and is commonly used by other static-loathers.

5. Don’t blow dry.

I let my hair air-dry. I know that limited time and cold weather can mean not wanting to leave the house with wet hair, but, whenever possible, let your hair dry naturally. Or wash your hair at night. Or skip a shampoo. Moving on.

6. Lotion.

If fighting staticky hair is a problem, I’m guessing that dry hands are also problematic. If so, use a favorite lotion (or, ahem, oil) on your hands and then lightly pat your hair too.

7. Water.

While this isn’t the best method, it does work. When in a pinch—say, about to walk into an appointment with hair sticking up on end—find a bathroom, find a faucet and sprinkle some water on your hair.

8. Put it up.

When I’m completely fed up with my static hair, I put it up into a bun. Problem (temporarily) solved.

9. Humidify.

Okay, I do not do this. But since the problem is dry air, humidifying your house will help loads.

There are definitely other things I could have added in, like using an ionic hair dryer if blow drying is necessary or limiting use of products containing drying alcohol, but I didn’t because when the static monster really strikes, I find some tips like this completely ineffective.

Lastly, if you have any tips you’d like to share, please write a note in the comments section below!

And cheers to a happy (static-limited) winter!

Photo: Flickr/static girl.

The post 9 Easy Tips to Get Rid of Static-Winter Hair. first appeared on Jennifer S. White.

Beauty is not only skin deep—beauty radiates from the inside out.

Don’t believe me? Think of the people that you’re drawn to or find attractive, and likely there’s something beyond physical beauty drawing you in.

Charisma, happiness and a warm personality absolutely help boost physical attractiveness. So here are five ways to feel more beautiful—and look more beautiful—(almost) instantly.

1. Exercise. Exercise has physical benefits for your body that show up and help you shine. Working out helps your skin—and inner light—glow (thank all those mood-boosting chemicals). It also helps with weight management and improves self-esteem. Sounds like a good beauty fix to me.

2. Smile. This one is instant. Your heart lightens and it shows on the outside the second you turn up the corners of your lips. Give it a try.

3. Cleanse from the inside. I’m reading a wonderful book about the Yamas and Niyamas in my yoga training. One of the important beauty-related lessons here is that our society is obsessed with outer cleanliness and sadly pays little attention to what’s going into our bodies to keep us clean and pure. Pay attention not only to what you eat and drink but to what you read and who you listen to—and then pay close attention to what you’re saying to others in return. There’s a deep inner peace that comes from living a life of cleanliness—and I’m not talking about stocking up on expensive skin care products.

4. Dress well. I know it probably seems shallow to move from the last tip to this one, but it’s true no matter how you want to count it. Dressing well helps you look and, more importantly, feel better. I remember my twin telling me in high school that on days I was feeling less than stellar I shouldn’t throw on a baggy old t-shirt, I should put on my favorite, form-fitting dress and rock it—and she was absolutely right.

5. Confidence. Wow, this one’s extremely hard to tell you how to accomplish. Still, if you’re confident in yourself (and in more than just your outer appearance), it will show and it will make you more attractive. Again, think of someone you find attractive. I guarantee that physical perfection isn’t part of it, because none of us is perfect. Yet, these quirks, these individual little traits that make you you, actually make you more endearing.

Step 1 in boosting confidence (let’s start one step at a time): stop saying nasty things to yourself. Trust me on this one. Thoughts become words and words become actions. Talk to yourself the way that you would a child—with patience, kindness and love. Developing this sort of soft inner voice will help your outer voice resonate more beautifully—and your outer appearance too.

Don’t get frustrated if you wake up and roll out of bed, and don’t feel at the top of your game. We all have down days. Instead look in the mirror and focus on what you love. Spending time focusing on the positive reinforces these attributes and helps them radiate out into the world. You are beautiful.

So go ahead and hop on your yoga mat to get those endorphins flowing—and give yourself permission to share your beauty with the world today and every day.

Photo: Nikos Koutoulas/Flickr.

This article was first published by elephant journal.

The post 5 Ways to Be More Beautiful (Almost) Instantly. first appeared on Jennifer S. White.

How to have happy nails.

A few readers made the interesting assumption after reading this article that I don’t paint my toenails. Um, no.

I love painting my nails.

It feels like a way to zone out and relax (reminding me of meditation), and I’m not the kind of lady who sticks to neutral, ordinary colors either.

I donned black polish with huge silver glitter to my husband’s holiday festivities at work. I love blue and green and likely any other color you can think of.

Still.

Still, I do love my bare nails.

They feel natural and beautiful and feminine and I absolutely adore practicing yoga with clean, fresh nails as a drishti point (both hands and feet).

Having shared that, when you switch back and forth between polish and no-polish, your nails can become dry or, worse, discolored. (And I’ve found this to be true even when using “natural” alternatives.)

Trust me, too, that I fully understand never caring if your toenails, especially, see the light of day—but it’s good for them and for you to let them breathe from time to time.

So if you’re feeling adventurous and ready to try a real experiment—and have bare piggies and fingertips—then try these tips.

 1. Soak your nails in denture cleaner.

My husband will forever make fun of me for buying large quantities of denture cleaner—and I don’t care.

I’ve tried all of the other suggestions out there (like lemon juice, for one) and none of them work, not like this does.

Also, call me loopy, but I love the ones with tingly mint scents. Moving on.

Unfortunately, this won’t take away all of the discoloration—primarily if it’s from wearing polish without those aforementioned breathing breaks—but it will help whiten your nail tips and take some of the yellow out.

And it’s simple and quick.

I usually just fill my sink of with enough warm water to soak my fingers or toes in (thanks to yoga, it’s not a problem to stand on one leg with the other in the sink, but you could, of course, use a small dish). Then I drop one or two of the denture cleaner tablets in and let them dissolve. I typically only soak for three to five minutes or, honestly, as long as a song or two plays in the background.

2. Buff and shine.

This really does help make discoloration less obvious.

A buffer/shiner can be purchased almost anywhere, but consider that buffing—like the denture cleaner step—won’t take away severe yellowing—but it will help, and the shining step helps a lot as well.

3. Make your own cuticle oil.

This step is crucial.

I’ve used purchased cuticle oil (a few brands) and I much prefer my own.

While you don’t need to get fancy and you could simply just dab on olive oil, for example, I happen to personally enjoy making my own blend. (And I’m not someone who’s generally crafty, so keep that in mind.)

My favorite thing is to buy empty glass nail polish bottles. You can buy these either online (Amazon sells them) or have your local store order them for you. (Many retailers that sell base oils and essential oils also offer the containers needed for custom blends.)

I have several blends that I use, depending, frankly, on my mood, and I’ve never made one that I haven’t fallen in love with instantly.

I’ll share with you my current recipe of choice:

Fill the glass bottle with equal parts of apricot kernal oil, almond oil, argan oil, and tamanu oil. 

Add 5 drops of rose essential oil.

Store in a cool, dark place.

Apply it with a dropper or, my preference, the nail brush that comes with the polish bottle; working the blend into the nail and surrounding skin.

Ideally, use your mixture once a day or more.

I definitely believe in never saying never, but at this point, I would say that I’m a happy flip-flopper between bare and painted nails—on the other hand, I just finished my daily yoga practice and it sure was fun to hang in my forward fold with naked toenails contentedly peeking back.

Photos: Author’s own.

This article was first published on elephant journal.

The post 3 Steps to Beautiful Nails. {Recipe Included} first appeared on Jennifer S. White.