Sun Balms for Sunburns: 5 Miracle Treatments for Summer

With another warm-weather weekend in the rearview, your skin may be feeling the effects of the summer sun. Despite your best protective efforts, a day spent tarrying around an open-air tennis court, sailing on the high seas, or lounging by the pool can easily leave arms, legs, and collarbones feeling parched or (worse)  burned. Forget the aloe: This year, a selection of rich, hydrating salves is doing more than ever to return skin to its healthy state.

SkinCeuticals’s Hydra Balm is a cult classic that was originally intended for post-operative treatment, relying on a formula made from petrolatum and squalene that creates a regenerative protective barrier over the area and is especially soothing when stored in the refrigerator. For a layer of natural nourishment, Kahina’s rich blend of argan, calendula, carrot seed, olive, and coconut oils coaxes skin back to normalcy—leaving a trace of warm, Marrakesh-inspired scent behind. Made for surfers, EiR NYC’s Balancing Butter is ideal for temperature trauma, coating hands and face with ylang ylang, shea butter, and Vitamin E. Here, five miracle solutions for renewing your sun-sapped skin.

Why Face Masks are the Ultimate Weekend Pre-Game: Bella Hadid, Mandy Moore, and More

Like a disco nap for the face, a good mask is the quickest way to get your glow back, which might explain why models are forever crediting their photo-ready complexions to a rainbow of miracle formulas on Instagram. Izabel Goulartrecently snapped a selfie smothered in São Paolo skin whiz Roseli Siqueira’schocolate and gold brightening masks, while Vita Sidorkina and Bella Hadid relied on the pore-shrinking benefits of clay. Always game to offer an unfiltered peek into her beauty routine, Chrissy Teigen kicked back in bed with a hydrating sheet mask, and Mandy Moore tried out a home remedy of crushed aspirin paste to battle a seasonal breakout. Welcome to the ten-minute weekend pre-game of your future.

6 Natural Mosquito Repellants That Are as Stylish as They Are Smart

Whether stargazing lakeside this summer, or tandem biking at twilight, you’ll no doubt find yourself cursing mosquitoes for the total buzzkills they are. Drawn to our inherent scent—a mix of carbon dioxide and sweat-derived lactic acid—the supremely irritating bloodsuckers can seem to leave little recourse beyond bombing your body with DEET, which despite its unappealing smell, is, admittedly, “one of the most effective insect repellents we have,” says the New York City dermatologist Joshua Zeichner. Lest you doubt exactly how hardcore it is, here’s a refresher on DEET’s backstory: the United States Army developed it in the forties to protect jungle-entrenched troops from malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Today, “it remains an important option for those venturing into highly infested areas,” adds physician Jeffrey Morrison, an integrative medicine specialist in New York City.

While the ingredient has been linked to unanswered questions of potential neurotoxicity, a recent review by the Environmental Protection Agency concluded that DEET poses no threat to health with normal use. Still, those who prefer to steer clear of chemicals in their beauty routines may choose to consider an alternative. Fortunately, this summer’s best natural formulas happen to look as good spilling out of a backpack as they do lying on a poolside deck chair.

Among nonchemical alternatives, lemon eucalyptus oil boasts the most data, yet studies support a host of other essential oils, too—many of which are turning up in a lineup of effective sprays, soaps, and oils that combat bugs while hydrating or treating the skin. Beekman 1802 Bug Repellent Bar blends goat’s milk, coconut oil, and citronella eucalyptus into a solid soap that’s smartly divided into take-along squares, which can be rubbed on arms or legs, wet or dry. And its creamy base does more than moisturize: Fatty acid-rich plant oils, like coconut and soy, help repel insects while simultaneously slowing the evaporation of any essential oils they’re mixed with, making them more potent for longer, notes Morrison. A cool, quenching body balm, Patio Oil Backyard Formula also packs good fats, plus lemon eucalyptus oil. In Meow Meow Tweet Herbal Insect Repellent—a skin-and-hair mist redolent of window boxes in full bloom—geranium, citronella, and cedar vinegar tangle with toning witch hazel and lavender water.

They may be more appropriate for dining outdoors in the urban jungle than hiking through unspoiled terrain, but these pretty, all-natural formulas promise to save your skin without offending your more stylish sensibilities. Let the glamping begin.

Whoa: Should You Be Conditioning BEFORE You Shampoo?

Regardless of what products you use, most of us were taught to wash our hair the same way: shampoo (rinse, lather, rinse, repeat) then conditioner. And unless you're a co-washer, doing anything but that probably seems a little strange. 

But hair-care brands have started rolling out lines that ask us to do the complete opposite: condition before shampooing. And according to them, it's a pretty easy trick to achieving a killer mane. "Conditioning before you shampoo is great for adding nourishment to fine hair without weighing it down," says Nina Dimachki, artistic director for Kérastase. "It also promotes a longer-lasting blow-dry and primes the hair before cleansing, allowing shampoo to distribute easier and more evenly." 

Thin hair types aren't the only ones to benefit from swapping their bottle order. Dimachki says hair that is highlighted, tangles easily after shampooing, or is prone to greasiness is also a prime candidate for a pre-shampoo conditioner.

Lines like Kérastase's Résistance Thérapiste collection are formulated exactly for this. The shampoo and conditioner use keratin-associated proteins to strengthen hair, along with resurrection sap from the resurrection plant. (Which sounds bonkers but is essentially a protein-rich plant extract.) When used in the right order, the duo helps smooth and hydrate even the most damaged hair.

But you don't have to overhaul your routine to try this trick at home. Just take your normal shampoo and conditioner (or a mask), and reverse the order. If your hair is thick or coarse, you may benefit from a condition-shampoo-condition regimen, adds Dimachki. 

6 Women (and One Guy!) Share Their Bikini Wax Horror Stories

Summer’s here, and you know what that means: Hair-removal season is officially upon us. While many women opt for a razor in the quest for a super-smooth bikini area, some put the fate of their fine china into the hands of a professional. Waxing can be so worth it when you truly get what you’re paying for. But if someone screws up? Well, just read these stories to see all the different ways a wax can go wrong.

“First of all, it took an hour instead of the 15 minutes it usually takes. She was doing, like, three hairs at a time. She said she was going so slowly because it was less painful, but on top of her being so incredibly slow, it was also the most painful one I've ever had. It was a nine on the pain scale when they’re usually a six. She also kept trying to set me up with her son by saying unsubtle stuff like, ‘I have a son your age. He’s single. Are you single? He's very cute.’ I just responded like, ‘Mhmm, that’s nice.’ Finally, she cut me with scissors while she was trimming. It was my first and last time with her. I called my mom and cried and raged afterwards.” —Alana C.

“Last time I got a Brazilian, she handily forgot my butt. The next time my husband and I were in bed, he noticed—and pulled the strands. I'll never live it down.” —Rachel Z.

“I went to a really respected salon that has locations all over the country. I hadn't had a wax in maybe a year, and before that had only had one or two, so I definitely wasn’t an expert. Because of this, my waxer starts telling me she's going to ‘do something special’ and I'm going to ‘love it.’ I don't really like watching while they do it, so I just let her be. Bad choice. She finishes, and as I'm looking down, she says she gave me what they call a ‘Clit Hit,’ which means they leave a patch of hair on top of the clitoris as if it were Hitler's mustache. I tried to be nice, but I was like, ‘Oh, no, please take that off,’ to which she replied that she couldn't because my skin would get really irritated! Now that I wax regularly, I know this was total crap. So I had to leave the place with a random ball of hair—mind you, she didn't even trim it!—and wait until my skin ‘wouldn't get irritated’ to get it off. It was really awful-looking.” —Mercedes T.

“There was one lady who was obsessed with making sure she didn't miss every freaking hair or suspicion of a hair. She waxed me twice with the hard wax, then two other times with the soft wax, and then attacked me with a tweezer. Detail-oriented was definitely a drawback there. She would show me the strips each time she took them off, exclaiming ‘Look! They're like little soldiers!’ I had a date right after, and I was in so much pain that I was hysterically laughing. I also tried doing it myself a few times. I had gotten tired of paying so much to do it, and it looked super easy. I became overconfident. I may have had a glass of wine and locked myself in my room with a wax pot. I put down the first line of wax, then I proceeded to chicken out. I was too damn nervous to tear it off. I kept trying to give myself pep talks, but they were not effective. When I finally did start tearing it off, it was coming off in millimeters. I eventually got it off in between bouts of panic, remorse, and hope that if I just put my pants back on and went along with the rest of my day, it would all disappear. Lesson of the story: If you are going to put your genitals through burning pain, definitely pay someone else to do it!” —Barbara N.

“I stopped going to my old waxer because she would take 45 minutes to an hour instead of the 10 to 15 minutes it should take. But the reason she would take that long was because she spent the entire time talking about her problems and existential crises. Lots of times, she would just go off on tangents and say weird things like, ‘I’m an iron butterfly, baby.’ She also had issues with her weight and would talk a lot about how her sister bullied her about it. Then she would get emotional, and I’d be thinking, ‘Please don’t cry on my vagina.’ Also, she worked from home and would complain about her boyfriend and son, who were in the house. And she charged me double what I pay now!” —Nora E.

“I went to a salon I had used before that I liked because it was cheaper than most. I was living in New York at the time, and, as a grad student, any dollar saved was a dollar I could spend on food or my favorite vice: coffee. The girl there was a new face. I didn't know it then, but it turns out she was newly hired and had never waxed someone else before. Too bad I didn't know that until much later. She spread long strips of wax on my bikini and upper legs since I usually wax both together. Then the torture began. Apparently, this woman used the wrong type of wax, and it wouldn't come off. She applied more wax and tried again...and again and again. It wouldn't come off right, and while she pulled the strips of paper, she pulled my skin with it, too, totally missing the hairs, mind you. It got to a point where she had to call her boss into the room. The look on her face when she realized what her employee had done told me everything I needed to know about the situation. I was most definitely f*cked. After apologizing profusely and explaining how the wax that was currently covering and cooling on my skin wasn't used for waxing legs, arms, and underarms, let alone bikinis, she left the room to get a new wax that she coated over the other one. When she pulled the strips of this wax, the other one came off, too. Needless to say, it hurt, and the damage was already done. I had bruises on my thighs, inner thighs, and bikini area. The woman then proceeded to finish the waxing and apologized again. At least she didn't charge me one cent for the ‘service.’ I, however, can't say I ever went back to that salon again.” —Lupita T.

“I was bartending right out of college, and one of the servers was training to be an aesthetician. She was like, ‘I need to do a guy, so it would be free of charge!’ So I agreed. Since she was training, the salon owner was in the room, as well, and did the first half of my wax, taking her time to point out the ‘intricacies’ of doing a male Brazilian. Then my friend finished doing the second side. Of course it hurt, but the worst part was that it took basically three hours since they were talking about each step, and my friend was asking for advice. Not only was I crotch-up for that whole time, but that's a long time to be going through the pain. They were closing soon, and she hadn't done my ass yet. She offered that I could come back for that portion. I politely agreed, then never went back.” —Tony M.

6 Tips to Make Waxing Not Hurt Like a Motherf**ker

Let’s be honest: Waxing hurts like a b*tch. That’s a serious bummer, given that it’s one of the most useful ways to remove unwanted body hair from everywhere from your eyebrows to your bikini line. Luckily, there are some easy things you can do to minimize the pain. We promise you won’t feel like crying if you follow these tips:

It’s important to do your homework and find someone with experience who will take the necessary steps to reduce pain during the entire process. (Yelp is a good place to look for reviews, as is asking friends for recommendations.) "Your wax specialist will take certain steps to ensure a quick, almost pain-free, flawless treatment while taking great care of your skin," says Holly Green, a hair-removal specialist and the owner of  Norabloom Botanicals & Beauty Lounge in Ithaca, New York. Call or e-mail to ask them what products they use, how they prep the skin, how long a wax job usually takes, and how they soothe the skin post-wax before you have any hair removed. Ideally, you want to go to someone who uses an all-natural wax (it's less harsh) and can offer to apply an anesthetic cream beforehand to numb the pain. While the time it'll take to finish a wax job varies depending on how much hair you want removed and what area of the body you're getting done, it should take no more than an hour, tops.

Your pain threshold is higher a few days after your period, so schedule accordingly. However, everyone has a slightly different sensitivity level, says Noemi Grupenmager, the founder and CEO of Uni K Wax Centers. So experimenting with the time of the month that works best for you may be most appropriate.

Hydration is key when it comes to reducing pain, so guzzle up! "When you moisturize the skin on the outside and drink plenty of water, the skin is plump, and this allows for an easier removal of hair and a more enjoyable waxing experience," says Grupenmager.

You may think that enjoying an alcoholic beverage pre-wax would help calm your nerves and lower the amount of pain you feel. Not so since alcohol actually tightens your pores, says Grupenmager. "Open pores allow for a less painful experience as the hair follicle is easily removed from the pore," she says. "A tight pore will hold onto the follicle," making waxing more difficult.  

"Exfoliate prior to waxing to loosen dead skin around the hair follicle," says Green. This helps to prevent bumps and ingrown hairs and ensures a smooth, faster, and therefore less painful experience. That’s because exfoliating beforehand allows the wax to reach shorter hairs on the first go—no take two required.

Not all waxes are created equal. Synthetic waxes are harsh, and sometimes they even remove some of your skin. So before she gets down to business, ask your waxing specialist to use an all-natural elastic wax. "It's designed to only remove the hair, not a layer or two of skin,” says Grupenmager. It works by stretching over the skin and molding around the hair, removing it from the pore. As the pore opens up, it's moisturized by the natural ingredients prior to the hair being removed.

Can Yoga Make You Look Taller?

I'm a shortie. Can yoga make me look taller?

It totally can! Yoga teaches you an awareness of your body, which can improve your posture outside of class. For example, to get into a deeper twist, you should first extend your spine as you inhale, which prevents compression in your back so you can rotate your body to its max (but still safe) place.

With regular practice, this consciousness of your body in space overflows into everyday life, so you can control how you carry yourself. You're more likely to sit with a tall spine, lifting out of your lower back and keeping your shoulder blades rolled back—all of which can give the appearance of a vertically blessed person.