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My Eczema Made My Eating Disorder Worse
Thirty-year-old Saanya Ali has lived with eczema for as long as she can remember, but a recent flare-up during a vacation on the Italian coast hit her differently. “It was the worst eczema of my entire life,” she says, blaming the brutal combination of sun, salt, and stress. “My arms were scaling and flaking so badly that my brother told me if he were in my shoes, he would’ve gone home. It was just so, so bad.” As her skin cracked and peeled, another old wound resurfaced: her relationship with food. “The mental shift that often happens is like, ‘Well, if this is so ugly, how do I fix something…
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How Hair Salons Are Supporting Mental Health
Want the 411 on something? Ask your hairstylist. They’re the keeper of secrets. The salon is a sacred space rooted in the age-old practice of connection, like a real connection. We entrust them with our most intimate thoughts, share our most dramatic life events, and even get their opinion on our biggest dilemmas; naturally, the relationship between a stylist and a client is much more than a hair service. For many, the salon has long been a trusted sanctuary, but what if these casual chats could be transformed into intentional discussions about mental well-being? That’s precisely what psychologist, research scientist, and hair historian Afiya Mbilishaka, PhD, envisions with PsychoHairapy. This…
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Lili Reinhart Talks Hollywood, Mental Health, and Beauty
While each product featured is independently selected by our editors, we may include paid promotion. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission. Read more about our Product Review Guidelines here. Lili Reinhart is an empath. Her Instagram bio supplies the definition: “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” The words “possible bladder/UTI infection” are found a few squares away — a rare glimpse of no-holds-barred humanity in Hollywood. Unlike most people, famous or not, the actor is uninterested in projecting a veneer of internet perfection. Beyond the cult fandom she earned from her time as Betty Cooper on “Riverdale,” Reinhart has nabbed ardent…
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Filler Dysmorphia & Addiction, Explained by Experts
“I kept wanting to go bigger and bigger until I couldn’t wrap my lips around a straw properly,” says Merissa Fernandes, 32. Though she was never officially diagnosed with filler dysmorphia, her tale can occur in varying degrees when a person begins injectable treatments. “I knew I had [filler dysmorphia] when I started [getting injections] at 27 years old. I went overboard on lip and facial filler. Starting fillers can be quite addictive, and you can get really big quickly,” Fernandes says. Injectable fillers are sought after to replace lost volume and/or add additional volume to areas like your lips, cheeks, and under eyes. While it’s completely normal to receive…
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Do Breakup Haircuts Really Help? Psychologists Explain
We all know someone who’s gotten a “breakup haircut” after a dramatic split. Whether you’ve gone through the transformation yourself or have been dragged to the salon by a close friend to experience the phenomena first-hand, there’s something about chopping it all off that signals this new freedom. While there’s no denying that a breakup haircut can feel liberating and transformative, can it actually be beneficial to your mental health? Is there a psychological reason it feels so therapeutic? Does hair hold trauma like people say? Turns out, there may be something there. Experts Featured in This Article Christie Ferrari, also known as Dr. C, is a clinical psychologist and…
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Neurocosmetics Is the Next Wave of Skin-Care Innovation
With how saturated the beauty industry has become, it’s no longer enough for products to garner results. To win over beauty lovers, brands are banking on customers feeling something — transforming a regular skin-care product into an experience or event worth repeating. Similar to how nighttime products can prepare you for a restful sleep, a buzzy new category called “neurocosmetics” is gaining popularity in the emotional aspect of skin-care routines. The concept of neurocosmetics is based on the fact that hormones produced by the brain can impact skin function. For example, if you’re stressed or going through a traumatic season, you might experience acne. Consequently, during a joy-filled season, your…
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Experts Explain How Fragrance Helps Mental Health
Beauty has long been a form of escapism. Whether it’s reading magazines to find out which products celebrities love, watching your favorite content creator do a “Get Ready With Me,” or playing with your favorite makeup just for fun, the transformative effects of being creative with beauty products are unparalleled. Still, there’s one sector of the beauty industry that has proven to have an impact on mental wellbeing but doesn’t get the shine that it truly deserves: perfume. “Fragrance can play a surprisingly positive role in our wellness routines,” says Tasha Bailey, a psychotherapist and the author of “Real Talk: Lessons From Therapy On Healing & Self-Love.” “It can give…
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Experts Explain the Importance of Sensory-Friendly Haircuts
In a viral video posted on TikTok in March, Billy Dinerstein, barber and founder of Your Kind of Cuts, is seen cutting the hair of a squirming child as people cheer in the background. “Go Ky Ky Go!” “I’m so happy for you dude,” and “Awesome!” are a few of the chants you’ll hear from the team working to keep the child distracted. Dinerstein is one of the few barbers in the country that offers sensory-friendly haircuts, which is a service that is particularly popular for people who are disabled or on the autism spectrum. “When I first started barbering, I ran into this child — his name is Matthew,”…
