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I take feedback from the mindbodygreen beauty community very seriously. It means a great deal to me that you trust our advice, read our work, listen to my podcast, and even allow us into your beauty routine with our personal care line. The vegan base is a conditioning blend of sunflower seed wax, shea butter, and cocoa seed butter. These ingredients provide hydration, fatty acids, and antioxidants and create a protective barrier over the skin....

Sleep issues are something many of us can bond over (as we hunch over our espresso)—68% of Americans have reported that they struggle with sleeping at least once per week. But the way we think about sleep is in need of a wake-up call. Our body passes through multiple cycles of sleep stages every night, which are categorized into non-rapid eye movement sleep (non-REM) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM)....

I had no time to really ponder much of anything as I was immediately admitted for tests and surgery. Cutting my skull from ear to ear, my neurosurgeon adeptly removed the tumor. A gross total resection, as we call it. And it was a success. Tumor gone. Job well done. Ordeal over? Well, not so much. So I got to work healing my brain and healing my psyche. As a neurologist, I have a unique perspective in that I have seen many in their recovery from similar surgeries and similar injuries....

That’s why we’re here to talk about the two most common retinoids for acne-prone skin: adapalene and tretinoin. Don’t fret; most don’t have but a clue what they are, let alone what they’re good for. And if you’ve done a quick Google search on either of the two, you might feel slightly afraid at the thought of applying these powerful ingredients to your skin. But the truth is, they’re actually not that scary—as long as you use quality formulas and use them appropriately....

And I was taught that some parts were “bad” — namely: feeling anger, feeling afraid, feeling sad, and speaking up when things seemed out of integrity or not life-affirming. THESE were not welcome. Sometimes, this proved to be too chronically painful. In order to keep these “bad” parts of me shut away, I had to ignore important messages from within my body. When an emotion or a thought or an impulse emerged, I would disassociate, numbing myself with food, obsessive thoughts about people I was dating, or my usual go-to — work....

“Extroverts gain energy from social interaction, while introverts expend energy in social situations,” explains relationship therapist Ken Page, LCSW. “After attending a party or spending time in a large group of people, they often feel a need to ‘recharge’ by spending time alone.” Introversion and extroversion exist on a spectrum, with some people falling toward the middle (aka “ambiverts”) and others being true introverts or extroverts. Preferences toward introversion and extroversion were first popularized in the 1900s by famed psychiatrist Carl Jung, who considered this spectrum to be one of the foundational traits that influence our overall personality....

Of course, depending on what you believe and how you relate to spirituality, another way of thinking about old souls is the idea that we’re all perhaps different incarnations of universal life force, and those old souls are simply tapped into that wisdom on a deeper level (and from an earlier age) during that lifetime. As spiritual guide and author of Sacred Landscapes of the Soul, Karen Brailsford tells mbg, “I believe there’s a timelessness or eternality we all have access to—this innate wisdom and core truth....

Money tends to be at the core of a lot of stress—and that stress can trickle into other areas of our lives, affecting things like sleep, anxiety levels, and food choices. Maintaining a good relationship with our finances is a critical piece of the well-being puzzle. I learned that firsthand in the early days of mindbodygreen. As with any new business, it took some time to get our footing financially, and that caused a lot of anxiety and marital stress....

Asparagus ferns’ native habitat tells you about the conditions it craves: warm, humid, sunny environments that also have a bit of shade. Despite its name, the plant does not resemble asparagus—and it’s actually not even really a fern! Instead, it’s part of the asparagaceae family, along with other popular flowering plants like agave and dracaena. And while its foliage resembles a fern, it doesn’t reproduce via spores as true ferns do....

“In your 40s, signs of sun damage may show up more prominently with decreased skin elasticity and enlarged pores,” says board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D. “Hormones may be shifting, which means more dryness, irritation, and acne breakouts.” Here, some best practices: What does this mean for your basic routines? Start getting smart about the sort of products and actives you are using: Really research ingredients and their primary function so you can target your specific needs....

Sleep is essential for so many aspects of our physical, mental, and emotional health, and studies show1 that more than 70% of Americans are not getting as much restorative sleep as they should. If you’re hoping for a hotel-quality sleep at home, a new mattress might be just what you need. Read on for our picks of the best pillow-top mattresses to bring a feeling of five-star luxury to your bedroom....

“Breast massage can potentially improve circulation, relieve pain and swelling, reduce tension and stress, and aid with breastfeeding,” says licensed massage therapist Ben Brown, LMT. “Plus, self-massage can center your mind, care for your body, and bring an overall sense of well-being.” When it comes to modern Western culture, massaging the girls isn’t exactly the most popular service on the spa menu. So if you’re looking to book a professional service, visit an ayurveda-focused spa or call your local spa about available options....

The truth is, the body can produce vitamin D on its own. However, regular and adequate exposure to ultraviolet rays (like those found in certain UVB wavelengths of sunlight during certain times of the year at key latitudes and depending on your skin tone, how much you’re wearing, your sunscreen coverage—you get the point, vitamin D from sun isn’t as simple as it seems) is required to kick-start the process....

Here, we dive into everything you need to know about cartomancy, from its origins to what the cards mean, how to do a reading, and more. Similar to the cards in a tarot deck, every card in a standard playing deck is ascribed a certain meaning. In cartomancy, you present your question to the cards, make a pull, and then allow your subconscious to guide the way. As you pull the card(s), you can tap into your intuition to discern what it’s trying to tell you....

So what’s the truth about castor oil? Well, we looked into what it actually does for your hair. It is especially high in ricinoleic acid1 (around 85 to 95% content), as well as oleic acid and linoleic acid. It’s also rich in vitamin E, unsaturated fatty acids including omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, minerals, and other antioxidants. Thanks to these properties, “castor oil has documented1 anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic, antioxidant, antifungal, antimicrobial2, immune-boosting, and analgesic properties,” Gandhi says....

Here, we break down what experts mean when they talk about “constructive play,” benefits, and how to encourage it. “Kids need nature, they need unstructured time, and they need play. It may seem like this is just ‘fun,’ but we know from research that this is how they grow,” says licensed physiologist Nicole Beurkens, Ph.D., CNS, about playtime. Here, a nonexhaustive list of the benefits of constructive play for kids: “Math is much more than just learning arithmetic and solving equations....

Since it’s such a relaxing practice, reflexology can make a great addition to any bedtime ritual. Get started with this 15-minute reflexology routine that corresponds to body parts that are important for sleep. In many ways, this chart is thousands of years in the making: There is evidence suggesting that people practiced early forms of reflexology as far back as 2330 B.C.1 Today, the practice is most popular in Eastern medical fields such as Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda and it is easy enough to do regularly at home....

“I use Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds to clean my windows; it’s super concentrated, so you only need about a half a teaspoon in a quart of water. Spray the window with the solution and wash the window using a huck towel,” says Batista. After that, spray again and use a squeegee to from top to bottom. Once all the dirt is off, you can spray with cleaner. Additionally, you want to wash from “top to bottom in a zigzag motion,” she says....

We’re back at it again with another buzzy skin care tool made DIY-friendly (or so it seems). This time we’re breaking down the benefits of dermarolling and what you need to know about doing it at home, dermarolling for hair growth, who should avoid it, and the full how-to. Let’s dive in. Many skin care experts like aestheticians and dermatologists, for example, have microneedling tools in-office should their clients want the service, but they don’t often have the at-home-style dermarollers....

When researchers analyzed activity trends among the participants, they noted that participants who racked up three very short sessions of vigorous physical activity daily had a significantly lower risk of death. The results showed that those who performed three one-minute stints of vigorous activity each day had a 39% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those who did not do these bursts of activity. More specifically, they had a 49% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and a 30% lower risk of death from cancer....