If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Let’s be honest: Anything Billie Eilish recommends is a yes from me. Luckily, she recently shared her post-concert routine in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video for us all to see. If you’ve witnessed the 20-year-old superstar in person, you know she puts on quite a show, so it’s only right she does some proper self-care after each performance. One of the products she swears by? The TikTok-viral Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother. 

“I use this after every single time I wash my hair. And you can use it on your dry hair before you go to bed and it’ll just kind of give some volume,” Eilish says, before demonstrating how to use the product. The singer says she uses a lot of Olaplex products on her hair, but as someone who is known for frequently dying her strands, it makes sense. Her healthy locks have to be credited to this hair repairing treatment.

Olaplex.

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother adds hydration to the hair without weighing it down. The highly concentrated leave-in cream provides numerous benefits to damaged strands, such as speeding up blow dry time while smoothing and softening, defining the hair’s natural texture, and reducing frizz and flyaways for up to 72 hours at a time. It’s suitable from coily to finel hair types, and can be used on chemically-treated and colored locks. 

RELATED: This Shampoo Transforms Thinning, Brittle Locks—& Shoppers Confirm Their Hair Feels ‘10 Years Younger’

Beyond getting approval from Billie and thousands of TikTok users, the treatment has over 30,000 five-star ratings on Amazon from shoppers who love this product for dyed and damaged hair. 

One reviewer described the product as their “secret weapon.” They went on to say, “I have bleached, over-processed bright blonde hair which is thin and prone to breakage and split ends. I chopped a good deal of it off because I couldn’t get any decent length without it fraying completely and looking thin and limp. This bond smoother eliminates all frizz and has strengthened my hair and prevented breakage from styling. My hair is actually thicker and healthier than its ever been from using this line.”

Coming in at $30, this may not be the most affordable option, but everyone who has splurged on it has said the price is worth it. “I’m going to start this by saying I truly wanted to hate this stuff. I balked at the price and then was even more annoyed when I saw how small the bottle actually was. But oh man, this stuff is amazing,” another reviewer raved. 

While Eilish has boasted several hair colors, it’s safe to say her hair always looks flawless due to this Olaplex product, which I’ve now added to my cart too. 

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Let’s be honest: Anything Billie Eilish recommends is a yes from me. Luckily, she recently shared her post-concert routine in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video for us all to see. If you’ve witnessed the 20-year-old superstar in person, you know she puts on quite a show, so it’s only right she does some proper self-care after each performance. One of the products she swears by? The TikTok-viral Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother. 

“I use this after every single time I wash my hair. And you can use it on your dry hair before you go to bed and it’ll just kind of give some volume,” Eilish says, before demonstrating how to use the product. The singer says she uses a lot of Olaplex products on her hair, but as someone who is known for frequently dying her strands, it makes sense. Her healthy locks have to be credited to this hair repairing treatment.

Olaplex.

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother adds hydration to the hair without weighing it down. The highly concentrated leave-in cream provides numerous benefits to damaged strands, such as speeding up blow dry time while smoothing and softening, defining the hair’s natural texture, and reducing frizz and flyaways for up to 72 hours at a time. It’s suitable from coily to finel hair types, and can be used on chemically-treated and colored locks. 

RELATED: This Shampoo Transforms Thinning, Brittle Locks—& Shoppers Confirm Their Hair Feels ‘10 Years Younger’

Beyond getting approval from Billie and thousands of TikTok users, the treatment has over 30,000 five-star ratings on Amazon from shoppers who love this product for dyed and damaged hair. 

One reviewer described the product as their “secret weapon.” They went on to say, “I have bleached, over-processed bright blonde hair which is thin and prone to breakage and split ends. I chopped a good deal of it off because I couldn’t get any decent length without it fraying completely and looking thin and limp. This bond smoother eliminates all frizz and has strengthened my hair and prevented breakage from styling. My hair is actually thicker and healthier than its ever been from using this line.”

Coming in at $30, this may not be the most affordable option, but everyone who has splurged on it has said the price is worth it. “I’m going to start this by saying I truly wanted to hate this stuff. I balked at the price and then was even more annoyed when I saw how small the bottle actually was. But oh man, this stuff is amazing,” another reviewer raved. 

While Eilish has boasted several hair colors, it’s safe to say her hair always looks flawless due to this Olaplex product, which I’ve now added to my cart too. 

Dear God,

I hope miracles are still in your wheelhouse because I sure need a couple right now. I have been sick for the past few days. Please help me surrender my raggedy breath, snotty nose, and fierce, shuddering cough to your (hopefully) healing hands. I confess to having doubts right now about your very existence.

Why would such a loving force subject her children to such misery? The sounds emanating from my chest resemble a Rice Krispies commercial, or maybe even an electrical storm.

Maybe Karma Is Responsible for My Current Health Fate

Okay, so maybe I brought this on myself. No, no, I’m not talking about exposure to someone who had been experiencing similar issues. I’m talking about Karma. Yes, I know, God, I’m mixing up spiritual metaphors here, but I’m frustrated enough to do it anyway. I confess that my arrogant attitude 12 days ago dictated my health fate.

The one-year anniversary of my knee replacement surgery was looming, and I was scheduled for a visit with my orthopedist.

“Your flexion is amazing,” Dr. Martinez marveled (seemingly). “What have you been doing to achieve this range of motion?”

“I take yoga classes, swim, and bike ride,” I responded.

It’s rare when a cute young doctor speaks admiringly about a fine-tuned body part belonging to a 69-year-old woman. Although, I expect it was his own handiwork he was admiring more than my athletic prowess. Nevertheless, I floated out of his office feeling like the picture of health.

This Upper Respiratory Infection Makes Me Sound Like a Two-Pack a Day Smoker

That was on a Friday morning. By Sunday I felt the inklings of a congestion invasion. By Monday, I was hunkered down on my sofa, nursing a bottle of Mucinex. And it has gone down from there. The upper respiratory infection triggered my asthma, and I’ve been wheezing and coughing like an 80-year-old two-pack-a-day smoker.

Experiencing Asthmatic Flashbacks from my childhood

I had bouts of asthma so badly as a kid I would miss several weeks of school each year. Pneumonia was a too frequent childhood companion. But then I “outgrew it” as the good doctor had predicted and have suffered with relatively few episodes since my early teens.

But I’ve been flashing back to those days this week as I’ve struggled to breathe. It’s hard not to feel panicky. “Ok God, I promise! I won’t take breathing for granted ever again.” Yeah, sure, I wonder how long that promise will last once the hacking subsides.

And I’m so impatient. I want to be well now! I order God and myself. I tend towards being a productivity-a-holic. I have tasks that need to be accomplished! I like being active. But my incessant wheezing is exacerbated by exertion. Even just going up and down the 17 stairs in my home instigates panting so loud my dog even feels sorry for me.

What About All the Plans I’ve Made?

“And, God! Hello! I have plans! Don’t you remember I’m supposed to be going on a vacation?!” My husband and I have planned a two-week driving trip to Illinois to see our children and grandchildren. I’m celebrating my birthday with them.

Following our Chicago leg, we plan to travel to Traverse City, Michigan to see family. We are so looking forward to hiking, kayaking, and playing golf in the 70-degree weather, escaping Florida’s relentless summer heat and humidity.  

Maybe It Takes a Grounding Order to Be Still and Quiet

Wah, wah, wah. It seems kind of trivial to be worrying about a trip or the fact that I’m not able to be active or productive. In my imposed stillness, I’ve wondered if God or the universe has submitted a grounding order for me.

“For the next xx of days you will not be able to run around in your typical helter-skelter fashion, checking off items on that incessant to-do list that lives in your head,” I imagine I’m told.

Earlier in my lock-down, I decided I would go for a bike ride. “That will expand my lung capacity,” I reasoned. Uh, that was a big no. I was huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf before I even got down the driveway.

Forced inactivity requires you to take stock and make assessments about your life. It’s humbling. I was feeling like a baller when I left my orthopedist’s office 12 days ago. Now I’m feeling vulnerable. I guess arrogance doesn’t become us. A little humility keeps us human and connected to others similarly situated. 

As I close in on the Amen portion of this prayer, I do want to say thank you, God, for the insight gained from this health blip. Help me sit within this present state rather than struggling mightily to fight against it.

Perhaps it’s in places like this where bits of wisdom surface – in the quiet, in the dark, where there is little to no control to be had. I look forward to those clear, deep breaths that are as refreshing as a dive into clear, cold waters. Maybe that’s how it will feel when I’m paddle boarding and swimming in Lake Michigan (prayer emoji).

My Take-Away from This Experience

Remember, if you want to make God laugh, make a plan. Maybe our trip will be exactly the way it needs to be without all my controlling, editing, and planning. Lesson learned. Now can I start breathing again, please? (By the way, four Covid tests later, still negative.)

What plans have you made this summer? Have they gone as you envisioned? What went wrong – or what didn’t?

We all know that feeling grateful feels good. Right? It is more than that! We care about aging well, with vitality and wellness. Well, gratitude can play a big part in that.

According to Positive Psychology, research shows that benefits of gratitude for us include:

• increased happiness and positive mood
• more satisfaction with life
• less materialism
• less likely to experience burnout
• better physical health
• better sleep
• less fatigue
• lower levels of cellular inflammation
• greater resiliency
• encourages the development of patience, humility, and wisdom

How can you make gratitude a part of your life?

Gratitude as an Everyday Practice

I am sure you have read about keeping a gratitude journal. It is a wonderful and beneficial practice. If you are anything like me, the consistent journaling will last less than a week! So, what can we do to make gratitude a part of our everyday life?

Eckhart Tolle says that “If the only prayer you say is thank you, that is enough.” So, I say thank you a lot! In my everyday noticing, I find moments for a quick “thank you.” I am thankful for my health, my friends, my family, my love, my home, my freedom, and for the opportunity in my life.

This is not a ritual that requires I do something special at a certain time, it is just a habit of noticing from the perspective of gratitude.

To develop this habit, you may want to have a time that you allow yourself to note all the things for which you are grateful. Eventually, it will become a part of how you see your life. I do this on my walk and my heart fills with joy. What I notice is that little moments of gratitude just pop up on their own now.

Gratitude in Advance

I write a lot about creating from your inner wise self. One of the supporting practices is to feel yourself as the woman living the life you desire. Here is where gratitude can serve you as you hold your vision for what you are creating.

The key is to be grateful for what you desire as though you are already in that life. For example, I felt my gratitude for being in love over a year before I met my fiancé. Now I get to get grateful in real time with him!

This is where the use of a gratitude tree comes into play. I admit that sometimes holding and believing that my vision is becoming reality was a challenge. Of course, there are days where it is easy and some days not so much. So, I went to visit my special gratitude tree every day when I went for my walk.

I touched the bark, looked at its strong limbs, smelled its tree smell. Somehow, the tree believed with me, standing strong and true. What seemed like a very long time to me was short in “tree time.” My love has even met my tree.

What Is Your Gratitude Tree?

We each have daily rituals. One of mine is walking. What are yours? Choose a daily ritual that includes an opportunity to pause. Perhaps your walk, or shower, or drive to work. Perhaps it is sitting in your special chair or a lovely view from a window. Whatever you choose, make it your special place to feel gratitude.

You can do nothing more than say “Thank you” and feel it in your heart area. Take a moment to know that your desires are already there, poised to be a part of your life. It is your moment to believe, to know, to trust.

What is your gratitude practice? What do you do each day where you can take a moment to be grateful?

Allow gratitude to be a part of your life. You will love it!

How do you practice gratitude? What are you grateful for in your life? Have you ever been grateful for something that isn’t a part of your life yet?

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Let’s be honest: Anything Billie Eilish recommends is a yes from me. Luckily, she recently shared her post-concert routine in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video for us all to see. If you’ve witnessed the 20-year-old superstar in person, you know she puts on quite a show, so it’s only right she does some proper self-care after each performance. One of the products she swears by? The TikTok-viral Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother. 

“I use this after every single time I wash my hair. And you can use it on your dry hair before you go to bed and it’ll just kind of give some volume,” Eilish says, before demonstrating how to use the product. The singer says she uses a lot of Olaplex products on her hair, but as someone who is known for frequently dying her strands, it makes sense. Her healthy locks have to be credited to this hair repairing treatment.

Olaplex.

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother adds hydration to the hair without weighing it down. The highly concentrated leave-in cream provides numerous benefits to damaged strands, such as speeding up blow dry time while smoothing and softening, defining the hair’s natural texture, and reducing frizz and flyaways for up to 72 hours at a time. It’s suitable from coily to finel hair types, and can be used on chemically-treated and colored locks. 

RELATED: This Shampoo Transforms Thinning, Brittle Locks—& Shoppers Confirm Their Hair Feels ‘10 Years Younger’

Beyond getting approval from Billie and thousands of TikTok users, the treatment has over 30,000 five-star ratings on Amazon from shoppers who love this product for dyed and damaged hair. 

One reviewer described the product as their “secret weapon.” They went on to say, “I have bleached, over-processed bright blonde hair which is thin and prone to breakage and split ends. I chopped a good deal of it off because I couldn’t get any decent length without it fraying completely and looking thin and limp. This bond smoother eliminates all frizz and has strengthened my hair and prevented breakage from styling. My hair is actually thicker and healthier than its ever been from using this line.”

Coming in at $30, this may not be the most affordable option, but everyone who has splurged on it has said the price is worth it. “I’m going to start this by saying I truly wanted to hate this stuff. I balked at the price and then was even more annoyed when I saw how small the bottle actually was. But oh man, this stuff is amazing,” another reviewer raved. 

While Eilish has boasted several hair colors, it’s safe to say her hair always looks flawless due to this Olaplex product, which I’ve now added to my cart too.