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

When it comes time to wash your hair, you’ll want to grab a shampoo that will not only clean your strands, but also give your hair long-lasting body and bounce. This is especially important for those with fine, thin strands which seem to rest limp on your head, no matter how many styling products you use. Trust me, we’ve all been there with the endless hair sprays, mousses and styling creams. With that said, we’ve found one of the best volumizing shampoos that will instantly give your stubborn strands more life. 

The Rene Furterer Volumea Shampoo is a gentle, cleansing shampoo designed specifically for those with fine, limp hair. Formulated with natural carob extract, the product visibly thickens each strand from root to tip to prevent unwanted breakage and promote additional volume where it lacks. 

Beginning today, March 2, Rene Furterer is having a special promotion for International Women’s Day where shoppers can save $20 on orders over $100 with the code FEMME20. That means you can add three bottles of this shampoo to your cart and save $20—that’s not a deal you see everyday. 

Rene Furterer

Rene Furterer Volumea Shampoo

Through a consumer satisfaction trial, 69 women after two weeks of use had the following feedback: 93 percent felt their hair had long-lasting volume, while 84 percent said their hair felt soft.

Still not convinced? Shoppers love this shampoo that “adds volume and smells lovely,” with one noting that their hair has “completely changed for the better” after two weeks of use. Another customer wrote that they now “feel like I have more hair,” adding, “after just one use, I don’t see the balding spots! I look like I have a full head of hair! I look forward to continued use.” 

Stock up on Rene Furterer best-sellers, like the Volumea Shampoo, during the brand’s rare sale. Don’t forget to use code FEMME20 at checkout.

I was grateful to be in the process of making bread when I received her text message. She wanted to talk. What about? I had no idea, and after a year of not speaking, I felt sick to my stomach even thinking about it.

Kneading the dough, squishing, and pounding helped to relieve a little of the anxiety I was feeling about even hearing her voice.

Our last conversation had disintegrated into a full nuclear meltdown. Full of so much ugliness and rage that I had no desire to speak to her and honestly did not know when I would.

Knowing My Daughter

She is my 50-year-old daughter, born when I was just 15 years old. The amount of pain and anguish I went through to bring her into the world was enough to convince me that it would never be possible for me not to want her in my life – I was wrong.

Beating the dough harder, I thought of all the things I would like to say to her, but I knew she was probably not ready to hear any of them.

She loves confrontation and arguing, and she is very good at it. Me – not so much. It takes me back to when I was married to her father.

A Husband I Was Afraid Of

He was a jealous, controlling, abusive man. I never knew what was going to set him off, so I worked very hard to avoid doing anything that I thought might upset him.

The truth is, he never needed a reason. He was so angry that he had been forced to marry me and blamed me for ruining his life.

His mother was a kind and loving woman, and I clung to her for whatever comfort I could find.

My mother was so disappointed in me that we barely spoke. She lived close by but rarely came to visit.

Now, I felt the same judgement and coldness from my own daughter.

The Conversation Is Never Easy

I sent a message back that I could talk between 12:00 – 12:30, during my lunch break if that was a good time for her. I thought setting a time limit would help to keep the conversation from going off the rails.

What I didn’t want was to cause any additional injury to this already damaged relationship.

It was 12:20 when she rang. I was nervous but decided I would stick to my timeframe. I began by telling her I only had 10 minutes to talk so she would know that I needed to keep our conversation short.

She was calling to ask, in the event of my death, what my final wishes were. A friend’s mother had passed unexpectedly, and she realized that she had no idea what I would want.

It was all very matter-of-fact and detached. She went on to say that as the eldest, she expected to have to make some of those decisions. I was taken aback, especially considering the current state of our relationship, and very happy that I had set the time limit.

Setting a Limit Really Helps

She always has a way of catching me off guard and then when she doesn’t like my response an argument ensues.

With less than 5 minutes left, I was able to think of the most appropriate response without getting emotional.

I told her I had already taken care of my will and legal power of attorney in the event of any incapacity or death and would send her a copy.

Mercifully, the timer for my bread went off and our time was up.

I ended the call by telling her that I loved her and the children. Honest, civil, and respectful. I felt relieved and grateful that we could even speak for a few minutes without upsetting each other.

Just like not letting the bread dough rise too long, setting that simple boundary produced a better outcome than we have had in years.

Going forward, I will do more of this to maintain peacefulness in my life.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What have you learned late in life that has served you well? Were there interpersonal relationships that felt out of control that you wish you could change? Share your stories with the community!

I have some wonderful news. It is good for us to focus on the positive when we can.

Do you know that the life areas that bring you happiness, like good relationships, are the very same ones that contribute to your “health span”? Plus, you can begin any time to enhance your happiness and make a difference in the long-term vitality of your life. The earlier the better, of course, and you can make an impact for yourself in your 70s, 80s and beyond. So, let me explain.

What Is Health Span?

In December I attended the Century Summit hosted by The Stanford Center on Longevity and the Longevity Project. In the last few years, there is increasing attention to the fact that we are living longer, for the most part, in developed nations.

This impacts our society on several levels, from health care to the workplace, to how older adults are valued across generations and expansion of the role of the elder adult in society. One of the terms I learned at the Summit is the focus on “health span” rather than life span when focusing on our aging population.

Health span refers to us living longer with vitality rather than with the dependence and decline historically associated with aging. As we age with vitality, we are then faced with issues for society, such as ending ageism in health care, and organizations providing opportunities for older people to contribute.

This Awareness Is Overdue

We are the ones to navigate the bridge between the old paradigm of 65 being “old” and the new one where we are vital and contributing into our 80s and beyond.

So, let’s do this! I am interested in what each of us can do to extend our health span. Isn’t that what we want as we age? Plus, it benefits our society in many ways. We are the ones to help society adjust through our continued contributions, being role models, and even through our individual relationships with health care and other institutions.

This led me to a review of recent publications about healthy aging. When I put my notes together, I came up with the Vitality Domains described below. I think we can use this structure to more mindfully take charge of the quality of our aging.

Rather than try to impact every domain at once, pick one or two that you know will have, in your wisdom, impact on your health span and bring more fulfillment into your life too.

The Vitality Domains

Of course, to some degree, making improvements in one area may well spill over into others. For example, enriching your relationships may enhance your sense of meaning and impact your mindset. The point is to start somewhere.

We all have areas to improve. My current focus is contribution, and I am mixing in a little mindfulness to help me stay connected with my own wisdom.

I will briefly describe each domain for now. In future articles I will use my review of research to explore each in more detail so you can explore in your life more deeply.

For now, if you want to begin to reflect on these areas in your own life, you can use a fillable form I have on my website. Look for the one about “flourishing.” Make it a work in progress so you can adjust as we look at each area in future articles.

Health, Well-being, and Energy

This area is all about the basics of a healthy life that we all know – staying active, eating healthy whole foods, moderating smoking and alcohol, and taking time for self-care. What you may not realize is the huge importance of managing daily stress and bringing play into your life.

Did you know that people who practice Transcendental Meditation over five years can have a physiological age 12 years younger than their chronological age? Reducing stress can do amazing things for your overall health!

Play is included because some games can help maintain cognitive function and laughter reduces stress as well as improves immunity. I’ve found Improv to cover many of the positives associated with play.

Mindset: Beliefs About Aging, Optimism and Mindfulness

This area relates to the idea that your assumptions about life become your reality. Do you know anyone who acts “old” at 60 because they believe they are? It is time to talk back! I can’t wait to write more about this area. For now, notice your own thoughts about aging. Believe in yourself and the goodness of your life. Happily, my friend and colleague Sally Fox just published an article about this recently.

A few of us are starting a book group about positive aging and becoming aware of ageism on Facebook. Let me know if you are interested at connect@ardithbowman.com. It is a private group by invitation only, so I will offer individual invitations.

Contribution and Creativity – Sense of Meaning/Purpose, Talent to Share, Who You Are Being in the World, Hobbies, Using Gifts

A sense of meaning, however that manifests for you, is essential to quality of life. Some of us have long yearned to do something, from writing to painting to adventure, but have not. Now is the time! This area is one where you might even make some income if that is part of your intention.

Relationships and Love – Community, Social Connections, Trust, Intimacy, Loving Yourself, Romantic Love

This is absolutely the most important area related to your happiness! Be ready to share your personal stories about how you have grown love in your life and the difference that has made for you.

Our first book for our book group is The Good Life (2023) by Waldinger and Schulz. Bottom line – a life lived in relationships leads to a happy life. The book combines science and personal stories from the world’s longest study of happiness to “show how connections and others build a foundation for our well-being.” Belonging to a book group is one way!

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What is the state of your health span? What have you done to create a more vital life? What domains offer you opportunities to lead a richer, healthier life? Are you surprised by the link between happiness/fulfillment and health span?

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

There’s a big Y2K revival in our midst and it’s bringing about a slew of nostalgic trends, one of which is thin eyebrows. But not everyone has gotten on board with this beauty trend. If, like us, you’re more into fluffy model brows popularized by the likes of Brooke Shields and Cara Delevingne, we found a product that’s all about promoting brow growth. It’s a very simple oil that you’d never expect to be responsible for creating full brows. 

You might’ve already tried a bunch of different serums that claim to grow your brow hairs, but Kate Blanc Cosmetics’ Castor Oil is the real deal. Castor oil comes from castor beans, as its name would suggest. We know that might sound a bit odd, but it actually boasts plenty of benefits for hair and hair growth. It plays the role of conditioner, emollient and lubricant, among others. Cop this miraculous oil for just $13 at Amazon.

Castor oil hydrates and strengthens brows, filling in sparse areas and lengthening eyebrow hairs. But you can’t smear just any castor oil over your brows and think they’re going to magically grow by centimeters overnight. Make sure yours is authentic and pure, like Kate Blanc Cosmetics’ Castor Oil.

“I’ve been using this day and night for the past month or so and let me tell you, THIS WORKS! My right eyebrow is finally growing more hair!” raved one reviewer who gave the product a five-star rating.

If you overplucked to try the ultra-skinny arches from the early 2000s but now want your bushy brows back, get your hairs longer and stronger thanks to this affordable product.

RELATED: Even Hair Growth Product Skeptics Are Blown Away By This One’s Results—& It’s Discounted to $27 RN

Courtesy of Kate Blanc.

Included in this on-sale 11-piece set is a huge 4-ounce bottle of castor oil, five spoolies and five applicator brushes. Compare this to the $13 2-ounce bottle that comes with just one spoolie and brush, and you’ll see just how great of a deal this care set really is.

Kate Blanc Cosmetics uses only the best ingredients and none of the harmful chemicals other growth products do. This organic, cold-pressed castor oil is certified by the USDA. It’s authentic, pure, natural and hexane-free. When you have the purest ingredients, all you have to do is apply the nourishing oil to your brows and watch your hairs get stronger and fuller.

Since the oil reduces split ends and stimulates hair follicles, you can also use it for growing your lashes and hair. Some shoppers even use it to moisturize their faces. It’s a great multi-purpose product that also comes with a spoolie and a pointed applicator brush. 

“I have always had full eyebrows, but after over-waxing, I noticed the shape becoming less structured above and under the arch,” wrote another shopper. “I put a good amount on my entire brow at night and a small amount on the areas needed in the morning. It filled in the sparse section, but my hair also feels so soft and smooth now.”

To apply, use less than a drop right before bedtime. According to the brand, hair can grow back in as short as one to two weeks, and these Amazon reviewers can confirm it.

“If you are looking to grow your lashes and brows, this product is a winner. I could see a dramatic change in just two weeks,” wrote another reviewer. “My brows are growing and have had to be trimmed.”

For a natural way to thicken and lengthen your brows, go for castor oil. This low-key oil is more than capable of regrowing your hair so that you have strong, fluffy eyebrows. Grab your Kate Blanc Cosmetics’ Castor Oil care set for just $13 and your brows will be forever changed.

Does the thought of travelling alone fill you with abject horror? Or do you get a thrill at the idea of setting off on holiday on your own?

The fact is, solo travel is on the up, with more of us travelling solo than before the pandemic and American women ranking first in frequent solo travel. Yes, not only is solo travel on the up, but it’s mainly women that are on the go. So, what’s driving this desire to travel alone? And what are the key issues to consider when planning a solo trip?

As an experienced traveller, and leader of hiking tours in Europe that are made up of a significant number of solos, I have first-hand experience of just how life enhancing travelling on your own can be, whatever your age.

But nevertheless, that first solo holiday experience can be daunting, particularly if it’s your first foray into the world of travelling as a single. Our hikes and leisurely dinners provide us with ample opportunity for long and enlightening chats with several of our more independent guests who have shared some of their thoughts.

Be Selfish

It seems that the pandemic has changed us in several ways, not least our determination to get things done. We’ve seen how easily our world can change and many of us have emerged post-pandemic with an urge to see the world right now.

It may be as a result of a tragic loss, or simply a feeling of not wanting to wait around, but there’s a sense that we’ve learnt the importance of seizing the moment. Planning when we take holidays, and coordinating with other people can be difficult, particularly with friends or a partner who lives independently, so sometimes you just need to bite the bullet, book your dream holiday and set off.

Follow Your Interests

Quite apart from the logistics of organising dates, there’s the question of shared interests. As we get older and possibly have more time for ourselves, the need to develop new interests, or indeed, pursue existing ones, becomes ever more intense. And, of course, while travelling certainly qualifies as an interest in its own right, incorporating a passion for, say, art, literature, walking or wine into a holiday is a wonderful way to expand your horizons.

So what if your partner doesn’t share or isn’t able to follow the same interests? Step forward into solo travel! Many of our guests join our groups as solo travellers, leaving behind partners who simply don’t have the same passion for hiking or love of the great outdoors.

Let Someone Else Take Control

Nevertheless, solo travel can be daunting and many of us share entirely understandable concerns around loneliness, safety and possibly the fear of ill health.

If this is your first solo trip, travelling as part of a group may be a happy compromise. Above all, it allows you to travel to places you might feel unsafe in alone. While exploring a major town or city on your own is one thing, hiking through a national park is completely different.

Quite apart from the logistics of getting there, and possibly needing to rent a car, exploring as part of a group allows you to get right off the beaten track while still enjoying peace of mind. It also eliminates the need to stress about planning hiking routes or where you’re going to eat.

Not sure whether you’ll enjoy eating on your own? While there’s much to be said for solitary dining, if you’re in the camp that believes meals are made for sharing, then joining a group may be the answer. With the right group, you should still get to experience the very best local food, washed down with some excellent wine and sparkling conversation.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Don’t be too hard on yourself or feel that you need to prove anything. Even taking the tiniest step out of your comfort zone is a step in the right direction. While you may approach your first solo travel experience with a certain amount of trepidation, in fact, the chances are you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come even as early as day 2.

If you are travelling completely independently, take time to acclimatise to your new surroundings and don’t aim for anything too adventurous in the first few days. You need to get used to being on your own against a backdrop of possible language barriers.

However, for solo travellers on group trips, such as a learning or activity-based group holiday, the concerns may be more based on getting on with fellow travellers or the fear of not being able to keep up with the rest of the group.

In fact, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve with some peer support! We see at first hand the exhilaration shared by our guests when they reach the top of a mountain peak or complete a day’s hiking that takes them well out of their normal comfort zone.

Nevertheless, don’t be afraid to ask the organisers in advance about what’s expected of their guests. A well-run group trip should provide comprehensive information and will take account of different abilities with back-up where needed.

Get a Massive Confidence Boost

If approached right, your solo trip can do wonders for your confidence. So how do you make sure that your solo trip is a positive experience?

Firstly, think about accomplishing something new – whether learning new skills, absorbing new information or achieving new physical challenges. Rather than competing with others, recognise your capabilities.

That way, for example, on a walking holiday, a less experienced hiker will get the same sense of satisfaction and confidence boost on a gentle 5-mile trail through the rolling hills of Tuscany as a super keen energetic hiker will get tackling a challenging 12-mile hike in the heart of the peaks of the Dolomites.

Secondly, embrace the idea of meeting new people. Contrary to what you’d expect, plenty of people who choose to join a group tour may be far less extroverted than you’d imagine, keen to enjoy some quiet time when words aren’t necessary and views can be appreciated without a running commentary.

Rest assured too that if you’re in a group and have a shared interest, you’ll certainly have something in common and will benefit hugely from meeting and exchanging ideas and thoughts with new people.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you ever travelled solo, either independently or as part of a group? What were the highlights? Can you share any tips?