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

Not so many moons ago, I was a single woman in my early twenties, with lots of hair and even more dates. Before heading off to meet an especially intriguing Bumble match, I’d hit up Drybar for a blowout. I savored this pre-date protocol of becoming the glossiest, most polished version of myself. Now that I find myself in my early thirties and in a relationship, the ritual has been replaced by a decidedly less glamorous one (depending on who you ask): My boyfriend and I both take Nutrafol, a hair growth vitamin. It’s a long way down to the bottom, folks.

I began shedding in the winter of 2016, and not the baggage from six years of dating in NYC (that I carry with me to this day). My hair thinned at an alarming rate, and my once-undetectable part became a prominent focal point. Thanks to a career that involves testing new beauty formulas and writing about them, the hair loss market became my proverbial oyster. I tried every topical product that claims to boost hair growth, plus the gummy vitamins and various oral supplements that other women swear by. None caused a noticeable impact, but to be fair, I wasn’t exactly compliant when the instructions called for applying foam to my scalp daily.

Image: Nutrafol.

Buy: Nutrafol Core for Women $88

My beauty editorship brought me to the launch event of Nutrafol, which isn’t as pedestrian as I’ve made it sound. In fact, it’s a rather sophisticated, comprehensive approach for a hair loss supplement, compared to its competition of Kardashian-endorsed gimmicks. The formula includes the stalwarts of your average multi-vitamin (vitamins A, C, D and E) plus the crux of most hair loss vitamins (biotin, zinc, marine collagen from cod fish). What sets it apart: a cocktail of botanical ingredients (ashwagandha, saw palmetto, turmeric) and the “Nutrafol Blend,” a proprietary assortment of antioxidants, for the most part. Altogether, the drug-free composition of natural ingredients tackle hair loss holistically, neutralizing the effects of stress, aging and perhaps most impressively, the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT.

Image: Nutrafol.

I’ve taken Nutrafol for nearly two years now, and while I didn’t regrow the resplendent head of hair I had when I was dating amok, I sprouted a fresh crop of baby hairs. My hair atrophy has halted, and I’ve seen enough new growth to know it works. Skeptics who balk at personal anecdotes should know that Nutrafol boasts the gold standard of evidence: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial conducted by a dermatologist. The highlights are that 81 percent of participants reported improvement in hair growth, while 77 percent noticed new growth. Curiously, the study only included women ingesting the women’s formula, even though Nutrafol offers a separate formula specifically for men. This brings me to my boyfriend, who will be utterly delighted by his presence in this article.

Men’s hair loss (male pattern baldness or otherwise) has historically overshadowed women’s, especially for those who thin in their twenties and thirties. It’s almost expected for men to begin balding before 40, but when I started losing my hair, it took me a long time to recognize it—because I’d never heard it can occur in young women. Frankly, I think hair loss is a decent exercise in the irrelevancy of gender roles, as the hormone DHT, otherwise known as dihydrotestosterone, doesn’t discriminate (it’s responsible for shrinking follicles in both men and women). More to my point, the men’s formula of Nutrafol contains the exact same ingredients as the women’s variety, in marginally higher doses.

Hers-and-his Nutrafol. Image: Alana Peden.

My boyfriend brought up his follicle frustrations first, as he should. Even though he spoke with a matter-of-fact air, I could tell that he wasn’t looking forward to gradually going bald. I responded in a soothing, nonchalant manner, but I also said I knew a supplement that could help, if he was interested. If your partner is losing his or her hair, I recommend doing the same. While I obviously appreciate his dark, glossy hair, my motivation came from knowing how hair loss feels, and how it can affect everything from self-confidence to external perceptions of your qualities. I silently wondered if his hair loss would one day affect his career, as I once worried about mine. In a particularly surprising (and infuriating) twist, a study found that bald men are actually perceived to be more fitting leaders in the workplace, while no such benefit exists for women.

Even so, my boyfriend wanted to order Nutrafol for himself, and now enthusiastically swallows each of the four pills that comprise a daily dose (with a granola bar, because he “can’t swallow” without food). When he travels or otherwise shacks away from home, he parses out his supply in a Ziploc bag with the appropriate amount of granola bars, which is adorable and a testament to his dedication. He’s only been using Nutrafol for a month and a half (six months is necessary for full results), but he self-reports that his hair “feels thicker.”

Together, we take our pills, send each other Insta stories of our Nutrafol bottles and commit other truly nauseating displays of a couple mutually devoted to hair maintenance. Our ritual certainly lacks the sexy, inchoate feelings invoked by a professional blowout and a third date, but we have something that will (hopefully) last a little longer: our hair.

A version of this story was originally published on November 18, 2018.

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

Not so many moons ago, I was a single woman in my early twenties, with lots of hair and even more dates. Before heading off to meet an especially intriguing Bumble match, I’d hit up Drybar for a blowout. I savored this pre-date protocol of becoming the glossiest, most polished version of myself. Now that I find myself in my early thirties and in a relationship, the ritual has been replaced by a decidedly less glamorous one (depending on who you ask): My boyfriend and I both take Nutrafol, a hair growth vitamin. It’s a long way down to the bottom, folks.

I began shedding in the winter of 2016, and not the baggage from six years of dating in NYC (that I carry with me to this day). My hair thinned at an alarming rate, and my once-undetectable part became a prominent focal point. Thanks to a career that involves testing new beauty formulas and writing about them, the hair loss market became my proverbial oyster. I tried every topical product that claims to boost hair growth, plus the gummy vitamins and various oral supplements that other women swear by. None caused a noticeable impact, but to be fair, I wasn’t exactly compliant when the instructions called for applying foam to my scalp daily.

Image: Nutrafol.

Buy: Nutrafol Core for Women $88

My beauty editorship brought me to the launch event of Nutrafol, which isn’t as pedestrian as I’ve made it sound. In fact, it’s a rather sophisticated, comprehensive approach for a hair loss supplement, compared to its competition of Kardashian-endorsed gimmicks. The formula includes the stalwarts of your average multi-vitamin (vitamins A, C, D and E) plus the crux of most hair loss vitamins (biotin, zinc, marine collagen from cod fish). What sets it apart: a cocktail of botanical ingredients (ashwagandha, saw palmetto, turmeric) and the “Nutrafol Blend,” a proprietary assortment of antioxidants, for the most part. Altogether, the drug-free composition of natural ingredients tackle hair loss holistically, neutralizing the effects of stress, aging and perhaps most impressively, the hormone responsible for hair loss, DHT.

Image: Nutrafol.

I’ve taken Nutrafol for nearly two years now, and while I didn’t regrow the resplendent head of hair I had when I was dating amok, I sprouted a fresh crop of baby hairs. My hair atrophy has halted, and I’ve seen enough new growth to know it works. Skeptics who balk at personal anecdotes should know that Nutrafol boasts the gold standard of evidence: a randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial conducted by a dermatologist. The highlights are that 81 percent of participants reported improvement in hair growth, while 77 percent noticed new growth. Curiously, the study only included women ingesting the women’s formula, even though Nutrafol offers a separate formula specifically for men. This brings me to my boyfriend, who will be utterly delighted by his presence in this article.

Men’s hair loss (male pattern baldness or otherwise) has historically overshadowed women’s, especially for those who thin in their twenties and thirties. It’s almost expected for men to begin balding before 40, but when I started losing my hair, it took me a long time to recognize it—because I’d never heard it can occur in young women. Frankly, I think hair loss is a decent exercise in the irrelevancy of gender roles, as the hormone DHT, otherwise known as dihydrotestosterone, doesn’t discriminate (it’s responsible for shrinking follicles in both men and women). More to my point, the men’s formula of Nutrafol contains the exact same ingredients as the women’s variety, in marginally higher doses.

Hers-and-his Nutrafol. Image: Alana Peden.

My boyfriend brought up his follicle frustrations first, as he should. Even though he spoke with a matter-of-fact air, I could tell that he wasn’t looking forward to gradually going bald. I responded in a soothing, nonchalant manner, but I also said I knew a supplement that could help, if he was interested. If your partner is losing his or her hair, I recommend doing the same. While I obviously appreciate his dark, glossy hair, my motivation came from knowing how hair loss feels, and how it can affect everything from self-confidence to external perceptions of your qualities. I silently wondered if his hair loss would one day affect his career, as I once worried about mine. In a particularly surprising (and infuriating) twist, a study found that bald men are actually perceived to be more fitting leaders in the workplace, while no such benefit exists for women.

Even so, my boyfriend wanted to order Nutrafol for himself, and now enthusiastically swallows each of the four pills that comprise a daily dose (with a granola bar, because he “can’t swallow” without food). When he travels or otherwise shacks away from home, he parses out his supply in a Ziploc bag with the appropriate amount of granola bars, which is adorable and a testament to his dedication. He’s only been using Nutrafol for a month and a half (six months is necessary for full results), but he self-reports that his hair “feels thicker.”

Together, we take our pills, send each other Insta stories of our Nutrafol bottles and commit other truly nauseating displays of a couple mutually devoted to hair maintenance. Our ritual certainly lacks the sexy, inchoate feelings invoked by a professional blowout and a third date, but we have something that will (hopefully) last a little longer: our hair.

A version of this story was originally published on November 18, 2018.

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

Hailey Bieber, the beauty brand founder and style icon, has been turning heads with her stunning hair for years. Whether she’s on the red carpet or just out and about, her hair always looks flawless. From her signature blonde locks to her recent big chop, her hair is always on-trend and serves as inspo for many. Bieber’s slicked-back hairstyles are especially iconic, especially her buns. Thursday night, Bieber gave her bun and upgrade with the cutest bow you just have to see.

At the Tiffany & Co. celebration for the reopening of its NYC flagship store, Bieber channeled Audrey Hepburn (get it? Breakfast at Tiffany’s?) in an LBD and luxe pearl necklaces. Her hair, by Danielle Priano, was slicked-back in a side part, twisted into a bun. Underneath the bun is a black bow made out of ribbon, which pokes out when she turns to the side. It’s the cutest little update to her usually slicked-back hairstyle and one that fits in perfectly with the theme of the night.

Source: Instagram

Priano hasn’t revealed exactly how she got the look, but she did post on Instagram that she used Sexy Hair products. Maybe she also used one of Bieber’s fave hair balms to get that perfect slick. It’s called the Tancho Tique Stick ($9.88 on Amazon) and apparently, both Bieber and Kendall Jenner use it. (According to influencer Arielle Lorre, who is also obsessed.)

Rounding out Bieber’s dream team was Karla Welch who styled her in Versace, Katie Jane Hughes on makeup and Zola Ganzorigt for those “Tiffany glazed nails.” Whether you are looking for inspiration for your next haircut or just want to appreciate some gorge looks, Bieber’s hair is definitely worth keeping an eye on. And who says you can’t rock an updo when you have a bob? With a lot of hairspray, she’s proving you can.

Are you feeling lost navigating your next chapter? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us – even those of us with multiple degrees and a library card that’s more worn than our favorite pair of slippers. It’s like trying to decipher a cryptic crossword puzzle – challenging, frustrating, and you might end up with ink all over your fingers.

But fear not, with your intellect and a healthy dose of humor, you’ll find your way to a new and exciting chapter in your life. So put down that book for a minute and let’s get started.

Feeling lost when it comes to navigating your next chapter is a common experience. Whether you’re entering retirement, yearning to make a career pivot, or going through a major life change, it can be overwhelming to think about what comes next. Here are some tips to help you navigate this challenging time and find your way forward.

Give Yourself Permission to Feel Lost

Feeling lost is a normal part of the human experience! We all go through periods of uncertainty and doubt, and that’s okay. Instead of trying to push your feelings away, give yourself permission to acknowledge them and accept them as a natural part of the process.

Tip: Take a moment to stop and ask yourself how you are feeling and identify that emotion. This helps you to be present and work through how you are feeling in this moment.

Take a Step Back

When you’re feeling lost, it can be helpful to take a step back and reflect on where you are and where you want to go. Ask yourself what you’re passionate about, what your values are, and what kind of life you want to lead. This will help you get a clearer sense of what’s important to you and what you want to prioritize moving forward.

Set Small, Achievable Goals

One of the reasons we often feel lost is because we’re overwhelmed by the big picture. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, break things down into smaller, achievable goals. This will help you build momentum and make progress, which will help you build your confidence and motivate you to move further towards your goals!

Seek Out Support

Navigating a major life change on your own can be tough, so don’t be afraid to reach out for support. This can be talking to friends and family, working with a therapist, or finding a coach, having someone in your corner can make all the difference.

Is this a time that perhaps you may need more specialized support? Someone who has “walked in your shoes”? Having a coach who can guide you through the rough currents of life can be a great support and hold you accountable!

Embrace Uncertainty

As much as we might wish otherwise, the future is always uncertain. Instead of trying to control every aspect of your life, embrace the uncertainty and focus on what you can control. This might mean taking small steps each day or being open to new opportunities as they arise.

With my coaching clients, we stress that things are happening for us and not to us! We leave the “victim mentality” in the dust. How is this change and uncertainty helping us to grow and evolve?

Practice Self-Care

When you’re feeling lost, it’s important to take care of yourself both physically and emotionally. This might mean getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and making time for activities that bring you joy. It’s also important to be kind to yourself and recognize that this is a challenging time.

I also stress the importance of what we say to ourselves in challenging times. How do you talk to yourself? Is there an opportunity to have a kinder and gentler voice?

Stay Curious

What are you curious about learning? Whether it’s taking a class, attending a workshop, or reading a book, never stop learning and growing. This will help you build new skills, broaden your perspective, and find new paths forward.

Now that I am an empty nester, I recently renewed my interest in sewing and started some beginning classes with a new machine! It’s been fun to learn new techniques. It certainly keeps me focused on the present moment and I tell myself, “I can learn new things!”

Navigating your next chapter can be a challenge, but it’s important to remember that you’re not alone. I have created this free PDF, Lost Navigating Your Next Chapter? for you to download and work through the prompts! With the right mindset, support, and strategies, you can find your way forward and create a fulfilling life for yourself.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you experience difficulties navigating your life after retirement? Have you wondered what to do as an empty nester? What project have you started? Have you gained new skills?

If a mother-in-law has trust and faith in her son, it should give her the confidence to let go and let her son live his own life. She can learn to play a different role and find new interests to occupy her newfound time.

Life changes force us to play a different game with different rules. It can be fun if we are willing to play instead of lamenting the past and turning the game upside down.

Avoiding Daughter-in-Law Problems: Privacy Should Be Considered a Priority

It is important for the mother-in-law to take a step back and allow the couple privacy and space. A mother must consider and respect the fact that her son has a wife to consider. They are now forming their own household and their business is personal.

Probing into confidential affairs is unthinkable. Privacy should always be considered a priority and mothers-in-law should not interfere or ask their sons for information. Many mothers-in-law lament that their knowledge is completely ignored. Unfortunately, they must accept such occurrences as a part of life.

Build Up Your Daughter-in-Law’s Confidence

The lack of trust in the mother-in-law unintentionally hurts many mothers-in-law and sets the ground for disagreements. The wife perceives it as disloyal to her if her husband allows his mother’s influence to dominate the relationship. The mother is faulted if she encourages this behavior.

The best rule is to offer advice only when asked and only at the time one is asked. The son is committed to his wife. He has a place in his heart for both women but his life is continuing forward with a new woman by his side. Peace is achieved when this is respected. Daughters-in-law are insecure and find their confidence increases with less interference from the mother-in-law.

Who Sabotages the Relationship?

Parents on both sides, as well as siblings, can damage relationships by exuding pressure in the form of jealousy and competition. This can be accomplished when the mother of the bride exerts pressure on the daughter out of her jealousy of the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship.

Some mothers have convinced their daughters to refrain from becoming too close to this woman. The mother-in-law’s daughter can place pressure on the mother to keep her distance with the daughter-in-law. Sisters-in-law in all combinations can be guilty of jealousy.

My own mother did not want me to be friendly with my mother-in-law. She wanted to keep track of the hours and minutes I spent with my mother-in-law. I finally had to refrain from telling her when I went to see my mother-in-law to keep peace with her. In research for my book, The Princess and The Queen, this is still a key problem.

Friends are huge culprits because they agree with us without considering if we are right or wrong. They want to cheer us up at any cost. Gossip is started along with assumptions and judgments which are wrong most of the time. We are creating a monster in our minds.

It is wiser to accept the differences and play as fairly as possible without expectations. Having no expectations allows you to always be pleased and never disappointed.

The Mother-in-Law Loses the Most in a Failing Relationship

The mother-in-law does have to give in the most because she loses the most if the relationship falls apart. At an early point in the relationship, daughters-in-law don’t value a mother-in-law, and they are willing to sacrifice the relationship.

Mothers-in-law see the whole picture clearly and don’t want to jeopardize losing their sons or grandkids. These two losses are the genuine fears of the mothers-in-law. Being older and with more experience, mothers-in-law have a greater understanding of the importance of peace to maintain bonds.

Transform Emotional Distance into Positive Interactions

At times, both women can simply be misguided in their thoughts and judgements of a situation. That is the best kept secret. Neither woman wants to upset the elephant in the room, so neither discusses any real issues or problems they have. Mothers- and daughters-in-law have individual fears, as well as desires.

Daughters-in-law want to control their lives and their children. Mothers-in-law feel the same way, but their son is grown up. Control becomes impossible, so the mother-in-law must see the changed playing field.

The mother-in-law fears losing her relationship with her son and grandchildren. She sometimes pushes for what she perceives as her rights, and she makes matters worse.

The daughter-in-law feels threatened and fights back with refusals to visit. Both women dig in their heels and ignore the man-in-the-middle’s suffering. Even when there are visits, if there is emotional distancing, little love is displayed.

Be open, honest and communicate with your daughter-in-law without assuming or judging. Don’t expect to gain all you want, but instead, appreciate what you get and more will flow to you.

Don’t Count the Time You Share with Your Grandchildren but Do Count the Love!

It’s important that everyone understands that grandchildren lose the most when grandparents are not allowed to engage with them. Parents can’t forever control who their kids like or resonate with. When they are grown they may question the reasons for keeping grandma and papa at a distance from them.

Children ask many questions when they are young, but they ask more questions when they are older. They will not be deceived. Kids deserve all the love and attention they can get. Refuse to put them in the middle of any arguments by keeping in mind that kids thrive on love and attention.

Let Parents Set the Boundaries

Parents should set boundaries and rules as well as visit times. Grandparents must be flexible about the restrictions and accept what they receive. With three daughters-in-law and one son-in-law, I have found that the more I accept the conditions the parents set, the more lenient the parents become.

That is a fact. The grandchildren tell me about their visits with their other grandmas and papas, and I cherish the conversation. I am sure they do the same about their visits with me.

Children are open and carefree, and they hold nothing back. They thrive in their open happy environment. The parents and grandparents have peace and are surrounded by the loving atmosphere.

This is the result of open communication, which we all strive to achieve, and the ability to share without jealousy. It turns gossip into discussions, judgements into tolerance and assumptions into trust. It is never perfect and has its flaws, but it is positive, honest and worth the effort.

Always Offer Praise in Some Form

Gossip hurts, demeans and causes unending hardships. Most gossip is hearsay or half-truths. Even gossip that is true serves only to bring pain and misunderstanding. If you want people to speak kindly of you, you should speak gently of others. Muster the courage to stop gossip as soon as it begins.

You won’t have to eat your words or be embarrassed when someone repeats your indiscretion. Recall the adage that what we see in others may be rampant in us. I have often learned this lesson by committing the same mistake I criticized another for. It is unnerving to find the fault within one’s self – but very enlightening.

Work on Creating a Harmonious Relationship

In any harmonious relationship the interactions are easy, unguarded and contain more humor. The conversation is relaxed, the stress and anxiety are not present, and the subjects of conversation are varied and interesting. When the visit is over we are filled with a sense of joy. Maintaining a good relationship is for the benefit of all.

We can focus on what is good about each other, and learn to tolerate what we don’t like. Mothers-in-law can help with babysitting, cleaning the dishes after enjoying a meal or shopping with their daughter-in-law to again help with the children. Offering to drive or pick something up is also helpful.

The daughter-in-law may offer to help with dishes, visit or spend a day or evening in an outing with the mother-in-law. In both situations, the women are enjoying and helping each other. Even if it is tense in the beginning of a relationship, put the effort into creating magic and forming a devoted bond. It is so beneficial for both women and therapeutic in so many ways.

The Changes Are Never What We Imagine

Don’t measure or imagine. Imagining is like assuming. There is only one you and nobody else like you. Your experiences, ideas, jobs and talents are unique, and your grandchildren benefit from this.

If you can admit that you love all your children the same, then you can trust that your grandchildren love all their grandparents. If you compare and measure then you will always distrust and feel loss. If you unconditionally love and are grateful for the love you have in your life, then you will never be disappointed.

The good news is that if they are successful, the daughter-in-law values their support and recognizes their importance in the family. This brings the relationship full circle and on firmer ground.

Enjoy a new role and play a different game.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How did you build a positive relationship with your daughter-in-law? What tips would you share with other women in our community about creating and sustaining a strong relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law? How do you avoid daughter-in-law problems? Please share your experiences in the comments.