Blog Posts by Good Housekeeping

Think brushing your hair 100 strokes each night is healthy? Will frequent trims really make your hair grow faster? Read on to discover the simple truths behind great hair.


Myth: Frequent trims make hair grow faster.
Truth: "Hair grows a half-inch per month, whether you cut it or not," says John Barrett, owner of the John Barrett Salon in New York City. Hair may grow slightly faster in the summer, but that has nothing to do with the stylist's scissors and everything to do with hormones, which do speed growth a little. One thing a trim will do: Eliminate split ends, making hair look better.

Related: Best-Ever Hair Advice




Myth: Stress can make your hair fall out.
Truth: Although your hair is falling out all the time, to the tune of 50 to 120 strands per day, it's possible that you may lose a few more strands when you're "catastrophically" stressed, meaning you have had a major life change such as a divorce, lost job, or surgery, says Gerome Litt, M.D., an assistant professor of

Read More »from Don't Be Fooled by These Hair-Care Myths

Last week, we divulged that body skin was an important indicator of attractiveness, and looked at ways to help prevent (and correct) the aging process of your upper body. But just because your chest and arms happen to be closer to your face, which gets most of the anti-aging love, doesn't mean you should neglect your lower body. To that end, solutions for looking young below the torso...

You Want: A More Toned Butt and Thighs
Fast Fix
Slathering on a light-reflecting body lotion can help diminish the look of bumps and dimples in minutes. One to try: Burt's Bees Radiance Body Lotion ($9, drugstores). And to some extent - though generally a minimal one - any moisturizer will help disguise bumps simply by plumping the surface. PLUS: Do you need anti-aging products for your hair?

Treat It
While nothing you rub on your skin will magically melt away cellulite (wait, can sperm reduce cellulite?) some products do help in the short term. Look for a product that contains caffeine, such as St.

Read More »from Why You Should Use Anti-Aging Products on Your Legs Too

The kids may be avoiding books altogether this summer (try this to make reading fun for them), but you look forward to the long, hot days as a time to catch up on all those reads you don't have time to get to during the year. Or maybe you want something frivolous and fun. Whatever your mood, we've got a good vacation book for you.

If you're:

Feeling the Girl Power: The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks tells the story of a girl named Jane and her comical search for a career and a significant other who will make her happy. Throughout her journey, Jane hits on many issues that immediately connect to other women. Related: Meet 125 women who changed our world

Craving intrigue: Try Twilight (no, not that one) by Katherine Mosby, in which a socialite in the 1930s prefers passion to a proper marriage. Her parents ship Gibbs to Paris, and against a darkening backdrop as war approaches, she falls in love with a married man. Mosby should get a prize for nuance with the way

Read More »from Seven Books to Bring on Vacation

You lavish your face with sunscreen, anti-aging creams, and even the occasional peel, but your everywhere-else skin is lucky to see a little lotion. "Unfortunately, sun damage on your face and body begins to show up as wrinkles, brown spots, and dryness as early as your 30s," says David Bank, M.D., director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco, NY. And you're not the only one who's noticing. A recent study of women ages 45 to 65 at the University of Göttingen in Germany concluded that body skin was an important indicator of attractiveness and youth. In fact, the researchers found that a woman's arms and chest are two of the major age-giveaway zones. To take years off your own upper body, read on.

You Want: More Youthful-Looking Hands
Fast Fix
For the quickest results, moisturize (moisturizer is one of the five beauty secrets every woman should know - learn the other four). "Over time, hands lose some of their fat cushioning and the skin gets less

Read More »from Care for This Part of Your Body to Look Younger

These days, the plethora of options with which to take photos and videos is overwhelming. Why do you need a camera when there's already one on your phone? Why do you need a camcorder when your camera already shoots HD video?

To make sure you buy something you need and that you can figure out how to use, ask yourself two questions:

1. What's most important to me - great photographs or videos?
2. Am I a casual picture taker or a serious/aspiring photographer?

PHOTOS:
Casual: The compact "point and shoot" digital camera is for you. These will give you far better image quality over your cellphone camera, and come with options for sharing, taking videos and editing. On the upper end of the point and shoot spectrum you'll find some pretty advanced models, including an emerging line of "Hybrids" which venture into the $500 range and mirror SLR camera functionality in many ways, but are smaller and lack an optical viewfinder (a big downside).
Serious/Aspiring Photographer: If you're Read More »from 2 Things to Ask Yourself When Camera Shopping

Let's face it: there are few among us whose lives haven't been touched in some way by breast cancer. While we've long been a big fan of KitchenAid for its iconic stand mixer, in recent years what really distinguishes this company for is its commitment to raising funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Beat the breast cancer odds.

For the past nine years, the appliance manufacturer has made donations for purchased products and sponsored fundraising events that have led to a total contribution of over $7 million. What works in cancer prevention?

Now KitchenAid and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are inviting cooks countrywide to host parties on the weekend of July 16-18 to benefit the fight against breast cancer in an event called 1,000 Cooks for the Cure. Their goal is to sign up 1,000 cooks to gather friends for a Sunday brunch, backyard barbecue, cocktail soiree, or even an office luncheon and ask them to bring a donation instead of a bouquet or bottle of wine. Try exercise to beat

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Your PC ran great back when it was new, but it's gradually slowed down to a snail's pace. There are a number of things that can cause computers to bog down, but luckily there are steps you can take to remedy most of them. While they may sound complicated, if you follow the advice below you'll find help is just a few easy clicks away.

Here's how to keep your computer and keyboard clean.

Routine Window Maintenance:

• Delete unused programs. You can do this by going to add/remove programs in the control panel or with Disk Cleanup.
• Detect and repair possible disk errors that may be causing troubles by following the process detailed here.
• Run the disk defragmenter application which will organize information on your hard drive and help your computer access it easily. Find the defragmenter in "properties" under My Computer.

Understand your computer lingo.

Virus Protection:

• Make sure you have virus/spyware protection such as Norton Antivirus or McAfee installed.

Read More »from Easy Fixes for Your Slow Computer

Whole grains are packed with fiber, protein, and other nutrients, and can lower your odds of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes if you eat three ounces of them every day. The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen tasted eight brands of whole wheat hamburger buns to see which were worthy of a summer cookout.

THE WINNERS:


First Place: Rudi's Organic Bakery's 100% Whole Wheat Buns
Tasters appreciated these buns for their "real whole wheat flavor." While some found these buns a bit dense, most enjoyed their "pleasantly hearty" heft. $4.39/package of 8.
Calories: 160 per serving
Related: Amazing Burger Recipes: Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Veggie, and More!




Honorable Mention: Trader Joe's Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
For those who crave a more classic hamburger bun, these buns fill the bill. With a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds on top, these soft buns were a big hit for their "nutty flavor" and "light" texture. $1.90/package of 8 buns.
Calories: 110 per serving

Related: The Best

Read More »from Taste Test: Best Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns