Had your jab? These destinations will open their doors to you
‘Line of Duty and their Easter eggs constantly amaze me,’ wrote one user
Gibraltar, Israel and many Asia Pacific countries are likely to qualify
Her Coleherne Court home will receive its very own blue plaque.
Johan Lundgren told The Independent that quarantine should not be imposed on arrivals from major countries ‘unless something happened’
On the average flight over the winter 68 out of 186 seats were empty, an increase of 50 on the previous year
A formal garden oozes decadence and gives off an air of well-manicured finesse
Our theories pin board can't cope
As millions of people are getting coronavirus vaccinations every day, concerns have arisen around more severe side effects beyond the very common fatigue, aches, and injection-site pain. Most medical concerns have been debunked, but there is a side effect emerging that could easily — and needlessly — worry anyone getting a mammogram. According to research conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, doctors are observing a sudden increase in mammograms showing swollen lymph nodes under the arm, which can be indicative of breast cancer. To be clear: This doesn’t mean that the vaccine is causing an increase in breast cancer; it is a side effect that, in this instance, is a sign of an immune response to the coronavirus vaccine, but in other cases, also happens to be a sign of potential breast cancer. Think about it like a dry cough — could be COVID-19, but it could also be your allergies acting up. Apparently, swollen lymph nodes are a common response by the body. “Swollen lymph nodes can be a response to many different vaccines, including the COVID vaccine,” board-certified gynaecologist Kelly Culwell, MD, also known as “Dr Lady Doctor,” told Refinery29. “It is a sign of your immune system kicking into gear to produce antibodies in response to the vaccine.” Lymph nodes play a vital role in your body’s ability to fight off bacteria and viruses. They trap and filter viruses, bacteria, and other causes of illness before they can infect other parts of your body. Your body has lymph nodes in multiple areas including your neck, your armpits, and your groin, which is all part of a larger immune system response — exactly what vaccines, COVID-19 and otherwise, try to elicit. According to the Mayo Clinic, swollen lymph nodes are rarely a sign that you may have cancer. “Any vaccine that produces a robust immune response may cause temporary swelling of the nodes. In my opinion, it has not been mentioned so much since we have not performed vaccines on this scale ever in history. With so many people getting vaccinated, you will hear of more effects all at once,” Nicole Williams, MD, gynaecologic surgeon and founder of The Gynaecology Institute of Chicago, told Refinery29. Because the vaccine is injected into the upper arm, the lymph nodes nearest the injection site commonly swell, but since they are the nodes closer to the breasts, it makes sense that doctors would want to check it out further. The problem is that this side effect isn’t listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: The only ones listed are pain, swelling, and redness in the arm where you received the vaccine, as well as fatigue, headaches, muscle pain, chills, fever, and nausea. “As more people get vaccinated, it’s important to allay fears and avoid unnecessary testing or treatment for conditions that should quickly resolve,” said Brita Roy, MD, an internal medicine physician and director of population health for Yale Medicine. The organisation shared on its website that swollen lymph nodes, as well as skin reactions near the injection site, have only been found in those who received either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines — both of which use the technology called mRNA. So far, there have not been reports of these symptoms in people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. According to The New York Times, Moderna’s study showed that 11.6% of patients reported swollen lymph nodes after the first dose, and 16% reported the symptom after the second dose. Pfizer-BioNTech recipients reported lower incidences, with only 0.3% of people saying they experienced swollen lymph nodes. It was a recognised side effect in large trials of both vaccines. So, should you reschedule your mammogram? Depends on who you ask. Dr Roy says that swollen lymph nodes from the vaccine have been shown to disappear within a few days, but for some people, they can feel a little tender for up to 10 days. On imaging tests, they may be visible for up to a month. She advises people to still keep their mammogram appointments rather than delay, but be aware that the radiologist could ask you to come back one month later for a reexamination should something come up on the scan. Dr Culwell says it really depends on each individual. If it is a typical annual exam, she says experts are recommending that you either go before your first dose or wait six weeks after your second injection. “However, for some people, this would not be possible,” Dr Culwell explained. “For instance, those that are being monitored closely for cancer recurrence during treatment. In those cases, informing the technician and radiologist of the recent vaccination would be important.” Dr Williams advises delaying your mammogram if possible so that you’re at least several days post-vaccination to allow for any possible swelling to go down. And if you’re still in doubt about anything? As always, talk to your doctor so that you can make the most informed decision. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Is It Okay To Delay Your Second Vaccine Shot?So, How Long Does The COVID Vaccine Actually Last?People Are Having Period Symptoms Post Vaccine
Today’s salon manicure typically includes five basic treatment options: You can go with a traditional polish (or nail lacquer), gel or shellac, dip powder, gel extensions, or acrylics. Now, there is an innovative sixth treatment that’s recently hit the market — a hybrid offer that marries the application and wear of a gel manicure with the aesthetic of extensions. Meet the Plexigel manicure. Creative Nail Design (CND) trademarked the Plexigel system, and it was rolled out across CND-affiliate nail salons nationwide in January of this year. According to the nail-care brand, this is their biggest technological innovation since the launch of Shellac™ back in 2010. But the same way that it took a few years for the consumer to fully understand the merits (and drawbacks) of the gel manicure, the Plexigel system might sound intimidating to a first-timer. However, if you’re already familiar with soft gels, the Plexigel manicure looks almost identical. At a recent appointment to try my own set of Plexigels, nail artist and educator Julie Kandalec explained the key point of differentiation: While a traditional soft-gel formula simply sits on top of the natural nail, Plexigel can change its shape. Like cement before it dries, the thick and malleable Plexigel formula can be sculpted (by a trained salon professional) to extend the natural nail longer or add “plumpness.” “Plexigel is a semi-hard gel, which means it’s significantly more durable than soft gel,” Kandalec explains. She shows me the colourless glass bottle that holds the self-levelling clear gel formula that drips off the nail brush like honey. “The system is designed to be a multi-problem solver for flat, brittle, or torn nails. The Plexigel is a flexible yet tough coating that glides on to plump, lengthen, or repair a multitude of nail issues. It also protects the natural nail underneath the enhancement.” The manicure was as advertised. It involved careful shaping, polishing, and curing under an LED lamp before Kandalec added the best part: nail art. I opted for a baby-blue French manicure, inspiration from a friend’s mani I recently saw and became obsessed with. Her tips were a darker royal blue, but given the warmer weather, I wanted a pastel and opted for periwinkle (CND’s Chance Taker). I’m only on week one of my Plexigel manicure, but I’ve been told this will last for at least three without lifting or peeling. It feels exactly like a soft gel, but with a little more shape and sculpture. I’m very much into it. Though, admittedly, I also was an early proponent of shellac. Refinery29’s selection is purely editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items we love! As part of our business model we do work with affiliates; if you directly purchase something from a link on this article, we may earn a small amount of commission. Transparency is important to us at Refinery29, if you have any questions please reach out to us. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?How To Do The Perfect Manicure At HomeCheckered Print Is The Next Big Thing In Nail ArtPastel Tips: The Instagram Nail Trend You Can DIY
When can I go on holiday? How far can I travel in the UK? The destinations likely to make the 'green list' Sign up to the Telegraph Travel newsletter Demand for UK holidays has skyrocketed this week, as England enters phase two of the roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions. Following the reopening of self-catered accommodation, campsites and beer gardens on Monday April 12, parts of Britain are close to fully booked. A report by the Rest Easy Group confirmed 98 per cent of properties in Cornwall across its platforms are booked this week – with Devon and Yorkshire also close to full capacity. “Only 3 per cent of properties in Devon are now available to book, followed by 5 per cent in Yorkshire and 2 per cent in Cornwall,” said Matt Fox, CEO of Rest Easy Group, which is a marketplace for UK holiday rentals. Calendars are also brimming with bookings in other popular destinations, as the future of international holidays remains uncertain. “We are still seeing the staycation market boom, with both Silverlake, Dorset and Lower Mill Estate, Cotswolds, fully booked today [Monday] and at 90 per cent capacity next weekend. We expect to see this increase in demand continue long into summer whilst international travel is still uncertain,” said Red Paxton, director at Habitat Escapes, which offers lakeside self-catering properties in The Cotswolds and Dorset. Popular destinations in Scotland are primed for a booking surge, as Nicola Sturgeon confirms restrictions on cross-border travel between Scotland and other parts of the UK will be lifted on April 26, when self-catering accommodation will also be allowed to reopen. A report by Tripadvisor found that Kinloch Rannoch, a popular holiday village in Perth and Kinross, is the most popular destination for staycationers planning an escape for the early May Bank holiday, having seen the biggest month-on-month increase in searches. Scroll down for today's updates.
With lockdown restrictions slowly lifting, Roisin O’Connor picks some of the highlights of forthcoming exhibitions
Creator Jed Mercurio has commented on the spoiler-filled leak
Welcome to Money Diaries, where we're tackling what might be the last taboo facing modern working women: money. We're asking a cross-section of women how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period – and we're tracking every last penny.This week: "I am a 25-year-old who has recently come out of a relationship. I live alone (by choice) and am trying to balance #livingmybestlife and navigating pandemic dating (ugh). My family, plus several colleagues and my therapist have mentioned they think I have undiagnosed ADHD; I am in the process of trying to get an assessment. As my work responsibilities have increased over the past six months, I have found it increasingly difficult to cope with my workload. I am not self-disciplined when it comes to concentrating during work hours and can't get away with slacking off and not being productive as much as I could when I was in a more junior position. I work as a quantity surveyor and my job is demanding but also really sociable, I absolutely love it. It is a male-dominated environment and some men are as bad (sometimes worse) than we think they are but, on the whole, people are decent and it's a very exciting industry to work in.I also recently finished CBT counselling for depression and anxiety, although as mentioned, my therapist thought my 'anxiety' symptoms were highly likely to be ADHD. I battled depression when I was a teenager and it was exacerbated by my break-up and lockdown. I am in a much better place than I was at the start of 2021." Industry: ConstructionAge: 25Location: South LondonSalary: £37.5kPaycheque amount: £2,375 a monthNumber of housemates: NoneMonthly Expenses Housing costs: £1,300 for a two-bed flat in Canada Water (south London).Loan payments: Student loan is around £78 per month.Utilities: £0 – included in my rent. I'm very lucky that my landlady is a family friend who lives in Australia so my rent is extremely reasonable.Transportation: £0 – my work pays for all my travel, again I am very lucky!Phone bill: £110 a month... This makes me cry every time I see the bill. I got mugged last year and I didn't have insurance so I pay for two iPhone contracts every month.Savings? £2,000 in a savings account as an emergency fund, £200 in a Help to Buy ISA – I am not really trying to save for a house, as you can probably tell! More on that later.Other: Prime, Netflix and Hayu come to around £20 a month (I am a diehard Real Housewives and Kardashians fan), £56 a month for private healthcare and private dental insurance (this is taken out of my salary), £25 a month for Wi-Fi, £10 a month for Apple Music (Spotify gives me such Android vibes, I really don't like it) and £7 a month for Harry's shave club razors which are the best I've ever used. £10 a month for a NatWest Silver Rewards account which includes phone insurance and other benefits. I think I usually spend around £150 a month on groceries but this varies wildly. Day One7.15am: My alarm goes off. I am WFH today as it is Good Friday tomorrow and I usually WFH on Fridays. In construction, working hours are normally 8am-5pm but there is an unwritten rule that everyone gets to work for around 7.30/7.45am. I stupidly decided to do a juice cleanse, which started yesterday (the caffeine withdrawal headache was unbearable and I crashed into bed at 8pm last night). Go downstairs and have a celery juice (vile) and a ginger shot (so spicy for this time of day). Start up my computer, flirt on Teams with someone from our client team, we'll call him H (this is not as bad as it sounds, we matched on Bumble and agreed to keep it professional...for now), then start replying to emails.11am: I crack and make a coffee, my head was splitting in half. Get distracted (obviously – suspected ADHD) and order a Shark vacuum cleaner on sale, mine packed in when I used one of those dodgy shake 'n' vacs from Etsy. £491.30pm: My brother comes over to do uni work (he is in my bubble along with my stepmum and dad). He makes pasta for lunch for me while I'm working with stuff I already have in the cupboard. By this point the juice cleanse is well and truly out the window.3pm: My project director rings me as we've been trying to organise post-lockdown drinks for the client team and our team. This is one of the negatives about working in construction: any task/job that is deemed 'girly' – booking events, making tea, fixing the printer – is almost always given to a girl. Have some issues while booking and using his card for the deposit so I put it on my credit card and he will pay me back (£180 but I won't count this in the total). Best believe I'll be putting H on my table as I'm in charge of splitting everyone up into the groups of six!4.30pm: A friend/colleague who I haven't seen since last year rings to have a catch-up. He gives me an unwanted update about my ex which I'd rather not have heard and makes me feel a bit sad. I want to go into this a bit here and then I'll stop talking about it. My ex and I were colleagues on my last project, which ended back in November. We broke up and haven't spoken or seen each other since, although we still work for the same company and have lots of friends in common. Although it was mutual, I took it really badly and it was one of the triggers for a bad bout of depression that began in December. I'm coming out of it now, partially due to my therapy sessions through my private healthcare, but also it is true what they say – time is the best healer.5pm: Go to Co-op to buy a few bits including wine. £17.947pm: My brother drives us to my dad's house, I'm very lucky he lives 10 minutes away. Have some wine and a beef salad for dinner. They cheer me up and I'm so glad I came to see them. Living alone can sometimes make me want to stay in my safe little home, which always makes me feel worse.9.45pm: Get an Uber home as everyone has drunk too much and it's too late to walk. £4.20 as I have 30% off at the moment.Total: £71.14Day Two8.03am: Wake up naturally and go make a coffee to enjoy in bed. Get lost on TikTok for several hours and do an ASOS order for some new jeans, slippers and primer. £73.7810.45am: Go downstairs to make some eggs on crumpets and another coffee, watch Kardashians on the sofa and then decide I need to leave the house to get some air and not get into a sad mood.10.50am: My new Shark vacuum arrives! Talk about speedy service. Stick it on charge and get ready.2pm: Finally leave the house, I couldn't tell you what on earth I did for those three hours. A side effect of my suspected ADHD is that I get so distracted and don't know where the time goes. I get the Tube to Canary Wharf (free with my travelcard from work) and go to Waitrose. I want to make a Nigella recipe for dinner. I buy the ingredients plus other stuff I don't need (carrot cake?) and stuff that I do (rosé wine). £42.19. Side note: I eat dinner with my parents at least three nights a week, which I never pay for, and I usually bring my own lunch to work so, since my travel is also paid for by work, I can spend a little more on food.3.45pm: My dad briefly stops by for a cup of tea and to check on my houseplants. I am known in the family for neglecting them so he doesn't trust me, I also think he's checking in on me. When he leaves, I realise I didn't have lunch so I heat up leftover pasta from yesterday and have a slice of sourdough with Marmite.5.45pm: Afternoon activities included washing my makeup brushes, hoovering with my new Shark (oh my god, the amount of hair in my carpets was disgusting) and trying to watch The Sound of Music on TV. I am forcing myself recently to really focus on doing one thing at a time to curb my suspected ADHD. It doesn't work and I end up watching TikToks while simultaneously watching the film...one of my worst habits.7.30pm: Make Nigella's fish finger bhorta. Revolutionary, although it makes me sad to admit because I've committed to not buying fish (I already don't buy meat but I'll eat it if someone else cooks it) after watching Seaspiracy. Once the jumbo pack of fish fingers in my freezer runs out, that is. Phone my friend and have a little cry, today has been a little difficult.8pm: Lie in bed with a glass of rosé doing my worst habit and fall asleep shortly after Gogglebox.Total: £115.97Day Three8.10am: Wake up, coffee and TikTok in bed. 10.45am: Shower and drag myself downstairs for another coffee and make some eggs on toast. Start getting ready as I'm seeing a friend for a walk today.12pm: My ASOS order arrives, sadly I love everything and decide to keep it. Watching TikTok so much has made me realise that skinny jeans are apparently not a vibe anymore (thanks Gen Z, I also no longer have a side parting). The jeans I ordered are very '90s but I made a promise to myself that post-lockdown I would be more daring with my outfits, even if I do feel a bit like Avril Lavigne in these new jeans. 2.30pm: Get the Tube to Kensington and my friend and I go to M&S to buy some lunch and tinned alcoholic drinks. £8.555pm: We spend the afternoon in Holland Park drinking. We've been meeting most weekends since NYE and stuck to the rules by meeting outside and although it's nice to see her, the novelty is wearing off and we are longing for pubs! We walk back to M&S for more drinks and then walk back towards Victoria through Hyde Park. £3.806.30pm: Get a call on my way home from another friend who is at a house party and invites me to come but I have lunch with family friends tomorrow and don't fancy being hungover and fined for breaking COVID restrictions so I decline her invite. Get FOMO but ultimately I know it's the right decision, plus I need to fake tan tonight. Hungover + being pasty for tomorrow will make me moody.7.45pm: Make some pasta at home and watch TV covered in sticky orange foam with a glass of rosé.9pm: Collapse into bed thanks to the 16,000 steps I did today.Total: £12.35Day Four9.40am: Enjoy a nice lie-in but wake up bright orange, FFS. Crumpets in bed then get ready for a back garden BBQ at a family friend's house. 12.45pm: Uber to our family friend's house. £5.0510.30pm: The rest of the day is a blur I'm afraid! We drank copious amounts of wine, then tequila shots, and enjoyed a lovely roast dinner with lots of chocolate afterwards. It was the first proper socialising I did as rules changed on Monday, it was so nice to see people I haven't seen for ages. I get an Uber home (£8.11) and drunk message H (FFS).11.30pm: Eat some toast in bed and fall asleep.Total: £13.16Day Five8.45am: Why can I never sleep in when I'm hungover! I have a family lunch today so it is probably for the best. Crumpets in bed. Nothing new here except I have four instead of the usual two, just to help soak away the hangover.11.30am: Lie in bed all morning feeling sorry for myself, until H replies to my drunk message. We chat for a bit, I apologise and it somehow ends in him asking me on a date for next Saturday! I finally get up and get ready. Do another ASOS order because I don't have an outfit obviously. £31.191.45pm: My brother comes to collect me and we go back to my dad's for our Easter lunch because we were at that BBQ yesterday. Have a lovely lunch but we are all so hungover and tired.4.30pm: My brother drives me home as he is staying at mine tonight. He wants to do uni work and I always go to sleep so early so he can have peace and quiet.6.30pm: I collapse into bed and fall asleep not long after.Total: £31.19Day Six6.15am: Alarm, shower, get ready for work. Jump on the Tube (it's only two stops, what a dream), free with my travelcard from work.7.30am: Get into the office, have the obligatory "How was your Easter?" conversations, make my Marmite on toast with stuff I already have in the work fridge/cupboard. We are still allowed in the office as I work in construction but there are usually only five other people at the moment. Since the pandemic started, our company has given us a choice as to whether we want to come in or not. Coming in massively helps my concentration as I feel so self-conscious getting up from my desk every 10 minutes (as I do at home) when there are people around me, although I do still get "Do you have ants in your pants?" comments.12pm: I've been in Teams calls pretty much all morning. My friend and I go to Tesco for some lunch then sit in the office kitchen gossiping. £2.204.45pm: I've worked nonstop all afternoon with brief interludes of gossiping with my friend some more (she sits behind me and it's very hard not to). Get the Tube home, stop at Sainsbury's for oat milk and double cream. I'm fully aware this is a contradiction. £2.495.20pm: Get home and I see a letter arrived from the local psychological assessment and liaison team that my request for an ADHD assessment has been rejected as I am not at significant risk. My GP warned me this would happen; adult ADHD assessments are notoriously difficult to get unless you can demonstrate it's affecting your life in a profound/dangerous way (i.e. substance abuse, depression...hello?! Or serious money issues). Frustrating but I will go private, meaning that I will need to pay around £360 (it's not covered by my health insurance through work). Ultimately it will be worth it – as my responsibilities at work have increased and my mental health has declined, I've realised I need to do something before it starts becoming a real issue. Make some Quorn nuggets and eat them in bed. Watch TV and TikTok simultaneously for a few hours. Do an Amazon Prime order for a new hairdryer and some fake tan. £45.988.45pm: Lights out (what a loser).Total: £50.67Day Seven6.15am: Follow the same morning routine as yesterday, get to work and make crumpets and settle into work.11.45am: I'm finding it so hard to concentrate today as I've had four coffees before 11am. I tend to be really lazy with work until the last minute, then I smash it out in a few hours. I know this is so unhealthy and cannot continue long-term, especially as I progress in my career, but it works for the moment and to be honest, I don't know what else to do as I've always done this and got away with it. I'd like to add that I do not get distracted on purpose and set out every morning with the best intentions, then get distracted and realise later I've spent two hours clicking onto different spreadsheets and not achieved anything. Go to get a meal deal and have a break from my screen and also pick up some hand cream. £5.501.20pm: Decide to book my ADHD assessment and get an appointment for early in May, which calms me down a bit. £3604.45pm: Much of the same, Teams calls, general work stuff, browse Ikea for a bit but stop myself buying anything. Get the Tube home.5.45pm: My brother comes to get me for dinner at my dad's (I know it seems like I have a private chauffeur at the moment but when he's at uni I always walk there and back, which takes around 20 minutes each way).9.30pm: Get an Uber home as everyone is tired and had wine with dinner. £4.22Total: £369.72The BreakdownFood/Drink: £82.67Entertainment: £0Clothes/Beauty: £150.95Travel: £21.58Other: £409Total: £664.20Conclusion"I'm surprised how many online impulse purchases I made, considering I didn't think I had an issue with this. Perhaps I need to address this as my clothing and beauty spending says otherwise. I did have a few random things this week like the ADHD assessment and vacuum cleaner, and I used Uber more than I have for months, which I suppose will continue to increase as we come out of lockdown. My food spending was nothing unusual although I didn't make any effort to bring lunch into work, which I'm usually quite good at doing. On the whole it has reassured me that my spending isn't anything out of the ordinary. I obviously don't have anything to save for, as I'm not making a huge effort to save for a house deposit for various reasons. Firstly, I am single and house prices in London are insane so basically unachievable for the next few years unless I meet someone to buy a house with. Secondly, the idea of buying a house really scares me. I really don't like being stuck in one place and my job means I'll inevitably need to move around from project to project. Lastly, I have toyed with the idea of moving up north, which will make buying a house a real possibility, I need to look into this more. What I will say is that I haven't been out for a proper night in the pub. When life was normal this was a weekly occurrence with work and came with a lot of impulse purchases – I'm sort of glad to have seen the back of them for a while although they will begin again next week.It has also made me realise I can definitely afford to move a concrete amount each month into savings, I tend to just leave a rolling amount in my current account which isn't good! Maybe I will start saving for that house..."Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Money Diary: A 25-Year-Old In New Zealand On 31kMoney Diary: A 25-Year-Old Civil Servant On 40kMoney Diary: 29-Year-Old Comms Executive On 25.5k
The Olaplex team has been very busy over the past year. Thanks to the pandemic, more of us are invested in DIY haircare and this has seen the salon-approved brand create a number of at-home products to give us a helping hand. Last summer we were introduced to Olaplex No.0, an intensive pre-shampoo treatment with the ability to repair damaged strands fast, while the Olaplex Shampoo and Conditioner duo also gained popularity among those looking to recreate the salon experience at home. We even spotted a handful of Olaplex dupes, from L’Oréal Elvive’s Dream Lengths 8 Second Wonder Water Treatment, £9.99, to The Inkey List’s PCA Bond Repair, £12.99. This month, Olaplex has unveiled the hotly anticipated No.8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask, £26, and it’s causing a stir among beauty lovers, hairstylists and colourists alike. Exclusive to Lookfantastic, the new mask promises to make lacklustre hair appear brand-new in just 10 minutes. With salons fully booked for what looks like the next couple of months, of course I had to give it a go, and the results are nothing short of incredible. What is in the Olaplex No.8 Intense Bond Moisture Mask and how does it work? Olaplex No.8 works on all hair types, even virgin hair. The star ingredient in all Olaplex products is bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate, which the brand says is scientifically proven to add twice as much shine, four times more hydration and six times more smoothness for all hair types after just one go, according to an independent study. It works by repairing damage and relinking hair bonds after they have been broken by things such as bleach or colour, harsh weather, heat styling or general wear and tear. When the hair’s bonds are broken, hair often appears split at the ends, frizzy and feels dry or brittle. The difference between other Olaplex hair products and the new No.8 is that the latter is souped up with a handful of extra ingredients, typically found in skincare but which are shown to have brilliant hair benefits: hyaluronic acid for an extra hit of hydration, ceramides which speed up repair and lock in moisture, and avocado oil, rosehip oil and rice bran oil, all of which nourish dry, brittle strands deeply and provide a glossy finish. Think of it as a more concentrated version of Olaplex No.3. According to Lavinia Popescu, vice president of research and development at Olaplex, No.8 doesn’t contain classical proteins, which can be tricky for some hair types, especially low porosity hair, which typically needs more moisture. This product has been formulated to avoid protein overload so that hair doesn’t become dry and break over time. Left on for just 10 minutes, the mask coats and absorbs into damp hair strands while the cuticle (the outside layer) is open, so it works from the inside out. No.8 is also free from sulphates, making it a safe option for coloured hair and those with a sensitive or reactive scalp. How do you use the Olaplex No.8 Intense Bond Moisture Mask? Suggested to be used once a week, the mask works best on shampooed, towel-dried hair. The brand’s experts suggest applying one to three pumps through mid-lengths to ends, depending on your hair length and thickness. The smart pump allows for just the right amount of product to be applied. The formula isn’t at all greasy or heavy; it feels just like a lightweight styling cream with a subtle orange blossom scent. I used a wide-tooth comb to brush the mask through and applied a little to my roots, which sometimes frizz up. Then I wrapped my hair in a hair turban to lock in heat and maximise results. London-based colourist Samantha Cusick is a huge fan and recommends using the hair mask between salon visits. “You can damage your hair by doing nothing to it,” she says. “This works deep inside the hair structure and everybody has these breakable hair bonds, so everybody benefits. Olaplex is for everybody and every hair type and texture, whether that’s naturally textured hair, virgin hair, colour-treated hair, straight hair and even hair extensions. Curly and natural textured hair tends to need more moisture in particular, and this mask really delivers.” Does the Olaplex No.8 Intense Bond Moisture Mask work? Yes, and the before-and-after pictures are proof. In just 10 minutes, the mask breathed new life into my frazzled, split, twice-dyed lockdown hair. After a quick rinse and rough-dry using the ghd Helios, £159, I gasped. My hair felt smooth, soft and so much easier to manage. My hair has one big wave at the back, which often makes it difficult to wear it natural, but my lengths were so glossy and soft, I felt as though I could ditch my straighteners. This is the first hair product that has made me consider ditching the heat, so it’s already leagues above the aforementioned dupes. When I did go to straighten my hair the next day, it took me all of five minutes and my straighteners glided through my hair without snagging. I’m most impressed by how it minimised my broken hairs, frizzy roots and split ends. I’m in desperate need of a trim but, somehow, my hair looks and feels 10 times healthier. While Olaplex No.8 is not a leave-in product, I applied a pea-sized amount to the ends of my hair for extra smoothness and it worked so well, making it a multipurpose all-rounder. My only complaint is that you have to apply it through towel-dried hair, which means getting out of the shower, waiting 10 minutes for it to work its magic, then jumping back in to rinse it out. For lazy people like me, this is a faff, especially when there are so many brilliant deep conditioners and in-shower hair masks out there. If you’d rather save time, I love Dizziak Deep Conditioner, £22, which uses a handful of oils to nourish parched strands, and BLEACH London Reincarnation Mask, £17, which boasts glycerin to moisturise and strengthen hair. Both products can be used in the shower. That said, in my honest opinion as a beauty editor, the results of Olaplex No.8 are unrivalled. No wonder it has already racked up five-star reviews. I’ll absolutely replace my trusty Olaplex dupes and would suggest stocking up while you can. A product as good as this is bound to sell out soon. Refinery29’s selection is purely editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items we love! As part of our business model we do work with affiliates; if you directly purchase something from a link on this article, we may earn a small amount of commission. Transparency is important to us at Refinery29, if you have any questions please reach out to us. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?This £9.99 Hair Treatment Is The Next OlaplexHow To Curl Hair With Straighteners, By An ExpertIs This High Street Treatment Just Like Olaplex?
Trigger warning: This article contains themes of suicide, trauma and mental health. Last November, I witnessed a stranger taking their own life. At that moment my body experienced the fight-or-flight response, an automatic physiological reaction to an event which is perceived as stressful or frightening. It occurs when the perception of threat activates the sympathetic nervous system and triggers an acute stress response that prepares the body to fight or to flee. My body chose to fight, which is why I was able to respond in the manner that I did. But when I arrived back at my boyfriend’s house after giving a witness statement to the police, my body was still shaking from the shock and my mind kept replaying the incident over and over, trying to fill in the gaps and mostly trying to explore whether there was anything I could have done differently to prevent it from happening. The next day, my doctor signed me off work for five weeks and suggested therapy. As we were in the middle of the pandemic, receiving therapy proved rather difficult. I was unable to access urgent therapy and spent weeks firing off emails to my psychiatrist, GPs and therapy providers until I eventually received an appointment for talking therapy in February of this year. My mental health was in tatters, which in turn impacted my appetite, and I lost two stone in a month. Three months after the incident, I was still experiencing vivid flashbacks, nightmares and was jumpy in response to loud noises. Sometimes I would sit in complete silence. Other days I would randomly weep alone in my room, afraid to leave the house completely. I received six weeks of counselling through my local NHS’s free TherapyForYou service. My counsellor and I went through grounding techniques and talked about my feelings of guilt and my persistent depression and PTSD symptoms, as well as recognising that my previously diagnosed mental health issues and trauma, as well as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (and the stress that comes with it), had made this incident worse. I mentioned in passing that I don’t go anywhere without my hot water bottle and, surprisingly, she said this was normal behaviour for trauma survivors. She said that heat provides comfort and warmth, which is the opposite of how you would feel when your fight-or-flight response kicks in, therefore reminding you that you are safe. According to PTSD UK, hydrotherapy can be useful for PTSD sufferers because it can ease muscle spasms, helps you relax and provides pain relief. This is usually administered via a hydrotherapy pool in which the water is heated to 35 degrees Celsius and patients are encouraged to undertake intense exercises, such as squats underwater. A 2018 study found that water bathing helps to decrease stress hormones such as cortisol, while a Japanese study in 2008 found that foot baths can help to decrease the stress response and bring down the feeling of fight-or-flight. Of course, in the middle of a pandemic, it was near enough impossible to access a hydrotherapy pool or spa. So instead I committed to having a bath every night before bed, per my therapist’s suggestion, and it really helped me to relax, lower my stress levels and put me at ease so I wouldn’t be jumpy. According to Sarah Lee, a UKCP registered psychotherapist who specialises in complex trauma, feeling warm and safe can promote feelings of relaxation and slow our breathing and heart rate. “Most people have heard of the fight/flight response that occurs during stressful or scary incidents,” she tells me. “There are actually five responses that can be triggered: fight/flight/freeze/friend (also known as fawn) and flop. During this stress response, the body activates the sympathetic nervous system and one of the processes that occurs is the direction of blood to the internal organs of the heart, brains and lungs and the large muscles,” adding that this promotes survival and may be required if we actually need to flight or flee. “In trauma,” she continues, “the scary thing is relived and retriggered either by external similarities (I saw/heard/smelled/tasted/felt something that reminds me of something scary) or internal sensations (my heart rate increased which reminds my brain of feeling scared). So we have a situation where the body doesn’t know that the scary episode has finished and re-experiences it as if it were still a threat.” While there are a variety of therapies that work well for trauma survivors, such as hydrotherapy and EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing), the effects may vary from person to person. “Any therapy that helps trauma survivors reconnect with their bodies in a safe and non-threatening way is helpful because trauma survivors often feel betrayed by their body and therefore disconnected from it.” Award-winning senior therapist Sally Baker agrees, although she adds that clinical therapies such as BWRT (brain working recursive therapy), which is designed for trauma and can be completed in three sessions, will be beneficial too because they help to stop the trauma reoccurring. “The core is trauma,” she says. “With BWRT you don’t have to relive the trauma because you already know the narrative. It works content-free, which is really important to keep clients and therapists safe. It works with the subconscious mind, not the narrative.” My free therapy sessions have come to an end and while I may need further therapy to ensure that the trauma is resolved, holding a hot water bottle is a great reminder — for now— that I am well and, most of all, safe. If you are thinking about suicide, please contact Samaritans on 116 123. All calls are free and will be answered in confidence. If you are struggling with your mental health, help is available. Contact Mind on 0300 123 3393 or text 86463. If you need urgent help, call the Samaritans on 116 123. Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?5 Women On What Having PTSD Is Actually LikeHow Nature's Holding Space For Black WomenThe Uni Mental Health Crisis Is Being Ignored
I am staring at a WhatsApp message. It’s from one of my closest friends and contains dates and restaurant names. In the run-up to lockdown easing, she has been making reservations for dinners and drinks like her life depends on it. I know she will see that I have read it. Sometimes I envy older generations, whose social interactions and correspondence were not so surveilled and prone to overanalysis. “Excited,” she types, seeing that I have not yet responded. I put my phone down and look out of the window at the sunset – one of the few things that has punctuated the endless days of this past year. I want to reply but I can’t. Or, perhaps, I don’t want to. These days, I spend almost all of my time at home, in my one-bedroom flat. A little over a year ago my world was wider. I slept at home but I lived outside of it – in coffee shops, the office, pubs, restaurants, other people’s houses. In one pub local to me, I was what you’d call a regular, on first name terms with the staff. I had a similarly cordial relationship with the guy who ran my favourite restaurant. There was nothing special about me, about my experience. To be a regular is, by its nature, to be typical. Aspirational, perhaps, but in the most average way of all. That’s why the plot lines of long-running but unremarkable sitcoms spin out from a place where all the characters’ lives converge: Central Perk in Friends, The Planet in The L Word. Off screen, in real life, these spaces are known as the ‘third place’. The concept was developed by the sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1989 as a way of labelling our shared social environments which are necessary for creating a sense of community and enabling civic engagement in society. Your home is the first place, your work is the second place and communal spaces – pubs, cafés, restaurants – are third places. These social settings, Oldenburg wrote, “host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work” and, far from being superficial, they are at once the foundation of a functioning democracy and crucial to our wellbeing because they offer psychological support. Life without community produced, for many, a lifestyle consisting mainly of a home-to-work-and-back-again shuttle. Social wellbeing and psychological health depend upon community. Ray Oldenburg “Life without community,” Oldenburg said, produced “for many, a lifestyle consisting mainly of a home-to-work-and-back-again shuttle. Social wellbeing and psychological health depend upon community.” Perhaps it is unsurprising that, according to the Office for National Statistics, almost half of adults (48%) reported that their wellbeing was being affected by the pandemic, during which those of us who are not key workers have lived only in our first places. That figure increased to 81% for those who had experienced some form of depression and/or some form of anxiety. And those whose incomes had been impacted, leaving them unable to afford unexpected expenses, as you would expect, were more likely to report experiencing anxiety and/or depression. Sometimes I think that I’ve been happier with less over the past year – fewer social obligations, commitments, hangovers in my calendar. Before all of this I had, by all accounts, a thriving but normal social life. I went out, I stayed in, enjoyed both and thought little of any of it. But something happened to me in the first lockdown. Or maybe I made it happen? Days would pass. I saw no one. I came to dread my phone calls and Zoom quiz invitations, not only because they were full of news of what by then felt to me like mementos of a remote, old life – relationship dramas, break-ups, things which required attention – but because people would ask what I had been doing and the answer was “nothing”. Had I forgotten how to socialise? Did I just not want to? This week, as Britain returns to its beloved third spaces – namely pub gardens but also the outdoor seating areas of restaurants – while some people are waiting at the start line, raring to go, others are apprehensive and anxious. For months at a time we have been shut off from our communities, from in-person interactions with the people and places who held up a mirror to us and helped us to understand our own existence. So if on re-entry to the new old world, you feel a little paralysed by the enervation of having had a shrunken social circle, seen only in limited social settings for so long, you’re not alone. Dr Heather Sequeira is a consultant psychologist. She explains that she is seeing “increased referrals of people seeking help for heightened social anxiety, social stress and, interestingly, intense worries about their appearance.” Anxiety about our looks, Heather notes, has been termed ‘Zoom dysmorphia’ and is likely down to having been so exposed to our own faces over Zoom and video calls. “I now have several new clients with this problem,” she explains, “and I am now seeing this, which once was more associated with the younger ‘Snapchat and Instagram filter generation’, affecting a far wider age spectrum of society. People who have never had these issues before are reporting very high rates of social anxiety and concerns (even obsessions) after excessive exposure to their own and others’ images on screens – repeatedly scrutinising, comparing and analysing appearance.” Almost half of adults (48%) reported that their wellbeing was being affected by the pandemic. All of this change, combined with the fact that we might have seen more of our own reflections than of other people, makes the return to face-to-face socialising understandably daunting. “During the past year,” Heather continues, “we have partially adapted or at least got more used to a lower level of ‘social data’. Our brains have become ‘used to’ processing less data in social situations, much of the time.” This is because so many of our interactions have been filtered through computer and phone screens. When we connect from behind a screen, Heather adds, “we don’t pick up the full subtleties of facial communication and body posture – our brains have simply had less to go on. Plus, those infrequent face-to-face social interactions that we have experienced tend to be ‘transactional’ rather than social: this means social experiences have largely been more predictable, for shorter periods and involving a far narrower range of social dynamics.” In person, there’s so much more to take in: people talk over each other, they smile, they laugh, their bodies wordlessly express a whole range of emotions. “As we slowly return to face-to-face socialising, our brains are having to get used to the ‘full data set’ again,” Heather explains. At first, this might feel overwhelming and exhausting. We might feel anxious and we might feel that we want to avoid it altogether. “It is quite common to feel annoyance, agitation, anxiety etc. as we get used to having to process the full data set again,” she continues. “The example of annoyance at people talking over each other is interesting. My view is that we probably found this behaviour slightly irksome prior to lockdown but that this response has now increased to the level of annoyance and irritation because your brain is having to work far harder (at a non-conscious level) to filter out the excess social stimulation where people compete for our attention while also suppressing the desire to tell people to shut up and speak one at a time.” The introverted side of many of us may have experienced a welcome reprieve from ‘battling’ against social stresses, putting on a ‘confident face’ and constantly having to put ourselves into social situations. Dr Heather SequeirA If all of this sounds exhausting, it’s because it is. And it might explain why the return of socialising in the third places we have so missed and longed to revisit feels like a double-edged sword. Heather notes that another issue is that this shift will “exacerbate things for the more introverted side of ourselves”. A large percentage of people are what’s known as ambiverts. This means they have a mix of extroverted and introverted tendencies. During the lockdowns, however, Heather says that “the introverted side of many of us may have experienced a welcome reprieve from ‘battling’ against social stresses, putting on a ‘confident face’ and constantly having to put ourselves into social situations.” It follows that our stress, agitation and anxiety may significantly increase once we go back into a world that values sociability. Those of us who are now in our 30s are the first generation to carry the burden of always knowing what our friends and acquaintances are doing because of social media, of seeing other people’s lives unfold in real time on a loop. It has spawned a fear of missing out (FOMO) and prompted others to counteract that by trying to find the joy of missing out (JOMO). But beyond the acronyms designed to give us a concise handle on complex feelings lies a more fundamental truth about our experience of modern life: because everyone is visible, because we are visible, our behaviours and identities are always being constructed and justified in relation to other people’s lives. During these lockdowns, that has been diminished. It will take some time to readjust, to navigate social situations in third places again. Those of us who have mostly been at home will have to take time to define ourselves as part of a community, remembering and, even, reevaluating who we are when we are out in the world, surrounded by other people and not alone. “Social situations may initially give us the ‘introvert hangover’,” Heather explains. “They might make us more tired, depleted of energy, more annoyed and we may experience more falling out or disruptions in our alliances with people around us.” However, it will get easier. “This stress response should gradually reduce over the weeks that follow,” Heather adds. “Just being aware of these factors and the reasons why we are experiencing increased stress can help. Our brains are just adapting back again to full-on socialising, so bring this knowledge and awareness to the situation and be kind to yourself and others. It will all gradually feel more back to normal as the weeks go on.” Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Why I'm Not Sure I Want To Leave LockdownHow Lockdown Has Made Body Dysmorphia WorseHere's Why You Keep Running Out Of Breath On Zoom
A sedentary lifestyle was found to be a bigger risk factor than smoking.
Yahoo Style