Lush Toothy Tabs and Powder Review

Lush Toothy Tabs and Powder Review

Toothpaste isn’t a product I’ve ever felt the need to experiment with, since almost every brand looks the same and feels the same to me, so I was intrigued when I saw Lush’s tooth products, which are completely dry – which totally confused me until I remembered that you brush your teeth beside a tap, and saliva exists, so it’ll …

Read more

Does Biotin Work for Brittle Nails?

Does Biotin Work for Brittle Nails?

Biotin, also known as vitamin B7 or vitamin H, pops up in every supplement marketed for strengthening hair and nails. Do biotin supplements actually work for brittle nails? The answer is – it depends. Gah! Read on for the gory details… Are you getting enough biotin in your diet? Nutritional supplements generally only make a difference if you’re not getting …

Read more

Does Drinking More Water Improve Your Skin?

Does Drinking More Water Improve Your Skin

“Drink more water to clear up your skin” is popular common sense advice, but is there any science to back it up? Surprisingly, there wasn’t evidence that drinking more water could improve your skin until very recently! Let’s have a look at what the science says… There’s nothing to back up drinking 2 litres of water a day First off, …

Read more

The Science of How Fake Tan Works

arm-leg-fake-tan

These days we’re all aware that suntans give you both cancer and wrinkles, so fake tan is the colour du jour. This miracle-in-a-can stains the skin brown through an interesting chemical reaction. The outer layer of your skin, made up of dead skin cells, is permanently coloured. The tan wears away as the skin cells come off. Here’s how it …

Read more

Is Triphenyl Phosphate (TPHP) in Nail Polish Dangerous?

nail-TPHP-levels

The news broke recently that nail polish can harm your health (again!). This time, it’s triphenyl phosphate, a chemical used in nail polish to increase flexibility – it’s also used as a fire retardant. It’s a potential endocrine disruptor (“it could make you fat!”), and was found to be increased around seven-fold – or so it was reported. In particular, …

Read more

Fact-check: What’s to blame for the Mentality Nail Polish problems?

mentality-nail-detachment-dmm-nails

Update (2018-12-05): Since Danny of Mentality Nail Polish has generously sent me a cease and desist for defamation as seen in the comments section, I’d like to interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to clarify (even though I think it’s pretty damn clear already) that the causes of the issues are science-based opinion and speculation.  Welcome to every nail polish lover’s …

Read more

Fact-check: The Lead in Lipstick is Safe

lead-lipstick-hoax

This “lead in lipstick” hoax has been going around Facebook again – it’s actually pretty ancient (goes back to the early 2000s) and refuses to die. Here’s one version: All the versions of this chain email are slightly different but all have the same themes… and all are BS. There’s a whole bunch of wrong in this scary-sounding PSA. Firstly: …

Read more

Fact-check: Don’t Get Burnt by DIY Sunscreen

diy-sunscreen-bad

You may have seen DIY sunscreen recipes going around on blogs and Pinterest, promising safe sun protection with gentle, natural ingredients. Generally the ingredients will be zinc oxide, a popular physical sunscreen ingredient (often in the form of diaper rash cream), and some plant oils such as coconut oil. Now, I am partial to a bit of DIY skincare. I …

Read more