Blow-drying curly hair is a physics problem: too much airflow blasts curl pattern into frizz, too much heat bakes it. Since our last guide, the answer changed shape — brushless high-speed dryers with heat sensors took over, the diffuser became the most important part of the box, and a couple of our old favorites quietly left the market. Here’s the honest 2026 field, from $40 to $450.
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“Automatic” curling split into two species since our last guide: the honest motorized curlers that spin hair around a hot barrel for you ($50-230), and the air-powered multi-stylers — Dyson’s Airwrap and its challengers — that wrap hair on a cushion of airflow with barely any heat at all ($200-750). Both deliver the same promise: curls without the wrist choreography and without clamp kinks. Here’s what survived, what died, and what to buy in 2026.
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The flat iron matters more than ever for Black hair — because the alternative changed. Since the NIH’s Sister Study linked frequent chemical straightener use to elevated uterine cancer risk, and the FDA proposed (but has still not finalized) a ban on formaldehyde in smoothing products, the silk press has become the default straight look. That puts the tool, its plates and its temperature dial at the center of hair health. Here’s the honest 2026 field.
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Our old headline promised inches of growth in weeks. We owe you better, so here’s the science first: low-level laser therapy for thinning hair is real — three separate meta-analyses of randomized trials find significantly increased hair density versus sham devices — but the effect is modest, slow (expect 4-6 months before the mirror agrees), and it works best alongside minoxidil, not instead of it. With expectations calibrated, the devices below are the ones with actual FDA clearances behind them, checked directly against the FDA’s database.
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The tampon aisle changed more in the last three years than in the previous twenty: a headline-making study found trace metals in tampons, the FDA answered it with its own testing, Playtex and o.b. changed owners, and Tampax’s organic line quietly vanished. This 2026 rewrite of our guide covers what’s actually on the shelf now — and clears up the scary headlines first.
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Our original guide reviewed nineteen cloth pads. Since then the reusable-period world has been turned upside down: period underwear went mainstream, the market leader got caught with forever chemicals in its fabric, and the company that invented the cloth-pad category changed its name. This 2026 rewrite covers both cloth pads and period underwear — and only brands whose fabric has independently tested clean.
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When we first published this guide, we reviewed twenty cups — because in 2016 the market was a wild west of tiny brands. A decade later the field has consolidated around a handful of excellent, medical-grade silicone cups sold in every Target, and a whole new shape has arrived: the menstrual disc. This full 2026 rewrite covers both, and what happened to the brands we used to recommend.
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Have you ever wondered what the benefits of applying coconut oil after shaving are? What about shaving with coconut oil?
It is time to say goodbye to shaving cream once and for all ladies. There is another option that will leave your skin looking like something out of a modeling magazine. What is one of the best oils for shaving you might ask? It’s simple: coconut oil.
Once applied, it will moisturize your skin and make it slippery enough to shave it with ease, making it the best oil to shave with.
So, how can you shave with coconut oil, and what is the result? Keep on scrolling to find out more!
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Hair laser removal is increasingly becoming a popular procedure. This treatment is probably the best way to deal with unwanted hair. This remedy is especially suited for individual struggling with thick and fast-growing hair, face constant razor burn and ingrown hairs.
Weighing the benefits brought forward by laser hair removal, you might prefer this method. (more…)
So the sun’s out. As well as removing layers of clothing, many of us are looking to remove some body hair. When you’re after smooth, hair-free skin, your choice of hair removal method can be a personal choice.
Maybe you’ve tried out different hair removal treatments and found waxing to be best for you. But maybe you’re still stuck on which type of hair removal wax to use.
Waxing is the preferred choice of hair removal for many women – and for good reason. Waxed hairs are removed from the root, resulting in softer regrowth than shaved hairs. Pulling the hairs out from the root can weaken the root, meaning hairs grow back finer over time.
Another big plus women can enjoy with waxing is that you get to enjoy smoother legs for longer. Although you may initially spend slightly more time waxing than say – shaving, the results last from 3 to 6 weeks, so overall time can be saved. (more…)
