It’s been hot in L.A. Not quite the sweltering heat Paris is experiencing but we’ve been hovering in the high ’90s. This weekend, we decided if you can’t beat the heat, join it and headed with friends on a quick backpacking trip to Punch Bowl, near Ojai—where it’s even hotter, but there are also more swimming holes to cool off in. It was all the things you might expect: sweaty, exhausting, replenishing, and incredibly fun. When we arrived back to our apartment Sunday evening, we laid out like starfishes in front of our fan, even more thankful for creature comforts. Here’s what else I’m loving this week:
On a recent girls’ weekend, a friend told me that she’d had her IUD removed that day. She’d first gotten it out of convenience, but after doing her own research decided to embrace her natural cycle. I have an IUD and love it for the convenience (happy to talk more about that, if anyone wants?), but our conversation made me realize that, although I’ve been on some sort of birth control since I was 15, I’ve never thought twice about the impact it may be having on my body so I asked my friend for a reading list. I’m not saying I’m going to get my IUD taken out, or implying that anyone should go on/off birth control (any medical decision is personal, but especially this one!), but I personally feel so much more empowered to make an informed decision about my body after checking out the following resources:
I started my “period journey” if you will by listening to Deliciously Ella’s podcast episode on Period Power (side note: I now love this podcast), then read Period Power by Maisie Hill and WomanCode by Alisa Vitti. Next, I downloaded the app Flo, a period tracking app (there’s an expensive premium version, but I just use the free version). I’m going to be honest with you: I’m a big believer in taking the advice of trained, vetted experts I trust, and I very much trust my gynecologist, who assured me that an IUD is safe for my body. There is a very fine line between doing supplemental medical research and self-diagnosing via WebMD that I never want to cross, but there was also a lot I didn’t know about or fully understand. Women’s health is still a fairly new field. It never hurts to educate yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=604JeF9RNu8
When Friends from College ended after just two seasons, I basically went into mourning. Four Weddings and Funeral, which came out today, stars Missandei, I mean Nathalie Emmanuel. It isn’t quite as clever, but it is completely watchable and charming, the beach read equivalent of a miniseries (it even has a cameo from Andie MacDowell, everyone’s favorite 90s leading lady). Watch it here!
When I got my hair cut and colored last week at Spoke and Weal in L.A., I asked the same question I always do: How do I solve or disguise my chronically greasy hair? I try to sweat every day so blowouts don’t stand a chance, but even when I don’t workout I still find that I have to wash my hair every day. Christine Thompson, founder of Spoke and Weal, suggested I do two things:
1.) Just rinse it: Instead of shampooing my hair every time I exercise, just rinse it. The sweat looks greasy, but I should really just think of it like salt water.
2.) Use micellar water: Christine suggested that rather than washing it with shampoos that can strip the good oil that keeps my hair healthy, I spritz it with this “Rinseless Refresh,” a new product Aveda recently came out with. I’ve been using it for the past week, then following it up by letting it air-dry or going over it with this $15 blowdry brush (another product I’m newly obsessed with after learning about it here).
Last week, Outdoor Voices released a branded blog, The Recreationalist, and it’s actually great (as long as you’re okay with every single person on it wearing leggings and #doingthings). There are some worth-while playlists, profiles, product recs, and interviews. Check it out here!
