How to Prevent Stretch Marks

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It’s all about prevention when it comes to stretch marks, those deep, dreaded lines of scar tissue that develop as a result of pregnancy or shifts in weight. They’re much more challenging to get rid of than to fend off in the first place, as we can personally attest thanks to our multiple attempts at fading the ones we’ve had since puberty (how were we supposed to know?!).

We’ll try not to go into the science of how they come to be—basically, stretch marks are caused by a tear in connective tissue, which sounds way more violent than it is—but we will happily impart the wisdom of the best approaches for preventing those tears from occurring.

Add gelatin to your diet.Anything that increases your skin’s elasticity is a win in the battle against stretch marks, and collagen is the thing that keeps your skin supple. Gelatin, derived from the bones and joints of animals, isn’t a vegan-friendly ingredient, but if you’re a meat eater, it’s one of the best ways to encourage the collagen production that’s so necessary to maintaining youthful skin. Make an effort to drink bone broth, which is the most concentrated way to consume gelatin, every day—you can use it in soups, gravies, sauces, and more, and it’s pretty delicious, too.

DIY Hair Mask Recipes

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Sometimes the best hair treatments aren’t in the beauty aisle, but in the pantry. “The most obvious
benefit [to DIY hair treatment] is financial, but other benefits include the ability to customize treatments for your own special needs,” says Kyle White, lead colorist at Oscar Blandi Salon in NYC. “If you have a specific oil you prefer for its scent or unique benefits, you can use that more heavily, or if you have allergies to certain ingredients then you can avoid them.” Here are some of his favorite recipes for hair masks that you can mix up in your kitchen.


Enhance Your Hair Color
Brunettes can tone down brassiness with a grape Kool-Aid or coffee rinse. For redheads, use a cranberry rinse or cherry Kool-Aid to add vibrancy and shine. Blondes can enhance golden tones by combing through a glass of champagne. “The champagne color will bring out any golden highlights while the carbonation gives volume and shine,” says White. To combat brassiness in blonde hair, use a drop of purple food coloring in your shampoo to neutralize the orange tone.