Lots of new longform content for you this month!
Latest posts on Instagram and TikTok:
These have been trending on social media. I talked about them in a YouTube video late last year (More Products I Refuse to Use), but I didn’t feel like I explained it as well as I could’ve, so this is a restructured infographic version.
I’m still not happy with some of the explanation, so there’ll be a longer YouTube video on this in the future!
When I debunk a woman, even if I speak entirely about the facts and not about the person, I often get told I’m “hating on women”, “women should support other women”, I’m a terrible bully… this is my response to those criticisms.
Misinformation unfortunately always impacts the least privileged the most, so this is actually using feminism as a shield to uplift one woman at the expense of a lot of other women.
A review of a product I can’t stop using - Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid (affiliate link)
Do you need heat protectant before hot pilates classes? (No, but it can make your hair feel nicer, but so can other products)
Washington Post says you need to be careful of phthalates in fragrances - you don’t
A sponsored post highlighting No 7’s research. They have a long-running collaboration with the University of Manchester, and 47% of the volunteers in their latest clinical trials had melanin-rich skin tones, which is unfortunately very rare. (This mention isn’t sponsored, I just thought this was cool!)
You don’t need mineral sunscreen to get rid of hyperpigmentation - ashiness is NOT a requirement!! I get very upset when I see this myth, because very few people need to use mineral sunscreens (though you can use them if you prefer them - the best sunscreen is one you enjoy, and can apply enough of, regularly!)
This is a Stylevana-sponsored video - excitingly, the first 400 people to use my discount code INF10MUFFIN get the Purito Mighty Bamboo Panthenol Cream as a free gift with purchase!
For this video I chose a bunch of products with great reviews from Purito, Celimax, Round Lab, Pyunkang Yul and Centellian 24 to try out for myself, including some cleansing balms and sunscreens, and a cult favourite cleanser.
I also tried Centellian 24’s Madeca Cream, which is a household-name in Korea - it’s essentially Korea’s equivalent of La Roche-Posay’s Cicaplast Balm!
You can watch this on YouTube.
I did a video on Olaplex back in 2018, and in it I presented how it was designed to work. Since then, a lot more info has come out about how it (and other bond builders) actually work, so here’s the correction/update on YouTube and Nebula!
I did a video on how hair and water interact in late 2024 (Is hydration destroying your hair? The real science). This is one of the most misunderstood topics in hair science, and it can completely change how you approach your haircare routine - it certainly did for me!
Unfortunately I agree to do far more things than I have capacity for, and I always make my projects more complicated than they need to be (working on this 😭), so I didn’t get around to writing up the blog versions until right before the bond builder video went live. But they’re out now, for those of you who prefer reading!
It’s broken up in to 3 sections, because it turns out I talk really fast, and can cram 3 articles’ worth of info into an 18 minute video.
Hair, hydration and water - Explains the basics of what’s going on. There’s a lot of analogies that might seem weird if you don’t already know the topic, but I swear people who know the topic think they’re genius, it’s definitely not just me being a weirdo…
Does water damage hair? The myth of “hygral fatigue” - Yes, this is one of those myths that comes partly from peer-reviewed papers!
Hair porosity tests are a lie - If you’ve ever dropped your hair into water to try to work out which hair products to use (I have, this is a safe space!), this explains why it doesn’t work. The video version features me successfully floating a paper clip on water!
Videos I enjoyed recently, which coincidentally have an “Emily” theme:
Emily Graslie’s video on the true crime history of solar energy
Rabbit Hole’s video about office chairs (this is a new channel by Emily Zhang who used to work at Veritasium)
If you have kids, Emily’s Science Lab is fantastic - here’s some fun surface tension experiments that don’t involve hair porosity!
My obsession for the last couple of months has been reverse engineering the extremely addictive chicken avocado sandwich you can get at 7-Eleven in Australia, and I think I’ve finally gotten to something that is close enough and just as satisfying. My process is chaotic, so this is a bit of a “measure with your heart” situation, sorry…
Poach chicken breasts and chop into cubes - I use this method from Recipe Tin Eats (RIP Dozer)
Mix mayo (not too much), lemon juice, crushed fresh garlic, dijon mustard, dried tarragon, diced red onion, diced celery (or celery salt, or both - but I feel like I need more vegetables in my life), then add the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste
Mix cream cheese and avocado (roughly 1:2), spread on bread or crackers before piling the chicken mix on
Me in other places recently:
Chemical & Engineering News: acid ingredients in skincare
The ABC: retinoids in pregnancy
The BBC: teenage skincare
Sock progress:
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