Just kidding. There are way more than two. Or you could be a totally beautiful person and never know these two secrets. Anyway, these are two very important things to me at this particular point in my life, and I’ve gotten a lot of requests to explain how and why I use them the way I do!

1. Rosehip Seed Oil

Purpose: I use rosehip seed oil as my moisturizer, scar remover/healer, acne prevention + treatment, ph balancer, anti-aging, pretty-much-everything product. I’ve stopped using facial cleansers because I noticed they were stripping my skin, and I was really only using them to prevent breakouts – which rosehip seed oil does. It’s the only skincare product I use, and I no longer need foundation/concealer. I do use Mac Face & Body Foundation for special occasions, important meetings, nights out. It’s lighter than their other foundations, and lets my skin breathe.

How often to use: I should probably apply it every morning and evening, but it’s really either/or. I recommend using it faithfully for 2-3 weeks if you’re trying to correct a dry skin issue or breakouts. I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW you’ve been told your whole life that oil = breakouts, but that’s not true! : )

How to use: Rinse your face with lukewarm water. Pat dry. Squirt 2-5 drops in your hand and use your fingertips to rub it into your face and neck. It’s SO light (not heavy, like coconut oil) that you can use a lot and your skin will absorb it all. If applying foundation/concealer after, I recommend waiting 5-10 minutes, but I’ve put it only directly afterwards when I’m in a rush. If you’re all like but oh mah gawd I need to exfoliate and how will my skin be clean without my bottle that says Cleanser on it, just rub your skin gently with a washrag or shower brush while you’re in the shower a couple times a week and you’ll honestly be fine. It’s water and rubbing that carries away dirt + bacteria, not chemicals.

What brand to get: I’ve used AuraCacia and Simplers Botanicals. So long as the bottle you find IS NOT FOR AROMATHERAPY, or mixed with other products, it should be fine.

What the heck are rosehips: Rose plants make fruit! I know right? I had no idea. They look like this and are the little fruit/seed pods of roses. They are packed full of Vitamin C, lycopene (anti-oxidant), Vitamin A, essential fatty acids, and other things that work as anti-inflammatories.

Where to purchase: Your local health food store, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or online. Here’s some on Amazon that’s only $11 and it’s what I currently use!

But I have sensitive skin: Yes, exactly. That’s why you should be using a single, pure ingredient – and not a mixture of synthetic things.

2. Suave Dry Shampoo

Purpose: Add volume and texture. Enables you to stop washing your hair every single day (bad for it) but not look gross. I have a lot of other tips for hair (particularly long, thick hair) over here on this other post too!

How often to use: Wheneverrrrrrr

How to use: Only use on dry hair. Hold the nozzle about 1-3 inches from your hair and practice spraying in short, sweeping bursts along your roots. After spraying, rub it in with the palm of your hand. I usually work my way around the crown of my head just so I get good lift and volume (and soak up all the oil) from all directions. Some people wait to put this in until Day 2 or Day 3 (whenever their hair gets oily) but I do it on Day 1 frequently to help add volume immediately.

What brand to get: I’ve tried a lot of $30-$40 bottles of dry shampoo and Suave’s $3 dry shampoo really, truly is the best I’ve found.

Where to purchase: CVS, Target, Walgreens, Amazon.

But not showering is gross: Okay you can SHOWER, you just don’t have to wash your hair every single time. <3

@laurendubinsky your recommendation of the @SuaveBeauty dry shampoo has changed my life.

— Britainy Beck (@BritainyBeck) February 28, 2014

@laurendubinsky I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, but I've used rose hip seed oil for 4 days and it's fixing everything!!!

— Hannah Mendenhall (@ImmerWachsen) December 27, 2013

This weekend I read another delightful article from a well-meaning man, talking about how if you dress modestly, you’ll attract a man for who you are, and if you wear revealing clothes, you’ll only attract men who are interested in your body.

After being calmed from my hysterics by my dear husband and his friend, and talking it all out, I decided to pen a few words that I believe all of us girls should remember when reading or listening to other people talk about how we should dress and what our clothes say about us as a person.

1a. How People Work. Yes, your clothes have the ability to say things about you. But one thing we leave out of this conversation is the nuts + bolts part of how communication works. What we say isn’t always what people hear. People hear and read (make discernments and assumptions) based on their worldview, and that is utterly uncontrollable. If you wear something to express beauty and someone else “hears” that you’re an immoral or too-sexually available woman, that’s not your fault or responsibility.

1b. Clothes and Assumptions. We all use clothing as a form of expression. Sometimes they express styles and color palettes we love, and sometimes they express that we are confident in ourselves, or that we aren’t. [On late Sunday nights, my sweatpants express that I’m exhausted and comfort trumps anything anyone thinks about me, hah.] What they can’t do is express the position of someone else’s heart or what kind of value they have as a person, or what they believe spiritually or religiously. Never let someone tell you that your sexy self on a Friday night out reflects the fact that you have Daddy issues or low self-esteem or don’t have a close relationship with Jesus. Just because a person exudes confidence or appreciation in their body doesn’t mean they are shallow. Study up on the logical fallacies, darlings.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT NOTE TO MY GIRLFRIENDS: Making assumptions about a girl’s character or priorities based on how she dresses SLAUGHTERS our ability as women to befriend other women. It’s not a competition or a Holiness Assessment Game unless you decide it is, and that will keep you from making friendships with incredible girls.

2. Individuals Don’t Speak for Everyone. No man can speak for all men, and no woman can speak for all women. A lot of us girls like to hear men’s opinions on things, AS WE SHOULD. It’s awesome when genders interact. However, we often make the mistake that one man giving his personal opinion about how he perceives women when they dress a certain way is what ALL men perceive. That “awesome man” writing that “awesome article” about sexiness or modesty in women? Remember that he had parents, was raised a certain way, had certain life experiences, went to certain churches, lives in a certain city, had men and women in his life tell him certain things – – and that’s how all of our beliefs get molded and defined, and in the end, they are individual opinions and views. “He” doesn’t necessarily think like all other potentially dateable men, all other good men, or your husband.

3. Cultural context. Clothing is cultural, and I don’t mean just international. There are plenty of outfits in my wardrobe as a 25 year old woman in Los Angeles that I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing in Alabama or Ohio or even the Carolinas. And that’s not because I’m suddenly more convicted when I’m on the East coast, or because men there are more susceptible to lust. It’s because cultural dress is very different in Los Angeles, and what would be shocking to a midwestern small town is “totes adorb” and quite normal here in Hollywood. I dress to be comfortable, attractive, and sometimes sexy if I feel like it that day – but I personally don’t go for the gawked-at outfits. (If you do, MORE POWER TO YA, WOMAN.) The Internet is awesome, but it often means we’re living in one place listening to another person speak about how what’s culturally acceptable in their city or country, not ours.

4. Fear Of Beauty and Sexuality. Don’t be modesty-ed into being terrified of being noticed or being attractive. Often when we say things like “the good men will notice you if you’re modest!” and, “selfish men will just want your body if your shirt is revealing!” we come, naturally, to the conclusion that to be noticed for our beauty, sexiness, or good looks will be terrifying and even dangerous. Not only is this conclusion harmful to both us and men, it’s simply not true. All men (and women) notice attractive people, and that’s totally okay. We all notice how people look before anything else. That isn’t shallow; it’s how our eyeballs work. It used to be that if a guy openly noticed me for my looks or complimented me, I felt like my boundaries had been plowed down and that he’d thought I was an easy girl who would say yes to going home with him. In the real world, he was just complimenting me. But in my terror-by-way-of-modesty-brain, I assumed he was making judgements about my character or revealing his own.  And HOLY CRAP that makes normal conversations with strangers and friends nearly impossible. It also can force us into choose each mornings whether or not we’re going to “be good and not feel attractive” or if we’re going to say, “to hell with it, I just want to look awesome today.” 

5. If You Want Guidance On How To Dress. If you’re set on dressing in a way to please or attract good men, remember that good men (and nearly all men) are attracted to confident women, and they can determine that based on your posture and whether or not you “hide” [physically and emotionally] in your clothes. I put this pretty brutally because it’s a painful war I’ve been fighting since I got married to The Best Husband Ever. I feel the sting myself as I say it, and I write it to hopefully nudge a few of you girls into learning to be confident in your body. My husband can tell when I’m hiding my body either in fear or because I’m ashamed of it, and he tries to help remind me that I’m a beautiful woman and can be confident in that. He loves when I wear things that fit well, that show off my figure, and give off the comfortable-in-my-sexiness vibe. Not because he’s just looking to see a little more boob, but because he wants me to embrace the woman that I am.

6. Lust vs Attraction. Hey dudes – Just want to make sure you know that noticing how sexy or attractive a woman is ISN’T lust. This is probably really relieving to some of you. You don’t have to guilt trip yourself for your sin every time you notice a pretty girl or a hot girl. Also, if you try to assess which girls are morally sound, are emotionally healthy, and love Jesus, DON’T SKIP OVER THE SEXY ONES. She didn’t choose that body just for you, God gave it to her. That body doesn’t define what kind of person she is. And she isn’t necessarily whoring out her cleavage, she just feels confident and beautiful in how God made her. I’ll say it again: observing isn’t lust.

7. You have the right to be you, whoever that is. How you dress is up to you, it’s no one’s place to assume things about your moral caliber by it. If you choose to dress more on the covered side, there is NOTHING wrong with that! For those of you new to “the modesty debate,” I’m sure you’re relieved to hear someone say it’s okay to show a little more leg. But for those of you familiar with the modesty culture discussions, I know you can feel judged for wanting to show less than others. At the end of the day, remember that how you choose to dress is none of my business. And I will never assume something about you because of how much you reveal, or how little you do. Make your what-do-I-show and what-do-I not decisions on what is appropriate for where you’ll be today, and what will make you comfortable and confident. Don’t make those decisions to protect men from their ‘uncontrollable thoughts’ or because it will take a hit on your morality or value as a person.

END THOUGHT: As Christians, we should view everyone as a person with immeasurable value who was created by God and who is our equal in all things, and letting someone’s clothing choices alter that view should have no place in our life. End of story.

FOR DISCUSSION: A lot of us have been pulled aside or confronted by people in our church to be rebuked for how we dress. How have you handled it? What words did you use to explain yourself? A lot of us simply don’t know what to do or what to say in this moment. What’s a good way to stand up for yourself graciously and respectfully?

Comments arguing for modesty absolutism or our responsibility to keep men from lust will be moderated. Thank you in advance for understanding the intended nature of this post. 

I’ve been putting off this post for about two years now, mostly because I feel like I wrestle with my hair daily, so I’m the last person to be promising you all these Magical Secret Solutions. But, then I realized that I’ve learned some things in my fighting, so I’m HERE TO SHARE. Haha.

It’s important to note that my tips probably won’t work for you unless your hair is really similar to mine: long, thick (in amount), and fine (in diameter of hair strands). It’s VERY important to know the difference between your amount of hair and the nature of your hair strands. A lot of us are told at one point, “oh your hair is so thick!” and don’t realize that ehhhhhhh that doesn’t really explain our hair that well. For example, you could have an average (or even less than) amount of hair, but your strands are really coarse – and it would seem thick to you, but really, you just have course, heavy hair!

MOVING ON.

1. I only wash my hair twice a week. Natural hair oils are a gift, if you know how to use them. Infrequent washing keeps your hair from being stripped, helps your scalp stay healthy, is just overall a good thing. The longer than you can go without washing your hair, the more dry shampoo, and the more volume/texture. : )

2. Shampoo & Conditioner. I swear by good conditioner, but shampoo is pretty important too. You don’t want something that strips your head, or coats it in wax (all Pantene products). Right now I’m using Davine’s stuff, and I love it. If you only have money to spend on one, pick the conditioner. It comes in a pot and lasts forrrevverrr. If your hair is uber-stripped from over bleaching or something, rub coconut oil through it and let it sit for 10-15 mins before showering.

3. Brush your hair in the shower. If you have long hair you’re probably already doing this to get the tangles out, but make sure you brush or comb your conditioner through your hair. Otherwise you only condition like 1/3 of your head. And ONLY condition the lower 2/3 of your hair. Don’t get close to your scalp. That weighs down your hair. No volume for you. : (

4. Dry your hair half-way, upside-down. Flip your head upside down to blow dry it. I don’t blow dry completely because that usually frizz-es me out, and it’s really easy to fry your hair when you have SO MUCH THAT YOU JUST HAVE TO BLOW DRY FOREVER AND EVER.

< friendly note > Make sure your hair has finished air drying before continuing to the next step.< /friendly note >

5. $3 Suave dry shampoo. You can also use baby powder, but I highly recommend Suave’s aerosol can since it doesn’t result in me accidentally dousing my shirt in white stuff or smelling like a baby’s butt. You can get this at Target or your drugstore. Shake the can, and hold it 2-4 inches from your scalp. Spray liberally (but not so much your hair turns white!) and then rub it in with your fingertips or palm of your hand. I usually work my way around the crown of my head just so I get good lift and volume (and soak up all the oil) from all directions. Some people wait to put this in until Day 2 or Day 3 (whenever their hair gets oily) but I do it right out of the shower to help add volume immediately. I re-apply whenever I need.

6. Teasing/back-combing. Dry shampoo is my Epic Secret #1, and this is Epic Secret #2. If you’ve never done it, it’ll take a little practice to figure out how your hair needs to be teased. Don’t be too aggressive. Start your comb at 2-3″ from your scalp and backcomb towards your scalp, and then you can do a loose backcomb at about 4-6″ if you want super intense volume, but I recommend waiting to do this until after your hair is fully styled.

7. Natural waves. If your hair is like mine, it does its own thing every day. Some days it waves or lays nicely, others I just run through it REALLY loosely with a flat iron, but sometimes I want some prettier looking waves (Read: Calmer. Heat, for some reason, just does beautiful things to hair like ours). Use a 1.5″-2″ curling iron and wrap chunks of your hair around, but DON’T go all the way to the ends. You can run it through the ends briefly just to “seal” or “treat,” but don’t actually include it in part of the curl. Hold the curl for a few seconds before you release. The curl will loosen, and if you don’t wrap your hair all the way to the ends, it will retain a natural wavy look. This is a good video for how to use the curling iron, though this girl has significantly less hair than I do, and they didn’t add volume to her hair.

8. Salt water spray. This is a new fad, but you don’t have to spend $30 on it. Just get a little 99 cent spray bottle from Target or JoAnn’s, fill it with water, and put 1-2 teaspoons of salt in it. Shake well. Salt water drys out your hair a little bit, but gives it a lotttt of texture. This is what you’ll have to experiment with the most. IF YOU USE SALT WATER SPRAY, make sure you flip your head upside down and re-dry with the blow dryer. Soaking your hair will make it all go flat again. Weight of any kind is your enemy. Also, experiment with doing it at different stages in the process. Like right before the dry shampoo.

9. Tease/backcomb again. Or add in more dry shampoo. If you have little baby wisps or fuzzies around your face, you can touch up with a flat iron.

10. Remember to create more volume in the bathroom than you actually want. BE BRAVE. Your hair will fall naturally, so over do it at first. : )

Don’t be frustrated if your hair doesn’t look as amazing as you want the day you take a shower and try all this. Day 3 is best for me, and it might be Day 2 or Day 6 for you. Play around with backcombing and salt water spray and dry shampoo til you find how it all works best for you.

A few months ago I stumbled across a new company called True&Co that had a relatively new model for lingerie shopping. I eyed their products for a month or so, and then decided to test out the whole “shopping from home” thing. I’m notorious for trying on a million things in the store and only purchasing one, if that, so I didn’t anticipate online shopping for bras to work out too well. Especially because I’m in-between on band AND cup sizes. It’s just difficult for me.

True&Co has you answer a detailed but brief questionnaire, and then they send 5 bras to your home. You give a $45 deposit, try on the bras when they arrive, and slap the return label on the box and send back the ones you decide not to keep within 7 days. All shipping both ways is free, and the bras are priced between $35-$60 apiece (less than Victoria’s Secret now, mind you. AND they run sales all the time.). If you don’t keep any, they refund the $45, and the whole experience has cost you $0.

When you answer the questionnaire and order your box, you get to choose 3 from the shop and they choose 2 that they believe will fit you best. (THEY’RE A SURPRISE. I LOVE SURPRISES.) When I got them? All. Five. Bras. Fit. And they were the most comfortable bras I’d ever worn in my life.

I just received my second order from True&Co yesterday, and have now taken it upon myself to be their #1 biggest fan. Below are photos of 5 True&Co bras that I have in my possession right now. If you’d like to try them out too, click here and use the code: LAUREN15! You’ll get 15% off for being referred by me. <3 PS. After you complete your first "intro box" with 5 bras, you are given a personal shop on their website, so the only bras you see are bras that are in your size, and in styles that compliment your shape and figure! So incredibly great.

Alright. So, who has done it?!

I see Groupons all the time for it, but I don’t know much about it, and I am moderately terrified of possible scarring, spider veins, or my skin falling off.

I don’t know if these are actually possible side effects, so I thought I’d ask all you girls.

+ Have you done it? Legs, underarms, bikini, elsewhere?

+ Have you thought about doing it/will you do it if I will?

I’d just really love to never shave my glorious legs ever ever again.

And I’m offended that razor cartridges are like $28 for a 4 pack.

.