Not only does barley have a wonderfully nutty flavor and a chewy, hearty texture, but it’s also a nutritious, high-fiber grain that boasts an array of health benefits. In fact, it’s been linked to improved blood sugar levels, appetite regulation, and the reduction of cardiovascular disease (as much so as oats!), according to a new research review conducted by St. Michael’s Hospital. “Barley has a lowering effect on the total bad cholesterol in … high-risk individuals, but can also benefit people without high cholesterol,” Dr....

If you need to cool off your house (or yourself), try these cooling strategies—though if temperatures rise too high, it’s best to seek out an air-conditioned location, like libraries, movie theaters, and cooling stations, near you. How to Keep Your House From Getting Hot The old saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” definitely applies when it comes to keeping your house cool. These strategies can help you keep your house cool without air conditioning—or help reduce the amount of energy you need to keep it cool if you do have an air conditioner....

You don’t need to have had lash extensions to use a lash serum regularly, of course. In fact, ever since I started using a lash serum regularly, I opt for lash extensions less and less. But that also doesn’t mean that every lash serum out there is going to give you the Bambi lashes of your dreams. So, we tapped Dendy Engelman, M.D., FACMS, FAAD, board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York City, to break down exactly what you should be looking for in an effective lash growth serum....

The shimmery aesthetic isn’t your average glittery accent; it’s a whole other beast. To get the lowdown on the look, and to learn how to achieve it from home, we reached out to Morgan Taylor Lacquer’s Morgan Haile and Sally Hansen partner Hannah Lee. Keep reading for their pro tips. What are velvet nails? First thing’s first: The velvet mani isn’t actually velvet. It’s all an illusion, and the surface of the nail is actually flat and one-dimensional....

If you’ve just bought a brand new hammock—or you’re simply trying to figure out how to hang it before you invest in one—here’s how to make sure that every afternoon in your hammock is as wonderful as the first. 7 Tips for Hanging a Hammock For more temporary placements, look for a pair of sturdy trees at least 10 to 15 feet apart. Generally, trees at least 12 inches in diameter that look healthy will do the trick

What Is Hot Honey? Hot honey is a brilliantly simple combination of honey and chile peppers. The honey is infused with dried chile peppers—see below for a basic recipe on how to DIY the process—to create a perfectly sweet, spicy, and all around stellar topping for pretty much any dish you’re serving. I first tried hot honey when it was served to me at a pizza joint alongside my red pie topped with bacon and jalapeños....

For the second installment of our “Taxes in Ten” series, we talked with Jada (not her real name), a 40-year-old public service worker who adjusted her tax withholding to increase her take-home pay and pay down her debt faster. While the under-withholding did allow her to make progress on her debt, she had also avoided filing her taxes for two years, and the penalties that came later brought her total debt balance to even more than where she’d started....

“These free radicals attack the keratin (especially the cystine bonds responsible for hair strength and elasticity) in your hair, making it more porous and prone to damage,” says Joseph Maine, celebrity hairstylist and co-founder of Trademark Beauty. “UV rays also weaken the protective lipid layer on the surface of your hair, making it feel rough and look dull. If you have colored hair, it breaks down both melanin and artificial colorants in your hair, causing your color to fade or lighten....

But tonight, you had planned to cook steaks with grilled vegetables, so there’s just one problem: You are short one steak, and the clock is ticking. If you know how to thaw steak fast, you can still get the beef on the grill with time to spare. Thanks to this no-fail steak-thawing method, dinner is saved. The Most Ideal Option In all situations, the ideal way to thaw a steak is in a refrigerator....

That being said, we’re often asked about the coating on nonstick cookware and its potential toxicity. The original Teflon pans were made with PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). PFOA has been linked to various cancers, so it was removed from Teflon products in 2013. However, Teflon cookware still contains PTFE. PTFE is considered safe, but the problem is that it starts to break down around 450-500 degrees, releasing potentially toxic fumes....

You can imagine how stunned I was to figure out that all of those small hairs I’ve been demonizing were actually just new hairs trying to make their way. This eye-opening realization made me question the difference between breakage, new growth, and baby hairs altogether. So to find out, I tapped several hair experts to answer my questions about the signs of each, and how to take care of them....

To make your bedroom a serene space, start by clearing off the surfaces closest to your bed, such as bedside tables. Make space for a glass of water and consider relocating your phone farther away from your bed (more on that, below). Another solution: simply invest in light-blocking curtains. Blackout shades or curtains with a blackout liner (or a combination of the two) will keep your bedroom dark all night long....

Editor-Picked Fall Home Finds: Keep reading to shop these 10 editor-loved picks I can’t wait to buy this season from boho knit throw pillows to weighted blankets and fall-scented candles.

Never heard of contact time? You’re probably not the only one. Essentially, it’s the amount of time a cleaning agent—a spray or a wipe, whatever you use—needs to be in contact with a surface in order to kill the bacteria, viruses, and other not-great things lingering there. If you’re not waiting long enough, your cleaner likely isn’t getting rid of the potentially illness-causing cells. If you’re spraying and wiping as you go to clean quickly, without waiting the prescribed contact time, you’re really just doing a surface clean by wiping up dirt, debris, and other particles—not the bits that can really get you sick....

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported that nearly a half-century later, in 2020, “women’s annual earnings were 82.3 percent of men’s, and the gap is even wider for many women of color.” Fifty years have only brought us 25.3 more cents to the dollar, and the great “She-cession” set women’s labor force participation back thirty years. February 2021 data mirrored that from 1987, with only 55.8 percent of women employed in the workforce....