Most people don’t realize the importance of regular sterilization and sanitation of nail care tools in maintaining cleanliness and preventing the spread of infection. Just rinsing off your professional nail scissors, cuticle nippers, and other nail care items with water and wiping them with a cloth is not enough. Whether you’re doing a DIY manicure at home or using these tools for your salon business, it’s crucial to practice proper cleaning methods after every use.

But why do you need disinfection of nail tools? To help you understand its importance and teach you how to care for your manicure tools, let’s look at the reasons for nail tool sterilization and the proper cleaning process.

Manicure tools get dirty easily

Whether you are trimming long nails, grinding them to shape the edges, or doing the full manicure treatment, you’re basically removing dead cells, dirt, and bacteria buildup from your nails. Fingernails can harbor a lot of germs and filth, especially longer ones.

Most of those cells, grime, and bacteria stick to your manicure tools and make them dirty after each use. That is why complete sterilization of nail care tools must happen after every manicure session. Even if there are no more visible signs of how unclean it is, there could still be microorganisms lingering on the surfaces of each tool.

Dirty tools can lead to infection

Everyone, even you, can be a carrier of germs and infectious diseases. If you don’t clean and sterilize your manicure tools after each use, they can be a potential hazard for the next user. Your dirty manicure tools can be the cause of bacterial, viral, or even parasitic infections. By practicing sterilization nail care tools after every manicure session, you can eliminate all those infectious organisms and prohibit the spread of disease.

How do you sterilize manicure tools?

It’s not enough to understand the importance of sterilization and sanitation of nail care tools. You must also learn how to sterilize tools for manicure properly for it to be effective. First, you’ll have to clean your manicure tools by washing them with warm water and soap. After all the visible dirt and grime are gone, sterilize your tools by boiling them in a pot of water for 20 minutes.

Remove the tools using disinfected thongs and allow them to air dry completely before storing them in a clean container. Some manicure tools processing companies and other sanitation businesses also sell autoclave and UV sterilizers. If you have the budget, consider investing in these items to sterilize your manicure tools.

How often should you sterilize tools?

There are instances where disinfecting your tools by dipping them for five to ten minutes in at least 70% isopropyl or ethyl alcohol is enough. However, you never know when a person could be carrying highly-resistant bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Following the manicure tools sterilization process after every nail pampering session is ideal to ensure all harmful microorganisms are eliminated.

Takeaway

Fingernails are often dirty and harbor a lot of germs and other microorganisms. To prevent the spread of infection and protect your or your client’s health, always follow proper hygiene practices and sterilize your manicure tools. Killing all harmful microorganisms is as important as cleaning off all those dirt and grime.

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Deodorants, antiperspirants and other cosmetics do not help in this case. But there is a way how to treatment excessive hands or feet sweating – iontophoresis. You can buy the best and cheapest hands iontophoresis sweating machine for hyperhidrosis treatment. Reducing of excessive sweating begins after several sessions. Iontophoresis machine is good for treatment sweating of hands and feet.

Prevention

If you take up prevention in time then the problems with hyperhidrosis will be not so strong. You must follow several rules:

– changing tights and socks daily

– washing your feet and hands with soap

– take a shower every day.

You need to start washing your feet using warm water, but then gradually reduce the temperature, bringing it to cold. Several simple steps which can help in treatment and reducing excessive sweating of hands, feet:

1. Wash your feet or hands.

1. Carefully wipe the soles and interdigital folds with a soft towel

2. Apply talcum powder to feet and hands. It can gives temporary results in hyperhidrosis treatment (iontophoresis machine has better effect).

3. Do those steps every day.

People with excessive sweating of their feet (hands) need wear only cotton socks (gloves in winter). Don’t drink too much hot coffee or tea. After physical activity strongly recommended change your wet clothes and shoes. It is necessary to use herbs with tanning effects for reducing of sweaty hands. In mild cases, you can use special deodorants containing antibacterial components before going to bed. Such procedures will not treatment hyperhidrosis. They can only reduce smell and gives dry armpits. But as we mentioned the best way for hyperhidrosis treatment is iontophoresis machines and sessions (procedure). You can buy machine and make them at home. The cheapest machine is “No-sweating”. Be happy and have dry hands and feet!

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Style basics

Regardless of whether you apply a pattern of an individual design or use the one proposed by a master, you need to decide on a palette. Black and white and color tattoos look attractive in their own way. This complicates the choice. To do this, think about the following questions:

1. Do you plan to supplement the image in the future?
2. What do you want to demonstrate to the world: color restraint or openness?
3. Do you like minimalism?
4. How creative are you?

The black and white (more precisely, gray) palette began to be used earlier, so there are more masters who can perform such a tattoo with high quality. However, high-class professionals will create a colorful masterpiece on the skin, from which it will be difficult to look away. An example is the Mashakov tattoo. Thus, when choosing a style, it is necessary to compare all the advantages.

For whom will color drawings match the best?

By mixing different shades, the master will help artistic, sociable people who like being in front of others to express themselves. This direction is for those who are alien to conciseness. Pay attention to the benefits of colored tattoos:

1. You have a wide choice of different images and shades.
2. Without color, individual images lose their appeal.
3. Color gives the tattoo an artistic style, making it a work of art.
4. Even a simple image with the addition of a few colors will become more spectacular.
5. The inner meaning of many tattoos cannot be conveyed without a proper color.
6. Bright three-dimensional drawings will be close to those who are looking for uniqueness.
7. Playing with shades makes it easier to make an image three-dimensional.
8. Professionally done body art looks alive. A master is able to display the story you want.

Remember that the wow effect can only be achieved on images with a rather big sketch. Small ones often carry a personal meaning. When applying additional patterns, you will need to develop the original theme further. To preserve the brightness of the shades, the pattern will have to be looked after, protected from sunlight, and periodically restored by the master.

For tattooing, contact professionals in well-known salons. This will guarantee the high quality of the result, the uniqueness of shades, and the preservation of skin health. A highly qualified specialist will be able to realize any design idea.

Say yes to restraint

If it seems to you that a tattoo should be elegant and minimalist, pay attention to black and white colors. These two basic shades make it possible to create about five additional shades.

Benefits of black and gray tattoos over the colored tattoos are the next:

1. Additional colors can be added at any time.
2. Such drawings look good with geometric shapes, ethnic or fantasy arts and ornaments.
3. It is suitable for tattoos of different sizes.
4. The black and white image looks softer and more natural due to the presence of shadows. It does not burn out so actively, although it needs special care.

The use of black and gray tones requires the master to be precise, which cannot be corrected. There are people who consider them boring and inexpressive due to the lack of strong contrast. But those who have already applied black and white tattoos on the body will not agree with such a statement.

Some drawings cannot be represented in color, others, on the contrary, without it. But in each case, you need to choose, based on the characteristics of your character. After all, the main thing is a sense of harmony and a single whole with a tattoo. Take an important step, choose a style and enjoy the wow effect.

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Becca Wilks, from Birmingham, has had to learn to cope with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) symptoms since she was 14.

As well as extreme period pain and fluctuating weight gain, the condition causesadditional hair growth on the 28-year-old’s face, chest, arms, hands, and legs.

After enduring cruel comments at school and a lack of PCOS role models in her youth, her self-confidence was low.

But Becca says she’s grown to ‘love her hairy chin’ and is unbothered about what other people think these days.

Now, her social media career is taking off as, with over 72,000 followers on TikTok (@_theali.house), she wants to show up and represent for the other people out there with PCOS.

‘The hair on my neck, legs, and chin has stood out since I was just 14,’ Becca said.

‘I remember using my mum’s razors and hair remover cream without her knowing – one time the cream caused a nasty burn.

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‘The leg and neck hair were the worst, the pain of the ingrown hairs and the constant rapid hair growth made me feel so self-conscious.

‘The negative feedback was really hard for me when I was younger.

‘I used cheap make-up products [to cover up] but it didn’t work as hair would literally poke through it.

‘At 18, I accidentally cut my neck while shaving, and everyone at my sixth form noticed the cut – that’s when I finally reached my breaking point.’

Even though she also suffered from extreme period pain, ovarian cysts, and fluctuating weight gain, Becca claims doctors ‘ignored’ the symptoms of her PCOS for years.

But even with all the trouble PCOS has caused her, Becca’s got a much more positive outlook on life now.

She said: ‘Sometimes I now let my hair grow for up to three weeks when I am super busy.

‘There are bigger things in life and I think my hair growing long on my neck is not one of them — and if I am not bothered, I do not care about the opinions of others.

‘PCOS is a part of me, but it does not define me and is not defined by the negative thoughts of others.

‘When I want to shave I use a sensitive skin face wash and razors. Then I continue with the rest of my skincare routine.’

These days, she’s taken to the internet to build an online community of like-minded women, and couldn’t care less what trolls have to say about it.

She wants to share her story in the hopes that it will help women like her feel less ashamed about facial hair.

Becca said: ‘Some people have told me I gave them the confidence they need to go out without make-up and made them feel less alone.

‘Sharing my story has been a form of therapy for me, too.

‘I am on a journey of expression, and being my most authentic self, I want to bring awareness and make people understand that having hair does not mean a woman is imperfect.’

In one of Becca’s latest TikToks, which has earned 35,900 views and more than 1,950 likes, she gives followers a look at her shaving routine.

The comments are full of people praising the content, with one person writing: ‘You are beautiful”.

Another commented: ‘I have PCOS too sis. This video gave me confidence thank you.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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Welcome back to Bargain vs Bougie, Metro.co.uk’s series pitting products at varying price points against each other.

This week, I’m testing skint tints that promise you that coveted, glowy ‘your-skin-but-better’ look.

While I’ve long since broken up with full-coverage foundation, it’s still a bit of a faff trying to find a low to medium-coverage product that works with my oily skin and visible pores.

On top of that, my wallet is crying out for some relief, so in an ideal world, I’d love to find an affordable, buildable skin tint that I can take from day to night – so I don’t find myself tempted into buying different products for different occasions.

It would also be great if this dream skin tint didn’t fall straight off my skin like so many other products out there do.

So, with that in mind, I put five popular products to the test…

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

Shade – four medium

Price – £39

Let’s start with Ms Charlotte’s version – iconic for a reason, Hollywood Flawless Filter really is that b**ch.

It gives you a lush glow that stays on great even with my oily skin and visible pores. It manages to tone down the pinkness on my nose without eradicating it completely, making for a nice, natural finish.

My only things to nitpick are that I personally wouldn’t mind if it was slightly more pigmented, so I tend to mix a bit of foundation with it when I apply it for an average day. And at £39, in this cossy livs, the Flawless Filter can certainly be beaten when it comes to the price…

Score – 4/5

Collection Gorgeous Glow Filter Finish

Shade – two/medium

Price – £7.99

I like this one a lot. It goes on nicely, and matches and blends really well onto my skin. It says it’s an ‘illuminator, primer and skin perfector’, but it’s on the more pigmented side, doing away with the pink undertones on my skin.

It’s pretty buildable too, so I’d say it can replace your foundation as a more flexible option if you want something that can work as light or medium coverage depending on your mood.

My issue with it is that, while I do get a lot of glow from it, it doesn’t get on perfectly well with my pores and oily skin after a bit. It’s also very reflective, which I like, but if you’re dead set on getting a your-skin-but-better look, there are subtler options out there.

Score – 3/5

MAC Strobe Dewy Skin Tint

Shade – deep one

Price – £30

This one was one of my absolute faves of the bunch. It goes on like a dream and lasts all day to boot. It’s got just the right amount of pigment and coverage for my liking, it makes me look glowy, not oily – the difference between the two things being subtle, but crucial – and it’s buildable, but my skin still looks like skin.

It’s also the only one of the ones I tested that comes in a squeezy bottle instead of those awkward wands.

I’m so fond of it, I even put it to the ultimate test and took it with me to a festival where it helped me look reasonably well put together all week. Miraculous.

Score – 5/5

E.L.F. Halo Glow Liquid Filter

Shade – three light/medium

Price – £14

This one’s another slightly more pigmented offering compared to some of the others on this list.

It’s pretty similar to the Gorgeous Glow in that it offers slightly more coverage and the glow factor is on the higher side.

It does get a little creasy around my eyes though, and it only took a couple of hours to get super shiny and start wearing off my troublesome nose.

Score – 2.5/5

Primark PS… My Perfect Colour Radiant Primer Foundation

Shade – sun beige

Price – £6

This stuff is so major.

It’s got a decent amount of pigment, but it’s not thick, and it goes on like a dream. Not only does it work well with my skin type, but it also lasts better than I ever would have hoped.

Like MAC’s offering, I don’t really need to do any touch-ups during the day when I wear it. For me, this is unheard of, so to have two products in one list that can do this feels like an absolute blessing.

I can see why it sells out all the time – I have no notes, it’s hard to get more your-skin-but-better than this, especially not for six quid!

Score: 5/5

My verdict?

If you want a bougier option, personally I’d say go for the Mac. It’s worth every single penny, and still cheaper than a bottle of Flawless Filter.

But if you want to save said pennies, Primark’s amazing PS… My Perfect Colour Radiant Primer Foundation is far from a compromise.

I honestly don’t know how to pick a favourite of these two. On the one hand, Primarni’s is fabulous and way, way cheaper. But on the other hand, the way Mac’s works with my skin makes me feel like the foundation gods made it just for me.

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Two friends with different skin tones want you to get better at shopping for makeup.

On TikTok, pals Wendy and May have started showing themselves wearing the same makeup to demonstrate how different colour cosmetics can look depending on your skin tone.

This is why if you see a friend wearing a lipstick in a shade you love, but then feel disappointed with the way it looks on you, you need to understand basic colour theory.

Jasmine Desouza, who is a makeup artist at 3INA, tells Metro: ‘Essentially, colour theory is a technique makeup artists use to make colours work beautifully and harmoniously together.

‘You’ve probably heard of colour correcting – where you can counteract a certain colour with its exact opposite on the colour wheel, for example balancing out redness with green.

‘But people are becoming more aware of how colour theory will affect how a certain lip colour will look on them.

‘On lips in particular, the natural undertones of your lips will play a key part in what a lipstick looks like on you.’

Colour theory is a thing people!!! Especiallt in makeup – @nyxcosmetics_uk shine loud long lasting lipgloss in shade ‘Total Baller’ Ib: @jazzi manalo @Monica Ravichandran @NYX Cosmetics #wendyandmay #makeuponblackskin #makeuponbrownskin #nyxcosmetics #nyxshineloud #nyxshineloudliquidlipstick #colourtheorymakeup

As the pigment in Wendy and May’s natural lip colour is so different, the result of the lipstick will likely be different too.

You can see it in their viral video, where a product on May looks brown, but on Wendy it looks orange.

However, other colours look less contrasting, like when they both tried blue.

We’re fliming next week so let us know what you’d like us to try! Today were testing out @3INA lipstick in 854 (blue) #bluelipstick #brightlipstick #boldlipstick #colorlipstick Ib: @jazzi manalo @Monica Ravichandran

‘Lipsticks are typically a blend of cool and warm tones, so if you have cool blue undertones in your lips, using a lipstick that’s more on the cool side will make your lips appear more purple or mauve,’ Jasmine explains.

‘In this case, you’d want to opt for a warmer toned lipstick to counteract the lips’ natural blue undertones.

‘If you’re struggling to find a lip colour that suits you, my simple trick is to hold the lipstick over your lips and look in the mirror. Does the colour make you feel good? This makes shopping for lipsticks a lot easier.’

People online were shocked to see the differences between the two friends side by side.

On their brown/orange lipstick video, one person commented: ‘It’s always crazy to me how the same shade can have such wildly different undertones on different people!’

Another said: ‘It looks amazing on both skin tones!! Shows up different on both! But wow!’

‘I love the orangy hue it’s pulling on dark skin and I love the deep vampy look on lighter skin,’ someone else wrote.

So next time you think about buying your friends lippie, consider how different the pigment in your skins is.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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Skin care is magical, albeit a little confusing. There are always new products to try and technological advancements to explore. That said, if you don’t know what you’re doing, things can get a little mad scientist very quickly. We’re all for experimenting and broadening your horizons with beauty, but you should do so responsibly, and that means knowing what’s what when it comes to skin-care ingredients. In today’s skin-school lesson, we’re tackling mandelic acid.

If you’re a skin-care novice, the word “acid” may drum up some feelings of hesitation. But have no fear: there are plenty of skin-care acids out there that, despite what you may have heard, don’t burn your face off.

If you want good skin, you can’t be afraid to dabble in a little exfoliation — and mandelic acid is a great place to start. “It’s a great entry-level acid — it’s mild, effective, and safe for all skin types,” Noreen Galaria, MD, FAAD, the CEO and co-founder of Inner Glow, tells POPSUGAR.

To learn more about its wonders, keep reading as two dermatologists break it all down.

What Is Mandelic Acid?

There are two different categories of acids: beta-hydroxy acids (BHAs) and alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs). “Mandelic acid is a gentle alpha-hydroxy acid that is derived from bitter almonds,” says Dr. Galaria. The origin of the word “mandel” actually means almond in German.

Other popular AHAs include lactic and glycolic acid, but mandelic is even gentler. “Due to its large molecular size (twice the size of glycolic acid), it penetrates more slowly into the skin, which makes it very gentle, non-irritating, and suitable for those with sensitive skin,” says Robyn Gmyrek, MD, FAAD, a medical advisor for Delavie Sciences. Mandelic acid is also oil-soluble, allowing it to penetrate the skin on a deeper level than alternative water-soluble AHAs.

Mandelic Acid’s Benefits

So, what does mandelic acid do? As an AHA, it’s great for skin renewal and cellular turnover, helping you shed dead cells from the surface of your skin to reveal a smoother, more even, and radiant complexion. This makes mandelic acid great for anti-aging, addressing common concerns like wrinkles and fine lines. But that’s not all. “It’s antibacterial, so it can help combat acne-causing bacteria,” says Dr. Gmyrek. Additionally, it helps regulate oil production in the sebaceous glands.

If hyperpigmentation is a concern of yours — whether it’s melasma, post-inflammatory marks, or sun spots — mandelic acid is highly effective, and most people can use it. This includes those with skin sensitivities and dark skin tones. “These patients do not have the same arsenal of acids at our disposal,” says Dr. Galaria. Specifically, when speaking of dark skin, she adds, “Other acids, if used incorrectly, can cause pigmentation issues and even scarring. Mandelic acid is not irritating to our melanocytes in the same way and will help clear up pigmentary issues.”

How to Use Mandelic Acid

If you’re interested in using mandelic acid in your skin-care routine, you’re in luck: due to its gentle nature, it’s an easy one to add. You can find the ingredient in a variety of products, from toners to masks, but mandelic acid serums are the most popular.

After conducting a patch test to ensure you’re not allergic to the product (something you should be doing with every new formula you introduce into your routine), Dr. Gmyrek recommends you start by using it once a week; then work your way up to twice a week. The percentage of the active matters. “Start with a low concentration, around five percent, and you can increase if your skin tolerated it well.”

It should come after you cleanse your skin and before your moisturizer. Just be sure to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen of SPF 50 or higher during the day.

After introducing a product with mandelic acid into your routine, it doesn’t take long to see the benefits kick in. “Generally, with at-home products, you can start to feel your skin texture and tone begin to improve in the first week, but it takes over six weeks to see a difference in actual conditions like acne or melasma,” says Dr. Galaria.

Ingredients Mandelic Acid Shouldn’t Be Mixed With

Playing with acids can be a dangerous game. “During in-office peels, your dermatologist may combine mandelic with other AHAs and BHAs, and some formulas do contain a blend because this acid can play well with others,” says Dr. Galaria. That said, it’s best to avoid layering different acids at home. The same goes for retinoids and physical exfoliants.

“Because they all exfoliate the skin surface this could lead to excessive disruption of the skin, barrier, irritation, inflammation, and dermatitis,” says Dr. Gmyrek. Leave the mixing to the cosmetic chemists and dermatologists — after all, they are professionals.

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‘I’m what’s called a whiskerina in the bearding world,’ said Natali Johnston.

Natali, 42, and her husband Aaron, travel the world together, both competing in bearding contests.

But while you would typically expect Aaron to be more adept at bringing home first place in these bearding competitions, it’s actually his wife who is taking the gold.

But Natali hasn’t actually got a full naturally grown beard. No, she recently took home first place in the ‘realistic freestyle category’ – for fake beards, and she won best in show.

On the other hand, Aaron placed second in the Goatee category of the 2023 world championships in Burghausen, Germany on June 11.

He initially began competing in beard competitions in 2014 after watching a TV show called Whisker Wars.

The South Carolina couple then competed in the same competition just one year after – with Natali creating her own beards from scratch.

They now compete in different categories, but attend the same competitions worldwide, with 170 competitions under their belt since 2015.

Natali spoke about the beard categories she enters, saying: ‘You can either compete in the realistic full beard or the creative full beards.

‘They can be made of absolutely anything. For a realistic beard I use synthetic or real hair.

‘But you can make them from absolutely anything like cutlery or bacon – anything you can imagine so long as it’s in a beard shape!’

Natali said she knows it’s not an ‘obvious hobby’ for a woman to have but she loves it – and she wants other women to enjoy it as well.

She added: ‘I see so many women come to competitions with their husband but don’t want to go on stage.

‘I personally help other women get on stage to see how much fun it is and next time I see them competing themselves and they’re loving it.

‘What I love about it is when you put a beard on your face your a whole different person.

‘You can just go on stage and have fun. You get to spend the weekend hanging our with the people you love too. It’s just a good time.’

They now compete full time as Aaron began working with the beard grooming company Honest Amish after winning the 2017 world championships.

Ironically, Aaron didn’t have a beard before he began competing, but now his grooming routine for his 27 inch beard means he takes longer to get ready than his wife.

Aaron said: ‘I’ve always liked facial hair but before 2010 I had to be clean shaven for my previous job.

‘It really is a lot harder to maintain the beard than you’d think. Some people are just luckier than others.

‘I’ve never hit terminal length whereas some people do quite quickly. Everyday I have to think about protecting it.

‘If I eat I have to think about my beard, if I work on my car I have to think about my beard.’

Aaron ties his beard up when he sleeps and uses oil and balm on it post-shower, however in 2017 he shaved it into a goatee.

The bearding couple met in 2001 and were neighbours for seven years before their friendship blossomed into romance.

However, things then began to move very quickly and after dating for just six weeks, they decided to wed in 2008.

Neither of them expected facial hair to become their common interest – but they both admit the hobby has ‘brought them closer as a couple’.

Aaron said: ‘The whole adventure has helped us grow so much. It’s given us so much to bond over.

‘Who’d have ever thought we’d have a common hobby based around facial hair – it’s like we’ve won the lottery.’

Natali added: ‘The bearding community is fantastic. We’re supportive of each other no matter what.

‘All the competitions are for charity – so when we pay our entrance fee it goes to a good cause.

‘Beard clubs don’t just do competitions either. Some go and clean roads or help out the homeless – it’s just a great community.

‘I’d definitely recommend individuals, women or couples to take up bearding as a hobby.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

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I vividly remember the moment I decided to stop shaving my armpits, back in 2020.

My arm was lifted in mid-air, razor in hand, soap covering stubbly regrowth, when my eyes caught my reflection in the mirror. 

What if I just… didn’t?

I didn’t need to think twice as my arm lowered. After splashing warm water on my armpit, I took a deep breath and re-entered the world as the hairy woman I always have been.

Soon, I stopped shaving my legs, bikini line, stomach and bum.

Even though It took a little longer for my chest, now I don’t remove any body hair at all.

Except, it was only a matter of time before I realised that my body hair was a kink to some people.

Growing up, I never saw myself in the media – and almost all images that were reflected back at me were hairless, even adverts of hair removal.

I would watch seasons of Lost and not see one single strand of body hair. One of my favourite films, Mad Max: Fury Road, depicted femme bodies that were smooth in an apocalyptic world.

The Walking Dead suggested that people found time to shave while fighting off zombies.

It was infuriating because, as a storyteller myself, I couldn’t place myself in these scenarios.

I was self conscious because the world presented me with hairless femme bodies as the norm, and I believed I existed in isolation from it. 

As a South Asian queer woman, while my body hair grew thicker and longer, I became stranger and lonelier. So, unless I spent hours of my day removing hair, I was not normal.

But when I stopped shaving, I felt liberated from the constraints of patriarchal standards of euro-centric beauty. I wanted to share this liberation with others, so I posted my body on Instagram.

The intention was for young, queer, people of colour to see my photos and feel represented. 

Except, every time I post a photo of myself on Instagram with my arms raised, or body hair on show, I get hundreds of horny comments, direct messages, emails, Instagram video and audio calls.

I was once sent a link of my Instagram photos on a porn site.

Or, I get disgust in my comments and DMs. People pretending to throw up, while others send racist, sexist and cruel messages.

The first time it happened, I was torn. I didn’t want to be sexualised by the cis hetero men flooding my inbox, but I didn’t want cruel comments either. What I wanted was to exist freely, while being able – like anyone else – to post photos of myself. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpSNqw_o96C/

But the messages on my Instagram were explicit, unsolicited and sexual. While the odd comment from a young woman would find itself to me, it got lost in the sea of horniness.

As well as making me extremely uncomfortable, it made me realise one thing: cis heterosexual men think I exist for them.

If I existed, shaved or unshaved, it was for their disgust or desire. It was never for myself. I realised that they believed that everything I did was for them. I noticed the way they’d furiously message me if I put up posts that didn’t show any body hair, flooding my DMs with requests for ‘more hair!!’ 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CcP19byKf5f/

While many are blocked, ignored or reported, much of it filters through. Not just on Instagram but in my mind, too. It affects the way I feel about myself.

Being objectified in a sexual nature when you’re merely existing, makes you question every move you make. I look around on the underground, when my armpits are on show and wonder who is getting turned on from it.

And from that shame, I feel the need to hide myself. 

When at first I felt liberated from the constraints of the patriarchy after deciding to give up shaving, I now feel like I serve men as a sexual object, no matter how I choose to live.

I simply want to post photos of myself in the park, at a party or event and not have to think about the sea of disgusting messages I’ll receive when I reopen Instagram.

I don’t want to feel like, no matter what I do, I make someone sick or turn them on. There’s no in between.

I’m a proud person – of my culture, my queerness, my body and history. I don’t like being told I exist for a stranger because they believe my body belongs to them. 

Despite what the world shows us: I exist and I am beautiful. And if I have the power to save one young person from feeling bad about themselves, then I’ve done something important. I want to show that we should be able to exist as we are, for ourselves.

So, I do. I simply exist and they fall at my feet, begging for more or begging for me to stop. But I don’t deliver, because I’m here to make just me happy. 

Now, I just need them to understand that it’s not about them – it never was. It always was and always will be about me and my representation.

The Truth Is…

Metro.co.uk’s weekly The Truth Is… series seeks to explore anything and everything when it comes to life’s unspoken truths and long-held secrets. Contributors will challenge popular misconceptions on a topic close to their hearts, confess to a deeply personal secret, or reveal their wisdom from experience – good and bad – when it comes to romance or family relationships.

If you would like your share your truth with our readers, email [email protected].

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The last few years have sparked a new wave of DIY beauty connoisseurs, and if one category, in particular, came out on top, it’s hair. It felt like everyone wanted to learn how to give themselves a bouncy blowout, recreate their favorite supermodel’s slicked-back bun, or find the ultimate heatless curl hack to get their favorite look sans hot tools. The latter spurred an entirely new range of interesting and downright strange, yet ultimately effective, hair tools. You have the classic heatless hair ribbon, the leggings curls, and my latest discovery: the Satin Flower Curler ($35).

I stumbled upon this device while scrolling on TikTok one night. As someone who tries to use heat on my hair as little as possible, I was instantly intrigued. Though it looks like a flower or helicopter-like contraption, the heatless hair accessory is designed to curl your hair overnight (or while you work from home). It comes with everything you need to use it: the five-part curler, bobby pins to secure them, and four mini claw clips to hold everything in place.

The Satin Flower Curler was created to gently curl your hair, sans any damage, while being comfortable enough to sleep in. This was a biggie for me, as I’ve yet to find a heatless curler that didn’t interfere with my sleep. Traditionally, it’s meant to be used on dry hair but you can slightly dampen your ends to make the curls last longer. The contraption features a hair donut in the middle and four semi-hard satin rings attached to it. Following the instructions on the back of the box, I decided to give it a whirl.

I started by brushing my second-day hair, putting the donut around my wrist, and pulling my hair up into a high ponytail. To secure it, instead of reaching for a hair elastic, I used the donut and grabbed one of the mini claw clips to temporarily hold it in place. With my ponytail in position, I sectioned it into four pieces — one for each satin ring. Then I began wrapping each section of hair around the ring. Once you reach the end of a piece of hair, the kit says to use a bobby pin, but I didn’t think I needed it (my hair is pretty fine). I just used the included mini claw clip to hold the end in place. I repeated that process on the remaining three sections of hair. It’s worth noting that I snagged another mini claw clip from my own collection to attach the donut to my roots and add just a touch more stability.

In total, putting in the hair accessory took about five minutes and it felt pretty comfortable – it didn’t tug at my hair in any areas. After finishing my skin-care routine, I was ready for bed — but not before my fiancé made a helicopter sound the minute I walked into the bedroom and then proceeded to call me Cindy Lou Who from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” He’s got jokes.

I was a little worried that sleeping would be difficult or at the very least, annoying, but found that I didn’t even notice the Satin Flower Curler on my head. It sits high enough that it’s out of the way. In the morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find it still in place — just a little bit looser than I had initially installed it.

Taking it out was even easier than putting it in: I simply removed the mini clips and unwrapped my hair. And sure enough, my hair had bouncy, loose curls in it. They weren’t so tight that they looked like I had used a wand, but they also weren’t so loose that they were barely noticeable — the perfect balance, in my opinion. After shaking out my roots a bit more, I had a ton of volume and bounce.

My hair has a hard time holding a curl so the results slowly faded as the hours went on, but I think part of that was user-error. I would tweak my application process the second time around to ensure the curls lasted by applying a volumizing curl mousse on wet hair immediately out of the shower. I’d also slightly dampen my hair with a spray bottle before wrapping it around the satin rings and finishing it off with a coat of hairspray for some hold.

I’m definitely going to keep using the Satin Flower Curler in my hair-care routine and feel like the results will only improve from here, which is more than I can say for most of the heatless hair curlers I’ve trialed.

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