Kelsey Castanon

Finally booked that appointment, said a hail Mary, and took the shag-haircut plunge? Yeah, you and everybody else. Nothing, and we do mean nothing, has spurred more of a hair frenzy since the the lob first made an appearance circa 2014 quite like the shag style haircut has in recent years - and it's showing no signs of slowing down soon. How to style a shag haircut, however, is an entirely separate matter. "For the shag, you have to let go of conventional styling techniques that we have all been doing for the last decade," Devin Toth, hairstylist at Salon SCK in NYC, tells PS. "You wouldn't do a perfect, bouncy, round-brush blowout, styled section by section, and then create loose waves, set by a large curling iron." Erm, so what should you do, then? Celebrity hairstylist Rebekah Forecast says the three things that differentiate the shag haircut from any other style are "the strong fringe, the straightness of the ends, and the volume at the root." For the former, you'll want to cut your bangs regularly to maintain the blunt effect. Beyond that, it's all about picking the right products and using them correctly. Because no one should have to maneuver this retro haircut trend alone, ahead we've asked the pros to break down the exact tools and techniques that'll keep your new shag looking groovy, baby. Related: 10 Haircut Ideas to Add to Your 2024 Mood Board

Unless you count the occasional pumpkin spice latte or my proclivity for a "Bridgerton" binge, I don't typically succumb to peer pressure for trend's sake. I stuck to my measly four-step skin-care routine despite the K-beauty boom, remained loyal to nude nail polish even with the return of the french manicure, and hadn't once considered hopping on the bob haircut bandwagon - despite nearly every celebrity (and their moms and cousins and . . . ) in the last few years trying out the style. Yet one day, over the weekend, when I was staring at my long hair in the mirror and wondering if that's what was elongating my oval face to the point of near-aardvark relation, I decided: it's time to cut it all off. Without a second thought, I booked an appointment at The Salon Project in NYC and stomped in two days later on a mission. "I'm dying to try the blunt bob trend," I told salon owner and veteran hairstylist Joel Warren, "But disclaimer: I have to be somewhere in 45 minutes." I fully anticipated a "GTFO and come back later" with such a request, but instead, he laughed. "This is not a complicated haircut. With fine hair like yours, you'll be out in 30. I'll even show you a new way to style it." And kids, that's exactly what he did. Six inches to the ground and half an hour later, plus a whole new hair routine punched into my Notes app, I'm a whole new person - and she doesn't look at all like a long-snout animal. See the full transformation (and some embarrassing photos of me for good measure) ahead.

Welcome to Show the Receipts, a new series where we ask interesting people to share exactly how much it costs to get shit done. No matter the task, we're tracking every last dollar from start to finish. Up next: maintaining platinum blond hair. Meaghan Flynn first went platinum 15 years ago. She had just moved to New York City - with "two cents to my name," she says - and so, despite starting from a jet-black base, her color upkeep was done on a budget, to say the least. "I got my roots done whenever I could afford it at the cheapest place possible. Sometimes I even attempted to do it at home. The condition of my hair, the aesthetic, everything about it was a hot mess." Still, even after trying countless hair colors in the ensuing years, Flynn decided to go back to the bright shade after the pandemic. This time, with a better income as the owner of Necessary Excess, a fine jewelry showroom, she vowed to do it the right way. For the first year, she started with foiling and highlights to break the base and make for a more gradual transition to platinum. Now, she visits colorist Ariel Munoz at IGK Salon in New York City every five to six weeks, like clockwork, and uses a few at-home products to treat any damage. "They say you are born with the hair color you're meant to have, but that's just never been true for me," Flynn says. "Everyone who knows me identifies me as a bleach blond. It's both a time and money commitment, but to me it's worth it." Here's the full cost breakdown. Task: Maintaining platinum blond hair Occupation: Owner of jewelry showroom Location: New York City Timeline: 3 years The Receipts Highlights: $400 every eight weeks for one year, or $2,400 total Root touch-ups: $350 every six weeks for two years, or $5,950 total At-home products: $108 per year, or $324 total Total cost: $8,674 How I Did It While there's a lot of maintenance that comes with preserving a platinum hair color, Flynn says she cuts costs elsewhere in her beauty routine. Here, she's sharing some of the big takeaways worth noting. POPSUGAR: Why go the slow and steady route to platinum, which cost a little more? Meaghan Flynn: Listen, I know girls who have gone from brunette to platinum blond in one 9-hour sitting, but it looks terrible. You can also achieve that perfect color in two to three sessions, but then you're not doing highlights, you're doing one bleach and tone and leaving with copper hair that you have to let rest for two weeks before you can go back in with more bleach. I did it in waves because I didn't want the damage or that awkward in-between stage. Cost-wise, it's comparable. If I would have done the 9-hour appointment, I probably would have spent the same amount that I've spent to get here in that one day. So, financially, it was the same investment; I just chose to spread it out over a year to save the condition of my hair. PS: Where do you make sacrifices in your routine to accommodate this expense? MF: My hair is my 'thing.' I'm not a big makeup person. I'm not someone who's spending $400 on a face cream. I can get ready in five minutes in the morning. I'm very low maintenance in other aspects of my beauty routine, maybe because it feels so crazy with what I have to do to maintain my hair color and because I invest so much in my appointments every six weeks. I'm a Gemini so I'm very high-low - that's a definitive part of my personality. PS: How do you maintain your color at home? MF: I use the K-18 Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask ($75) instead of conditioner to help with any damage. I love it. Otherwise I don't really use much else. I sleep with a turban on my head at night to protect the color. It's the Zimasilk Silk Sleep Cap ($33). I have a four year old, and if she wants to go into the pool, I have that turban on my head. PS: What's been the most surprising expense of this process? MF: My hair had always been really long and blond, but I recently cut off 12 inches into a bob. Before that, all of my hair costs were allocated to the color, and I rarely needed a trim, but now to maintain this cut, I'm also having to get my hair trimmed every four weeks. So I'm like, OK, a $300 haircut once a month - this is getting a little crazy. Ariel says it's actually harder to do the root touch-up on shorter hair because it's not just a clump of hair you can move to the side in order to get to the root. Now she has to navigate shorter pieces. I'm not a hairdresser so I don't know how all that works, but we're all in agreement of me growing out my hair to save money. Final Thoughts Despite the steep price to maintain her hair color, Flynn assures it's worth every penny. "Because I've bleached my hair before, I very much so knew what I was getting into with the cost," she says. Then, a word of advice: "If you're not prepared to invest in [maintaining] your hair color, I wouldn't do it. Because it's a huge investment." Kelsey Castañon is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and content strategist with more than 13 years of experience in publishing. She is currently the senior content director at POPSUGAR, where you can find her stockpiling (and reporting on) everything from skin care to wine. Previously, she has worked with the teams at Refinery29, Seventeen, Shape, Allure, and Teen Vogue, and has appeared on TV segments on "The Dr. Oz Show" and "Good Morning America."

Welcome to Show the Receipts, a new series where we ask interesting people to share exactly how much it costs to get shit done. No matter the task, we're tracking every last dollar from start to finish. First up: freezing your eggs in New York City. For Chinae Alexander, family planning wasn't always a top priority. She was curious about the egg-freezing process, but was dating someone she wasn't sure she wanted kids with (or if she wanted them at all). Then 2020 rolled around and, at 35, she realized she wanted control over her future. "The reality is, it does matter when you start the process because egg quality and quantity goes down as you age," she tells PS. "So it was an important thing for me to have that stability." The pricing, she noticed, varied depending on where you went. New York is already one of the more expensive areas for treatment, and as a self-employed content creator, her insurance plan didn't cover any of the costs. After consulting with friends and doing plenty of research, Alexander decided to go with Kindbody, a full-service fertility clinic with 35 locations across the U.S. She suggested a partnership in exchange for documenting her journey for her 168K Instagram followers. They agreed to waive the fee for the egg retrieval procedure and appointments, but not the medication and storage. Here's the full cost breakdown. Task: Egg freezing procedure Location: New York City Timeline: 10 days The Receipts Initial consultation: $300, waived Egg retrieval procedure: $6,500, waived Medication: $3,000 Insurance coverage: $0 Storage fees: $840 per year, with first three months free after procedure Check ups: $750 per year Total cost: $11,390 ($4,490 after partnership) *Note: Kindbody's current prices have increased slightly since 2020, which are outlined in full here. How I Did It Alexander acknowledges the privilege that having a content creator job brings, both in terms of flexibility and cost-saving. Here, she's sharing, in her own words, some of the big takeaways worth noting. PS: What was the most surprising expense? CA: I was incredibly shocked by the price of medication. That's the biggest variable cost and it's hard to plan for because different people need different kinds. For me, it ended up being around $3,000, but it could be more or less for someone else. Depending on how your body's reacting, you might need a new dosage or medication to take via shot - and this is very expensive medication. Every few days you go to the pharmacy to pick up a fresh batch depending on how you're progressing in the process. It's a f*cking hassle, yes, but also a huge financial consideration. PS: Where were you able to save? CA: The fact that they covered my procedure was obviously a huge help, but I also didn't go out during the process. I didn't feel sick or anything, but it just didn't make sense for me to go to dinners because you have to give yourself a shot at the same time every night. You also can't drink alcohol during the week or two weeks. I saved by cooking at home, and treating myself to comfort food. I tried to make it as fun for myself as I could - taking long baths during the week with nice bath salts, or taking an extra long time with my skin-care routine. Otherwise, I planned some free things to do during the recovery process that cut on costs. I saved up shows I would want to watch. I had friends come over to order in. I spent time with my partner doing sweet, fun stuff at the house. Things like that. PS: Any other cost considerations to keep in mind? CA: The biggest thing is preparing for the possibility of needing multiple procedures if the first egg retrieval isn't successful. It might not be a one-time cost. Some people need three or more. And with that, every single time it's the same amount of money. That's obviously not a fun thing for people to hear, but you will get a decent idea of what they think is possible when you go in for your consultation with your provider. Final Thoughts Making an appointment was intimidating, Alexander admits, but in the end was worth it. "I wish I'd done it earlier, actually," she says. "A big part for me was the fear of getting the information, of doing the testing. That was scary, but you have to know the truth of your situation. I'm glad I went when I did." Kelsey Castañon is a Brooklyn-based writer, editor, and content strategist with more than 13 years of experience in publishing. She is currently the senior content director at POPSUGAR, where you can find her stockpiling (and reporting on) everything from skin care to wine. Previously, she's worked with the brilliant minds at Refinery29, Seventeen, Shape, Allure, and Teen Vogue, and has appeared on TV segments on "The Dr. Oz Show" and "Good Morning America."

Not to get all Coach Carr from "Mean Girls" on you, but the general consensus of skin experts on at-home pore extractions, much like popping a pimple, is akin to passing out condoms to high schoolers: "We're not encouraging it, but if they're going to do it, let's make it safe," aesthetician Candace Marino tells POPSUGAR. In all their gooey glory, excavating a blackhead can be wildly satisfying - a top guilty beauty indulgence, to be sure - but, like many tricky-to-do services, is often best left to the pros. Still, if you can't peel yourself away from the 10x magnifying mirror any time you step into the bathroom, Marino has some best practices to DIY facial extractions safely. The first (and oddly, the trickiest) step is to identify the type of acne you have, as those little black dots on your nose may be blackheads or something else entirely. You might be mistaking them for sebaceous filaments. "Blackheads will be raised, textured, truly black, thick and waxy," she says. "The skin oils solidify, forming plugs which can dilate the pore further, leading to enlarged pores. Sebaceous filaments are the normal function of the follicle. Narrow, lighter in color under the skin - they do not fully obstruct the pore and are not meant for extractions." For more tips, you can find Marino's full step-by-step guide ahead. As for that black extraction tool you've heard all about? In the words of Coach Carr: just don't do it, OK? Promise?

Maybe you've never even thought about removing your pubic hair. I don't know your life! But in the event that you - like me at age 13, during the delightful stage known by endocrinologists as puberty - are plagued with the question of how to shave your vagina (or, to be anatomically correct, your vulva, since the vagina is all internal), there are a few things to keep in mind. First, don't do what I did, not knowing which direction to shave pubic hair, dragging your razor across the skin in a back-and-forth direction as many times as you need until it's all smooth, like my decidedly cooler ninth-grade friend told me to. This, I can attest, leads only to unsightly ingrown hairs and tiny red bumps that will make you feel like a plucked chicken. Instead, you'll want to treat this delicate area, well, delicately, because shaving pubic hair isn't the same as shaving anywhere else on your body. "The hair in the pubic area is different from leg hair," Caitlin Orszulak, a senior scientist for P&G, tells POPSUGAR. "On average, pubic hair is about twice as thick as leg hair, tends to be curly, and can grow in multiple directions. On top of that, the hair in the pubic area tends to be much denser, meaning there's more hair per square cm versus on a leg." She adds that your skin down yonder is also thinner, meaning it's more permeable to moisture loss. "Finally, the deeper layer of skin in the pubic area has more nerve endings and higher blood flow than the legs, making this area particularly sensitive." This is all to say, there are a quite few things to know on how to shave pubic hair safely, and that is precisely why we tapped a handful of grooming experts to help. Keep scrolling for some pro tips below. Trust me, if you're gonna shave your pubes at all: your bikini line depends on it.

There's no delicate way to address this, so we're just going to come out with it: the mullet haircut is staging a comeback, and no, we're not kidding. Oh, wait, don't go! We have good news, and it's that this is not the same throwback look you might remember from the '80s (because that one firmly belongs in the "Tiger King" documentary and "Achy Breaky Heart" music video). Translation: Mississippi Mudslide haircut, 'tis not. No, the latest rendition of the faithfully divisive "business in the front, party in the back" style is much cooler and way more low-key. (Although you could always pull an Iris Law and stick to the original.) Instead, celebrity hairstylist and cofounder of Nine Zero One salon Riawna Capri has dubbed it "the chillet" - a chill mullet. "It's a more modified and more fashion-forward version of the mullet," she says, adding that you needn't commit to the full chop to reap its benefits. "The definition of a mullet is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. Obviously [the] hair in the back isn't longer than the hair in the front, but it has the illusion or silhouette of a mullet, as opposed to an exact copy." "This haircut is for someone who is confident, who steps outside the box, and whose style is on the edgier side." Consider asking your hairstylist for more of a shag hybrid or curtain bangs to soften the look, and be prepared to bring in plenty of inspiration photos of styles you like - like the ones you've seen on Kristen Stewart, Cardi B, and Miley Cyrus ahead - plus one of her dad Billy Ray Cyrus . . . you know, to show off what you don't. If nothing else, just remember: "This haircut is for someone who is confident, who steps outside the box, and whose style is on the edgier side," Capri says. "Ultimately, when you're wearing a unique hairstyle or piece of clothing, if you have the confidence to rock it and be different, everyone else will love it, too." Related: 11 Haircut Trends to Add to Your Mood Board

Picture this: DeuxMoi - famed gossip account with two million devoted Instagram followers - is fresh out of the shower. Her hair is wet, and she's cozied up in a plush bathrobe. You can't envision her face, but if you listen to her "Deux U" podcast, then you know her voice. She's the purveyor of Hollywood's juiciest blind items, anonymous tips, nanny drama, you name it. And today, she's ready to test some celebrity-owned beauty products. (Again.) This time, the assignment is hair care. After posting about the Lolavie Glossing Detangler from Jennifer Aniston's line, her DMs were swarmed with questions about other celebrity hair brands. "It's the holy grail for me of hair products," DeuxMoi tells POPSUGAR. "When I talked about why I liked it, I've never gotten more feedback from people wanting to know more." There are plenty of A-list options to choose from, after all, including (but not limited to) Jonathan Van Ness's JVN Hair, Tracee Ellis Ross's Pattern Beauty, and, yes, Aniston's Lolavie. Still, the hair space is more nuanced than other categories like makeup or fragrance. When considering products, you have to take into account your individual hair type and texture, and not all formulas are one size fits all. For DeuxMoi's fine and wavy hair, we zeroed in on one of the more universal subcategories and one that nearly every celebrity hair brand has: leave-in conditioner. As a novice to the space, the mission was to find a formula that's hydrating but not heavy. "I want to be convinced I need a leave-in conditioner, because I don't usually use them. That's the challenge," she says. In the slides ahead, read as DeuxMoi tries six celebrity-owned leave-in conditioners - noting on texture, scent, packaging, and price point - and spills her unfiltered opinion on each. Welcome to the live testing session.