To score shiny, healthy hair

Your strands put up with a lot—everything from cold weather to hot tools leaves them limp—but changing your cleansing routine can make all the difference. Use a clarifying shampoo at least once a month to "remove the built-up dirt and product that weigh hair down and cause it to lie flat," says Nunzio Saviano, owner of an eponymous salon in New York City. Amplify shine with an at-home conditioning treatment. "Once a week, coat hair from midshaft to ends; rinse after 15 minutes for bouncier, frizz-free hair," says Saviano. While you're at it, give your scalp a massage. "Using the pads of your fingers, apply light or firm pressure for a few minutes," instructs Younghee Kim, owner of Younghee Salon in New York City. In addition to feeling really good, this ritual can boost fullness, according to a recent study from Japan published in the journal ePlasty, which found that daily scalp massage increased hair thickness.

RELATED: How to French Braid Your Own Hair in 6 Easy Steps

To look fresh-faced

Get a luminous yet polished complexion with fewer products. Before foundation, use a hot compress. "I do this with almost every celebrity client," shares José Rivera, Benefit Cosmetics' makeup master. Microwave a damp hand towel for 15 to 20 seconds, then (first making sure it's not too hot) press it against your face until the towel cools. The result? Softer skin with a healthy flush. Next, fake a sun-kissed glow. "Mix a few drops of liquid bronzer into your moisturizer and apply all over," says Rivera. Finally, add blush using the "pinwheel" method, he instructs: Dab the most concentrated amount of pigment on top of your cheekbones, then swirl downward in widening circles to cover the entire cheek, leaving the color more diffused below. This gives your face a sculpted, almost lifted appearance—plus a flattering pop of color.

RELATED: The Best Hydrating Makeup for Dry Winter Skin

To open up your eyes

Want to look wide awake? Tend to your brows, which are "like picture frames for your eyes," says Rivera. To get this season's fuller arches, backcomb with a fiber gel formula; brush the hairs toward the bridge of your nose several times before brushing them back in the other direction. To further enhance your eyes, try contouring. You'll need a light, shimmery neutral and a darker, matte neutral. Use the lighter formula as a base to brighten eyes, then work the darker one into the crease to add dimension and make eyes appear deeper-set, says Rivera. Finish by "topcoating" with mascara: Instead of applying it on the underside of lashes as usual, saturate the top, spinning the wand as you move from roots to tips…

What were you wearing in 2007? Maybe a denim mini skirt paired with layered Abercrombie polos. Hair wise, there’s a chance you were rocking a seriously fine set of side-swept bangs. It was the hairstyle to have, along with some long face-framing layers that started at the chin, or maybe a choppy lob. And while we all thought the bangs style was done and retired, Ciara shows up and makes them appropriate for 2017.

RELATED: Nina Dobrev Chopped off Her Hair Because New Year, New 'Do

While Ciara has been wearing her hair long and layered in the recent past, she was spotted about five weeks ago with a similar length and bangs parted in the center, which made it look like a completely different type of cut.

Basically, never underestimate the power of a hair part.

The Internet is rife with conspiracy theories about lip balm. Some claim it’s addictive, while others argue popular products are loaded with ingredients that actually promote chapped lips—therefore ensuring you buy more balm.

Experts say many of those rumors—many, but not all—are either exaggerated or silly. But to understand lip balm’s pros and cons, it helps to recognize your lips’ unique characteristics.

As far as skin goes, your lips are oddballs. Unlike your arms, legs and torso, your lips are covered in “transitional skin” that lacks a stratum corneum: a tough outer layer, explains Dr. Zoe Draelos, a North Carolina-based dermatologist and researcher. “This is why your lips look red compared to the rest of your face,” she says.

Draelos says lip skin is similar to the inner lining of your mouth and nose. But unlike those places, your lips don’t hang out in a warm, moist, protected environment. So when the weather turns cold and dry, your lips has a hard time coping.

Making matters worse, your saliva contains enzymes designed to break down fats and proteins—basically, the stuff your lips are made of, says Dr. Adam Friedman, associate professor of dermatology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. So if you lick dry lips to moisten them, that coating of saliva can exacerbate the weather-related damage. Likewise, licking your lips before applying balm can lock in saliva, leading to skin breakdown, he says.

Another reason balm gets a bad rap is that most people misunderstand how these products work. While some have mild moisturizing properties, lip balms aren’t meant to absorb into your skin like a body lotion. Rather, they’re designed to sit on top of your lips, forming an impermanent shield that prevents dry air from drawing out moisture, Draelos explains. Once eating or talking or lip-smacking rubs away your balm, your lips are going to dry out again quickly unless the humidity in your environment has changed, she says.

Could you argue this makes lip balms addictive? “Not in the sense that the more you use, the more you have to use,” Draelos says. While the comfort lip balm provides might encourage you to keep using it, that’s kind of like saying the warmth a winter jacket provides is addictive because you want to keep wearing it whenever you go outside. (At the same time, some experts still insist that constantly applying some types of lip balms can make skin “lazy” and less likely to be able to stay in balance without interference.)

That said, not all balms are benign. “Some contain menthol, which can be soothing and cooling, but can also be irritating,” Draelos says. “I wouldn’t recommend using these products continuously.”

Other lip products contain “exfoliants” or ingredients that can inflame your lips, says Lauren Ploch, MD, a Georgia-based dermatologist…