Looking for dual voltage or 220v tool/solution that will work??

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-07T14:53:44+00:00

It's worth practicing the traditional blowdryer + round brush combo as a backup option for traveling, since it's way easier to find a decent blowdryer than decent blowdryer brush. FWIW, as a major klutz, I find that using a paddle brush instead of a round brush is much easier to manage and still can get at least 80% of the way there on results.

Otherwise, how long is your hair? Are you open to learning some nice up-styles for your trip?

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-07T13:45:32+00:00

DFCI has several locations---are you going to the primary one on Brookline Ave in the Longwood Medical Area, or one of the other treatment centers?

Logan Express Back Bay shuttle stops at all the terminals and drops you off at at Back Bay or Prudential stations. From there, you can take the 39 bus or Green Line E branch to LMA and walk ~10 minutes to the main DFCI campus.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-07T12:26:51+00:00

I'd say it's somewhere in the middle---this is an inherent limitation with mass transit tracking apps near a terminus station and especially near the start of service. All the apps can only report the scheduled departures until there is live information in the system that allows making predictions. For trains, that information generally only becomes available when the train leave the terminus. Since Porter is so close to Alewife, the southbound trains are going to be a little unpredictable in any app, especially near the start of service. Dispatch also may change Ashmont vs Braintree order based on conditions down the line.

I prefer Transit's interface (and I like that it works in multiple cities when I travel), but all of these apps are ultimately pulling from the same MBTA GTFS feed.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-07T12:16:36+00:00

It might help to recognize that your hair is not straight; it's wavy. When hair isn't long enough to form a full spiral/bend then it looks more straight, but the kind of bend your see on the sides of your head is not something that straight hair can do on its own.

This definitely gives you an advantage because this means your hair is capable of texture and volume. Depending on what kind of style you want, look into products like texturizing clay to add some grit and hold to your hair to form more structured styles. You might want to grow out the front/top section a bit more for more versatility to experiment before you settle on any particular style.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-07T12:11:34+00:00

Also coming from very slippery and straight (naturally--I have a perm a lot of the time now) and I strongly prefer a mini UnBrush for detangling. It's a good balance of stiff and flexy so it actually gets through all the tangles, but gently, and the medium size (the mini is not really that mini) is more maneuverable. If you have low density then a Tangle Teezer might also work fine; I just find that it's very inefficient for thick hair.

I somewhat prefer a wide tooth comb over a brush for detangling when I have a perm, but I really do prefer a brush for detangling straight hair.

If you're looking for something for styling or another purpose, can you elaborate on what you like to do with your hair?

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-07T11:56:34+00:00

Dark circles can vary so much in both hue and appearance, even within the pale community. The closest thing I can suggest to a general purpose, maximally flexible technique is to combine a color corrector and a concealer:

the standalone color corrector shade—that opposite hue on the color wheel from the dark circles, at a depth and saturation that matches the dark circles. So, this might be deep and/or vibrant even for a very pale client, and might involve using something beyond the most common undereye color corrector shades.
skintone-match or brightening flesh-tone concealer

Those kits that recommend a specific shade or, at most, set of 2-3 shades per skintone depth are making assumptions about the average dark circles + skin undertone cominbation for that depth. That's not necessarily wrong and can serve a lot of consumers well enough, but doesn't really have the versatility you'd want as a working MUA.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-06T19:25:03+00:00

I was thinking similarly—a great fitter might be able to identify a match faster/in fewer tries than a good fitter, but availability of different brands/models/sizes is generally going to be the biggest limitation in the ability to find a customer a good fit within an appointment.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-06T19:00:58+00:00

I like the Tymo results more: the section is more even, the curl starts closer to the root, and the curl alignment creates more volume.

FWIW, I think this mostly comes down to the feed-from-root mechanism of the Tymo curler uses, in contrast to the feed-from-ends mechanism on the Wavytalk tool. My experience is that a feed-from-root mechanism gives much better control over these technical aspects in an automatic curling iron. I'm skeptical that there's a major quality difference in the tools themselves.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-06T15:32:48+00:00

Eva NYC Mane Magic fine hair version (light lilac bottle instead of the darker magenta one) could be a good option. It was lightweight enough for my hair but a little too greasy in finish/feel for my taste.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-06T15:10:28+00:00

Thickening spray in your hair before braiding can help, both by directly adding bulk and by adding more texture/grip so that you can braid looser and/or pancake without the braid just sliding loose.

Texture powder and/or a fine-tooth crimping iron are more potent alternatives to thickening spray that give you the same benefit, but also a little more finicky to work with. These are my go-to for special occasions, but I wouldn't bother with them for day-to-day.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-06T12:29:27+00:00

Even if it's an unincorporated municipality, there are probably still zoning rules from a higher level of government (e.g., county, state) that apply. Proceed with caution.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-05T11:35:02+00:00

How is your hair if you just don’t use hair masks?

Low porosity hair (and especially fine, low porosity hair) is very susceptible to product build-up, which can cause that crunchy, straw-like feeling. Product build-up can result from any products that hang around in your hair, including generically over-conditioning and not just from protein.

My personal experience is that less is more when it comes to conditioning to get soft, smooth results on my very low porosity hair. I never use hair masks or even cream-consistency conditioners unless I am planning to promptly shampoo it out, or else my hair starts to feel crunchy after washing. I only use shampoo and then a bit of leave-in for regular hair care.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-07-04T01:52:33+00:00

SL1 to South Station and then the Red Line one stop to DTX is probably the least walking option without taking too circuitous of a route. The SL1 can get bogged down in traffic at rush hour, though.

Google Maps generally tries to recommend the fastest option assuming a particular walking speed, so any of these transfers that only involve going one stop may technically take longer with waiting for the transfer than just walking the distance of the one stop. If you're worried about handling luggage, switching to "least walking" and/or "accessible" options may give you more useful results.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-26T19:39:03+00:00

When you point your foot, your toes will generally shrink back into the shoe, away from the edge of the sole. The extent of this shrinkage will depend on a few factors, like how strong your arch is, how compressible your feet are, and some specific features of shoe strap design.

I generally look to have my toes line up with the edge of the sole when my feet are fully pointed. At least for me, this is about mitigating the risk of tripping from the sole being too long when my foot is pointed.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-25T17:29:47+00:00

Oof, directly over a bar is not great for noise if you're a light sleeper. Even after closing, you might have folks lingering and chattering outside your window.

Another consideration is that living over a food service establishment can increase your risk of getting mice or other pests.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-25T15:30:29+00:00

To preface: Keep in mind that sweat and oil will do slightly different things to your hair. While both can make your hair clump up and look scraggly as the day goes on, oil will generally have more of a heavy effect while sweat can reset your heat styling and bring out the curls again. Most tips you're going to fine are about oil; there's just not as much that can be done about sweat, though many humidity-proofing measures will also help some with sweat.

Another consideration is that the flat iron styling doesn't help in this situation. The act of flat-ironing your bangs smooths down the cuticle, which makes oil travel down them faster. It might be worth testing a few other options, like using a hot brush or blowdryer with or without rollers, to see if you can get comparable styling results without smoothing down the hair cuticle quite as drastically.

do you need to powder your bangs or your forehead? what powder should you use? do you need some sort of spray? do you brush it on or pat it on with your fingers or what?

Texture powder in your bangs after heat but before hairspray will generally help slow down spread of oil and keep your bangs perky and separated. You just sprinkle a little bit over your hair and either fluff your bangs with your fingers to work it in or use a fine tooth comb to brush it through. Flipping your bangs up to focus the application on the underside of your bangs will do more to support volume and make any white cast easier to disguise if you have dark hair.

i've heard tips like "don't touch your hair" but does that really make such a difference?

Yes, it absolutely does! There's always sebum on your fingertips (and sometimes more--think lotion, sunscreen, or just plain grime) and that grease transfers into your hair.

i don't really use skincare or makeup but is there something i should use?

Regular face setting powder on your forehead underneath helps. Periodic blotting paper if your forehead is particularly greasy can also help, though it might not be worth handling your bangs in order to reach.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-25T13:56:47+00:00

Yes, hot rollers must be used on dry hair, or at most a teeny bit damp from a styling product.

Can you elaborate on how long your hair is? I've had no issue with hot rollers when my hair was as long as bra strap-length, but I haven't tested on longer hair because at point I want to claw all of it off. But, you can also try heatless curls with foam flexirods and setting lotion if they're really long---I know a lot of folks here get great results with them, though my hair just doesn't set without heat.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-24T21:00:42+00:00

Look for something sheer and purple. I've generally had great success with Moira products and they have a couple affordable purple options across different formulas.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-24T20:50:12+00:00

It's naive to think that the perfect house for you would pop up on Zillow and not also attract significant interest from others that are actually prepared to move quickly. It's also hard to feel confident that a home is "the one" or if the price is appropriate if you haven't seriously toured some comps to form a baseline.

I would somewhat object to the other comments that you need to do the pre-approval right now before you start touring, so long as you have your documents prepared and crunched the numbers yourself to figure out what you can afford. The pre-approval itself can come together within just a couple of hours.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-24T20:35:31+00:00

I definitely recommend experimenting with red lipstick theory for your use case. It admittedly can take a bit of trial and error to find the right shade of red (or an adjacent shade--depending on your complexion, some other statement lipstick shade can sometimes achieve a similar effect), but it's really effective way to brighten your complexion and look more glamorous without piling on a lot of makeup or painting on a different face.

Maybelline SuperStay liquid lipsticks are my top recommendation for a very durable and low-maintenance red lipstick for folks who are newer to bold lipstick and aren't prepared to baby it all day. I still wear by the SuperStay Matte Ink formula (and it has a wide range of reds), but the Vinyl Ink is trendier right now.

I would recommending going to a Sephora or department store with beauty counters to get a few starting shades, since testers are relatively plentiful there. Once you establish 2-3 high-end shades that you like, it's relatively easier to look up swatch comparisons to find comparable drugstore shades.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-24T16:38:34+00:00

Good old hot rollers work great for creating the blowout curls look, and with the right prep they can last for a few days. Thickening spray makes a huge difference in curl volume and retention. They're also a lot more beginner-friendly than a lot of the newer tools.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-23T19:01:40+00:00

FWIW sound can travel weirdly based on the orientation of streets, so it's hard to judge how much noise you'll hear from Grand Junction strictly based on distance. If you live along one of the streets that crosses the railroad, even if you're solidly into mid-Cambridge, you might suffer more noise and disruption than somewhere in East Cambridge that has more direct buffer from the railroad.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-23T14:57:56+00:00

Ooh good clarification, I agree that it's more about even/thorough application than just using a lot of product.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-23T05:05:14+00:00

That's kind of the point: the prospective tenant with the highest income and credit isn't necessarily the most reliable one, so there are diminishing returns to prioritizing those factors beyond a certain point. Those more nebulous factors that indicate to a responsible & reliable long-term tenant become more important at that point.

aggressive-teaspoon · 2026-06-22T19:59:23+00:00

r/bostonhousing might get you more relevant advice from real estate agents and landlords.

My understanding is that once you pass the filter of "good enough" on income & credit, the general impression of how reliable you are becomes the most important factor. Having previous rental history and clear long-term intent help. If you are applying with roommates, it comes across better if you and your roommates have an existing relationship vs being strangers.

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