Depending on your hair's natural oiliness, curliness, and other factors, you'll need to tweak the basic "poofing" process slightly to make sure it works right for you. While the essential process should be the same, pay attention to the way your own hair behaves and tweak the process accordingly.  If you have very thin hair, you'll probably need to use a considerable amount of hairspray or other product to get your hair to stay up. If your hair is a lot thicker, you should use less product and tease your hair more. If you have oily hair, most people will need to wash more frequently 4-5 times per week, to make it more poofy. Some people, however, tend to get a little more body the less frequently hair is washed. You want your hair to be nice and clean when you attempt to poof it up. Massage a pea-sized amount of shampoo into your scalp and hair follicles, then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.  Get to know your own body and wash your hair as frequently as it needs it. In general, you want to wash slightly less. 3-4 times per week should be enough for most people.  Avoid washing in excessively hot water, which can dry your hair out and leave it stringy. Hair conditioner is used to leave your hair feeling smooth, and it can also help to give your hair some body, without tangling it up. If you want to emphasize your hair's natural body, use hair conditioner every time you wash it. Rinse out conditioner thoroughly, running water through a couple of times to make sure it's all gone. If you don't, excess conditioner can make your hair feel greasy and lank after you wash it.

Summary: Let your own hair be a guide. Clean your hair using shampoo. Apply conditioner.


When the leaves of your potato plants turn yellow or brown, they are ready for harvesting.  If you planted in April or May, the leaves will wilt in mid-summer.

Summary: Stop watering the potatoes when the leaves wilt.


Start with a 2 by 2 feet (0.61 by 0.61 m) square, and thoroughly coat it with water. Don't spray a large area yet, as you'll need to practice a bit to get the technique down. Let the water soak into the wall for a few minutes. The water will help make it easier to scrape the texture off.  Touch the wall to see if it's soaked in enough. It should feel a little soft. If it doesn't seem soft, try spraying it again. Set the blade against the wall. The blade should create a 30° angle coming off of the wall. Keep it steady at this angle when you begin to scrape. Scrape the wall at an angle, adjusting as you go. You may need to scrape harder or softer, depending on how the wall responds to your scraping. That's why you're starting with a small spot first. If the texture isn't coming off, you're not scraping hard enough. However, you don't want to scrape down into the wallboard underneath. Once you get your rhythm, spray another section. It can be bigger than your first section. Let it soak in, and scrape it as you did before. Keep moving around the room until you've scraped all of the texture off.  Be sure to move systematically around the room so you don't miss any spots. Pick a place to start, and make a plan for how you're going to cover the whole room, such as going up and down the wall. If it dries out, apply more water as needed. After you have the whole room done, go back around with a medium-grit sandpaper in the 60- to 100-grit range. Sand down any rough spots that are left behind so you have a mostly smooth surface.  You can also use a sanding screen. Don't sand too hard, as you don't want to sand through the paper on the wallboard or into the wallboard. You don't want to leave dust on the area, so dampen a large sponge. Wipe down the wall as well as you can to remove the dust. You may need to wash the sponge out from time to time. Use a wallboard knife that's 6 inches (15 cm) long to spread joint compound across the wall. Aim for a layer that's 1⁄8 inch (3.2 mm) thick. Smooth it out as you go, and make sure to complete each wall in one session to give it a more even look. Let the wall dry overnight. Once the wall has dried overnight, sand down any rough areas with medium-grit sandpaper or a sanding screen. Create as smooth a surface as you can. Vacuum up the drywall dust so it doesn't float into the joint compound when you apply it again. You can use a standard vacuum, but make sure it works really well. However, you can also rent a dust drywall vacuum specifically for that purpose. Use your wallboard knife to apply the second and final layer of joint compound. Make a thinner layer this time, as you're mostly trying to fill in low spots. Let it dry overnight. After the joint compound has dried overnight, spend time smoothing out the walls again. Run medium-grit sandpaper over any rough areas to create a smooth surface. Vacuum up any dust. It helps to wipe the wall down with a damp sponge again, letting it dry afterwards.

Summary: Spray a small area with water. Hold a floor scraper or drywall blade at a 30° angle. Scrape off the texture. Move around the room in small sections. Sand down the texture that's left behind. Wipe down the wall with a damp sponge. Apply joint compound over the wall with a wallboard knife. Sand the walls down again. Apply another round of joint compound. Sand again.


Pasta is one of the main sources of carbohydrates at an Italian restaurant. If you are trying to limit your consumption of carbohydrates, be sure to avoid it. This will help your meal be more balanced.  Ask for grilled or steamed vegetables instead. Order high-protein appetizers to reduce hunger. Eating bread is a very common way people ruin their appetite for healthier options. Garlic bread, breadsticks, and garlic knots are all filled with unneeded calories, and are pure filler.  Look for bruschetta (tomato, fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil atop pieces of lightly toasted bread). Try vegetable appetizers, such as a house salad, roasted peppers and mushrooms, artichokes, or Brussels sprouts. Ask your waiter not to bring out the bread. Thin crusts have far less carbohydrates, sugars, and fats. Ordering a thin crust is a way to help balance out the nutrients in your meal. Make sure to limit yourself to no more than 2 slices of pizza, no matter what type of crust you get. These foods tend to lack nutritional value. Look for fresh fruit desserts instead that will provide that little bit of sweetness without going overboard.  Order Macedonia. It’s an Italian fruit salad made with fresh seasonal fruits, mint, and a bit of fresh lemon juice. It’s refreshing, delicious, and won’t weigh you down.  Finish your meal with a cool and cleansing Italian ice. It’s made with a bit of sugar, ice, and comes in many different flavors. Ask your server what’s available, and which has the least amount of sugar. It is okay to indulge now and then, but having a large portion of a heavy dessert is unhealthy. Instead, ask someone (or a couple of people) to split dessert with you. That will prevent you from consuming too much of it.   For example, if you want to try the tiramisu in a favorite Italian restaurant, ask someone in your group if they want to share it with you. You could even order a couple of desserts for your whole table to share and request extra spoons or forks so everyone can have a few bites of each item. Sipping on an espresso after a well-enjoyed meal is a great way to rebound from your dinner. It will help you leave the table feeling invigorated and ready to go about your day.  Don't add sugar. Add a biscotti on the side. You’ve worked so hard to stay healthy during your meal. Reward yourself with this delicious, crunchy treat. After all, rewarding yourself reinforces positive behaviors.
Summary: Watch out for too much pasta. Start your meal by limiting your bread intake. Get the thinnest and crispiest crust you can when ordering pizza. Avoid high-carb desserts like tiramisu or panna cotta. Split a heavier dessert with a friend. Order an espresso instead of a dessert.