Any girl with long hair knows the woes of the dreaded post-pony tail bump. You know. Hair’s up all day, you take it down for night on the town, look in the mirror and EEK! A huge creased bump lines the crown of your cranium. No brush can smooth this kink. Post-pony bumps call for serious damage control. Here’s how…

First, curb your frustration. Stop screaming at the mirror.

Spritz your bump with water and blow dry the area with a flat or round brush, preferably a brush with a metal base.  The heat will help straighten.

You know how your hairstylist blows the same piece over and over again? Yeah, do that. Start from the roots and slowly pull away from your scalp, holding the hair tight on the brush.

When your hair is half dry, spray hairspray or a smoothing gel or cream on hair- under-construction. Now back to drying.

If a blow dryer alone doesn’t cut it, take a straightening iron to the misguided tress and iron your hair back in line. Take smaller pieces than you normally straighten and slowly flatten each piece twice: once horizontally from your scalp and then vertically.

If the bump refuses to bounce back into shape, consider scrunching your whole head of hair into loose waves to mask the post-pony bump. Or, if you’re running out of time, toss it up into a loose up do.

Remember, you can always shave your head. Hey, it’s just hair. We hear it grows back.

Okay. Wildly ironic, but I’m about to tell you how to quit biting your nails while, in fact, biting my nails. So, I’m preaching to the choir here. Let’s quit together and grow beautiful sets. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours…

First thing’s first. File all your nails down evenly. Push your cuticles back. Start fresh with nothing to bite.

Now, Why are you biting? Stop. Notice. Are you nervous? Mad? Hungry, perhaps? (Ew. That’s kinda disgusting.) Bored? Carry around a little squeezy thing. You know, those squishy foam de-stressers you find on office desks? Or learn how to flip a pencil around your fingers like debate kids do. Any new non-destructive habit to keep your hands busy and out of your mouth.

Tell your friends you’re trying to quit. Give them full permission to slap your wrist when they catch you chewing off that manicure.

Find a pic of a pretty pair of hands from a magazine or off then Internet. A goal to work towards, but choose something realistic. Don’t expect one half inch long, super thick indestructible claws in two weeks. Tape the pic somewhere in your room where you’ll see it every morning while getting ready. Daily inspiration.

Salons and beauty stores sell this stuff that’s like clear nail polish but tastes god- awful. When you get a lick after chewing a nail, a mixture of what tastes and burns like cayenne pepper and cat pee saturates your taste buds. You’ll kick the habit after two tongue-fuls.

Okie doke. Hope that helps. Get to growing!