The air is becoming cold and dry and that’s messing with your hair, right? From flyaway strands to dry scalp-induced dandruff, the war is officially on. Tackle the dried-out rat’s nest you used to call your hair with these tricks and products:

• If you’re starting to look legitimately dried out, a weekly or bi-weekly deep conditioner is a good idea. We like this “hair smoothie” by Carol’s Daughter.
• Once a month, whip out a hot oil treatment for immediate silky smoothness.

For all the totally useful beauty pearls of wisdom out there, there are also plenty of foolish pieces of advice. For example, no matter how many people swear by it, we’ll never put urine on our zits (!?), and matching our toe and finger nail polish shades isn’t something we’ve ever been remotely interested in. Beauty expert Courtney Dunlop alerted us to some of the so-called beauty “rules” she thinks are particularly ridic, after the jump!

When I hear stories about people who wake up at 5 a.m. to “put their face on,” I kind of feel like vomiting. (And if I weren’t too busy sleeping in, I would.) Honestly, it should never take more than about five minutes to put on totally passable makeup for the day. And if you pass the 20-minute mark, you’ve got way too much junk on your face. Here’s all you need to look good without waking up at the ass crack of dawn.

If your friend’s getting married at City Hall, she’s probably a no-nonsense girl. She wants to get the job done and she wants it done now. This doesn’t mean you can put in zero effort just ‘cause it’s not a big ceremony and the selection of groomsmen is tiny. We love Cynthia Nixon’s look for its sophisticated prettiness and tell you how to get it after the jump!

If you show up at a daytime wedding caked in makeup with a prom-style updo, you’re going to look like a moron. There, we said it. Daytime weddings aren’t always casual, but they’re definitely more chill than nighttime weddings. Your hair and makeup should match the minimal-fuss attitude of the event. After the jump, we tell you how to get model Jacquetta Wheeler’s smartly laid-book look.

No one is more surprised than my family that I write for a beauty and style blog because I was the dirtiest little tomboy in my youth. Dresses? Prissy. Makeup? Prissy. Nail polish? So prissy.

But, try as I might, I couldn’t escape everything grooming-related. I remember how, after a bath, I’d sit on the stool in our old kitchen while Mom would brush detangler through my locks and then blow dry it. I used to complain that the heat from that devil machine was hurting—burning!—my ears and scalp, and Mom would tell me, “It hurts to be beautiful.” I’d say, “But Mooooom, I don’t want to be beautiful!” But I was going to be beautiful, dammit.

So, while my mom’s twisted style advice was that looking attractive might be liable to cause me pain and discomfort— she’s right about stilettos— read on to hear crazy tricks other mommies have taught us over the years. Remember: It doesn’t have to hurt to be beautiful.