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    Martha Stewart

    Martha Stewart

  • Smell Check: Are You Buying the Right Deodorant?

    No matter how relaxed your approach to personal grooming, odor control is one place you don't want to cut corners. Swipe smart with our guide to the three main deodorizing products -- and why they work (or don't).

  • How to Maximize Taste and Minimize Waste at the Farmer's Market

    Summer fruit is delicious, but judging its readiness can be tricky -- it's often ripe before you need it or past its prime when you do. Here's what to keep in mind when choosing produce at the farmers' market or grocery store -- plus how to store it.

  • Electric Bill Therapy: 3 Old-School AC Alternatives

    This powerful fan, often built into an attic hatch, pulls air in from open windows and pushes it out through the attic and roof. Open windows on opposite sides of the room or, if they are all on one side, set up a fan near the opposite wall to direct the air flow. Open windows wider on upper levels than on lower levels to increase air speed and cooling. Install Ceiling Fans

  • 20 All-Natural Cures for Common Summer Struggles

    Available in supplement form, 1,000 mg of quercetin taken three times daily throughout the season should help you stay symptom free, says naturopath and "Prescription for Natural Cures" coauthor Mark Stengler. Other ideas: Pack a thermos of nettle tea (another natural antihistamine), says ethnobotanist Chris Kilham. "To get protection for a variety of reasons, including skin-cancer prevention, use an SPF of 30 or over on your entire body and face, including your lips," says naturopath Koren Barrett. Once you're out of the sun, rub in some borage oil, a rich source of gamma-linoleic fatty acid, to help protect against sun-related aging.

  • 3 Ways to Health-ify Your Annual Seafood Binge

    Fish are a great source of protein -- low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential to a healthy heart and brain, among other things.

  • 3 Things to Watch Out for when Choosing Sunscreen

    The past year has given rise to a host of developments in the world of SPF, from sudden safety concerns over "natural" sunscreens to claims of false labeling among major brands. As for the latest news, we talked to several of the nation's top dermatologists, as well as the Skin Cancer Foundation and the FDA. Physical sunscreens (which use the minerals zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide to scatter and reflect UV radiation) have long been considered more natural than chemical sunscreens, which use photosensitive chemicals to absorb the sun's rays. "The FDA is collaborating with the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences on studies examining the skin absorption and phototoxicity of nano-size titanium dioxide and zinc oxide preparations," says FDA spokeswoman Susan Cruzan.

  • Going Hard on Raw Tomatoes? Might Want to Think Again

    While health studies continue to demonstrate the myriad benefits of lycopene, a phytochemical abundant in tomatoes, nutritional studies present a twist: You get more lycopene from a processed or cooked tomato than you do from a fresh one.

  • Got a Wobbly Chair or Table? Have Another Glass of Wine

    Once they've done their duty as wine-bottle stoppers, corks can come in handy elsewhere in the house. In the kitchen or dining room, they are a simple solution to an exasperating problem: a wobbly chair. Simply cut a slice of cork horizontally from the top end with a bread knife and slip it under the troublesome leg. Be careful when slicing since your measurement will be an educated guess, you'll want to have enough cork left over for a try.

  • 3 Home Hacks Using Glass Milk Jugs

    Ball mason jars may hold court on Pinterest, but our love of vintage kitchenware knows no bounds. That's why we're currently swooning over glass milk jugs, another versatile retro-rustic way to update your space and storage. Look for them at thrift stores or your farmers' market -- then try these three outside-the-bottle ideas.

  • Keep Your Home (and Bod) Clean with a DIY Outdoor Shower

    Rinse away grit after a beach trip -- or a wrestling match with the mower. This outdoor shower hooks right up to your garden hose (yep, it's cold water only; for a hot-water shower, consult a plumber). Add biodegradable bath soaps, and hop in.

  • 3 Ways to Health-ify Your Grilling Technique

    Research at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has linked AGEs with cardiovascular and kidney disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's. Additionally, the exterior of grilled meats contains heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), both of which the United States Department of Health and Human Services has listed as potential causes of cancer. Consider grilled meats a treat, and eat them only occasionally.

  • Fur at the Fireworks: Pet Safety Tips for July 4th

    I can not overstate the importance of keeping updated tags on all companion animals. Sudden and unfamiliar sounds shake their sense of security and elicit territorial reactions that might otherwise be uncommon for that particular animal to exhibit.

  • The Most Crucial Thing You Can Do for a Cat (or Dog) in Heat

    In the case of feral (wild) cats, implementing a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program -- one that collects homeless neighborhood cats, humanely spays or neuters them, then returns them to the place where they were found -- dramatically curbs overpopulation. TNR benefits the specific cats who are spayed/neutered while ultimately saving thousands, if not millions, of cats' lives overall. Christie Metropole, who runs Stray Cat Alliance, says, "Having a feral cat spayed/neutered is one of the most effective and life-saving things a person can do to curb the pet-overpopulation crisis -- a crisis that results in a great deal of needless suffering for innocent animals." If you have stray or feral cats in your neighborhood or a colony of cats that is multiplying near your workplace, please consider getting involved in a humane solution.

  • 3 Must-Try Misos to Amp Up Your Vegetarian Pantry

    We use three types -- shiro, aka, and awase -- to impart the savory taste the Japanese call umami to salad dressing, roasted chicken, even pasta and chocolate sauce. Shiro (shee-roh) elevates the other flavors in a salad dressing, and it does the same when tossed with hot cooked vegetables. We think awase (ah-wah-say) works especially well in a buttery pasta sauce and on chicken.

  • How to Keep Your Outdoor Dog Safe (And Away from Your Garden)

    How to Stop Your Dog from Digging

  • Everything You Need to Take a Road Trip This Summer

    We polled our editors to come up with the ultimate arsenal for your foraging, picnicking, and beach-going needs. Stock the car with these items and you'll be prepared to stash anything, such as fresh clams and vintage jam jars. Tuck it all away in the cooler when not in use.

  • 3 Easy Ways to Refresh Your Refrigerator

    Nearly everything that goes into your unit will eventually end up on your plate. With that in mind, we explain the best ways to disinfect and degunk your kitchen's most utilized (and beloved) appliance.

  • 4 Gut-Healing Foods that You Should Be Eating

    Over-the-counter probiotic supplements (such as Martha Stewart Essentials Digestive Health) are helpful, but you want to consume real food as your primary source for health-bolstering microflora.

  • What Dad Actually Wants for Father's Day (and Every Day)

    This Father's Day, save him the trouble of cleaning the garage -- and learn to do it better than he can. Talk about a Father's Day gift that keeps on giving.

  • 4 Ways to a Healthier Gut (And Why You Ought to Care)

    Indeed, emerging research is linking the health of the gut -- the entire digestive system, particularly the stomach, intestines, and colon -- to general wellness. "New data shows that the gut is critical to our well-being," says Mark Liponis, M.D., medical director of the Canyon Ranch health resorts.