[bc_video video_id="6256962415001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] How many hours a day do you waste scrolling through so many viral hacks that make life easier. We want to know, do they work? Car expert Stephanie Henry puts CAR cleaning hacks to the test. Headlights - Orange and Baking Soda  Cut an orange in half, then pour the baking soda on the orange and get to scrubbing being careful to only do this on the headlight and not the surrounding area to avoid scratches on your paint! Wipe it off with a microfiber towel because it could get messy! What this does is remove the oxidized layer of clear coat on the lens which naturally gets oxidized by the sun over time but you want to put another clear coat on after you’re done or this hack won’t last long. Waxing it after it’s clean will do the trick!! Buy your baking soda in bulk! Click the image below for more information.   Windows - Warm Water and Vinegar  All you need for this hack is 10 parts warm water and one-part white vinegar in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on the windows and then wipe it down with a microfiber towel!   Looking for the perfect spray bottle, that is also aesthetically pleasing? Click the picture below.   Cloth Seats - Vinegar, Baking Soda, Lemon Juice and Dish Soap  This next mixture is a little more complicated! Fill another spray bottle with ½ cup of vinegar, 1 ½ tbsps of baking soda, lemon juice and dish soap and SHAKE! Spray the mixture onto your seats and use brush to scrub the surface! Wipe residue with a cloth. This is a great mixture to have handy to remove stains! You'll need a good interior brush for this hack, click below! Wash in the shade This is something everyone should know and is really a tip more than a hack. Make sure you always wash your car in the shade … there are so many different reasons as to why but one of the main ones is because it will limit the amount of water you need to use as it won’t evaporate as easily!

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[bc_video video_id="6256965944001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] Curly, coily and kinky hair textures require a little extra TLC to help them retain moisture and grow longer. One way to do that is by opting for protective styles. Our hair stylist Elisha Gotha shows us how to get the most out of our protective styles and some great looks to try. What is a protective hairstyle? A protective style is any style that keeps the ends of the hair tucked away and requires minimal manipulation. Protective styling gives the ends of our hair a break from nasty weather conditions. Protective styles are key when you transition from relaxed to extreme damage, they help reduce the friction from everyday styling and preventing breakage, protective styles can last as little as a week, or as long as a couple months. Example of protective hairstyles:

• Box braids
• Ponytail wrap or drawstring, buns - bantu knots
• Wigs: clip-in extensions
• Two-strand twist with or without extension hair

For a great hair-scarf that is as stylish as it is protective, click the image below.   Need some clip-ins? Click the photo below for a great ponytail accessory. What do you have to do to prep for protective styling? To give your hair the best benefits from your protective style, you want to start with the right steps:

• Booking an appointment with your natural hair stylist for a wash treatment and trim is ideal when you plan on wearing your protective style for a long period of time. This is to ensure your hair is healthy and hydrated before you put it away.
• Following up with a scalp detox and deep hydration treatment when you're ready to remove your protective style will really help your hair flourish.
• If you're doing a short-term protective style, give your scalp a good scrub, with a deep condition before and after.

What should you avoid when it comes to protective hairstyles? Many people think that just because your hair is put away, dryness and breakage won’t be an issue. When you wear a protective style, avoid:

• Wearing very tight styles, this is can lead to hair loss (having a bun or braids that are too tight can pull the hair from the root causing traction alopecia)
• Not hydrating your hair and scalp daily especially during long-term protective style (include some suggestions for how to hydrate)
• Not getting a trim every 3/4 months
• Using too many heavy oils in your scalp
• Not using something like silk pillowcase or silk sleeping cap (silk pillowcases and sleeping caps help prevent friction that can cause breakage)

  This silk pillow comes in a variety of colours to match your décor! Click the image below How about a sleeping cap to protect those luscious locks? Click below!

All of our product suggestions are independently researched and sourced by Cityline. However, if you purchase something through cityline.tv, we may earn commission. Thanks for visiting us!

[bc_video video_id="6256822015001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] If you sit at a computer all day, repeating the same motion such as typing at the keyboard and maneuvering the mouse this can lead to repetitive motion injuries or ailments like carpal tunnel syndrome. The incidence of repetitive strain injuries has been increasing significantly over these long months in lockdown.  This repetitive strain that we put on our body can impact us in many different ways, but one area that we do not often think of is our wrists. There are many painful types of tendinosis and tendonitis that can occur as a result of this type of overuse.  It's also not just a grown up problem, as children especially during a pandemic where are they are indoors and connected to electronics, can experience discomfort from repetitive motion as well.  The most commonly affected area is our wrists and forearms. To prevent wrist injury at work, try this ergonomic mouse wrist rest!    

Wrist exercises to try:

1. Dynamic Wrist Rotations and Figure Eights This exercise is a light warm up. Start by clasping your hands together and then do simple rotations, eventually work your way up to a figure-eight motion. Make sure when you are doing wrist exercises that you are gentle as they are small muscles that can be strained easily. Wrist-rotations are a perfect warm-up. 2. Full Arm Fist Opener  Stretch your arms out, flex at the wrist, and then slowly bring it into a fist, bend the wrist, and rotate it all the way down. Some of these muscles are also used for rotation. We want to make sure to add rotation into the move. It's lengthening, and strengthening! 3. Floor Wrist and Forearm Stretches Spread your fingers out, and lean gently into your wrists. Push yourself forward. Pretend you're working around a circle, so that you hit every muscle at every different angle. Make sure to be gentle! This exercise works best with a yoga mat, for a high quality one click the image below.   4. The Most Fabulous Partner Hand And Wrist Stretch You'll need a partner for this one! Link your fingers into the hand, and open up your partners' palm using your thumbs - stretching it through. Extend the wrist, but be gentle! This is preventative for carpel tunnel. After your exercises, try this cream to prevent pain!  

All of our product suggestions are independently researched and sourced by Cityline. However, if you purchase something through cityline.tv, we may earn commission. Thanks for visiting us!

 

[bc_video video_id="6256820933001" account_id="2226196965001" player_id="rkljM4WDEg"] It is projected that over the next 20 years, Canada will see the biggest transfer of personal wealth between generations. Estimates of Canadian inheritance of up to 1 trillion dollars! That is a huge number. Why is the number so high? This will be the biggest intergenerational transfer in history.  Real estate prices are up dramatically.  The stock market is up dramatically. Plus, the generation who grew up in the Great Depression and saved milk bags and string, kept their frugal ways for a lifetime and they have money to pass onto the next generation. What needs to happen for people to be ready for this?  There has to be a will. That just has to happen. If you’re an adult, you need a will. Even if you don’t have kids. Then, there needs to be a conversation about what’s in the will so the next generation knows what to expect, and what not to expect. There are also things you should talk about that aren’t in the will, like who gets the family heirlooms and what are we going to do with Mom’s Facebook account. What is your opinion on the obligation? Should parents be leaving something for kids to inherit? The answer differs for every family. Some parents feel it is their obligation to leave an estate. Some kids feel like it is the parent’s obligation. First, it’s about values. Second, it’s about circumstances. If the parents have a large estate and the kids could benefit from that estate, that’s different than if the parents don’t have an estate and feel like they have to scrimp in their retirement in order to leave something for the kids. What about parents who are gifting early, like a house down payment? We know that part of the reason house prices have been on such a tear is that parents are forking over the down payment. If you have the money, why wait to give it to your kids? There’s an expression: “It is better to give with a warm hand than a cold one”. So, you get to see the benefit of the gift in your life time. One challenge is that if the gift is spent on the matrimonial home, it, becomes a part of the family’s assets, so they will lose half of it if they get a divorce. But an inheritance can be kept separate. Another challenge is knowing how much money are you going to need in your lifetime. You don’t want to give it all away in advance. Does the inheritance have to be “fair”? “Fair” is an interesting word, because it is subjective. Is it “fair” that the millionaire sibling gets the same amount of money as the social worker? I don’t know. But if you’re the parents of a number of kids, you can think about fair or you can think about “equal”. That is a simpler way to do it. The other dynamic that can be really hard is dealing with family property. Like a cottage or cabin, or the family farm. These are things you want to talk about early, because if you don’t, they could break the family apart after you’re gone. How do the kids prepare for an inheritance? It depends on what the amount is. You don’t want to be so prepared that you’re waiting for your parent to die. You also don’t want it to suck the ambition from your veins, and have you spend outside your means. (“I don’t need to save for retirement. I’m getting a $1million). Don’t do anything right away. There is no need to. You’ll be processing the grief of losing the people who is passing on the money to you. And you’ll want to be really thoughtful about what you do with the money. What’s the purpose of it? How do you honour their memory with it? Bottom line: Have an estate plan. And talk about your estate plan.

Living in an apartment that’s under 700 sq ft can stifle any creative process, but the challenge to transform a small outdated urban apartment into a functional home that’s full of personality & style for a young professional without breaking the bank has been a fun project. Previously rented by a tenant for 7 years, it was well-loved but outdated (See before pics below), It has been transformed into a sleek & modern home for my son, a young professional with sophisticated design sensibilities who works from home. A passion for animals, plants and colourful art, the backdrops of the rooms needed to be neutral to provide a dramatic aesthetic and offer durable, people and animal-friendly finishes for easy maintenance. For renters wanting to rejuvenate, refresh and reimagine their apartment dwelling without breaking any tenant agreements or the bank, I have tips and tricks that can instantly transform ho-hum, cookie-cutter or outdated rental spaces into those that reflect the owners personal decor style and lifestyle. Before: The Kitchen:  One of the easiest things renters can do is use Salton, Small countertop appliances designed for small places- there's a single Coffee Maker, glass kettle, slim toaster and small blender. Be sure to paint walls, cabinets and tile the backsplash, pictured below is a backsplash painted in the Benjamin Moore colour “Advance”. The other option is peel and stick or re-tile etc. Also accessorize the kitchen, add your personality and style into it with art, lighitng, linens, replaced hardware etc.! You can also easily change out the lighting, in this kitchen we added a table lamp nearby to indicate the dining area of the small apartment. We also added new colourful stools with arms and some faux greenary tiles. As for the changing the flooring, the grout can either be cleaned (pictured below) or painted! The Living Room:  Adding an accent wall is a great eye-popping option. We went with a white brick mural from Mural Unique which was installed by Adrienne Scanlan from About Murals. The brick wall is facing the wall with the television, add a mirror above the television to reflect the brick wall onto it's parallel. Furnishing will be the biggest investment into this room; a tip for buying a sofa is to get the longest sofa you possibly could for the longest wall in your space as this is where your primary seating will be! A slipcovered sofa, like this one, are great if you have pets! A glass-top coffee table is a great choice as it creates the illusion that there is more space. There are even coffee tables that can transform into a dining room table, like this one from Wayfair. These are great in super space spaces. The Bedroom: Always start with furniture as it is the biggest investment. Purchase a mattress, frame and headboard in the size that works for your space. The most important aspect of the bedroom is storage. Two small but attractive dressers (the ones below are from Wayfair) are much more functional than night stands in a small room. Nothing makes the space more efficient than when it is organized. Adding a TV into the bedroom creates an extra space to watch TV when you have guests staying over in the living room. Adding an electric fireplace below the TV just seals the deal! For bedding make sure to buy the best quality that you can afford, you spend 1/3 of your life sleeping of course! A coverlet is much easier to change, wash and make than a duvet cover. The Bathroom: To create a fresh new bathroom, you can easily paint the walls, and also the floors! Painting the floors is a much better option for renters as you don't need to tear any flooring out. These tiles were painted in Jet Black from Benjamin Moore. In addition, swapping out the vanity can make a huge difference as it can improve the aesthetic while adding more storage options. Don't forget new lighting and a better faucet and Voila! A new bathroom. We got the vanity, faucets and hardware from Home Depot.