College Relationships and How They Affect Students

Finding true love is a good thing for any person. The relationship provides you with happiness and contentment because you finally get to settle down with someone who understands, loves and appreciates you. Finding that true love can be difficult for many who always end up being disappointed. You may find someone who is not serious or ready to settle down.

Various websites can help you find the perfect match. They have helped make dating much easier because the love of your life might be a video chat away. Most of the sites are intuitive and have filter options where you can find someone based on age or type of relationship you want.

There are also sites that specifically focus on certain types of hookups or relationships. Those looking for a Happymatches to fulfill their desires can search for this person online. Dating can start at any age as long as both couples are adults and mature enough for the relationship. One popular time to seek a relationship is when people are in college.

Dating in college is a good idea although it has its setbacks too. This is when you are getting yourself ready to move out and start living independently. Finding the right person during this stage is crucial. Plenty of college relationships have led to marriage. College relationships can affect students in the following ways.

Balancing Time

One challenge a college relationship can present to both couples is balancing time. You may find yourself in a situation where you are busy with your studies and also completing assignments whenever you are free. This will cause you to have limited time for your partner, who might also have a busy schedule. Lack of enough time for each other can affect your relationship to a certain extent. What you can do is communicate with each other and know how to balance your time together.

Psychological Support

Having a partner during this stage can be essential because she or he will provide you with the psychological support needed. Campus life can be difficult at times. You may find studies challenging, and this may prompt you to quit. Having a good partner will give you the kind of support you need to keep going. 

Academic Support

Having a partner on campus is also essential for academic support. This can be vital when both of you are taking the same course. You will always be there to assist each other during your studies. Understanding each other will be a lot easier because you have many things in common that you share. You will also help each other when it comes to your assignments.

Flexibility

College relationships teach one how to be flexible. You learn how to balance time between your studies and relationship. This can be very significant in the future because you will understand how to balance work with other important things like family time. You will practice setting aside time for relationship priorities despite having a busy schedule.

Disclosure:  This is a contributed post.

 

Why It's Never Too Late for Parents to Fix Bad Credit

While it’s a bit of an exaggeration to say that those with less than good credit--even if their score is ranked poor--will be living in their parents’ basement forever, you could miss out on some big life opportunities if you don't have good credit. This is especially true for those with families of their own. With that in mind, here is what parents should know about bad credit and how to fix it:

The Realities of Bad Credit 

 

The first thing to know about your FICO score is that it will mean higher interest rates. While not every loan requires you to have good credit, and some programs may even offer bad credit personal loan options, you can be sure you will be paying higher interest rates than those with good credit. This is because lenders are taking a greater risk when lending money to those with low credit scores.

But your interest rates aren't the only thing that can be affected. You could also be paying more on auto, homeowner's or renter's insurance since they also check your credit. Some landlords may have minimum credit requirements for apartment tenants, and some utility companies even charge hefty deposits on those who don't have good credit to protect themselves from defaults on the bills. But even if you've had these experiences, there is hope for fixing your credit.

How to Fix Your Credit 

 

The first basic step in fixing your credit is to change your habits. Go from late payments to making them on time or even early when possible. If you find yourself owing your creditors more debt than you can afford to pay all at once, you should work out installment payments with them so that you can pay it off with the right plan. Sometimes certified credit counselors can help you out with this, but be careful about who you call if decide to go this route because there are scammers out there pretending to be legitimate counseling agencies. 

Another way to fix your credit is to signup for a secured credit card. This will usually mean depositing an amount on the card, and it could be a few hundred dollars. But if you use the card well and pay your balance in full on time, you will get the deposit back and your credit score will start going up. You should make it a point not to just pay the minimum amount due but pay off the entire balance or nearly the entire balance so you keep your score in good standing. 

One other way to improve your credit score is to order a copy of your credit report and make sure there are no errors on it. The place to do this is www.AnnualCreditReport.com where you can get a free report once every year from Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. If you see an error on your credit report, you need to contact the credit bureau responsible for it, and they can work with the billing company to make sure it gets removed. You might be surprised at how much removing an error can help your score. 

In conclusion, fixing your credit may not happen overnight if it's badly damaged, but it can be done. A big part of accomplishing it will depend on changing your habits and perhaps living more frugally with your money. And it's good to always stay on top of your credit score by checking it frequently because doing so does not drop your score.

Disclosure: This is a contributed post.

 

Looking For A Hair Product? This Information Can Help You

Do you wish you can flaunt your long and deep-hued lustrous hair? Instead, do you have to contend with a head of hair that is listless and graying, adding years to your age? This is an eternal problem faced by millions across the world and the proposed solutions are many. But what actually works for something as delicate as your hair and scalp?

There is a deluge of products out there that promise the sky, but you have to choose wisely. When you look for a hair-related solution you need to stay informed on the basics. Learn about the importance of scalp health, identify possible side effects, and read about the ingredients that are there in a product.

There is always a way to fix the problem of gray or weak hair. Some of the best quality products are formulated by experts after years and years of experimentation and research. 

The Wonders Of Melanin

So why does your hair turn gray? There is no mystery behind this – it is all chemistry and related to the aging process. Other factors like genetics and stress can also factor in. Reduced pigmentation causes hair to lose its original color and turn white (a state of being without any pigmentation). Grey hair is a sign that the pigmentation is reducing.

This pigment is melanin and it defines the original shade of your hair, whether brown, light or black. To be more accurate, your hair color depends on the ratio of eumelanin (responsible for dark shades) and pheomelanin (lighter shades). White is actually the original color of hair and melanin is the compound that you should be interested in.

Melanin itself is made up of cells called melanocytes which are found at the follicles, where the hair grows out of the scalp. Normal hair growth happens in three stages – the first stage is when the hair fiber is strong and constantly growing – this is the stage for most of our hair and is called anagen. The catagen stage is when hair growth pauses temporarily (close to three weeks sometimes). The third stage is the telogen stage when the hair stops growing and falls out. These three stages happen in a cycle for each individual hair and if your hair is healthy, the replacement process is uninterrupted.

The hair follicle is the other major player in hair growth. Think of it as a hair factory and you have thousands of them on your scalp. This hair factory has its own lifecycle – it is possible that its output wanes with time and other factors. When that happens, there is less melanin produced and melanin production reduces. What happens next? Well, you guessed it – the grays and silvers start showing up above our faces.

Factors For Melanin Production

So, what influences the production of your hair pigments? As mentioned above, age and genes are strong influences. This is why gray hair and hair loss can run in the family. Hormones are another factor in the graying (or non-graying) of hair.

A few external factors can also determine whether you can hang on to your original hair color longer. Climate has an effect on hair growth – warm climes and reduced exposure to the harsh sun keeps the hair production cycle optimum. Add nutrients to that – if your body is not getting the right food, your hair suffers. Air pollutants can harm your hair and there are many toxins in cosmetic products that can have an adverse long-term effect on your hair pigmentation.

How To Find The Right Product

Now that you are armed with the basic knowledge of how your hair functions, you will have a better grasp of things when presented with hair care products. Nowadays, Chromaviv has been receiving a lot of attention from the hair experts. This specially formulated compound acts on the mechanisms that produce hair pigments, replenishing the cells and follicles of the scalp. It is recommended for adults and products with Chromaviv are continuous-use items.

The best products improve the scalp health and encourage follicles to produce the required pigments and cells for optimal hair growth. As a result, your hair will regain its volume and thickness and of course, its original color will start to come back. Stronger hair with more luster and shine means that you do not have to head to the salon too many times. This saves you money and time too.

Your beautiful hair can help you make an entrance and try different looks. It is a confidence booster and sign of an overall healthy lifestyle. Do not ignore the signs when you are seeing some grays. Combat it with the best products and relish the results.

Disclosure: This is a contributed post.

 

How to Create a Custom Kids Christmas Shirt with a Heat Press

If you love crafting, you know how rewarding it can be to create something beautiful, something you can call ‘homemade’, something you made with love!

That is why we love whipping up some heat press custom Christmas tees for our kids. Not only are they unique, fun and they look smashing, but I love that I made something with love for my kids to wear on one of the most special days of the year.

If you have never whipped up a heat transfer vinyl design to apply to a t-shirt, you will really be surprised at how easy it can be to do. And the beauty is that if you don’t have a heat press machine yet, you can always use a normal home iron to apply the design.

Step-by-Step Instructions on How to Heat Press a Custom T-Shirt

Find below the step-by-step tutorial on how to create a custom HTV transfer for your t-shirt.

Supply List:

• White Blank T-Shirt
• HTV (Heat Transfer Vinyl or Iron-On Vinyl)
• Vinyl Cutting Machine
• Weeding Tool Kit
• Heat Press Machine

STEP 1 – Purchase a Blank T-Shirt & Choose a Design

Purchase a good quality blank white t-shirt. White shirts are the easiest to work with and are great for beginners. Your second task is a fun one. Go on a hunt for a fun design or image that you want to apply to your shirt.

If you wish to keep things simple, you can purchase ready-made iron-on images from made stores. However, I love to choose my own image and HTV vinyl colors as I find it more fun.

You can find many free images online, simply try searching for “free Christmas SVG” and it will bring up free images that are ready to download and use.

Next upload your design to your vinyl cutting machine’s software. I own a Cricut Maker, so I simply upload my design to their software: Cricut Design Space.

Photo Credit 

STEP 2 – Prepping the Design

Once you have your file uploaded, you will need to resize it. So quickly go and measure the area on the shirt that you wish to apply the design to. Resize your digital image to match that size.

Next make sure to mirror-flip your image. 

Photo Credit

That way the image will be the right way up once we apply it to the shirt.

STEP 3 – Cutting the Design with a Vinyl Cutter

Next load the heat transfer vinyl into your machine and set the machine to cut out your design.

STEP 4 – Weeding the Design

Once your design is cut, you will need to weed or remove all the bits of vinyl that isn’t needed. Simply grab one corner of the vinyl and simply peel it away from the Cricut mat. This process will leave your design on the mat.

Next pick up your weeding tool and simply remove all the smaller intricate vinyl pieces that is still on your design.

Tip: Good quality heat transfer vinyl will be easy to weed and easy to apply. Here is a guide to help you find the best heat transfer vinyl for both iron or heat press application.

STEP 5 – Pressing your Design on the T-Shirt

Once the design has been weeded, it is time to press it to your t-shirt. You will need to apply heat to the vinyl for it to bind to the fabric of the shirt. Whilst you can use a household iron to do this, we do recommend that you invest in a small quality heat press instead.

A heat press is great as you can set the temperature and time that is required for the pressing process (rather than relying on guesswork when you use an iron). You can start off with the Cricut EasyPress 2 which is small, portable and affordable and when you are ready you can upgrade it to a more decent press. You can compare all the best heat press machines in this guide.

Simply follow the instructions on your HTV packet to set the temperature and time required to press your design onto your shirt. Carefully peel back the carrier sheet to leave your beautiful Christmas design on your shirt.

Can you imagine how awesome these will look for a family Christmas photo?

So now, all that you have left to do, is to design some more custom Christmas tees for the rest of the family. Easy peasy and super effective.

Disclosure:  This is a contributed post.