What Liza Colón-Zayas Can’t Live Without

I was looking for some new hair-care products — you know, I have curly hair — and I found this brand online. I think it was maybe on Amazon, a Black-owned business. They sell a trial packet, and it was really affordable. So I’m like,Alright, let me try that. I’m just happy that it moisturizes my hair and works beautifully. It’s not expensive, and they have a little bit of everything. They have a shampoo that I use. There is something calledExtra Butter Moisturizerthat’s thicker, kind of creamy. It comes in a jar. If my hair is especially crispy, I’ll put that on. Then there’s a curl activator. Depending on whatever mood my hair is in, that will dictate what I’m using on that day. I’m a little sensitive to perfumey stuff. I’m allergic to almost everything. So that’s why if I find something that works for me, I stick with it for life.

I’ve been using it for years. I order a half a dozen at a time. I go through a large bottle — one large bottle — every two weeks. I use it head to toe. I have eczema, right? It’s definitely controlled. That is the only product that moisturizes thoroughly. It doesn’t dry up. It doesn’t turn white. I’m not allergic to it. Right after the shower, I bathe in it. I take a bath, and then I take another bath. And then after I wash all this stuff off, I lather it on before bed. So, yeah, I use it twice a day at least.

I learned it was good for acne by accident. I had a pimple scar so I put it on. I don’t know if it really works for scars, but it certainly works to dry up acne really quickly. I didn’t have acne, not as a teenager, not my whole life. And at this age, I was getting acne that would take months to go away. As soon as I saw something, I put that on, and it starts to dry up within days. I’ll use it throughout the day if I can get away with it once something is threatening to erupt. If not, I’ll use it whenever I can until it’s gone.

Hormones are hellish, and sometimes you get unwanted facial hair. With tweezing and hair removal, you can get ingrown hairs, and then the skin dries over as it’s healing. So I found that this is the best exfoliant to use on my face. It looks like an electric razor, but it’s not a razor. It’s not for shaving hair. You just gently move it back and forth, really gently, and — this is gonna sound gross — but just dead skin, you’ll see it. I find these little tumbleweeds of dry skin. They just flake off. Because I have such sensitive skin, I’ve gotta be aware of that. But this is not harsh like exfoliants that are grainy. I can use it every day and it just feels so smooth when I’m done.

It doesn’t run. The eyes pop, and it doesn’t leak or anything. It’s justboom. So that’s it. I’m a lifer. I use black. I think my makeup person introduced it to me. If I could pull off waking up with it and not looking like Alice Cooper, I would.

I don’t remember how I stumbled upon it. I just know that it was love. It’s sweet, but it’s not cloying. You don’t cough on it. I don’t think it’s musky. It’s just subtle and lovely and sophisticated. It’s delicious for my chemistry. I’m not really aperfumeperson, but I get lots of compliments on that one, so I don’t want to switch it up. I’ve been using it for a few years now — I’ve gone through at least three bottles. I don’t go crazy. Unless you’re close to me, I don’t want it to announce itself. So I use it with discretion. That reminds me I gotta restock because I’m down to the fumes. And I’m glad that it’s not overly popular. It’s mine.

About ten years ago, my dentist offered thistoothbrushto me. It’s one of those Sonics, so it uses sonic waves. Now I’m stuck with it. It has its own case that it charges in. It comes with replacement heads, but that speaks to how good it is that a decade later it still works. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth it.

Editor’s note: Liza has been using her toothbrush base for over a decade, so we linked to the most up-to-date model.

I don’t like to feel gunk in my teeth. I’m ultrasensitive to it now that I’m older. It’s not like I grew up being maniacal about it. I just really want to protect my teeth. Iflossnow four times a day, and I’ve tried all of them. I’m telling you that this is the best floss there is. It’s the size. It’s the perfect width. It’s not too thick. It’s not too thin that it’s cutting you up. It’s waxed, so it’s not a torture device, and it’s minty. It does the job. I’d rather err on the side of minty than funky.

I have been using it over a year, maybe closer to two years. The first year I got the subscription because I had tried other apps, and then I would not be consistent. But with this one, I love it because you can choose gender, you can choose topics, whether it’s meditation, whether it’s cognitive-behavioral therapy, whether it’s affirmations, whether it’s storytelling. And not just the topics. You can choose voice and tone. You can find an instructor from different parts of the world with an accent that you gravitate to. You have so many options, and I’m really proud of myself because I have 50 straight days of mindfulness. So I want to keep up that streak. I have trouble sleeping, so it really helps me to slow my brain down. The most basic thing that I forget to do is just take the time to breathe and slow it down. I actually need somebody to tell me to do that. I use it in the morning. I use it before bed. And I’ll use it if I’m just feeling especially anxious.

Our co-op is from the ’60s, and it’s all window units. They’re loud and powerful, and they get the job done. I keep ours between 68 and 70, and I have control all the time. It’s not rare for it to be running in the wintertime. I just don’t want street noise, and I get cool, but if I open the window, then it’s got the street noise. Listen, it’s over 100 degrees in New York today. I cannot live without it. And we didn’t grow up with air conditioning. That’s the freakish thing. Now, I can’t be in an environment where there isn’t that option. I get very resentful. Then I have to use the Aura app and start meditating about it.

Editor’s note: Liza didn’t specify a particular window AC unit, but you can’t go wrong withour favorite one.