What Carla Hall Can’t Live Without

It’s all about hydration when you’re traveling, and as a black woman, I basically travel with a bag full of products. I don’t even have room for clothes. The Phytojoba is just a really great, intensely moisturizing shampoo. I found it from my hairstylist at the Chew, who actually cared about getting and keeping my hair healthy, not just giving it style.

These are little pincers with two little pads on each end that can wipe your glasses on the inside and out at the same time. I didn’t know about these, and my husband, who’s all about the stocking stuffers, gave them to me and my stepson, Noah. They are just so awesome and life-changing! I travel with at least five pairs because I hate having dirty and smudged glasses.

I was getting a gift for my mother for Christmas last year, and I literally went on Amazon and searched last-minute gifts. I was looking at the melatonin mist, and the Gravity weighted blanket came up as the thing other people looking at this item bought. I ended up getting it for myself and forgetting about my mother. I tell you, you are going to love it. It’s like you’re being swaddled. There is nothing like it. I spritz the melatonin mist on either side of my neck, and then it’s lights out. I have a big Velcro sleep mask I use called the Sleep Master. When I travel, I bring duct tape so that anything with a light — a blinking alarm clock or what have you — gets covered. I put a towel under the crack of the door. I’m all about the sleep, but the Gravity Blanket is the thing. My husband said it felt like sleeping with a toddler on his back, and I was like, “You’re welcome.”

These I learned about from the co-author of my book, Genevieve Ko. [Editor’s note: We’ve written about these before.] I’m working and standing a lot, and when I’m doing cooking for these food and wine shows, it can get really exhausting. My mother has been wearing compression hosiery, but they are old lady, and I said, “I am never wearing that!” But Vim has fun colors and patterns that are taking the old lady out of compression socks. My legs don’t get as tired as they used to. The first time I wore them, I sat down at the end of the day and thought, “Oh, wow, my legs aren’t tired.” It made a huge difference.

It’s this little plastic thing you stick your whisk through before you start making anything, and then when you’re done, it gets all the stuff you needed off the whisk. It’s so great for desserts, especially things like thick cake and brownie batter. Don’t waste any of that! It makes cleaning up so much easier, too.