ICYMI: Toxic Chemicals in Popular Hair Dyes, Toughest Trash Bags, Most Popular New Cars

Changing your look shouldn’t mean compromising your health. CR recently tested 23 hair dye products to determine levels of phthalates, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

• “What the data made clear is that a single application may seem low-risk, but chronic, repeated exposure is a very different picture,” says Ashita Kapoor, CR’s director for product safety.
• All samples tested positive for dichloromethane, a volatile chemical classified as a probable human carcinogen.
• Six contained toluene, a chemical used as a solvent that’s a pulmonary irritant and central nervous system toxin.

A trash bag failure is one of the most frustrating kitchen mishaps. To find the toughest bags, CR tested major brands and lesser-known options for strength across each 13-gallon bag’s drawstring, walls, and bottom.

We found an all-around impressive trash bag, an inexpensive bag that performed particularly well in our blunt-object test, and a bag that’s dirt-cheap and strong—but doesn’t come with a drawstring.

Here’s a little hint before you click: The most recognizable names might not be the best performers.

Upon surveying the cars our readers look at most, we’ve shared the most popular new cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks for the year, along with CR’s latest ratings.

Two extremely popular models are still in testing:

• 2026 Mazda CX-5
• 2026 Subaru Outback

Getting a picture-perfect yard requires more than just luck; it requires the right gear. Anna Kocharian, CR’s senior shopping editor, spoke with lawn and garden professionals to find the products they always have on hand.

She even spoke to some of CR’s own for their expert recommendations:

• Tobie Stanger, a former CR editor who previously reported on the best lawn mowers. She recommends a standing weeder.
• Catherine Roberts, a CR senior health editor, who has reported on common tick species. She recommends an insect repellent.
• John Galeotafiore, a CR home improvement testing team leader. He recommends a fuel stabilizer for gas-powered equipment.

There’s an endless number of streaming services available right now, from Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, Apple TV—you get the idea. It’s fatiguing just to consider.

But you’re in luck: Take a figurative walk with Jim Willcox, who leads our coverage of streaming media services and has put together a guide that dives into each service, offering details on pricing, content, and unique features.

He talks about free services, premium services, and even British streaming services.

A good water bottle should keep your drink cold, survive a drop on the pavement, and, perhaps most importantly, never leak in your bag.

CR tested a wide variety of water bottles, mostly in the 20- to 32-ounce range, to find the best. We brought them on the subway, in our cars, to work, to the gym, and used them around the house.

While most of the water bottles we recommend cost $25 or more for a 24- or 26-ounce bottle, we found a favorite 32-ounce bottle that costs just under.

We’re constantly testing the latest products and retesting existing stock.

• We tested a few new clothes dryers. Find our latest ratings.
• We added new dishwashers to our ratings. Read more about the best dishwashers of 2026.
• We assessed new car batteries. For more, check out our ratings.