Just had to vent a little about my layers.   ARRGGHHHH >:(
I can do a bun with a bun cover and even do a french braid, but I still have layers that fall out &/or stick up.  I have been resisting the hairspray.  I think I'll look for some without the alcohol though (GNC or other health food store).  Granted, work has been hectic and physically hard and having to do overtime, but I don't need my hair to look like it!  Especially before the morning is half over.  :P
The aloe gel just doesn't hold it and I end up with bobby pins all over and still have strands falling in my face, around my ears, and down my neck. :( >:(

Okay, I feel better now.  Back to growing them out patiently. :-/

(((((Hugs))))))
Hang in there - it will get better!

Thanks BB!   :D

aloe works better when mixed in the hand with jojoba, it's how one makes a gloss gel but works really well for braids. i was tempted to cut off 3" the other day (also layer annoyment) but my darling told me he really likes the way it looks so i calmed down.

Thanks for the aloe/jojoba idea Styg.  I'll have to give that a try.
Right now I'm tickled pink.  I sent a few links to DH for b-day gift ideas.  He actually ended up buying me 3 (three!! :o) wooden combs -- one from Ric -- and a hair fork from Ric.  If one is good, three must be better! LOL
I guess I'd better make sure I learn how to do the long hair thing now  ;D

don't forget to polish his stuff!! he just cuts his wood and polishes the outsides! i found the forks unwearable before i polished them. same for the comb, but that takes a few hours to do depending on the wood.

oh, thanks styg!  By polish, do you mean oiling, or a fine sanding?  I'm not a wood-working person, so forgive my stupid questions.  I did notice the inside of the fork is rougher than the outside and wasn't sure if it just needed oiled.

One of the combs I received from Ric needed a bit of fine sanding on the teeth.  I then oiled them heavily as well.  I LOVE my combs.  You MUST remember to oil the wood regularly or it will crack.

Enjoy!!

wrote on Apr 14^th, 2005 at 10:59pm:

oh, thanks styg!  By polish, do you mean oiling, or a fine sanding?  I'm not a wood-working person, so forgive my stupid questions.  I did notice the inside of the fork is rougher than the outside and wasn't sure if it just needed oiled.

fine sanding, i bought several sanding papers for wood with different grain, works very well (also on plastic btw). i don't need to oil my stuff that much since i like to overoil my hair with jojoba which all my wooden tools seem to appreciate.

wrote on Apr 15^th, 2005 at 12:20am:

One of the combs I received from Ric needed a bit of fine sanding on the teeth.  I then oiled them heavily as well.  I LOVE my combs.  You MUST remember to oil the wood regularly or it will crack. Enjoy!!

What do you oil your combs with?  

I also like to mix jojoba and aloe gel, especially when I'm putting in curls.  

Ric always includes a bottle of a special oil/wax blend. It's beeswax, lemon oil, a bunch of other stuff... smells great. It's the consistency of aloe vera. But still, I think you can oil your wooden stuff with jojoba. People recommend oiling wooden jewelry with jojoba, so I figured why not combs....  ;)

Anais

I use the jojoba oil on my combs when I travel, since I already have it along.  I treat my combs to Ric's wax/oil blend at least once a month - especially in the winter when the air is so dry here.

Thanks for the info.  I took my wooden combs on the boy scout camping trip and sanded and oiled them in the evening.  Sort of comic relief with all these guys (short hairs) looking at me and wondering what the heck I was doing with the sand paper, oil, a hair fork, and funny looking combs *chuckles*.  They weren't sure what to do about it  :D.  
(I packaged them in a ziplock bag so they wouldn't get wet/damp)

oh, another question -- how do you clean the combs?  My plastic ones I would clean with water and ammonia.  But not these babies!

Cleaning a wood comb:
1.  Don't let anyone else use your comb - that way you know there won't be any "ickies" on your comb  ;D

2.  Use a soft absobant cloth (flannel works great) to "polish" the teeth of the comb.  This should remove any build up.  I also use a Qtip to get between the teeth for cleaning (and oiling).

3.  Apply oil/wax generously to recondition the comb.

I've noticed that my wood combs do not seem to have the same gunky build up on them that plastic combs get.  I'm not sure why, but I've thought that the plastic tends to attract crud whereas the wood is neutral and does not attract (nor cause static) like the plastic combs.

Anyone have any other ideas for cleaning??

Just an update - what a difference a month and a half can make.  I still have layers, but I am able to keep them reasonably under control.

Yesterday I did a half-updo bun (like on styg's avatar) +no net or bun cover!+.  It worked great, but I did *shiver* cheat and use a light spritz of hairspray since I was leaving at noon to attend a wedding/reception and wouldn't be able to do any fix-ups the rest of the day.

Any way, I'm beginning to see some progress on my hairstyling -- I think I'm down to 8 thumbs instead of "all thumbs" ;)

Glad to hear things are working better for you.  Before you know it, you will be down to 2 thumbs!   ;D

I have a question...Is it bad to have layers when you want to grow long hair? Why does everyone want to grow them out? Should I grow out my layers? If so, why?

Once your hair reaches about mid-back, most people prefer hair of one length.  Most long hair styles are easier to manage with a single length - braids and buns specifically.

There is no rule that says you have to have it all one length.  If you have very thick hair, you may prefer layers to reduce the bulk and weight.  It is a personal choice.

In reality, no one has hair that is all one length.  New hairs will always be growing to the desired length.  

Yup, it's just a preference.  One-length tends to make hair look thicker, and like BB said is easier to maintain.  For me, my hair is already thick so I get layers put in to balance it out.  

This is by no means a rule, just an opinion, but I think layers look really good on wavy/curly hair.  

Cynde

Thanks! Right now my hair is damaged so along with the "dusting" of the split ends that I find, I also get my hair trimmed to cut off any other splits or damage. I find that layering takes off more damage.

In fact, it is about time I get another trim. Actually, I might get an inch taken off because my ends seem really dry and in bad shape :(

be careful with that, i went to several stylists during my layer adventure and not a single one cutted the same way! so i think since the style never ends up the same twice, a lot of damage might still be up there. of course i had on top of that the perversion of only liking deep razored layers, a cut that actually damges hair rather than removing the damge. i had to do hours of s&d after every haircut  ::)
i'll be so happy when they're gone and it will take still quite a while since i don't plan to do any trims over 1/2" at once.