I think these hair boards serve us in many more ways than just to give us hair advice.  I think people like to feel different, unique,  but also we like to feel that we are a part of a special group.  We celebrate our differences, our long hair makes us stand out from others; yet we celebrate our similarities such as hair color, our hair type, what haircare routine we follow.  We are not that unlike a sort of family.  We are the same and we belong here and at the same time we are all individuals with qualities that make us, like a snowflake, unlike any other of our kind.  We have the best of both worlds.

I think you've expressed it perfectly, stawberryfine.

Longlocks is the first site on my custom tool bar, and the only site I visit every day - it's relaxation after a long night of work every morning and the best way to wake up in the late afternoon/evening, while sipping "first morning" coffee.

It's wonderful sharing thoughts, ideas, and frustrations with those who actually KNOW what we're talking about - unlike most of our family, friends, and co-workers, to whom our long-locked concerns are quite foreign... (for example...what short haired lady has ever had to remind herself to keep an eye on the shower drain so as not to develop a close and lasting friendship with the local plumber)? ha ha ha

Isn't this forum enjoyable!
nightowl

Rainy Days and Migraines
I love rainy days but I could do without this headache I'm entertaining.  I inherited my grandmother's migraines and only time will tell if I inherited her long hair genes.  She had beautiful auburn, fingertip length hair and I adored her.  She was half French, her grandparents being French Hugoenot immigrants.

It all seems so romantic.  There is just something about a rainy day and a blanket.  Funny, my head doesn't hurt as bad now...

Go to your profile page and paste in the link where it says "I have my own pic". Be sure to check the box... I forgot that, and that's why it didn't work the first time I did it. Do keep in mind that the avatar will be resized to 120 x 120 pixels (I think that's the dimensions) so if it's smaller, the picture will stretch and get grainy. 

Hugs ,
Anais

Well, I got my Sprite High-Output shower filter about three days ago and I have to say I like it a lot already.  My water feels softer, my skin feels less dry and doesn't itch, even without lotion.

I've washed my hair so much in the last three days it feels like I've washed the cuticle layer away; also, I've been trying a lot of different combinations of products.

For now, I'm trying to stick to the following routine:

Aveda Sap Moss Shampoo or California Baby Sensitive Shampoo

Biolage Conditioning Balm/ in a spray bottle with distilled water and a drop of rose oil for fragrance; also, just a tiny bit in the shower after shampooing.  I also use this for deep conditioning.

Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Treatment.

Distilled water with 2 drops of rose oil in a spray bottle

Baking soda in shampoo for clarifying
Red wine vinegar in distilled water as a rinse

I'm still working on the frequency of use on all of these.
I'm even leaving off oils for the time being, as my hair seems to feel dry afterwards sometimes.

Some other things I'm using on my hair:
Wooden combs from ric@combmaker.com
Aquis Microfiber towels and turban
Madora detangler comb
Shower comb by Conair; very smooth, very cheap
Champion Hard rubber Comb
Boar bristle brush (needs replacing)
Silk pillowcases from tenderheaded.com
rose oil mixed into everything
Ficcare clip
Ketylo corkscrew hairsticks treasuresfromthetree.com
GNC Ultranourishair and Women's Ultramega vitamins

Right now, I dab a little conditioning balm on my outer layer and ends, shampoo with Aveda Sap Moss, run just a bit of conditioning balm through for detangling; sometimes I comb through with shower comb while hair is still very heavy with conditioner and water.  Then I squeeze water out, wrap in microfiber towel, and leave it up for about an hour, then detangle with Madora comb (this doesn't involve much as long as I comb the conditioner through in the shower),  rub in a little conditioning balm as a leave-in and sometimes comb through with Champion rubber comb.  Air dry.  

I've been thinking of trying a heat lamp from Tractor Supply; they are incredibly cheap there.  I think they use them in chicken incubators, but they are the same heat lamps that sell for lots more in the beauty supply.  But I'm not sure about if it would be damaging.  I mean, its still HEAT.  Its just not blowing.  Maybe its a lot less heat.  I think the bulbs I saw were 250 watt and most blowfryers are, what, 1200 to 1875 watts?  I'm not sure how that would all work out, including wind velocity and any other factors.  

Boy, do I sound obsessive or what? That was just a rhetorical question.  I really don't want an answer.

Some things I want:
*Goats hair baby brush; online somewhere*NO GOAT
Fuller Brush #513 soft boar in wooden handle
More essential rose oil
Microfiber dog towels

I plan to update this list
* Edited to remove the goat

I just read a post from someone who has a goats hair brush and she really didn't like it at all.  She said it was just too soft.  I'm really grateful when people give honest negative feedback about a product; it sure helped me save money this time.

Thanks Valerie!

I've only used the Burt's Bees Avocado Butter PST
(long name!) three times and I like it so far.

It is very different.  It feels sticky, like it has honey in it or something.  It's more of a hair masque.  It helps to warm it in your hands before applying it to your hair.  It took more product than the tube said to use, about a tablespoon worked well, but my hair is not very long yet.

You have to use it before you shampoo; otherwise, I think you would have problems getting it out.  But it is not heavy greasy like you might think.

It leaves my hair VERY shiny and very clean feeling, not at all weighed down and I have fine hair, so that's good.

I'll update about it as I use it more.  I'm really hoping/thinking it might be a good thing.
HTH. strawberryfine

I ordered mine from drugstore.com but I think Burt's Bees has their own site, too.

Don't Try This At Home...
Oops, doorbell!
To be continued... ???

' kay~
This morning I coated my hair pretty heavily with monoi oil and then covered that with Burt's Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Treatment.

Now Burt's Bees doesn't smell that great alone, but mixing it with monoi oil is not good.  It smelled wicked.  It was kind of like Nyquil and a floral perfume mixed together. 

Then my hands started to burn.  Then my scalp started to burn.  Then I flew into the shower and shampooed like mad, twice, (with Aveda Sap Moss Shampoo, but I don't think it would have mattered) and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed...  Then I found I had no conditioner in the shower.  I usually get out what I'm going to use before my shower and put it up afterward so my shower is not so full of stuff.

After my hair had dried partially in a microfiber towel, I detangled it with a wide toothed comb.  It was much easier to detangle than I had expected.  But I noticed it felt a little sticky, kind of like it did when I tried the Jessicurl products.  Well, I decided it might be the avocado oil but I let it finish drying.  Surprisingly, my hair feels pretty good and is very not-frizzy even though I've been out and it is pouring rain here today.  Go figure.

Anyway, I don't think I'll repeat this little experiment.  Next time, I think I'll use just the monoi oil, warmed.  It had solidified, so I stuck the bottle in a glass filled with hot tap water for a few minutes to melt it.  It felt and smelled great on my hair before I added Burt's Bees.  If only I had stopped at that point!  I love spaghetti and I love ice cream, but I'm not going to mix them together.

Live and learn.   

strawberryfine - I cringed and gasped when I read about the burning!  I am so glad your hair did not have any damage!!!!!
At least none of us will try this at home!!!
nightowl