Alllll right!  First time posting, which has me all happy because *drumroll please*  My hair is but just two mere inches from my waist!  *dances*  Two more inches, two more inches... and I'll be officially a waist-lengther! 

Okay, I'm just so happy I'm glowing!  I've told myself that I'll be pleased as punch when it gets to my waist, but    I've already decided to try for hip-length.

Talk about obsession!

On a side note, I tried oiling my hair for the first time this week.. I ADORE the JoJoba oil, I'm so glad I bought it.  I also tried a deep-conditioning with olive oil last night... My scalp isn't all that happy about it (it got kinda greasy no matter how much I rinsed and washed)  but the ends are singing my praises!  Hurray!

Right, so I had a moment of the dreaded "I hate my hair!" fussiness the other day.  How did I fix it?  *evil grin*  I ended up in Claire's.. scouting out the hair accessories.  I got a couple of pairs of chopsticks (not as beautiful as Rapunzel's creations *le sigh* but not a bad price at 2 dollars a pair) and a couple of lovely combs.  I have so much trouble finding combs.. no one seems to carry them anymore.  Granted, the one I got was rather plain-jane tortise-shell but it is lovely.  I wore my hair up in "The Victorian" style (check the HairStyles Gallery for a pic) last night to dinner.  *smiles*  I got the best compliment!  A lady came up to me and said "My, your hair is so lovely styled like that!  You don't see many who do something with their hair nowadays"   *glows*  It was just what I needed to banish the evil "I hate my hair!" feeling.

Hey Red,
Don't apologize about the 'cones.  "One man's meat is another man's poison."

Some people thrive on cones and some don't.  I'm glad you found something that works so well for you!

strawberryfine

Oh my goodness! Saftey glass in your scalp! OUCH! 
My mum was in an accident about a year ago as well, and she still occasionally gets wee bits that surface too.

I reckon I'm in a hair styling rut at the moment too. I can't seem to figure out what to do with it at all. I usually end up putting it back in a boring ponytail. 

Don't worry, you'll come out of it. I always do! 

The body does wonderful things to protect itself.  When a foreign body invades it, the body will try to surround it and push it out.  I had stones in my hand that were pushing out 20 years after I had fallen.  I have a needle in my foot that is encased in scar tissue that the doctors say could still try to work itself out.  I've had that needle for 40 years.

I hope your head is OK and you don't have too many more pieces of glass that have to find their way out.

Owwww!  A needle?!  Yeeeouch!

I still have safety glass in my head, my left hand, and my elbows (I think).  I was hit by a drunk driver and all the windows in my minivan (aside from the back window) were shattered.  They did the best they could in the hospital, but the doctor told me I'd likely be picking glass out of places for awhile.

On a happier note, though, my mummy got me a pair of Rapunzel's sticks for Christmas!!!  *dances around*  YAY!!!!  *giggles*  I was on the phone with her this morning and I asked her if she had had a chance to look at the website yet (I've been buggering her about it.. tehe)  and she said yes... and then she asked me if I had bought any yet, when I told her no, she said good.....

*giggles*  So I gave her the third degree and... YAY!!!  I'm getting hairsticks!  *dances*  Oohh, I just can't WAIT!!

Well, I've gotten very good at french braiding.. that's my hairstyle of choice for me before going to bed... I take my hair down, comb it out, oil it a bit with some jojoba oil, brush it in well with my boar bristle brush, then spritz my hair down with a mister bottle filled with water and a couple of drops of an essential oil.. (I'm loving the lavender EO I bought!)  and french braid.  It's fabulous!  Every morning I wake up to mounds of waves and tons of body, and I've noticed...

The more I keep my hair up, the less I need to wash it.  Likely because I'm not constantly running my fingers through it.. *laughs*  But sometimes I can't help myself.  *giggles*


Ohh, and since I've started really taking care of my hair (I began at the begining of October with the proper combing, brushing, washing techniques)  I've lost a lot less hair, I'm not shedding as much, and I just generally FEEL better about my hair.    And the compliments have been plentiful 

It's a great hobby, Galadriel!

And I love the way the french braiding works.. I rarely wake up and have to comb through tangles.. all I have to do is remove the hair tie and finger through!

And I wear my hair up often too.  Though, I like the look of it down, a lovely figure 8 braided bun at the nape of my neck is just the right style for me (my hair's too thick to have a regular bun anymore, and my hair is easier to manipulate into an 8 figure when it's braided).  But.. the best day for me to wear my hair down is the third day.. but even then I wear it half up with a barrette..

I'm noticing more and more people want to come up and touch it.  A feel a bit like.. a favorite pet or something *laughs* 

There was a woman behind me in line when I was paying for a Christmas gift that actually asked me, "Is you hair REAL?"  I got a good giggle out of that one.

My hair is still in between my shoulderblades and bra strap- if it grows 1 cm in a month rate and I must trim it a little (as I probably must), it will be a year before I reach BSL. A year!

I guess my hair journal will be very long by them. *does not even think of what it will look like when she reaches hip length*

Quote:



*hugs Galadriel*  Well, my dear, your hair is just going to be beautiful as all business because you started caring for your hair long before I did! 

But hang in there; my obsession with long hair began when I realized that, suddenly after four years, I had forgotten to get a haircut.. *laughs*  By then it was pretty long...  Still, leave it to me that after all that I don't have an patience at all...

great, i am happy you like it. i think they call it the "bee butt bun" (hehe) in the longhairloom. i found the most hairstyles in there but most of them are just too hard for me ... maybe i should look for a book to style long smooth slippery hair.
that or i could mix silicone products with oil ... dry non-slippery here garanteed but also tons of knots 

If you find a good book, let us know.  I never had much luck when looking for styling books, but I haven't looked recently.

It's been three days since I've used the half shampoo half conditioner mix.  I'm REALLY happy with the results; my hair doesn't look greasy at all, when usually by the third day I can only wear my hair carefully pinned to look anti-greaseball.  *laughs*

It occured to me that perhaps I was using a too strong shampoo on my locks.. shame on me.  The Dove shampoo is wonderfully fabulous, though.  It's rather thick but creamy; it mixes easily with the Pantene conditioners.

I want to try some different oils (coconut and almond) other than my usual JoJoba.. even though I am completely happy with the JoJoba (I guess I just can't keep my sticky fingers out of trouble!) but I've decided not to buy anything without finishing what I have first.  That's so hard!  But I'm sure I'll make it.

Ohhh, and yes, I've made it to about an inch above my waist.. it hovers there like it's in suspended animation..

I know it's winter and my hair wants to go in hibernation, but I've been taking my vitamins...

Be good to me, hair!  I'm being good to you...

Okay, I know this isn't on the subject of hair, but I recently wrote an article in my online portfolio: www.writing.com/authors/novusfemina
about the tragedy that has become modern etiquette.  Now, I'll admit to having rather romantic and possibly delicate sensibilities, but these things seemed to be natural to me.

For Gentlemen:

1. Always open the door for a lady.

2. If a lady has dropped something, retrieve it for her.

3. If there are no available chairs in the room, offer her yours. Wait a moment after she sits down, and then seat yourself.

4. Direct your complete attention to her when she is addressing you. Keep your gaze at eye level with hers.

5. When meeting on the street, allow her to offer a greeting first. (To allow her to address you first will help her feel more comfortable.) Be sure to offer warm pleasantries when she does.

6. Offer her your arm to escort her from one room to the next, from the car to a building, etc., or if the terrain (be it carpet, glass, marble or ice) becomes difficult to walk on. In tight quarters (such as a small resturaunt) it is acceptable to walk behind and slightly to one side, keeping your hand at the small of her waist in back to help guide her.

(These last two are personal preferences, but I thought I would add them as some ladies, I think, would enjoy this on occasion)

7. When you are dining out, ask the lady her preference and order for her. Never presume that she will enjoy the exact same dish as you and never order anything rare unless she specifically asks for it.

8. When she enters the room, stand for her. Likewise, if she goes to leave the table, stand and offer her assistance, and repeat when she returns.

For Ladies:

1. Allow a gentleman to open the door for you, or to retreive something you have dropped. Always thank him for the kindness.

2. If a gentleman offers you his arm, take it.

3. Offer a gentleman your complete attention when he is addressing you.

4. Be a gracious and courteous hostess. Offer a gentleman (or lady) some form of refreshments upon their arrival. Spirits may be offered after 5pm, but always offer non-alcoholic beverages as well.

5. Speak softly, smile often, and laugh when appropriate. (And gentlemen, "naughty" jokes are not appropriate dinner conversation! In fact, they are not appropriate at any time in the presence of a lady.)

6. Dress accordingly. This means that you keep your visage and form lovely; hair combed, teeth brushed, clothes pressed and clean. There are some subtleties to dressing that I may discuss in an article at a later date, but suffice it to say that clothing, makeup, jewelry and other adornments are to enhance your natural female beauty and should not take away from it.

Thank you, Nightowl!  It's good to know I'm not the only one who would enjoy some civility and gentleness from this world. 

*smiles*

Yes, I'm done ranting.. for now. 

Had a lovely concotion that I put into my hair last night when I washed it; the results are just fabulous!  Must share:

I do my normal oil, shampoo/conditioner, condition routine and then as a refreshing rinse:

I took Bigelow Orange Spice tea (which has rose hips and hibiscus flowers and smells heavenly!) and steeped a big cup of it in freshly boiled water.  (Making tea!)  However, I let it cool, then put it in the refridgerator (like making iced tea).  I used it as a rinse.. ahh, it smells so fragrant and revitalizes the scalp and I hear rose hips and hibiscus flowers help red hair.

And my hair's so shiny!

It is yummy, Nightowl! 


I know, I drink just.. tons of tea *laughs!*  One of my New Year's resolutions was to get in 8 glasses of water a day... and I realized I could do that by drinking tea!  Mwahahahahaaaaaa!!!!

*ahem!*

I do love the Orange and Spice tea.. I don't have to add any sugar or lemon to it; it is just perfect as it is.  I also drink Hyssop tea (just one cup a day, to help keep my immune system up.. but YUCK!  I don't care for the stuff).  I also end my day with a nice hot bath and a steaming cup of tea... total relaxation mode!

Yes, yes, I know... I am a romantic at heart.  I love my tea, my period drama movies, long hours curled up with good writings.  Someday, when I make my millions (tehe) I'll have a house with a fireplace in every room (a must!) and a bathroom with a giant claw-footed tub...

*meep!*

Well ladies and gents, my hair looks wonderful today!  It feels a tad greasy; I think I may have added a bit too much conditioner to my conditioner/shampoo mix for washing my hair... But I guess having long hair is all about experimentation...  Still, my braided bun/coil just looks.. enormous on the back of my head; like some thick-haired goddess; when I went to register for spring semester today three people complimented me on my hair...

*smiles*

It might be because springs feels like it's in the air here; lovely and unseasonably warm weather we're having today at 70 degrees.  Everyone's happy with the change, relaxing in the warm sun...

It has been a good day all around!

hurray!!

I'm back in business.. I think!  *fingers crossed*  May I just say this?  The people at Dell computers were RIDICULOUSLY helpful in my search for a new machine.  *smiles* 

Well, now, enough of that!  *laughs*  I'm just so glad to be able to come back in here and read threads to my hearts' content.. *le sigh*  This is just a great site to unwind on!

On the news front, I've done something new with my hair (huzzah!).  I had been debating the idea of putting some highlights into my hair.  Well, I do like my hair color, but I wanted something.. a little different.  Well, in one of the fashion magazines I was flipping through while in line at the drugstore, I came across a "new technique" that they call "minking."  It's when you put highlights on the underside of your hair, the hair that tends to be darker because it gets the least amount of direct sunlight.  Now, understand this:  I don't blowdry my hair, I don't perm or color my hair, I don't use hair toys that catch, I don't use styling products, nor do I use hot water to wash it.  So I think to myself, "everyone is allowed one... notsogood treatment for their hair."

I should have done this a lot sooner!  I got a bottle of.. I think it was Clariol "Streaking effects" or some such thing, let my hair get pretty dirty, and loaded it up with leave-in conditioner before I even got started, and added some highlights to the top and underneath portions of my hair.  WOW!   

Just what I was looking for!  Now, when I wear my hair down my very dark underneath portion blends in quite a bit better with the top portion of my hair.  Now all I need to do is get some pictures posted.....

*runs about frantically*

I've haven't been in here in ages! 

I'm looking at Susan's new creations (so pretty!) reading all the threads I missed (so many!) and looking at all the new pics that have been posted (so pretty!)

Gah, I've got a lot of check up on!

I am going to try your honey-vinegar-rinse.

Sounds yummy for the hair 

My hair was a bit flat today.. I think it was because it was still wet the morning after I washed it and I went ahead and wore it down... my hair tends to go flat if it doesn't completely dry while it's up.  *pokes hair*  Body please!  Va-va-voom-ness!  Ahem?!  *taps foot* Oooo, fuss, I can't be mad at my hair..  

So I'm loving top of the head pony tails with four rag curls or sponge rollers for the ends.  But note to self... high ponytail does not equal body if the hair has already dried flat...   Go figure...

Well, I guess I'll experiment tonight and see if wetting my hair, letting it air dry till damp, THEN high ponytail and rollers works...

Sweetie most definitely thinks I'm crazy.... but when I wear my hair down he always says how pretty it is... ahh, justification!  

You poor dear.  You are seeing much more than most of us who are only seeing the TV/newpaper/radio coverage.  You are getting the real life version.  It can be overwhelming and it is totally understandable that thinking about your hair seems ....... petty?  There are bigger issues to absorb and process.

Hang in there.  We are all praying and hoping that things will work out for everyone.

My head is filled with this tonight.  It is hard to concentrate on other things ...

My very best to you and of course, all ...g

So long since I've been in here!    Well, I'm just glad I found it again!

Washed my hair yesterday. I'm back to using Suave Milk&Honey conditioner because it has no -cones. However, the M&H has alcohol in it, so I have to replace the oils lost in my hair with a drop of JoJoba oil as it's drying.

Had to use the Suave shampoo too, which I don't like. Too many laureth sulfates and the like. Not good for your hair! But that's all there was... and on that note, going to go to the health food store to find an herbal shampoo... I've heard of several brands that are good... hoping that maybe there will be some travel sized versions so I can try it out.

Scalp scritched while I was in the shower... allowed me to use less shampoo but still getting the gunk off my scalp. Might be able to go completely CO (conditioner only washes) with non-cone conditioners, but am dreading the "have to wash your hair everyday" business when first starting the CO. Just waaaaayyy too much time and work. As it is, one wash every four days is so very, very nice.

SO, applied minimal amount of Suave shampoo to scalp, rubbed it in well. Scalp scritched with well-rounded fingernails. Ahhhh... Let it sit while applying conditioner from ears down, and while doing other showerly duties. Rinsed very well with cold water. Then dunked hair in honey vinegar rinse: 3 Tbs honey melted in a little warm water, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar(it was all I had!), and enough cool water to fill my bucket. Made sure I got scalp. Then gently squeezed excess moisture from hair, towel dried. Detangled with scunchi wide toothed comb (oh, how I love thee...) One drop of JoJoba oil at ends, then combed through.

Note to self: attempted the "force hair to dry straight" method. Claims that if you comb hair straight every five minutes while drying, you will have straight hair when completely dry.

Pffft. 

3 hours into it and my arms were stiff and I was shivering from having so much wet hair around my shoulders and back. Better to just allow enough air- drying time to manage to wrestle it into a braid and let it finish air-drying (takes from washing hair around 5pm to about 7 am the next morning for hair to be completely dry). No more buns when wet, though. Buns do not dry.  And the hair tangles badly, which is even worse....

Considering trying the "super henna conditioner" recipe... have not deep conditioned in awhile, and I think my hair needs it. That said, I have a brick of henna sitting in my freezer that I want to use. Leftover from last henna treatment. Anyways, the recipe is just mixing conditioner with henna and appyling. Have "Silk Elements: Luxury Moisturizing Conditioner" that would work for the deep condish part. Bought the bottle a while back but had to stop using it because the conditioner was so heavy. And it has -cones, primarily Dimethicone. Also, mineral oil. Don't want a greasy, over conditioned mess, but a good vinegar rinse will stop that, along with a little shampoo. Okay, so in three days I will have to try the treatment. I will follow up with results.

Happy belated Birthday!

Have fun at your dinner, hope you'll post some pics of your hair (hint hint)!

Darnit, now I crave Italian!    hehehe

Happy belated birthday, novusfemina.

Good stuff! 

I left the JoJoba and Zum on my hair all of yesterday... I got caught up in my writing and then had to make a mad dash out the door, so I didn't have time to wash.

Instead I did um.. well, I call it "heidi hair"  where you make two long braids and wrap them around your crown and pin it up.   

It worked and I looked passable...

Around five I combed out my hair and washed (shampoo only)  thankfully with a trial size packet of some Dove shampoo, and not the Suave stuff that seems to be too drying on my hair.    And a quick check to the ingredients list showed no -cone activity in the Dove.  My hair just doesn't do well with silicones, and the "all natural" thing just... works. 

So I bid farewell to you, oh -cone... may there be a head that needs you....




At any rate, let my hair air dry for a bit and worked it into a french braid.  Did I mention braids are quickly becoming my go to style?

This morning brought uber-soft and shiny hair. This is certainly a deep-conditioning treatment I can get used to!

I have had really good experience with Avalon Organics shower gel, shampoo & conditioner (the Lavender is my fav), facial cleanser, toner and sunscreen.  I like their hand soap and lotion, too.  The lotion isn't moisturizing enough for my body, my hands like it and I have a bottle each of the soap & lotion side by side at every sink in my house.

Ouidad has a special shampoo for chlorine.  I haven't tried mine out yet-I won't be getting back to water aerobics for about a month, but you can check it out at the website.

I've been having good results with Spectrum brand coconut oil, it is good for summer time on hair and skin.  I put it on sparingly under my body lotion.  You should be able to find it in a health food store, it comes in a white plastic jar.

Okay.. just tried my new Jason's natural Biotin shampoo...

Happy hair and scalp! 

The shampoo has a touch of menthol in it, so it made my scalp feel minty, and it has a great smell.  I did was wash then condition routine rather than both at the same time because I wanted the shampoo to get at the leftover deep conditioner that was still in my hair...

So, wash with the Jason's and some much needed scalp scritching... ahhh...  then Suave Milk and Honey conditioner from the ears down.   Noticed that my hair was a little tangly at the nape of my neck when I fingered combed, but I chalked that up to having moved my hair around a lot in the shower... 

Rinsed out the conditioner, and finished with a vinegar rinse..

All in all, very nice.. can't wait to see what my hair looks like dry!

Sorry to hear you are a "bit under the weather", Elizabeth.  Hope you are feeling better soon.

Isn't it great when someone even *notices* your hair??!!  I like to wear it up for 2 weeks, then let it down for a day, just to get the reactions. 

Thank you, BB.  (((non-contagious hugs)))

And Sakina, MOST DEFINITELY!    I tried to meditate a little this morning and my chakras are all out of whack... 

Ahh well... maybe just some of the "relaxation yoga" Wai Lana tape I have will help.  I have a couple of yoga tapes, and once a month I like to go to the New Age center here in town to a Hatha (I think that's spelled correctly...) yoga session.

And rest.. lots of rest.  (Says the uber-insomniac...) 

Ooo, good idea, Curlgurl!  I'm going to have to see if that's offered...

On a happy note, I am FINALLY getting better!  Yay!    

Note to self: Anti-histamines and serious chest colds equals VERY strange dreams.

To recount:

Laying in bed, in a semi-delirious state brought on by being propped upright by pillows to avoid coughing and a combo dose of anti-histamines and sleep aids, I had some of the most strange and vivid dreams of my life.

Vampires, that, on the whole, were very nice. Apologetic about biting necks. Asking for permission to bite said necks. No random killing sprees... and... offering their victims bottomless expense accounts to buy presents for friends.

Aliens running gift shops... cordial, but difficult to understand. And the only gifts I can remember were these giant, colorful umbrellas, so big you could barely open them indoors, with Van Gogh's paintings.. sunflowers, irises... starry night.

Until I.. fell down into those paintings, flying, taking on those vivid colors, and the air inside them was sweet, sugary sweet, like lemon flavored simple syrup. But then I woke up coughing and the dream spell was broken.

I liked his paintings.


Hehehe, at any rate, hair news...

Washed this morning with Jason Biotin shampoo.  This will be my third wash with this shampoo, and I really like it.  Ladies and gents, I think we have a winner! 

Seriously, this shampoo doesn't give me top-of-the-head fuzzies, which is great.  But I think I need to figure something out for the hairs under the nape of my neck.. they seem a little more coarse than the rest of my hair, but whether that's because they need more moisturizing, or it's just their nature to be that way, I'm not sure..    Will have to experiment a bit.

Finished off with Suave Milk&Honey and a vinegar rinse.  No JoJoba oil, but I'll probably do a deep conditioning JoJoba soak before my next shampoo...

And oh!  I finally found some of those barrettes I was talking about at the grocery store.  4 for a dollar, couldn't be beat!  They are Vidal Sassoon, and as to what kind of clasp this one is called, still no clue.  The package says "classic" so I'm guessing a classic clasp?  It DOES NOT catch on the hair like a french clasp... ahhh.. happy hair. 

I can try, Angel!   

A "french clasp" barrette is an "automatic" clasp, when you close it, you just press the bar down until it snaps shut.  Then, when you go to release the barrette, there are two little prongs on each side of the clasp that you squeeze to open.

The problem with the french-styled clasps is that there are various pointy metal edges that can catch the hair in the clasp... resulting in a ton of snags and breaks... 

Novusfemina,

   Tell me how long is your hair now?  I saw where you were at waistlength back in 2004.  Is your down your thighs headed to your knees now and red?  I'll bet it's very beautiful.  Congratulations.

Jim

Thanx for clearing that up, novusfemina.

That's exactly what I thought French-style barrette clips were. My mother gave me 2 for my birthday or Christmas or something, and they're really pretty, but now I'm afraid to wear them! 

Not sure if that would work...at the very least it would require a ton of nail polish! 

I suppose in the future, I could try to point out what kinds of barrettes I do like. I'll just tell her that sharp metal edges break my hair off. She'll buy that. hehe But if I start talking about French-style this and hair-safe that....oh, I shudder to think of her reaction. 

Thanx for the pointers, novusfemina. 

Hot Glue Gun!!!!!  Oh Novusfemina those glue guns can be hidious if you get burned.  Be Careful!!  I've heard it's like getting burned with hot oil.  Ouch

A few layers of skin, Angel!!???  Yes, I think you are right about that nasty metal tip , grrrrrr,  any burn is an annoyance because you know that you'll always be hitting it on something or getting it touched and then you go through the roof with pain!!!!  

**nods,too**  got it

Curgirl, I hear ya... me+a hot glue gun= a trip to the ER waiting to happen... hehehehe.....  I've gotten myself with the glue before, and yeah, it stings, but I'm becoming less accident-prone than I was when I was younger... 

Angel and Maggie... all I have to say to you two is one word: OUCH! 

Maggie... maybe the french clasp works for you?  Mine just always manages to snaggle some hair or get caught in the metal springs.... after a year or so of  every time I tried to take the barrette out, I decided to give up on them.

In hair news: Finally, today, Friday, I have washed my hair after the henna treatment on Monday... I oiled the ends with a little JoJoba (about two drops) on Wednesday because the henna left my hair feeling a little stiff. At any rate, followed my usual routinue of WC (wash,condition) with Jason's Biotin and Suave Milk&Honey, finished off with a vinegar rinse.

I'm considering trying to make a conditioner of milk and honey... at least in a rinse form, because these two "kitchen" ingredients have always been super on my hair. I will have to experiment...

Also along the experiments, looking into getting a bottle of "aloe juice" not aloe vera gel, which is mixed with plain jello to make a gel, but the juice... heard it was very conditioning as a rinse, and now that I'm -cone free as far as conditioners go, I want to spice up the moisturizing with all-natural ingredients when possible.

Last night we went with some friends to an Indian resturant (which, by the way, and totally off topic, but.. loving Indian food more and more every time I go...) and I wore my hair in a very pretty chinese bun:

Instructions on the Styling Station Central page:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/242462/message/1066672994/Chinese+Bun

Only, instead of simply hooking my hair underneath the stick and then around the bun, tucking in the ends, I split the ponytail, hooked the hair under the stick once, then hooked each side *over* the stick as well before taking the ends around the bun and tucking them in. The whole style took a scrunchie, a hair stick, and four bobby pins (so the ends would stay in place) and it held all night and was very pretty. Yay, I have a new style!  *dances*

Oop, forgot to add: Using Lush's Bohemian soap (which is just so awesome and smells like lemons!) on my skin, and it's making my skin velvety in conjunction with my Zum Rub... my friend Mary gave me the trial-sized Bohemian soap out of the package of Lush she ordered, so I returned the favor and cut her off nice-sized chunck sliver of the Zum soaps I bought... almond and grapefruit... yum. 

Tried Snowy's Deep Moisturizing treatment today...  but before I begin, let me tell you what happened BEFORE SMT:

I run by the grocery store because I'm out of vitamins and I wanted to get some things for a homemade hair conditioning treatment so I needed aloe gel, honey, and conditioner. I found the aloe, vitamins, and conditioner over in the pharmacy section, but since I'd gone to a different grocery store than my normal one, I was having a hard time finding where they've hid the honey.

I walk down about a dozen aisles, sure I've missed it, and retracing my steps. Honey is the one thing on my mind. Honey is all I need. Honey and I can get out of here.

"Can I help you find something?"

The mid-thirties produce specialist looks at me, smiling, as he pushes a cart of bananas and heads of cabbage. Aha! Assistance! 

But compulsive southern lady training kicks into full gear at this EXACT moment...

"Ohh thank you, honey! I mean..  (I'm totally blushing now) I'm looking for the honey..."

"Honey," he winks. "But you didn't have to butter me up. Aisle 6."




I so unintentionally get myself into things that I can never live up to..

At any rate, used Fruit of the Earth aloe vera gel.. (the clear kind with the blue cap) bear-jar honey and Suave Citrus Smoothie conditioner... (as I was once again seduced by the power of the orange smeeeeeeelll  )

I melted just the honey and the aloe in the microwave, because I read on Snowy's message about the treatment (on another long hair board) that the Suave Milk and Honey had the tendency to curdle with this mix, and seeing as how the Citrus Smoothie had milk products in it as well, I didn't want it to curdle either.    So once the honey and aloe were melted, I took the bowl out of the micro and waited until after I had washed my hair to mix the conditioner in.

Oh, and if anyone's curious as to my ratio: I used a cup of the conditioner, 1/4 cup of the honey, and a 1/4 cup of the aloe.  And yes, I did measure it.  I am a hair addict, I know... 

Washed my hair with Jason's Biotin, then lightly towel-dried.   Mixed the conditioner into the Snowy's treatment, then applied to hair and scalp, finger-combing it through.  Piled my hair into a big bun on the top of my head, then put two grocery bags on my head, held with a clippie, and a towel over top of that.  Left it in for an hour, rinsed out. 

My hair felt very slippery and combing afterwards was a breeze.  As it was drying, however, it felt a little sticky, I think due to the honey, but it dried without a trace of stickiness.  My hair is very soft, nicely shiney, and smells like ORANGE OVERLOAD!  *giggles*  Will have to do this again, and I think I'm going to try and work more aloe into my hair care routine.

In other hair news, I finally broke down and bought a "hair" vitamin.  I've been taking a regular multi-vitamin, and when I went to the store found, "High-Potency Hair" supplement, and decided to give it a go.  Or grow, as the case may be, we shall have to wait and see.   

I will do that, Curlgirl!  I hoping this will help me healthily reach the last 4 inches to classic length... *fingers crossed*

Nothing much to report in hair today, only that I am like a puppy chasing it's tail.  orange!  Hair still smells like orange...    *chase chase chase*

LOL Novusfemina. hahahaha

Congrats on your first Snowy's Deep Moisture Treatment.    Good stuff, isn't it? We can all thank Galadriel and Snowymoon.

I'm with Maggie in that Suave has never worked for me. Guess she & I are just Pantene addicts for life.    But ya know, Suave does work for some people...so more power to 'em!

What kinds of vitamins are in your "High Potency Hair" supplement?

Hey novus!

I gave the chinese bun a whirl and I love it!    I've been wearing one for the past two days now, I even put one in hubbie's hair last night and he loved it too!  I did it to be funny, but when he looked at it in the mirror he thought it was so cool and he kept it in all night until I asked for my stick back.  Hey, it's my favorite stick, what can I say?  Maybe a pair of chapstix are in order for him??

Just wanted to thank you for posting that! 

maggie

Washed my hair yesterday with Jason's biotin, then mixed up SMT with VO5's Champagne Kiss... almost couldn't make up my mind, but my friend came over, sniffed all three bottles, and proclaimed CK the best of the bunch. 

Second day hair looks like first day hair on me when I do the SMT... soft, shiny, all around awesome.  Although, the VO5 scents don't stick as much as the Suave stuff does... 

I bought yet one more bottle of VO5 yesterday as well...    It's the Tea Therapy stuff, smells like chamomile, sunflowers, and sunshine... just couldn't help myself because the smell was so great.

Smeeeeeeellllll... 

Quote:

ooo!  I bought that condish, too!  I'm going to use it for the SDMT.  Smells very YUM!    

Whooooaaaa, there.  Been far too long since I posted in here.  Well, between getting geared up for another semester at school, my mom coming to visit, and all the whirlywind things that go along with those two, I just haven't had time to do anything really special with my hair.  Just W&C with Burt's Bees Grapefruit and Sugarbeet S&C.

Awesome stuff.  I highly recommend it.

At any rate, I don't plan on doing much hair stuff in the meantime, either.  I'm having my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow morning, so I think I'll end up sleeping most of the weekend.   But hey, the end result will be no more extra pain in my jaw (because my teeth are actually growing into the muscle where my jaw hinges) and a great reduction in my TMJ problems.  Here's fingers crossed!

Good to have you back, novusfemina. Many of us can relate to hectic schedules and time away from LL. 

Eeeeeek @ the surgery. That's something I need to have done soon as well. Best of luck, hon. Get lots of beauty rest...and have fun with the liquid diet afterwards. 

Sorry you have to have surgery, at least they can do something to relieve your discomfort.  I'll keep you in my thoughts-hope your recovery is speedy.

Will do, NF. Though, I suspect it will be awhile. *phew!*

Glad to hear that your surgery was a success. I wish to God that I had the freedom to do deep conditioning treatments whenever the heck I wanted.    Do an extra long one for me, ok?

The part I'm really dreading about the surgery is whether they will unhinge my jaw. I really hope they don't!! That's my concern as a singer...that they won't hook it up right afterwards. 
    I'm also just a teensy bit worried about being put out. I've heard horror stories about people who never wake up... 

Glad the surgery went well and you are recovering in good spirits.

I've had my jaw wired (I don't remember them giving me ANYTHING when they did it - boy did that hurt!); I've had all 4 wisdom teeth removed at once - only had novacaine, but mine were not impacted or otherwise involved, so they just popped out; and I've had several surgeries requiring general anesthesia.  I'd recommend the general anesthesia for significant oral surgery.  You don't tense up when they are working on you, and as a result, you are not as sore afterwards.  Not to mention, it is much more pleasant to not hear or see what they are doing to you. 

Take care of yourself!

OUCH!  I can feel your pain from here!  Yes, my broken jaw was an "accident", more like a stupid move.  I was 8 at the time.  Some friends and I were horsing around doing fake falls forward.  I did one, but misjudged the concrete floor and landed on my chin, breaking my jaw.  At least in my case, the rest of my body was fine!

Take advantage of the long weekend and pamper yourself!

(Moved this port from Unusual Woman, Unusual Mane because Juri pointed out that I still had my journal, even though I thought it had been deleted.  Oh Lord.  There it was on the third page, just like she said.  I need new glasses.  Good gravy!)


Well, let's see... I had made it down to classic length and then cut it back to waist about 6 months ago to get rid of some of the damage and to make my hair a bit lighter... my roots were flatter than flat no matter what I tried.  Waist length was doing me good for a while, but the heat of summer and the desire for a bit of a change when we moved to Atlanta, I cut my hair back to a little more than BSL.  I like it here, somewhere between BSL and waist length, though it's quickly growing back to waist length if it isn't there already.

As for hair care routine, I'm using the old shampoo and condition method.  Was using Burt's Bees sugarbeet and something for volumizing, really liked that, left my hair feeling good.  Part of the fun and interesting thing of moving to a metro area, though, is finding new products that smaller cities don't carry.  At the local grocery store they have a whole organic section     Yes, yes.. very happy about that!

I found Avalon Organics, Jason's, and Nature's Gate... and had to spend a good thirty minutes trying to decide what I wanted to try... (my sweetheart was understanding... he kinda rolled my eyes at me, said "Oh Lord" and went to look for some groceries.. hehehehehe!  Bless the man!)  I finally decided on Avalon Organics Lavendar poo and condish, and a bottle of Nature's Gate herbal condish, because it was on sale.

I'm a sucker for sales, if you haven't already guessed.   

I also bought the Avalon lavendar face wash, because I was out of face wash and the store didn't have my usual brand.  I really like the face wash, btw.

I do like the lavendar condish, it's just slippery enough and soaks right into my hair.  The shampoo smells great (the condish doesn't have the same smell even though it's lavendar too..   ) but I've notcied that my scalp gets greasier more quickly... not sure if it's the shampoo or something else, though... any ideas out there ladies?   

Haven't tried the Nature's Gate condish yet, though it smells loverly.  My sweetheart bought me a bar of sandalwood soap, so between the sandalwood and the lavendar, I'm one nice smelling gal... lol.

Hurray for Fall! It has finally arrived!

Last night R and I were sitting out on the back patio and it was actually chilly!  We're definitely looking forward to having a fire in the fireplace (R and I have only lived in one other place together that had a fireplace and we only lived there during the summer...) and snuggling down in the living room with a game or a good book.  Or just snuggling, which would be my preference.  Hehe! 

One of the things we're looking forward to having moved to an area that sees a little more winter other than a Louisiana cold rain.  I had to put on a sweater on this morning!  Usually I'm still wearing shorts until the end of October.  This is definitely nice.

I made a Turkish lamb stew yesterday in celebration of the on-coming of fall, an awesome recipe that I will try again, it was so easy!  I had to substitute potato for the eggplant called for in the recipe because R is afraid of that particular purple vegetable, but it was still delish and spiced just right.  There's still some leftover, I think I might have that for lunch today.  Lord knows I'll need something here soon, I've been up since 5:30    R woke me up when he left for work this morning at 4, then I couldn't get back to sleep for another half hour.  Then he started calling at 5:30.  Arg!  I couldn't be too upset, he sounded sad when he said, "you went back to sleep?" but at this point I couldn't go back to sleep anymore, so I gave up and went ahead and started my day.  Still, I hate being pestered awake. 

I felt better after I went and picked up a giant cup of Community Coffee.  I have to go over to the gas station to pick it up.  Community Coffee is a Louisiana brand that I've really gotten used to and haven't been able to find in the markets around here, other than the world farmer's market way on the other side of town that sells primarily Indian foodstuffs.   Thankfully, if I happen to be out of C. coffee (which I am, although the Turkish coffee I picked up is nice) the local gas station is owned by an Indian man and he shares my love of C. coffee and brews it every morning.  Ahh, nectar of life!

I think I'm going to have another look at the wedding dress in "Tristan and Isolde" today.  I watched the movie for the first time yesterday (thank you, netflix) and I have to say it was refreshing to see a movie in which the Irish were not the beaten up poor country for once.  Granted, they were technically the bad guy, but hey, Britain's not so hot for subjugating the Scots later in the middle ages, hmm?  Anyway, I was a bit disenchanted by the ending; although I knew Tristan was going to have some sort of hero's death, I thought it was little weak on the part of the directors to have Isolde just disappear forever, tra la.  I was happy that there wasn't the fairy tale happy ending the big movie moguls tend to rely on, but they could have done something just a little bit more realistic with Isolde.. send her back to the English king or show her having grown old, tending to Tristan's grave.  Disappearing forever?  Pfft!   

Hair News:

Still no sign of LL sticks in the mail.  Fudge!  The mail seems so slow around here.. or maybe it's just me an my impatience.  Still... arg!

Third day out from washing and my hair still seems very good, wearing it down as it's still too slippery to hold much.  I'm thinking that the Avalon Organics shampoo was causing the stickiness/early greasies, so once the bottle's gone, I'll switch back over to Burt's Bee's.  Need to go to the grocery store today, so I think I'll pick up some coconut milk to give it a try as recommended by Curlgirl, and also some honey so I can whip up some more Snowy's deep treatment which I haven't done in ages.

Hehehehehe!   Kiraela, to ward against the freezing rain might I suggest a warm sweater?  And boots... that's what always got me through the Louisiana winter.  If all else fails, a hot toddy will do wonders. 

Yesterday morning I wandered out early to do some things, so when I got back, I was wanting a hot bath.  Hot BATH!  I admire the Japanese for their desires for hot baths, I find them really restorative for many ails.  At any rate, since I was going to soak in a hot tub, I thought I'd might as well treat my hair too!  I'd forgotten to pick up some honey at the store for a Snowy's DMT, so I ended up mixing a 1/4 a part of fruit of the earth aloe gel with 4 parts Nature's Gate herbal condish.  The Nature's Gate smelled really good, but once I mixed it with the aloe, the scent of aloe was most prevelant.  Also, it first appeared that the aloe gel curdled with the conditioner, but in reality it just had a hard time mixing. (I was trying to mix the stuff in my hand.)  Next time I may warm the aloe in the microwave for a second or two and use a spoon!

Conditioned my whole head, detangled and combed through then bunned the whole thing with a plastic hairstick and hopped in the bath.  Ahhhh...  A long time (and several book chapters) later I rinsed out the treatment.  Hair was very slick.. yes!  I washed my scalp with the remnants of the pomegranite and soy Burt's Bee's shampoo I had.  I think I'm going to let R use the rest of the Avalon Organics shampoo.  He seems to like the stuff, but he has very short hair so I guess he isn't affected by the stickiness.  Once my scalp was clean, I finished with a -cone condish, John Frieda's redhead stuff.  I really like using a little -cone as it helps seal the hair cuticle down so I down get frizzies.  I apply the -cone from the ears down only, and then I leave it in for just a minute or two.  Plus, I find the -cones help the hair dry faster. Final rinse with cool water.

Still using a blow dryer on cool setting after towel drying.  I always aim the hair dryer down to keep from going "against the grain" of the hair folicle, and always on cool except for several blasts of warm air to my roots and temples.  These are areas that dry the fastest and are most likely to frizz, so I want to get to them quickly.  I work in batches, roots and temple area first, then middle parts of the hair, and lastly, (and the quickest part) the ends.  Between each batch, I stop the dryer and gently detangle with my fingers, allowing my hair to rest and keeping it from getting overheated.  The results are that my hair is very shiny and (YES!) frizz free.  Last step is a gentle polish with my BB brush.  I've tried everything in my power to combat frizz, from alcohol-free products to wet combing to super absorbent towels and nothing seems to work, other than getting my hair dried quickly. 

OH!  And can I say: 

Prettier than I can ever imagine, and I am so glad I bought some Sterlingsticks!  The finnial sterling pieces are gorgeous.  Plus, I final have a pair of RED sticks!  You KNOW I'm wearing them right now.    The name of them are Vixen, and yes, I feel like a Vixen wearing them!