I'm surprised at how well the nylon and bbb I bought last week is working.  I had bad expierences with well-meaning grandmothers trying to detangle my hair with brushes with nylon tufts and stayed away from tuft-type brushes for years.  *eye twitches at memory of hair being painfully pulled out*  But when I read about how a bbb is supposed to be used and how helpful they are (esp. Mason Pearson), I got suckered in and got one--a good bbb, not one from MP.  Anyway, my hair is shinier and I've been able to extend the time between washes by one day.  I think I could go longer, but by the end of the 3rd day without a wash, I thought my roots looked a little too greasy and the sebum beads were increasing.  Ick!

I've tried CWC twice using the instructions on Anais' site and I love it!  If you're reading this, Anais, thank you so much for posting different washing methods!  Since our hair types are similar, the different methods will be very helpful in the future.  The first time I used it my mom commentted on how shiny my hair looked.  That made me quite happy since I'm growing out bleached (and dyed) hair and have been working hard to get the length decently healthy looking.

Speaking of bleached hair, never again will I do that.  I found a couple of old pics from 2001 when my hair was at it's longest (a bit past BSL) and it looked so nice and healthy (not to mention only one color)!  When I compare the way my hair looks now to the picture, I think, "What the heck was I thinking?!"  Actually, I know very well what I was thinking.  I had been trying off and on since the 8th grade to get my hair to a noticable red and been toying with the idea of dyeing my hair purple, pink, or blue.  Finally last year I decided that since I only had one more year as an undergraduate left, it was now or never, and bleached then colored my hair fuchia.  It looked really cool, but sometimes I wish I hadn't ruined my hair.  On the positive side, at least I got all that out of my system before I reach my hair goal.

It's a wash day tomorrow.  Will do the CWC again, but will dilute the shampoo a bit and see how that works.

Random quote: "I don't believe that libraries should be drab places where people sit in silence, and that's been the main reason for our policy of employing wild animals as librarians." --Monty Python

*Finally* updating this thing.  I can't even keep up with personal journal so I don't know how I thought I would be able to keep this one updated as well.  Moving on.

Changed my ACV routine.  This time around I diluted 1/4 cup of ACV in a condiment bottle and then clarified the roots only.  After, I added about 1TBS of conditioner and used that on the length.  That seemed to work a lot better.  The roots were fine and the length wasn't dried out like the last time.

Right now I'm addicted to the "Into the West" mini-series on TNT.  Watching the first episode reminded me of the phase I went through in the 5th grade when I wanted to be native American and not Japanese.  I think between the 5th and 6th grades I had seen "Dances With Wolves," "Thunderheart," and "Last of the Mohicans."  Odd fare for a kid without any native American roots.  I was a weird child.  Oh, but the stupid thing is that sometimes when I'm watching "Into the West," I'm only staring at the native Americans' hair and trying to figure out how they got their braids so nice.  Mine always end up looking kind of messed up in the back.

I think the biotin supplements are working.  It kind of seems like my hair is growing slightly faster, but it could also be the change in the weather.

I was able to return the Ultra Nourishair! Woo! The only thing was that I felt like a rube for bringing it back because I couldn't swallow it. I tried swallowing the pills after cutting them in half a few times, but that choking episode left an impression and I couldn't easily get the pills down. Oh well. I hope I never have an episode like that again.

July hair measurement: 25.75

I kept getting different measurements ranging from 25.5 to 26.25 so I'm averaging the two. I hope the biotin is working.

Thanks, Anais! It's nice to have an almost hair twin! Now if only I could get myself to update more frequently.

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I'm a bit wary to try this again. The Powers That Be seem to be doing Their best to not let me update this journal tonight. This is the third try for me! The first time my computer disconnected from the internet and my account timed out, then the power went out. I'm kind of tired to writing the same thing over and over again so this is an extremely  abreviated version of what I wrote earlier.

Did ACV rinse on Sunday. Nice except for all the shedding. Pretty sure it's from the extra handling, but it's still a bit scary to see a ton of hair in the drain. At least the next day I had less shedding than usual.

Now stretching time between washes to every four days. Not sure if I want to go more than that. It is funny when I say to myself "When was the last time I washed my hair?"

Biotin is working (or else I'm in a hair growth spurt). I don't think I had 0.75 inches of growth per month before the biotin. Then again, I wasn't measuring my hair before I started biotin.

For fun, the character I took my name from!

Agh.  I choke on those Ultra Nourishair pills too.     Didn't occur to me to try to take them back, so now the bottle just sits on my windowsill and mocks me. 

I'm trying to space out my washes more (currently every other day) and you've inspired me to give bbb's a go.  Thanks!

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Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with them too! What was GNC thinking? It's like they were designing pills for horses. Well, the next time the bottle starts to mock you, mock it right back. 

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Aww, thanks, Divewench! I found that using a bbb before bed worked the best for my hair. When I used to use it in the morning, it made my hair look oily. Ick! Good luck spacing out your washes. The adjustment period is annoying, but it's worth it.

Okay, that sounds a bit weird, but it's been about two years since I made the decision to grow my hair out from a bob. I hope I never have to keep my hair short again. About three or four years ago I was under a ton of stress because I was taking four upper division summer classes and as a result, had major shedding. I don't think anyone could tell, but I was getting rather paranoid about my thinning hair and Mom suggested that if I cut my hair short my hair would look thicker. With that suggestion, I chopped off my hair and for a year or two, wouldn't let it get longer than shoulder length. I think my hair's recovered most of it's original thickness, but I know I lost some overall volume because of normal hairloss due to aging. I read somewhere that hair is thickest when you're 20, and I'm not 20 anymore. Yay?

Here's a pic that was taken on Saturday, Aug. 13. I know my ticker says I'm supposed to reach waist in about 6 months, but after looking at this picture, I don't think it'll take half a year...well, I hope it won't.



My mom laughs when she takes pictures of my hair. She says it's like I'm taking a mug shot. In a way it's true, but this wall is the least distracting backdrop in the house. ;;

edit: photo resized