You are not silly!  Many of us decided later in life to finally do what we wanted to do.  I love the idea of long curly hair with grey in it!  Go for it!

Welcome to journaling and goodluck growing your hair.

Nice to meet you silvermane!

I think it's fantastic that you've made a decision to grow your hair, it's empowering in a way.  I also love it because of the ideal that some people have of having to cut & keep you hair short after a certain age.  My grandmother believes firmly that after age 30 a woman should keep a short and neat haircut.  Well, I'm 29, and don't mean to disappoint you grandma, but.........to the waist it is!  No...not yet, but that's my goal, I'm currently at BSL and (hopefully) going strong.

Short hair after 30 my butt!   

Hmmmmm,all this talk of silver.....maybe I should let my silver come through as I continue on the journey of letting my hair grow till whatever length it wants!

glad you are here and amen to all the stuff you said.

Thank you CurlGirl and Bikerbraid!  One step in taking good care of my hair arrived in the mail today.  I ordered some Phytargent shampoo which is especially for white and gray hair.  It's blue, of course  I had used it before and loved it, but had decided it was too expensive.  But I found it online for a little cheaper and ordered FIVE bottles because I could get free shipping if I spent over a certain amount AND because I'm worth it! 

Sounds like you've got a great hubby!

AAAAH! I just ordered my first pair of hair sticks!  I HAVE to grow my hair out now.  It must be because it's Spring that I'm spending so much these days.  New earrings, expensive shampoo, now hair sticks!  This isn't like me!   I'm going to have to get another job to pay for all this stuff!   

Thanks, CurlGirl.  You're right, they DID call to me!

This morning I debated whether or not to wash my hair.  I really enjoy washing my hair, so I did, but I wish I hadn't   Now it's so slippery I can't do anything with it.  Also, I'm trying to decide whether to have the ends trimmed.  I don't see any split ends, but the ends are so irregular that they just  stick out every which way when my hair is down.   But if I get it trimmed, it might not be long enough to pull back.  I'm so glad this is the biggest problem I have right now!   I'm trying to hold out until the end of June to get a trim.  It's my birthday month and I figure that's as good a time as any to aim for.  What will I have by then? another inch and a half or so?  So if I get an inch trimmed off, I'll still be ahead of where I am now!  Yeah, that's what I'll do!

How very kind of you, Angel, to offer me comfort in your own time of grief.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart

I don't know what got into me yesterday, writing all that stuff about my sister.  Sometimes the grief just washes over me and I get a little frantic.  I guess with spring coming again and the anniversary of my nephew's death coming up, it has become fresh in my mind. 

On a lighter note, I bought some of those little tiny claws to keep the hair out of my face.  I dropped one and couldn't find it right away and almost stepped on it.  That would be an owie! 

What do you call a fish with no eyes? Fsh 

Thank you, CurlGirl.  Your kind words mean a lot!

One of the theraputic aspects of the internet is the anonymity of it.  You develop relationships, but there is still a "distance" that protects you.  This makes it easy to voice things that might be difficult to say in person or face to face.

Your sister has obviously had a difficult time with her loss.  No parent ever expects to bury their child - regardless of the child's age.  The family tension makes it even more difficult.  As her sister, you share her pain. 

I pray that you and your sister can find the strength and peace to resolve any inner turmoil and rejoice in the positive, happy memories of her son.

Okay, it's starting to happen   I start a new project and get into perfectionist mode and start having second thoughts as to whether or not I can do this at all.  My hair has done well with what I've been doing so far, which is wash with infusium shampoo and conditioner, or sometimes a lemon scented clarifying shampoo and conditioner that I bought at Whole Foods, don't remember the brand.  So why am I worrying?   ???
Maybe I'm not doing it right, I'm not doing anything special!!  How silly, my hair seems to be okay for the state it's in which is that it is still very choppy from growing out layers, the ends are a little wild, but I don't see any split ends (although at my age, they're tougher to spot  )  So I'll stick to what I'm doing, maybe try some of the recipes I've seen on this forum just for fun(I did try the honey, aloe vera and conditioner treatment) and not worry whether I'm doing it "right".     Yeah, that's what I'll do 

What Galadriel said.

There's nothing wrong with just being happy with what you have if it's working. If it's treating your hair like the precious, wonderful gift that it is, then it looks like your hair has truly found its soulmate(s).

Consider the alternative....where you're not satisfied with anything you try, you find flaws in each and every product out there, which only makes you more skeptical and scrutinizing of anything new.    Sadly, that's the boat I'm currently in.

Just because you're not doing anything "special" doesn't mean you're not doing anything good. Just go with that until something changes.  

No prob, silvermane. You deserve it. 

Hi, Silvermane.  I suggest that you get your curly hair cut by someone who also has curly hair.  It has always made a difference for me.  I have never gotten a bad hair cut or trim by someone who also has curly/wavy hair.
If you want the ends to be evened up, well you'll have to accept that length will be lost.  It will grow back,  of course.  I have been getting my ends trimmed every 10 weeks.  I think it may be more of an issue with us curly/wavy girls 'cause our hair type is naturally more dry.
I'd go for the reshape and then focus on regular deep moisturizing treatments and oiling the ends.  Then with regular trims the ends will be good and your length will come with time.
So there's my .02. 
Good Luck!!!!!

Silvermane,
I have the best results with coconut oil, but that seems to suit my hair.  Sweet Almond is great for skin, putting in the bath and as a carrier oil for EOs.  Personally I don't like it for my hair.
I say try it on your hair and see how it works for you. 

I oil my hair at night on the night before I wash.  I use an Ayurvedic oil that's a blend of sesame oil and brahmi herbs.  I warm it up and put the oil on my scalp.  I sleep with my hair in piggy braids (every night) and oil the ends of the braids.  Then I through a towel over my silk pillowcases and nighty night.

Every two weeks I use Ouidad's Deep Treatment now so I don't oil as often as before.  With the regular trims this seems to work for me.  I still get splits from when I used to color my hair, so I've got some damage although in general the deep moisturizing has my hair in pretty good shape.

Good Luck!!!

Welcome back, silvermane. 

Sorry to hear about your mother - I hope she gets better soon.

I totally understand your feeling down and all of the hair frustrations that seem to go with it. My hair is really frizzy right now, too. Either broken hairs or new growth...or maybe both? And they all seem to want to stick out at the same time, which is, of course, the hottest hairstyle ever! 

If all else fails, you could try a contained style and just slicking the frizzies down with aloe vera gel.

Hopefully we'll both come out of our respective "funks" soon. Remember, without a few clouds, there could be no rainbows. Hang in there.

Glad to see you back!  Sorry life has been so tough on you.  Hang in there.  I've always said - don't do anything drastic when you are in a "funk". 

This time of year I also have a "halo" of little short hairs.  Aloe vera gel or jojoba oil work well for me.

Angel: are you feeling any better yourself these days?  I hope so!

BB:  Thanks for your support.  You always seem to know just what to say!

Juri:  Thanks for the hugs!

The general funk hasn't gone away, but I'm happier with my hair.  It's feeling softer and looks a little brighter.  I still need to get it trimmed, probably at least an inch or so.    My Mom is getting better a little bit at a time, but it's hard for her to be patient with herself, and I find it hard to be patient with her impatience 

I think I need to start exercising.  Seriously!!!  My dear son is always gently nudging me to get on my rowing machine and get going! He tells me it will cheer me up. He is a rower and is presently training to try to get into the Olympics.  He's never come up against someone who is so full of excuses, so it's a bit frustrating for him, but he's very patient with me... and persistent!

My other son has decided to be a long-distance truck driver.  After financing five years of college, my husband and I were a little upset at his choice, but I've got to say that I've never heard him so excited and happy about what he is doing.  And he still has his degree if he ever wants to do something that needs one. I'm real proud of him and I think he'll be good at this.  He's invited me to come along on a run with him some time, and I can't wait!!

Looking back over what I've written makes me realize how good I've got it.  If I could only get out from under the weight of gloom that has a hold on me, I might actually enjoy it!

Quote:


A little bit, thanx. Given my current phase in life, the blues will always be present to some degree. That's just how it has to be for right now. But darker emotions have always fueled my art, so I'm actually kind of grateful for it. Gives me something to write on. 

Glad to hear that at least your hair is doing better. Hope the "gloom" lifts quickly for you. Exercising releases endorphins (the "happy chemicals") so that might indeed help.
    I've been exercising twice a day every day for about 2 ½ months now, and my reformed muscle mass (lost years ago to some awful meds) has definitely made me a little happier. Not to mention the increased metabolism. 

Hang in there. Unless you live in the northwest, the gray clouds will eventually pass.