Starting a new journal     Here goes:

My hair is about 20 inches long.  My first  goal is BSL and then see from there if I want to go longer.  My hair is dark brown with lots of gray and white "wings" on the side.  I rotate several different shampoos:  a blue shampoo for the white hair , one with tea tree oil for my scalp, a lemon scented clarifying shampoo and a honey moisturizing shampoo.  My favorite conditioner is the honey one from the Body Shop.  I don't rinse it all the way out and I rinse with cool water.   
 
I usually wear my hair in a french twist.   I have been experimenting with a french braid lately, but don't quite have the hang of it yet.   

I need to have a few inches trimmed off because the ends are getting wiry and are dry no matter what I do.  The biggest obstacle seems to be getting around to making the appointment      That, and I hate to lose the length.

A personal note:  I recently found out that I'm going to be a grandma!  Hooray! 

That's all from me for now.  Nighty-night!

A grandma!  Yippee for you! 

Your hair sounds lovely - keep taking care of it!

I've been in the same place, wanting not to loose length and still needing a trim.  I still get trims every 10 weeks, I'm prone to splits 'cause I've got wavy hair = dry texture.

Sorry to hear your sis is having chemo.  I wish her well.

Glad to have you back!

lol silvermane...I am totally in the same boat with the digicam.    Someday, eh?

Welcome Silvermayne and congrats on becoming a grandma!!!

Just to let you know, you don't really need a digital camera to post pics online.  If you really want to post pics here or anywhere else online, you can take your pics on a Kodak disposable camera and when you get it developed, request that they do it on a cd rom and then you can put them on your computer to share in emails or whatever you'd like. It's very easy and it costs less than $5.00 (not including the price of the camera), I've had to do this on occasions when I'd go out and mistakenly forget my camera at home. I believe most drugstores do this nowadays.    Good Luck!

You are VERY lucky indeed!  Hang on to her - she is a precious gem in the hair salon world!

My husband and I met after work the other night to go to dinner with his brother and his wife and I decided to wear my hair down, which I almost never do any more.  I put it into curlers in the morning before I went to work and it turned out real nice.  Got a lot of compliments during the day.   The nicest compliment, though, came from my husband.    When we got home that night he said to me "your hair looks so pretty tonight, when I first saw you, I thought you looked like you did when you were 25".  I was so surprised because he almost never comments on my appearance at all.   By the way, we will be celebrating our 30th anniversary next week. 

(It's so funny that while I'm writting this post, all the little smileys are winking and rolling their eyes and smiling and kissing and crying.  I feel like I have an audience !)

Thanks, BB!  Yes, I have been lucky in love and believe me, I am grateful for it.

Well, I finally got to the beach on Saturday.  Took 2 hours to get there, spent about an hour looking at the waves and listening to the surf and sea gulls, then drove 2 hours back home. Ahhhh!  I needed that!  So many upsetting things going on in my life these days - problems getting along with my son, who I'm real worried about.  Then my sister with breast cancer.  Another sister whom I just can't talk to - she lost her son last year and is just not herself. All things I don't know what to do about.  It makes it so hard to focus on the good things - which, of course, is the only answer to troubles like these, right?

Well, let's talk hair!  I really enjoyed my hair today!!    I put it in curlers this morning, and then wore it down.  I felt pretty!   I just have to rest my scalp once in a while, too.    Tomorrow, back in the clips!  Or maybe tomorrow's the day I finally perfect that French braid.  

Yea!  I'm soooo glad you are no longer showing as an ex-member, even though I know you never were an ex.

Silvermayne, I just wanted to say hi and tell you that I've enjoyed reading your journal very much.

Nice to meet you

Anais

Hey there!   Welcome back!

BB:  Thanks for the welcome back!  How are you doing these days?  Have you any biking adventures planned?

Blondstorm:  You make me blush!    One of these days I'll get a picture posted.  Maybe my hair will be really silver by that time.  Now it's only white at the temples and graying everywhere else.  I have seen the picture you had on your avatar and your hair is magnificent! 

I haven't been around in a while, but I thought I would pop in and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  Life is good these days - my hair is in fairly good shape - it's almost at BSL already, but needs a trim.  I find it tangles alot more than it used to, especially at the back of my neck, so I need to address that.  Any suggestions? 

Last week my daughter in law and grandson came for a visit, and we had a wonderful time.  She and I have had trouble getting along in the past, but I think we made a good start towards a friendship this past week.  The baby is 9 months old and so funny!  Now I understand that joke that says "If I had known grandchildren could be so much fun, I'd have had them first".

Well, that's all.  Hope all is well with everyone and I look forward to catching up a bit on everyone's journals.

Curl Girl:  Hi!  Thanks for the ACV suggestion.   I will surely try it and let you know.

Angel:  I love the little Christmas tree and Santa.  Where do you find those?

BB:  I think you're right about wearing my hair down being some of the problem with tangling.  I have been wearing it down more often because my hair is thinning in the front and I think it might be from the weight of wearing a bun on the back of my head.  Do you know of a way to make a bun in the back, leaving the front loose and then working it in softly so it doesn't pull on the front?   Does that make sense?

I haven't been here in quite a while.  I don't know why, just doing other things, I guess.  I'm seriously thinking about getting my hair cut.  I don't like what I see in the mirror, which is a few inches past BSL gray hair.  It's getting to be a pain taking care of it and I don't know what I want to do.  I just look so OLD these days.  Even if I get it cut, I don't want to dye it.  I just hate keeping up with the roots, and the last time I had it dyed, I was sick for three days with a wicked bad headache, which I believe came from the dye since I've never had one like it before or since.   But if I want to look more youthful, I guess I will have to color it and get a haircut that is more flattering.  Maybe I'll get a good trim and see how I feel before I do anything drastic.  Or maybe I'll just stop looking in the mirror 

I second the idea of henna.  Or maybe just a color gloss to give more highlights?  Cutting does not necessarily make you look younger, but style can.  How about trying something new?

Keep practicing the french braids.  The ability to style your hair can make all the difference.  My hair is very similar to yours, except that my wings are yellow!  It seems I can use all the blue shampoo I want and it won't make a difference.  It is also thinning, but only on one side.  I sometimes use the Rogaine stuff, but I've read that only works on baldness at the top.  Unfortunately I think my thinning is due to genetics and nothing else.         

I also frequently feel I have no "style" and have been considering cutting so I can get a perm.  I know they are very damaging, but I've had them many times and I think my hair can take it if I lose about six inches in length.  I want those luscious, sexy waves and my hair just won't do it with out a perm.  Not without some major futzing, and oddly enough I don't really enjoy futzing with my hair.  Interesting that many of us here don't.  

Don't let that "I'll look younger" stuff determine your decision.  Many people say that, and I'm sure it's true, but I kind of like the contrast of "youthful" long hair in a gray color.  And I get lots of compliments on my hair as well, so I think we are not alone in this.  Some even say it's like a river of silver.  Okay, it's my daughter that says that, but the point is that SOMEBODY does.  

There are many reasons for looking "old" beyond your hair color.  Your make-up may need an update, you might benefit from a facial, you might have lost (or in my case gained) weight.  Extra weight is very aging.  Trust me.  I know.  You might explore less permanent areas of change before you color.

Personally, I am working on a vision.  

I pull up to the school on my Harley-Davidson (can't decide between purple or black).  I swing one shapely booted leg off the seat and pull off my helmet, shaking out a mane of silver hair.  Someone looks at me and says, "Who's that?"  And someone else answers, "That's the principal."

So far the following components of the plan are in place.

Administrative degree and certification          check
Mane of silver hair                                         check
Shapely legs                             working on it
Job as principal                                      working on that one too
Harley-Davidson                                           will be purchased as soon as the job appears
Boots                                                           same as the Harley  (those are the easy parts!)

My target age for achieving this vision is 50.  I've got six more years.  And having long gray hair is a fundamental part of the whole plan!

Thanks, Texian!  Your message is very encouraging.  I think you're right about the hair not being the thing that's aging me.  I am overweight and my clothes don't look so cool so that's definitely a major factor.  I look dumpy.   I was watching the "ghostie" show on TV last night with Camryn Manheim (sp?).  She's overweight and has long hair, and I think she's attractive.  So it can be done.  She seems to pay alot of attention to little details.  I dress very plain - in my passport picture I look Amish.    I really do like the feel of long hair, and I like not looking like everyone else my age.  So I'm not getting it cut!!!  

I'm going to give some thought to developing a vision for myself.  I think that's a wonderful idea!  Thanks again for the encouragement.

And good luck with achieving your goals!!

I'll send positive, healing thoughts to you and your husband.