Maybe if you apply the witch hazel with a q-tip so as to avoid getting it on the hair as much as possible?  Maybe someone else will have more advise about this.  Good luck!

YesitsReal wrote on Oct 20^th, 2009 at 10:51pm:


Try googling no alcohol or alcohol free witch hazel.  I came up with a couple of websites.

http://www.naturesgift.com/hydrosol/witchHazelHydrosol.htm

http://bestgroomingtools.com/thayers-alcohol-free-witch-hazel-p-1133.html

Looks like you can get the Thayer's products on Amazon as well:

http://www.amazon.com/Witch-Hazel-Unscented-Aloe-Ounces/dp/B001BR6FWS/ref=sr_1_1...

Thayer's has a few different alcohol-free witch hazels on Amazon: aloe, lavender, lemon, rose etc.

Good luck!

I decided that you were right--I'm doing more 'romantic' updos and hairstyles--working with my hair instead of against it, you know?  I'm liking it a lot better now that I'm not fighting the layers.  I leave my braids with longer tails and pull more pieces around my face, that sort of thing.  I like it.  I feel like hitting myself in the forehead: Duh!!   

I've also been conditioning my ends like crazy to get them a little softer.  I ran out of my Organix conditioner, so I switched to Pantene Beautiful Lengths conditioner.  It's a much richer formula, so it's good for the first condition in my CWC.  Still using the Biolage leave-in, and right now I'm liking the combo.  My leave-in can't be too heavy, or my fine hair looks really greasy.  The Biolage is nice and lightweight, but still detangles and leaves it soft.  I recommend it for anyone needing a good leave-in.  No cones, either!

For Halloween I had to put a lot of product in my hair, so I conditioned the stew out of it beforehand, and I think it came out looking better than when it went in.     The costume was a huge success.  I wore a purple Fender t-shirt over a long black camisole, a cutoff denim miniskirt with black wet-look stretch leggings (little zippers near the cuffs--very cool!), and black high-heel peep toe pumps.  I also put a couple of hot-pink clip-in hair pieces in and wore a bunch of hot pink jelly bangles and really big silver hoop earrings.  Topped it off with a lot of black eye makeup.  It looked great!  My boyfriend was very impressed.   

I'm going for a trim tomorrow.  This is going to be interesting, as I work nights and my appointment is at 1:30pm--right in the middle of my sleep time.  Hopefully I don't tell her to give me a bob or something dumb like that.  I need a good trim, though.  I have a tendency to go too long without trimming, and my ends show it.  My last stylist actually bawled me out because she had to cut off almost an inch of growth.  I think she was more upset than I was.  Since then, I've tried to be really regular about trims, but my paycheck has been stretched really thin lately, and layers are not self-cut friendly.  Plus, I think my shears need sharpening.  I'm not cutting my hair with them until I get them sharpened.  I'll just cause more damage.  On the upside, though, I think the economy is beginning to turn around some; my paycheck has been going farther for the last month or so.  I was finally able to take my cat to the vet!  Not that he's really needed it; he just needed shots, but he's a completely indoor cat, so it's not as if he was exposed to anything.  It just makes me feel better to have him vaccinated, just in case.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted!  For some reason the site hasn't been letting me have a "Reply" button on any of the posts.  Go figure.

Anyway, I'm still at 22".  I think that my measurements haven't been quite accurate.  I changed my methods, and came up with a much shorter length--about an inch.  I feel like I've been cheating.   

I just started a new hobby, though--belly dancing!  I did an episode of "Shimmy" on FitTV, and now I'm thoroughly addicted.  I've tried several different kinds of dance, but this one is probably my favorite.  It actually helps me to like my body more. I'm trying to find an instructor around here, but I'm not having very much luck.  The university's gym is supposed to have a class, but it's not mentioned on the daily schedule.  I think I'll have to make a phone call.

I urge anyone who has ever thought about trying this dancing to go ahead and do it!  It's low-impact and really fun.  And the best thing?  Most belly dancers have long hair!!

Oh, that's so exciting!  Thanks for telling me!  I'm having an absolute blast with it, but I really wish I had an instructor.  There's no YMCA near here (which tells you just how remote the part of MS where I live is), so right now I'm kind of winging it with videos and tutorials online.  Within the year I hope to be in a more developed part of the country.

You perform, don't you?  How did you get into that?  How long have you been dancing?

So far I think I'm doing ok, but I'm having a little trouble with a few of my hip isolations, especially twisting: I can't do them without my shoulders moving.  I mean, I can put my hands on my shoulders and do it that way, but when I take them off, the shoulders sort of twist in opposite directions than my hips.  It's like I need leverage!     I don't know if it's because my rear is large in proportion to the rest of me and sort of moves everything with it, or if my abdominal muscles and obliques aren't quite developed enough, or both.  Oh, well, practice, practice I guess.  The mirror is helping.

Anyway...back to my hair.  I think I'm having some seasonal shedding.  At least, I seem to be losing quite a bit of hair, and it's whole, not broken.  In any case, I think I'm going to switch back to more "natural" moisturization methods for the winter--oil and cone-free conditioner.  I wonder if the cone-ridden Pantene conditioner has contributed at all to my slightly rough ends.  Argh!  I seem to have the worst time with my ends!  It's like if you look at them wrong they split!   The rest of my hair looks great--all smooth and shiny.  Somebody tell my ends that if they keep getting cut off, we're never going to make any progress!

YesitsReal wrote on Dec 12^th, 2009 at 11:42pm:


I am a performer.  I started with singing early on, all through school and into college, including touring with The St. Charles Children's Choir (which became the Young Singers of Missouri) and Up With People.  I've also done plays and musicals.  I didn't start belly dancing until I moved to Arizona.  I'd have to guess that I've been dancing off and on for 6 years now?  I did dance with a belly dance troupe for awhile, until I got injured.  I stopped dancing with them and now just go to class occasionally and do videos at home.

I don't know if you know about her, but this is a good resource: http://www.ansuya.com/
I saw her perform in the Bellydance Superstars show a few years ago.  (Talk about long hair!!)  I have two of her videos and I think her instruction is exceptionally good.

To get a handle on your twists, I have two suggestions.  One, is to go into an open door way and grab hold of the door way on each side.  Using the door way to hold your upper body still, work on twisting your hips.  Another is to really squeeze your butt cheek and straighten the leg on the side you're twisting forward, letting the opposite knee be soft.  Imagine your upper body in encased in cement so it can't move.  My old teacher and troupe leader liked to use that visualization a lot.  It helped me when I was just starting.  You can also use the cement idea to keep your lower body quiet when working on upper body isolations.  Be really vigilant about your basic belly dance stance-it is the key to executing all movements and keeping your lower back and knees safe.

Hope that wasn't too much!