Blurgh, I need a routine

Hello everyone I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and holiday season! May the food angels watch over you as you create new and unique recipes from leftovers :D

I had my first Christmas dinner at my house this year; my in-laws came over, and my mummy and brother and sisters and step-dad, and my Grandma stopped by with a friend and it was all over a lovely time, but I have. So. Much. Ham. Leftover. Lol!  Luckily I'll be able to pull out all the ham recipes I never use, because this is the only time of year that my husband and I eat it. so we'll see how that goes :)

I've noticed something horrible.  I'm so upset...DANDRUFF!! ARRRGGGGHHH.  I haven't dealt with dandruff in like...ten years.  So I'm really frustrated, but I think I know what's causing it.  I've been using the Wen cleansing conditioner a little more than usual because it's easy and I've been short on time and also my hair has been up for two weeks in a row basically because it's been really cold at work - they are working on our heater, and I don't like wearing my hair down over my six layers of clothing so the combing of the hair back all the time, and the Wen I think are the culprits.  I'm going to try and get back into a routine here now that it's slowing down a little and honestly it's not too bad, just disheartening.  I hadn't changed up my routine in years so when I made the switch to solid shampoo bars, it really messed with my hair ecosystem, but I'm still very happy I did it.  I am going to try a different, cheaper conditioner because I'm going through the giovanni stuff really fast.  I might keep it around to use it on days that I wash and then maybe use their regular conditioner for other days.  We'll see. I've also stopped oiling regularly because I'm not using a shampoo that can get it all out, but I might lightly oil my scalp and length tonight before washing or at least do a honey, egg, and avocado treatment to see if that helps.   It's interesting, I honestly don't do near as much for my hair as I used to when I using a detergent based shampoo, but now that I'm using the chagrin bars, I haven't really felt that urgent desire to either.  And my hair is happy, so I must be doing something right.

I've also decided that I've officially made "long hair" stage.  I hit waist length a month ago and now I'm starting to get past it with the ends of my layers, but even though I've been with waist length hair, it's now starting to feel really long because I'm finding that it's getting caught in things more, I have to start learning to move with long hair again, and I almost freaking burned it all off the other day over the stove when I was making popcorn.  It was HORRIBLE.  I leaned over to pour my popcorn in a measuring cup and was like, "what's that smell"? I looked down and saw my hair against the burner and oh my goodness my stomach dropped to the floor I was so scared.  I ran into the bathroom going, "no no no no no no no no no no no" (Poor husband, he went in to make sure I was okay and held me when I almost started crying), but so far I can't really tell where I singed it; I could when it first happened, but nothing too bad or noticeable to anyone who wasn't there, and I've conditioned it since and I can't tell now.  I'm angry at myself for having been so careless, but I guess it was God's way of telling me to be extra careful from here on out.

I've also started sleeping with my hair down at night, which I know longhairs out there are probably gasping and going "NO!!!" hearing that, but interestingly enough, I've experienced less in the way of tangling in the mornings, and my hair is easier to manage in the shower, which is nice.  I'm not noticing an increase in splits, and maybe just a few breaks here and there, but I'm getting more of those, because my hair as been up for so long - it needs a break.  I'm going to wait until February or March of next year and then I'll trim my hair and shape it up, but until then I don't feel like losing any of the length.

Well...is that enough silly, shallow, hair stuff to make you urp yet?

30 Day music Challenge Part 2!

Okidokies everyone, here is the finished list of my 30 day Music Challenge: 


DAY 21: A song that makes you want to break things - " Baby Baby " by Justin Beiber.  I'm sorry if you are a Belieber, but I can't stand this kid.  


DAY 23: A song that you haven't heard in YEARS - " Bye bye bye " by Nsync.  There is a reason we have not heard this song in years. 


DAY 24: Best song to break up to - " Apologize " by One Republic with Timbaland.  I know this is cliche song, and honestly I don't agree with it.  I don't think one should ever be predisposed to never accept a heartfelt apology, but I completely understand where, being in a breakup, this is how one would feel.  I've been there, done that, I've been betrayed to the point where I could never - and I still struggle with this - accept ones apology.  


DAY 25: A song that illustrates your overall outlook on life - " How the day sounds " by Greg laswell. 
Words cannot describe how much I adore and love this song and the music video.  And this song very much depicts my overall outlook on life.


DAY 26: A song that you enjoy whose lyrics are in a different language - " Inner Universe " by Yoko Kanno - I'm very much a fan of Yoko Kanno and this song for me really illustrates the talent this composer has.


DAY 27: A song for when you just don't want to think about anything - "The way I are " by Timbaland - to be honest I didn't really have a song for this one, but since I like to listen to this piece really loud when I'm just vegging it seemed appropriate.


DAY 28: A song that is loved by people close to you, but not by you - " Yellow Submarine " by the Beatles - my dad and brother love this group, and I used to be a big fan too, but I kinda got burnt out.  Especially on this song. That being said, my next choice: 


DAY 29: A song that has an awesome bass-line - "Come together" by The Beatles - this is my favorite Beatles song and I just like this song in general.

DAY 30: A song that helped you pull through something difficult - " Things left unsaid " by Disciple in Loving Memory of Allison Miller; I miss you my dearest friend ♥

Okay! Well, that concludes my 30 Day music challenge, thanks for listening; ready; watching, all that fun stuff and I will post later on! 

Hello to all!

Hello there!

I'm just going to shoot a quick email to say hi to the cyber world and to post another finger art picture:

As you can see, this is my FEEBLE attempt at drawing music notes on my fingers and then tipping them with gold.  It's pathetic, but I like the concept, so I'll be trying this again with different colors.

Other than that, not a whole lot, I did get in a new order of Chagrin Valley Shampoo so I will be sharing my experiences with that as soon as I get through a decent number.  I've only tried one so far.  I will also share more of my 30 day music challenge, probably tomorrow; I think I'm on the last day. 

See you later! 

30 Day Music Challenge Part 1

NOTE: I can't figure out why my wording is all highlighted; you'll have to forgive me.


I'm sure all of you Facebook users have seen the 30 day music challenge circulating around and have participated, and I thought I would compile all of my choices here to share with everyone.  Enjoy! 


DAY 1: A song that makes you want to drive FAST - "Animals" by Nickleback.  I think this one really doesn't need any explanation 


DAY 2: A song from an album you can listen to all the way through - "Damaged (extended version)" from Plumb's album "Chaotic resolve".  This song really speaks to me on a number of levels and I absolutely love the album and listen to it often.


DAY 3: A song from an artist that isn't really your thing, but that you can respect - "Living my life" by Los Lonely Boys.  I use to be really into Los Lonely Boys, but anymore if I hear "Heaven"'s opening notes I kinda go crazy.  I think too much of a good thing.

DAY 4: A song for gettin' busy! - "All I ever wanted" by Basshunter.  I will admit, this wasn't my first choice, my first choice would be anything off of David Crowder's "Sunsets and sushi" album, but I couldn't find a video for that one.


DAY 5: Your favorite song from a movie soundtrack - “All love can be” with Charlotte Church.  I couldn't find a decent recording, but the "Main Theme" from the same movie is almost better in my opinion.


6: A great LIVE performance of a song - "Master of puppets (S&M)" Metallica Live S&M 1999.  What can I say? I love me some Metallica. 


DAY 7: A song that is the very DEFINITION of what a great song is - "Lifeline" by Imogen Heap.  Okay, I have to rant and rave about this woman; she is my hero instrumentally, and vocally.  She is so innovative and amazing and how she brings her songs together is simply wonderful.  This is the one artist in the world that I can't complain about in any way at all.  She is my #1 favorite.


DAY 8: The perfect song for chilling out - "Merry Happy" by Kate Nash.  Haha this girl is just an awesome artist; and I love how she sings.  It's raw and honest. I also love "Mouthwash". 

DAY 9: A song from an artist you would LOVE to see in concert - "All I need (Say)" by One Republic.  I love the message behind this song.  We worry so much in our lives and this just reminds me that in the end, it's going to work out.  You don't need all this stuff, you don't need to rely on temporal treasures.  


DAY 10: A song that reminds you of back in the day - "Macarena" by Los del Rio.  Oh bother.  I hate that I just put this in here, but who reading this has not, at some point in their young life, danced to this song at a wedding, dance, school function, etc. etc.?  It reminds me of a much less worrisome time in life.


DAY 11: A song that sounds much older than it is - "Stray cat strut" by Brian Setzer.  Love this dude, and he is SO much fun to watch live! His hair....


Day 12: a great COVER of a song (by a different artist): "Turn the page" by Metallica.  I will admit, I don't really like it when artists do covers, but I felt that Metallica really did a great job. 


DAY 13: A good song with not-so-good memories attached to it - "Cry me a river" by Diana Krall.  Arrrggghhh I hated this one, because I love this song so much, but I hate the memories. It was also very much a tie between this song and "I'd be lying" by Greg Laswell.  Again, EXCELLENT song.  Memories attached to it? Not so much.


DAY 14: A song which has lyrics you absolutely agree with - "Hossana" by Jason Morant.  I chose this one for a number of reasons.  One, I connect with music deeply and on a level that doesn't necessarily require lyrics. I "agreed", if you will, with every part of this song musically.  Two, even though the song didn't necessarily "proclaim" something in the sense that Jason was attempting to convey a point.  It seems to me that he is more observing and simply bringing a message of that which is....if that makes sense...


DAY 15: A song to honor someone who is gone - "El Paso" by Marty Robbins.  I'm not going to lie, I almost started crying when I was listening to this song, which I chose in memory of my Grandfather, Antonio Ruiz.  Marty looks a LOT like how my Grandma looked too. Love you, Grandpa.


DAY 16: Best song to wake up to - "Invader Zim opening theme song" - by Kevin Manthe.  I am ADDICTED to Invader Zim and everything about Invader Zim and let me just say that I feel like conquering the world when I wake up to this song.  I also recommend the "End credits".


DAY 17: A song from an artist who you feel is seriously underrated - "The benedy glen" by Déanta.  Now I would have originally put down Imogen Heap for this section, but as her new album is being released, more and more people are realizing how amazing this person really is, so I went for something different.  I don't listen to a lot of Deanta, but I love her voice and I love that someone is carrying on the tradition of traditional folk music, especially traditional Irish traditional.


DAY 18: A song that makes you wish you could play an instrument THAT well - "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2" by Liszt as performed by Jung Lin.  The reason why I chose Jung Lin's performance over others was the unique way she chose to present Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody.  The abrupt, yet very well timed, way she interprets the music is very different than how you would normally hear this piece played.


DAY 19: The first song you can remember loving - "Dive" by Steven Curtis Chapman.  I remember this song well.  My dad gave me this CD that he found and it was the first time I had heard contempory music of any sorts.  Before then I was traditional folk songs and oldies rock.  I was hooked immediately and loved it.  I still love Steven Curtis Chapman's music, though I have moved onto different genres. 


DAY 20: A song you loved the very first time you heard it - "Goin' gone" by Nanci Griffith.  My mummy raised me on Nanci Griffith and I still love this lady so very much.  I also recommend "Love at the five and dime"




Okay, well this is my Part 1, I will be back with the following ten song choices in about ten days :)

Okay, so I'm realizing that this blog is so girly it's insane...oh well.

For all of you out there, I'm not really this obsessed with all things girly and hair and makeup and nails and stuff; I just happen to have some free time on my hands in the morning before I go to work so I've been experimenting. (Okay, I really am obsessed with healthy hair).

My nails are really icky; they have lines in them and they crack and they look dry and they turn blue, so I've been covering them with a clear top coat of late, but then decided to get experimental (It all started when I saw a coworker with the glue on tips and I decided I wanted my nails to look like that), so I'm going to post my attempts at having awesome nails.  I don't have the colors that I used handy; I'm a Walmart kinda person when it comes to this type of thing.  These are all done freehand, and it's very obvious especially since I've never done anything with my nails other than a straight color.

Okay, so this was my first attempt EVER.  I tipped the nails with a teal color and then one coat of clear top coat.

I was not as pleased with this attempt; the red flaked off the tips way too easily and it just looked a little messy.  You can't really see here, but I used a gold coat, then red tips with a clear top coat.

I'm pretty happy with the results of this one - which I did this morning - yikes my nails are long!! Don't like.  (A little bit of background: I never did my nails, because I'm a pianist, so cut our nails really short to prevent them catching in between the keys, clacking, and it slows you down too.  Same with typing.  And I type about 90-100wpm, so yeah.  I've since learned that I can get away with about 3mm of length, but obviously these are longer than that.  I enjoy really long nails for about two days...and then they start snagging and ripping and catching and all sorts of icky, so I chomp them off.)  AT ANY RATE; I painted "chevron" like tips with a gold color and then applied two coats of clear coat.  And that's it.  I'm pretty happy with these because I didn't have to be as exact with the tips and it was easier to work with when I used my left hand. 

Well there we go, I will post more as I experiment more.  I haven't bought any more soap bars, but I'm almost out of my current stash, so I will probably make a purchase here in the next week or so. 

Bye! 

Long-awaited...well, probably not, but still! Chagrin Valley Shampoo and Soap Bar review part 1

Already everybody, so I've gotten through - or at least tried each product once - the first big batch of shampoo and soap bar samples that I purchased from Chagrin Valley Natural Soaps.  And so far I have been very impressed.  This will be the first installment of my reviews. 

PLEASE NOTE: 

I use Giovanni NutraFix Hair Reconstructor Conditioner with these bars due to the increase in tangling and unruliness of my hair.  I also use an acidic rinse...I've used both lemon juice and vinegar, and lemon juice has definitely been my favorite, since my hair will take all day to dry if down and two days to dry if up, which means my head smells like a frickin' salad if I use vinegar. Gross.  I will also use Wen cleansing conditioner once a week if I feel the need.  I will also add Soap bar reviews as I purchase them. 

Here is my routine, so you have an idea of how things go

• wet hair
• run shampoo bar through and try to lather it up as best as possible (I focus on the scalp) and massage
• rinse and repeat the previous step, only this time take more time to get a really good lather and massage
• take an empty 16oz bottle and pour a splash of lemon juice in it, dillute with water and pour all over rinsed hair 
• take the same empty bottle, squirt a dollop of Giovanni conditioner in it, dillute that with water and shake it really well to get it all mixed up.  Pour that over my hair without rinsing out the lemon water.  I'll let that sit while I shave and all that fun lady stuff. 
• My hair is the last thing I'll rinse.  I'll rinse right after I wash my face in lukewarm water and then I'll douse it in cold water.  (There is a lot of stipulation as to whether or not this will make your hair shinier, but for my hair PERSONALLY I have found that it helps with the little wiry hairs I get around my crown, so I do it, but many people don't and don't notice a difference.)
• I'm done! I gently wring out the extra water, put a town around my head and let it dry.  I'll comb it out later with a wide tooth comb and then throughout the day I'll de-tangle it with a boxwood comb or with my wooden paddle brush.

SHAMPOO BARS: 

Butter Bar Conditioner Bar: Since this is the first bar that I've used, I'm not sure I'll be able to give a completely accurate assessment because I'm unsure as to what shampoo bars normally feel like.  To start, if this bar is not paired with an acidic rinse I found that I cannot comb through my hair and it feels incredibly waxy, but it is a good cleaning bar if it suds up properly (if not, you look like an oil slick...a waxy oil slick if that's possible.)  This bar does not last long; I'm on my second week of using the full size bar and it is almost already gone. 3.5/5 stars.

Neem Tea Tree oil Bar: As far as aroma goes this bar is incredibly potent so I never used it on my hair because I didn't want the smell to linger.  However, as a body and face bar I LOVE it.  Also, I have really bad eczema and when I use this bar it goes away within a week or so.  This will definitely be a bar I'm going to try and keep on hand for the dry skin purposes.  Also, this bar lasts longer and the samples lather really well.  4/5 stars.

Carrot Milk and Honey Bar: Honestly, I didn't use this one of my hair more than twice; I used it as a body bar more than anything.  I didn't notice anything bad other than it was slightly drying, but at the time I was trying to use the bars without conditioner.  I might try this one again with conditioner to see how it goes.  3.75/5 stars.

Nettle Bar: WOW!  This sample bar offers great lather and even though my hair is up, it smells good, and the hair on my scalp feels really soft and clean.  I did notice a lot of hair shed, which seems to be the norm with the shampoo bars; I haven't decided if I'm okay with that or not yet, but I definitely noticed more shed with the nettle bar.   I can't decide if this is an okay face and body bar yet; my face was a little red after using it and it didn't leave enough on my legs to make the razor go really smooth.  Most likely I will pair this with a soap bar when needing to shave. The only bad thing about this bar is it seems to make my hair so soft feeling and "downy" that it tangles more easily.  5/5 stars.


*UPDATE* Okay, so I tried the bar again and there is definitely something about nettle that makes my face red and splotchy; I don't think it's an allergic reaction so much as a mild irritation.

Rosemary Lavender Bar: Lovely, lovely bar.  Minimal shed, great lather, was mild and smells so good.  My hair feels really soft right now, but not as prone to tangling as with the Nettle.  There's not a lot I can say about this bar other than I was impressed and really liked it.  I didn't experience any "waxies", which was nice; my hair was really squeaky clean after using it, and it responded very well to the lemon juice and conditioner.  I didn't use it as a body bar, however, I've noticed that hair bars go quickly and I don't want to waste it on my body when I can use another bar.  5/5 stars.

Ayurvedic Bar: I bought this bar because of the insane amount of ingredients specific towards preventing hair loss and for promoting healthy hair.  This bar is very peppery and though I had a hard time getting a lather the first time through my hair, the second lather was great.  This bar has not necessarily changed my hair as far as looks, but it feels thicker and more hearty, maybe slightly more coarse...which considering I'm having a problem with hair loss right now, is definitely a perk.  I plan on keeping this bar as a once in a while treatment.  I have a feeling it's going to last a while as well.  The only thing that I can't tell if I like or not is the lingering peppery smell in my hair; it's not unpleasant by any means, but definitely different from the milder, more herby smelling bars like the rosemary lavender. 4.5/5 stars.

Mud and Clay bar: I really wanted to like this bar because it smelled really good; a slight citrusy smell and it seemed to lather fairly well and while I loved it as a body bar; it made my hair fall out like crazy, which I'm already really frustrated about because I've been going through a really crappy shed stage anyway and it was harder to comb my hair out after my shower than normal.  It did, however, make my hair very soft when it finally dried, but there was still more hair shed than I was comfortable with, so I will use it as a body bar, but not a hair bar.  3.5/5 Stars


*Update* I decided to try this bar again because I'm running low on soap bars and the postal service is being REALLY slow in getting me my new order or bars, and I have to say that I was actually okay with the bar this time around.  I still really like the lather that this bar offers and I didn't get as much in the way of hair shed as I did last time.  I think I'm finally at a point where my hair is used to it....about bloody time as it took *counts fingers* two and a half months? Yikes.  But considering that my previous hair regime last me about three years I would expect it to definitely need time to adjust.

Babassu and Marshmallow Bar: I'll admit I didn't use this one on my hair.  As soon as I smelled it I was reminded of the Conditioner bar, which gave me icky waxies and I just didn't have the heart to deal with that.  (My wisdom teeth have been removed, so I've pretty much ceased normal life until the pain stops, and arguing with waxy hair while an Irish Clogging team practiced in my mouth just didn't sound like fun.)  I am, however, using this as a soap bar and am very happy with the results of that.  So I will rate this a soap bar.  5/5 Stars.


*EDIT* Okay, so after using the Babassu and Marshmallow bar my skin started FREAKING out and braeking out in teeny, tiny little hives and my husband started breaking out too...so methinks I have an allergy to whatever is in this bar.  So unfortunately I need to rate this as a 0/5 stars for me personally, but I'm sure other people will have luck with it.

SOAP BARS: 

Cucumber Yogurt Bar: I haven't been too impressed with this bar, but not because of anything it's lacking.  It cleans fine, and moisturizes fine, I just don't care for the scent, which is a slightly sour sweet smell.  This bar does, however, last for fricking ever, which bumps up its star points big time.  3.75/5 Stars.

Oatmeal, Goat Milk Honey Bar: I like this bar a lot, it's a really mild smell and has slight exfoliating properties which means I don't have to use my wash rag as much.  I'm thinking that the benefits of this bar will prove itself long run when it starts to help my eczema.  It does not last long unfortunately. 4/5

Well, that's what I have for now; as I purchase more, I'll post more.  

--
~*Elizabeth*~
Living for the One who died for me

Sorry it's been so long

Well hello everybody,

Sorry I haven't been around in a while (to the few who read this blog lol), but it's been really busy.  My husband and I just moved and we're still trying to settle in, work has been crazy and I haven't been doing really well lately so I'm trying to get back on my feet.

I went to the doctor's this week to get some blood work done...we're checking my thyroid, blood sugar levels and doing a  blood count test; I've been noticing a lot happening that are all little things by themselves, but putting them all together could definitely mean there is something going on.  So we'll see!  The bigger thing I've noticed is that my hair is shedding...and I this is every girl's nightmare!  I'm really hoping that it's just a phase and it will stop soon, or that if it is connected to my thyroid that we'll get it regulated soon...I'm finally at a length where I can be happy with it and just let it grow with no real goal.  I don't want to lose all of my hard work :(

So that's where we are...I'll keep you all updated as I figure more out.  Nothing else really special to report; just kinda hanging in there!


*UPDATE* I got my results from the doctor's office and apparently I'm extremely healthy except for the chronic depression; which I've had for forever and that's not why I had the tests done, so an aside more than anything.  I'm going to chalk the things I've been noticing up to stress and changes in routines.  So yeah! Woot!  No problems!
I've also noticed that the hair shedding seems to have dissipated to a normal shed during showers, and for the most part I don't shed in between washings as much, which is what I was told to expect.  So more good news, yay!

So cold....and bored

So in my little town, it looks like Santa sneezed everywhere.  We've lost a ton of trees because they all had their leaves, and the snow weighed them down big time and split them in two.  It was quite the trip through town trying to get to work!  A lot of people are still without power too; this is day 2 for them with no heat, electricity or anything.  I don't know how we managed, but we are one of the few lucky people in town that haven't lost electricity both at my work place and at home.  Thank you, God!

So on another note, because I'm bored and really don't want to do anything I'm going to write more about my hair adventures.  I tried washing yesterday, and was low on shampoo bar so it didn't get all of the oils I put on my hair so my hair didn't get as clean as I wanted, so I decided to try baking soda today and I'm actually pretty impressed.  I'm not sure if I got everything massaged in well enough, but it got rid of the extra oils.  I'm thinking I might try the baking soda for a while to see how that works, and I have to wait until the rest of my shampoo and soap samples come in anyway, so it's perfect timing.

I'm still using the conditioner, which I think is a permanent thing: I don't like how my hair tangles without it; it's too course and thick to not use it, and I'm using a hair friendly conditioner so I'm not too worried.  I also used a vinegar rinse, which I might switch to lemon juice again, we'll see.

Other than that, not a whole lot happening; we're getting ready to move to a new place, which is really exciting, so I'm hoping that goes off smoothly.  I can't wait to move.  No one will know where I am, it will be a better place, the heat will work, I won't have to clean two bathrooms :P

Well, I better get going!

Guess what? Guess what?

Exciting news! I got rid of the staticky hair! Woot!!

Okay, I will admit that I did break down and I bought "Giovanni"'s hair treatment for critically damaged hair.  And to start off with, no I don't have damaged hair, I actually have very healthy hair, but I'm just taking about a tablespoon in an empty shampoo bottle and filling the rest with water and running that over my head.  So far, today I haven't had the tangling problem or the static problem which is such a relief, because it was driving me up the wall.

To be honest, I'm rethinking the whole shampoo bar thing.  I used to use Giovanni a long time ago and really liked, but I just didn't like paying the price for it, especially the conditioner.  I'm hoping that once I get through this bar, right now I'm using the "Butter Bar Conditioner" I'm can try Chagrin Valley's "Mud and Clay" bar, because I've heard great things about it and I'm looking for a bar that I can use as my body and shampoo bar that will last longer.  So far I don't think I'm going to get more than three weeks out of the Butter Bar because it's make with so many soft oils that it just melts out of your hand.  I love it, but I can't pay that much money on a regular basis. I might also just email the Chagrin Valley company up and ask them which bar lasts the longest based off the ingredients and we'll go with that.

I want to keep trying the shampoo bars because I know when I use a standard liquid shampoo I have to use up so much conditioner it's ridiculous.  So we'll see; I'll definitely keep you updated.  Thus far, I'm very pleased with the semi-routine I seem to have going for myself, hopefully I'll continue to fine-tune it as I go.  I also think I'm going to drop the Aloe Vera Gel (I wanted to run it through my hair after the vinegar rinse), but I just don't see it doing anything and the Giovanni conditioner already has the aloe in it along with some other great oils. I could just feel my hair going from staticky and dry to nice and soft.  And, no cones in this conditioner which is another BIG plus.

Okay, well I'm not on my home computer; I'm borrowing my mum's, so I will get off for now and keep you updated and I figure stuff out; thanks for reading and I hope  you're doing well :)

Just an Update

Well hello everybody!

I'm trying to find decent light in my very light-absent apartment and I just don't think it's going to happen at night.  But on the plus side we do move in a little bit, so I will hopefully be able to work with the lighting there so you aren't subjected to crappy vids.

I'm also fast realizing that I think for right now I'm going to be focusing on talking about my hair journey as I am still in transition with the shampoo bars.  Right now I'm using Chagrin Valley Natural Soaps "Butter Bar Conditioner" because it is super moisturizing and living in the dry climate that I do, the more moisture the better.  I'm also trying to not use as much coconut oil in my "oilings" because the whole point of this is to cut down on cut and work up efficiency.

So far I'm really pleased with the soap...my biggest problem however, and it is a big one to me because it drives me up the wall, is static.  I can't get rid of the blooming static!  I'm sure there are a number of things it could be causing, i.e. the fact I forgot to throw a downy sheet in my dryer last wash, or that it went from a really wet summer to a really dry fall, but I also have a hunch that it might be the acidic rinse that I use.  I was going with lemon juice and that's when I noticed the issues, but that's also when I was getting into a routine, so I swapped back to white vinegar (I went with lemon juice because I can't stand the smell of the vinegar, but diluted more it's okay, and I can get away with about 6 capfuls of vinegar to an empty shampoo bottle filled with tap water.)

I don't know if it's helping or not.  I forgot to oil my hair when I got out of the shower this morning, so there was definite static, but even after I'm still dealing with it a little.  I used to love brushing my hair because it felt so good, but to be honest right now I'm avoiding it...which sucks.  I'm still trying to figure out what's causing the static and what I can do to prevent it.  Seriously static is the most nasty thing in my opinion; I'll be brushing my hair and as soon as my brush leaves me head, my hair goes "WOOSH" and it smells like static (I don't know if I'm weird and am the only one who can smell static, but there is a definite metallic smell), so we'll see.

I might run to the store and grab a silicone free leave-in conditioner.  Right now I'll take the bottle of vinegar, squirt that all through my hair and then run diluted aloe vera through my hair and rinse at the end of my shower.  I'm hoping it will adjust, but until then I might grab nexxus.  I also haven't done a moisture treatment in a LONG while, so that could definitely be the culprit as well.  I guess I just feel that if I'm using an all natural hair care regime I shouldn't have to use those other things as well since I'm not stripping my hair of it's natural components anymore.

We'll continue to try this out and if financially it makes sense and if I like my hair then we'll stick with it. Otherwise I might have to break down and go with my original hair care routine.

Other than that, nothing too big to report! I hope you are all doing well, and if you have any suggestions, like how to minimize the static, then by all means, give me a shout!

Well...put everything on hold for the sickie

So much for a great start to me new blog.  Haha, someone spent the last two hours of her shift at work running back and forth from doctor to pharmacy to drug store and back.  I ended up crashing at home and Husband was sweet enough to make me dinner and keep me company while we watched "Top Shot" season 2 the finale...which, by the way, is AWESOME!  I used to think that George was a total jerk-wad, but it was pretty awesome when he missed his last shot and Chris won the competition - booyah for cool people.

I suppose we'll give the whole video and review thing a shot later on tonight or tomorrow depending on how my body is feeling.  I'm high on pain killers and antibiotics and will be for the next or so (joy); needless to say I'm going to take it one day at a time.

Bye for now, have a great day, y'all!

While I have a moment - Hair care routine

Hello all,

Something that is an obsession for me is hair care - I really enjoy finding new ways to maintain my locks without the use of chemicals, heating, and unfriendly hair-styling techniques.

A little bit of background: I have fairly easy-going hair that's almost to my waist (Which isn't saying much because I have the shortest torso on the planet), it's not prone to tangles or to split ends, is insanely thick and has just about every hair thickness you can think, from really fine to really course.  My old routine was:

Monday: condition ends in shower, rinse with cold water
Tuesday: condition ends in shower, rinse with cold water
Wednesday: condition ends in shower, rinse with cold water, oil down my hair with coconut oil at night and sleep
Thursday: Wash with shampoo twice, condition, rinse with cold water
Friday: condition ends in shower, rinse with cold water
Saturday: condition ends in shower, rinse with cold water, oil down my hair with coconut oil at night and sleep
Sunday: Wash with shampoo twice, condition, rinse with cold water


So yeah...pretty set schedule, everyone in a while I would throw an egg and honey protein treatment in their or add apple cider vinegar and honey water to my hair and let it soak and then rinse, and my hair has been really happy with this.

EXCEPT: I go through a lot of conditioner, and even though I use the cheap stuff - Suave almond and Shea butter shampoo and conditioner - it still adds up after a while.  Also, I hennaed my hair for the first time ever about a month ago - HOLY CRAP IT WAS SO RED! - and it seems to have made my hair more prone to not needing as much conditioner.  After the shower I always used Organix Anti-breakage serum and it worked wonderfully, until after the henna.  I noticed that my hair was more oily and didn't need the serum or the conditioner near as often.

All of this happened the same time I began to deal with a horrible eczema breakout; which I've dealt with in the past, but this time was different; nothing was helping and it was just getting worse.  (I've since learned it was because my el-cheapo lotion had SLS in it and I was soaking that into my skin -eek!)

So that, and the hair acting differently I decided to try something else.  I've been a faithful follower of Long Hair Community and learned about Chagrin Valley Natural Soap.  I figured that instead of going back to the doctor's the get another nasty cream to fix the eczema I was going to make the swap from liquid soaps to solids.

I'm still transitioning right now and getting used to the shampoo for my hair, and because of the hard water I definitely need an acid rinse afterwards, and I've also been putting a tiny amount of aloe vera gel on my ends while shaving and then I rinse it out.  It's interesting, because I'm not used to my hair feeling squeaky, but then again I do run so much conditioner through it, that I've probably been coating my natural hair for so long that I'm just used to it feeling artificial - oh! and a side note: my hair is starting to get way more wavy now that I'm using the natural soap, another interesting side effect of heavy conditioning must have been weighing down my hair.

Other than that it's far so good with the skin side of things - eczema is almost completely gone too!

I'll try to do a video and review all the soaps I've tried so far and I will definitely let you know when I find a good wash and condition routine; the soaps are really gentle so I can use them everyday and plan to, but I'm just concerned about over doing it with the acid rinse; I'm using white vinegar, and so far no bad side effects, but I'm thinking washing every other day and just using the aloe vera in between will be a good balance.  We'll see.

Okay, that's all for now, but I will post more interesting things including pictures soon!

Brand spanking new blog...again.

Okay...so....this is a new blog...again.  I've started several blogs in the past and manage to, every single time, stop writing because I get bored with myself or just don't have anything to write about.  You'd think that I would be smart enough to actually write about things that I know about, but I try to be this deep, person with all these profound thoughts and it just fails horribly and I look back at all the dumb posts I put up and laugh.

SO.  This time, I'm going to try my hardest to actually "blog" and be a "blogger" that will write about prevalent things to myself, because that's who this is about.  Me.  :D

This is just going to be a quick entry and I don't have my computer so I can't take pictures and add cool things to my page yet, but stay tuned!