Friday Feature Fun!

Our next reader is *trumpet music* MY MOMMY!!! My mommy is my bestest friend, besides hubby, and she has been my hair inspiration for a long, long time. Here is her interview:

Name: Diane 

Hair character/type: My hair is wispy and thin, but each individual hair is coarse, so it gives volume. (1b/M/ii)

Natural hair color: Chestnut brown (I have to admit, that I actually said this, because my mom always reminds me of the girl in the song "Star of the County Down"

Starting length (if growing): I've always had long hair as a child, but there was a period when I was 17/18 that I had it layered and around armpit length

Current length:  Tailbone length

Are you currently growing your length or maintaining?  If growing, how long have you been growing your hair?  If maintaining, what is it about your current length that makes you happy?: I am actually trying to grow my hair a little bit longer after having allowed a hairdresser to go at my hair with scissors I realized the folly of this and because, having been a long hair for so long, anything that is less than being able to sit on is TOO SHORT!

As a fellow hairaholic I find it very interesting to hear what exactly about hair it is that others find fascinating.  What started your interest/obsession with hair?: Growing up in the 80s, everything was all about the shag and the short hair. You were different having long hair, and there was a time in the 80s when I had long hair (18-19), and I ended up getting it cut and I immediately thought, even though it's easy to take care of, "a part of me is missing". I've always had long hair, and reading being raised on books like Little House on the Prairie and the like, women had long hair. I'm not very feminine, and so my long hair is my one feminine thing. My female-ness comes out in my hair.


As with any hobby, there is always something that irks us just a little bit. What are some of your frustrations/pet peeves as a person with a hair hobby, be your hair long or short? (i.e. nasty comments, getting stuck in doors, hard to take care of, styling, etc.etc.): My pet peeve is twofold: 1) the people with the short hair coming up and telling me that my hair would look better or trimmed or that I would look better with short hair. It's all I can do to stop from saying to them in return, "if you kept your mouth shut you wouldn't sound so stupid." If it's trendy or not, long hair is me I don't care if it's not a fad. This goes for the same with people with long hair who feel entitled to tell you what to do with your hair because their hair acts or looks differently. 2) The people who tell me to donate it. I say to them, "I feel it would be better to teach kids to be confident no matter how they look than to force them to adapt to how everyone else thinks they should look."

If money, damage, social stigma, etc. where not a factor, what is the one thing you would love to try out?: I'd shave my head. This is of course, only if it were reversible the next day. Or to try something funky and weird, but I would want my hair back the next day.

What do you love about your hair: Something I'm really liking about it right now, is the color and the way it frames my face.

What do you hate about your hair: I'm having a hard time adjusting to the different textures as my hair is getting older. Once it's all white I think it'll be okay. This is also changing the way I can style it.

What’s something you like to do as a “treat” to your hair?: Coconut oil with a capful of tea tree oil mixed in. I don't really treat it though, so much as I just don't use bad chemicals on it. And I don't wash it a lot.

What are your favorite products?/What are you currently using?: My favorite products is focus 21 Sea Plasma, but it's a product I haven't used in a while. They have since changed the formula. Currently, I'm using Suave Almond and Shea Butter

What’s your hair care routine? (In a nutshell; I know most of us have pretty extensive hair care regimes): Wash every few days and only wash the roots. Condition everything. Comb it wet, if it's really cold outside I'll blow dry just enough to get the drippies out, but usually air dry.

Many of us have one thing that we will never, ever do to our hair no matter what (i.e., bleach, curl, straighten, color) what is that one thing for you?: Dye it. I permed it once when I was 18 and I looked like a lion, but the damage I see from dyeing keeps me from that. I would never perm again.

If you have a favorite hairstyle, what is it?: My favorite style is probably an off-center part and wearing it down, but my most practical style is a bun or a pony tail.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received regarding taking care of hair?: A long long time ago, when I was young and I had long hair and I was about ten. My mom thought my hair looked fine because I was brushing the top layer everyday, but then she realized later that the underside of the hair wasn't getting brush. It took a road trip from Northern Idaho to Mexico and a bottle on conditioner with a wide tooth comb to get that hair untangled. It's amazing she didn't cut it off. After that, my mom talked to someone about dealing with the tangles and the lady said, "start at the bottom, work your way up" That has stuck with me ever since.

Any additional comments: I think it's cool that long hair is coming back. People are starting to stick with it; people are starting to show commitment to it, and it's cool to see them doing their own thing instead of falling prey to the trends. It's especially cool to me that the younger generation is starting to do it.

Friday Feature Fun!

Hello all! It's that time of the week again, yay!

This week I convinced my mummy to be my model and I did a variation on what TorrinPaige (youtube) calls the Seraphim Kiss based off of this lovely photo by Jaramatography on Deviantart.

I like her style because it works for really thick hair and she gets the volume in a really unique way.  Since my mom and I don't have hair that would put Rapunzel to shame, I decided to revamp it for our hair.

After that I decided to create a hairdo that was similar the Memoirs of a Geisha hairstyle that Hatsumomo wears the very first time we see her character.  I vouched not to add a lot of teasing and volume to the sides of the hair because I want to create a series of hairstyles that are applicable to everyday life.  I think the final result looks really good and would work great as a work or even night out style depending.

Enjoy!

Two easy work hairstyles

Friday Feature Fun!

Hello all,

Well it's still technically Friday - sorry this is so late in getting out; editing took a little longer than I had meant and the first time that I tried to record this my camera stopped in the middle.  Blargh.

Well!  As promised, my first installment of hair tutorials.  These following two techniques are very similar, but they "wear" throughout the day very differently.  I apply these two techniques in three different ways; a full updo, half up and a variation of the updo.

I hope you enjoy!  Next week I'm starting my series of Memoirs of a Geisha hairstyles, hope you enjoy! *UPDATE* There might also be a bonus hairstyle depending on how I feel :) I've been inspired to do something rope braid and bohemian.

Tutorial: easy hairstyles with hairsticks

Adventures in Shea Butter!

Hello all,

Well I haven't talked a whole lot about this, but my mom and I are in the process of starting a new business.  I want to create a line of skin and hair care products that focus on healing qualities.  We still have a lot of planning, and creating and formulating to do, but I decided to go out on a whim and buy some unrefined shea butter and whip it up to see what would happen.  I didn't really have time to melt it down properly, but just did a quick mix.

I took 1 pound of raw shea butter, about 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, made sure the shea butter was soft enough to mix, threw it into my food processor and mixed it for about 1 minute.  It came out a lot stiffer than I would like, but I was out of coconut oil and I didn't want anymore olive oil in my mixture.

The results, it was a very hearty butter than I was able to split among three people and they will have plenty to last until I get more shea butter.  Very moisturizing, but not a good hair oil; I tried using it an it's just too stiff for my hair, I'm going to stick with pure coconut oil.  There were tiny granules in it that I'm not sure were the results of not melting it or it nor being refined, I'm not sure, so I think I'll take the butter I have at home and remelt it and then whip it back up to see if that gets rid of them.  If not I'll purchase the refined shea butter and give it a shot.

Friday Feature Fun!

Time for our Friday Feature!

Stephanie is awesome, I have never had the pleasure of meeting her in person, but I've looked on her site at her styles, and her general attitude has always been fun and pleasant and whenever I've bugged her about a hairstyle I'm curious about, she has always been kind and taken time out of her busy schedule to talk with me.  Also, I'm insanely jealous of her hair.  Enjoy! 


Name: Stephanie

Hair character/type: 2c or 3a/M/iii (note: loose curls, medium thickness strands, and a ton of it)

Natural hair color: Same as it is now, kind of indeterminate.  Brownish blonde?

Starting length (if growing): About 22” way back in the day

Current length:  58”

Are you currently growing your length or maintaining?  If growing, how long have you been growing your hair?  If maintaining, what is it about your current length that makes you happy?:  I started growing my hair out about 11 years ago, but for four years during college I mostly just maintained it.  My hair is definitely still growing (albeit slowly), but I’m not actively trying to grow it out anymore.  I’m considering cutting 10 inches or so off in a few months since it’s getting a bit much to manage, and classic length was my favorite.  I enjoy being able to do really extreme styles with this length, but classic was best for certain updos and was less annoying to wear down.

As a fellow hairaholic I find it very interesting to hear what exactly about hair it is that others find fascinating.  What started your interest/obsession with hair?: When I was 13, I saw Star Wars for the first time and was fascinated by Leia’s hair.  I thought, “Hey, I can do that.”  I think long hair is beautiful, I love how it feels, and I enjoy being able to do different things with it.  I also enjoy having long hair for one of the same reasons that I enjoy archery; both make me feel a little bit like a time-traveller, participating in something that is thousands of years old.  Long hair has a timeless, classic quality to it, andI enjoy history (particularly medieval times) very much.  Having long hair gives me a sense of kinship with another age.

As with any hobby, there is always something that irks us just a little bit. What are some of your frustrations/pet peeves as a person with a hair hobby, be your hair long or short? (i.e. nasty comments, getting stuck in doors, hard to take care of, styling, etc.etc.):  Long hair does get in the way if it’s down, there just isn't a way around it.  I’ve caught it on other people, doors, seat belts, you name it.  Probably the most irksome thing, though, is that people tend to treat long hair like public property.  I don’t mind if someone wants to talk about it, or even if they ask nicely if they can touch it, but I do NOT enjoy it when strangers walk up and just start playing with my hair.  I like my personal space!

If money, damage, social stigma, etc. where not a factor, what is the one thing you would love to to try out?:  I haven’t had straight hair since I was 12, so that would be nice to try, and it would be fun to dye it just for a day.  In general, though, I’m pretty content with my current state.

What do you love about your hair: Pretty much everything!  I like that it’s very thick and curly.

What do you hate about your hair:  I don’t really hate anything about it, but I guess it would be nice if the color made up its mind on whether it’s brown or blonde.

What’s something you like to do as a “treat” to your hair?: Can’t say that I really do anything special for it.

What are your favorite products?/What are you currently using?:  I use whatever shampoo and conditioner are on sale, for the most part.  I do like Naturelle Hypo-Allergenic Styling Gel (http://www.sallybeauty.com/allergenic-gel/SBS-623476,default,pd.html); several of my friends have severe allergies, so I make sure to use this if I’m going to be spending time with them.  Money is always an issue for me, so I don’t buy any expensive products.

What’s your hair care routine? (In a nutshell; I know most of us have pretty extensive hair care regimes): Mine is very simple.  I wash it every other night (sometimes every third night) with whatever’s in the shower.  I do use a LOT of conditioner.  Since my hair is so curly, I only detangle it in the shower, using a wide-toothed bone comb (http://hairsense.com/bone_combs.php), which is actually made out of resin despite the name.  The combs don’t have the rough seam that plastic combs do, so it doesn’t catch or tear the hair.  I let my hair dry overnight by draping off the end of the bed.

Many of us have one thing that we will never, ever do to our hair no matter what (i.e., bleach, curl, straighten, color) what is that one thing for you?: All of the above, honestly.  I’m a big fan of benign neglect: if I leave my hair alone, it behaves itself.

If you have a favorite hairstyle, what is it?:  Hard to choose, since I do so many!  I love braids of all kinds.  My go-to style for when I don’t want to spend time on my hair is a single braid, and it’ll hold up to just about anything.  I love experimenting with movie hairstyles, though I haven’t had the time for anything too elaborate lately.                                                                                                                         

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received regarding taking care of hair?:  Don’t mess with it!  People feel like they have to be constantly altering their hair’s curl/straightness, color, style, etc., and all of that causes damage.  

Links to your blog/youtube/website: My website (pretty much never updated anymore, sadly) is: http://imaginary-styles.iwarp.com, and my blog (not hair-related) is: http://quoththegirl.wordpress.com.

Thank you again, Stephanie for your time and for sharing a little bit about yourself!  More to come on awesome people later! 

Project: How long can we make my curls last! Day 3

Alrighty everyone, so I am becoming more and more impressed with my curlformers and the results of this week as each day passes.

For a little background on today; I went to bed feeling really not great at all so I didn't really care about how my hair was arranged on the pillow; I passed out around 9:30 and tossed and turned until some random person texted me at one in the morning saying they were the tall guy that I met at Old C's.  Yeah....wrong number.

So I woke up, took my shower, didn't my makeup and clothes and then brushed out my hair with my paddle brush, I didn't comb at all and here are my results:

I am seriously impressed.  These are nice soft waves that have no product in them, went through a hot shower so they got a little steamed even though I tried to keep them out of the water as much as possible, and were brushed out.  Very awesome.  Also, I'm not noticing extra grease buildup or anything on my scalp so I could easily another day with curls, I'm going to see what they look like tomorrow morning and keep you posted.

.....I CUT MAH HAIR!!!!!

...okay, so I layered my hair, and the cool thing is; I did it all by myself!! Woo! Now, I have in the past tried to layer my hair and horrible, horrible things happened, but this time I did it right.  I bought myself a CreaClip!  Woo!  This super cool, albeit a little more expensive than it should be, product provides you with a level so you can cut layers into your hair without free-handing it. The best part about it was I didn't lose any length because my hair is already layered in a V-cut so it didn't need it, I just took two sections of my upper hair and layered it to add movement and body, which it absolutely has now so I'm really happy.  This is going to make my long hair journey worlds easier.

Here is the final result:

Not bad right?  Especially for doing it myself :) I did cut the shortest layer shorter than I expected it to turn out, but I think that in two weeks it will settle.  My hair has been gradually getting more and more wavy too and I'm hoping this will bring that out. But honestly I'm very please with it.

A couple more photos:

You can't see the layers so much as they are mingled into the length of my hair fairly well, but I still have waist length hair and now I have a bra strap length layer and a chin length layer.


CreaClip is a really nice tool to have if you're interested in cutting your own hair.  I would recommend it.  I haven't been getting the results I've wanted from my stylist for a while and now I know I'm capable of cutting my own hair so I think I'll be doing that from now on.

I also posted the whole cutting process on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8qVVYH28Pc

My favorite hair resources!

My Favorite Hair Resources

Homemade hair masques:

1.      The Super Shiny and Happy Hair Recipe

o   Ingredients:

§  1/8 cup coconut or olive oil

§  A brush

§  Hair tie

o   Instructions

§  Brush out the tangles in your hair and take a handful of the oil, don’t worry, if you chose coconut oil, hold it in your palm until it softens.

§  Run the oil all over your hair, even your scalp

§  Massage the oil into your scalp; this will promote circulation and it feels really good too!

§  Tie your hair up so it’s out of your face; remember to not tie it too tightly!

§  Leave the oil on for as long as you can stand it, I like to leave it on all night!

§  Wash and condition the oil out.  Do this once a week and notice a big difference in your hair!

o   HINTS

§  You can do this with mayo too, but you will need to cover your head with a hair cap if you want to sleep with it on

§  Be patient, there is no such thing as an overnight cure for damaged hair; use this for at least a month once a week.

2.      Protein Boost Hair Recipe

o   Ingredients:

§  1 egg, beaten

§  Large spoonful of Honey

§  A small dash of olive oil or any oil that is liquid at room temperature

§  Brush

§  Towel

o   Instructions

§  In a bowl, mix the egg honey and oil together until it is nice and combined

§  Brush out the tangles in your hair and drape the towel over  your shoulders and let your hair hang over the towel

§  This part is messy, so be sure to do it over a sink or with a friends help. Start gently rubbing the egg and oil into all of your hair, including the scalp.  Try not to think of it as raw egg in your hair, instead think of it as a yummy golden, raw, goopy, snotty thing….Okay never mind…trust me it will be worth it!

§  When the egg mixture is completely mixed into your hair you can pull it up into a hair cap or let your hair rest on the towel, be aware that there might be a little bit of spillage, so don’t stand on the nice rug.

§  Watch a girlie movie – or read a book for a couple of hours

§  Watch and Condition the egg out and feel the effects of the protein working to strengthen your individual hairs!

o   HINTS

§  Do not rinse out the egg in hot water at first; this will…well…cook the egg basically, and we all know how we hate hair in our food.  Rinse with lukewarm water first, then when you know you have all the egg out you can heat up the water.

§  Do not use this recipe more than once a month, protein is good for your hair, but too much of a good thing can always turn sour, just think of that entire bag of potato chips you ate last week, yikes.  I would recommend this about once a month.

§  Don’t worry about the honey, as long as you rinse it out, it won’t be sticky.  Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts moisture so it will help retain softness while the egg helps maintain hair strength.  Be warned though, Honey is also a natural peroxide and while it won’t damage your hair, you might notice natural highlights beginning to form.  If you don’t want that you can up the oil in this ingredient and cut out the honey.

3.      Avocados on My Head, Avocados on My Head Recipe

o   Ingredients

§  One ripe avocado (the avocado must be mushy enough to mix into a paste

§  2 tablespoons mayo

§  Dash of olive oil

§  Brush

§  Towel

§  Hair cap

o   Instructions

§  Mash the avocado, mayo and olive oil all together in a bowl until it looks like something you would try to feed a baby….but don’t really try to feed a baby, maybe your little brother if he’s acting up, but seriously…this is hair food.

§  Brush out the tangles in your hair and apply towel if needed

§  Again, either over a sink and/or with a friend’s help mush the green goo of awesome in your head until it looks like that munchkin with the green hair in Wizard of Oz. 

§  Tie your hair up and let it sit for at least two hours.  Definitely sounds like a movie opportunity again.

§  Wash and Condition out, and you’ll feel the benefits of both the moisture from the avocado as well as the fats and proteins it provides, along with the moisturizing benefits of the oil.

4.      Super Clarifying Baking Soda Recipe

o   Ingredients

§  ½ cup of baking soda – DO NOT USE BAKING POWDER!!

§  ¼ cup of lemon juice mixed with honey

o   Instructions

§  Okay, we’ve all been there, where we have buildup from product in our hair, but we’re just not willing to put the bad ingredients from the clarifying shampoos – like charcoal – in our hair.  This is a great, natural and easy-to-make recipe that will help get rid of those nasty buildups without sacrificing our hair’s health.

§  First, you’re going to take your cup of baking soda and separate cup of lemon juice into the shower with you – don’t mix them together; you don’t want a 2^nd grade volcano project manifesting itself in your tub

§  Wet down your hair and then add just enough water to your baking soda to make it look like a thick paste

§  Add this paste to your scalp and start massaging it in.  It’s okay for it to feel grainy, just massage and then gently squeeze the rest into your length.  Massage for at least five minutes

§  Let the baking soda sit in your hair while your washing the rest of your body or for at least another five minutes and then rinse thoroughly

§  Wash and Condition your hair normally

§  Then, at the very end of your shower, mix the lemon juice and honey with some warm water from your shower head and mix together until it’s combined.  Pour this mixture over your head and let sit for a few minutes or until it’s completely saturated your hair.  Rinse as normal

There is actually a bit of science to this clarifying recipe.  Our hair is happiest when its pH is balanced. The baking soda is alkaline, which forces our hair follicles to open a release all the gunk that has been holding on to it.  It’s a great way to cleanse your hair from months of buildup.  The acid in the lemon juice is what close those follicles after you’ve finished cleaning it and because your follicles are all closed up it makes your hair look really shiny.  The honey will help add moisture to your hair keeping it nice and soft. Tada! Clean, happy and pH balanced hair.

Hair Gurus to check out YouTube:

·         4ypn0tica – excellent hair tutorials for updos, from the simple to the elaborate

·         ArrowOdenn– a very nice girl who posts unique hair styles on a regular basis

·         CinthiaTruong– Easy, elegant updos for the various awesome times in your life

·         FieryPha– Pha is a hair buff with lots of knowledge and experience with long hair

·         Habioku– I love these hairstyles, they are so easy, also, check out her self-trimming video!

·         JLovesMac1– Apart from being silly and hilarious and a general beauty guru, this YouTuber is awesome because she is honest about her hair experiences, including the bad.  If you want information on extensions and the pros and cons of them this is the place to visit

·         Loepsie– one of my absolute favorite people to watch, Loepsie is so sweet and very honest about her journey, including recent hair loss caused by natural soap bars.  She gives you in the insider on whether or not natural is the way to go for your body

·         Luvableviet– This girl generally does it all, including cutting her hair and showing you exactly how

·         Torrinpaige – Another favorite, she has knee length long, THICK hair and TONS of awesome hairstyles

·         Wendyslookbook– easy and very pretty hairstyles

·         YayaLifestyle – Yaya is one of favorites because she documented her journey of growing long hair and then cut it for donation

·        PhylsGyrl – ME! Okay, well I don’t consider myself a beauty guru, but I am a hair buff and would love recommendations for what to post of my YouTube.  Also check out my blog at www.thecontagiousintrovert.blogspot.com

Favorite places to buy hair accessories:

·         www.crystalmood.com – This place has so many awesome things!! ‘Nuff said

·         http://www.giovannicosmetics.com/ - My personal favorite hair and shampoo ever.

·         http://www.wenhaircare.com/ - My mom’s personal favorite!

·         http://www.aubrey-organics.com/ - If you’re looking for some natural alternatives, this is a great place to go

·         http://www.60thstreet.net/ - This company hand carves hair combs, it’s well worth the investment

·         http://www.floandpercy.com/collections.html - Okay, these are wedding, prom, quinceanera, etc. etc. level hair accessories, but I can’t get over how pretty they are

·         http://www.etsy.com/ - I’m sure every single one of you are familiar with Etsy, but there is so much here that is so awesome!

A word on hair:

Okay, I know I’ve talked your ear off already, but I just want to share my thoughts and opinions on this subject.  I am a total hair buff.  I love hair, be it short, long, blue, orange, brown, neon green, layered, not layered, whatever.  I love it.  I think that hair is so awesome how it works scientifically and how people have used it to express themselves and to show who they are.  I’ve had super short hair and super long hair and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it because it helped show people who I am, and I encourage you to do the same.  It doesn’t matter if people think that your hair looks silly, or old fashioned or too short, too long, if you like it, if it makes you feel beautiful and confident then you are on the right track.  If you have damaged hair or you don’t like it, just be patient and take it one day at a time.  Treat your hair like old lace, delicately, and it will reward you by being healthy.  Listen to your hair too.  If your hair is unhappy, chances are it’s trying to tell you something, sometimes it means that there is an imbalance in your body or that you’re not feeding yourself right.  Your hair is a great way to tell if you are healthy on the inside both emotionally and physically.  Hair falls out when we’re stressed, when we’re not eating right or missing something nutritionally.  If you notice your hair changing, take a moment to think about what’s changed in your life.  And remember that everyone’s hair is differently, and that’s great! Experiment, and have fun!  

In a slump

Hello lovely people,

Well...I'm SO tired...and frustrated! I've been trying to upload a video onto youtube because I really want to start doing video tutorials for hairstyles, hair care and organic beauty "stuff", but my camera keeps cutting my videos off near the end.  I guess the number of photos I have stored up in a particular program affects the number of minutes I can record.  I'm hoping this will be a very short and temporary setback because I really, really want to get going on this.  I have lots of ideas I want to share with you all!

Other than that, not a whole lot is happening.  I've decided to start a semi-different wash routine because I want to save money on the shampoo bars, and because I want to see if my new routine will allow me to wash with shampoo less, but still keep in control of the greasies.  Last week was my first try and so far it seems to be working well.  I'll let you know more as I experiment more.

I just figured I would write you a quick post so that I stay on top of writing and I'm kinda tired of looking at my last post :P,  I also want to post a video showing you some decent pictures of my hair how it is now.  Honestly I'm a little disheartened because last time I took a photo of my hair wet I could really see extra layers on the left side of my hair; it looked like someone started to cut a "v" point but forgot to do the right side.  I had my husband look at it and he said when he combed it out it looked fine and he could only see a little bit of uneveness, which is fine for me, but he did notice that my spine doesn't sit straight either so he thinks that is playing a part as well.  I think several things are to blame:

1. My spine was very crooked and out of whack the last several times (seriously it looks like, when I'm standing straight, that my right hip is three inches higher than my left, or rather it did.  It's starting to mellow out.) and when my hairdresser trimmed my hair, she had me sit down on a stool, so I'm wondering if I was sitting crookedly then she might have cut accordingly without realizing it.  (I'm not blaming her, I LOVE my hairdresser)
2. When I freaking SINGED my hair it was on the left side and I'm thinking it definitely put in some more layers :P lovely
3. I did shape up the bottom most layer of my hair and put more of a "V" into it...I'm not sure if this caused the extra layers on the left side, I tried to keep it as even as possible and the extra "layers" so to speak are higher up where I didn't dare tread with scissors...so I think it may have played a small part.  I think all three of these things played a small part which just all added up.  I look through all my photos and noticed that my left side has always had more layers than my right side, so it might just be a growth thing too.

Who knows!  I'm just going to keep growing and I might go my hair stylist to trim it, but I'm really hoping to start doing that myself because I don't want to go in and have them use the shampoos that I've worked so hard to get off of.  I also think that it would be easier because I can better maintain it myself that way.

Okidokies, I'll stop blabbering and hopefully I'll be able to post a video on youtube tomorrow; I will try my best to record before I go to work in the morning.

Bye!

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! 

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!

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!