Or, " A Hair Raising Tale of Epic Proportions".

Let's first start off with what my hair goals are.

1. I don't want short hair anymore. While it was great for my time in the Army, I want to be able to walk past a group of people and not have them call me "Mister" or "Sir". I want to look like a woman demmit, and Long hair will help with that.

2. I want hair like Liv Tyler had in Lord of the Rings as Arwen. Yes, I want hair that long and that gorgeous. Now, keeping this in mind, I have to make a few concessions to this. I have a positively HUGE forehead (While that was all the rage during the Renassance, it is hardly considered Haute Fashion now a days), I need bangs. Not heavy set bangs were it looks like I'm wearing a helmet, and not whispy bangs either. But a nice set of nicely groomed bangs than can go either straight or curly, depending on my mood.

Let's now detail what I have currently for hair.

As it stands now, my hair is 20 inches long from the center of my forehead hairline back. I have fine hair, I have curly hair. Not gentle waves or corckscrew curls, but something in the middle; like a nicely kept spiral perm.
Because of this, I also tend to get "The Frizzies" pretty bad, espcially in the summer when it's hot and humid.
I'm a brunette, though I still have the remnants of a dye job I got a year ago (Black with Red chunky highlights), though the red has LONG since faded and the cut long since grown out, I now have blond chunky bits where they had to bleach my hair.

You heard me...

I had my hair bleached.  :o

I can hear some of you out there now screaming.

Aside from that, the last time I dyed my hair was back in Feburaury, with Clairol's Nice and Easy Medium Ash Brown, which turned into more of a Golden brown on me for some reason, even on the parts of my hair that were my natural colour. I think the next time I go to the store for a bottle of dye (or a box of henna, as I did the henna thing alot when I was a teen-ager), I will make sure to go perhaps a step up from black into the brown range.

My real hair colour is a dark ash brown.

My hair care routine?
1. What-ever is cheapest.
2. I did do the wash and condition everyday, now I wash every three days or so, and have just started doing the CO routine.
3. Hair is mostly pulled back into a half tied pony tail.
4. I use mouse and hairspray most often, but am thinking of switching to a gel to hold the corl a bit better.
5. I use Clairol's Infusium 23 Leave In Treatment daily after I have a shower, or when I am too lazy to wash my hair.
6. I use Frizz Ease Silicone Serum for my hair to combat "The Frizzies".
7. I use a blow dryer on occasion...like...special occasions, on the lowest setting.. Other than that, I let my hair dry naturally.

Other than that, I will detail more when i can.

~Kaylin

A word on the CO Routine:

Seems that this works quite well for me and my hair, even though it's only my first try at it.

I did the CO thing when I went for a shower at 1:30pm or so, and it's now 5:00pm. No sign of "The Frizzies" yet and the ends don't look nearly half as...stressed out as they normally do.
I also followed this up after I got out of the shower with some Infusium 23 and some Frizz Ease Serum. I have nice gentle waves, kinda, with curly bits at the end.
My hair is also super soft too, and will probably feel much better after I get my trim on Friday.
Yesterday, I used some VO5 Hot Protein treatment in my hair too, so that might also be a factor as well.

More later.

~Kaylin

I suppose I should say what conditioner I'm using for the CO routine. (Second day doing it too...)

Right now I'm using TRESemme Pro Vitamine B5 and Aloe Remoisturizing conditioner for all hair types.

I figure a broad base to start with is not a bad thing, and I can adjust as I need to.

My fiance laughed at me today, how-ever, when I had put the plastic bag on my head to keep the conditioner from being rinsed out during my shower routine. I use a plastic bag mainly because I don't have a shower cap yet.

I have a hair appointment scheduled for Friday at 1:30pm to get a trim, and I might do a Hot Protein Treatment when I get home before I go to bed (They will have to wash my hair after all, with shampoo no less). Yes, I will need to go to bed as I am working nights this week-end. Maybe I will schedule another appointment with them for September/ October to get a trim, just to maintain the health and get some more length.

~Kaylin

So my hair cut went extemely well today. I am happy with the result.

Turns out that the layers in my hair were not all that noticable, as she only trimed and inch off the ends and it looked all even to her. She had also mentioned that my hair was in really good condition, and that if I wanted, I wouldn't need to take an inch off the ends. I explained to her that I take really good care of my hair, and that I am trying to grow it out.
She mentioned to me that I should get my fiance to do some scalp massages on my head to encourage new growth. I figure I can do well enough on my own with a bit of conditioner, but getting him to do it might be more fun. :)
As soon as I got home I added some of the Infusium 23 Leave In Treatment, as well as some Frizz Ease Serum. My hair will have to wait for a Protein pack until Sunday night perhaps.

~Kaylin

The week-end is apon me, and I am going camping.

Well, Camping with a twist anyways.

I play a Live Action Role Playing game called Havok! which is an off shot of NERO. I play an elf, but I usually try to get my hair done up in some sort of elegant fashion that keeps it off my neck and out of my eyes.

I might try a rinse with the well water out there, see if it makes my hair super Uber soft or not.

Anyways, I am off to start packing.

~Kaylin

Changed my conditioner on Sunday. We ran out of the Tresemme stuff, so my fiance and I went to the drug store to get some more stuff.
It's odd, because I started looking at the list of ingrediants (if they had any listed) to see if a certian product had -cones or not. It's frustrating when they don't list thwta's in a product.
Anyways, we finally settled on Pears by Suave Professional, and it's been LOVELY for my hair. Smells great, super, uber soft and manageable. I also picked up some hair gel as well, and been letting my hair go curly for a bit.
Next time it does, I'll be sure to take pictures and post them here.

~Kaylin

Saw a bunch of the braid sites posted by Space_Cadet.

I am in complete and utter awe of these creations. The look gorgeous, stunning even.

I was really temped to print out a picture and ahve it on my desk to keep my long hair goals in mind.

Looking also at the pictures that I posted, I need to re-dye my hair again. I might go darker, as that's really the only way to get rid of all that golden brown stuff, which just looks like a horrible patch-work creation when the roots start to grow out.

I just realised too, that the Infusium 23 leave in Conditioner I've been using has three sets of -cones in it. I've been making an effort to try and reduce the ammount of -cones in my shampoo and conditioner routine, but I am finding it difficult when products are on sale for a cheap price. That, and my Fiance is constantly complaining about how he likes the Alberto European stuff, and I'm not keen on it. The Conditioner seems a little, well, thin for the lack of a better term, and I end up having to use alot of it to have my hair feel like it's even remotely close to conditioned.

I might encourage him to stay with the Pears by Suave stuff, as I've heard good things about it here and other palces, and I do really like the smell.

Now, just trying to find a way to get rid of my "Frizzies".

~Kaylin

So I've changed my conditioner...yet again. This time to the Down Under Naturals Kiwi Fresh Care. It was cheap, and the best part? No -cones.
I really would like to see how my hair will react to not having -cones in it's routine. This also means that I've stopped using the Clairol's Infusium 23 Leave In.

I also have a half a bottle of Dove's Conditioner as well, Tactfully aquired from my Dad's place. Neither of my brothers use it, and my Dad doesn't either, and my mother is on Vacation in Amsterdam, so I was told to help myself. :)

Aside from that, I've gotten so good at doing the Dutch braids, that I don't need to watch myself in the mirror anymore, I can do it by feel. :)

Not much else to report, aside from looking forward to our monthly measure in here. I've been doing scalp massages every time I wash my hair, which is now maybe once every two or three days at most.

~Kaylin

I got a bit excited with the monthy measure in...and measured mine a bit early. :)

For the beginning of July, my hair measured in at 19 inches. It started off at 20, but I got an inch trimmed off at the beginning of the month.

So, from the front hairline to the end going over the crown is....

20 inches.

Turns out my hair is growing about an average of one inch a month. :)

~Kaylin

So after using the Down Under Naturals Kiwi Fresh Care for about three days now, I've noticed a realy difference in my hair. It seems way easier to manage and the frizzies aren't there nearly as much. I can actually leave my hair down for a bit and not get mad about the frizziness of my hair and how bad it looks.

And I did do a vinigear rinse too before I applied the Kiwi Fresh Care.

~Kaylin

Yup indeed....I am a "No-Cones" gal.

I applied some Infusium 23 Leave In to my hair the other night after I COed it, and it turned into one huge frizzy mess.

No More -cones for me.

~Kaylin

I haven't been here in a while, and I do appologise for that.

Hair growth is going well. I still haven't taken a pair of scissors to it, though I did relapse a bit and start shampooing it every day. I have now since stopped that and CO every two days.

I also quit smoking, which has done marvelous things for my body.

Lately I've been using two products by the Brilliant Brunette Line; One the Sleek and smooth serum, and the Finishing creme. Now, the Finishing creme tends to leave my hair a bit on the greasy side, but the Sleek and smooth serum is wonderful for my hair. I can blow dry it straight (Not very often mind you, and only on a law temperature setting) or I can leave it curly with this stuff. No frizzies! YAY!

I've switches conditioners again.

This time it's Thermasilk.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/KaylinSilverfurr/Kaylin%20images/firstpicturedigicam.jpg

It's slowly getting longer, though right now I think it's in hibernation phase. I can't see the growth nearly as much as I could a few monthes back.

~Kaylin

Glad to see you back!  

Thanks Biker Braid. :)

I tried a Mayo wrap on my hair last night. Made my hair really soft and shiny.

I've also taken to leave my conditioner on for a little longer than normal. I've been leaving it on for a good half an hour to 45 minuites, any my hair feels great.

~Kaylin

Can I have a hot Karl Urban with long dark brown hair to go please?

Was watching The return of the King today and I have to mention how much I ADORE the hair in those movies...Arwen and Eowyn's included.

Yes, I know they used wigs and human hair extensions.

~Kaylin

So I changed my conditioner yet again.

While the Thermasilk might work well for those that constantly abuse their hair with heat, I found it way to heavy on my hair.

I have switched back to the Tresemme, which my hair (and my body) is thanking me for.

Though lately, I've been doing Apple Cider Viegar rinses to my hair, and adding 1 part of pasturised, creamed honey to my conditioner and letting it sit for about half an hour to forty-sive minuites before I rinse it all out. I don't rinse out the ACV either before I slop on the honey conditioner.

I must say I have been VERY impressed with the results so far. Uber softness times a billion, not nearly as frizzy and shiney like a mega-watt lightbulb.

I also have on order 3 samles of Cassia Obovata that I plan to use when it gets here with conditioner and a little bit of lemon juice and a touch of honey. I will post the results here when I get them.
I got the samples from http://www.hennaforhair.com

I also did a bit of a trim, as my ends were feeling kinda yucky. Not alot, and I did it while my hair was flipped over my head while I was doing a V05 Hot Oil treatment. I promised myself I would take better care of my hair this year, which means throwing out most of my elastics, using pencils as hair sticks, and letting my hair dry naturally.

I created a concoction too for me to take to school and work, sonsisting of sweet almond oil, rose musk oil from The Body Shop, a bit of Infusium 23 leave in conditioner and some normal tap water. I have to shake it first before I spray it in, but it helps combat the winter static and dryness that I get. To boot, it also makes my hair smell nice.

~Kaylin

aww ... great, i was wondering if honey actually did any good to hair (i mean that you would notice) ... i never tried to leave vinegar in so long but since it never let me down i think i might try that one too! thanks for the information  :)

wrote on Jan 8^th, 2005 at 9:32pm:

aww ... great, i was wondering if honey actually did any good to hair (i mean that you would notice) ... i never tried to leave vinegar in so long but since it never let me down i think i might try that one too! thanks for the information  :)

Oh yeah, the honey works wonders.

And if you're worried about bees buzzing around your head, not to fret...

The honey washes out and doesn't leave any residue or stickness. My hair usually smells like my conditioner too when I use it.

Try it, post results in the forums! I am sure people would be appriciative. :)

~Kaylin

I need to post about a recent hair discovery of mine...

It's actually long enough now that I can put it back using hair sticks!

Yay for me!

Now I just have to start throwing out all my elastics, save a few, to keep me from the temptation of using them...esp[cially all the rubber ones!

~Kaylin

Just another update post:

So I've decided Wednesdays and Sundays are going to be my hair washing days; complete with an apple cider rinse and honey conditioner.

At school the other day, while hanging out with the Gay Pride epople, one of the members paid a compliment to my hair after I had expalined that I hadn' cut it since July last year. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head and she said that my hair was in GREAT condition for not having cut it in that long a time. :)

Made me smile actually, to know that my care and hard work has been paying off. If I can impress a stylist with my hair, then that's a good thing, right?

~Kaylin

Update again, as it's been a while since I did anything here.

Once again, I may have changed my routine slightly. Sundays and Wednesdays are still my hair washing days, but this time, I did an ACV rinse with Brita filtered water, used a V05 Hot Oil Treatment and rinsed it out with more Brita filtered water. Then then sprayed a light coating of almond oil on my hair (again with a mix of filtered water) and added a bit of low alcohol mouse (Got 2 B Kinky, mouse specifically designed for Curly hair).

What my hope is that I will be able to stop using all the silicone serums in my hair, as I know that silicone is bad for my hair. But I still need the moisture, and I still need a way to combat the frizzies. I am hoping that the filtered water might help with that.

I plan on going to the local organic/ health food store as well to look for a conditioner that does not have -cones in it. and try the "No -cone, small bit of Oil" route. If I can get some lavender essential oil to add to my filtered water/ almond oil mix, so much the better.

~Kaylin

Changed conditioners...again.

This time it's Nature's Gate Rainwater Herbal Sea Kelp and Aloe heat Activated Conditioner.
No -cones baby...at all, but it doesn't smell too good. But the lavender essential oil is good for covering it up pretty well.
I used it last night for a quick shower I had, and it made my hair feel great. :) I sprayed a bit of my Filtered Water/ Almond Oil and Lavender oil mix on my hair while it was still wet and twisted it into a hair stick and left it for the day. This was about 2pm or so, and by 10pm, my hair was still a bit damp. Not over whelmingly so though.
Anyways, it is encouraging to see possitive results.
I need to get batteries for my camera though.

~Kaylin

After running to hell's half acre and back, I FINALLY managed to find myself the Colora Henna in Ash brown that I wanted at Shopper's Drug Mart.
I took it home, scared the all living be-jesus out of myself when my other half looked at me and went "HELLO!" because he wasn't home when I left, and then proceeded to make the goopy mess to slop all over my hair.
My Mix?

Aside from two packages of Ash Brown,
Ten drops +/- of Lavender Essential Oil,
A Splash of Lemon Juice,
Dash of Sweet Almond Oil,
Nature's Gate Sea Kelp and Aloe Conditioner, and
Water.

I then let it sit for about half an hour/ 45 mins or so, put a baggie on my head, put a dorky toque on my head and sat there, going about my buisness; Watching MythBusters, eating my dinner, IMing friends and generally doing absolutely nothing. I put the stuff on at about 5:30- 5:45ish, and pretty much left it until 10 or so.

My hair before the dye was a mix between medium brown with golden brown streaks (From the blond bits two years ago), so the ash brown should give me a rich brown or ash highlights. Either way, I'll be happy with the results I think, just because I know henna is good for my hair, nevermind the cone free conditioner and oil I added to it.

When I took the plastic bag off, it took a bit to wash all the stuff from my hair. I rinsed it with LOADS of water first, just to get the good majority of the henna out of my hair. Then I got into the bottle of Nature's Gate conditioner, which got the smaller bits and the dried matter off my scalp (Gave myself a good scalp massage while I was at it.)
Looking at when it's still wet, I can see a bit of a change in the colour. Not over-whelmingly so, but it is darker. I'll have to wait 'til it dries though to see any effect it might have on my curl (I'm hoping it'll relax it a bit) and the effect on the bleached parts. Though from what I can tell with my hair still wet, they're alot darker. Darker than the commercial "Golden Brown" which was listed as medium ash brown from Clairol's bottle of Nice N' Easy I did a year ago.
I also misted my hair with my filtered water/ Sweet almond oil/ Lavender Essential Oil as well to tame the frizzies a bit, and make sure that I don't wake up with MAJOR pouf head. (I hate having stupidly poufy hair).
I will post pictures in the mid-afternoon tomorrow, because right now, there's:
a) No sun out to get a better cast of the true colour, and
b) No batteries in my digicam.

I'm also tired, and heading to bed.
Any questions/ comments would be appriciated, and my appologies for not having pictures to go with this post.

~Kaylin

Sounds interesting - pictures would be great if you can manage it.  

woohoo ... another henna gal! i'll start my strand tests when i get back home next week.

wrote on Feb 17^th, 2005 at 11:13am:

Sounds interesting - pictures would be great if you can manage it.

Done and done.

They're in the "Show us your locks" section. :)

~Kaylin