Alllll right!  First time posting, which has me all happy because *drumroll please*  My hair is but just two mere inches from my waist!  *dances*  Two more inches, two more inches... and I'll be officially a waist-lengther!  

Okay, I'm just so happy I'm glowing!  I've told myself that I'll be pleased as punch when it gets to my waist, but  ;)  ;) I've already decided to try for hip-length.

Talk about obsession!

On a side note, I tried oiling my hair for the first time this week.. I ADORE the JoJoba oil, I'm so glad I bought it.  I also tried a deep-conditioning with olive oil last night... My scalp isn't all that happy about it (it got kinda greasy no matter how much I rinsed and washed)  but the ends are singing my praises!  Hurray!  

Woo hoo!  Let's all dance and watch your hair grow!

Right, so I had a moment of the dreaded "I hate my hair!" fussiness the other day.  How did I fix it?  *evil grin*  I ended up in Claire's.. scouting out the hair accessories.  I got a couple of pairs of chopsticks (not as beautiful as Rapunzel's creations *le sigh* but not a bad price at 2 dollars a pair) and a couple of lovely combs.  I have so much trouble finding combs.. no one seems to carry them anymore.  Granted, the one I got was rather plain-jane tortise-shell but it is lovely.  I wore my hair up in "The Victorian" style (check the HairStyles Gallery for a pic) last night to dinner.  *smiles*  I got the best compliment!  A lady came up to me and said "My, your hair is so lovely styled like that!  You don't see many who do something with their hair nowadays"   *glows*  It was just what I needed to banish the evil "I hate my hair!" feeling.

Okay...

I tried a new product this week that has absolutely SAVED me.  John Frieda Frizz-Ease Miraculous Recovery Deep-Conditioning Treatment.  Now, I know what you're going to say.. CONES!  But stick with me.  This is a once-a-month trype of treatment because it's a tiny bottle and the conditioner is REALLY thick.  I put it on and it really soaked into my hair well.  And the rain has been POURING down here for the past few days, the humidity is off the charts, and my hair has acted like nothing special has happened.  No wispy tendrils or top-of-the-head frizz.  Just lovely, moisturized locks..

What joy!  What rapture!  (The packaging is great too)

At any rate, I'm begining to become a speed-braider.  I can style my hair in the "Victorian" in about five minutes, and the result is always classic, stylish, and makes a statement.  I'm also having a fabulous time now that I've managed to teach myself how to french braid... the end tail is long enough to make a bun at the nape of my neck secured with some sticks and viola, instant hairdo.  *grins*  I adore styling it.  It relaxes me to no end...

I think it has something to do with the old saying "Idle hands..."

Hey Red,
Don't apologize about the 'cones.  "One man's meat is another man's poison."

Some people thrive on cones and some don't.  I'm glad you found something that works so well for you!

strawberryfine

Ow.  I think I found another piece of safety glass in my scalp from the car accident I was in nearly a year ago.  They tend to pop to the surface and they hurt like.. ow, they hurt when I find them.  At any rate, last night I managed to get it out and my head is very happy with me.. for now.

I've been letting my hair go a bit longer between washings.. I'm making it to about every three days now, but on the third day all I want to do is wear a hat... though I hear that if you make yourself wait between washings, your scalp won't give off as much oils.  So, I'm going to keep at it.  Washing isn't so much a chore as it is a bit of burden.. I have to stay inside while it dries and it's thick enough that I need to wash it at night a few hours before I go to bed, or it just won't dry completely.

And, on another note, the only thing I've been doing with it the past couple of days is making just one long standard braid.  Anyone else get in a hair-styling rut?

Oh my goodness! Saftey glass in your scalp! OUCH!  :o
My mum was in an accident about a year ago as well, and she still occasionally gets wee bits that surface too.

I reckon I'm in a hair styling rut at the moment too. I can't seem to figure out what to do with it at all. I usually end up putting it back in a boring ponytail.  :-/

Don't worry, you'll come out of it. I always do!  ::)

i once found a very tiny stone in my tigh. i actually fished it out with pointy scizzors. it must have been there for at least 5 years after i fell with my bike as a kid. i found it weird my body had accepted it's presence in there for so long.

The body does wonderful things to protect itself.  When a foreign body invades it, the body will try to surround it and push it out.  I had stones in my hand that were pushing out 20 years after I had fallen.  I have a needle in my foot that is encased in scar tissue that the doctors say could still try to work itself out.  I've had that needle for 40 years.

I hope your head is OK and you don't have too many more pieces of glass that have to find their way out.

wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2004 at 11:02am:

I have a needle in my foot that is encased in scar tissue that the doctors say could still try to work itself out.  I've had that needle for 40 years.

A NEEDLE?!?! EEEKK!!

Dare I ask how that happened?  ???

Owwww!  A needle?!  Yeeeouch!

I still have safety glass in my head, my left hand, and my elbows (I think).  I was hit by a drunk driver and all the windows in my minivan (aside from the back window) were shattered.  They did the best they could in the hospital, but the doctor told me I'd likely be picking glass out of places for awhile.

On a happier note, though, my mummy got me a pair of Rapunzel's sticks for Christmas!!!  *dances around*  YAY!!!!  *giggles*  I was on the phone with her this morning and I asked her if she had had a chance to look at the website yet (I've been buggering her about it.. tehe)  and she said yes... and then she asked me if I had bought any yet, when I told her no, she said good.....

*giggles*  So I gave her the third degree and... YAY!!!  I'm getting hairsticks!  *dances*  Oohh, I just can't WAIT!!

wrote on Dec 3^rd, 2004 at 2:35pm:

and then she asked me if I had bought any yet, when I told her no, she said good.....

not that she could buy by accident the same ones
;)

Well, I've gotten very good at french braiding.. that's my hairstyle of choice for me before going to bed... I take my hair down, comb it out, oil it a bit with some jojoba oil, brush it in well with my boar bristle brush, then spritz my hair down with a mister bottle filled with water and a couple of drops of an essential oil.. (I'm loving the lavender EO I bought!)  and french braid.  It's fabulous!  Every morning I wake up to mounds of waves and tons of body, and I've noticed...

The more I keep my hair up, the less I need to wash it.  Likely because I'm not constantly running my fingers through it.. *laughs*  But sometimes I can't help myself.  *giggles*


Ohh, and since I've started really taking care of my hair (I began at the begining of October with the proper combing, brushing, washing techniques)  I've lost a lot less hair, I'm not shedding as much, and I just generally FEEL better about my hair.    And the compliments have been plentiful  ;D

Novusfemina, I could have wrote that!

French braiding is also my night hairstyle. Before braiding, I don't spray my hair with anything else than rosewater. When I started french braiding for night instead of english braiding, I got rid of last of knots.

I also shed much less hair than I used to, and I have to wash it only every third day. It's the good care... I keep my hair up all the time, style depending on how many days it is from previous washing. First day after washing, only possiblity is a bun secured with a bun net. On second day my hair is most manageable and can be put to any style. On third day I keep it in some braided style.

I too adopted my new hair caring routines in October, and the results came fast and have been good. Not to mention that pampering hair is a fun hobby.

It's a great hobby, Galadriel!

And I love the way the french braiding works.. I rarely wake up and have to comb through tangles.. all I have to do is remove the hair tie and finger through!

And I wear my hair up often too.  Though, I like the look of it down, a lovely figure 8 braided bun at the nape of my neck is just the right style for me (my hair's too thick to have a regular bun anymore, and my hair is easier to manipulate into an 8 figure when it's braided).  But.. the best day for me to wear my hair down is the third day.. but even then I wear it half up with a barrette.. ::)

I'm noticing more and more people want to come up and touch it.  A feel a bit like.. a favorite pet or something *laughs*  

There was a woman behind me in line when I was paying for a Christmas gift that actually asked me, "Is you hair REAL?"  I got a good giggle out of that one.

I'm going through a "but it's just not long enough" phase.  *sighs*  If I lean my head way over to one side, I can get the ends to brush against my thighs... grrr, grow faster, hair!  

You know, I should stop fussing about my hair.  There are ladies on this board who are starting with shoulder length hair... how long did it take me to get from shoulder length to the bottom of my back?  

Still, I understand.  The wait is UNBEARABLE.  

On a happier note, I've taught myself a few new hairstyles... huzzah!

My hair is still in between my shoulderblades and bra strap- if it grows 1 cm in a month rate and I must trim it a little (as I probably must), it will be a year before I reach BSL. A year!

I guess my hair journal will be very long by them. *does not even think of what it will look like when she reaches hip length*

wrote on Dec 12^th, 2004 at 4:27pm:

my hair's too thick to have a regular bun anymore

did you ever try a layered bun? i mean that you don't keep it flat but put every new turn under the previous? my hair is barely past my waist and still contains some layers and i already find that standard sized forks and sticks are barely large enough (not that i have incredibla thick hair, but it's kinda slippery and the layers provide not the securest finish). so i started the towered bun and i think it actually holds better than the regular one. it's just that my hair is still too short to make it look pretty but well, it's ok for painting inside the house and taking my shower lol.

wrote on Dec 14^th, 2004 at 4:53am:

My hair is still in between my shoulderblades and bra strap- if it grows 1 cm in a month rate and I must trim it a little (as I probably must), it will be a year before I reach BSL. A year! I guess my hair journal will be very long by them. *does not even think of what it will look like when she reaches hip length*

*hugs Galadriel*  Well, my dear, your hair is just going to be beautiful as all business because you started caring for your hair long before I did!  

But hang in there; my obsession with long hair began when I realized that, suddenly after four years, I had forgotten to get a haircut.. *laughs*  By then it was pretty long...  Still, leave it to me that after all that I don't have an patience at all...

Styg,
Thanks for the idea!  I tried it out last night when I went to take my bath, and I'll admit, I didn't do it very well, but it worked!

And you're right.. my hair going to have to be longer to make it look pretty but oh!  I've learned a new style!  Yay!

On a side note, I've been thinking about picking up a book on hairstyles with pics and instructions for long hair.  I've noticed a terrible lack of how-to hairstyle instructions on the internet, so I suppose it's time to bite the bullet and see what I can find in publication.  

Anyone have any experience in this?  Or, can you recommend some things to look for?  

great, i am happy you like it. i think they call it the "bee butt bun" (hehe) in the longhairloom. i found the most hairstyles in there but most of them are just too hard for me ... maybe i should look for a book to style long smooth slippery hair.
that or i could mix silicone products with oil ... dry non-slippery here garanteed but also tons of knots  :-X

I got an AWESOME Christmas present!

Well, my ultimate Christmas present will be the pair (or two) of LL hairsticks my mother got me, but my parents won't be in town until Thursday (long story; they got snowed in) so I'll have to be patient.

HOWEVER... *smiles*  A long-haired friend of mine was kind enough to give me a special detangling comb.  It was, literally, called "The Detangler".  The teeth are set in a back and forth pattern, one of the left, one of the right, etc etc through the whole comb.  It is just THE BEST comb I have every owned!  I still have tiny knots in my hair now and again, but with the wide-set teeth, the comb can't rip into the tiny knots.  FAB!!!

If you find a good book, let us know.  I never had much luck when looking for styling books, but I haven't looked recently.  

So, I've started something of a CO wash...

I mix equal amounts of Dove intense moisture shampoo with Pantene Pro-V daily moisture renewal conditioner.  I really like the way it works!  My hair wasn't... frizzy like it usually is on my scalp when it dries.  

This is definetly something I can keep up with!

And, surprisingly enough, my hair is drinking up all this moisture without being greasy.. something I hadn't imagined it would do, but...

It's always nice to be proven wrong now and again... *giggles*

It's been three days since I've used the half shampoo half conditioner mix.  I'm REALLY happy with the results; my hair doesn't look greasy at all, when usually by the third day I can only wear my hair carefully pinned to look anti-greaseball.  *laughs*

It occured to me that perhaps I was using a too strong shampoo on my locks.. shame on me.  The Dove shampoo is wonderfully fabulous, though.  It's rather thick but creamy; it mixes easily with the Pantene conditioners.

I want to try some different oils (coconut and almond) other than my usual JoJoba.. even though I am completely happy with the JoJoba (I guess I just can't keep my sticky fingers out of trouble!) but I've decided not to buy anything without finishing what I have first.  That's so hard!  But I'm sure I'll make it.

Ohhh, and yes, I've made it to about an inch above my waist.. it hovers there like it's in suspended animation..

I know it's winter and my hair wants to go in hibernation, but I've been taking my vitamins...

Be good to me, hair!  I'm being good to you...

wrote on Jan 1^st, 2005 at 1:25am:

If you find a good book, let us know.  I never had much luck when looking for styling books, but I haven't looked recently.

No luck with the books yet, I don't really have time to get out to the bookstore, though I have a list of things I want from the place *laughs*

This is a good online site for hairstyles that I found the link to in a thread here:

http://www.longhairloom.com/stylingstationcentral.html

But I'll let you know if I find anything.. and vice versa, if you please!

Okay, I know this isn't on the subject of hair, but I recently wrote an article in my online portfolio: www.writing.com/authors/novusfemina
about the tragedy that has become modern etiquette.  Now, I'll admit to having rather romantic and possibly delicate sensibilities, but these things seemed to be natural to me.

For Gentlemen:

1. Always open the door for a lady.

2. If a lady has dropped something, retrieve it for her.

3. If there are no available chairs in the room, offer her yours. Wait a moment after she sits down, and then seat yourself.

4. Direct your complete attention to her when she is addressing you. Keep your gaze at eye level with hers.

5. When meeting on the street, allow her to offer a greeting first. (To allow her to address you first will help her feel more comfortable.) Be sure to offer warm pleasantries when she does.

6. Offer her your arm to escort her from one room to the next, from the car to a building, etc., or if the terrain (be it carpet, glass, marble or ice) becomes difficult to walk on. In tight quarters (such as a small resturaunt) it is acceptable to walk behind and slightly to one side, keeping your hand at the small of her waist in back to help guide her.

(These last two are personal preferences, but I thought I would add them as some ladies, I think, would enjoy this on occasion)

7. When you are dining out, ask the lady her preference and order for her. Never presume that she will enjoy the exact same dish as you and never order anything rare unless she specifically asks for it.

8. When she enters the room, stand for her. Likewise, if she goes to leave the table, stand and offer her assistance, and repeat when she returns.

For Ladies:

1. Allow a gentleman to open the door for you, or to retreive something you have dropped. Always thank him for the kindness.

2. If a gentleman offers you his arm, take it.

3. Offer a gentleman your complete attention when he is addressing you.

4. Be a gracious and courteous hostess. Offer a gentleman (or lady) some form of refreshments upon their arrival. Spirits may be offered after 5pm, but always offer non-alcoholic beverages as well.

5. Speak softly, smile often, and laugh when appropriate. (And gentlemen, "naughty" jokes are not appropriate dinner conversation! In fact, they are not appropriate at any time in the presence of a lady.)

6. Dress accordingly. This means that you keep your visage and form lovely; hair combed, teeth brushed, clothes pressed and clean. There are some subtleties to dressing that I may discuss in an article at a later date, but suffice it to say that clothing, makeup, jewelry and other adornments are to enhance your natural female beauty and should not take away from it.

I'm in complete agreement!

Many think me "old fashioned" or an "anti-feminist" for admiring and desiring the exact things you've mentioned.

Well - let's hear it for the old fashioned!!!!!

nightowl  

Thank you, Nightowl!  It's good to know I'm not the only one who would enjoy some civility and gentleness from this world.  

*smiles*

Yes, I'm done ranting.. for now.  

Had a lovely concotion that I put into my hair last night when I washed it; the results are just fabulous!  Must share:

I do my normal oil, shampoo/conditioner, condition routine and then as a refreshing rinse:

I took Bigelow Orange Spice tea (which has rose hips and hibiscus flowers and smells heavenly!) and steeped a big cup of it in freshly boiled water.  (Making tea!)  However, I let it cool, then put it in the refridgerator (like making iced tea).  I used it as a rinse.. ahh, it smells so fragrant and revitalizes the scalp and I hear rose hips and hibiscus flowers help red hair.

And my hair's so shiny!

ooooooh - sounds yummy!
I have the same tea - it does smell heavenly.

I'm off work and washing on thursday - I think I'll give it a try!

nightowl

It is yummy, Nightowl!  


I know, I drink just.. tons of tea *laughs!*  One of my New Year's resolutions was to get in 8 glasses of water a day... and I realized I could do that by drinking tea!  Mwahahahahaaaaaa!!!!

*ahem!*

I do love the Orange and Spice tea.. I don't have to add any sugar or lemon to it; it is just perfect as it is.  I also drink Hyssop tea (just one cup a day, to help keep my immune system up.. but YUCK!  I don't care for the stuff).  I also end my day with a nice hot bath and a steaming cup of tea... total relaxation mode!

Yes, yes, I know... I am a romantic at heart.  I love my tea, my period drama movies, long hours curled up with good writings.  Someday, when I make my millions (tehe) I'll have a house with a fireplace in every room (a must!) and a bathroom with a giant claw-footed tub...

*meep!*

Well ladies and gents, my hair looks wonderful today!  It feels a tad greasy; I think I may have added a bit too much conditioner to my conditioner/shampoo mix for washing my hair... But I guess having long hair is all about experimentation...  Still, my braided bun/coil just looks.. enormous on the back of my head; like some thick-haired goddess; when I went to register for spring semester today three people complimented me on my hair...

*smiles*

It might be because springs feels like it's in the air here; lovely and unseasonably warm weather we're having today at 70 degrees.  Everyone's happy with the change, relaxing in the warm sun...

It has been a good day all around!

Oy..
My computer's kaputt, thanks to a well-placed storm, and the surge protector that couldn't handle it.. *sighs*  Ah well, looks like I'll be making my additions to my hair journal from the library for a bit.  

Not much news on the homefront here, just waiting (impatiently, mind you) for the insurance people to come and investigate the harried redhead who is clamouring for a new computer *laughs*  I've let my hair get.. very dirty lately.  I'm hiding under hats and the like, because the winter is playing havoc on my tresses and I think my hair just needs the oils.  I've made it a total of 5 days... and well, this is the most I can stand!  

How long can you ladies make it?  

hurray!!

I'm back in business.. I think!  *fingers crossed*  May I just say this?  The people at Dell computers were RIDICULOUSLY helpful in my search for a new machine.  *smiles*  

Well, now, enough of that!  *laughs*  I'm just so glad to be able to come back in here and read threads to my hearts' content.. *le sigh*  This is just a great site to unwind on!

On the news front, I've done something new with my hair (huzzah!).  I had been debating the idea of putting some highlights into my hair.  Well, I do like my hair color, but I wanted something.. a little different.  Well, in one of the fashion magazines I was flipping through while in line at the drugstore, I came across a "new technique" that they call "minking."  It's when you put highlights on the underside of your hair, the hair that tends to be darker because it gets the least amount of direct sunlight.  Now, understand this:  I don't blowdry my hair, I don't perm or color my hair, I don't use hair toys that catch, I don't use styling products, nor do I use hot water to wash it.  So I think to myself, "everyone is allowed one... notsogood treatment for their hair."

I should have done this a lot sooner!  I got a bottle of.. I think it was Clariol "Streaking effects" or some such thing, let my hair get pretty dirty, and loaded it up with leave-in conditioner before I even got started, and added some highlights to the top and underneath portions of my hair.  WOW!   :o

Just what I was looking for!  Now, when I wear my hair down my very dark underneath portion blends in quite a bit better with the top portion of my hair.  Now all I need to do is get some pictures posted.....

Bought some new things for my hair collection...

A pack of velvet scrunchies.  I don't wear scrunchies normally, but I wanted to have something I could tie my hair up when I go to sleep that won't cause a crease in my hair.

A pack of sponge rollers.  Yep, the pink spongy kind.  Make me look like an old lady *laughs!*  At any rate, I've been wanting to see how I could add some curl to my hair now and again, and since hot rollers and curling irons are out.... Well, I'd see how sponge rollers would take.

Now, I've tried to sleep on sponge rollers before; not fun, I tell ya.  But if I want to curl my hair, I need to do it at night, or wander around in the daylight with pink sponge in my hair.. erm.. not an option!   :D  So, trying to figure out a balance of being able to sleep while curling my hair, I came across this..

Set your hair in a high ponytail.. smack dab on the top of your head.  (This is where the velvet scrunchie comes in.. no crease marks!  Hurray!)  Divide the ponytail into however many rolls you want to make (I made 8) and roll each section after misting with a bit of my water/EO/leave-in conditioner concoction.  Since the rollers sit on top of my head, I can sleep comfortably on my back without plastic roller clipies poking into my head.  I wrapped a silk scarf around my curlers (to cut down on friction) and in the morning...!!!

Nice fat sausage curls that can be left as is, Georgian-style, or fingered through for a mass of curly froth.  And it lasted all day without the help of hairspray!  A miracle happened on Fat Tuesday.. who would have thought it?

Now that it's Ash Wednesday.. well, I have yet to take my curls out this morning, but we shall see.  I expect to have the same results.

*runs about frantically*

I've haven't been in here in ages!  :o

I'm looking at Susan's new creations (so pretty!) reading all the threads I missed (so many!) and looking at all the new pics that have been posted (so pretty!)

Gah, I've got a lot of check up on!

Well, I used the honey-vinegar rinse on my hair Saturday and my hair turned out LOVELY! It's got mega-watt shine and banished the -cone dullness I was getting. Overall my hair is shiney and bouncy. I wore it down all day yesterday and I got the nicest compliment when I went out to brunch. And yes, world... this is *MY* hair. Not extensions... LOL!

I put my hair in a high ponytail with a velvet scrunchi, then spritzed the tail with water and rolled it with four big sponge rollers last night. This morning the ends are just beautiful loose spirals and add a lot to my hair.  

Considering experimenting with aloe vera gel to make hair gel. I have a lot of "baby hair" wisp around the front of my face.. it looks really pretty when I have all my hair pulled back but it gets a little annoying when I have my hair down with all these tiny flyaways. I know a couple of girls from the boards have had luck using aloe vera gel as hair gel and I think I'm going to try mixing some aloe with water and appyling it just to the areas around my temples. I wonder if it's okay to apply gel to dry hair? I've never used gel before... but I guess if it doesn't work out, I can always just rinse out my hair.

On another note, I'm trying a new wash system. I've been trying and trying and trying to go to a CO wash, but my hair just ends up flat no matter how "light" the conditioner I use for the scalp. But I really like the idea of a one step wash, so here's what I tried:

Wet hair. Apply Suave Milk and Honey condish to the length (up to the ears) and comb through. Add a tiny dallop of a -cone condish (right now I'm using Aussie Mega) to length. In a old ketschup bottle I mix a quarter sized squirt of Silk Elements moisturizing shampoo with about 2 oz. of water and shake. Then I apply the shampoo froth to my scalp and exfoliate my scalp with my fingertips. Then I leave the whole mess in (shampoo and conditioner) while I finish doing my other shower duties, then rinse my hair with cold water, followed by the vinegar honey rinse. Squeeze out excess water, wrap in towel. Then I comb it out and use a little bit of leave-in condish or a drop of two of JoJoba oil for the length, depending on my mood.

This is working out great for me.. I get the greasies taken care of without drying out my scalp, I get to shampoo and condition in one step, and my hair still has a lot of body without having to use a blowdryer. Usually when I use shampoo on my scalp, I get really bad frizzies on the top of my hair, but the diluted shampoo really seems to keep that at bay, plus the honey vinegar rinse seems to help give my hair some body.

AND... four days after a wash like this, my hair doesn't feel uber-icky. Yay!  



Honey Vinegar Rinse:
3 to 4 generous TBS honey

1 to 2 TBS vinegar (Apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar for dark hair, white vinegar for bondies)

4 cups of water


In a large container (I use a small plastic bucket for this) mix the honey and 1 cup of WARM water (from the facet) until the honey dissolves. Add the vinegar and 3 cups cold water, mix well.

After shampooing and conditioning hair (completely rinse out conditioner) pour the honey-vinegar rinse over hair. DO NOT RINSE OUT. Squeeze excess from hair, towel dry, and style as usual. Hair will be so soft it'll be hard to keep your hands off of it!

Tip: If you have longer hair, you may consider "dunking" the ends into the rinse first, then pouring it over the scalp, to make sure ALL of your hair gets treated.

:) I am going to try your honey-vinegar-rinse.

Sounds yummy for the hair  :)

Washed my hair last night with the one-step routine followed with the honey vinegar rinse again. This is quickly becoming a new wash routine for me, I think. It's working out really well, and my hair doesn't seem so limp as it did when I was trying to do an all CO wash. Plus too, I'm not getting that scalp buildup stuff... I guess my hair just likes the shampoo... that's fine, as long as I can keep the shampooing to a minimum.

Someone on the longlocks board... and now I can't remember who... (I'm sorry!) mentioned buying natural shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley:

http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm

They said they really enjoyed it. I might buy the carrot, milk and honey bar, but then.. I'm not sure yet.. all of her shampoo and regular soap bars all look so wonderful... I might just have to buy some samples to see what I like. And the price is right.. most of her generous soap bars are around 5 dollars, and she can ship up to 5 in a mail envelope for something like... $3.89? Not bad, I think...

Though they do say your hair will be sticky a few times until the leftover glycerin residue from your old shampoos finally wash out. Hair trial, I guess... but the bars are supposed to be very mild that you don't even need a conditioner afterwards! Hmm, this sounds a little too good to be true... but I want to find out anyway.
:D

And Moonchild, the rinse is AWESOME!  I'll swear by it now..  ;)

My hair was a bit flat today.. I think it was because it was still wet the morning after I washed it and I went ahead and wore it down... my hair tends to go flat if it doesn't completely dry while it's up.  *pokes hair*  Body please!  Va-va-voom-ness!  Ahem?!  *taps foot* Oooo, fuss, I can't be mad at my hair..  :D

So I'm loving top of the head pony tails with four rag curls or sponge rollers for the ends.  But note to self... high ponytail does not equal body if the hair has already dried flat...  ::) Go figure...

Well, I guess I'll experiment tonight and see if wetting my hair, letting it air dry till damp, THEN high ponytail and rollers works...

Sweetie most definitely thinks I'm crazy.... but when I wear my hair down he always says how pretty it is... ahh, justification!  ;)

It's been a tough, tough day.  

My city has been riddled with tons of evacuees from the hurricane.. the highways are clogged with people trying to get to already full shelters and huge clean-up crew vans and disaster teams whizz past.  There's not enough of anything around here... food, water, money, clothes, school supplies (600 new K-12 New Orleans children just enrolled in the public schools here yesterday)

I feel really frustrated and really helpless.  The more reports that come in from New Orleans, the more I realize that these poor people are likely going to be homeless and misplaced for months... even years.  People are being forced to go as far as Little Rock and Dallas to find refuge and I just...

It's like BikerBraid said.  It feels like I just can't do enough for these people.   :'(

Sorry, dears.. I can't talk about hair today.  My heart's just a little too heavy.

You poor dear.  You are seeing much more than most of us who are only seeing the TV/newpaper/radio coverage.  You are getting the real life version.  It can be overwhelming and it is totally understandable that thinking about your hair seems ....... petty?  There are bigger issues to absorb and process.

Hang in there.  We are all praying and hoping that things will work out for everyone.

Indeed.  Blessings on those who have been affected by this terrible disaster, and also on those who are witnessing it first hand.  <<<<HUG>>>>

My head is filled with this tonight.  It is hard to concentrate on other things ...

My very best to you and of course, all ...g

*hugs*  Over here on the west coast, we are all thinking of you and wishing for a speedy recovery.  My city has been fundraising around the clock, and Red Cross volunteers have been trained and are on their way with supplies.  Search and rescue dogs from our area are also on their way - same dogs that went to the NY and La Conchita disasters.  

I know it all seems so slow, and it is painful to watch the news.  I can only imagine how hard it must be for you on the forefront.  Hang in there - even just by spreading awareness you are helping.

Cynde

So long since I've been in here!  :o  Well, I'm just glad I found it again!

Washed my hair yesterday. I'm back to using Suave Milk&Honey conditioner because it has no -cones. However, the M&H has alcohol in it, so I have to replace the oils lost in my hair with a drop of JoJoba oil as it's drying.

Had to use the Suave shampoo too, which I don't like. Too many laureth sulfates and the like. Not good for your hair! But that's all there was... and on that note, going to go to the health food store to find an herbal shampoo... I've heard of several brands that are good... hoping that maybe there will be some travel sized versions so I can try it out.

Scalp scritched while I was in the shower... allowed me to use less shampoo but still getting the gunk off my scalp. Might be able to go completely CO (conditioner only washes) with non-cone conditioners, but am dreading the "have to wash your hair everyday" business when first starting the CO. Just waaaaayyy too much time and work. As it is, one wash every four days is so very, very nice.

SO, applied minimal amount of Suave shampoo to scalp, rubbed it in well. Scalp scritched with well-rounded fingernails. Ahhhh... Let it sit while applying conditioner from ears down, and while doing other showerly duties. Rinsed very well with cold water. Then dunked hair in honey vinegar rinse: 3 Tbs honey melted in a little warm water, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar(it was all I had!), and enough cool water to fill my bucket. Made sure I got scalp. Then gently squeezed excess moisture from hair, towel dried. Detangled with scunchi wide toothed comb (oh, how I love thee...) One drop of JoJoba oil at ends, then combed through.

Note to self: attempted the "force hair to dry straight" method. Claims that if you comb hair straight every five minutes while drying, you will have straight hair when completely dry.

Pffft.  :P

3 hours into it and my arms were stiff and I was shivering from having so much wet hair around my shoulders and back. Better to just allow enough air- drying time to manage to wrestle it into a braid and let it finish air-drying (takes from washing hair around 5pm to about 7 am the next morning for hair to be completely dry). No more buns when wet, though. Buns do not dry.  And the hair tangles badly, which is even worse....

Considering trying the "super henna conditioner" recipe... have not deep conditioned in awhile, and I think my hair needs it. That said, I have a brick of henna sitting in my freezer that I want to use. Leftover from last henna treatment. Anyways, the recipe is just mixing conditioner with henna and appyling. Have "Silk Elements: Luxury Moisturizing Conditioner" that would work for the deep condish part. Bought the bottle a while back but had to stop using it because the conditioner was so heavy. And it has -cones, primarily Dimethicone. Also, mineral oil. Don't want a greasy, over conditioned mess, but a good vinegar rinse will stop that, along with a little shampoo. Okay, so in three days I will have to try the treatment. I will follow up with results.

Well, no super henna conditioner for me... being the silly goose that I am, I didn't wrap the henna brick right and it was kinda yucky when I pulled it out of the freezer.  :P

That's okay... I really need to just go to the beauty supply store and get more henna powder anyway.  

I'm on day three since I washed, and my hair's holding up well... though I have hair plans for tonight.. mwahahaha!  Going out for my *belated* birthday dinner with the in-laws.  I got to pick the resturant (yay!) a new Italian place that's so scrumptious it should be a sin.  Last time I went I had this rainbow trout in lemon butter sauce with artichoke hearts.. Oooooo...

At any rate, I want to do something a little special with my hair (because it's been so long since I've done something with it that was neither a bun nor a braid...)  I'm thinking about some hot rollers, or maybe just a different hairstyle... I've got time on my hands, so I figure now's the time to experiment!  :D

Happy belated Birthday!

Have fun at your dinner, hope you'll post some pics of your hair (hint hint)!

Happy belated birthday!
http://users.pandora.be/eforum/emoticons4u/crazy/139.gif

Hope your dinner is scrumptous.   ;D

Darnit, now I crave Italian!  ::)  hehehe

Happy belated birthday, novusfemina.

Thank you, all!  ;D

Sakina, I got sweetie to snap a few pics last night with his camera phone... I'll see if I can talk him into dowloading them to the computer tonight!

Bikerbraid, dinner was DE-Lish! Yum yum...  thanks!

Angel Spun, this is like, the BEST italian place ever!  You know.. you could always go out for italian just to re-celebrate your own birthday...  ;)


Okay, so recap of last night: Met said in-laws for dinner, had the same super-yummy trout with the lemon-butter and artichoke hearts... I really need to learn how to make this at home!  And I've been craving fish everyday... maybe because it's just too hot here to cook anything else...  :P

At any rate, I decided to do my hair simply.  I used my Con-Air jumbo hot roller set to set my hair (which, by the way... twelve of those suckers isn't enough anymore... had to do my hair in "batches" *giggles*  No complaints, though!).  No hairspray, but I did put a drop of Aussie's leave-in conditioner in a teacup filled with water, and I used that to wet my fingers and run it along the length of my hair so that there would be a little steam to help "set" the curl.  

Very loose spiral curls to the bottom half of my hair.

I pulled the front part up (parting from ear to ear) and secured the hair away from my face at the crown with a barret.  Barrett?  hrm...  That said, I need to find more like this one I have.. it isn't (thankfully) a french styled clasp.  It has a bar of metal that runs along the back, but there's a.. like a little lip of metal at the open tip that catches the closure.  And not your hair.. ahhh...

But I haven't been able to find any more barrets like that.  :-[  Any ideas?

When I got home last night, I decided it was high time that I did a deep conditioning treatment, so I combed my hair out well and applied massive amounts of JoJoba oil to the length from the tops of my ears down.  My scalp doesn't need it as much, since it was already begining to greasy as my third-day hair does, but the ends needed some spoiling.  It was hard using only JoJoba oil, as I have misplaced my BB brush....

At any rate, I also used some of my Zum Rub.. I love this stuff!  I found it at my local New Age store, but they have a website and a catalog, which I receive... here's the link: http://www.indigowild.com

I currently have the rosemary mint Zum Rub.  It's great, looks a little grainy at first, but it melts like butter in your hands, and it made my hair SOOoooooo soft!

The ingredients for the Zum Rub: sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, beeswax (natural, not refined or bleached), carnauba wax, shea butter, goats milk, essential oils and vitamin E.

This is good stuff.  ;D

Good stuff!  :)

I left the JoJoba and Zum on my hair all of yesterday... I got caught up in my writing and then had to make a mad dash out the door, so I didn't have time to wash.

Instead I did um.. well, I call it "heidi hair"  where you make two long braids and wrap them around your crown and pin it up.  :D  

It worked and I looked passable...

Around five I combed out my hair and washed (shampoo only)  thankfully with a trial size packet of some Dove shampoo, and not the Suave stuff that seems to be too drying on my hair.  :P  And a quick check to the ingredients list showed no -cone activity in the Dove.  My hair just doesn't do well with silicones, and the "all natural" thing just... works.  

So I bid farewell to you, oh -cone... may there be a head that needs you....

;)


At any rate, let my hair air dry for a bit and worked it into a french braid.  Did I mention braids are quickly becoming my go to style?

This morning brought uber-soft and shiny hair. This is certainly a deep-conditioning treatment I can get used to!

Well, my hair's still a little coated from the deep conditioning, but that's okay. I went swimming on Saturday, and got chlorine in my hair..  :P

When I got home I just rinsed my hair with cold water, then followed with a vinegar rinse. Haven't done much with my hair otherwise, just left it in a braid for the rest of the weekend.

This morning, though, when I went to comb it through.. eeeks. Tangles, ahoy!  :o

Hair needs another shampoo wash, but I'm holding off until I can get over to the health food store for a non-sulfate shampoo... sulfates are just too harsh. And I found out that it's in near EVERYTHING that you wash your hair and skin in.. yuck. No wonder I had been struggling with dry skin and scalp...  ::) Organics, here I come...  ;D

I have had really good experience with Avalon Organics shower gel, shampoo & conditioner (the Lavender is my fav), facial cleanser, toner and sunscreen.  I like their hand soap and lotion, too.  The lotion isn't moisturizing enough for my body, my hands like it and I have a bottle each of the soap & lotion side by side at every sink in my house.

Ouidad has a special shampoo for chlorine.  I haven't tried mine out yet-I won't be getting back to water aerobics for about a month, but you can check it out at the website.

I've been having good results with Spectrum brand coconut oil, it is good for summer time on hair and skin.  I put it on sparingly under my body lotion.  You should be able to find it in a health food store, it comes in a white plastic jar.

I looked at the Avalon organics (lavendar, actually..  :)) while I was at the health food store, but I ended up getting the Jason Natural Biotin shampoo because 1. Avalon had sulfates listed higher up on the ingredient list, and 2. The Jason shampoo had more at 16fl oz and cost less than the Avalon...

Though I am very intrigued with Avalon, and I really dug the lemon scent as well, so maybe next time...   Thanks for the tip, Sakina!  ;D  And by the way, please let me know when you try the Ouidad chlorine shampoo... I love to go swimming, but getting a swim cap on my head is like trying to stuff a cats head in a gym sock...  :P

As for my skin supplies, I bought an almond Zum bar back when I bought the Zum Rub and the difference is AMAZING.  The goats milk soap makes this soft, wonderous-smelling lather, and more often than not, is gentle enough that I don't need the Zum Rub afterwards.

Okay.. just tried my new Jason's natural Biotin shampoo...

Happy hair and scalp!  ;D

The shampoo has a touch of menthol in it, so it made my scalp feel minty, and it has a great smell.  I did was wash then condition routine rather than both at the same time because I wanted the shampoo to get at the leftover deep conditioner that was still in my hair...

So, wash with the Jason's and some much needed scalp scritching... ahhh...  then Suave Milk and Honey conditioner from the ears down.   Noticed that my hair was a little tangly at the nape of my neck when I fingered combed, but I chalked that up to having moved my hair around a lot in the shower...  :P

Rinsed out the conditioner, and finished with a vinegar rinse..

All in all, very nice.. can't wait to see what my hair looks like dry!

Very nice.. I'm really liking the Jason's shampoo... my hair dried super soft, shiny, and lovely.  Smells great too... wow... I didn't know hair could feel this good after a shampoo!  ;D

This morning I got a hair compliment... a person who normally sees my hair all piled up in a bun everyday saw my hair "down" (read: half up with a barrette) this morning and said, "Oh, your hair's so pretty down."   :D

As for life stuff.. well, life is good... okay.  I have a cold.  :P  It's all in my sinuses, bad headaches and the like.. eww.  And to add insult to injury (if you can say that) I got my.. monthly feminine thing today, so I run back and forth between my head hurting and my abdomen hurting... yuck yuck...  :-/  A little tylenol fixed both, but I'm hoping that my illness will get better before I leave to go to a convention in mid-July...  conventions aren't fun if you're too bleh to get out of bed...

So... thoughts, prayers, healing light in my direction would be greatly appreciated.  :)  In the meantime, I'm chugging all the juice I can find...

I just thought of this.. no one on the boards knows me by anything other than novusfemina... it's about time I remedied that, eh?  *waves*  Hi, everyone!  My name's Elizabeth.  :)

Sorry to hear you are a "bit under the weather", Elizabeth.  Hope you are feeling better soon.

Isn't it great when someone even *notices* your hair??!!  I like to wear it up for 2 weeks, then let it down for a day, just to get the reactions.  ;D

Sorry to hear you're feeling unwell.  I'm sending healing thoughs and energy.  How about a bit it Reiki?

How nice you got a compliment!  No one at work ever says anything about my hair.  Sometimes I style it kind of wild and still no comment.  I was once asked, however, if my waves were a perm.  I don't think that counts.

Feel better!!!!!

Thank you, BB.  (((non-contagious hugs)))

And Sakina, MOST DEFINITELY!  :)  I tried to meditate a little this morning and my chakras are all out of whack...  :P

Ahh well... maybe just some of the "relaxation yoga" Wai Lana tape I have will help.  I have a couple of yoga tapes, and once a month I like to go to the New Age center here in town to a Hatha (I think that's spelled correctly...) yoga session.

And rest.. lots of rest.  (Says the uber-insomniac...)  :P

how about a Kripalu class and  a Hatha class.  You'd really be good to go!!  Chakras would be all doing pretty well afterwards! :)

Ooo, good idea, Curlgurl!  I'm going to have to see if that's offered...

On a happy note, I am FINALLY getting better!  Yay!   ;D  

Note to self: Anti-histamines and serious chest colds equals VERY strange dreams.

To recount:

Laying in bed, in a semi-delirious state brought on by being propped upright by pillows to avoid coughing and a combo dose of anti-histamines and sleep aids, I had some of the most strange and vivid dreams of my life.

Vampires, that, on the whole, were very nice. Apologetic about biting necks. Asking for permission to bite said necks. No random killing sprees... and... offering their victims bottomless expense accounts to buy presents for friends.

Aliens running gift shops... cordial, but difficult to understand. And the only gifts I can remember were these giant, colorful umbrellas, so big you could barely open them indoors, with Van Gogh's paintings.. sunflowers, irises... starry night.

Until I.. fell down into those paintings, flying, taking on those vivid colors, and the air inside them was sweet, sugary sweet, like lemon flavored simple syrup. But then I woke up coughing and the dream spell was broken.

I liked his paintings.


Hehehe, at any rate, hair news...

Washed this morning with Jason Biotin shampoo.  This will be my third wash with this shampoo, and I really like it.  Ladies and gents, I think we have a winner!  :D

Seriously, this shampoo doesn't give me top-of-the-head fuzzies, which is great.  But I think I need to figure something out for the hairs under the nape of my neck.. they seem a little more coarse than the rest of my hair, but whether that's because they need more moisturizing, or it's just their nature to be that way, I'm not sure..  :-/  Will have to experiment a bit.

Finished off with Suave Milk&Honey and a vinegar rinse.  No JoJoba oil, but I'll probably do a deep conditioning JoJoba soak before my next shampoo...

And oh!  I finally found some of those barrettes I was talking about at the grocery store.  4 for a dollar, couldn't be beat!  They are Vidal Sassoon, and as to what kind of clasp this one is called, still no clue.  The package says "classic" so I'm guessing a classic clasp?  It DOES NOT catch on the hair like a french clasp... ahhh.. happy hair.  ;D

Hey novusfemina...

I'm confused about this "French" barrette/clasp thing. Can you explain what this is?

I can try, Angel!   :)

A "french clasp" barrette is an "automatic" clasp, when you close it, you just press the bar down until it snaps shut.  Then, when you go to release the barrette, there are two little prongs on each side of the clasp that you squeeze to open.

The problem with the french-styled clasps is that there are various pointy metal edges that can catch the hair in the clasp... resulting in a ton of snags and breaks...  
:P

Sounds like I'd be so mad at having my hair caught that the french barrette would be thrown out the window!!!  Glad you found something that doesn't catch any hair.  I'll have to snoop around at the drug store myself to see if there are any.  I hate,I mean absolutely hate when my hair is pulled,yanked or has damaged by anything >:(
Last year I bought this pretty long hair clip at a craft show,it is heavy with all the crystals and roses on it,problem being that I started to feel my hair tighten in it so before it broke my hair,I took it out carefully and  it now sits on my bureau looking pretty!  $20 bucks for that,oh well live and learn!

Novusfemina,

  Tell me how long is your hair now?  I saw where you were at waistlength back in 2004.  Is your down your thighs headed to your knees now and red?  I'll bet it's very beautiful.  Congratulations.

Jim

Oh, Curlgurl, do I understand your pain!  I see all these loverly barrettes that I am just itching to get my hands on, but then.. french clasp, yank away at my hair, and I decide not to order/buy them...

*sighs*

You know, I might be able to make a business out of dressing up the plain "classic" barrettes with things.. all I need is a hot glue gun and some imagination.. hrm...  :D

Jim, my hair is a little past tailbone length, about half way down my tush...  I had a serious hair-call last year (I wound rag curls wrong and had a head full of super-tangles) and had to cut my hair back to waist length to get rid of all the damage...  :'(  

It's okay, though, I'd rather it be healthy and happy then full of straggly ends and splits that cause tangles.. ouch!

But it's all good... I take my children's vitamins and pray for classic length hair...

As for hair news...

I did a henna treatment today..

All sorts of lengthy "how I did it" details could follow, but suffice it to say I washed with Jason's biotin shampoo, mixed my henna up with brewed tea and a little vinegar and left it on for an hour.

Pretty, hair is shiny, but feels a little dry, even after having used Suave Milk&Honey after rinsing the henna out...

I might add a drop of JoJoba oil later when I comb it.

I've got the serious "full" hair feeling from the henna, which is awesome.  Also, and this may be something ya'll have experienced, but my hair dries SUPER fast after using the henna.. the past times I've used henna, I used a blowfryer, but now that I've been without the heating methods, I was amazed that my hair only took about an hour to dry... wow!  :o

Thanx for clearing that up, novusfemina.

That's exactly what I thought French-style barrette clips were. My mother gave me 2 for my birthday or Christmas or something, and they're really pretty, but now I'm afraid to wear them!  :(

Awww, I'm sorry Angel!

Yeah, I have semi-coarse hair, and even then my hair snags on the clips, so I'd hate to think what it might do to your super-fine spiderweb hair...  :o

I've read on some of the boards, though, that you can paint all the sharp metal parts with clear nail polish so it smooths them out a bit.  I haven't tried that yet, so I can't recommend it, but it's an idea!

Not sure if that would work...at the very least it would require a ton of nail polish!  :-/

I suppose in the future, I could try to point out what kinds of barrettes I do like. I'll just tell her that sharp metal edges break my hair off. She'll buy that. hehe But if I start talking about French-style this and hair-safe that....oh, I shudder to think of her reaction.  :P

Thanx for the pointers, novusfemina.  :)

No problem, Angel!  Hey.. if I get the classic style decorated barrette idea off of the ground, I'll make you one first..  ;)

As for the reaction you were talking about... sounds about the same as the "look" I get when I get to chatting with sweetie about hair stuff.  Bless him, he tries, but when I go off about organic shampoo, vinegar rinses and micro trims, all I can see is this expression:  ???

*giggles* As long as he loves my hair, I can't complain...

Hot Glue Gun!!!!!  Oh Novusfemina those glue guns can be hidious if you get burned.  Be Careful!!  I've heard it's like getting burned with hot oil.  Ouch :o

lol Curlgirl64....it's nothing like getting burned with hot oil. Trust me.

My fingertips are so accustomed to hot glue burns that it almost doesn't hurt at all anymore. Just one sacrifice we artists must make. It's not the glue itself that's the most damaging - it's the metal tip of the gun.

I used to have scars all up & down the insides of my arms from glue gun burns that I sustained while working on a particular project. But they're gone now. The damage really isn't that severe. It only takes off a few layers of skin...  ::)

Novusfemina: You're lucky if you only get the  ???  look from your beloved.
   My mother's reaction would be quite different. I don't even want to imagine what she'd say. When I told her that I wash my hair with cold water, she let me know on no uncertain terms that that was the craziest thing she'd ever heard. And when I casually mentioned doing a vinegar rinse to clarify, she went off.
   Lord knows that if I tried explaining anything hair-related in too much detail, she'd try to have me institutionalized...again.  :P  

Decorating classic style barrettes is definitely the way to go. I've been experimenting with different barrette styles to make some awesome gothic hairtoys.  ;D

A few layers of skin, Angel!!??? :o Yes, I think you are right about that nasty metal tip , >:( grrrrrr,  any burn is an annoyance because you know that you'll always be hitting it on something or getting it touched and then you go through the roof with pain!!!!  

*nods* Just a few layers.  ;D  It looks like jagged holes in your skin when you're burned. It hurts when you very first get them, but the burns are so small that there's really no pain (or at least not much) afterwards. They heal up pretty fast.

**nods,too**  got it

wrote on Jul 11^th, 2006 at 11:33pm:

My fingertips are so accustomed to hot glue burns that it almost doesn't hurt at all anymore. Just one sacrifice we artists must make. It's not the glue itself that's the most damaging - it's the metal tip of the gun.

Yup, I hear that, I've got a classic case of "florist fingers", between the glue guns, glue pan, wire cutters, clippers, taping, wiring, you name it....these fingers have got very little feeling left in them.  And blood circulation, forget it!  That's a thing of the past!  Most nights I have to ice my hands and wrists to keep from losing blood circ., I often wake up in the middle of the night with "dead hand" and have to hang it off the side of the bed to "revive" it again! :P  Stinks, but part of my life.

French clasp barrettes?  My very fav barrette is a french clasp, in fact I have it in now.  I don't experience any trouble with it, I'm just careful not to close any of my hair in it, but it never rips, breaks or tears my hair out.  Not that I am aware of anyway. ???

Curgirl, I hear ya... me+a hot glue gun= a trip to the ER waiting to happen... hehehehe.....  I've gotten myself with the glue before, and yeah, it stings, but I'm becoming less accident-prone than I was when I was younger...  :P

Angel and Maggie... all I have to say to you two is one word: OUCH!  :o

Maggie... maybe the french clasp works for you?  Mine just always manages to snaggle some hair or get caught in the metal springs.... after a year or so of  :'( every time I tried to take the barrette out, I decided to give up on them.

In hair news: Finally, today, Friday, I have washed my hair after the henna treatment on Monday... I oiled the ends with a little JoJoba (about two drops) on Wednesday because the henna left my hair feeling a little stiff. At any rate, followed my usual routinue of WC (wash,condition) with Jason's Biotin and Suave Milk&Honey, finished off with a vinegar rinse.

I'm considering trying to make a conditioner of milk and honey... at least in a rinse form, because these two "kitchen" ingredients have always been super on my hair. I will have to experiment...

Also along the experiments, looking into getting a bottle of "aloe juice" not aloe vera gel, which is mixed with plain jello to make a gel, but the juice... heard it was very conditioning as a rinse, and now that I'm -cone free as far as conditioners go, I want to spice up the moisturizing with all-natural ingredients when possible.

Last night we went with some friends to an Indian resturant (which, by the way, and totally off topic, but.. loving Indian food more and more every time I go...) and I wore my hair in a very pretty chinese bun:

Instructions on the Styling Station Central page:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/242462/message/1066672994/Chinese+Bun

Only, instead of simply hooking my hair underneath the stick and then around the bun, tucking in the ends, I split the ponytail, hooked the hair under the stick once, then hooked each side *over* the stick as well before taking the ends around the bun and tucking them in. The whole style took a scrunchie, a hair stick, and four bobby pins (so the ends would stay in place) and it held all night and was very pretty. Yay, I have a new style!  *dances*

Oop, forgot to add: Using Lush's Bohemian soap (which is just so awesome and smells like lemons!) on my skin, and it's making my skin velvety in conjunction with my Zum Rub... my friend Mary gave me the trial-sized Bohemian soap out of the package of Lush she ordered, so I returned the favor and cut her off nice-sized chunck sliver of the Zum soaps I bought... almond and grapefruit... yum.  ;D

Oh, that bun is soooo pretty, I have got to try it!  My hair's only BSL, so it won't have the same effect, but I think I can still pull it off.  I'll try anyway!

BTW Novus, I would love to see a pic of your hair in that bun, I bet it looked amazing!  Thanks for posting that link.  ;D

Tried Snowy's Deep Moisturizing treatment today...  :D but before I begin, let me tell you what happened BEFORE SMT:

I run by the grocery store because I'm out of vitamins and I wanted to get some things for a homemade hair conditioning treatment so I needed aloe gel, honey, and conditioner. I found the aloe, vitamins, and conditioner over in the pharmacy section, but since I'd gone to a different grocery store than my normal one, I was having a hard time finding where they've hid the honey.

I walk down about a dozen aisles, sure I've missed it, and retracing my steps. Honey is the one thing on my mind. Honey is all I need. Honey and I can get out of here.

"Can I help you find something?"

The mid-thirties produce specialist looks at me, smiling, as he pushes a cart of bananas and heads of cabbage. Aha! Assistance!  :D

But compulsive southern lady training kicks into full gear at this EXACT moment...

"Ohh thank you, honey! I mean..  :-[ (I'm totally blushing now) I'm looking for the honey..."

"Honey," he winks. "But you didn't have to butter me up. Aisle 6."


;D

I so unintentionally get myself into things that I can never live up to..

At any rate, used Fruit of the Earth aloe vera gel.. (the clear kind with the blue cap) bear-jar honey and Suave Citrus Smoothie conditioner... (as I was once again seduced by the power of the orange smeeeeeeelll  ;) )

I melted just the honey and the aloe in the microwave, because I read on Snowy's message about the treatment (on another long hair board) that the Suave Milk and Honey had the tendency to curdle with this mix, and seeing as how the Citrus Smoothie had milk products in it as well, I didn't want it to curdle either.  :P  So once the honey and aloe were melted, I took the bowl out of the micro and waited until after I had washed my hair to mix the conditioner in.

Oh, and if anyone's curious as to my ratio: I used a cup of the conditioner, 1/4 cup of the honey, and a 1/4 cup of the aloe.  And yes, I did measure it.  I am a hair addict, I know...  ::)

Washed my hair with Jason's Biotin, then lightly towel-dried.   Mixed the conditioner into the Snowy's treatment, then applied to hair and scalp, finger-combing it through.  Piled my hair into a big bun on the top of my head, then put two grocery bags on my head, held with a clippie, and a towel over top of that.  Left it in for an hour, rinsed out.  

My hair felt very slippery and combing afterwards was a breeze.  As it was drying, however, it felt a little sticky, I think due to the honey, but it dried without a trace of stickiness.  My hair is very soft, nicely shiney, and smells like ORANGE OVERLOAD!  *giggles*  Will have to do this again, and I think I'm going to try and work more aloe into my hair care routine.

In other hair news, I finally broke down and bought a "hair" vitamin.  I've been taking a regular multi-vitamin, and when I went to the store found, "High-Potency Hair" supplement, and decided to give it a go.  Or grow, as the case may be, we shall have to wait and see.    

Good luck with the hair vitamin!  Keep us posted ;D

I will do that, Curlgirl!  I hoping this will help me healthily reach the last 4 inches to classic length... *fingers crossed*

Nothing much to report in hair today, only that I am like a puppy chasing it's tail.  orange!  Hair still smells like orange...  ;D  *chase chase chase*

LOL novus!  I can totally picture you chasing your "tail" around trying to sniff up every last ounce of the orange scent!

I only wish that Suave could live up to it's smell for me, it's just a completely bad experience on my hair...but it really does smell so good.  I used to used White Rain, I can't remember if I liked it or not, they've got some pretty wicked scents, too.  I should try it just for the sake of experimentation, I was always a sucka for the coconut scent!

I still haven't tried snowy's treatment yet, but fully intend to!

LOL Novusfemina. hahahaha

Congrats on your first Snowy's Deep Moisture Treatment.  ;D  Good stuff, isn't it? We can all thank Galadriel and Snowymoon.

I'm with Maggie in that Suave has never worked for me. Guess she & I are just Pantene addicts for life.  ;D  But ya know, Suave does work for some people...so more power to 'em!

What kinds of vitamins are in your "High Potency Hair" supplement?

LOL I love the pre-treatment story..honey!

I must check out Snowy's treatment - I've heard only good things about it.

Hey novus!

I gave the chinese bun a whirl and I love it!  ;D  I've been wearing one for the past two days now, I even put one in hubbie's hair last night and he loved it too!  I did it to be funny, but when he looked at it in the mirror he thought it was so cool and he kept it in all night until I asked for my stick back.  Hey, it's my favorite stick, what can I say?  Maybe a pair of chapstix are in order for him??

Just wanted to thank you for posting that!  ;D

maggie

Angel: Vitamins include vit. A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, vit. B-12, Biotin, Panthothenic Acid, Iodine, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Inositol, Choline, and Para-Aminobenzoic acid, Dicalcium Phossphate, Cellulose (plant origin), Croscarmellose, Vegetable Stearic Acid, Silica, Cellulose Coating, and vegetable Magnesium Stearate....

(whew!)

Khrome: you simply must try it... this stuff is manna from heaven for hair...   :D

Maggie: I'm so glad the new hairstyle works!   ;D  Just steal your stick back from hubby when he's not looking... *giggles*


So hair business!  Went to a convention this past weekend and had friends that were anxious to see my hair down, so I did... though I did save my hair by wearing a few of Susan's sticks... I was such a ninny about it, I had them all wrapped up in massive amounts of tissue and stored them in their mailing tubes in my purse for the plane ride... the airport security thought I was a little silly, but it was all worth it..  ;D

Broke down and bought myself a new BB brush today at Sally's.  I lost my brush about three months ago, and I just got to the point I couldn't stand being without anymore!  It's a wooden-handled Phillips Brush #440, very soft.. much softer than my last one.  I brushed my hair a few minutes ago, and I am proud to say, I am very happy with it.  ;D

I also went to the grocery store, because for some reason, the last time I used SMT, the Suave curdled on me.   >:(  I even tried mixing it where the heat only got to the aloe and honey, but still.. curdling that led to flakes that dried in my hair.  Harumph.  At any rate, heard that with VO5 this wasn't a problem, so I bought three bottles of the stuff.. in scents that I liked best: free me freesia, champagne kiss, and sun kissed raspberry....

Mmmm, I need to wash my hair tomorrow, so I will definitely be trying one of these lovely new condishes.  The hard part is deciding which one!   ::)

Washed my hair yesterday with Jason's biotin, then mixed up SMT with VO5's Champagne Kiss... almost couldn't make up my mind, but my friend came over, sniffed all three bottles, and proclaimed CK the best of the bunch.  :D

Second day hair looks like first day hair on me when I do the SMT... soft, shiny, all around awesome.  Although, the VO5 scents don't stick as much as the Suave stuff does...  :(

I bought yet one more bottle of VO5 yesterday as well...  ::)  It's the Tea Therapy stuff, smells like chamomile, sunflowers, and sunshine... just couldn't help myself because the smell was so great.

Smeeeeeeellllll...  ;D

Mmmmm, I love the scent of tea!  ;D

How long can you stretch your washes out?  I envy anyone that can go even two days!

Quote:

I bought yet one more bottle of VO5 yesterday as well...    It's the Tea Therapy stuff, smells like chamomile, sunflowers, and sunshine... just couldn't help myself because the smell was so great.

ooo!  I bought that condish, too!  I'm going to use it for the SDMT.  Smells very YUM!   :D  

Maggie, I'm trying to wash only twice a week.. Monday and Friday.  So far, so good!  :D  I did do a little cornstarch shampoo (about 1/8th of a cup of cornstarch, applied to the roots with a fluffy makeup brush, left in for five minutes, then brushed out with the BB brush.. actually worked!  :o) on Thursday of last week because it was starting to look a little.. well, it just needed help, and bad!  :P

Trisha, the last time I washed, I used the Chamomile Tea Therapy VO5 for my SMT.... ooooo, the smeeeeellll!!!  ;D

Not much else to report.. just SMTing my way through.. Monday and Friday are washdays....

Ahh, bought a bottle of Burt's Bee's Sugarbeet shampoo and conditioner... may try that tonight... I will report if I do!

Whooooaaaa, there.  Been far too long since I posted in here.  Well, between getting geared up for another semester at school, my mom coming to visit, and all the whirlywind things that go along with those two, I just haven't had time to do anything really special with my hair.  Just W&C with Burt's Bees Grapefruit and Sugarbeet S&C.

Awesome stuff.  I highly recommend it.

At any rate, I don't plan on doing much hair stuff in the meantime, either.  I'm having my wisdom teeth taken out tomorrow morning, so I think I'll end up sleeping most of the weekend.   But hey, the end result will be no more extra pain in my jaw (because my teeth are actually growing into the muscle where my jaw hinges) and a great reduction in my TMJ problems.  Here's fingers crossed!

I wish you all the best Novus! :)  Have those pain killers handy just in case ya need em :P  

Good to have you back, novusfemina. Many of us can relate to hectic schedules and time away from LL.  :P

Eeeeeek @ the surgery. That's something I need to have done soon as well. Best of luck, hon. Get lots of beauty rest...and have fun with the liquid diet afterwards.  :P

Good luck with the surgery.  I found milk shakes were great after I had all my wisdom teeth removed.   ;D  Take it easy for a few days!

Sorry you have to have surgery, at least they can do something to relieve your discomfort.  I'll keep you in my thoughts-hope your recovery is speedy.

Thank you, EVERYONE!  ;D

The surgery went well, I was in and out in just over an hour.. yipee!  They completely put me out, which was wonderful... novocaine seems to have a delayed reaction time on me, and here, like 5 hours after my surgery, my lips, chin and tongue are still numb.. lol.

Have some nice pain meds, and a beefed up ibuprofen, so I'm just hanging in there, watching tv while propped up on the couch, and snorgling with the ice packs to reduce the swelling... all in all, this was a much more pleasant experience than having my jaw wired shut (which I was awake for, and yeah, right after a car accident... not a happy time...) and I can thank the higher powers that I had my jaw wired shut before enduring having my wisdom teeth out..  today's surgery pretty much paled by comparison to the yuck of jaw wiring...  *thumbs up!*

As for the liquid diet, I've done this before!   :D  Got my Lipton's noodle soup, Arizona green tea, apple juice and assortment of jellos...  hurrah!  Maybe I'll take a bath tonight and use that time to treat my hair to a deep condish... Snowy's with Burt's Bees conditioner of course...  ;)

Thanks for the love, everyone!  And Angel, let me know when you go to have yours done... I've become a novice guru when it comes to oral surgery....  ;) (by experience, not by choice, mind you!)

Will do, NF. Though, I suspect it will be awhile. *phew!*

Glad to hear that your surgery was a success. I wish to God that I had the freedom to do deep conditioning treatments whenever the heck I wanted.  :(  Do an extra long one for me, ok?

The part I'm really dreading about the surgery is whether they will unhinge my jaw. I really hope they don't!! That's my concern as a singer...that they won't hook it up right afterwards.  :o
   I'm also just a teensy bit worried about being put out. I've heard horror stories about people who never wake up...  :o

Awwww... (((Angel)))

They can't unhinge your jaw unless they are going to break it, then wire it shut for 6 to 7 weeks to allow it to heal correctly.  If they need to do that, don't worry, they'll tell you.

I'm also a singer, (great to find a kindred spirit!) so I tend to worry about any mouth work, and while you be out for a couple of days (today I look like a chimpmunk... *giggles*) if you have a good oral surgeon, you'll be fine.  My only suggestion is to let the docs know up front that you're a singer, concerned with your voice, and I'm sure they'll reassure you with "no worries, we'll do this...."

If you suffer from TMJ (a jaw related problem when your jaw "pops" in and out of place while chewing, you get bad tension headaches and/or have trouble sleeping) your best option is to put under for the surgery... the oral surgeon explained that when you're put under, all the muscles in your jaw relax, and then they can use a child-sized bite plate to keep your mouth open while they work... trust me, I've got a moderate case of TMJ, and my jaw does not hurt after this surgery!  In fact, it feels much better considering my wisdom teeth are no longer growing into the muscle where my jaw hinges.... :o

As for being put under.. let me tell you, in comparison of being out for the surgery or having it done with just novocaine in the dentists office... have the oral surgeon do it and let him put you out.  You'll lose a day by resting most of it (which sounds like a day you need!) but you won't have the traumatic experience of watching the dentist use all those tools and wondering what the heck he's doing with them!

Not to mention, I hate shots, and they have to give you plenty in the mouth (novocaine) to numb you... if they put you out, they wait until after you're asleep to give you the novocaine...  :D

Glad the surgery went well and you are recovering in good spirits.

I've had my jaw wired (I don't remember them giving me ANYTHING when they did it - boy did that hurt!); I've had all 4 wisdom teeth removed at once - only had novacaine, but mine were not impacted or otherwise involved, so they just popped out; and I've had several surgeries requiring general anesthesia.  I'd recommend the general anesthesia for significant oral surgery.  You don't tense up when they are working on you, and as a result, you are not as sore afterwards.  Not to mention, it is much more pleasant to not hear or see what they are doing to you.  :o

Take care of yourself!

Ohh, BB, yeah, I only had a shot of morphine (I had just gotten out of a car accident) and so many many shots of novocaine to numb every part of my mouth before the wiring.  And yes, that did hurt.  HORRIBLY.  :(  I had to have sweetie literally hold me down in the dentists chair because I nearly came out of it several times.  That hurt like... nothing else I've ever been through.

But I was told later by the oral surgeon that in regular circumstances, patients are put under anethesia for the procedure.  Was your broken jaw an accident as well?  The doctors didn't give me anethesia because they were afraid I already had a concussion and wouldn't wake up.

Not pleasant.


At any rate, and onto a slightly more joyous topic, my hair is doing lovely.  In a big need for a deep conditioning treatment (helloooo Snowy's!) but I haven't had the time... it's been wash and go when you can! Ahh, school is back in session and yet again I am a slave to the required reading and paper/project writing.  But nothing quite compares to the loveliness of geology.  The science class.  I've not had science since 2000.  

*nervous laughter*

Just keep doing the reading, taking notes, and going to lab.... that's my positive mantra for making geology A's.   :D

Right now, though, all is quiet in the house.  It's winding down, almost time to sleep, and I'm revelling in the fact that I don't have to be up at the crack of dawn for three whole days!  It is glorious.

Good night.  ;D

OUCH!  I can feel your pain from here!  Yes, my broken jaw was an "accident", more like a stupid move.  I was 8 at the time.  Some friends and I were horsing around doing fake falls forward.  I did one, but misjudged the concrete floor and landed on my chin, breaking my jaw.  At least in my case, the rest of my body was fine!

Take advantage of the long weekend and pamper yourself!

Ouch!  Feel better quick :)

(Moved this port from Unusual Woman, Unusual Mane because Juri pointed out that I still had my journal, even though I thought it had been deleted.  Oh Lord.  There it was on the third page, just like she said.  I need new glasses.  Good gravy!)


Well, let's see... I had made it down to classic length and then cut it back to waist about 6 months ago to get rid of some of the damage and to make my hair a bit lighter... my roots were flatter than flat no matter what I tried.  Waist length was doing me good for a while, but the heat of summer and the desire for a bit of a change when we moved to Atlanta, I cut my hair back to a little more than BSL.  I like it here, somewhere between BSL and waist length, though it's quickly growing back to waist length if it isn't there already.

As for hair care routine, I'm using the old shampoo and condition method.  Was using Burt's Bees sugarbeet and something for volumizing, really liked that, left my hair feeling good.  Part of the fun and interesting thing of moving to a metro area, though, is finding new products that smaller cities don't carry.  At the local grocery store they have a whole organic section     Yes, yes.. very happy about that!

I found Avalon Organics, Jason's, and Nature's Gate... and had to spend a good thirty minutes trying to decide what I wanted to try... (my sweetheart was understanding... he kinda rolled my eyes at me, said "Oh Lord" and went to look for some groceries.. hehehehehe!  Bless the man!)  I finally decided on Avalon Organics Lavendar poo and condish, and a bottle of Nature's Gate herbal condish, because it was on sale.

I'm a sucker for sales, if you haven't already guessed.    

I also bought the Avalon lavendar face wash, because I was out of face wash and the store didn't have my usual brand.  I really like the face wash, btw.

I do like the lavendar condish, it's just slippery enough and soaks right into my hair.  The shampoo smells great (the condish doesn't have the same smell even though it's lavendar too..   ) but I've notcied that my scalp gets greasier more quickly... not sure if it's the shampoo or something else, though... any ideas out there ladies?  

Haven't tried the Nature's Gate condish yet, though it smells loverly.  My sweetheart bought me a bar of sandalwood soap, so between the sandalwood and the lavendar, I'm one nice smelling gal... lol.  

Life: Well, read in Juri's journal about her having weird dreams (I'd certainly call growing a beard a weird dream!) I figured I out to share the strange one I had last night... boy, there must be something in the air that's causing all this.  At any rate, I was dreaming that my sweetheart, my dad and I were trying to get somewhere in a conversion van that didn't have a top on it.  We finally got to a furniture store (I kept wondering what all the rush was about to get to a furniture store) and my hands and feet started itching.  The yucky part was that there was something under my skin on my hands and feet and the only way to get rid of these little white blobs under my skin was to wash with anti-bacterial soap.  Well, I wanted to finish getting rid of all of these blobs, but apparently my dad and sweetheart were in a rush and there were standing outside the bathroom door trying to hurry me along.  I kept telling them I only had one more to get rid of, and they kept telling me I could get rid of it later.  I kept fussing back at them, telling them I was tired of being itchy.  Then I woke up.


Something tells me it must have been the mixture of ice cream I ate and the horror movie I watched.  Sweetie (let's just call him R from now on, clear up the confusion and make it easier on me) talked me into something sweet, namely ice cream.  I was already full of fried fish from supper, but agreed with him, and picked up some ice cream cones.  Oof.  It was still tasty, though.  Hard to resist the call of ice cream.  And I don't think I would have been bothered much by the horror movie on tv (White Noise, I think it was called) but R went upstairs to shower and left me watching by myself... I don't do well with horror movies by myself, my imagination starts to get the better of me.  LOL!

Hair: I washed yesterday using some Suave shampoo hotel-size bottle I found in an unpacked box.  I love moving because you're always re-finding things that you forgot you had!  I shampooed with the Suave and used the Avalon's lavendar condish.  I toweled dry, then gave my hair a few blasts with the hair-dryer, holding down the "cool" button so it was cold air I was using.  Hair turned out super soft and non-frizzy. I think I'm going to have to use the blow dryer on cool until I manage to get myself a microfiber towel because air drying takes so long my hair looks blah and frizz-tacular.  However, yesterday and even today, my hair is so soft that it's not holding a style yet.. I used some of my LL sticks to hold my hair back in a bun long enough to cook dinner, but it kept slipping out.  Today, since I'm having lunch with R at Sushi House (SUSHI!!!), I'll just wear my hair down and just half up (parted ear to ear) with a barett.  

In other hair news, I am waiting on the arrival of two pairs of LL sticks I ordered shortly after my bday in June (I had two gift certificates, one from Christmas, one for my bday) and I wasn't lucky enough to order the originals but Susan made me special order versions of both.  That was a happy happy thing for me because I've been dying to have some RED hairsticks!  My wild poppy LL sticks are somewhat red, but more of a red mauve, so fire engine red is calling to me.  It was a grand surprise to find out that my special orders where finished (and I waited ever so patiently.. HAHA!) and that she had mailed them out a week or so ago, but I haven't seen them in the mail yet.. I think the postman is starting to dread me because I stand out by the mailbox when he comes at noon, waiting for my two LL mailing tubes.  He's taken to just shaking his head at me.   :-[

Hurray for Fall! It has finally arrived!

Last night R and I were sitting out on the back patio and it was actually chilly!  We're definitely looking forward to having a fire in the fireplace (R and I have only lived in one other place together that had a fireplace and we only lived there during the summer...) and snuggling down in the living room with a game or a good book.  Or just snuggling, which would be my preference.  Hehe!  

One of the things we're looking forward to having moved to an area that sees a little more winter other than a Louisiana cold rain.  I had to put on a sweater on this morning!  Usually I'm still wearing shorts until the end of October.  This is definitely nice.

I made a Turkish lamb stew yesterday in celebration of the on-coming of fall, an awesome recipe that I will try again, it was so easy!  I had to substitute potato for the eggplant called for in the recipe because R is afraid of that particular purple vegetable, but it was still delish and spiced just right.  There's still some leftover, I think I might have that for lunch today.  Lord knows I'll need something here soon, I've been up since 5:30  :o  R woke me up when he left for work this morning at 4, then I couldn't get back to sleep for another half hour.  Then he started calling at 5:30.  Arg!  I couldn't be too upset, he sounded sad when he said, "you went back to sleep?" but at this point I couldn't go back to sleep anymore, so I gave up and went ahead and started my day.  Still, I hate being pestered awake.  

I felt better after I went and picked up a giant cup of Community Coffee.  I have to go over to the gas station to pick it up.  Community Coffee is a Louisiana brand that I've really gotten used to and haven't been able to find in the markets around here, other than the world farmer's market way on the other side of town that sells primarily Indian foodstuffs.   Thankfully, if I happen to be out of C. coffee (which I am, although the Turkish coffee I picked up is nice) the local gas station is owned by an Indian man and he shares my love of C. coffee and brews it every morning.  Ahh, nectar of life!

I think I'm going to have another look at the wedding dress in "Tristan and Isolde" today.  I watched the movie for the first time yesterday (thank you, netflix) and I have to say it was refreshing to see a movie in which the Irish were not the beaten up poor country for once.  Granted, they were technically the bad guy, but hey, Britain's not so hot for subjugating the Scots later in the middle ages, hmm?  Anyway, I was a bit disenchanted by the ending; although I knew Tristan was going to have some sort of hero's death, I thought it was little weak on the part of the directors to have Isolde just disappear forever, tra la.  I was happy that there wasn't the fairy tale happy ending the big movie moguls tend to rely on, but they could have done something just a little bit more realistic with Isolde.. send her back to the English king or show her having grown old, tending to Tristan's grave.  Disappearing forever?  Pfft!   :P

Hair News:

Still no sign of LL sticks in the mail.  Fudge!  The mail seems so slow around here.. or maybe it's just me an my impatience.  Still... arg!

Third day out from washing and my hair still seems very good, wearing it down as it's still too slippery to hold much.  I'm thinking that the Avalon Organics shampoo was causing the stickiness/early greasies, so once the bottle's gone, I'll switch back over to Burt's Bee's.  Need to go to the grocery store today, so I think I'll pick up some coconut milk to give it a try as recommended by Curlgirl, and also some honey so I can whip up some more Snowy's deep treatment which I haven't done in ages.

OOH, I know what you mean, I moved down here to Louisiana last september...  At first, it was like, does the summer ever end??? I was informed that it was, in fact, fall. That frightened me a little...
Then all of a sudden... *freezingrain* out of no-where. I'm used to bloody dry cold... this wet stuff that seeps into one's bones, and absolutely refuses to be warmed out, no matter what you do.. ick.

Good luck on your real winter! at least GA isn't as bad as most... going from L.A. to maine in one winter would suck. (I went from alabama to maine, trust me on this...LOL ("what?! this isn't cold! there's only a foot of snow!")  

Also, Community Coffee is the stuff of life.

Hehehehehe!   Kiraela, to ward against the freezing rain might I suggest a warm sweater?  And boots... that's what always got me through the Louisiana winter.  If all else fails, a hot toddy will do wonders.  ;)

Yesterday morning I wandered out early to do some things, so when I got back, I was wanting a hot bath.  Hot BATH!  I admire the Japanese for their desires for hot baths, I find them really restorative for many ails.  At any rate, since I was going to soak in a hot tub, I thought I'd might as well treat my hair too!  I'd forgotten to pick up some honey at the store for a Snowy's DMT, so I ended up mixing a 1/4 a part of fruit of the earth aloe gel with 4 parts Nature's Gate herbal condish.  The Nature's Gate smelled really good, but once I mixed it with the aloe, the scent of aloe was most prevelant.  Also, it first appeared that the aloe gel curdled with the conditioner, but in reality it just had a hard time mixing. (I was trying to mix the stuff in my hand.)  Next time I may warm the aloe in the microwave for a second or two and use a spoon!

Conditioned my whole head, detangled and combed through then bunned the whole thing with a plastic hairstick and hopped in the bath.  Ahhhh...  A long time (and several book chapters) later I rinsed out the treatment.  Hair was very slick.. yes!  I washed my scalp with the remnants of the pomegranite and soy Burt's Bee's shampoo I had.  I think I'm going to let R use the rest of the Avalon Organics shampoo.  He seems to like the stuff, but he has very short hair so I guess he isn't affected by the stickiness.  Once my scalp was clean, I finished with a -cone condish, John Frieda's redhead stuff.  I really like using a little -cone as it helps seal the hair cuticle down so I down get frizzies.  I apply the -cone from the ears down only, and then I leave it in for just a minute or two.  Plus, I find the -cones help the hair dry faster. Final rinse with cool water.

Still using a blow dryer on cool setting after towel drying.  I always aim the hair dryer down to keep from going "against the grain" of the hair folicle, and always on cool except for several blasts of warm air to my roots and temples.  These are areas that dry the fastest and are most likely to frizz, so I want to get to them quickly.  I work in batches, roots and temple area first, then middle parts of the hair, and lastly, (and the quickest part) the ends.  Between each batch, I stop the dryer and gently detangle with my fingers, allowing my hair to rest and keeping it from getting overheated.  The results are that my hair is very shiny and (YES!) frizz free.  Last step is a gentle polish with my BB brush.  I've tried everything in my power to combat frizz, from alcohol-free products to wet combing to super absorbent towels and nothing seems to work, other than getting my hair dried quickly.  

OH!  And can I say:  I GOT MY HAIRSTICKS YESTERDAY!!!!

Prettier than I can ever imagine, and I am so glad I bought some Sterlingsticks!  The finnial sterling pieces are gorgeous.  Plus, I final have a pair of RED sticks!  You KNOW I'm wearing them right now.  ;)  The name of them are Vixen, and yes, I feel like a Vixen wearing them!