The other one just got so heavy. It takes forever to load during a reply.

Work has been wonderful - I work full-time in a newsroom doing content assessment, database stuff, and other geeky things. I miss my coworkers already. We practically live together for 8 hours a day. They're fabulous. I miss them. I especially miss the person who didn't show up today. I love my job.

Hair. Need to wash it. Tonight.

Other than that, everything else is in good shape. I can't, however, visit the boards at work.

a good meat-free lunch:
8 ounces vanilla and plain yogurt mixed
1 orange, stored separately from the yogurt
1 handful of walnuts in plastic wrap
7 inches french bread with cheddar cheese
cranberry juice  

Hair. Last wash was Thursday night, a full wash with ACV. It's getting longer, I can tell... but it's also getting heavier in the updos. Strangely enough it feels less thick. I get almost three coils right now into a cinnabun but they all get progressively smaller so I haven't been able to successfully make a clover bun. A balanced painless cinnabun is getting difficult, and even worse is the figure-8. I'd hate to trim some hair off. The orchid bun is okay, but it keeps slipping out, which means I need to practice more, and the swirly bun is what I was trying to do when I discovered the orchid. Still haven't gotten the swirly to work yet, but right now I'm experimenting with different combinations of the rosebud bun (the bun around a bun) and the bunnytail.

Allergies are terrible right now. The bush outside the window has been hacked to death. I'm seriously thinking of getting Claritin or Alavert, or some kind of nondrowsy non prescription medication for hayfever. any nondrowsy suggestions welcome.

Work has been wonderful - Boss is hoping to give me the reins to be a CMS administrator ::fingers crossed::

Vacation/Business trip was a success, as usual I mixed both business and pleasure. I also met this amazing guy. This time there are sparks, and I've known his family for more than 15 years without knowing the guy himself... but it turns out we get along extremely well. Unfortunately he's two time zones away, but with some trips I think this might work.

Congrats on the "sparks"!  About those allergies and hayfever.....I thank my father for "giving " me those!!  I suffer like you,but he mailed me some Oil of Oregano and he swears by the stuff!!  All you do is use 1 or 2 drops in your water or juice and your symptoms should either be gone or severly diminished in a couple of weeks.  I know I know a couple of weeks!!!!!  If you're diligent and consisent it is worth it in the long run.  A bottle runs about $28.  Alittle pricey,but if it works it is so well worth it!  Let me know how it works for you.  I just started it.

i haven't been around in ages ... your hair looks so much longer in your avatar! i should go check out your old diary  8)
nice to hear you've got a great job.  :D

Hair. Last wash was yesterday, with Carrot Milk and Honey shampoo bar (followed by Patchouli herb because I wanted some of that scent). The result was kind of bleh, but partly because I bunned before it was dry. I need to remember NEVER to wet-bun ever again if I want my hair to (a) stay on my head without scalp pain and (b) not turn plasticky.

Not much has changed.. I keep doing these rinse-and-gos in the morning before work. The receptionist envies and adores my hair so much. And the guy at the adjacent desk keeps asking if my hair got longer.

Work has been awesome. Everybody I work with is a kid in disguise.

I'm going out to lunch next week with Boss #4, hopefully.

Thanks Curlgirl and Styg :)

Thursday night I did a henna treatment. I used up the following:

the A section and half of the B section of the New York Times.

1 pair of vinyl gloves

175 grams of henna

a little less than 1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup juice from a very sour orange

about 1 tbsp ACV

enough water to q.s everything to 1.5 cups henna goo

I waited 2 hours for dye release, globbed it on, wrapped my head in saran, put on a ski hat, and went to bed. The next morning's rinse was very tangly then it finally dawned on me that I usually apply conditioner for these sort of things. (and it slowed the drain)

Did you apply it for color, or just for conditioning?

How did your color come out?

Claritin and Alavert have the same active ingredient, and I find they both work about the same.  I didn't have a problem with drowsiness but I have heard a small number of people do.  Over time they stopped working for me so I had to switch to prescription brands.  (I'm a severe case though.)  I'm just mentioning it in case you decide to get a prescription I've got recommendations of ones that worked for me.

Hey everyone

It's been so long since the last real hair board time. I've been doing my semi-supervisor's job while he's been on vacation and scoring a lot of extra hours.

On Thursday night I did a full henna with about 1.5 cup of final mixed henna goo.

75 grams of henna

1/4 cup vinegar

a bit of hot water

all the lemon juice I had left which was about 1 tbsp

The color wasn't as brilliant as the June session but that's because I didn't use much henna powder (and ran out of lemon juice anyways). but the shine and the scent have been great. Topped it off with Suave BioBasics and that was that.

Trimmed about 1.5 inches off in the past couple weeks, which puts me back at Tailbone.

I have to go shop for professional clothes and hopefully will catch up on hair board stuff later.

Thanks Khrome for the allergy med recs :) Maggie, it was for color. Love you all

Anais

Anais,
I'm curious...How come you used 175 grams of henna and not anymore?  I thought that a rough est. was 100 grams per 12 inches of hair.  I'm going to be doing henna and indigo in a few weeks,this just after my experiment last night.  I figured I would use 250 grams of indigo and 50 grams of henna.  Give or take.

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't been around. It's been a busy past few months.

I've been offered a job (edited to remove specifics)

massive amount of delayed spring cleaning

revamping my entire wardrobe to be more professional, more crisp, and more flowy skirts.

cooking, kid care, house stuff, gardening (new sunflowers on the way!)

painting, adding to my jazz collection

reading Jasper Fforde fiction

filling up a physical sketchbook instead of journaling by computer. I've been avoiding the computer while not at work.

Henna log:
May 19 2006
June 22 2006
- the A section and half of the B section of the New York Times.  
- 1 pair of vinyl gloves
- about 85 grams of henna (previously I'd posted 175 but that was wrong)
- a little less than 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup juice from a very sour orange
- about 1 tbsp ACV
- enough water to q.s everything to 1.5 cups henna goo
July 20 2006
- I did a full henna with about 1.5 cup of final mixed henna goo.
- 75 grams of henna
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- a bit of hot water
- all the lemon juice I had left which was about 1 tbsp
August 13 or 14 2006
- about 100 grams of henna powder
- 1/2 cup of undiluted lime juice
- about 1/4 cup hot water
This was the best mix. I got the richest darkest stain because this time I had a lot of lime.

State of my hair: At this point, my hair seems to be permanently reddish... I could probably stop hennaing for awhile but it's too fun to stop. I've reached 37 inches which turned out to be 2 inches away from classic length. I haven't taken any pictures that have turned out ok, mostly from bad lighting.

As for the amount of henna I've been using, it's different every time not just because of the amount of lemon juice I have available, but because of a lucky error. Originally I hadn't read the label and thought all the pouches were 100 grams, so I thought I was using 200 grams at some point when I was only using 100. My goal each time was to get about 1.5 cups of goo.

I think it's possible to use less henna and still get good color as long as you use a higher amount of lemon/lime compared to hot water, and wait longer for dye release. I use less henna powder but end up with more applications, so it probably balances out in the end. I really enjoy henna for the scent, so I chose to stick with using a little bit of henna at a time, doing so frequently.

Glad to see you around!  Your offered position sounds quite nice - congrats!

Taking a break from the computer is not always a bad idea.  It is important to be diverse in your activities.

I love to hear your henna experiences - thanks for sharing.

Very interesting you said that about the scent,Anais,I had to terp my henna with lavender and sage and brown coffee!! :P ::)  The whole thing was 300 grams of henna and 300 grams of indigo.  I froze what was left over and am waiting for Catherine to send me 100 grams of indigo to mix with the frozen sutff.  I love the darker color,but didn't get full coverage nor the grays totally covered so I'll try again when the indigo comes.  I'd rather not have red highlights,but deep burgundy highlights!  Trial and error!! ::)

Congratulations on your new position!!  That's wonderful!  

I hennaed again not last weekend, not the weekend before, but the one before that... So the night of Dec. 1 to wake up and rinse out on Saturday Dec. 2.

This time I wanted to make sure minimal goop got into the drain, and minimal goop got onto the shower. I hopped into the shower with a bin, filled it with water and dunked my head inside.

Not recommended.

And after that, I tried, um, to strain the henna powder out and throw it in the trash.

Not recommended.

I want a house with a backyard hose.

Obligatory hair updates:

length = almost 40"?
color = hennaed brown

Wash routine: hasn't changed much, except for the switching to Dove Intense Moisture (cone).
CCC with Suave CS on scalp
ACV rinse and scalp scritch with comb and fingernails
Dove Intense moisture on length and ends.
Wet comb, air dry without sock curling, sock curl just the ends.
Hairwash about every five days
Oils: none right now
Tools: RS#42 for shower use, RS#42 for wet combing, three hardwood combs for everyday detangling, HH horn combs neglected
Hair toys used often: scrunchies, Mamacat sticks. And now I have this urge to find hair-friendly barrettes that stay.  
Styles: cinnabun, loose, single braid. It's getting harder and harder to do an infinity bun or a figure8. I accomplished a French twist a few weeks ago, using two Mamacat sticks or a Blondiesturn fork. Never succeeded ever again.

I miss you all. but I work full time every day and am exhausted after coming home. But it's great to look at how much hair everyone's grown.

man oh man.

Have a blessed Yule and may your holidays be warm and bright.

:)

Love always
Anais

Anais Satin wrote on Dec 21^st, 2006 at 11:27pm:

I want a house with a backyard hose.

That would be convenient! ;)  Your hair is beautiful!

We've missed having you around, Anais. Merry Christmas!

I have a house with a backyard hose.  I don't think using it in subfreezing weather would be advisable, however.  ;D

Have you thought of a handheld showerhead?

(((ANAIS!)))

So great to see you check in again!  I am in complete understanding of working full time (more than full time) and feeling too exhausted for other things.  I barely have time for the necessities anymore, so doing the extra curriculars seems near impossible these days.

I hope you got some R&R over the holiday, lord knows that I didn't!  Have a great New Year!  :D

Happy Birthday Anais!

Hope your day is special and the coming year is full of fun and excitement for you.  (and that you share it with us!  :D)

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your happy thoughts :-* I've popped in on HB a few times and not much else in the past few months. I have been so busy compiling a 30-page report. It's one month away from being finished.

but here's an update:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/AnaisSatin/Hairstuff/20070323cemetery.jpg

I hennaed on March 10. Hair is at 40" which is about classic-ish... I'm going to microtrim tonight.

The hair routine has not changed since switching to diluted Dove Moisturizing shampoo and Dove Moisturizing conditioner.

I haven't bought any new hair toys but am seriously considering the Spanish comb by BronzeJewelers.

Other than that, things are relatively the same hairwise.

Many blessings
Anais

Oh, and note to self:

A great way to rinse henna is to dunk my head into a big plastic storage tub (one of those 10-gallon storage containers, let the henna settle, pour off the water, and scoop out the henna goop with paper towel and put it in the trash, or dump the entire contents outdoors.

Awesome new avatar, Anais!!  :D

Good luck finishing your report.

Glad to see your update!  I take it you like the Dove Moisturising Shampoo and Conditioner.  I also had a good experience with it.  I just finished my bottles and have moved on to a new shampoo/conditioner but I think I'll keep the Dove product high on my list to return to.