I'm back...I know I haven't been on the site since December, and I could have a good reason for this...but unfortunately it was a guilty reason....brace yourselves...I had a holiday moment of weakness and got a few inches cut off. As some of you know from my old journal, I have had pixie length hair for the last several years. My reasons for keeping it short all that time varied from thinking, "It looks better with my round face," to feeling it was too thin to grow out, to just plain impatience. In the past year, I decided that I really like the look of long hair, and I'd like to know what it's like to have enough hair to braid, and swish around.

So I committed to growing it out, and in August of 2006 I joined Long Locks to get what my hubby jokingly called, "much needed moral support" to grow it out. Now I'm back, and starting a few inches behind where I should be, but rededicated to growing it out. Beyond my aesthetic reasons for wanting long hair, I also have to grow it out now to prove to myself that I can follow through on things, which in all areas of my life has never before presented a problem before this challenge. I hope I have not lost everyone's confidence. I know I can grow it out. I plan to take good care of it, not start measuring for the next month or so, and not go for a trim without a buddy to "remind" me of my goal.  I'm also frequently referring to a picture of my mom's hair, since she has BSL length that looks great on her, and we have the same hair texture and face. So my first goal is shoulder length, and then BSL.

When it comes to New Year's resolutions, I'm not  usually a big fan. I try to resolve things during the year and work on self improvement as those issues arise, but I've found in this area I need a plan and some support from my long haired friends online. :) I'll try to stay on the site fairly often too, since seeing all the pictures everyone posts of their wonderful hair is inspirational.
Thanks for reading my journal...I'll keep you posted on my uphill battle for longer hair and patience.    :)

Welcome back!  Perhaps a rededication ceremony would help focus on your goals.  Visualize yourself with long hair, imagine what it will feel like against your skin, make a list of hairdos you like and vow to try them one by one as your length allows.

There will be stages of growing hair out that are yucky.  Accept this and you'll get through it just fine.  You can do it!!  We didn't all join this site 'cause our hair was already long...

Good advice, Sakina.

And welcome back, roomtogrow. By the way, long hair will lengthen a round face, so whomever told you that short hair looks better...never listen to a word they say ever again.  ;D  Best of luck on your journey to great lengths.

Sakina and Angel Spun, thanks for the encouragement!

roomtogrow wrote on Mar 22^nd, 2007 at 6:13pm:

and not go for a trim without a buddy to "remind" me of my goal.

Thats a great idea! ;)  

And you're in the right place for "moral support"! ;D

Hey everyone, I may not post every day or week, but will be checking in with the boards and definitely posting on days when my hair patience is wavering. Today I'm doing good though, not thinking about it too much, and getting other work done.

I'm back to the twice a week wash, although my hair is still short enough that I get bad bed head in the morning. So I usually have to put some water in it to smooth it down, even on non-wash days. Hopefully this is still ok for it, since I'm not shampooing nearly as much as  I used too  and I let it air dry from this. I'm going to start doing some deep conditioning too, to keep it nice as it grows out.

I saw someone with really beautiful hair yesterday, it was dark and very wavy, elbow length. So pretty! Pretty soon I'll be getting to the bobby pin stage of growing out, where there are different lengths on the sides and back just from the nature of my previous short cut. ACK! But, I know I can do this, especially since I didn't make it before-now I must grow it out. I really need to see what long hair would be like, and show myself that I can overcome a silly habit of cutting. I think my hubby is also curious about what I'd look like with long hair, although he has been very sweet about my hair being short. :)

New products...yippee!

I just bought the new Burt's Bee's Hair Repair deep conditioner with shea butter. I'll let you know how it is after I use it this weekend. I've had success with many of their other products, so hopefully this one will be good too.
I'm still having trouble with my hair in the mornings, since it's still short enough to go many directions while I sleep, but not long enough for a braid. Hmm, maybe I should try a bandanna at night. If it stays a little bit tamer, I won't have to wet it down in the morning, which means I won't have wet hair as many mornings.

On the job front, I'm looking for something for next year, which is hard to do while still working full-time right now. My contract does not go into next year for my job. I know I'll find the right job when the time comes, but my tendency is to worry.  :-[

But, on a happy note...this weekend should be so relaxing...we are heading up north a bit to see some family for Easter weekend. I'm hoping it warms up a bit, since it's been very cold in Illinois lately. I also love going up to such a rural area where open sky and  trees abound.

Happy Easter, to those who celebrate it.  :)

Hey all,
I wanted to do my monthly "check-in", and I do feel a great ramble coming on.  ;)
I'm still plugging along on growing out from pixie cut, but I've had to nip a few bad hair habits in the bud as I go along. For one, I have a habit of cutting my hair. Big problem, as I've shared in my earlier journal threads....so I'm past that now since last fall when I first joined LL, but still having trouble being patient. I also have different lengths on the side and back, and have been using lots of bobby pins to sort of make an up-do, but I'm wondering if I need to give my hair a break from pinning it up. I don't know if this causes breakage. I'm not to the hair sticks length and probably won't be able to use those until 2008. As many of you also know, I had some color growing out, so that may have slowed my hair down a bit.

The good news is, I'm totally dedicated to this, and aside from my online community here at Longlocks, I'M NOT TELLING MY FRIENDS ABOUT THIS LONG HAIR ATTEMPT! I found in the past, when I tried to grow it out and then cut it after shoulder length, that when I told my friends they actually discouraged me from growing it out. Mind you, I don't have any friends nearby with lovely long hair. My sister has it, but she isn't near me, and I had a good friend at the video store, but she's moved away as well. Also, I've been told I look "cute" with short hair. Now I know what you folks with the glossy long hair may be thinking, "Why does she care what anyone thinks, if she wants long hair?" Exactly! Although, it's taken me quite a long time to realize this about myself, and to throw off other's expectations. I know I can now move past their comments and my own hang-ups about growing it out, but they probably wouldn't believe I could grow it out until I actually do. It also should be noted, in fairness to my friends, that they probably would like me to have long hair, as I wish, but since they don't think I have the resolve not to cut it, they may be sparing my feelings.  So, I am growing it out, but not talking about my hair goals with friends in person, just on this site. If they notice it's getting longer, great!

Btw, I noticed a lady in church the other day with hip length wavy hair-deep chocolate brown. I stared at the back of her head during the sermon and, I confess, thought of conditioner and hair sticks more than the message. Hmm. I better grow mine out so I don't have to stare at other peoples and make them feel weird. :)

Also, beyond the pure insanity of my obsession with long hair now, I have another thing going for me in this long hair quest. ... I'm a vegetarian who gets plenty of protein, I do yoga, and I love drawing. Since I have no pictures of myself as an adult with long hair, I drew a self portrait (using a mirror), and then I sketched in long hair with a charcoal stick. It looks great! I'm going to look great with long hair! Now I just have to get there. Until then, I can keep drawing on the hair...hee, hee.

I love it that you drew a portrait of yourself with long hair.  Brilliant idea!!!  Now, anytime you're feeling frustrated you can look at that and the visualization will help you get to your goal.

Awesome!!

Check the URL below - I really loved the photo controls !  :)

Under Color first went for Blonde then the fifth panel down - Ultra Light Golden. Finally chose Everyday, Straight and Long which is the largest pic on the left. Very pretty !

Now if they only had really long hair on offer......  

Have fun ! :)

http://hairstyles.virtual-hairstyles.com/virtual_hairstyles.asp

The toughest part about growing your hair out is the patience required to do so. Hang in there. If you look "cute" with short hair, just imagine how hot you'll look with long hair!  :)  Cheers.

thanks, ladies! i love the input and will try that site too!

Well, I'm back at it...job searching for a full-time teaching position for next year and also for part-time work for the summer. I just finished my first year of teaching, but there were not enough positions at my school, so I was not offered a full-time job there for next year. I'm sad to leave, and even more sad to have to be job searching, but I know I'll find something. Meanwhile though, I'm trying not to go stir crazy in the house. I have sent a lot of resumes, and made several phone calls, but I'm still getting bored being at home during the day. Poor hubby, I'm so starved for conversation by the time he gets home.  :P

I've been looking for a job for about a month now although I've only been out of work two days, and I'm already afraid of getting lazy. I've been doing job search stuff, and house cleaning, but I really do love teaching and without that daily challenge I feel kind of useless.  :-/ I know something will turn up, but wow,  for now job searching really stinks.

As for the hair, it's been very humid lately, so it's getting very fluffy...not curly, just fluffy. Hopefully by the end of summer I can do a small pony tail and a braid by fall. We'll see. My hair does grow well in warmer weather. Depending on how much growth I have, I'll probably get a trim in the winter.  I did see my sister this weekend, and grandma. We actually sat around giving each other scalp massages and braiding my sister's hair (BSL) while we talked by the lake. Mine's not long enough to braid yet, but still the social grooming felt relaxing. :)

Job hunting...oh what fun  ::).  I hope you can find a permenant job soon.  I am off work right now (sick leave for the past 6 long months) and my husband has just gone away for two months for work.  During the day I keep my self bust cleaning house, decorating and caring for my animals.  I live in the middle of nowhere so I spend all my time alone right now.  It is about this time of day (just around dinner) that it hits me.  That is one reason I get on here so much.  

I don't know what the demand is like for teachers, but surely you will find something soon.  Meantime, enjoy the summer!!!  Keep busy and don't think you need a job to keep you from getting lazy.  Woman can always find work around the house, the garden etc...  We are good at it!!!  By the way, what grade do you teach?

I hear you about the fluffy hair too.  I have noticed that the past couple of days.  Perhaps someone will drop into your thread a drop a hint or two to us both!!!

Keep us up to date about the job search!!

Your work ethic is so admirable, roomtogrow.  :)  With your kind of drive, you'll have a new job in no time. Best of luck!

Sounds like you had a lovely weekend with your long-haired family too. You're lucky to have people you're close with to do that kinda stuff with and to give you moral support.

wrote on May 30^th, 2007 at 5:46pm:

decorating and caring for my animals. I hear you about the fluffy hair too.  I have noticed that the past couple of days.  Perhaps someone will drop into your thread a drop a hint or two to us both!!!

So, Joeydog 1992, how do you decorate your animals??  (Sorry, couldn't help myself!!)

Regarding poofy hair...try a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.  When the hair lacks internal weight (from moisture) it poofs, frizzes and flies about.  Ouidad.com has a gel called Climate Control that I've used in Indonesia and Singapore last summer and it worked wonders, I'm a curly girl so naturally prone to poof and frizz.  My hair looked so good!!!

Thanks Joeydog, and Angel Spun for the encouragement. Joeydog, I know what you mean about being along so much during the day. It sounds like you keep yourself busy too. Plus with animals, there is always work to be done. I have to go back to your journal threads to remember what animals you have.

Now that we are in the city, I only have two cats, but one of them is long haired and she is really shedding right now. So I'm brushing her a lot on the balcony. By the way, don't know if you already answered this, but how do you decorate your animals?  :-? Sounds very interesting.

Yes, Angel Spun, the weekend with my family was great. Since my grandparents live deep in the country, it was very refreshing too to work in the garden and be outside the whole weekend. I even got a nice little farmer's tan.  ;)  And thanks for the encouragement about job searching...it does try my patience but I know it's something everyone goes through at some time in their life.

As for the fluffy hair, I've been pushing it back with a bandanna tie, until it's long enough to really pull back off my face. I'd still love some tips for it, although it may be an unavoidable part of growing hair out from a short cut in the summer. Next weekend I go camping, which is so much fun, so I'll probably just wear it in a bandanna the whole time. (I love being outside in the woods and smelling like campfire.)

Sakina wrote on May 31^st, 2007 at 1:26am:

wrote on May 30th, 2007 at 5:46pm: decorating and caring for my animals. I hear you about the fluffy hair too.  I have noticed that the past couple of days.  Perhaps someone will drop into your thread a drop a hint or two to us both!!! So, Joeydog 1992, how do you decorate your animals??  (Sorry, couldn't help myself!!) Regarding poofy hair...try a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner.  When the hair lacks internal weight (from moisture) it poofs, frizzes and flies about.  Ouidad.com has a gel called Climate Control that I've used in Indonesia and Singapore last summer and it worked wonders, I'm a curly girl so naturally prone to poof and frizz.  My hair looked so good!!!

oops, did something wrong on that last post.  Let me try again!!

Ok ladies, you got me, my english was poor.  I am decorating my house and caring for my animals.  I have 2 border collies, 2 domestic short hair (DSH) cats and a persian/himalayan (sp) cat.  I don't think I mentioned that in my journal thread.

LOL.  I win loser for the day between my poor english and my bad posts!!

haha, joeydog. that was really funny. i bet your animals are relieved that they will not be decorated. (btw, since this is a saturday post to my journal, i'm not bothering with capital letters.)

sakina, thanks for the conditioner suggestion. (btw, sakina, did you know "sakina" means knife in arabic?) a lot of my trouble now comes from how short my hair still is, so it doesn't have the length to hold it down. yesterday i did try two tiny little pig tails in the back, which may work for a summer style when i'm camping next week. wow, i can't wait for my hair to get long enough to do more styles with. especially braids, i think they are soooo beautiful.

and for the record, as opinion-less as hubby claims to be about short or long hair on me ("You look great with any hair..."-ahh, so sweet),  i did notice him staring as much as i was at this woman in front of us at church last week who had waist length wavy hair. it was hanging over the back of the pew, and we were both just staring at it! it was gorgeous. i commented on it later, and he said casually, "long hair is really pretty sometimes". so he does have an opinion, and i will have long hair someday too!  ;D

It seems to me that all men like long hair if they tell the truth!!! It is sweet that the hubby says he likes your hair anyway you do it.  That is adorable.

I found today that I needed to put my hair up.  It was sitting on my neck while I was at the folks for lunch and I felt like I was going to roast.  At least my hair is long enough to tie up.  Your time will come...hang in there.  

roomtogrow wrote on Jun 2^nd, 2007 at 1:13pm:

sakina, thanks for the conditioner suggestion. (btw, sakina, did you know "sakina" means knife in arabic?)

You're welcome!!  Let us know how it goes!!!!

When I was picking out my bellydance name (I was in a troupe at the time) one of my fellow dancers was helping me.  According to her, Sakina meant God inspired peace of mind.  Well...I do try to make all of my moves sharp...heehee.

Isn't it nice to have something to look forward to-it really is about the journey.  The thing you don't expect right now is that after you reach your first goal and enjoy doing your new do, you'll start looking to the next length like to be able to make a bun.  Such is the way of long hair.

sakina, it may very well mean that as well. i'm not a native arabic speaker, just learned it several years back when my family lived abroad. with arabic, there are many dialects, and also root words. sometimes a root word may have many derivatives that mean similar things. other times, the derivative words may be totally different. :)

thanks for the encouragement as well jdog and sakina! i can't wait until the hair is more stylable...more options. also i know i've mentioned this before, but since i've had short hair for a while now, my friends and family can't even imagine me with braids or buns! which is all the more challenge to get my hair long enough to do it.  and jdog, i think you may be right about men really all preferring long hair!

today was a wash day, and i used an all natural shampoo (365 brand from whole foods) that smells great and is really cheap. then i left in the burt's bees deep conditioner for about ten minutes. my hair came out really soft, almost too soft. it was hard to get it to stay in the pins. i've been trying not to use styling products, since i want to go all natural with my hair. now it's pinned up with about twelve little bobby pins. not great, but gives me more style options at this short length.  

I remember when my hair was as short as yours (not so long ago) and I had to wash it and blow dry it everyday or it looked terrible.  Bedhead had a whole different meaning.  And humidity...!!!

Hang in there, it will pass.  Growing out your hair is a tremendous test of patience...but pays off.

As for the name "Sakina", I googled it last night and it seemed to have a lot of really nice meanings...friendly, etc.  I guess it depends on the part of the world you are from but all the meanings are nice...hey, maybe I will google my name tonight.

Anyway Room to Grow, hang in there.  You will make it!!!

jdog, thanks for the encouragement....it's great to hear inspiring stories from people who've successfully grown out from a short cut.
yes, mine does look a bit sad in the morning and even ends up sticking up every which way. since i've stopped blow drying , it takes longer to figure out how to style and it kind of does its own thing. i just have to leave time in the morning to wash it and let it air dry, since i need to get it wet each morning, but don't want to blow dry. so far, it seems to be growing fairly quickly. for my short cut, they had thinned some layers out, so first it's growing back in thickness-then hopefully the length will start building. by end of summer, i should be able to pull it back in a tiny pony tail...and hopefully a short braid by dec. we'll see how that goes. i'll also get a trim to even up the ends then, but don't want to do it quite yet, since it will seem really short again. it's kind of a mental thing, you know?

Well we got back from our camping trip yesterday afternoon. We were up  in Wisconsin. It was a great trip, just a weekend trip, but went with eleven of our friends. The weather was perfect, no rain, just sunshine. Great fun. We went lake swimming, played too much ultimate frisbee, hiked a bit, and also did our share of sitting around the campfire eating burgers (lentil burgers in my case.) It was great. Later in the summer, hubby and I are going to do more of a rougher camping trip-this one was a bit more of the froo-froo camping with showers and bathrooms not too far away. We'll hike in somewhere with just our packs. I can't wait for that.  Although, I'm proud to say, I only cleaned myself by swimming in the lake, no showers until  I got home yesterday. Then I babied my hair with deep conditioner, and a scalp massage. Over the weekend I just had it all tied up in a red bandanna.

I'm still job-searching, which is trying my patience. But, I have papered most of the state's public schools with my resume, and have called to follow up-so for now I just have to wait and assume something will come through. It always does. Plus, many principals are still finishing up this year's paper work and haven't even started really hiring for Aug.

I'm reading Robert Jordan's series "Eye of the World." I just started it last week. I love reading fantasy, in the styles of Tolkien, and so far Jordan is pretty interesting. If I continue to like the series, I should have plenty of reading material since all his books are about 800 pages long and there are going to be twelve in the series. :)
Lately, as an afternoon treat after a full morning of  somewhat- discouraging job searching, I take my book and the cats out on the balcony. Although we live in a bustling city, we have a quiet street, and a little maple tree that's leaves reach up to our second floor balcony. So it's peaceful out there in the afternoon.

Tonight I'm trying a new recipe from a vegetarian cookbook I picked up. Stuffed mushrooms, and blue-cheese pasta. Yum! Also, we have some strawberries for desert that a friend dropped off.

As for the hair, which is the main theme of this journal, it's slowly but steadily building back thickness and length. This is the most frustrating length, too long to be short and stylish, but too short to be long and lovely. I know it will keep growing as long as I don't get anxious and get it cut. :)

Don't throw in the towel, keep that hair growing out!!!  You can do it.

Sounds like you had a great time camping.   I envy you.  I have been drywalling my garage....yahoo. :(

I hope you find a job soon.  I just know you will.

As for that mushroom recipe, I would love a copy.  I set up a recipe for food section somewhere on this site.  I will look it up and tell you where it is if you are willing to put a recipe in.  I am trying to learn the vegan ways so vegan recipes are perfect.

I have not heard about Jordan, but if it is like Tolkien, I know I will love it...when I have time to read again....in about 20 years, lol.

Ok, going to find thread in case you like recipe and would like to put it in the forum.

here us the thread for any recipes you will give me!!!

http://www.longlocks.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1179704995

Another Robert Jordan fan?! *massive hug* I'm on book 8... I ought to warn you... they're completely addictive. I didn't start reading them until I moved in with my boyfriend... He has all 11 :D I'm actually forcing myself to take a break from reading for a few hours, otherwise the dishes won't get done, and nothing will be cleaned. *still not sure I'm going to let housework get in the way of the Wheel of Time* If you ever want to have a chat about the books, you're welcome to PM me. I'm sort of spoiled as I had most of the details before I read them.. P. couldn't keep quiet   ::)  

Joeydog, if you like a good story, you'll like RJ's books. If you LOVE a good story, you'll not be able to put them down.

Also, that camping trip sounds like it was fun! Good luck on the job hunt, too. I'm sure something will work out.

Ok, I am sold, I will have to start reading the books.  I do LOVE a good story.  I think I had better start reading before I go back to work...otherwise I wont get any sleep if they are books you cannot put down.

K- yes I love those books too! *hug* Thanks for the warning, I've been looking for a great addictive series to read. J-dog, you need to read them. My hubby told me to read chap. 1-3 of the first book in one sitting if possible, so I wouldn't get confused by the many names of characters and become overwhelmed. I did read them together, and that way, I was really in to it, before putting it down first time.
Thanks for the cheering session about growing that hair too. And, great idea for recipe links. I just added the stuffed mushrooms one, which is pretty simple and a good little snack or appetizer. Now that I've been thinking about it, I may make it tonight.
;D

I saw the recipe.  Thank you soooo much.  Maybe the thread will take off if I keep plugging it.  I really want lots of vegan recipes as I love meat, but it does not love me much.  Upsets my stomach.  Feel free to add away to it...even if it is not supper simple....I think you would like a couple of the recipes I put there...but you will have to make some adjustments for the soups if you are a true vegan.  

Oh, ya, and I will definately look into the books.

well- i just got a summer job! yeah! now i'm still looking for full-time teaching position for the fall, but this summer job is teaching (part-time) so i'm really glad my summer work is in my field. i was thinking i might need to get a restaurant job over the summer, but now i get to work in my field for part-time work! yeah!
this is just a little happy boost for me. job searching kind of brings me down, so it's good to get something worked out for the summer.
after i finally find a full-time job, i'm going to celebrate by buying two really beautiful hair ties (to wear, bandanna style). i saw them at a boutique near my house and decided they'd be a great celebration gift to myself.

I am so glad that you found a job, and one that you should enjoy too.  That is excellent news.  I think you are quite right to go get your hair things as a reward.  It is a happy day. ;D

Woohoo, RTG! Congrats on the summer teaching job. That sounds like fun. And best of luck finding something full-time afterwards.  :)

thanks j-dog and Angel! Yeah!

Well today I'm going in for training in my part time job and of course still looking for the right full-time position for the fall.
In the hair department, it's been in the 90's here and fairly dry, so I let my hair soak up some extra conditioner the other day by putting it on wet hair under a bandanna. Very silky!
I'm also using lots of bobby pins these days to keep everything off my neck, and gave away all my old "styling" products for short hair as a sign of good faith in the growing process.
I have just enough hair to make a tiny pony tail, but since I don't want to use a rubber band- I'm not doing that. (If I use a padded scrunchy, the pony tail is still too short and looks ridiculous.) I'm also going to try to post a picture of my hair today or tomorrow so you can see what I'm working with. It will look very short to most of you ladies, but considering my Jan. freak-out session where I cut it to a pixie cut, it's probably gained three inches in the last five months. :)  So I'm feeling good about that progress.
I've also increased the amount of protein I'm eating, which requires some planning, as I'm a vegetarian. And my caffeine intake is down to one cup of coffee in the morning. I think I can phase that out and just drink decaf for the ritual coffee smell in the morning. Yum

I hope your training went really well today and that you feel you will enjoy this job.  

I am dying to see our hair.  Darn, I will try to remember to get someone to take a pic of mine this week so I can post that for the crowd.  Worry not, room, I too have short hair.  I think people are just interested in the journey and what length you start at does not matter.  Heck, even the rapunzels on this site had to have short hair at some point!!!

thanks, j-dog.  :)
the training did go well. i'm back this afternoon for some more shadowing, and then will probably get scheduled to try my hand at it next week. now if only i could get some progress with finding the right full-time position. i do have a group interview for tomorrow afternoon, but it's an hour from my house, so i'm not sure if that will work for me. i'll still go to the interview tomorrow and try my best.
i didn't get my hair pic posted yesterday, for some reason i ended up falling asleep very early-on the couch while reading.  ;D i love doing that every now and then when i'm sleepy-especially since i make myself get up early even just for job searching every day.
as for the hair- i suppose you are right that folks on here won't mind if it's short now, as long as i'm still working toward my hair goals. at least you will be able to see my color and some texture. i'll try to get it on there today.

???btw, how do i post a picture????

Roomtogrow,

I just know that you will find a full time job and I am soooo happy the training went well today.

My hair is only 21 inches...and I have to say...I envy you in a way.  I mean, you are starting from the beginning doing it right which will pay off well for you down the road.  As you might recall, I only started a month or so ago.  I wish I had known what to do from the beginning.  I bet you that in 2 years, your hair will be in better health than mine because you did it from the start.  I am sure that even the Rapunzels on this site will envy you starting right from the very beginning...but that is just my opinion.

I believe it was Lisabelle that told me how to post a pic and her instuctions were simple and easy to follow.  I will look to see if I can find you the pm she sent me, if not, I would recommend asking her.

Take care,

JD

oops, it was not Lisabelle that told me how to post an avatar, it was Kiraela...sorry so many kind and helpful people on here that I lose track sometimes.  Anyway, I sent her instructions to youon PM.

JD

ok, i put up an avatar with a hair pic. so now you can see how short it is that i'm working with. believe it or not, this is actually a few inches of growth from the little pixie cut i had a few months back. at least you can see my natural color and wave. after i get more length, i'll get these layers all one length, but want to wait until it's longer so i don't feel i'm regressing.  ;)

Hey, good for you.  You got your avatar up.  You hair looks really healthy.  Hang in there, it will grow long and be great.  

JD

thanks j-dog! you are so encouraging  ;D so are you posting any pix soon?

My husband will be here on Sat.  I will ask him to take a photo and show me how to get it from the camera to the computer!!  So, perhaps early next week.

Well, my part time job is going well. I'm finishing training this week and will be starting to really work next week. I'm also keeping my eyes open for the full-time gig, and in better spirits about this than I was a week ago.
I've been giving myself time to read everyday, as part of celebrating the warm weather, and I love it! Especially when I sit on the balcony and read. The weather has been sunny and warm, beautiful!

In the hair dept. I'm wearing it back on the sides with two bobby pins. This at least gives me a feeling of having different styles, even though it's still short. I tried to just wash ever three or four days, but it feels greasy-so I'm washing every two or three. I'm cone-free now, so hopefully that will help. I don't feel it has much build-up, but gets flat and a little too greasy by the third day. I wonder if this will decrease as it grows?  :-?

Wow, this is a boring post so far. Maybe I should sign back on later when I'm more interesting. :) -rtg

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Wow, this is a boring post so far. Maybe I should sign back on later when I'm more interesting.

lol RTG.  ;D  Don't worry about it, love. You're doing just fine.

thanks angel!

Welcome, babe.  ;)

LOL, boring, I don't think it is boring.  I am interested in how your job goes.  Keep a talking girl!!!

I found I had to wash my hair less once it passed shoulder length...I dunno about others...you will have to wait and see what they say.  I think it depends on the hair and the amount of sebum you put out.

Take care,

JD

PS (I sent an email to work today and signed it JD, my work friends were wondering what I was thinking since my real initials are no where near JD!!!!  LOL)

I keep forgetting to mention, so I'll pop in now and say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE your hair color. I only wish mine were that way naturally. Even with longer hair, I still have to wash at least every third day.  :-/   Good luck on finding the full time job though...


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I've been giving myself time to read everyday, as part of celebrating the warm weather, and I love it! Especially when I sit on the balcony and read. The weather has been sunny and warm, beautiful!

 I need to do that more often... soon you'll be farther along in the series than I am!  Where have you gotten so far?

awww shucks, k.  :D thanks for the color compliment. i'm so impressed by the length of your hair...it's very inspiring!

and thanks j-dog for being interested in the specifics of the job :) . as for signing your longlocks' name...i've done that too-almost writing 'rtg' instead of my real name at the end of emails.
well hubby has today off, and has to work tomorrow instead so we are hanging out. i'm cuddled next to him while he watches JAWS, one of his favorite movies. and i'm listening to mozart to drown out the movie. i'm not into shark movies, even ones that are incredibly directed. so yes, it's a good piece of film, but not my idea of a relaxing show. interesting fact...if anyone wants to know what really scares me....deep water. i can swim, but i'm kind of like a cat in water. just swim enough to get myself out of it and then dry in the sun and look grumpy. i like bathing-in the old fashioned sense-of paddling around slowly in shallow water with lily pads around, and floating in a relaxing way-then getting out and drying off and laying in the sun. did i mention i like the sun? so i like bathing, not swimming in deep water-or having to swim hard, or dive deep. i'm not even sure i could swim for very long if i needed to. the handy thing is that i'm married to an ex-lifeguard and emt. so if i drown on his watch, well-nothing could have prevented it. hee, hee.  ;D anyway, this whole swimming tangent was brought on by watching jaws. so add to my list of irrational fears-water and sharks. when i'm in the ocean (we don't live near one, but we've gone several times to visit family out west and i've been swimming in the red sea which has a bunch of sharks) i'm always nervous about them even though i've never had a close encounter.
well, this has nothing to do with hair but thanks for listening.

well i just wanted to report that i've had a very happy day! i spent the last four hours painting (acrylic on wood) which i love and now i'm going to clean up that mess, oil my short, but growing hair and read a book! delightful end to a day.

Sounds like a productive day indeed. Glad to hear that it was a good one.  :)

RMT,

It turns out my husband will not be here this weekend.  I will get a pic when I can so you can see my hair.  It is close to your color...I think the same but of course we see ourselves different from what we really are.

JD.

so true, hee hee. also i think digital cameras make it a bit different than true life color.

hmm, so how many of you use jason shampoo? i'm considering getting some, although it's a bit pricey. i have a nice little cheap bottle of 365 from whole foods (it's the store brand) and is mostly free of chemicals, but not totally. or, maybe i should just order one of those shampoo bars i've heard so much about. anyway, i'm not content with my shampoo-and since i want to wash less, i don't want it to feel flat or greasy the day after a wash. this may partly be because of the humidity here, and 90+ weather. i'm also hoping as i get more length, the oil can distibute better when i use the boar bristle brush. Question: who uses shampoo bars and if so, do you also use conditioner?

i took my kitty to get a "lion" trim since she was way too hot, and had a lot of tangles she wouldn't let us get at. now it's all short except her "mane" and puffy tail. very cute, but since we got back from the pet place yesterday, she's been really needy and laying on my lap constantly looking sad. usually she's more independent. i don't usually get my cats groomed, but wanted her to be more comfy for summer. hope she's not depressed from the haircut. maybe she's like us on the site, and wants it long :)  at least if she does, it will be grown back by winter-since her hair at longest it would grow was about three inches.

lol Your poor cat!  ;D  Be sure to keep grooming her fur as it grows out so those nasty tangles don't build up again.

My aunt and uncle have bought 365 brand S&C in the past and I tried it a few times with dreadful results.  :o  It's terribly cheap stuff and it really dried my hair out. The conditioner burned the back of my neck, and it doesn't contain silicones or anything so my hair ended up being tangle city.  :(
   They also use a lot of Jason products, which I'm not the least bit impressed with either. Almost everything in their house is labeled "organic" or "free range" or "100% natural" and comes from the nearby whole foods store. It's kind of funny. I haven't tried shampoo bars, though.

interesting, angel. so you don't like jason? i haven't tried it but thought it might be good b/c all natural. maybe i will try some shampoo bars.

whoa! when did i become sapphire?  cool

Roomtogrow, I know what you mean about the kitty.  I have a Himalyan that I got when he was 5 days old (ears and eyes still closed) that a person wanted me to euthanize but I convinced them to sign him over to me.  Had to bottle feed him every 2 hours, 24/7 for 6 weeks.  I tried using a soft brush on him when he was just 7 days old (and every day after that) to teach him that brushing was cool.  Nope, he has literally caused my getting stitches because he hates being brushed so  much.  I do take trimmers to him when I have to...with one person holding his back legs, one holding his front legs and one holding his head....but try to avoid the Lion cut.   Most people forget that an animals fur also insulates them from the heat as well as the cold.  Try to get them to just cut the matts.

BTW, his name is Yoda because when he sucked on the little baby bottle his ears moved like the Star Wars character.  LOL.

I have never used the product you spoke of but I just recently started using the shampoo bars.  I LOVE them.  and yes, i do a light condition after...but only light...the bars make your hair feel like silk.  I was put onto this link

http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/shambar.htm#Shampoo%20Bar%20Selections

by Curly64.  They are great.  Check it out!!!

could be, your poor kitty is just traumatized from the groomers, and is looking to you for comfort. Or, she could be saying "If I cuddle more, will you promise to never give me another silly haircut?" hehe ;D  

I love longhaired cats... It seems like it would almost be cruel to have one down here, at least with no central AC, though. It's barely into early summer, and the temperatures are averaging around 90 F. It's alot worse in august and september.

usually she's ok in the heat, but this summer we haven't used air much at all, since we are cutting costs in energy. but i think in the future i won't do as drastic as a cut on her, but just a trim for tangles as needed. i'm not complaining either about having a very friendly pet, i love petting her. :)
thanks for the input on shampoo bars, jdog. i may try them.

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interesting, angel. so you don't like jason? i haven't tried it but thought it might be good b/c all natural. maybe i will try some shampoo bars.

Whoops. Sorry for the slow response. Reflexes aren't what they used to be, I guess.  :P
   No, I've not tried Jason S&C (that I can remember), but my aunt and uncle have several other Jason products scattered throughout their house. Mostly lotions, hand soap, shave cream, etc. and I wasn't impressed with anything that I tried. I guess the hook for Jason products is they're natural and don't contain any "harsh" chemical ingredients or something. Not sure.  :-/  Either way, not impressed. Just my experience.

lol angel, no problem!
i don't know what i'll use for shampoo. maybe i'll finish this 365 bottle, and figure something else out after that. it's not terrible, but not great either.  :-/

Hi, rtg.  Have you tried to brush your hair on the 3rd day w/ the bbb w/o adding oil to your ends?  It might allow you to go another day before washing.

Looks to me from your avatar that you may be a wavy-if so, look for moisturizing shampoos and conditioners.  My personal favs are Ouidad and Devachan-not cheap but they really work for my dry and curly hair.

I hope your kitty's back to her normal self soon.  Its so hard to have fur babies when the can't tell you what's wrong.

I also get freaked out by deep water.  Probably past life something or other.

sakina-lol-your post cracked me up  :D  i like how you were replying to a few journal entries. thanks for the brushing tip-i will try that and for the shampoo suggestions. and yes,  i am wavy-can't wait for more waves to come with the longer hair.
and you might be right about the water thing.
kitty is back to normal, just grooming twice as much with half the fur. i think she is trying to make it puffy like it was before. she seems happy again though and i got her a new yarn mouse.

RTG, did you check out the link I sent you?  I believe you are on another continent from me so it may not be worth it...but was just wondering if you look.

JD

jd, thanks i did just look at it. i may buy one-need to do more research. thanks though.

well-was out of town this past weekend to see some family. that went really well. i'm enjoying the long drives too, since the weather has been gorgeous. i roll the windows down and turn up the fleetwood mac. although while i was out of town, a favorite band of mine played in my hometown-which i somehow didn't find out about ahead of time. so i was sad to miss that, but will keep a better eye on their concert schedule. :)

my part-time job is going well and i have a possible lead for a full-time position. at this point even a "possible lead" has got me excited. i'm just trying to be diligent and keep looking. in the meantime, i like my part time job and have a few good books to get through this summer.

kitty is finally accepting her new hairstyle-although she spends as much time or more grooming than she did with the longer coat. she is shedding less though and i was able to check her for fleas very easily-which made both of us happy. (so far we haven't had trouble with fleas, but i try to keep an eye on that.)

in the hair dept.-i'm very annoyed with my wash schedule of three days. it is getting greasy by day two, and since i don't have enough length to braid it yet, it just looks blah! at work today i pulled it all back but it still looked kind of stuck to my head at the crown, and not in a sleek way. i'm going to wash tonight and do acv for first time. may need to go shampoo shopping online this week as i don't even want to finish my current bottle of 365. so i may take everyone's suggestions and order a shampoo bar!
how long do those bars last generally?

oh, i did look at a pic of my hair from back in march, and it was so much shorter! so i am showing fast growth, just need to be patient and keep finding new styles as it  inches down my neck.

ok, i did my first acv rinse earlier today-did shampoo, acv rinse, and conditioner. it just finished air drying. so far my hair has more of its natural wave and body-so i think i did need a good clarifying rinse. it also feels a little dry at the bottom, so next time i'll leave conditioner on for longer. i liked it though and will keep up with it. so far i've incorporated two treatments from longlocks- evoo and acv. as i keep going with this all natural hair thing, i will try more. :)

RTG, you go girl.  Been thinking about doing the drastic cut lately so I have been thinking of you.  Keep up with the work...worth it.

JD

thanks. what cut jdog? you aren't cutting are you? believe me, it takes forever to grow back from short choppy length  >:(
but a little trim is different, and may be needed.  my hair is so hard to style in this growing out phase, i am looking forward to having more styles as it grows. i haven't been using product in it, except shampoo and conditioner, so it looks crazy all the time (fluffy on the sides, and little pieces poking out when i pull it up) . so i just need more length which will come in time.

RTG, no I have not been chopping it.  I just feel  a little overwhelmed by life and that nothing is as I would like it so it has crossed my mind to cut it off.  I think everyone goes through the self pity thing once in a while.  It is nothing special.  Funny thing is I have achieved a lot.  So, no, I will not chop it all off.  

Have you tried looking at some of the hair recipes on this site and looking into the shampoo bars?  I use the Mud and Clay bar from the site I sent you before.  I love it.  It makes my hair feel like silk when I wash it out and it looks great when it is drying.  I also use a couple of the deep conditions from this site.  I had meant to do one yesterday...but I think I will be doing it today.  There is one of Curly 64's that I am dying to try...but go figure, I ran out of coconut milk when I finally got all the other things together.  I have to get out to buy some.  

As I said, from your pic,  I think our hair is fairly similar although yours is most likely thicker.  I found that once it got passed the shoulders, it looked nice.  It has a wave like yours which tends to sprout as wings and stuff when it is short, but at the length I have it now (not that long) it just does a nice wave from the ears down.  I must admit I have a bangs.

Good luck.

JD

hey jdog hope you are feeling less overwhelmed soon. ...oops, kitty is trying to help me type. ok much better-i will try a shampoo bar from the site that you recommended. i have tried the acv and evoo that i learned about on this site. i'm going to try some of the more interesting deep conditioners in the recipe book here soon. yes i can't wait for my hair to get past the "fluffy wing" phase of having wavy hair. and i'm growing out my bangs too...which should be long enough to pull back in about three months-yippee!

btw, nobody needs to feel bashful about having the days when you want to cut-because i am queen of that, and indeed my previous will power failings are why it is so short now.  :P but i know what i'm about now, so i can do it. all that to say, i totally understand what you mean jdog about other things in life getting complicated and then feeling like "my hair is a floppy mess, i should just cut it!" i felt this way last month but i didn't cut! yeah!  ;D

i wasn't supposed to be on a wash day today-but since i was in a smokey area for most of last night- i washed quickly before work and just went with it wet. not ideal, but better than before. i'm still finding it's greasy by the third day-but i don't want to wash every two days. maybe i just need to try the shampoo bar and see if that helps. also if i acv more often, it may take care of the extra oil a bit. i know as it gets more length and maybe after summer (it's been hot here) it will ease up on on oil.

well i took a lovely bath with some salts that hubby got me. i love organic bath products! this was a rose infused bath salt and it smelled wonderful! i love taking nice long soaks-and now i can deep condition my hair and stick it up under a cap while i'm relaxing.

i've been using witch hazel on my face at night, to take off extra oil. it's really working well with my skin. a friend recommended it and it's helping with some of my sensitive skin issues.

on the hair front-wish i were going somewhere special today-my hair has perfet shine and waves- when i wake up it usually is going ten different directions and puffy-but not today. just smooth and soft. not sure what i did different but it's nice  :D

well need to go sort the back room today and get rid of some clutter that's been lurking back there. i went through my clothes recently and got rid of a bunch of odds and ends and feel much better. i tend to be a pack rat, so i have to do ritual sortings to keep things neat. i also buy second hand, whenever possible, because i like the idea of reusing resources and i like things that have character. so as a result, i have a lot of variety in my wardrobe-and lots of vintage treasures.  

warning: hair complaining ahead  :P :P

i have a job interview coming up and not sure what to do with the hair. too short to look professional pinned up (which is how i've been wearing it most summer days) , because of little loose strands everywhere-but since i'm not using styling aids anymore (no hair spray, gel etc.) it might look kind of blah. maybe i should move up my 1/4-1/2 inch trim to this week instead of later in the summer-so the ends look nicer. as you can probably see from my avatar, i have a little bit of layering left from my shorter cut, but i will get this all one length soon. i've been wanting to wait until it's a bit longer so all one length won't look too short, but may do it soon so i don't have a false sense of how long it is getting when really it's just the lower layer  growing out like a mullet. i am anti-mullets, just so you know. oh wow, if i could go back in time and warn the younger rtg not to ever get short layers...boy would i!  come on time travel, where are you when i need you? heh, heh. ugg

since my first of many hair goals is shoulder length, all one length, i may need to get it all one length soon. then it won't be so painful to even it up later, when i feel that i've gained several inches but still don't have it one length. the back seems to grow out faster than the sides, so that's what i would have the 1/2 inch taken off of. does this happen to anyone else? it's very obvious with shorter hair as it grow out. the good news is, i'm taking care of it from this shorter length, and so far it's feeling pretty soft even though i've been off the cones for 6 months!  i have a little squirt bottle of olive oil in the shower now. i mix in a tiny bit with my conditioner to make a hair mask of sorts every week. seems to be working for now.

Hi, RTG.

Perhaps, for your interview, you could kind of do a slicked back sort of thing with a dramatic side part. Think Perry Ellis. It looks great on short hair. Just an idea.  :)

RTG, I have no suggestions for what to do about the hair...sorry.  I do want to wish you the best with the interview though...if it is a job you want.

Ok, I know there is talk of hair masks here...talk to me pls...what are they and how do they work?

JD

thanks angel for the side part suggestion. i may try it and will let you know how it goes.

jdog, i'm not sure what others do for hair masks. i've kind of made my own up...just deep conditioner with olive oil mixed in underneath a cap overnight. i'm doing it in the summer more often, since the heat makes it really soak in and gets my hair soft. i know kiraela uses one too but i'm not sure what she puts in it. maybe we could ask on the general forum and get some good recipes and tips.

thanks for the good wishes about the job. i'm not sure if this will be one i really want, but i'm really wishing for my own classroom so i'll let you know how it goes.
oh darn, wanted to take a bath tonight but it's storming out (lightning) so may need to wait til that's over.

RTG, you must be thinking of someone else... I was going to second the "hair mask? what is this hair mask you speak of?"

oh, oops, k! ha ha. this is becoming like a mystery. the Mask of the Red Hair! (i.e. similar to Poe's masque of red death.)
hmm we will have to keep searching for what a hair mask really  is. i have made my own, but it's more like a deep conditioneer (conditioner and olive oil over night).

RTG, please fill me in when you solve the mystery....Signed..Dying to know...or otherwise known as

JD

ok j-dog will let you know if i find hair mask info :)
The trim:
so decided not to trim for a few more months. my reason was not damage (as my ends are still nice) but because the bottom of my layers is growing out into a weird shape. however i decided since my hair is still so short, i'll wait to trim until it's a few months-worth of length longer-and then get it all one length. until then, i can pin it all up or partly up since i don't really like how it lays when its down right now.

tomorrow is a wash day with acv rinse and probably deep condition if i have time. if not i could wait to wash it tomorrow night, as long as its decent for work.

it is now long enough to mostly all make it up in one of the claw clips. as far as i know, these aren't damaging if they don't pull hair, right?

job stuff

well i'm still looking for the full time position. had a good interview yesterday, but couldn't tell if the person who interviewed me really liked me or just is very positive with everyone. we'll see. i'll keep you posted.
btw, angel, thanks for the hair style advice for the interview.  i ended up wearing it parted to the side with my little bit of waves.

today is great weather-sunny and perfect. i'm off to take a walk with a friend later on in one of the city's parks.

on a sad note, my tomato plant (only have one since i'm in apartment) is starting to look bad. the leaves are turning yellow and some are getting little holes. i'm new to growing tomotoes so not sure if this means it needs more water or less water.  from some articles i read online, it may be a fungus too, although i just recently got this plant at a nice nursery so i may need to call them or take it in.

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btw, angel, thanks for the hair style advice for the interview.  i ended up wearing it parted to the side with my little bit of waves.

hehe You're welcome, RTG.  :)  Your style sounds cute! You didn't happen to get any pix, did you?

no pix of that style, angel, but i will take one of it pinned up with a flower (will take and post soon) which is how i wore it the other night to visit friends for dinner.

hair news
i have a new hair idol in real life-she has almost waist length wavy brown hair. very pretty hair. she was rude to me when we met and then the second time i ran into her, but maybe she's just like that with new people. plus it is possible that rude people could have great hair  :o wow, that seems unfair of the hair fairies though. it's ok, since i only want hair like hers, not her personality. or she could be very nice and i just don't know her well enough.  

this afternoon i'm going to deep condition and then it's a wash day. i am finally doing this three day wash schedule, so only washing twice a week-which is pretty amazing for how short and somewhat oily my hair still seems to be.

i also want to celebrate (happy dance) that i was able to appreciate and compliment my friend's new short hair cut (chin length bob) which looks cute on her WITHOUT THINKING "I SHOULD CUT MINE TOO!" in fact, she is my hair opposite-because while i've been short haired for last six years, she has had long hair i think. so she's trying something new, and i was able to enjoy her cut on her-but still know that i want to wait patiently while my hair takes it's blessed time to grow out! this is a fairly historic moment for me in my hair-consciousness,hee, hee so i knew i should mention it to you all. news alert: rtg is actually being patient!  :o

RTG, Good for you!!!!  Keep on growing and hanging in there.  You will make it.

I want to write a bit more...but a storm is just rolling in so I had better sign off until it passes.

JD

YAY! *hug* Patience is hard work!  Any word yet on the job you interviewed for?

thanks for asking k. no word yet on that job interview, so i'm being patient in that regard too. ugg all this patience is exhausting  ;)
anyway, so you know how i was all proud that i only wash my hair twice a week now and it's far less oily? hubby casually mentioned that he shampoes only once a week. he has thick wavy hair a little past his ears. hmm. maybe i can shampoo once a week, just think it would get greasy and flat.
also a question for those who oil...where do you buy jojoba oil and the other oils people use?

Ok RTG, tell HUBBY Yo

oops, kitty hit 'post' before I was done.  sorry.  I have fed him now so he is busy and wont do it again.  LOL, I will post a pic of him once I get back to work since my best one is on my work computer.

Tell Hubby you love him dearly and then shoot him.    ;D   Once a week...grrr.

I get my oils from my local health store.  I dunno if that helps.

JD

thanks j dog. i will look at my health food store for some good oils to start off with.
btw, went to a renaissance fair this weekend and had a blast. saw some very beautiful hair on men and women as well as some great hair sticks for sale and many cool accessories. i plan to return there next summer when i will hopefully have more length and be able to buy some cool hair jewelry.

new product report: yeah!

so i spoiled myself at the health food store and spent about 40 minutes wandering the shampoo shelves. ended up buying JASON lavender strengthening shampoo and conditioner. used it this morning and love the smell. can't speak for the texture as  i'll need to see how my hair is in three days. also got some rosemary hair oil in a tiny expensive bottle. i put a little in last night just at the ends. that smells great too and isn't as heavy as the only other oil i've tried-olive oil.

now on to my favorite harping subject:
job search. today after getting home from my part time job, which btw is going great, i spend two hours calling schools in my area and looking for open positions. did some faxing, and will hopefully get an interview out of it.  sad news on the interview from last week-they hired someone else with many more years of teaching experience, which i can understand but of course still stinks. btw, angel, it wasn't because of my hair, because thanks to your suggestion-my interview hair was very cool.  ;) so the search continues.
dear hubby pointed out that God wants me to have more patience with myself and with these kind of processes and i know he's right. ugg. patience. i'm trying to have it, but i've been looking for over four months!!!! eek.

anyway, on to a much happier subject. we bought a little bistro table for the balcony. perfect spot for me to drink my coffee each morning. the kitties come out with me and look at birds, while i start off my day slow. my plants are looking good and one tomato is almost ready to eat! yippee! so now the balcony, tiny though it is, is all festive with a red table and red tomatoes adorning it. since we are in the city, it's our version of a back yard so we fit a lot of living into that tiny space :)

also, found a very cool resale shop near my pt job. i know i've mentioned on here that i buy clothes second hand most the time, and i love finding cool bargains. i found a beautiful beaded necklace (looks handmade) today for two dollars. that was very exciting.

ok, off to change the laundry.

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btw, angel, it wasn't because of my hair, because thanks to your suggestion-my interview hair was very cool.  ;)

hehehe Aw, shucks.  ;D  *blush* I'm sure you looked quite chic.
Be thankful that you at least have a part-time job to tide you over until you find what you're really after. It will come along. Just hang in there.
   And think of it this way...with the new stuff that you just bought, your hair will look even better for the next interview!

RTG, I was getting worried about you!!!

So sorry you did not get the job, but your hubby is right...be patient...because what is perfect for you will come.  

I hope you really like your new hair shampoo.  Let us know.

Oh your balcony sounds so nice.  I can see you out there with the kitties.   How nice.  And I hope you enjoy your tomato.  LOL, here I am with land and not one tomato plant...OK, next year...it is on the list.  I love tomato sandwiches and fried tomatoes and...well you get the point...funnily enough I do not lot spagetti and stuff...I think I prefer tomato raw or close too.

Hope you are good.

JD

jd- thanks for the good wishes about the job. i know i'll find something one of these days.
i am doing well.
we are going to eat the tomato tonight atop a salad, which should be great.  i do like spaghetti (vegetarian) every now and then, but really prefer raw tomatoes. my favorite is making little sandwiches of tomato, basil and fresh mozarella. delicious!
you should definitely get a tom. plant for next year so you can have fresh ones. when i was growing up, we lived in the country and had an asparagus patch. i hated asparagus then, but now that i'm an adult i love steamed asparagus and wish i had a patch of it outback. :)

I just love asparagus.  I cook it on the bbq.  I just spray a little olive oil on it and let it roast away.   Mmmm, that tomato sandwich description made my mouth water.  Ok, the fresh basil it going on the shopping list for tomorrow night.

yes definitely, that's a great sandwich jdog! and the grilled asparagus sounds wonderful!

hair news:
ok last week's celebration of getting my hair on a longer wash schedule (4 days in between shampooing without being too greasy) may have been a bit premature. we were out of town this weekend, and i ended up getting mud in my hair (yes mud) while climbing down a muddy creak bank to look at some fish. that was very fun and rewarding, but i ended up shampooing my hair early cuz it was dirty. i didn't have my all natural shampoo and used a friend's cone shampoo, which my hair didn't like. then it got all frizzy. i oiled it last night when i got home, but apparently oiled too much and it looked gross this morning. ugg. so i shampooed it with my jason stuff and now i'm starting over on the wash schedule. not a huge deal i realize, but my poor hair is all confused now. hopefully it won't start producing too much oil again. also i'm tired of my two alternate hair styles (down, like in my avatar) or pinned up with little bobby pins. can't wait to be able to braid it and have more options.
so far, i really like my new jason shampoo. does anyone else use this?

other news:
tomato plant is doing great and i'm onto a new book in the jordan series. k-i'm on book four and it's  really good so far.
well, it's nice outside today so i'm going out to do some reading on the balcony.
no news on the job search yet-same old same old, but i have more peace about it right now which is good.  ::)

as for the hair, i think i'll repost new pix and measure in the beginning of august.

yahoo, new pics!!!  Can't wait.

BTW, I did buy fresh basil and tomato and enjoyed it to no end. Funny how we forget the simple and wonderful recipes.  I was thinking I have not had a cucumber sandwich all summer!!  Yet I aways have fresh dill here!

JD

Omg, all of this food talk is making me hungry! hehe

RTG, I can sympathize with getting tired of your 2 standby styles. I wear mine in a braid almost every day and have never been especially fond of it.  :P
   Maybe you could try parting your hair on the side and holding it back with a thin, glitzy headband. Your hair is kind of at the "short, cute" length right now, so that style might suit you. Have patience.  :)

thanks angel, may need to pick up some cute head bands and give that a shot. good idea!
jdog, now you've got me thinking of cucumber sandwiches! yum! i love vegetables, although i love bread too...so i have to keep an eye on that latter obsession.
ok, can't chat long today. i worked this morning at my pt job and am covering a short evening shift too, so i'm heading back there soon for tonight.
i put jordan on hold to read the final book in the harry potter series. i've enjoyed some of the others, but am not gaga like some folks around here. :) it's a fast read, so i should be back to my other series by wed.

i've been very distracted from the job search and daily life lately b/c a family member of mine is chronically ill and may be passing away soon, so this week i'm taking off from work and driving  out to visit her. i know it will be hard to see her in such a weakened state, but i really do want to make one last visit so i'll be off the site for a few days after wed. it's going to be hard to see her like this, but still, i know she is leaving on the best of terms with her life, family and God.  

I'll say a prayer for your sick relative,RTG.  God's speed.

thanks curlgirl

;)

well as i mentioned before, i was out of town last week visiting my very ill relative. she died on sun. so i will be out of town again later this week for the funeral. while it was not unexpected, it is still very hard and hasn't entirely sunk in for me. i am very grateful though that i got to say goodbye to her, and know now that she is no longer in pain from the very aggressive cancer.

just wanted to check in at the boards and let my friends here know why i'm off line a lot and distracted.  

*massive comforting hug*

Cancer is such a dreadful thing. *hugs* It took my grandmother and my dog last year and my neighbour earlier this year. I feel for ya.  :(

BIG HUGS RTG.  Not sure what else to say...nothing will comfort you.

JD

((((hugs))) I am very sorry to hear of your loss.

I'm so sorry for your loss,RTG.  My deepest sympathies to you and your family.

thanks all, i really do appreciate it.

well we are back from traveling to the funeral and i'm tired but happy we went. it was good to see my family even in a hard situation like this one. it was good to share good memories about her and talk about her being in heaven now and no longer in pain. thanks for all the good wishes.
then on top of that, i'm still looking for the right full time job for me, and since it's in education- i'm getting nervous as we near the beginning of the school year. i just want to know where i'll be so i can get focused before students come back. sigh.

hair:

i'm planning to take a nice soak tonight and maybe do an oil treatment or something.  have been having an itchy scalp lately and even wondered if i have dandruff, although don't seem to have too many flakes just the itch. i of course (being a teacher) wondered if i'd picked up lice from a student since that's always a concern in elementary schools, but have had that checked and thankfully-that's not the problem. in addition, hubby thought i was crazy for thinking i had it and he joked that i was "bug-phobic" since when we went camping i thought i had a tick on my leg and didn't. hee, hee.  wow, having lice would have freaked me out on top of the other actual important stuff going on in my life. i imagine its a huge pain to get rid of lice if you have them. so no lice and probably not even dandruff. just an itchy scalp for now which could even be related to my skin's sensitivity to many things. any suggestions for soothing my scalp? i'm not using anything with cones in it now, and pretty much am all natural with my routine.

i've been wearing it pinned up when i go out, so to balance out any stress on my hair from bobby pins, i've been wearing it down around the house and trying to be gentle when it's wet. i don't use rubber bands, just bobby pins so i think it's ok since i don't pull it tight. as it grows out it will be more of a relaxed updo with fewer pins to hold up the tiny pieces.

well this morning, if i can get hubby to wake up and get moving  ;) we are going to go down to a bike coop and see if i can find a good used bike to ride around the city. i will probably be working too far away to bike to that, but would like to get to ride around for my errands and for fun. still i don't want to spend much-which is why i'm looking at used bikes. also, i'm so short that i need the smallest women's bike frame they sell, without getting into the children's bikes. hee hee. wish me luck. shopping for a bike will be a nice change from all the stress of the past few weeks. then tonight we are having some friends over for hotdogs (veggie ones) and board games. yeah!

Just a comment on the whole lice ordeal....

It's definately a pain to get rid of. Nothing to be freaked out about though, it won't kill you.  Glad you don't have it though!

Just thought I'd comment.... because I work in a daycare  ::) haha  I see it there alot.

I never had lice as a kid, not even once, my whole way through school... until I started working at a daycare. So many children want to hug on you and sit in your lap.. It's easily spread that way. The good news is, I don't think it survives more than 24 hours off of the human hair. Just thought I would throw that in... You did say you are going into the teaching profession right?  So, if your class happens to have a case of it, over a weekend when you come back to your classroom, you should have nothing to worry about. This is just assuming that you may oneday get it in your class. haha But lets hope not :)

http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/prodinfo.asp?number=3293&variation=&aitem=4&mitem=18

Try this on your scalp.  I really like it.  Also, sometimes when my scalp itches it means that I need to use real shampoo (most of the time I use devacurl No Poo) and then it quits itching.

Good Luck!!!

sakina and jess, thanks for the tips. i'm very happy to say that was only an irrational fear of mine and i don't have it! yeah. sakina, i'll take a look at that oil-thank you

so ladies, the school of my choice called me today and OFFERED ME A FULL TIME JOB!  :) :) :) :) :) :) :) i'll be teaching literature-which i love to do!
yeah!
so no more sending resumes for me this summer. all i have to do now is get ready for the school year in the next two weeks. yikes! but i'm so excited!

Congrats, RTG!!!! *hug*

Woohoo! Congratulations, RTG!  :D

Hooray!!!!  Good for you,RTG!  Congrats and all the best!

Congratulations on the new job! :D

thanks angel, k, curlgirl, and bb for all the kind words! i'm so excited about this new position-and also realizing i need to get organized for the school year in two weeks!!!! most my teaching experience has been in lower grades, so this my first year with older students. i'm really excited though.
wow.
things have just happened really fast it seems like-lots going on in the past week.

lol! Don't forget to breathe,RTG!!! ;)

thanks curlgirl...good reminder and one i frequently need  ;)

you're welcome!

well autumn is coming and with it-business for a teacher! i'm so excited about my new teaching position, and am working furiously and planning my classes out. hmm, i may even go buy two new work shirts to celebrate...i really need more professional clothes. i'm so drawn to gypsy-like patterned clothes that are more flower child than professional, although thankfully, teaching is a career where you can be a little less rigid in dress than say..an attorney or something. so right now i do have a full closet, but most of it is not good for work.

hair-it is growing!!! i was glad to notice some of the thickness coming back as my waves grow back in. i have big, wide waves, not tight small ones, so when it's short it looks chaotic at times but when it's longer it has a good shape. a house guest of mine tried my jason shampoo and vinegar rinse and she really liked it! so may have gotten someone else hooked on the stuff. now for the fall, i'm going to wear it to school in wide head bands (down) or pinned up with a few nice jewelled bobby pins i found at a boutique. it might be a little wispy on the sides until they get longer, but i think that's ok.

also need to measure up and post a new pic soon.

YOU GOT A JOB!!!! YAHOO [smiley=vrolijk_26.gif]

thanks jd! i'm so excited.

well, i went to the eye doc today and found out i'm getting a sensitivity to lenses! so i picked out some tortoise shell glasses today and will be a glasses girl now most the time, except lenses for special occasions. hopefully these will look cute on me. after trying on several frames they all started to look alike-especially since i was blindly trying to see them in the mirror since they don't have my prescription in them yet, so i just picked ones that were sort of cute.
hair-pinned up in a million little pieces-nice and soft from today vinegar rinse and then conditioner.

RTG, so sorry you are having problems with contacts.  On the bright side, glasses are in now-a-days.   I have been blessed with good eye sight so far...but when (not if) it goes...I don't think I could do contacts...you have read my journal...eye surgery and anything to do with the eye makes me feel...sick.  I have had to do surgery on animals...but I dont HAVE to put contacts in so I don't think I could.  I am sure you will look great in your glasses.

Take care chum,

JD

I am right up there with JD with the eye phobia. Watching eye surgery on TV freaks me out big time!  :o  And seeing irritated eyes makes my own eyes water. I totally couldn't do contacts either.  :P
   My bff wears contacts every day and he likes to take them out while I'm on the phone with him and give me all kinds of graphic descriptions...just to mess with me. Bleagh!  ::)

And I can totally see the irony of trying to select a pair of cute frames when you can't see.  :-?

I've never had much of a problem with contacts... but eye surgery still freaks me out! I don't mind putting something near my eyes myself, but anybody else doing so... NO WAY.  I hope your new glasses work well for you and look good doing it.. mine don't really do either anymore.

hee hee, you girls are so funny! lots of people have weird eye phobias. my hubby is also freaked out by me wearing contacts, and touching my eye ball on a daily basis. i don't have a phobia about that, but am not so sure about eye surgery. i think i'll stick with glasses and just wear contacts when i'm really dressing up.
as for the frames, they aren't ready yet, should be by tomorrow so hopefully friends and family will agree with my selection. if not, oh well, cause i'll be the one wearing them.
i have a good friend who needs glasses but she's too vain to wear them, which means she has to squint. i've tried that, taking them off in pictures, etc, but i HATE not being able to see details all around me. like individual blades of grass, and the colors in each person's eyes, and all the details of the world! so i'd rather be able to see than to be seen as fashionable i guess. :)

hair:
i'm really liking this jason shampoo and can finally see some growth after the summer! yeah! i need help from hubby to measure up, but will do it soon. i'm also using the vinegar rinse and olive oil deep condition weekly and they are both really making my hair soft and silky.
also i'm getting back my appreciation for my own hair color as it gets longer. i like my  deep brown color.
only trouble now is being patient for it to grow long enough for a few more styles. in the mean time, i'm getting proficient at different updos and using headbands and scarves.

hmm, no new glasses yet. they are still being shipped to my doc's office. i guess because wearing them all the time is a new thing for me, i'm excited to get my new ones. i guess a watched pot never boils.

hair-washed, acv and conditioned yesterday. today, soft, but a little wild in the morning. my waves are still short enough to go in any direction in the morning, so i always am surprised by new patterns they create on their own. :-/   right now i've just pulled it back in to what's gotta be the world's shortest pony tail. grow, grow! argh.

not much else to report....have been  planning out my classes-which start in a week and a half...with the new school year!  wow, summer went fast. i'm really excited about this new school and new position, and am trying to just skip over any nervousness i have and keep a positive attitude about it.

i picked up two new work shirts the other day-one a chocolate brown and one a deep slate blue, they are the kind that hopefully won't wrinkle too much. not dazzling but very practical, which i need at this point, as i don't have enough work clothes. now all i need is a heavy duty back pack or brief case to tote all my teacher supplies around in and some black ballet flats.

k-i have had to put robert jordan books to the side for a few weeks, as i've been reading lots of classic lit. to decide what to teach in my lit class this year. hopefully will get back to that series soon. i love reading all these dif. books, but am really in suspsense in book four, so need to finish it soon!

I hate to say it, but that suspense? it just keeps getting better... or worse depending on which way you look at it ;P

the shirts sound pretty anyway, even if not "dazzling"... anyway, good luck on the school year. :) hug

RTG, you spoke of being nervous...well I have much respect and admiration for you.  I mentioned I do scientific reviews and as such I have to present my findings for each big review to about 30 people who are the 'experts' in my field about 3 times a year.  I have to tell you, I stress over the prepping for 2 weeks before, don't sleep the night before or eat for 24 hours and pace (and well smoke a lot) the day of until I do it.   I HATE public speaking!!!!  I stumble over every word for the first 5 minutes (I have learned to literally write up and read the first 5 minutes worth) and have to make every effort not to speak at 100 miles an hour to get it over with.  My talks are 1-2 hours long.  HOW DO YOU DO IT ALL DAY EVERY DAY!!!!!

JD

thanks k for the hug! yes, i need to get back to book four. i love how exciting it is.

jd-i do get nervous on first days of school, etc, but then settle into the year after that. as for public speaking, sometimes it gets me anxious, but i'm used to talking with students. :)

wow this morning, instead of getting on with things i need to do before starting my new job next week, i fiddled around with my hair and some clips. and i made a discovery...instead of having to use many bobby pins to keep the sides from getting fluffy, if i just use my BB brush (and it's like day two or three since i washed) i can kind of sleek the sides back and then pull the rest up in one clip. don't worry, it doesn't look slicked back or greasy, it just seems to stay put better when i use the bb brush instead of a comb first. isn't that weird?

Well yesterday I met up with an old friend. Last time I'd seen her she also had pixie length hair. Seems she's been doing some growing, as it's now well past her shoulders and looks great. She's going to keep growing it out, and I think it really suits her. I'm probably a few months behind her progress, as she started growing it out sooner than I did. So I think I may be at full shoulder length (meaning, not just the back layer, but the front layers as well) in about 6-8 months. That's when I think I'll go in and get it all cleaned up to be one length all around. I'd do it sooner, but then it would feel way too short for me to know I'm making any progress with growing. I think it's a mental block. :)
Does any one else get those?

The big trim....happened yesterday! I went in and got the bottom half inch-3/4 inch off of the longest layer. It was only growing that long in the back, so it looked mullet-ish, which was driving me crazy and didn't look professional. So now all of it is one length-she just cut it to the length of my front layer. (There were two layers before: mullet almost to base of the neck in the back, and just below chin in the front) So it looks a bit shorter but really isn't that much length off, and will make it easier for me to see how much it's growing all together. Also, it feels much thicker and softer in the back, as she took off the little stringy bits. I think this will look better as it grows out. Also for me, it's the front and sides that grow slower, and those I didn't take off any length from, so should have it all to shoulders by Jan or Feb. YEAH!  

Just conditioned today to get rid of the salon shampoo she used on me yesterday. It's drying now and feels really nice on the ends.

Well today's my last day at pt summer job, and then the full time job starts late this week. Yippee!!!! Hubby didn't understand why I needed to clean out my closet and put my nice clothes in the front and go on an ironing rampage, but for me it makes me  feel a bit more ready. Is that silly?

That's not silly. It's called being prepared. Saves time and makes for a lot less rushing around in the morning.

Isn't it nice to finally get all of your hair to one length?  ;)

Not silly at all.  You go RTG.

JD

thanks!!

well it's been a bit crazy as i've started my new job! i'm really liking it, but it will keep me quite busy most days.  back to school time is always full of new beginnings and lots of work.

the hair:
i'm still washing every three days, deep conditioning alot as the last few days of summer are very humid here. i've been just combing it down with a side part and wearing it like that lately. i'll alternate that with pinning up the back.

guess what? i'm alive and still growing out my hair. :o i've been off the boards for a couple of weeks, due to being very busy at my new job. i love my new job, just am going to be in the "learning" curve of it for a while...so that keeps me busy!

since i got the hair trimmed all to one length it looks much better down than it did before. it feels a little shorter than it did, but that's only because the back layer is finally matched to the rest-which my longhair sources tell me-will be better as it continues to grow out.

i'm on the three day wash cycle, and letting it air  dry. however, as fall and winter move in, i'm going to need to wash it at night so it can dry overnight or something. what do you guys/ladies do to help it air dry in cold weather? i don't want to have to wake up too early to have it dry before going outside each morning.
how is everyone doing? your hair?

Good to hear from you again, RTG!

Congrats on getting your hair to one length! That must feel like quite an accomplishment.  :)  I've grown out a few different "layers" myself in the past, and I can just barely remember when my hair was finally all at one length. Seems like forever ago...


Quote:

what do you guys/ladies do to help it air dry in cold weather?

Hmm...I don't really do anything differently. I let my hair air dry every day, but I do take some precaution to protect my wet hair when I have to go outside in the cold so it doesn't freeze. Other than that, nothing.


Quote:

how is everyone doing? your hair?

I think our hair journals could answer that for you. But in case you haven't time to read them, I'm doing alright. Finally parted ways with Mr. Long Distance - good riddance! And my hair is at just about 25".  :)

RTG,

I hope that being so busy is worth it.  In other words, I hope you like your job!!!  Tell us more!!

As for air drying...I wash my hair on Sunday afternoon and leave it to dry, Wednesday evening as soon as I get in...and leave it to dry...and depending on my weekend...I might wash it on Friday, again so I can leave it to dry.  Of course, as you may recall, I run M, W and F at work.  On those days I rinse my hair and condition it and leave it to dry in a pony tail during the afternoons.  I have a hair dryer in case I have meetings those afternoons which might be once or twice a year.  Of course you have to teach everyday so that would not work for you. That is all I can tell you.

Hope you are doing well,

JD

hey ladies and gents...just hopped back on the boards today to read up on journals, write a bit and check for hair tips! i've been busy, but still faithfully doing my acv rinses, deep condition...etc.

well jd, apparently it takes me about a month to answer questions! lol! :)
my new job is going great! i love my school and my students...and it is keeping me very busy. i'm one of those folks that  generally enjoys being busy...i stay happier, worry less, and am more likely to invite friends over for dinner. i tend to get moody when not a lot is going on. so, skipping the whole psychoanalysis of that comment, i will say that i do use my weekends to rest up, by reading, taking baths, and spending a long time picking out groceries (like tea, and shampoo) and just hanging out with hubby and the pets.

HAIR
my hair gets its own paragraph today, because it is doing really well. ALL of the layers are even, since my aug. trim, and it's getting its bit of wave back as it gets longer. i don't have tight waves, so when it's really short it just goes every where, but i'm starting to see the wide waves as it grows. while it still doesn't look like long hair, i know it's come a long way since i cut it all off in january. my goal (especially since it's all one length now-is to keep it growing for the next few months, and then the next few after that, etc. with only trims when needed. without reviewing my hair history, most of you know i 'm working on the baby steps with growing it out. i.e., three more months without cutting, dying or otherwise ruining it! it's easier to stay motivated now that it's even on the ends, and all natural.  

i really love my jason lavendar shampoo and conditioner, and am doing a wash about every three days-with deep treatment of olive oil and vinegar wash about once every week or so. i've also started oiling just the bottom half inch (to help avoid split ends) with rosemary oil. i think it's one of the heavier oils, but it was the only one i could locate in the drug store and i like how it smells, so good for now.

i've been wearing the hair pinned up, especially since even now that it's october-we've had excessive heat here, which is odd for us. the weather should be turning to fall pretty soon now, and i'm looking forward to it-especially because i love walking in brisk weather and wearing sweaters.

Good to see you back online--I can understand how busy you are, though, with the new job.   :)

RTG! Welcome back! *hug* glad to see everything's going well for you!

RTG,

I had to take 5 to read your journal.  I am glad you are happy even if you are busy.  I know what you mean about the more you have to do, the more you do.  You know the saying "Give the busy person the work" is soooo true.  The busier we are, the more we fit in.

Sooooo, you say your hair is doing well but I don't know how long it is!!!  Dying to know.  I was trying to think as I drove home today if it was last month I measured or if it was 2 months ago.  Guess I will have to check.  I certainly have not measured it yet this month!

I know you read my journal and that you know I am not keeping up with everyone.  LOL, by like March I might be able to.  But I will put that in my journal.  Still, I am glad you are back and I hope to sorta keep up with you.

JD

oops, thanks JD! yeah it's been really busy and while i still do things to be nice to my hair, i haven't been on the boards much.

well its about two inches from brushing my shoulders! yippee, although i've been guilty of dorky hairstyles at this length. i've  tried pinning it all up,or at other times, pulling it back with a claw clip. some days it falls really nicely, but not always.

also, i'm not talking to my friends about it (obviously except long locks friends) as they are suggesting that i "get it cut again to grow it out". i.e. "get it reshaped." since i've been keeping it trimmed, it's pretty healthy, just not shaped. i'm wondering though how i could keep it growing if i get it shaped all the time-as when i used to do that it just would get shorter again as stylists interpereted me wanting a short cut. so i'm going to skip the shaping and just get trims as needed.

my hair has been more straight this year-i'm thinking it's hormonal as i've been on a new prescription for something. i still like the jason shampoo  (lavendar strengthening) and it seems to really help my hair feel thicker at the ends. maybe that's my imagination. anyway-i've been eating well so that may be part of it.

work is going really well and really busy-i think that' the norm for most people and i just need to find my balance in the midst of it. i'll post a new pic soon. just need to get hubby to take it.
: )

Nice to hear from you again, RTG. Can't wait to see your new pic.  :)

Well Angel and jd, the picture might be a while as I'm dawdling over taking it. ;) My hair still seems pretty short when compared to how I want it to be, although to give credit where it's due-it has grown 6  1/2 inches in 2006 (since I had it in a pixie cut last Jan.)  So if I can log that many inches next year, I'll be to bsl length in not too long. I'll try to post something soon.

I've kept up with the three day wash schedule-even tried to go longer with it, but since my hair is still just barely at my shoulders, it doesn't seem to make that much difference to my "length" if I wait longer to wash-but does make my scalp greasy. So until its longer, I'll stick to the 3 day schedule. I was very happy to stumble upon the Jason lavender strengthening shampoo at my neighborhood grocery store, as I usually have to plan ahead and buy it at a health food store. I've also been wearing it down much more, and happier with how it's falling around my face. It does seem as ridiculously short as it was (keep in mind that this is all relative, as many of you have much longer hair than me-I'm just comparing to how mine was a year ago :)

Well Christmas is almost here, and I'm excited about it. I'm glad we'll see family, and have some time off together. Work is going well, but keeping me busy, and at some points stressing me out, as I suppose all jobs can do if one lets it to get to her.  I do like it though, so I just need to keep my perspective-and nothing helps restore that like a few days off for Christmas. Although we see family, we keep it low key-not too many presents. More emphasis on
spending time together, singing carols, having dinner as a family, playing Scrabble, etc.

Due to some stomach issues I've been having this year, I'm on a more careful diet now and doing yoga daily instead of only a few days a week. Since I switched over to this, I've been sick a lot less often, although this weekend I have a stuffy nose (inevitable since many friends have it too). I've totally cut out caffeine, which made me a bit sad as I love my morning cup, but since I have it's helped my stomach hurt less so that's worth the trade off. Perhaps in the long run this will help my hair be more healthy from the inside out too.

Well, it's snowing again. I have some errands to run today but am feeling so cozy on the couch here, I may just read a book. It is-after all-the weekend.  

well we are back from our holiday travel. i picked up a bit of a cold, so i'm staying in today and taking it easy with some herbal tea. Christmas was great-and we even ended up having a white one! we are taking down our tree today-it's lost many needles. i love having a real tree and we kept this one for over a month! it smells heavenly. its snowing again today-although it doesn't seem to really be sticking. it's hard for me to believe it's almost january 2008.  

hair news:

i have a hair question...does anyone find that their part extends down over the crown of the head into the back? i've noticed mine does in several pictures and looking in the mirror and i don't like being able to see my scalp back there. it's just a thin line-where the part is, but i thought the part was only supposed to be on the very top of the head? maybe it just shows since my scalp is very white and my hair is dark? hmm. i've been eating very healthy (except for last week..ahem...too many sweets at Christmas) but otherwise have been generally healthy and sleeping enough.  i would almost prefer not to have any part at all, but even if i don't make one with a comb one still shows up. my hair is slightly thinner and straighter than it was a few years ago, but i've been told this could just be a hormonal change and that hair texture can change for people every few years. has anyone else experienced this?

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about (the part in the back of your head) and i HAAAATE it!!  Let me know if you find any useful solutions for this and I'll do the same.  

The part of your hair runs from your hairline to your cowlick - that's a point at the top/back of your head where all of your hair actually grows in a circle. It's most noticeable in babies or people who have very short/very little hair. But everyone has them.

Cowlicks are not usually very visible on people with long hair, but they can be detected at the end of your part. This is natural and there's really no reason to fight it. But if it really bothers you that much, you could try ending your part at the top of your head, just a few inches before the cowlick and then combing the rest of your hair straight back over the cowlick so it is covered. Follow?

thanks angel, i'll give that a try.

No problem, love  ;)

Hmm, I just spent about ten minutes in the Target shampoo aisle looking for a good natural deep conditioner-but maybe that's not the right store if i'm looking for cone free stuff-which i am. So for tonight i'm just going to leave in some Jason conditioner and olive oil in a cap. Mmm-greasy-but THE HAIR is so soft afterwards, so it's worth it.

The next two weeks at work are insanely busy. I planned to bring some work home with me, and I did-but right now I find that after a  full day of work, lounging on the couch and reading Longlocks and Robert Jordan is just much more appealing.  ;D

THE HAIR is doing well, growing out more slowly it seems now in Dec. and Jan, but that maybe related to our frigid weather. Or is that a rumor? Mine at least seems to like summer better, or at least I do.

oh and i did a double french braid today! :D  parted down the middle and two little braids with the bottom tucked under. not the fanciest braids or the longest but my first ones since I was a little girl with long hair! i will post a new picture of them soon. with a few more inches, they will be easier to do, since there are still some shorter pieces poking out on sides.

Hey, RTG, long time no see! Congratulations on being able to make the twin braids.  I'd love to see pictures. :) How far have you gotten in The Books? Did you hear that Robert Jordan's widow has officially chosen an author to finish the last book? I've read a couple of chapters of one of his books, and I definately think he can do RJ's story justice. http://www.dragonmount.com has a news story on it, and an interview with him, if you're interested and/or have time.

*hugs* glad to see you're still around.

Hey RTG, I had to drop in and say HI.  Sorry I am gone a lot.  See my journal for details.  Hey, when do we get a new pic?  Your hair must be getting quite a bit longer by now!!

Cow licks...ya, I have them.  Nothing I do makes them go away.  Such is life I guess.

JD

arggh, i just wrote a longer post and it was deleted somehow. must have bumped a button.

hey jd,i will need to read up on your journal. it's good to hear from you again. here's my new pic.  on the "show off your locks" link i posted an old pic from june of last year so you can see how much it's grown since then. it's still not nearly as long as i'm going for, but it is progress which frankly-i've been needing to see. and seeing two pictures of before and after helps me keep perspective and patience.

i was going to post one of my first braid also, but it's still pretty messy so i'm going to keep working on the braiding skills and should have a nice one in a month or so after another 1/2 inch of growth on the sides. those pieces are just still short enough to come untucked. the best braid for me so far has been two side french braids with the ends tucked under as BB suggested. i'm hoping to have a good french braid by summer which is when hubby and i will be going to france! i've never been but we've saved up and with a generous gift from family are able to go for a bit. should be great. so i will have french braided hair in france! can you tell i'm very excited at the prospect?

well it's freezing and snowing again. i'm reading Annie Dillard as a reprieve from Robert Jordan (whom i still love, k!) she writes about nature so vividly, the images stick with me throughout the day. it's also making me miss living in the country-and though i like our big city for many reasons, close proximity of friends, museums, etc, i still love the memories i have of growing up in the country. jumping in big piles of leaves, biking down along old railroad tracks, etc. horseback riding! there are places to ride in the city, but way too pricey and lots of rules and liabilities that are annoying.

work is going well, but i've had a cold the last few days. ick. am starting to feel better now with lots of tea and sleep. i've been pretty healthy but this seems inevitable with all the friends and family passing it around :).  well, back to reading.

RTG,

WOW, you hair has really grown and it looks great!!!!!!  How long is it now?

I hope you have a blast in France.  It is a pretty country.  Where in France are you going?

Take care,

JD

thanks, jd! i finally feel like i'm making progress and its all virgin hair which means it feel softer.  not sure about the length, i need to measure. how are you? and how is your hair growing?
we will be driving from the south of france up to paris, and stopping a lot in between. i need to start figuring out the specifics of our itinerary. it should be amazing and we will be there for our fifth wedding anniversary!

An anniversary in France?!?! *swoon*

i know, right? i'm so excited....
and i'm trying to lose ten pounds in the next five months before the trip. not that hubby doesn't know what i look like, but i've got some pants i'd like to wear in france, and let's just say that currently they aren't so lovely when i squeeze into them. :) i don't really do diets though, am just trying to exercise at least four times a week and eat smaller servings. we'll see how it goes.

well i had a very long week at work and ended up...skipping my workouts most days and getting stressed out. bad. i'll try to get back on that again this weekend.

along with that busy week, i forgot to wash my hair the other night and ended up having to wash it before work today in a rush. then, since it was 3 degrees outside, i decided it was the lesser of two hair evils to blow dry it for a two minutes on low than to wear it wet outside and have it all freeze and give me another cold. so i dug through the closet to find the blow dryer, which i swore off last year and haven't used since. it wasn't horrible, but i'm glad i don't really use it anymore (some friends of mine blow dry every day! that must be bad for their hair.)

i've been wearing my hair up in a scrunchie a lot lately-not the most professional of looks, but one that evolves in the course of the work day. i start with my hair down and then a few hours later-find that i have put all my hair up. kind of funny how i don't even notice when i do it. i need a few more inches to really be able to make my french braids neater. the sides are still wispy and they slide out of the braid, making it look more lumpy.

tonight is friday night, and some of the more social plans i had fell through-and i opted out of another thing. it sounded nice to just chill at home-wearing my wool pancho-because it's freezing outside. i'm also reading and just enjoying sitting down. hubby is off to see friends-and normally i'd be with him, but tonight i feel like spending time on my own. this used to not be important to me, but now it really is. i think my need for solitude is growing each year, and also directly related to how many people i see in the course of a work day (i'm surrounded by people at work as a teacher). i used to feel grouchy and tired on my own, and now i feel refreshed afterwards most times. this is especially true when i work on a project i've been wanting to do for a while-a painting, putting photos together, etc.

just got back from a twelve hour work day...had to finish up a major project with some other folks. now i'm home and i'm beat...will wash my hair tonight, do a few house chores and then pass out.  :D

oh, and today i saw some old hair picks from  a long time ago when my hair was shoulder length and just down. it just looked kind of floppy and flat. that made me wonder how i'm going to style it when it's a few inches longer. do most of you wear yours braided, up or down most days? is it a style choice or to keep your hair nicer? hmmm.

WOW, a twelve hour work day :o

I had today off for President's day but I have been doing nine hour days for the past two weeks and I am always telling people eight hours is too many ::)

Jerry

My hair gets braided almost every day. Keeps it tangle-free and out of the way. I'm not much for styling - I'm very meticulous and just don't have the time. But on date nights or special occasions, I'll usually make a simple updo. Like the usual vertical double buns.

Somedays, I just leave my hair down. Sometimes parted on the side. Sometimes parted in the center and pinned up on the side with barrettes. And sometimes I just comb it & go.  ::)

Styling stresses hair, so the less you do to it, the better.

jerry-yes, a very long day...but i made it through it.

angel-yeah- i guess "styling" wasn't the word i meant, because i haven't used heat, sprays or really anything except scrunchies and a few bobby pins on my hair in the last year. so not styling-but rather how i will wear it. i like how braids look, if they are pretty thick. my hair isn't long enough yet to really make a nice braid-so i don't know how thick it will look. right now i just wear it pulled back in a ponytail most days-kind of plain. i'd like to braid more, but probably won't really start doing that until this summer and a few more inches.

well i'm having some friends over for dinner tonight-but all i want to do is go to sleep for a while. why am i so tired this week? (well, aside from the frigid temps that are enough to make anyone want to crawl under the covers)...lots of people at work have been sick. maybe i'm fighting something-and my body does that by getting really tired. i usually can sleep a little extra, take some more vitamins and drink tea...and avoid getting sick, or at least very sick.

i've been on the boards recently, but only reading not having time to post. i just visited my grandparents in a warm sunny place for a week and am now sad to back in the chilly midwest where it seems to be raining everyday. my hair was very wavy in the warm humid weather, but now it's back to wider waves which don't show very much without a lot of length (which i don't have yet). i've mostly been doing pony tails these days, and wearing it down to dress up a bit. i was looking through some older hair photos, and i noticed that my hair has gotten darker this year. i'm wondering if it could be related to medication i've been on. has anyone else experienced this?

It's funny that you should mention this because just this morning, I was looking over some old photos of myself as I grew up and my hair has definitely gotten darker over time. Thank goodness. I went from strawberry blonde at age 5 to auburn at age 17. Most of it was seeing less and less of the sun though.

Naturally blond hair grows progressivly darker as one ages.  This is in preparation for the inevitable grey hair.   :)

angel-yes, it could be getting darker with less sunlight-since i'm in a place that's not sunny most the year. trisha, as for the gray hairs bit, hopefully that's a ways off :)

Oh, I'm sure it will take years before you see any grey hair, dear!   :)  But remember, most natural greying takes years to accomplish, so the transition (gradually getting darker) will take years as well.  

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angel-yes, it could be getting darker with less sunlight-since i'm in a place that's not sunny most the year.

That'll do it. Sunlight has a major effect on haircolor - more than most people realize. Although, it could be genetic as well. I've known 2 people who were blonde in childhood and had their hair turn dark brown all on its own as they got older.

yes it does seem to be darker each year. i was a dark blonde as a child, and it was brown in highschool and college although now the color seems to be darker with more red in it.
i've discovered that my hair seems to get oily faster with my all natural jason shampoo. i used some with cones last week and was able to wait an extra day to wash without it sticking flat to my head (which doesn't look good with my length of hair). i'm still planning to go cone free, as this seems to have made my hair generally healthier this past year, but i wonder if the cones just make it look more manageable. hmm.

it's rainy and cold here, so it doesn't seem spring-like yet. this was a long week at work, so i'm glad its drawing to a close.  :)

I am so anxious and sad. We lost our cat this morning-early in the am we had an earthquake near us and our back door came open while we were sleeping. when we woke up the door was ajar and our little cat was gone and we've been looking for her for hours! we live in the city and she is not an outside cat so i'm very worried. we've hung up signs and been talking to neighbors, but no sign so far.  :'(

Cats can sense earthquakes before they happen, so she may have run someplace to hide. Then again, most indoor cats will run for the hills and not return if they are never let outside. I hope you find her! *hugs*

we did find her! she was inside the insulation of the basement walls. i'm very happy to have her back.

Congratulations!  My little escape artist figured out how to open the door to the garage the other day.  Normally this would not be an issue, except the garage was open.  Fortunately she came trotting by, clearly on her way to somewhere else.  She did NOT want me to catch her.  Ever since then she has been BEGGING to be let outside.  She swears she will come back.  I believe her.  I trust she will.   I just don't trust the kids, and the cars, and the owls, and the...

I am glad your baby was safe.

Very glad you found your cat!!   :)

thanks everyone! i'm glad i found her too!

well-it must be a hippy moon rising, because i feel some earthy rants coming on. and not because it is earth day, it's just some topics i've been thinking of....ok, you are warned.

well, what do you ladies think about all natural body products-i mean i'm assuming most of us here use natural hair products, but do you think it's necessary to avoid all chemicals-in dish soap, tooth paste, moisturizer, deodorant, etc? i made a switch a few years back to more natural products, using jason hair products and tom's deodorant and burt's bees face products but still have quite a few chemical products in the house as well. a friend of mine has switched to all natural, chemical free products as much as she can afford to and has been praising it for health benefits and better skin. what do you think? i definitely believe that everything absorbs into our blood stream through skin, but at the same time, our world is soaked in chemicals, so can it really be avoided? these products are also far more expensive than the average product with chemicals...but it may be worth it in health and environmental benefits. and if our world is in an environmental crisis, why do we continue to make cheap products that are harmful to us and the earth, when for a little bit more short term effort with long term benefits, we could all have natural products and foods!  >:(arrghhh!  hmm. just something i'm mulling over.

on another note, i've become anti-makeup lately, not that i was much of a wearer before, just mineral powders and mascara. now i'm not even wanting to do that...it seems my skin-for better and worse-is my skin and is it's own unique tone with blotches, freckles, lines, etc.

this has a bit to do with how i started wearing makeup several years back in high school. it wasn't to "experiment" with or "play up" my look. i was embarrassed by my imperfect complexion and after starting to wear makeup, i quickly realized that many people responded differently to me, and were complementing my new look. it wasn't really me though. my skin, however, is  me and i'm annoyed that i got sucked into the obligation many women feel to be "made up" in order to feel ready and confident for the day. obviously not all women feel this...i mean, many can just wear makeup for fun and have no feeling that is adds to their beauty or confidence. many though, myself at times included  -eep, have felt that we owe it to those around us to look a certain way or present ourselves as brighter and less flawed than we really are most mornings. this is then preyed upon frequently by cosmetic and clothes companies, in the guise of helping women feel their best, when it is actually insecurity-induced consumerism, or so it seems to me. i've also read in a report that women absorb up to four pounds of chemicals through their skin from cosmetics annually! that's a bit disturbing, if it's true. if not, well never mind on that point, but the rest above still holds. :)

so no, i'm not throwing away my mineral makeup (it was 40 bucks after all and that's a lot for me. ahhh!) i'm keeping it on the shelf with the mascara in case i want to wear it one of these days, but i'm also not going to let myself feel obligated to cover my face in colors to perfect the skin that so faithfully covers my body, keeping my organs in and germs out of my body. it's my skin and i want to be comfortable in it.

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but i'm also not going to let myself feel obligated to cover my face in colors to perfect the skin that so faithfully covers my body, keeping my organs in and germs out of my body. it's my skin and i want to be comfortable in it.

Bravo for you, RTG!!!   8-)  I agree that we should do everything within means to be chemical free.  However, some folks like me live within a very tight budget.  So I do what I can...  I've never worn a lot of makeup; only mascara and the odd urge for lipstick a few times a year.  Recently, though, I went so far as to throw away my lipstick and lip gloss.  I'm a Burt's Bees lip balm kind of gal, and I really don't need anything else.   :)  I think my short term goal will be to do away with the mascara as well.  My husband thinks I'm beautiful without it--who else do I need to impress?!   ;)  

When the masses stop believing all of the marketing ploys that they/we see on tv, in print, and hear on the airwaves, then maybe we'll all stop trying to fit ourselves into their conception of "beauty".  I, myself, am on a quest to find my hippie chick roots.   How does that one Beatle's song go...?  Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeah, let it be...
8-)

I have a novel idea...

How about just doing whatever you're comfortable with? Seriously.  ;)

hmm, that was sort of my point angel. rants aren't fun unless you rant.  ;)

yeah, it's warm today!

hello everyone...
well this seems like an incredibly busy time of year-but i'm still enjoying it and taking certain moments to relax with a book and a little coffee. my hair is still growing-albeit slowly for now-and i wear it half pinned up most days.

just a question-has anyone added red to dark hair with henna? i am interested in playing up the red undertone in my brunette hair-maybe by adding some red for the summer but i want it to be chemical free. i'm wondering too, if i can successfully add this myself or if i need to have someone else do it. i've worked with henna before to make temporary henna tatoos, but haven't used it yet on my hair. so i'm just wondering-do i add stuff to to the henna? what liquid should i use to mix it? i'm also not sure how it would look on my hair-as i don't want a drastic change of color, just a little brighter undertone. i still want to be brunette. hmmm.

ooh i just found the link hennaforhair!

well, with the delay of spring i've been hankering for a change so color has been on the brain. hair color. but since i've already decided against chemical hair coloring-if i do color, it will probably be henna. for the time being-i'm not going to henna my hair, since i'm not sure about it. if i do decide to, i may get a friend to help so i don't end up dying my ears orange accidentally.

my hair can technically now be braided, but it makes a short little nubbin   :P of a braid, so i haven't been really wearing it that way yet.  i'm definitely getting closer to that goal of a good looking braid, so i'm just going to keep waiting for a few more inches. my bangs are growing out, at least long enough to pin back now-which is great! sometimes i can make a very cute updo for work with just a few bobby pins. my only annoyance with that style is that if the wind picks up at all it goes from looking soft with a few loose pieces to messy with some random hairs sticking straight out. my hair also tends to get more flat on top, as it grows out. sometimes i can do a zigzag part for a little more body on top, other times it's more fluffy or flat depending on humidity.

it seems like the old "evil" shampoos with chemicals and cones did give me more style control that the all natural ones do. i'm sure these are ultimately better for my hair, but that's just one little result to complain about. i guess when its long enough for nice braids, it won't matter if the top lies flat on my head. maybe that only looks weird with shorter hair.

my hair is in need of a wash, but i don't want to wash it today as it's more wavy than it's been in a long time (due to the heat and humidity we had yesterday, probably.) so i'm enjoying its natural waves, which although subtle will probably show more as my hair grows out. i did a french braid the other day but still needed to pin the little side pieces above my ears, as they were falling out of the tops strands of the braid. i could leave them kind of wispy as well i suppose. i also have been experimenting with small buns, but i have to use many pins for this as its still not long enough for a continuous flow of hair to be wrapped around itself with hair sticks or something. how long does hair have to be to do that?
i still haven't bought any hair sticks as i was waiting to have enough length to try different styles with them.

hair

well my hair is really soft today and will hardly stay pinned back in the bobby pins. that's ok, i'm just bumming around today and its kind of breezy outside so i dont' mind if it does its own thing.

dream

i dreamed  last night that i'd bobbed my hair for my upcoming trip.  in the dream my hair was also lighter than it is now and everyone complemented me on my more "sophisticated" style but i was frustrated with it. when i woke up i was very relieved to find it not bobbed. sigh. this was strange as  most of my hair dreams tend to be of me reaching my goal length and having very long hair that i can braid easily. meanwhile my patience comes and goes with this growing out project. it really does take a long time. i think it will seem faster when it's BSL as i should be able to braid it better then so i'll have more options of how to wear it.  i hate this medium length...arrrggghhh. i know its an inevitable and necessary stage in the process.

freaking amazing trip

as for the afore- mentioned trip...we leave in a few days for our trip to europe. as i mentioned before, we do not generally have the money to gallivant around the world but an amazing person gave us plane tickets!!! i'm very excited for the trip and am planning out what i want to see during our time there, as well as what i'm going to pack and wear. i'm trying to pack relatively light so i don't have a lot to lug around. thanks to the good influence of long locks i don't use  (or even own) a hair dryer or rollers or any of that stuff that some folks insist on trucking around in their suitcase. really all i need for my hair is my comb, some pins, a tiny bottle of shampoo and conditioner and my rosemary oil (which i'm not sure how to pack so it won't explode in my bag.) i can also pack a couple of versatile outfits. the only thing i'm not sure about is shoes. i have some very comfy shoes and then some very pretty shoes. i know i may want to dress up there but when we go out to a show or dinner, it will probably be at the end of a long day of walking so i may want to have one pair of comfy and dressy.  i am very happy for this great opportunity and honestly it feels kind of surreal it probably won't feel real until i'm actually on the plane. obviously i will be off the boards for a while but will update when i get back.  ;D

Have fun in Europe, RTG!  :D

Enjoy!!!

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i dreamed  last night that i'd bobbed my hair for my upcoming trip

Ah yes, those pesky hair dreams!   :P  I've had a couple of those, particularly last year, right around the time my hair was what I consider to be mid-length.  Maybe it's that "in between" phase of the growing that triggers a flight-or-fright response in our brains.  You know, cut it now and be done with it, or keep on keepin' on.  

Your trip sounds wonderful; hope you have a great time!

thanks everyone! we leave tomorrow....yeah!

trisha, don't worry i'm not going to cut it and i'm just ignoring those hair dreams unless they are the good ones of reaching my goal length. i know that patience is the virtue that i need to work on when it comes to hair. :) so i'll keep waiting for it to grow and just keep good hair habits.

hey everyone
we are back from an amazing trip to france...i'm still a little jet lagged but at least i'm waking up and getting things done early in the morning. here is my hair loosely french braided in front of chartres cathedral, a gothic cathedral outside of paris....a beautiful place! you may not be able to see my hair very well-i couldn't insert the link directly into a post so i just made it my profile picture. i'll try it again here:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa31/strick75/ChartresCathedral.jpg

let me know if you can't see it.

[Edited by Bikerbraid to display the picture]

as you can see...i still need a lot of practice with the braiding thing.  ;D i also need a bit more length.   :P

Ahh, Chartres Cathedral, so lovely!

And your hair color looks fab. Is it natural?

yep! and thanks!

it's hot here...and i like it hot. the sun is bright during the day and the nights are breezy and beautiful. i'm doing most of my work at home, which while it's nice to not be commuting, i end up getting very distracted by projects at home (like, why is that book shelf so full? i should reorganize it. or, maybe i should scrub the kitchen floor.) while i try to keep my house pretty clean, i'm not one that particularly enjoys cleaning so these thoughts are just proof that i'm getting distracted from my work.  :P

i've been noticing that my leg hair has been growing super fast since it has gotten hot. i've had to shave more often.  >:( hopefully this means my hair is also growing faster in this weather. i can't really tell and didn't measure last month so i won't really be sure how its going this month. i've been doing mostly pony tails in the hot weather-kind of boring-but my french braids aren't really presentable yet. i am working on them, but the problem seems to be that the sides are still not quite as long as they should be for a proper braid. besides that, i just haven't had much practice. i'm trying to now practice when i'm watching tv (which isn't too often) so that it becomes more natural for me.  the one that works best is when i do one french braid on each side of my head and then pull them together at the bottom, but that one still needs work as well.

yesterday i did an evoo and lavender conditioning treatment. i put it up in a rag and let it soak in the 85 degree weather. i had to really lather my shampoo later to get the oil out, but my hair was very fluffy when it dried.

we had thunderstorms all night last night.   ;D it started before i went to bed and seemed fairly mild, but i woke up a few hours later because my cats were running through the house making weird sounds and pouncing on the curtains, which were whipping in the wind because the windows were open. my cats get so hyper during storms. the lightning was just beautiful, streaking down and lighting up the dark tree limbs outside our window. i sat up for a while in bed just watching it but hubby slept through it. he missed a good show. only thing was, i should have thought about closing the spare room's windows first...the floor and some of my stuff got soaked  :P only thing i'm worried about is an antique hat box that is now drying-hopefully it won't fall apart.
i love how everything smells after rain, so fresh and vibrant. even in the city. i'm in a neighborhood where we still have trees and they love this rain.

i got a great hair compliment today! a friend told me my hair is really beautiful as it getting longer, and that it seems very shiny and healthy! i mentioned LL to him, mostly because this site helped me figure out natural hair care and how to be nice to my hair. it's strange to think that the good hair care practices that now seem basic to me (because i'm used to being gentle with my hair now, using natural products and no heat etc) were once new information to me.

anyway-i've needed to wash more often this summer-it's been hot and my hair gets oily faster. instead of shampooing i've been doing light conditioner and a good rinse on days when i don't want to wash it but still need to do something.

i also figured out a new and easy hairstyle-just pulling the top into a half pony tail and twisting and looping it through itself so it looks like a french twist on both sides. very easy and cute.  ::)

I'm glad that you enjoyed your trip!  That picture (and your hair) look very nice!

About your hair dreams...has your hair ever been at you current goal length before?

I'm just asking, because when I dream about my hair, it's ususally falling out (which it's done in the past) or it's in a short swingy bob, another style from my past.  I've never had a dream of myself with waist length hair and I'm figuring that it may be because I've never seen myself with hair that long, so my subconscience can't place that image into a dream. :-?  Although, I'd love to have dreams like that, but then again... I'd probably just wake up depressed that my hair really isn't that long yet.  At least when I have short hair dreams, I wake up relieved. :P

very interesting question, la diosa. i only had my goal length hair in my initial dreams that caused me to first start growing out my hair. now my hair in my dreams is either at its current length or i've cut it short again and i wake up worried and then am relieved that it is not cut.
maybe i haven't fully envisioned it either. i know i'm also not appreciating my hair's current length fully because i'm focused on getting it to BSL and then longer. occasionally i need to stop and appreciate that right now it is healthy and pretty and longer than it has been in a while, even if i'm a long way from my goal length. :)
i also dream a lot, and very vividly. in fact this morning, i woke up hubby by asking a question loudly in my sleep...it made sense in my dream, just not spoken out loud. he is used to my vivid dreaming though.  ;)  so when i have  good dreams, they are very intense and i remember them when i wake up. same for bad dreams, but they are far less common.

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i know i'm also not appreciating my hair's current length fully because i'm focused on getting it to BSL and then longer. occasionally i need to stop and appreciate that right now it is healthy and pretty and longer than it has been in a while, even if i'm a long way from my goal length.

It's really easy to be like that sometimes just because hair takes soooo long to grow (well, at least mine).  I've gotten to the point where I'm like "okay, I'm grateful that it's longer than it was before... but let's get growing already!" ;D


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so when i have  good dreams, they are very intense and i remember them when i wake up. same for bad dreams, but they are far less common.

My dreams can be vivid as well.  A few months ago I even bought a dream journal.  It's a really cute spiral bound hard covered journal with lined pages and beautiful illustrations on the front and back covers.  I keep it on the nightstand next to my bed.  When I have really good or interesting dreams I write them down in my journal.  It makes for some interesting reading.  I love re reading my dreams though because I love the abstracts which occur so often in dreams and just the pure fantasy of them.

interesting...i tried writing down one of my dreams recently and i got all confused. as soon as i tried to remember specific elements of it, they faded from my memory, but when i didn't try to focus on specifics and just thought of the general mood of the dream i could kind of remember it. dreams are so interesting.

i remember as a little kid i'd try to "program" my dreams. if i wanted to dream about horses, i would sit up at night thinking about horses and looking at my horse books until i fell asleep. sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  i'm sure my subconscious mind was just sifting through whatever i'd been thinking about that day.

i haven't had a hair dream recently, but they tend to come more often when i'm frustrated with the growing-out process and right now i'm being patient with it, so maybe i don't have additional hair thoughts that i'm mulling over.

oh, i almost forgot to mention this...when i was in france (two weeks ago, as i mentioned on an amazing trip) we of course went to the Louvre. i am a complete art nut about classical Greco-Roman sculpture, and about Renaissance paintings. so we walked around for five and a half hours, sitting down on the floor for small breaks so my brain would not overload from the sheer volume of gorgeous sensory input :) . it was really interesting to see how many subjects of paintings had long hair, both male and female. i kept finding myself drawn to those paintings and sculptures. there was one sculpture of summer embodied, and she had long wavy hair down to her waist with flowers and branches woven into it. the marble was so luminous, she really looked alive. i'll see if we have a photo of her...just beautiful. hubby joked that if it weren't so many security guards standing around everywhere, he knew i would try to unpack my little back pack and secretly live in that museum quite happily for the rest of my life, sneaking out occasionally to restock on baguettes and coffee.

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interesting...i tried writing down one of my dreams recently and i got all confused. as soon as i tried to remember specific elements of it, they faded from my memory, but when i didn't try to focus on specifics and just thought of the general mood of the dream i could kind of remember it.

Yeah, I've found that it helps to just write and not think too much about it as you write, the details just come.  Sometimes you may have to go back and revise the beginning or details that you may have left out but they typically do come.


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i remember as a little kid i'd try to "program" my dreams. if i wanted to dream about horses, i would sit up at night thinking about horses and looking at my horse books until i fell asleep. sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.  i'm sure my subconscious mind was just sifting through whatever i'd been thinking about that day.

:)

Usually, if I watch a movie right before bed I wind up dreaming about it when I go to sleep.  Sometimes I even have dreams that aren't based on any movie but it would seem as if they would be, like once, I had a dream that I was posing as a nurse to keep myself out of jail durning ww2, really weird. ::)


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it was really interesting to see how many subjects of paintings had long hair

I can imagine.  

Reading books on Greek mythology is what gave me a desire to grow my hair long.  I loved all of the illustrations of the beautiful goddesses, nymphs and other characters with long thick wavy hair.


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there was one sculpture of summer embodied, and she had long wavy hair down to her waist with flowers and branches woven into it. the marble was so luminous, she really looked alive.

Sounds like something sculped by Pygmalion of the Greek myths.  I bet it was beautiful! :D

I like the thought of you living in a museum maintaining on a diet consisting of only coffee and baguettes! ;D

Oh, RTG, you are my heroine, babe. I have always wanted to visit the Louvre because 1.) I too am a total art freak, and 2.) I speak French and have always wanted to visit France. It must be completely amazing to see priceless original masterpieces of all the ages face to face. And you have lived my dream, sistah, so therefore, you rock.  8-)

yes-la diosa, i would happily do that if i could. btw, now that i'm back i am not satisfied with the bread i've been getting at the local market. i need to either find a good bread place or make my own. :)

thanks-angel! you should definitely go at some point. i plan to pool my tiny funds and return again some day (in the distant future). perhaps by then my hair will be nearing classical-length! i am a total art freak and amateur painter as well. to give you a hint...i got an old dining room table and sanded it down (the original wood was kind of an ugly color) so i painted an entire scene in blue, gray and other night tones. then i glossed it with a finish so it is heat resistant and can be wiped clean with a damp rag. now it is my dining room table. of course then i had to paint five other paintings on canvas to go around the dining room-to pull it all together. :)  good thing hubby is pretty laid back about me sanding and repainting furniture.

That table sounds nice and creative! :D  Perhaps you could post a picture of it sometime.

Sounds pretty cool, RTG.  :)

Painting is definitely not my forté.  ;D  But I still do a little here and there...few and far between. My paternal grandmother was a master with acrylics and we have a few of her originals displayed throughout the house.
   My usual mediums were pencil, charcoal and photography, though I've not touched any of them for quite sometime. These days, I mostly write and sing.


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good thing hubby is pretty laid back about me sanding and repainting furniture.

;D  No kidding. Mine would freak out if I even moved a piece of furniture without his consent (naturally, I am no longer married  ;D).

yep-he's a good sport about that-fortunately.  :)

well it's a wash day for me so i'll do that later...it's been three days and usually my head would be more oily by now, but it this case i think it needed the extra oil not to frizz out in the super hot weather we've had. so my hair actually looks pretty good today but i'm going to wash anyway.

well we recently went to a ren. fair with some friends. it was a blast, even with rain. i dressed as a pirate of the east indies seas (lots of color and jewelry) and even bought myself a beautiful velvety maroon buccaneer hat (very soft and  worn looking) while we were there. i wore my hair up with a sheer black bandanna threaded through it.  i had about two hundred long hair sightings on men and women-i think the renn fairs attract people who love long hair and beautiful historical fashions ( myself included) and hubby was really laughing at me saying "ooh, look at that braid-how did she do that? oh wow, that's amazing!" about everyone's hair. he was just as excited to see all the different types of armor  and antique weapons men were sporting, so we were both happily surrounded by things that fascinated us. he'd say "wow" and point to a man carrying a huge battle axe and i'd look that direction and agree "it's amazing," referring to the same man's long hair, not the axe. :)  maybe next year i'll go to the hair braiding booth and get something fancy done (they weave silk ribbons into thick multi-strand braids and kind of show you how they do it as you go along.) this was also where i ran into the woman i described in the "brushes with long hair" thread today. she was very cool and friendly. my friend was asking about her music and i asked her about her hair. she was happy to explain both.

la diosa and angel, not sure if you guys have ever gone to one of these but you would probably dig the clothes. la diosa, they sell a lot of belly dancing outfits and even have belly dancing around the drum circle at night. angel, i was also seriously tempted to buy a full hand-woven gossamer fairy dress and leafy corset, but it was too pricey and i think i'm going to try to persuade a sewing friend to make me one instead. :)
well, i guess i'd better get dressed and going for the day.

I'm glad you had a good time at the ren fest! :D

As for me, I've yet to go to one, although everyone is always saying how much fun they are.  I'm sure I would love the bellydancing around the drum circle!  Hopefully, I'll make my way to one next year. :)

I've been to a few. A friend of mine was active with the SCA and she made period garb to sell at the local events. We had a lot of mutual friends, so we would all go as a group. And we also knew one of the fighting competitors, so sometimes we'd watch him.
   All in all, I thought it was kind of interesting, but not really my thing. It certainly would've been an expensive habit to maintain.  :o

The dress you describe sounds cute, but you're probably better off having a friend make something similar for you. Handmade, custom garb is seriously expensive.

yes-it would be expensive to keep up with. which is why we only went once :) . a little renaissance goes a long way.

i'm still here...and i still have hair. this is a busy week-err, month. i've been doing lots of french braids since its hot and i want to practice at them so they don't look wonky on the sides. they are getting better.

still here-busy summer but getting better with french braids!

ahhh, the vacation is over. i really love my summer breaks as a teacher, even when i work part time jobs, it's still such a refreshing couple of months. and it's over tomorrow. i head back for school meetings and school. i'm excited about it and also enjoying my last day of break today.

the hair is good. i'm out of my good shampoo so i'm using the stuff hubby uses until i get to the store. his is alright, just the store brand from whole foods but not as nice as the jason lavendar that i'm addicted to now. it's growing slowly, but at a length where i can pull it back, french braid it more easily and just feel like i have some length to work with (and that's only with it just past shoulder length-can't wait til it's BSL.)

well i've also been watching the olympics when i can as i think they are so exciting. i like watching most of the sports, but i've seen a lot of swimming and gymnastics as those seem to be the two with most coverage due to the celebrity status of some of those athletes. i'm going to try to catch the closing ceremony on fri. or whenever it is.

i hate contacts! i wore them last night to dress up, instead of wearing my usual glasses. then when i got home i got a phone call late at night and ended up getting very distracted. i talked until i went to bed, and forgot to take out the contacts. now i'm searching for them on my eyeball, under my lids, and while i can't see them, my eyes are definitely dried out and uncomfortable. the contacts may have fallen out over night, but arrgghhh. this is why i switched to glasses. because you just take them off and can clearly tell if you have remembered to take them off or not.

my hair is doing well. i need to deep condition it today, maybe when i sit down to do some reading later-which will hopefully happen. i've been trying more braids, although a regular three strand braid (starting at the base of my neck) still highlights how relatively short my hair is, while a french braid makes it look longer since it starts at the top of my head. i say "relatively" short simply because my hair is still much longer than it has been in any recent years-so i'm proud of that-but it is still too short for some of the longer ornate braids i'd like to do.

quick update on the hair: i'm now taking biotin-was thinking about it before but some discussions on the boards got me to start it. we'll see in six months or whatever, if it works for me. i'm also going to try scalp massages more often. some folks on the boards do them all the time, i'm not into a routine yet, although i have been consistently finger combing it when wet, which is an improvement over my old hair routines. i CAN NOT WAIT until it gets longer-especially BSL, which is still probably four inches away.

at certain times throughout the year i become alternately incredibly satisfied or insanely impatient with the current rate of growth i'm seeing. why is this? i don't know, but it must be lunar or hormonal or something.  :P

when i look at things objectively, my hair is doing well, growing at a decent speed and is healthy and shiny. and i can actually braid it a bit. still though, it's a long way from my goal of bsl and then waist length. so when i see others with my goal length hair, i'm usually excited about keeping up the growing but still frustrated by how i'm still not a "long" haired girl, just medium or average length. (although in the city here,  a lot of people have shorter hair then me.) ok, starting to rant. i should go do scalp massage and then wash the dishes.

Rome wasn't built in a day, RTG. It will probably take a few years for your hair to really start looking long.

When I first joined LongLocks, my hair was only 20" long. But I focused on just taking good care of it - maintenance, damage control, great products, etc. - and it grew.

The most important thing you can take with you on your long hair journey is patience.  ;)

wrote on Sep 8^th, 2008 at 4:11pm:

The most important thing you can take with you on your long hair journey is patience.  ;)

arrghhh! patience!

it's starting to feel "fallish" here, which is a season i really love, especially with all the changing colors in the trees and sky. if only winter didn't follow so closely on it's heels.

my hair has has been kind of flat and floppy this past week, so i've just been putting it in a pony tail or french braid and ignoring it, for the most part. i'll probably do a deep conditioner tonight, with my jason conditioner and some evoo and a bandana. i'm planning to get a trim in october or november.
not much else to report on the hair front.

we are now really getting into fall weather and i love it. the leaves are beautiful in their early fall colors and the breeze is always fresh and a little nippy.

the hair is growing at a nice little pace and i'm wearing it braided or in some sort of improvise twisted bun most days. has anyone tried biotin infused shampoo? i have some but don't know if it does much as i thought biotin had to be ingested into the body to help skin and hair. whatever, guess it won't hurt.

i noticed the other day that my hair is medium-to long length in my group of friends. that's new to me, as it used to always be the shortest when i had a pixie or chin length style. i'm also happy that the waves are coming back in.

today is really lovely and we went for a long walk this morning. it was feeling fallish but it's warmed up again today and i wore a t shirt and jeans, no sweater.

last night i made amazing pasta for dinner (mmm, thinks happily of pasta) if i do say so myself. it was a simple recipe with onions, garlic, french peas, blue cheese and a creamy red sauce, but i really am one of those folks who could eat pasta every night (i don't, but i'd like to) :)

i'm going to deep condition today, although i'm not sure if i want to do an evoo based treatment or something else instead. i'll see what i have around.

well it's officially colder here now and i'm switching to sweaters and warm coats. i kind of like it, for now.

my hair is still growing and i've been wearing it down to work a lot.  i still have not gotten into the habit of putting it up at night. at what length is this necessary? mine is between shoulder length and on its way to BSL.

i've been taking biotin supplements for two months and haven't noticed any changes yet, but i'm hoping it will help in the long run. one thing i'm definitely working on is keeping my stress level lower, as it's jumped up there lately by me letting things get under my skin at work. literally, it affects my skin too. :( so i'm working on that, and i think i'll figure it out.

my doctor, who is very holistic and really great, has been urging me to quit drinking coffee. it's the only caffeine (besides that in dark chocolate) that I really consume, since I don't drink soda or anything. I usually have one or two cups of coffee a day. he's been telling me that it's really harmful for my body and will affect skin, hair, digestion, etc. i tried to quit coffee for two months, but i really missed the habit and pick me up in the morning. so for now, i'm still drinking it, but i'm wondering has anyone quit caffeine and really noticed positive physical effects? you see, i'd only quit if it's really necessary. :) i loves me my coffee.

*raises hand* While I haven't completely given up coffee, I have eliminated caffeine from my diet wherever possible. While it never affected my hair or skin, the physical effects of it were things I could certainly do without. So, I drink decaf coffee and caffeine-free herbal tea. That's just what works for me.
   Granted, there are trace amounts of caffeine in chocolate (which I have no plans of ever giving up) and there are the rare occasions where I'll forget to order decaf at the coffee shop or permit a single shot of espresso when I'm really tired. But for the most part, I avoid it entirely.

Coffee itself stains your teeth and gives you digestive *ahem* problems. But there are people who drink the caffinated variety every day without any issue at all. I say listen to your body and do what feels right. If you absolutely can't bear to give up drinking coffee, then don't...just be aware of the consequences and alternatives.

Also, just thought I'd mention that I never put my hair up at night. I have very fine hair that can be damaged from sleeping in a braid, so it stays loose and free. All of my bedding is satin, so that helps.
   I also never saw results from taking biotin. After 6 months, I gave it up as a lost cause. Guess it doesn't work for everyone.  :-/

Maybe your first cup of coffee stays full caffeine, but the rest could be decaf?  

a good suggestion, trisha. i think i'll just do one cup caff., maybe one decaf and that's it. water or herbal tea the rest of the day. :)

I quit drinking caffeinated coffee a few years ago.  The difference that it's made for me is that I no longer have extreme energy highs and lows.  I used to bounce completely off the walls and then crash.  It also was an anxiety trigger for me. :P  My skin and hair are completely the same.  Although now that you mention it, my digestion is worse, but it could easily be the result of something else. :-?  

It's really difficult for me to sleep with my hair out now, but I did it all of the time when it was around shoulder length.  It's just my preference to bun it or something because I can't sleep well otherwise.  It always ends up in my arm pits or my husband will roll over on it or something, then I wind up tugging it when I move my head. ::)

wow, La Diosa, how long is your hair now? i guess i haven't checked the measure up thread lately. :)

i think i'll be cutting back on coffee more, although it's hard to do in winter because i love hot coffee. i'll just switch i think to decaf as trish suggested.
 
as for putting my hair up to sleep, i do it some nights if i think of it, with varying results. sometimes it stays bunned and is more wavy in the morning, while other days the sides slip out and come down while the top stays up. i'll make more of a priority of it when its a little longer. also...i know it's a bad idea but i don't have satin pillowcases yet. sometimes...gasp...i even use a flannel one with my flannel sheets since it is so cold and i hate being cold! so i'm going to get a satin pillow case for myself for christmas, and since i'm not a person who is talented with sewing, i'll have to buy it. :) i wonder if target has them. (limited budget).

i've been french braiding a lot, and letting the top and sides have wispy fly aways. at first i was smoothing these all against  my head with aloe vera gel and bobby pins, but i've since decided the little wisps of hair coming down near my ears are kind of whimsical and frame my face better. also, since the actual length of the braid is still neat and orderly it looks pretty that way.

my husband's hair is long enough to french braid now too, although he just wears it in a low pony tail. he's planning to keep growing his out too. between the two of us, i'm constantly having to steal back my comb and hair ties :) and he uses my jason shampoo, but that's ok, it's good shampoo .

guess what everyone? i still exist. and i still have hair!  i realized i'd been off the boards, (still reading people's posts occasionally but not logged in or posting), but i had no idea it had been since nov. that i updated my journal.
hope everyone is doing well!

new and interesting things i've learned in the past few months...my hair does like cones. i switched to garnier fructise and alternated that with herbal essence conditioners and my hair got more body. of course now i need to do more ACV rinses to get it all clean every now and then, but in general it's got more body with these shampoos and still seems to be growing well. i'll post a picture when i get someone to take one for me. i tried the backwards in the mirror but just kept getting pictures of my ear or shoulder blade. i'm finally starting to feel that i'm on the way to long hair, since it's now nicely past my shoulders but not quite to BSL. i also have been able to do more styles for work, loose french braids with a flower pin, my first buns (although we are talking like a small pecan roll, not cinnamon roll size yet).

other small but colorful developments in my life since then...i have done four new paintings since my last post and have two new plants growing (and staying alive) in my window sill. i'm learning guitar (from a book and a friend) and how to cook french food (from a book and a friend). oh and tonight i'm going to a formal event and will be wearing my hair wavy with a red flower tucked into a loose chignon (that's the plan, i'll post a picture if it is successful.) if that plan doesn't work i'll just wear it down i suppose. i guess that's enough info on me for now.  ;)

RTG! I was beginning to wonder if the intergalactic imps had abducted you...better check for strange bar codes and metal bits just to be sure.

The trick to getting that "camera over your shoulder" hair shot is to have another mirror in front of you so you can actually see what your camera/phone/whatever is taking a pic of. That or just keep adjusting your angles until you get it right (which typically requires taking several million pix and uttering several inappropriate monosyllables). ::)

thanks angel, i 'll give that a try

Hehe...Sure thing, amiga. ;)

things have been going well with the hair, and i've even actually posted a picture. i'm on a summer schedule of conditioning or sometimes just rinsing about every other day, and washing about every three days. i've been wearing it up a lot, like in french twists or half braids pulled up.

a month ago i experimented with pin curls before a big event. the curls looked great, and lasted two days, but i must have not secured the ends properly because my hair was so tangled when i finally tried to comb it out and wash it.  
i'll probably try these again, but will need to seek some advice from experienced pin-curlers on how to tangle it less.