I write a lot, I journal on Microsoft Word, and so when I want to start a new paragraph, I hit return-tab, and then return again when nothing happens.

Very bad instinct. #2 post that went down the drain.  Grr.

So, anyway.

My mother trimmed my hair when I was a child; this was the only contact my hair had with scissors until I was ten years old.  My hair was soft, sleek and straight, and down to mid-thigh. (I have pictures which I will post once I dig them up and scan them)

Then my parents got divorced.  My dad remarried, and I visited him on the weekends.  My step-mother was a hairdresser and refused to have anything to do with my hair.  When I returned home on Sunday, my mother would spend an hour combing out all the tangles, grumbling under her breath and apologizing when it pulled.

This was a point of contention between the two 'families'.  My mother agreed to cut it to my waist, if they would help care for it after that.  We both cried.  My stepmother's idea of caring for it involved daily washing and rough brushing.  She had me bite down on a pencil, it hurt so bad.  I tried brushing it myself, very carefully, but after a few seconds she'd get mad and tell me to 'brush like you mean it' and take over.

Finally she bullied me and my father into letting her cut my hair.  She gave me this horrible thing, like joan jett, but without any body, because my hair doesn't do that.  My mother's hairdresser fixed it by trimming it evenly just above my shoulders.  It was never the same again.

Through high school and college, I dyed and cut my hair a million different ways.  I bleached it and dyed it seven different colors with semi-permanent dye.  Eventually, I ended up with a pixie cut to get rid of all the damage, and I've been going through a cycle of trying to grow it out and cutting it to a chin-length bob.

I don't blow-dry, but I've been washing daily, rarely conditioning, brushing with a metal brush, tying tight ponytails.  I've decided to give it a rest; try washing less, conditioning more, wearing loose braids instead of ponytails.  We'll see what happens!

Oh, and also... ::)

My daughter is in second grade and I've been doing with her hair just what my mother did with mine.  Her hair is golden-brown like her daddy's and all the way down to her waist.  My husband is always bugging me to grow out my hair and he grumps when I cut it, so no matter what happens I know he'll support me keeping her hair nice, and probably mine, too!

Congrats on starting your hair journal!

I cringed as I read about your step-mom's method of handling your hair.  I won't go to a hair salon because of that type of treatment.  Less is best is a good motto.  Less brushing, less washing, less heat - processing - chemicals.  Treat your hair like fine silk and it will reward you with beautiful hair.

Good luck with your hair goals for both you and your daughter.

Welcome to the world of hair journaling, Skyfire.

And OMG, I am so sorry to hear of the abuse that you suffered at the hands of your wicked stepmother!  :o  *hugs* I could never figure out why some mothers brush their childrens' hair so violently. *shudder* It's a relief to know that you're not inflicting that same treatment on your daughter.

But it seems that you've come a long way, so congrats.  :)

Thank you both so much!

Welcome! And just let me say, my mom choped mine to my chin when i was three because i wouldn't let her near my hair with a brush when dry. Tight corkscrew curls and dry brushing really doesn't mix!  

I'm happy that at least one of your moms tried to do what was right for your hair. And that your trying to do the same for your daughters hair.

Here's a pic of my daughter's hair that I took yesterday:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k280/skyfire23/Simoneshair2.jpg

WOW!  :o

I haven't actually brushed her hair in a couple of days--not since I found this site.  I bought a wooden comb, and have been using it on myself and her.  I still have yet to find any stray hairs in it (unlike the rat I pull out of the brush every two days).  Not only that, but she says, "Wow, mom, that didn't hurt even once!"  I've started conditioning her every day, too.  I have to wash her hair every day because she gets the front so dirty.  I try to tell her to wash her hands before she touches it, but she comes home from school with every project she's done that day in her hair.  paint, paper mache. Sigh.

Anyway.  I've been going on about her hair rather than mine.  Hers is so much nicer, though!

Like I said, I've been using the wooden comb and I may never brush my hair again.  I've been washing every third day.  I was afraid to do this, because of the tendency of the front of my scalp to look sort of greasy, but it doesn't really look bad--better than a lot of women I see with their hair all glued down with gel.  I was also afraid it would smell bad, but the night of the third day (I shampooed the next day) my husband took a deep sniff and said, "Your hair smells really nice today.  You wash it or something?"

I use Pantene Classic Clean, shampoo and conditioner for now.  I like it, but I'm going to try some of the other ones I've seen people using on the site--particularly the Restoratives.

I measured 23 inches yesterday, but of course, that's before my big trim in September. :-/

WOW! That's some long hair your daughter has!

Your daughter's hair is so beautiful!  I'm glad you've switched to a wooden comb, it makes a huge difference!

Sounds like we're at about the same length.  Be patient, and keep up the good work!  Your hair will adjust to being washed less often.  I now only wash 2 times a week!

So I tried some oil yesterday--jojoba oil, I got it from Trader Joe's.  I used way too much, I know.  I meant to use less, but it poured out of the bottle way faster than I expected, and I didn't want to waste it...

I put my hair up in a bun to conceal the oily ends for the day (I had already washed, and I wasn't about to wash twice in one day) and then braided it for night.  This morning I woke up and my face was hot and puffy.  I used to get this same reaction as a teenager to skin care procucts, anything that would stay on overnight.  I haven't used any of that in years; gentle soap in the shower with a very good rinse is all my face can handle.  I can only think that the oil was the cause; it got on my pillow and then on my face.  But I've learned my lesson!  Cover my hair if I'm going to oil it overnight.  :)

I weighed myself this morning, and I'm at 194.  I haven't done it in a while, because I had my wisdom teeth removed at the end of June, and I knew I wouldn't weigh true because my diet was off.  I'm finally back on cereal.  Not being able to eat cereal in the morning really messed up everything for me.  It's always been part of my routine, and I felt severely deprived without it.

Anyway, I am glad to be down to 194.  That sounds bad, I guess; most people tell me I look like I weigh a lot less.  My goal is 150, but slow and steady is how I'm going about it.  At my most, I weighed 250.  I weighed about 230 when I was pregnant, and then about 195 for several years after.  I had to move back in with my mom for a couple years, and that's when I went all the way to 250.  My DH was there with us, and the stress...

I haven't been working these past few weeks.  Darn economy!  I'm looking for work, but I'm not getting as much excersize as I would like.  I used to bike to work.  Now I mostly take the bus while looking, and sit in front of the computer.  I should make it a point to take a long bike ride or at least a walk every day.  it would probably help my mood and my attitude and make it easier to get a new job.

I started taking flinstone's vitamins, but I'm going to switch to an adult chewable when I get some $.  I can't swallow anything bigger than an ibuprophen, and then only if it's a gelcap.  I'd take a gelcap multivitamin.  I know they have liquid vits, but they don't seem to have a very good formula.

I guess that's it for now!

Just want to welcome you to LL and the wonderful world of hair journals.   :)  I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience with your stepmother abusing your hair.  That woman gives the rest of us stepmothers a bad name!  From the photo of your daughter, though, you seem to be doing an excellent job.   8-)  Now all you have to do is work on YOUR hair!   ;D  I'm like you in that my hair is fine, thin and straight.  I also use Pantene products, although not Classic Clean.  Look forward to getting to know you.    :)  

I think we are in the same boat Skyfire! I weigh between 192-195. I was around 120 when I married, and after all my kids I retained the weight of 170. We to moved in with my in-laws until our house was completed. That is when I gained all my weight. People also tell me I don't look like I weigh what I do, but it still bothers me.

I did a CWC today.  I don't think anything's going to make my hair look good until I get that trim. :(

But at least it feels nice and soft, and if I get into good habits now, maybe they'll stick!

It's great to meet you all.  My stepmother wasn't all bad, just bad with hair.  We used to stay up late watching R-rated movies.  My mom would have screamed!

L&Lx3--I haven't weighed 120 my whole adult life!  I'm fairly tall, though...I guess.  When I was in my best shape, biking everywhere and watching my diet, I weighed 150.  I was happy!  Then, you know, I got a BF with a car, stopped riding as much snd so on and so forth.  And healthy is what I'm going for!  That's why, slow and steady.  Habits!

I'm in a really good mood right now.  I don't know why or where it came from but...Hooray!  Hooray for being alive! :D

Today is a no wash day.

Actually, my hair's not looking so bad today.  It's weird, but I combed it and it seems more even.  The discoloration I had noticed from the damage was less than it had been, too.  I measured 21 in, but it had been up in a bun and was a little wavy from that.  I should probably wait until my trim to measure again, but I was confused by the new even-ness.  Can oil and conditioning make that much difference, that quickly?

My goals:  
Hair: Continue the better treatment I have started.  My first goal will be 24 in.

Get a job!! It will be nice to have my own money again.

Exercize:  Walking, stretching.  I took a walk today, 20min.  It's sunny, lovely and 75F.  I think it's the changing season that has my mood up yesterday and today.  All the naked ladies (amaryllis belladonna--you know, the flower) are in bloom, and some of the walnut trees are turning orange and red already.  I love autumn!

Home: Fall cleaning!  My house is a horrible mess.

Yesterday (no journal yesterday because DH was hogging the computer >:():
    Tried a vinegar rinse, 1/4 cup to a liter of water.  Shampooed first, vinegar rinse, conditioned.  Frizzies on top of my head, though not on the length where I conditioned.  Wonder if I should get a clarifying conitioner to use on top of my head after a vinegar rinse?  I think I'll just try a little more dilute rinse next time.  Once a month, maybe.
    I've been having itchy scalp all week.  It could be stress, I suppose, sometimes that happens.  When I was a kid I had thick scalp-gunk, and I used to get the itchies all the time if i didn't wash enough.  Rub, but don't scratch!  If I scratch, I get flakes under my fingernails.  I've never had dandruff that fell out of my hair, that I could see on my clothes.  Maybe my scalp is just getting used to not being tied up so tightly.  Perhaps an oil massage before the next wash will help, but IDK.
    I found and saved a shed hair that came out when I was finger combing.  I know it wasn't a broken hair because it had the nub at the end.  It feels much thicker toward the root, and then it thins out severely toward the end.  Hmm...  I got help measuring yesterday (last time until Sept!) and I was at 22 1/4 in.  I think this is the most accurate measurement so far because someone helped me.  Still, there's that trim next month.
    I put my hair up in a cheapo hair stick.  Worked pretty well!  Even when I was cleaning.
    Today is a no wash day, hair's up in a scrunchie.  I might do it half-up with a hair stick for my interview.

Now, for non-hair-related stuff:
    I have a job interview today at a clothing store in the mall.  Not what I would have chosen, necesarily, but a job is a job, and I can keep looking.I'm going to do my internet job search this morning when I'm done here, and call my mom.  Search first.  I'm looking for a job as an accounting clerk.  I have a JC certificate, but no experience.  I've sent my res to some promising ads, but no one wants to hire an inexperienced person.  I just need that lucky break!
    I didn't do any specific exersize yesterday, but I watched my diet a bit; I ate a salad, and I drank six glasses of water.  I only drank half a cup of coffee yesterday and today, but I have so much trouble getting enough sleep.  I get up with my DH at 5am, and then he likes to stay up 'til 11pm.  I'm crashing like a drowsy pilot by 9p.  He calls me a wimp, and whines at me to stay up, or he tempts me by offering me the computer.  If I do go to bed early, he often wakes me up when he comes to bed, chattering like I hadn't been sleeping at all.  Grr.  I'll try again to talk to him. Sigh.  He figures that because he doesn't need 8hrs every night, that I don't.
    Yesterday I got started cleaning my kitchen.  I did the dishes and mopped the floor, wiped down the counters and small appliences.  I still have a ways to go.  DH took out the garbage without complaint.

    I guess that's it for today!

Good luck w/ your interview and job search. I hope someone gives you that lucky break you are wanting in the job field you want. ;)

Thank you!  :D

Heya, Skyfire. Just a little pointer...it may help for you to refine your search criteria to an entry level accounting/auditing/credit position.

Best of luck with the job hunt.  :)

So.  Today I've decided not to wash.  We'll see how that goes.  Bun with a hair stick; it stays in better than when my hair's super clean.  Tomorrow I think I'll do an oil treatment before I wash.  No more overnight oil for me, at least for a while; don't want my face to swell again.  I'm not so itchy now, either.  Either I've relaxed or my scalp has.

Non-hair related:
    My job interview was brief.  It seemed like she just wanted to get through it.  Sigh.  I almost think she had picked someone already.  We'll see.
    Yesterday, again, I didn't do much exercise, but I walked to my interview, about 20 min.  This morning I took the long way home from my DD's school (I always walk her to school; 10 min ea way) and added 10 minutes, so 20 in all, and I was pushing myself a little.  Then I stretched for 10 min.  I went to bed a bit earlier, and though I heard DH come in, he didn't turn on the light or say anything for once. :)
    The only cleaning I did yesterday was the fridge.  I wiped out the whole thing, cleaned the racks in the sink and everything.   Today I fill it full of food again.  This morning I did the dishes (that never stops) and maybe I'll clean the microwave and wipe down the outsides of the cupboards.  I really don't want to clean the oven or the blinds.  i wish I could figure out how to take the blinds down; that would make cleaning them soooo much easier.  I'll leave them for last.

Angel Dust:  I have been looking for an entry-level one; it's just that there are none tagged that way in my area right now.  In six weeks, only one position has stated it would be good for someone starting out, and I didn't get that one.  >:(  I'm starting to think I should have taken the Medical Assistant or CNA program instead.  Except I'm a little squeamish.

I vacuum my blinds. Easier then taking them down.
Sorry about the job interview not going the way you expected. Just keep on looking, something is bound to open up! ;)

Vacuuming them will just have to do.  Why didn't I think of that? Thanks.

Two words: Swiffer duster.  ;D


Quote:

Angel Dust:  I have been looking for an entry-level one; it's just that there are none tagged that way in my area right now.  In six weeks, only one position has stated it would be good for someone starting out, and I didn't get that one.   >:(  I'm starting to think I should have taken the Medical Assistant or CNA program instead.  Except I'm a little squeamish.

Angel Dust? That's a new one on me.  ;D  Kinda cute though.
Sorry that your interview didn't pan out. You can't win 'em all.
The country is going through a huge employment recession right now and employed people are being laid off and unemployed people are finding it near impossible to get new jobs...because there aren't any.

Just keep plugging along and something will turn up. Even if it's not what you were hoping for - it's something.

Sorry Angel Spun...it's the stardust thing under your name that confuses me.   :-[ ;)

Thanks for the encouragement.  I'm sure I'll get something soon; I've never been unemployed for more than a month if I didn't want to be.  I'll just have to work a bit harder at it and take what I can get, for now.

Ah, Stardust is just my "rank" here.  ;)

And I'm more or less in the same boat with the employment situation. And I've been there many times before, so I know where you're coming from. All you have to do is keep on truckin', though I know that's sometimes easier said than done.  :-/

Not a lot of time to spend here unfortunately.  Running around like beheaded chicken.

Oiled hair, 30 min before washing, feels nice, though the ends are still whispy.  I can't wait until my ends are stronger.  My (BB) brush has oil in it now, though, and I'm not sure what I should do.  Was thinking of using it on DD; her hair can use the oil, I'm sure.

Other stuff:

    Made a lot of phone calls and online applications today.  :) Going out later to apply in person a few places.
    Straightened kitchen and wiped cupboard doors.  More of a maintenance day.  Still haven't tackled microwave, oven or blinds.  I did vacuum the living room though.
    Did the same exercise as yesterday, 20 min walk, 10 minute stretch.  I feel soooo much better now that I've started stretching again.
    I do miss the other half of that cup of coffee, though.  Am trying to get more sleep.  Ate a salad yesterday and a bunch of grapes.  Adding more vegs and fruits!  And trying not to forget water.

TTFN!

No wash today.  Messy braid.  I ended up with these wierd cowlicks yesterday when my hair dried...maybe it's from putting the towel on my head when my hair is drying.  I might try just draping it over my shoulders instead.  I'm getting used to not washing every day.  And my scalp is only really itchy when I think about it, so it must be stress.

Other stuff:
    Talked to an old friend of mine who works at the Disney Store; a promising lead, though the pay won't be stellar.  Going to follow up those phone calls today.
    Same exercize this morning.  It's been very hot the last couple of days; nineties.  It's supposed to be 99F today.  I left the windows open last night to let in the cool air and then shut them all and drew the blinds this morning around 8.  We'll see if it's tolerable in here this afternoon.  I miss that autumn teaser last week.
    My diet has been okay.  Sticking with the water and the vitamins, the light addition of fruit and veg.  I'm not counting calories at this point, just trying to improve the what of my diet, and eating when I'm hungry instead of just eating.
    Did a ton of laundry yesterday.  I lost count of how many loads.  I didn't fold or put it away, though, and it's piled up on my recliner.  I'll do that today and clean the microwave, those are my goals.

That's it.  TTFN!

No wash today.  Hair is in a bun, and looks very sleek and shiny, with the ends all tucked in!  I can't get ahold of my sister to find out when she's coming down.  Gr.

Other stuff:
   Still no job leads, but I haven't been doing a lot in this heat.  Only what I could do online without leaving my reletively cool house.  It got up to 103F yesterday!  Too hot.  It's only(!) 92F today, and this is the hottest it's supposed to get.  It's supposed to be 85F and somewhat breezy tomorrow, so if they're not lying to me maybe I'll go out pavement pounding tomorrow.
    I didn't do my excercize today.  Gr.  Even at 8 this morning it was just too darn hot!  And the strap of my purse broke on the way to DD school this morning.  I'll have to safety pin it.  My diet has been bad, too, though I've been keeping up with the water and the vitamins.
    I folded the laundry last night and I've been keeping the kitchen clean.  Doesn't sound like much, but for me, not taking several steps backward is like taking several steps forward.

I guess that's it.  TTFN.

CWC today.  Hair is soft.  I let it dry without a towel around it and it isn't plastered all over my head.  I acutally left it down for a while.  Now it's loosely up in a scrunchie.
    Last night I did a herringbone braid on DD's hair while it was wet.  I'd tried it in the morning when it was dry with no luck at all, but it turned out pretty good when it was wet.  
    Then while I watched DH play video games (after DD's bedtime) I played with my own hair a bit.  Usually I sit next to him and read while he plays, but I wanted him to feel like I was actually there with him instead of in fantasy land.  I tried a herringbone on myself, with not-so-good results, and then I did a french braid, which actually worked!  First time ever!  I did a french braid on DD this morning.  The herringbone didn't leave her hair as wavy as a regular braid usually does. :-?

Other stuff:
    Not much else to tell, really.  Still no luck on the job search front.  Took a walk this morning but haven't stretched yet.  Ate a bunch of cake last night.  Maintaining the clean in my kitchen.  It is a lot cooler today than it has been the past few.

No wash day.  I think my hair is getting used to the new wash schedule, or I am.  It still feels clean to me.
Dinner with inlaws; very nice.  DD's hair was in herringbone, but then she went in the hot tub and now its a tangly mess.  sigh.  pretty soon I'm going to tackle that mess with a comb.  I might take a cup of conditioner with me and put it on any horrible knots.  I was going to wash her sheets tomorrow anyway.  Here we go!

Daily it says!  I've missed some days.  :-[

DD's hair wasn't as tangly as it looked on Sun, I managed to get the comb thru without any breaks or conditioner.  Mon Sept 1 was a no wash day, and I stayed home and puttered most of the day.  Tuesday was a wash day, CWC, with my pantene classic clean.  I'm going to try biotin.  I'll pick some up on Sat when I go food shopping.  Or maybe I'll wait 'til next week, and go to walmart with my mom...

yesterday and today are no wash days.  I got help measuring this morning and my hair's at 22 1/2 inches.  I'm really am going to wait until my trim to measure again!  Yesterday my hair was up and down all day, it felt all heavy and limp.  I might do a vinegar rinse tomorrow.  I was going to wait one more wash, but I think my hair might need it now.

Other stuff: nothing's been happening on any of those other fronts, unfortunately, except that I have been stuffing my face.  It's that time of the month, and I crave rich sweets.  >:(  I'm stressed looking for work, and I have no willpower.  I think I will focus just on not gaining weight until I have a job and have settled in.  I found an ad in the paper today I'm going to respond to, but I need to jazz up my resume a bit first and go down to kinko's to fax it.

And I burnt my %&! thumb!  When I do the dishes, I turn the hot water on as high as it will go and wear gloves.  I realized yesterday that I have a tiny hole in the thumb of the right glove, and that super hot burning sensation I was feeling was my thumb being scalded.  The skin's peeled off.  :P

Sorry about your thumb, I hate it when I burn my fingers. They are such a vital part of everything I do lol.

I hope your new job lead goes somewhere. :)

Thanks, l&lx3.  I hope so too!

So. Today I did the vinegar rinse, like I indicated yesterday, and I put conditioner all the way up.  I'm still a little frizzy, but it's not as bad.  Maybe it's because the shorter hairs are floating a bit with some of the build-up gone.  All of my hair feels better, though, it's got more body and feels lighter.  I was thinking of experimenting with a leave-in, something fairly light; maybe that could help with the frizzies.

This isn't exactly a new problem.  For me it has always seemed like a choice between smooth and sleek, but limp, or flowing with frizzies.

Everything else is about the same.  I have an interview next week, retail. Better than nothing.  I've quit eating so much garbage, but mostly that's because I've ran out of sweets.  I'm down to graham crackers, and the light yogurts I bought to combat just this problem.  In fact, I think I'll go eat one.  ::)

No wash day.  Everything is blah.  My favorite style before I started this was a sort of a bun.  I would start by making a ponytail, but on the last twist of the hairtie I wouldn't pull all the hair through, leaving a loop.  It's not my favorite because I like how it looks, it's just an easy way to keep my hair up off my neck when it's hot, and boy, has it been hot!  I'm back to that style, but I'm using a scrunchie instead of those wrapped elastics (I'd get the cheap ones and the elastic would come apart from the glue binding, but stay inside the wrapping and well, I'd often find a bunch of hair in them when I was done).

Other than that I'm just trying not to freak out about money.  :(

At least my hormones are back to normal!

I'm not even going to go into my absence, except to say:  Blarg.

My hair is doing well, I think.  I have gotten used to washing less.  Yesterday I tried out a water only wash, and the results were ok.  CWC today.  I decided to try the pantene beautiful lengths conditioner, since I was almost out of the classic care, and so far I'm liking what it's doing for me.  I've used it twice in a CWC, using the classic as the first conditioner and the BL as the second.  I still have half a big bottle of the classic shampoo, but I'm considering trying the ice shine.  I can still use the classic on my daughter.
I was going to do CWC's all the time, but a couple of times in a row I forgot.  :(  My hair felt all dry and squeaky.  I'm also thinking of trying out a leave-in, but I want to research a good one.

My sister isn't going to make it down from Washington this month, or anytime soon.  :( She got a new job and her employer won't let her take a vacation for > a year.  >:(  I miss my H, she's so silly!  (My sisters are J, H and L, btw, and my brothers are S and B.  I have a big family.  I'm the second youngest, and L is 9 years younger, so for a while I was the baby. :))

I won't go to a hairmesser for my trim.  I used Feye's method today and cut off about 1/2 inch.  At least that's what it looked like while I was cutting it; I don't really see much difference in length.  Probably what happened is that what I cut off was mostly the V shape my hair was growing into; I think it looks more even.  I like the straight across cut.

I think what I'll do, since my sister isn't coming, is trim 1/4 inch every month until I'm satisfied with the health of my ends, and then I'll scale it back to 1/4 inch every two months to see if it still looks good.  If it works it'll be less traumatic than cutting off 2 1/2 inches all at once.

I still miss my sister though. :(

Sorry that your sister won't be able to visit. Nothing like a job to screw up your plans...or your life.  :P

I've a couple other things to add for today.  I had never done a S&D, so I decided to try, and it seemed like every fourth hair had a split, and those that didn't all had that little white dot at the end that shows breakage.  So now I'm reconsidering getting a professional trim.  I dunno. :-/

The weather has vaaastly improved.  Late 70's, early 80's, with a fine breeze and occasional clouds.  A few days there it was cloudy all morning.  My favorite days are sunny, windy days with puffy clouds bopping along, any temp below 85.  I must admit, though, that living where I have all my life, I've probably never experienced temps lower than late 20's F.  My second favorite days are rainy days.

This is kind of odd.  I went an extra day without a wash last week, pushing it, I guess.  I used to break out on my scalp at the base of my skull if I went too long without a wash, so maybe I was daring my scalp to do it.  Well, that extra day did it, and I got an enormous blemish on my scalp, on the right side, right at the base of my skull.  Then I started thinking...hm.  That's where I always break out, when this happens.  So I had my husband take a look at it for me, and it turns out, I had a defective folicle there, with three curly hairs sticking out of it.  Huh.  He performed surgery, and it felt better immediately.

Point is, maybe I wasn't breaking out, really, but the defective folicle was getting infected.  I wonder if it's gone for good, now, or if it'll grow back the same way? Time will tell.

Thanks for the sympathy, Angel!  Much appreciated.

Quote:

Posted by: Skyfire Posted on: Yesterday at 1:26pm I decided to try the pantene beautiful lengths conditioner, since I was almost out of the classic care, and so far I'm liking what it's doing for me.

I've been wondering if anyone had tried the Beautiful Lengths line yet.  I've been tempted but am not convinced its anything special, if ya know what I mean.   :)  Let us know how it works for you!

Skyfire, my hubby gets infected ingrown hairs in the same area.  I gotta tell you, he was using cheap shampoo and now that he's using my left over stuff he hasn't has an ingrown hair in months.  He was getting them and he shampoos every day!  He has super oily scalp though.

Good Luck!  I hope that's one problem solved!

I seem to remember getting the ingrown hairs more often when I was using cheaper shampoo.  I went through a phase of using the suave fruity conditioners, especially the strawberry.  I wasn't paying much atention to my hair at that point, I just liked how it smelled.

Today's a no wash day.  My hair is still doing well.  So far I like the Beautiful Lengths better than the Classic Care.  My hair is slippery-er.  It's also easier to finger comb, but I wonder if that's the result of yesterday's trim.  My hair is in that loose loop-bun I described earlier, or down.  I used to make that bun pretty tight, so it would stay; now I make it loose, and it falls out easily, so I leave it down for a while when it gets too loose.  I want to get used to wearing my hair down.

I was going to say something else.  What was it?

Oh. I changed vitamins today.  I got the high-potency chewable from Trader Joe's.  It has 100% of the RDA of Biotin, as opposed to the 17% my previous vit had.  We'll see how that works; in six months I'll know. :)

That wasn't it, though...Oh, now I remember. Now that the weather is a little cooler, I'm thinking about the inside of the hood of my sweatshirt.  It's cotton fleece, lined so that the smoother, not the fluffy side of the fabric is against my hair.  Still, I don't know that that's the best thing for my hair, and I was wondering.  My mom used to put scarves over my head when it was cold, before she'd put my hood up or my hat on.  I asked her and she said they were just lengths of silky polyester fabric.  I understand that silk is the best, but satin works, too, and all the satin sheets in the store are polyester, too.  Would a synthetic fabric be okay for that?

I'll see if there's anything else about this elsewhere in the forum.

Satin is a synthetic material & perfectly wonderful on hair.  :)

Also, be wary of those oh-so-teenage looped ponytails. They can damage hair in 2 different places if worn often enough.  :o

Thanks, Angel.  I'll just do a regular pony from now on, and try to put it in a different spot each time.  Mostly I think I just didn't like the way my ends fell in a regular pony, but now that I've been taking care of my hair, they look a bit better.

And I might be hitting the fabric store pretty soon.  ;D

I forgot to mention that it's DH's birtday today.  We'll be going out to his favorite mexican restaurant this evening.  This afternoon I'm going to give one last try to finding him this out-of-print comic book he's been wanting: Rogue Trooper War Machine.  I already got him a video game called Spore.  I hope he likes it.  He plays Civilization and Sins of a Solar Empire, which I understand are similar.

No wash day yesterday.  I'll do a CWC today, and probably an ACV rinse next time I wash.

I've got birthday dinner for DH at inlaws today.  Should be nice; his stepfather makes a wicked spaghetti.

He loves the video game I got him, and so do I and so does DD!

More later possibly.

Did the CWC.  I enjoy that sort of wash, my hair always feels very nice after.  I wore it down most of the day.  I've gotten into the habit of sweeping it over my left shoulder, mostly to keep it out of the seat belt when I'm in passenger seat in the car.  It's up when I'm driving.  I'm a terrible driver, I don't need that kind of distraction.

I have noticed another problem, though.  The crown of my hair is quite thin.  I noticed the front seemed thinner several years ago but didn't really think much of it, but I was looking in the mirror at the back of a hairstyle I did when I was bored, and practically the whole top of my head is thin.  My part seemed hugely wide.  I don't think it happened suddenly, I think I just started noticing it.  Nobody else in my family has this problem.  Maybe it's a vitamin deficiency?  My diet sucks, and I only just started taking vitamins.  I tried mentioning it to my husband, but he's already got issues with thinning (since 6th grade he's been going bald) and has no sympathy.

Quote:

It's up when I'm driving.  I'm a terrible driver, I don't need that kind of distraction.

;D

Today was supposed to be a no wash day.  That was before the popcicle incident.   :-[  I did a water only and put oil on the ends while it was wet; I've never done the oil when my hair was wet and I liked the result, it ended up being more evenly distributed.  Although, I can't really tell if my hair soaked up the oil, or the skin of my hands.  Either way, I bet it was needed.  My hair's in a braid right now.  I'm getting better at braiding it myself; it's a matter of arm strength.

About driving.  Perhaps it's just my natural timidity showing, but driving scares me.  No one seems to know what a space cushion is!  DH can handle it, he's like ice, but I just go all to pieces.  On the bright side, I ride my bike everywhere it's practical, so at least I get exersize.

This game, Spore, is sort of wierd.  Parts of it I like.  The cell stage is like pac man, except you can use your points to buy speed and weapon attachments, and the creature stage is fun because you can make a creature in any wacky bizarre shape you want.  The other stages are more like real time strategy, which I have never enjoyed.  I'm going with it, though, and so far it's not that hard.  I can't wait until I get to play the space stage, where I can teraform planets.

The only time I hate driving is when I have to drive in 8am or 5pm traffic when everybody is either rushing to get to work or get home which luckily is not too often >:(

But, I have had those times when I was given the one finger salute or I was so angry I was too compelled to give it ::)

My favorite time to drive is when we are out on a country road enjoying the scenery taking whatever time we feel like :)

Jerry

I meant to do a CWC today, but I forgot the initial conditioner.  I hate that.  How long does it take a good habit to take hold?  My hair actually squeaks afterward when I do a WC.  I run my hair through it and it squeaks, like when you rub a balloon; so I definitely waited until my hair was dry to even put a wide tooth comb through.

So I oiled with a drop of jojoba oil.  I could probably use two drops and my hair and hands would drink it up.

I'm thinking about changing to a gentler shampoo.  I'm wondering if the itchyness and the thinning at the top are linked to the harsher chemicals in shampoo.  The one I've been using has ammonium lauryl sulfate.  I'm going to spend some time in the shampoo isle checking things out.  and maybe take home one of the pantene anti-breakage leave-ins, too.

Quote:

Posted by: Skyfire Posted on: Sep 23rd, 2008, 12:12am Today was supposed to be a no wash day.  That was before the popcicle incident.

Wait, wait--what was the popcicle incident?!   :-?


Quote:

Posted by: Skyfire Posted on: Yesterday at 3:59pm I meant to do a CWC today, but I forgot the initial conditioner.  I hate that.  How long does it take a good habit to take hold?

Habits, good or bad, form in about 30 days of consistent practice.   :)

I get these popcicles from the asia mart.  They're made in Japan, and they're sort of like an otter pop, in that it's a sealed packet with liquid and you put it in the freezer.  Now these aren't flat like an otter pop, but more cylindrical, and there's a tab at the end that you cut off to access the stuff inside.  This makes a hole smaller than the diameter of the rest of the popcicle.

They're about 8 inches long, and typically melt faster at the bottom where you're holding it, because of the heat of yr hand.  I tend to sort of squish them up to distribute the liquid and solid portions evenly, so that it's like a slush.  Yum.

The day of the incident I was doing this, and I don't know what happened; perhaps there was a chunk of frozen blocking the narrow exit that got suddenly dislodged in the middle of a squish.  Anyway, melted popcicle sprayed everywhere.  It shot up two feet, got on my husband who was sitting in front of me at the computer, all over the front of the tower, and all over me.

Anyway.  today's a no wash day.  I'm happy with my hair at this point, and learning patience.  Journalling really helps me keep track of when I did stuff, and how it came out.

I got a job! :D  I'll be filling out the paperwork on Sunday.  Retail, but it makes me feel waaayyy better to know that I'll be having some money coming in.

Ooh, retail fun.  ;D  At least it's something. Congrats on the new job and here's to wherever it may lead you.  :)

CWC today.  I remembered!  My hair is fairly happy.

I mentioned offhand to my mom that my hair seemed to be thinning in a strip from my front hairline to my crown, and she said, "That's the only thing you got from my side of the family."

Apparently, she and my grandmother had this same issue, and just parted their hair to hide it.  My grandmother's hair was quite wavy and coarse, my mom's somewhat less so, but I have finer hair so it's more obvious. Gr!

On the upside, maybe this means I'll get their white streak at the cowlick when I start graying.

No wash day.  I put in a drop of jojoba oil; I'm still not sure if my hair or my hands is getting it.  I'll try two drops tomorrow, I think, after a WO.

After eight years with someone, you start to know when something's bothering them.  Sigh.  I suppose I should also know by now that when something's bothering him, he absolutely hates to talk about it.  When I was growing up, if something was wrong, in my family we'd talk about it, sometimes yell, and work it out.  I never had to badger my brothers to get them to tell me what was up, in fact sometimes B would keep me up half the night telling me all about it (and vice versa).  But DH grew up in a household that never ever ever talked to one another.  So now he has no idea how to talk about things without getting so upset he can't talk anymore.  So I go to him trying to make things right and it only makes things worse.  I don't know what to do.  :'(  Sometimes I wonder if it's worth it, but then I remember that my parents got divorced when I was the same age my daughter is now, and I love my husband, even if I don't understand him.  He drank the last of the sake this evening (there wasn't that much left, maybe 3 drinks worth) and sake always knocks him out.  I can hear him snoring in the bedroom nextdoor.

I went to my first shift at my new job today.  It's going to be fun, but not enough hours.  I'll have to get a second job.  >:(

At least everybody will be at work or school tomorrow except me, so I can have some time to myself.  I'll take a long bath.  Too bad I won't be able to drink any sake! :P

Did a WO today, with two drops of jojoba oil. I think I'll just stick with one drop from now on, my hair is all kinda oily.  That's okay, though, I've got it up in a hairstick, and tomorrow's wash day.

DH is feeling better today.  I wish I had been patient and waited for it to pass, these things always do.  I wonder if he even knows what's bothering him?

Today I did laundry and chores, and footled about on the internet.  I was going to play video games, but it hasn't happened yet.  I took a walk and stretched, too, and I haven't eaten anything bad for me yet, but the day is far from over.  ::)

CWC today.  I've run out of Classic Care.  When I next have money, I will get a lighter conditioner for my CWC's.  I think the beautiful lengths is too heavy to do twice.  I need to do a vinegar rinse next time I wash.

Everything else is blah.  I'm tired.  I have an interview tomorrow, another retail place.  If I have two jobs, my husband can't bitch that he does all the work!  :)

DD has been sick with a fever yesterday and today.  I've been pushing water and half-diluted juice on her.  All she wants to do is sleep, the poor thing. :(

I had no money to buy tylenol, but my mom brought some over today, and she's feeling much better. :)

My interview was pushed back until Friday.  Darn it!  >:(

Today is no wash.  Tomorrow will be wash and ACV day.  Laters!

Today was wash day.  I did a CWC and a ACV rinse.  Usually what I do is I wash with conditioner, do the rinse and then condition.  My scalp is super itchy, but I'm not scratching.  I've promised myself a sundae if I can keep from scratching all morning.  Measuring day.  I'll post the results and possibly a picture later.

DD is feeling much better today, and she went to school.

I didn't exersize yesterday because DD was ill, and today I soooo didn't want to, but I did anyway and almost fell asleep stretching.  Certain ones relax me that much.  I hate stretching my arms, though, because it bothers my neck.

I'm going to help my mom move her couch today.  Late!

I was having a terribly itchy scalp, too!  Last month I started using Neem oil directily on my scalp where it was itchy and a neem therapy shampoo and conditioner.  I hardly itch at all now!  I feel the shampoo and conditioner working on my scalp like medicine.  It is wonderful!!  I got all the neem stuff at my local health food store.

I still do acv rinses when I use the neem, btw.

Good luck, I hope your itchies go away!!!

CWC today.  No itchies.  I think I'll do ACV once a week; my hair looked so nice.

Sore all weekend from helping Ma with her couch.  Didn't exercize; probably should have.

Went to work on Sunday!  It was fun, even!  Had 2 interviews this weekend, another tomorrow.

That's it.

CWC today with ACV rinse.  I trimmed my hair the other day, Mon or Tues, can't remember, except I know it was one of those days.  Took off maybe 1/2 inch.

Worked again last night!  I'm getting the hang of it.  Thumper, at work (she's the assistant manager, very bouncy and cute) says I'm doing well at register.  Sneezy is another of my co-workers, she's new but very friendly and nice, and Bashful is another; she doesn't say much but she's great at stocking.

Got another job!  More retail, more hours.  The holidays are coming on and I will be busy busy busy.  Better to spend it that way, IMO.  It's stress anyway, and if yr busy, it goes by faster, and then you can sigh in relief in January and spend the rest of the winter hibernating.

I haven't been writing.  I have been maintaining.  I washed today, after 4days.  I'm going to pick up a cheap conditioner that smells good for my CWC's.  Today I put jojoba oil in the ends before I washed and conditioned.  My hair was getting sooooo flat and limp and ick from CWC's with both C's as pantene.  Even when I did a vinegar rinse every other wash.

I started my other job.  I've met Skinny, the department manager, Pikachu, Chunk and Aloof.  They're aren't as nice as the people from my first job, which I will call my primary because I like it better.  I closed the other night with Thumper and it was absolutely dead.  Hardly any customers.  I wish I had more hours there and fewer at the other place.

Between two jobs, searching for another so I can quit the second, making sure not to neglect my family, and writing my novel, I have had very little time for anything else.  Yes, I'm writing a novel, like many many many foolish people in the world.  I'm mostly done with it.  When I am, I'll be looking for an agent.  Everyone has a foolish dream, no?

CWC yesterday with the new condish.  Suave green apple.  That's about it!

Ooh, Juicy Green Apple is one of my faves.  :)

My hair likes the new condish.  Tomorrow is wash day and my hair is much less heavy and gross.  Still, it's sticking out all over so I think I'm going to do a WO and jojoba oil before I go to work tonight, at the job that's more fun.  I am encouraged to play with little kids there.  :)  I've met Doc, now, another assistant manager.  He's very knowledgable.

I've had a couple days off.  My back has been hurting when I work, lower down. I try to do stretches, and it helps a little.  Sun Salutations.  I want to take a yoga class, because books and videos just don't get it all across, but, you know, funds.

Pikachu's nickname doesn't suit her.  She's Braids, now.  She's a cool kitten.  They're all pretty nice, actually, once one gives them a chance.  And Aloof isn't so bad either; I think she just likes to get to work and not chat, which I can understand.  I go both ways.  I know I have to get my work done, but I like to talk, too.  The department manager seriously needs a sammich, I say.  I see her eating donuts and cinnamin rolls frequently; maybe she just has one of those constitutions.

I had a halloween party for DD and her little friends.  It was craaazy.  We played pin-the-tail-on-the-gargoyle and rotten pumpkin (like hot potato, but with a little pumpkin).  We had cyclops snacks and eyeball punch.  I made pumpkin pie (my raison d'etre, I tell you.  Pumpkin pie makes up for everything), and the girls only ate a quarter of one, and we ate the rest of two pies.  Mmmm....  I also have six more batches of pumpkin tucked away in my freezer (a fresh pumpkin, cut up, cooked and frozen.  A big one makes 14 pies.  It makes such a difference over canned.)

I love pumpkin pie so much that when I was a little girl and my school went to the pumpkin patch, I didn't pick out a pumpkin for shape, thinking of a jack-o-lantern, oh, no.  I chose the very largest one I could lift, so as to end up with more pie.  Hmm...I have all the ingredients to make more...but I only bought one pumpkin.  If I make two pies a week (that's one batch) I'll have enough to last until the end of January...although, I am supposed to make pie for thanksgiving and christmas, and I usually make a few special for family members.  I may have to get another pumpkin.

Omg, you rock! Pumpkin pie is one of the best things on earth.  :D

Only you're super cool 'cause you make them from scratch. How on earth do you do it?

Well, first I take the biggest pumpkin I can find and I attack it with a cleaver.   [smiley=evil.gif]

I scoop out the insides, and save the seeds to roast later.  DH loves them!

Then I fit as much as I can into a big pot with about an inch of water, let it boil, then turn it down, cover and simmer it for an hour, or until a dropped fork easily pierces the skin.  Then I drain it, let it cool, skin it and put it into tupperware for the freezer.  My recipe (which makes 2 pies) takes 3 cups of pumpkin, so I use 3 cup capacity disposable gladware tubs, so I can just grab one from the freezer when I want pie.  Then you can use it in watever recipe that calls for canned.  I'm not sure how many cups a can of pumpkin has in it...  Oh, and a large pumpkin will probably be two big pots full of pumpkin, or even more.

My recipe was actually handed down from my grandmother, and then my mother changed it to add modern conveniences.  Grandmother used a potato masher to mix the pumpkin up with the other ingredients, my mom found that a blender works ever so much better.

Today was wash day.  I did a CWC, and an ACV rinse.  I usually do the rinse between the W and the 2nd C, but I forgot; so ended up doing it at the end.  My hair's still drying, but we'll see if the results are any different, other than the slightly stronger vinegar smell.  That has gone away once my hair was dry so far.  I also left the C in longer, while I shaved my legs, and the ACV ended up all over my face.  I wonder if that will do anything to my skin?  I rinsed my face with water afterward.  I've been breaking out; maybe it will help!  It sort of stung in places on my freshly shaven legs.  That's all different, this time, because I usually ACV before I soap up.

ACV rinses won't hurt your skin. Well, except after shaving, as you've discovered.  ;D
Sadly, it doesn't clear up acne either.  ::)

wrote on Oct 31^st, 2008 at 5:20pm:

Sadly, it doesn't clear up acne either.  ::)

Rats!  ;D

We never made jack o'lanterns out of the smaller pumpkins I bought, so those get to be pie, too!  Yay!  I'll probably be giving pies to my neighbors this year.  Some of them are so nice, and the one diagonal from me has beautiful long red hair.  There are a lot of long-hairs in my area.  The lady who lives across the street on the corner has an enormous redwood tree in her front yard and lovely long brown-and-gray tresses.

WO today with jojoba oil after.  Something's going on with my hair, it's just sticking out however it wants.  There are shorter pieces that curl around my ears (either breakage -hope not- or just shorter growth) and usually they lay down flat with the rest of my hair, but lately--since before I started with the green apple conditioner, they haven't wanted to lay down.  They stick out, giving me this yucky fringe.

Maybe it's the weather.  It's been windier and rainy.  I'm going to try a hot oil treatment, see if that does anything.

WO with oil again.  Thinking about hot oil tomorrow.  Maybe a different shampoo.  Ice Shine, maybe, or smooth.
Or else maybe I just miss my Classic Care conditioner. DD's hair loves the Beautiful Lengths, though, so it's okay to have both...


I asked my sister, L, about taking care of hair, and she reccomended an egg white treatment.  Sounds gross.  She also mentioned switching shampoos every so often and I told her about ACV rinses, which she said she'd try if I tried the egg white thing.  I told her that eggs are far nastier to put in yr hair than vinegar,and she agreed..


The sun came out today!  it was windy, and cloudy and sunny, and cloudy, and sunny...one of my favorite kinds of days.  I sat by the sliding glass door in the kitchen and watched the sky. Wow, the cloudshapes! Towering and round, they were.

I couldn't help but chuckle as I read this.  Eggs and vinegar make mayonaise which some people also use as a deep conditioning treatment!  

Yesterday I did the hot oil treatment; I heated some jojoba oil by microwaving a big mug of water and putting the bottle of oil in.  I threw a towel in the dryer, oiled up my hair, and wrapped up in the warm towel for oh, twenty minutes, and then washed and conditioned with the suave green apple.

So far, I think it did the trick.  I couldn't leave my hair down at work yesterday because I kept wanting to touch it; it felt so much better.  Best of all, the shorter bits are staying behind my ears instead of sticking out like weird tentacles.

I will do these treatments regularly; every two weeks, if I need it, every month if my hair isn't freaking out.  I think I'll alternate with the ACV rinses.  A plain shampoo, an ACV, a plain shampoo, an oil treatment...that would mean, since I wash my hair twice a week, that I'd be doing each every two weeks.  But I might not need it that often.  We'll see.

I'm coming to the conclusion that my hair is not stick straight like it was when I was a girl.  I think it has some wave to it.  I kept making excuses; it's been up in a braid, it's been in a ponytail, it gets bent from being behing my ears...If I let it dry completely (I never blow-fry), and it's in good condition, ACVs and oil treatments up to date, it looks pretty straight for oh...a couple of hours before it starts to bend.  I don't know if it's because I can't stand it in my face and put it up in a scrunchie...even when it's dry, it still bends.  My maternal grandmother had a natural wave, and my mat. grandfather had curly hair, when he let it get long enough which he rarely did.  My mom has a wave, too.  My dad's family is all stick straight, and I got his color, but maybe I got some curves from my mom.

Quote:

I heated some jojoba oil by microwaving a big mug of water and putting the bottle of oil in.  I threw a towel in the dryer, oiled up my hair, and wrapped up in the warm towel for oh, twenty minutes, and then washed and conditioned with the suave green apple.

Oh, that sounds heavenly!  All of the warmth from the heated items and those yummy smells...NICE!   8-)

Trisha wrote on Nov 4^th, 2008 at 10:08am:

Oh, that sounds heavenly!  All of the warmth from the heated items and those yummy smells...NICE!   8-)

I must say, it was just about the best part of yesterday.  :)

Okay.  I looked at some pictures of people with actually wavy hair, and I've decided; so far my hair still hasn't got much body, so I'm not going to consider it wavy.  Not even 1b.  It just stays bent from being in a ponytail, or behind my ears, or over my shoulders, and when it is longer we'll see if its weight doesn't straighten it out.

CWC today.  I haven't touched it with a comb yet and it's almost dry.  Yes, I showered before the sun came up.  It's been cold these past couple of days, but today is warmer.

I have been inspecting my super-thin spot, trying to get used to it and find its exact dimensions (am I obsessing?), as well as looking at the spots that those weird tentacles I mentioned on the sides of my head (the ones that are too short for my ponytail and poke out above my ears) and I found something encouraging, I think. Lots of tiny, 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inch long hairs, especially around the hairline on my forehead.  I've allowed myself a little hope that perhaps my thinning was due in part to shampooing too much or perhaps a biotin deficiency (I looked it up; biotin deficiency is extremely rare, but practically the only symptom is hair loss), or maybe even putting my hair up too tight, and that perhaps I will gain back some thickness.

One can hope, anyway.  :)

No wash day today.

When I was little, a friend of the family was a hairdresser; he was extremely cool, admiring my long hair while perming my mom's asymetrical 'do and dealing with my sisters' teenage experiments (H and J are 8 and 10 years older than me, respectively).  He was the one who fixed my hair after my stepmom did that weird cut on me.

Unfortunately, he passed away some years ago, but he gave us all advice that is used to this day.  For example, I was complaining to my mother about those tentacles, and she said that he had told her about those; he said they were because of damage, and specifically they were damage from sleeping on ones side with ones hair in a ponytail.  Huh.  I looked at my tentacles in a mirror; and the side that I mostly sleep on had a bigger chunk than the other side, which I sleep on only occaisionally.

So I wrapped my pillow in an old silky shirt I never wear.  Maybe I'll buy a satin pillowcase one of these days.  And maybe my tentacles will grow out and add their thickness to the rest of my hair.

Today I tried a CO, with the suave green apple conditioner.  It went better than I thought it would. My hair seems to have more body afterward.  I have a hair care book that advises that conditioning too often will make ones hair limp; that's certainly not how this worked out.  I may wash tomorrow, or I may leave it 'til Monday.  Depends on how I feel in the morning.

DH is sitting behind me trying to distract me, so I think I'll give him the computer now.  ;D

WO today.  I can feel the natural oils in my hair, but it doesn't feel dirty.

Oh, that's all.  I just got back from work and I'm tiiired.

CWC today with vinegar rinse.  I ran out of ACV so I used red wine vinegar. C1 was suave green apple, W was pantene classic clean, C2 was pantene beautiful lengths.

My hair feels nice and soft, but I would like more shine and smoothness.  Shrug.

Oh, and I did a trim on Friday, Nov 7.  Not sure how much I took off; maybe 1/4 inch.

CO today.  I put my hair up in a dutch braid, and put the tentacles in some bobbypins to make them behave.  I've got to go to work, and we'll see if the braid lasts.

Oh, and I'm able to post because DH fixed the internet!  whoooo!

I was going to do a CWC yesterday, but when I took my hair down from the dutch braid I'd slept in, I had all these absurd waves.  So I wore my hair down to work, and my coworkers were like, oh!  I never knew you had such wavy hair! Because I always wear my hair up in a bun at work.

'course, I paid for it later in tangles, tangles, tangles.  :P

CWC today.  My hair is happy-ish.

My wooden comb broke, and when I went to Target to replace it, they didn't have any!  http://www.smilieshq.com/smilies/mad0176.gif
So I have to use this too-fine not-seamless thing until I get a replacement.  I'm verrry careful, but I can feel the snags. http://www.smilieshq.com/smilies/scared0002.gif

Does anyone know where I can get a good comb for a good price without paying twice as much in shipping?  I live in Northern California.

I wore a silk shirt yesterday at work, so decided to leave my hair down, but put bobby pins in the sides to keep it out of my face.  This is working fairly well.  If I just leave it down, I can't keep my hands off it, probably because it hangs in my face and I can't stand it.

I'm going to do a WO or a CO later today, whichever I feel like, and then I'll be going to the Body Shop in the mall to see if they have a nice wooden comb.  My internet research has suggested they might.  I hope it's not too expensive.  I'm on a very limited budget this week.

BTW, I was working at a different job yesterday than the day before, so one thinks my hair is wavy, the other straight.  ;D

The Body Shop always has wide tooth wooden combs in stock. I'm pretty sure I've seen them in a basket or something every time I've been in there.

Yes, they had them; too bad I couldn't get one.  DH's Online roleplaying game charged their monthly fee at precisely the wrong time and I had to pay a fee to the bank.  Gr!  I can probably talk him into getting me one tomorrow to make it up to me, though.

And I decided against washing my hair today.  It looked fine, and it's not like I'm going out or anything.

CO today.  I may leave washing 'til Monday, if I can stand it.  No comb.  :(  Maybe next week.  I'm going to try a flipped ponytail for work tonight.

That's about it.

The flipped pony on Saturday went well.  I was surprised it stayed.  I only wish my ends were in better shape.

CO yesterday.  I like it, but I don't know how often I'll do two in a row.  It's interesting, how different it makes my hair feel and look.  It feels clean, but looks a little greasy.

I got the comb from the Body Shop!  DH did give me $.  I'll buy him something next week.  I like it, it's nice, wide toothed, wooden, and I only had to sand it smooth in a couple of places.

CWC today.  Considering a big proffessional trim again, but procrastinating.  I'm chicken.

I've been having headaches.  I have a minor one that's lasted about five days now.  It goes away for hours at a time, then comes back, and sometimes gets worse.  I have migraines maybe twice a year, and aura symptoms without the headache much more often.  I'd hate to think this was getting worse.  I'm pretty sure not, though; my neck hurts, too, so it might be tension, and my glasses are three years old, so that might be part of it.

Well, my headache's gone.  It's like complaining about it made it go away.  ::)

No wash today.  Have to go to work later; considering flipped pony with bobby pins.

No luck on the job front, still.  Sigh.  Looking for work is stressful.

We're in the midst of a recession, hon. More jobs are disappearing rather than opening up. I've also been looking for another job to no avail and yes, it's bloody frustrating!
Just hang in there and keep trying but be aware that it will take awhile.

wrote on Nov 18^th, 2008 at 4:18pm:

We're in the midst of a recession, hon. More jobs are disappearing rather than opening up. I've also been looking for another job to no avail and yes, it's bloody frustrating! Just hang in there and keep trying but be aware that it will take awhile.

Thanks.  It is frustrating.  The classified section in the paper is less than a page now (I know, most of those ads moved online, but DH doesn't believe me when I tell him that so I have to buy a newspaper and show him that there's nothing there).  At least I have jobs right now that take care of the necesities, and at least gas prices have gone down.

Oil treatment, WCWC.  Had to do an extra W in order to get the oil out.  I don't know.  Maybe once a month is enough on the oil treatments.  No work today, I've been leaving my hair down.  I worked a bit on my novel today.  I think I'll go eat some lunch now.

CWC on Fri, CO on Sun, CWC today.  Nothing special.  I looove my new comb.

no wash yesterday, CWC with vinegar rinse today.  Still out of ACV, had to use red wine V.

CWC on Friday, Monday and today.  I went a week doing a CWC every other day, to see what it was like, and my scalp did not like it.  My hair was indifferent, but my scalp went all greasy and broke out.  From washing more often!  Now I know beyond doubt that washing less often is better.

I'm running out of Beautiful Lengths conditioner, and wondering what I might try next.  I was considering Pantene Restoratives Breakage Defense, but it's more expensive and whatever I get my daughter will use too.  She gets a wash every other day and a condition every day, these days.  I don't do a CWC on her.  I've tried it, and it was okay, but I think it's too complicated for DH and he washes her hair more than I do.

Anyway, that's why I don't want to use my Suave on her.  I mean, it is less expensive, it has that going for it, but as an only conditioner I don't think it's up to the challenge.  I suppose I could get more Beautiful Lengths for her and some Breakage Defense for me.  Then it would be even longer before we had to buy more.

CWC every 3 days.  I trimmed and trimmed today.  I measured after each trim, and I felt like I cut off sooo much, but it was really less than an inch.  I kept at it until my hair measured 22.5 inches; that's 3/4 inches.  It's been two weeks since my last vinegar rinse.  Maybe I'll do one Saturday, and then an oil treatment next Friday.  Or else some other deep conditioner; I've been considering one of Pantene's hair masks.

CWC today.  Distilled White Vinegar.

Still doing a CWC every three days.  Bought some Pantene Restoratives Breakage Defense conditioner, so starting today my CWC is Suave Juicy Green Apple, Pantene Classic Clean, then the Restoratives.  My hair looks pretty good, especially since I trimmed it; it's an even length and more even thickness.

I've been so busy, what with working two retail jobs, Christmas shopping and socials.  Now DD's off school for two weeks.  Oh, and I got some more Beautiful Lengths for her, too.

CWC on Christmas with new cond.  I got a new camera!  I will be posting mad pics.

Still the same routine.  I'm almost out of the Classic Clean and I'll be trying the Beautiful Lengths shampoo.  DD uses both of those now, the BL shampoo and conditioner, and her hair seems very much more shiny these days.  It might be time to do an ACV on her.  It's hard to get her in the shower, though; she prefers baths.

We adopted two baby rats from the Northstar Small Animal Rescue on Tuesday.  I'll post some pics later on.