Hairstyle How-To: 3 Braid Half-Up

This hairstyle is inspired by Arwen's half-up hairstyle in one of the Lord of the Rings movies.  It's really easy and it's kind of fun.

To make this hairstyle I:

1. Parted my hair across the top of my head, from ear to ear. I clipped that hair up and out of the way and put the length in a ponytail to also keep that out of the way. The hair clipped up is my half-up hair.

2. I parted the front section I had made in the middle.

3. I then took the left side and divided it in half vertically from part to hairline.

4. I braided the front half of the left side of my hair.

5. I then took the right side and divided it in half vertically from part to hairline.

6. I braided the front half on the right side of my hair.

7. I took the loose section that remained from the original part (the back of the left and right sides of the half-up hair) and braided it.

All of the photos are clickable. It's really easy to see, especially on the right side, the breakage that I'm gradually cutting out. 

And just for fun, here is a comparison of this hairstyle made today with a photo of this hairstyle made on January 19th of this year. The length of my hair looks thicker in the January photo, but that's because I put less of my hair in the half-up section.

It's a nice reminder that my hair really has grown in 8 months, despite my regular trims and cutting 2 inches off of the tip of my V-shape in June.

Hope you like this style.

I tried the lemon juice rinse today, and my hair is very soft and shiny. It's too soon to really tell about the frizz. but my hair is nice and smooth.

My verdict:: too soon to tell for a straightie, but I'll be doing it for the next few washes.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love and extra hugs to anyone who is missing someone today.
xo

Diluted Lemon Juice Rinse

I was reading this blog entry by ktani the other day. It seems that a recipe of  roughly 1/2 tsp of lemon juice per 500ml (8.5 oz) of water is a gentle rinse that combats frizz. The idea is meant for people with curly hair that tends to frizz rather than curl after washing.

I looked at the photographs in the thread at LHC of Mariika's usual hair compared with her hair after using this recipe. The difference was astounding. Her previously frizzy locks were in perfect curls after using this rinse.

After reading up on how it works, it makes me wonder if it would be beneficial to straight hair as well.

The mixture is so diluted that I wouldn't have to worry about it lightening or drying out my hair.

While my hair is straight, there is occasionally a bit of frizz, especially in some of the silver "halo" hairs.

I'm going to give this a try tomorrow and see if I notice any difference from my usual ACV (apple cider vinegar) rinse.

I'll let you know what the results are for me. It might be something that some of you curly girls might like to try. If you do, let me know what happens.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Love to all.
xo

It Happened Again

Once again, I saw a very, very short haircut and thought how adorable it is. Emma Watson (Hermoine in the Harry Potter films) got her hair cut in a very short pixie, reminiscent of Mia Farrow's old look in the late '60s. I think it's gorgeous. I honestly thought for a moment how fun it would be to be all cute and pixie-like.

Then I remembered that:

A/ I'm not 20 anymore.

B/ I am not a size 0 or anything close to it.

C/ It would feel liberating for about a day, but then I would just think I look like a man which would mean:

D/ I would feel the need to wear makeup all the time.


E/ I could really only wear my hair in one style.

F/ I would be ready for long hair again in about a week, but it would take me three years or more to get my hair back to where it is now, and even now my hair is too short for some of the hairstyles I love.

G/ I would probably look about 10 years older.

and most importantly

H/ I would totally look like my dad. And in case you're wondering, no, that would not be a good thing.


I'm so happy that I've been there/done that already in my life and that I can now look at these things logically.

I think I'll just live vicariously through Emma and enjoy her new look and keep my old look.


Thanks to everyone for your comments to yesterday's blog. They meant a lot. Really.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone who is feeling stressed out.
xo

Off-Topic Tuesday: Chronic Illness

Having a chronic and debilitating but non-life-threatening illness is frustrating and at times humiliating. For me, it's migraines and chronic fatigue. 

I've been to every kind of doctor, both traditional and alternative for years. I've tried every treatment available to rid me of this disorder to no avail.

I remember life before migraines loomed so large in my life, and I really miss it. I miss feeling comfortable enough for a car ride, or having the energy and good spirits to visit a friend or have a friend over.

Most of all, I really dislike how so many people simply don't understand how this chronic condition hampers me so much.

When the migraines first started, they came infrequently, and didn't affect my life very much. However now that they are an almost daily occurrence, it affects everything in my life.

I'm hesitant to make any firm plans with friends or family, because I've had to cancel out so many times. This is frustrating for those members of friends and family, but I too am frustrated.

Of course, many people who do not have migraines think of them as simply really bad headaches. They have no idea that it's a full body experience. There's not only the head pain, but there are visual disturbances, and vertigo sometimes verging on dizziness, and oh, the nausea.

If it were just a bad headache, believe me, I'd be delighted! It's the attendant discomfort that really gets to me. It's hard to even contemplate going for a car ride when I already feel more than carsick.

The worst though is when people who are close to me start to believe that it's "all in my head", or that I'm faking it to get out of a function or a get-together.

I can tell you that this is not the case. Yet I've lost friends over it. That I understand. It's hard to be friends with someone you can't count on. What has hurt me is having family members who refuse to understand my state and are judging me.

I honestly try to start out each day with a positive outlook, and I try to be as cheerful as I can be, but sometimes, it's just not easy.

And then there's the guilt. I would love to be able to do more, not only around the house, but out and about in the world. Some days, I just can't do certain things and even though I know that I can only do what I am able to do, guilt creeps in.

Also, there is the guilt of knowing that there are so many people who are fighting life-threatening conditions, yet seem to be more active than I am.

I know that many of you who read this are living with some debilitating chronic conditions. I wonder if any of you experience the same thoughts feelings or frustrations.

If you've read this far, thank you. I just needed to get some of those thoughts off my chest. I am not looking for sympathy from anyone. I would like a bit of understanding though.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all.

Happy Labour Day!

Well, it's Labour Day already: the unofficial end of summer. It's been an interesting long weekend weather-wise.

I always still feel very wistful on Labour Day, as here in Ontario, the first day of elementary and secondary school always starts the day after Labour Day. It's funny that it's been some 31 years since those days for me, and even my kids are no longer in school, but the feeling of that fresh start that the new school year brings is still with me.

I've always loved this time of year. It has so often heralded new friendships, and new experiences. I also love the weather of the impending autumn. I suppose I'll carry that feeling with me until the day I die.

Not much to say about my hair today, so I'll just post some photos of how I'm wearing my hair today. It's sort of a crown braid, but not really, because it circles the back of my head rather than the crown. Of course it's done exactly the way I do a crown braid. If anyone can think of a more appropriate name for the braid in this placement, I'm open to ideas. Crown braid just doesn't sound right.

I like the way the wisps are blowing in the breeze in the third photo.

I lace braid my hair to do crown braids, rather than French braiding the regular way. Lace braiding is just like French braiding, except that I only pick up the hair on the outer side of my head for each plait. I find it not only quicker and easier, but I also like that the hair in the centre of the braid is not all parted for each braid strand.

This braid is an inverted lace braid, commonly called a Dutch Lace Braid.

I hope that everyone who has had a long weekend has enjoyed it.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Love to all.