Vanessa Redgrave's Long Hair

I watched a movie entitled Letters to Juliet. It was a nice little romance that primarily took place in Verona, Italy and the surrounding area. It was a good, not excellent movie, but it was an interesting premise for those of us who are romantics and it was worth the time spent watching it.

I was really taken with the beautiful landscapes in the movie, but I was more taken with the hair of the movies two leading ladies, young Amanda Seyfried, with her lovely thick waist length hair, and the over-70 Vanessa Redgrave, with her gently u-shaped APL length hair.

Ms Redgrave has always been a beauty, but with age, her beauty is even more apparent. Her expressive eyes and bone structure make her an exceptional example of what one can look like over 70.

However, what I noticed the most was her lovely long silver hair. Her hair was well below her shoulders, and she wore it primarily with the sides up or in a side-parted ponytail. There was nothing the least bit strange about seeing a woman her age with long hair. It looked elegant and beautiful in every scene.

While I can see that her hair has thinned somewhat, it didn't take away from how sleek and elegant it looked, and I can't imagine anyone saying that she looks foolish with long hair.

I know that 99% of us do not look like Vanessa Redgrave, but it is lovely to see an older woman who does not feel compelled to cut her hair to chin length or shorter. I am quite sure that there is many an expert who would think that she should have shorter hair, but she is her own person, and I admire that.

She is a lovely inspiration to me, and a reminder that there's no hurry in my long hair quest. It's not as though I have a deadline. Long hair can be forever.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Love to all.

Off-Topic Tuesday: I'm On a News Fast

In my never-ending quest to try to balance my mind, emotions, body and spirit, I came to the conclusion a couple of years ago to never again watch a newscast or read the newspaper, unless I'm looking for a specific article.

You may think that I must be woefully ignorant about current events, and you would be right. If something is important to me, I will look it up, but I simply can't tolerate sitting through even five minutes of a newscast.

It seems that the news is always bad news or completely irrelevent, and I find it frustrating and upsetting. I can feel anger or sadness swell even after the first or second news story. There is so much unpleasantness in this world, and I choose to focus on what is pleasant.

I know that it drives my poor mother crazy that I am not aware of certain current events, or who is who in the pop culture world, but it has helped me enormously to withdraw from that aspect of life.

If something really important happens that I need to know about, I can be certain that I will be informed by my husband, my children, my parents, or friends. I don't need to subject myself to stories about violence, abuse and the underbelly of society. I also don't need to know which pop princess is in which rehab facility.

I rarely even watch regular broadcast television these days, with the exception of the shows I watch with my son, such as Survivor or The Amazing Race. Even the brief new updates that pop up during commercial breaks can be enough to make me want to scream.

I am aware that I am extremely sensitive, so I am definitely not recommending this for anyone else; I'm just telling you about my own strategy to cope in this world.

Oddly enough, I can watch just about any movie without being upset by it. Many others find that movies are too violent or too explicit in some ways, but to me, it's just a movie. It's fiction. I can deal. It's the real world that I find much more upsetting.

Sometimes I see that I am shrinking my world by keeping certain things out of it, but right now I have to do what I have to do. If I have to hear an important news story second-hand from a family member, so be it. If an election is coming up, I can do my research without having to watch the mud-slinging.

Ironically, my husband is in the TV news business. However, he supports my news fast.

I don't know if I'll ever go back to watching or reading the news. I think it's been better for me to live without it.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Love to all, and extra hugs to anyone who is worried today.
xo

Please Don't Gild The Lily

I own a lot (read: too many) hair accessories. Some are very simple in line and colour, some are simple but colourful, and a few are very fancy, with Swarovski crystals or very ornate in other ways.

I so often see photos of very intricate hairstyles adorned with extremely ornate hair accessories. Now of course this is only my opinion, but to me, this detracts from the art of the hairstyle.

If I've spent time making a hairstyle with intricate braids and loops, I want the style to be seen; I don't want the focal point to be the hair accessory. It not only takes away from the work I've put into the style, but it also can look too busy. I need the accessory to complement the hairstyle, not overwhelm it.

On the other hand, if I want to wear a very ornate hair accessory, I would choose a hairstyle that is simple, with smooth lines. In this case, my hair will look sleek and hopefully pretty, but it also showcases the beauty of the accessory.

So the rule of thumb that I use is intricate hairstyle=simple hair accessory, simple hairstyle=colourful or ornate hair accessory.

Naturally, all bets are off if you are attending a Rennaissance fair, or if it's Halloween, but those are exceptions, in my mind.

In other matters, I am going through an impatient phase right now again. I know, I know, I'm whining again, but I'm telling you, sometimes this journey feels like it will go on forever. I am so close to BSL, but at the same time so far.

I am itching to do some styles that my hair simply isn't long enough to do, and also, I am eager to get to the point where my hair looks like long hair, not just longish hair.

Of course, in the real world, my hair is long hair, not only in my own age group, but even among teens, I rarely see hair that is below APL. Seeing waist length hair is a rarity: an exception, not the rule.

I'm also having a bit of a hard time adjusting to my new thickness as it's inching down my back. I tried to make a simple herringbone braid today, but I need to practice again with my changed thickness before I get it right. It's really amazing how much difference this increased thickness has made. While it means that I have to readjust my hairstyle technique, I couldn't be more delighted.

I hope that everyone's week is off to a good start.

My love to all, and extra hugs to anyone who's feeling blue. 'Til tomorrow my friends.

Supplements For Hair Growth

There is a lot of talk on the long hair discussion forums about supplements that many claim to increase their growth rate.

While I would never dispute someone's own personal claims and findings, I have no interest in taking supplements that are purely for hair growth. There are a lot of people taking Biotin, MSM, vitamins specifically for hair and nails, and even people who are ingesting diatomaceous earth, the latter of which may be somewhat hazardous to one's health.

We're all different, and we all like to do things our own way. Myself, I don't like the idea of taking supplements that I don't need just for a bit of extra growth. Especially for anyone with skin problems or allergies, taking unnecessary supplements can aggravate existing conditions.

I must make it clear that I am not anti-supplement. For some people it's a really good option. To me it just seems like spending extra money and taking possible risks for what I think is likely minimal results.

I'd be interested to hear anyone's experiences with supplements, and if you think it's worth the money and trouble.

On a different note, I would like to say hello to new readers, followers, commenters and a few people who have sent me emails of late. I really appreciate hearing from you and I am honoured that you take the time to read and in some cases write.

A special shout-out to the We Three Gang for visiting and reading. It's been a long time since I've seen or heard from any of you. I was delighted to know that you've visited, and to the European member of We Three, I can't believe you spent so much time reading! Having observed how you handle your forgiveness, your friendships, holding grudges, generosity of spirit and compassion, I am quite genuine in saying that you have inspired me to be a better person, old girl.

I will respond to the emails, but it will not be today.

I hope that everyone's weekend is winding down nicely and has been a good one.

Love to all. 'Til tomorrow, my friends.

Hair Is Feeling Good Today

In Thursday's entry, I talked about a weak dilution of lemon juice in water as a final rinse. I mentioned yesterday that I did try it out. Today is day two, and my hair is really feeling good. It's very soft and silky, but not limp and shiny.

I've told you before that I always rinse with a dilution of apple cider vinegar with good results. Today and yesterday, my hair has felt better than it even does with the ACV rinse.

While it's impossible to know at this point if it's the lemon rinse that is making my hair feel so good after just one try, I can safely say that I'll keep it up for three weeks and by then I'll know if the lemon rinse is responsible for making my hair feel so good or whether this is just a happy accident.

I've talked about the many factors that go into a good hair day before. It could be the difference between rinsing one's hair for an extra 30 seconds or using just a tiny bit more conditioner than usual.

In any case, I recommend that if you have curly or wavy hair that is prone to a bit of frizz, this is really worth a shot.

I'm looking forward to seeing whether or not this is just a fluke.

To do the lemon rinse, I put 4 teaspoons of lemon juice in a 2 litre (about 8 cup) plastic juice pitcher. I filled it with water and after I finished rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, I dipped the length of my hair in the pitcher for about 30 second or so. Then I poured it over my hair and scalp. Easy and inexpensive.

I also had one of those happy hair moments today. I was just sitting here and I leaned over to pick up my tea, and I felt my hair touch my arm in a new place. Sometimes it amazes me that we can sometimes feel growth in that way.

So all is well in the hair department today.

This week I shall make a hairstyle video. If I can't do it Monday, I'll be sure to do it by the end of the week.

I hope that you all are enjoying your weekend. I've really been enjoying the milder weather that we've been having lately.

Well, it's movie time for me now. I'm going to watch a ghost story this time.

'Til tomorrow. Love to all, and extra hugs to anyone struggling with heartbreak.
xo