Live And Let Live--Please!

I am really getting tired of articles written by beauty reporters and fashion consultants who think that very long hair simply needs to be cut. I was pointed to the direction of this blurb, written by the Allure Daily Beauty Reporter.


I really felt annoyed that the reporter had to put down a woman for proudly having hair down to her buttocks, and then going the extra mile to figure out the psychological reasons why some women are "afraid" to cut their hair.

While I have no doubt that some women cut their hair for psychological reasons, and others keep their hair long for psychological reasons, I truly believe that most women wear their hair at the particular length they wear it simply because that's the way they like it.


Of course there are also religious and cultural reasons why some women keep their hair very long.


Once in a blue moon, I read similar articles about women with short hair, but the focus is almost always on long hair. And by long hair, usually beauty editors mean anything longer than collarbone length.


Why is there this seemingly constant need in the beauty industry to suggest that women need to cut their hair? Particularly, women who have reached middle age are picked on for having long hair. If a woman feels beautiful with her hair at whatever length she wears it, that's good enough for me. I wish that we women would all be more supportive of one another's unique style.

Isn't that what it's really all about?


I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend.

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

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Another Quiet Saturday, and Still Loving My Hair

It's been a lovely quiet day. The men of the household are both off today, and they took advantage of the day off to get some extra sleep. I was up early, so I had a lot of quiet time to read and to watch a movie. I did a few chores, but mostly I have spent the day relaxing. What could be more delightful?

I watched White Oleander today. I've seen it before, but it's being run again on one of my movie networks, and I thought it deserved another viewing. I had forgotten the beautiful long hair in the movie. While I am quite sure that both Michelle Pfeiffer and Alison Lohman are wearing extensions in the film, it is inspiring nonetheless to see straight blonde hair that is longer than waist length. While I'm not fool enough to think that my hair will ever look like the hair I saw in the film, it still gives me incentive to keep on growing.

My son and I caught up on the episodes that we had missed of The Amazing Race, which we've been watching together since the second season. We always have a lot of fun watching it, and we never fail to have at least one good belly laugh when we view it.

I am still using the oil soap shampoo, and I continue to be delighted with the results. I'm still playing around with the ratios. Most recently I've been using a ratio of 1:1 of coconut oil and shampoo, mixed with water in a squeeze bottle. I am finding it necessary to use only the smallest amount of conditioner, which is nice. This method is turning out to be quicker than even COing has been, and I really had that routine down.

You may recall that it was through reading Ktani's blog entry about hair care from movie stars of the past that I first became aware of the oil soap. If you haven't read Ktani's Hair Sense blog and you're interested in some interesting research regarding hair care, I suggest you check it out. She also wrote a very interesting entry debunking the myths surrounding silicones in conditioners, which I found very informative.

In any case, it's been 3 weeks with the oil soap, and the results are still amazing me. This is the closest I have ever felt to having hair that looks like the hair in hair care commercials. I think this is the future of my hair routine.

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

Really Enjoying My Hair Today

First of all, thank you to all who commented on yesterday's progress photos. It made me feel very good, and I really appreciate it.

It's been a long haul just to get where I am, so having people cheer me on helps like you wouldn't believe.

Usually, when I'm just at home, I wear my hair up to keep it protected from wear and tear. While I do like to wear my hair loose when I go out, it's usually up when I'm here.

Today though, I wore my hair loose for part of the day, and I caught myself looking in the mirror with surprise a couple of times. I am yet again noticing how much longer it's getting, especially in the front.

It's such a great feeling to actually be able to see myself that my hair is growing. So often, we don't actually notice the changes in our own hair, because we see it every day.

Perhaps because I wear my hair up most of the time, I view my hair the way others might who haven't seen me for a while.

So I guess wearing one's hair up serves more than the purpose of protecting the hair and keeping it out of harm's way. It also allows us to notice the difference when it's worn down.

I'm really feeling positive about the way my hair feels and looks these days too. It's really been soft and shiny.

All in all, this has been a delightfully good hair day. I think I'll just leave it at that.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend.

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

December Update

Here are my December length photos. This month my hair grew 1/2 inch, but I also trimmed 1/2 inch, so there has been no visible growth. For quite some time, actually a few years, my hair was growing 3/4 inch per month, but I've noticed that for the past few months, I'm only gaining about 1/2 inch per month. I don't know why I'm experiencing slower growth, but it's been pretty constant since early this year.

Nonetheless, I'm pleased with my progress.

As a reminder, here is a length photo from February of this year.

It's probably needless to say that I'm not thrilled with the thin ends (do I ever stop whining about that?), but I know that eventually they will be removed.

Also, I'm starting to think that since the slower growth has become a regular thing, I may not be at waist length for my 50th birthday next July. If that's the case, so be it. I'll get there eventually.

All in all, it's been a pretty good year so far for growth and trimming away damage, so I'm good with it.

'Til tomorrow, my friends. Much love to all, and extra hugs to anyone feeling anxious today.

xo

Happy December!

It's December already. I can scarcely believe it. Does last Christmas really feel as though it was almost a year ago? No. Not at all, at least not to me.

Seriously, where does the time go? It feels as though I'm still getting used to it being 2010, and yet in a month, it will be yet another New Year's Day.

When I really think about it, I can see and feel that time has passed. A year ago, I was still on what had become a complete hiatus for 15 months, from any online forums, my own website and Facebook. I wasn't even writing emails. For some reason, I needed to be alone with my thoughts for a while, and it wasn't until mid-January of this year that I returned to LHC and it was in February that I became active on Facebook. It was in April that I began this blog.

Also, a year ago, my hair wasn't even reaching APL length, and now I've just gotten past BSL.

When I think of all of the individual events that have happened in my life and in my family this year, I do realize that it really must be December, but it really is true that time is a relative thing, and as we get older, time genuinely does feel as though it passes so quickly. It's so important not to look to far ahead and wish your life away.

That's why I really do my best not to think ahead much to my next goals where my hair is concerned. Yes, my next goal is in the back of my mind, and I do have some days when I am frustrated by my lack of length, but for the most part, I try to just appreciate my hair the way it is now, and focus on its health and not on the length.


It seems as though just about everyone I know either has a cold or has a family member who has a cold. I am one of the ones who has a cold right now. It started on Sunday, and today, I'm feeling an enormous amount of sinus pain, and I have some chills, although I only have a very low-grade fever. I am quite certain that I do not have a sinus infection, so I know that in just a day or two I'll be feeling better.

I won't lie though; a sinus headache along with a migraine is really not much fun. The weather went from a balmy 57F/14C yesterday down to about 32F/0C today, so I think the drastic change accounts for the migraine. That should stabilize soon too.

On days like this, I am very happy that my hair is long enough to put up so that it can be kept out of my face.

This morning I took my hair down from my bedtime bun, gave it a brushing to get rid of shed hairs, and I just put my hair back up in a bun. Voila, hair done for the day!

I know that a lot of people find that having bangs is a lot of work, but with my hair type and the thickness of my bangs, mine are completely maintenance-free. They just lie straight down from the time I comb them down after a wash and they stay that way until the next wash. Once in a blue moon, they stick up on one side after sleeping, but a quick pat with a wet hand, and a couple of strokes with a comb, and they're as good as new.

I guess I'm lucky in that way.

Anyway, I do wish a very happy December to everyone.

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