Shedding A Bit More Than Usual

I've noticed in the last couple of weeks that my hair seems to be shedding a little more than it ordinarily does.

I'm not pressing the panic button, but I am going to try to figure out if I really am losing more hair than usual, or if it's just that I've been wearing my hair up for longer periods of time, and combing it less lately, thereby having more hairs come out in a comb or brush at one time than usual.

Also, I've discussed before the phenomenon of shed hair looking like exponentially more than it really is due to increased length. That has happened to me before at this length, and it turned out that my shed count was well within the normal range at that time. It may be true now too.

Given all of that, I'm going to make an effort to comb my hair more regularly for a week or two, in order to keep an approximate count of the hairs that I shed. I'm also going to give it a good brushing before a wash so that my hairs have more likelihood of coming out in the brush and less likelihood of literally going down the drain.

One thing I do know is that my hair isn't breaking, because there is a root on every shed hair, so that's a good thing.

If I really am losing a bit more hair than usual, it's likely just a normal part of the hair growth/release cycle. So for now, I'll just keep my eye on it, see if this is actually occurring, and if so, how long it lasts.

Clearly, if it really turns out to be a problem, I'll have to see a doctor and check on my hormone levels and thyroid, etc., but it's far too early to be thinking in those terms right now. As I said, I'm really not too concerned right now, as I have a few reasons why I might be noticing this at the moment.


I hope that everyone who celebrates Halloween, whether with your friends or with your little ones, or who is at the door giving out treats, has had a good time. It can be so much fun!

Our neighbourhood is going through a cycle of less children trick-or-treating right now, as happens in many neighbourhoods. We moved into this house when the development was first built, and many of the folks here, including us, had young children. All of those children are grown now, and although some new young families have moved in, we only have about 1/4 of the number of children coming to the door than we did 13 years ago, our first year in this home.

As for me, I am very tired right now. I had a poor sleep last night, but I did have a nap, so I'm feeling far more tired than I think I normally ought to be right now. I think it's the pre-menopause, but I'm not sure. What I do know for sure is that I need to get out and walk more than I do. That can only be a help, and I've not been doing it. Maybe just writing that here will give me more incentive to do it.

For tonight though, it is soon to bed for me.

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

Some Thoughts On A Saturday

Today is one of those days where I'm simply baffled and angered by the unnecessary cruelty of some people to others. Usually, I think I've heard everything, yet sometimes when I hear comments made to people about their choice of hair length or clothing, I am stunned. 


I am currently at a loss for words, so I'll let people who have possessed far more wisdom than I ever will, do the talking for me.


Bullies are always cowards at heart and may be credited with a pretty safe instinct in scenting their prey.--Anna Julia Cooper


Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength--Eric Hoffer


Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life, but define yourself--Harvey S. Firestone

Please try to remember these things the next time someone attempts to hurt you through words. I'm trying to.

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

Yet More Rules

Thank you everyone for your comments to yesterday's posts. It's clear that many of us see or have felt the peer pressure of the die-hards at the long hair forums. All of us who have or want to have long, healthy hair need to educate ourselves on the dangers of various methods or treatments, or we might be where I was before I joined LHC. Before LHC, I was blow-drying, heat styling and colouring, and I always had to cut my hair once it got below APL, because it would just be too thin and broken, and often I had a lot of split ends.

So don't get me wrong, I was not complaining about the Long Hair Community. I love the place. They have given me so much advice and support. Sometimes though, a vocal few make it seem as though there is only one "right way" and for a new member, it can be hard to see past that. I think some of that stems from the fact  that people who make the less popular choices are quiet about it.

I just believe that once we are educated, we need to decide for ourselves what is going to be best for us. In my case, I know I'm sacrificing what could be a longer ultimate length by colouring my hair. However, thanks to LHC knowledge, I make other healthy choices that keep my coloured hair the best it can be.

Ideally, that's what a support forum should be; a place to get the information we need, but to be able to then make our own choices once we have the information and still feel supported.

Well, I suppose that if I were to get a perm on top of my hair colour and then use a curling iron every day, I would get little support, but if I were doing all of those things, I would have to know that I would not be having healthy long hair. I don't even know if I would have healthy chin length hair if I did all those things.

Just when I was feeling a bit frustrated yesterday by a yet another new member feeling apologetic over a hair choice, again thinking that there was only one way to grow long hair, I was frustrated once again by the media.

Yesterday on the Today show, there was a topic about long hair on older women. It was inspired by the article from the New York Times that I cited last week. The author of that article was on the segment as well as a "hairdresser to the stars", interviewed by Meredith Vieira.

I don't ordinarily watch that show, but I did get a link from LHC and watched the segment.

It was a 2-part piece, first with a two-minute packaged report that was all about older women wearing longer hair these days. The rest of the segment was a live discussion hosted by Meredith Viera. One of the guests was the author of the New York times article, who is 56 with long salt and pepper hair. The other guest was a hairstylist who agrees that times are changing and older women often look good with longer hair.

It was meant to be a positive piece about long hair on older women. I think. At least it started that way. The woman from the Times talked about her experiences and her conviction to wearing long hair. The hairstylist noted that many women have a softer look when their hair is longer.

However, things began to change. The hairstylist made it clear that by long hair, she meant hair that is no longer than collarbone length. She also made it clear that some sort of face framing layers are a must for older women. Finally, she said that grey hair and long hair do not go together. In fact I think she was against grey hair at all, to be honest.

There was also a very strong hint that in order to wear even the "acceptable" length of long hair for older women, we must be physically fit and not overweight. Well, currently I'm about 20 pounds overweight, which I'm not happy about, and if I cut off my hair and went for a short cut, I'd really be feeling bad about myself.

So in short, according to this expert, women who want long hair in middle age can have long hair, but only if we satisfy certain conditions.

You can see the Today show segment here, as long as it's still up and running.

I was so delighted by that article last week, but not so delighted by that TV segment. Is there ever going to be a day when an expert will come out and say that women should just wear our hair in the way that makes us feel beautiful? Is there ever going to be a day when society just accepts and respects individual style? I don't know, but if I ever hear tell of it, I'll let you know.

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

Don't Apologize

I always feel so sad when I read a thread on LHC where someone feels the need to apologize because they blow dry their hair, colour their hair, or do anything that is not considered the ideal in hair care.

While I have written about the dangers of heat styling, and the damage that it did to me, I certainly am not trying to tell anyone not to heat style. While I don't want layers in my fine, straight hair, I thinks layers can be a saviour to someone with really thick wavey or curly hair.

I think what I try to do is give information, or my experiences, so that people can make informed decisions. That certainly doesn't mean that I expect anyone to follow my advice. Also, I am well aware that we are all so different and what may be good for one person may be a disaster for another.

I of course colour my hair, which by any standards is not a healthy hair choice. I must admit that I felt ganged-up on when I first joined LHC by some diehards who are against colouring of any sort. While I understand that for some it's a concern for one's hair health, there are also those who seem to have a moral belief that "nature knows best", and that we should just live with whatever colour we have. I'm happy to know the dangers of dyeing my hair, but I'm not interested in anyone's moral concerns.

It took a long while before I realized that there were an enormous number of LHCers who also colour their hair. They just seemed to be awfully quiet about it.

But I know the dangers, I do what I can to minimize the damage and otherwise take good care of my hair.

So if you're blow-drying your hair, flat ironing your hair, dyeing your hair, wearing bangs, or whatever makes you feel good about your hair, just make sure you are armed with information and then go ahead and do it.

Just as you don't need to listen to the people who tell you to cut off your hair, you don't need to follow all the hair care rules either, if you don't want to.

Apologize to no one.

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

My Current Routine In Summary.

I've been asked by a reader to summarize my current hair routine and treatment program in one post. So of course, I'm going to do that. Now, I know how drastically different every head of hair is, even people with hair of my own hair type, but I'll do the summary of my regimen for the record. I'll be making a page with this summary for ease of access.

Washing: Every 2 or 3 days (I try to stretch it to 3): I wash my hair using the CO method. I am currently using cone-free conditioner, usually the inexpensive Suave Naturals.

I then rinse with a mild apple cider vinegar rinse. I use about 5 or 6 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 litres, or approximately 8 cups of water. I use that as a final rinse right before getting out of the shower.

I leave the towel on my hair for no more than 10 minutes and then I add a pea-sized amount of conditioner to my length as a leave-in. I'm currently using Burt's Bees Super Shiny Grapefruit and Sugar Beet conditioner.

I do not comb or brush my hair when it is wet or damp, with the exception of my bangs, which are short. I let my hair air dry and then I begin to finger comb it as it dries. Only after my hair is dry will I comb it with a horn comb.

Nightly: I put my hair in a bun on the top of my head after a short session with a boar bristle brush. I secure it with a scrunchie or a clip.

Oiling: I use a total of 6 drops of jojoba oil to my hair from the ears down when my hair is almost dry. I put 2 drops in my hands, rub them together and smooth the hair from one side of the head between my hands. I repeat with the other side and then repeat with the back.

I use the same amount of oil again right before bed, and lightly brush it through with a boar bristle brush. I do that each night until the next wash.

Deep Oiling: I like to do a deep oil treatment once every 2 weeks or so. I soak my hair in either extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil for at least an hour, sometime for several hours. About an hour before I wash, I put conditioner on my dry, oiled hair, bun it up, and leave it until I wash. This ensures that the excess oil comes out. Because oil and water don't mix, it's best to add the conditioner first, rather than wetting the hair and trying to shampoo it out.

Protein Treatment: About once a month I do a protein treatment. I like Joico K-Pak. I like to leave it on my hair for an hour before COing.

Deep moisture treatment: I also do this every two weeks or so. I use one part honey (I microwave it for about 30 seconds so that it doesn't lighten my hair) to 2, 3 or 4 parts of conditioner, depending on how I make it that day. I put that in my dry hair (sometimes I dampen it lightly with spray bottle of distilled water), and completely saturate my hair with it from root to tip. I cover it with a plastic grocery bag and then cover that with a towel. I leave it in for at least an hour. When I get into the shower, I add some water to my scalp, work it in well, and treat the mixture as a CO. I rinse it out as I would a usual CO.

Occasional treatments: When my ends feel crunchy or velcro-like, or if my hair is getting very dull, I will clarify my hair. The shampoo I use for that is Herbal Essences Drama Clean. I always moisturize my hair very well after clarifying.

Sometimes I do a coconut milk soak. I soak my hair in full fat coconut milk, cover it with a plastic bag, and cover that with a towel. I use CO to remove it.

Once in a while, I do a mayonnaise treatment. This would be in the place of a deep oiling, and has the added benefit of protein as well as being a very good pH for the hair and scalp. I use full fat mayonnaise and I wash it out with conditioner only.

Colouring my hair: My hair is dyed, and I touch up my roots only every 4 to 6 weeks. I always coat my hair in coconut oil overnight or for at least two hours before the touch-up, in order to help prevent peroxide damage.

I think that's pretty much it. It sounds like a lot when all written out, but really, it's not a lot in terms of actual time spent or dollars spent.


Well, we had quite a storm last night, and it brought on a major migraine. It will be early to bed for me, as I try to banish this latest bout, which is a real blaster.

I am happy to say that despite this migraine, my spirits are much better in general today than they had been for a couple of weeks.

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