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.

The Two Week Rule

If you're like me, you may often want to change your hair colour or style on a whim.  So many of us do, enjoy it for a while, and then regret it.

I recall a few years ago, I suddenly felt the need for change, and I impulsively got a lip-length bob.  My hair had been well below the shoulders, and it was before I became conscious of good hair care, so my hair was not looking its best.  One day, I flipped through a hairstyle magazine, saw that lip-length bob and the very same day I had it cut.  I even remember the stylist asking me if I was sure I wanted that much hair cut off.  Of course I said yes.

While I really liked the light feeling of the shorter hair, and I did like the way it looked, it didn't take long before I realized that it really wasn't me and I'd already grown tired of it. So then I had to wait a very long time until I had long hair again.  Fortunately, it was an easy cut to grow out, as there were no layers.

I have done some really impulsive colouring in the past as well, even as recently as three years ago.

If you ever look at any of the long hair forums on the Internet, you will hear about something called the Two Week Rule.

The Two Week Rule is to be implemented whenever you have thoughts of cutting your hair, colouring your hair, getting a fringe/bangs, or anything else that will either cause further damage to your hair, or cause regret.

I recommend that anyone who is serious about growing their hair uses the Two Week Rule, no matter what your ultimate goal length may be.

It's very helpful to not only invoke the rule with yourself, but to tell someone else. That will make you feel more accountable and less likely to be impulsive.

I will admit that it took me a while to have the patience to use the Two Week Rule, but since I have, I have saved myself from a few regrettable chops.

I hope that you will use it too.

Sometimes I Just Want To Give Up

Growing long hair is a really long-term commitment.  Sometimes I feel stuck and it feels like there's no progress at all.  Sometimes I look at the flaws in my hair and want to cut it all out, so that my hair looks perfect.  Right now I still have some residual damage and the perfectionist in me doesn't like it.

Even though my hair grows more quickly than some, it can be a discouraging process.  Even thinking about when I will achieve my next goal seems so far off and unreal.

So how do I keep going?  Well, there are a few things I do to help when I feel discouraged.

One thing I do is take monthly progress photos.  While I don't often see any progress from one month to the next, if I look at a photo taken three months earlier, then I do see that there's been growth.  This is a great tool for me, and often keeps me going when I get the urge to chop.

Another thing I do to distract myself from the impatience of growing hair is to try new styles that I can do at each new length.  I enjoy practising different braids and updos, and it's always a revelation when I learn something new or when I discover that I can do a style that just a month ago I couldn't do just because my hair was that tiny bit shorter.

Sometimes it's necessary just to put my hair up in any old updo and forget about it.

The biggest thing I have to get over is my need for perfection.  Yes, I have some breakage from my last big lightening that remains and there's a slight colour demarcation line from where my hair was dyed lighter.  In the past, I would have just cut my hair off either the level of the breakage, or the level of the slight colour change.  I'm learning to live with the imperfections of my hair.

That's a hard thing for me to do.  It really is.

So I have a plan to rid my hair of damage, and that is to trim about 1/2 inch off every three months.  That way my hair still grows, but I'm gradually getting rid of damage.  Also, it helps keep my ends looking neater and fresher.

Anyway, as humans, none of us is perfect.  Why must I expect my hair to be?  I'll be mulling that one over the next time I get frustrated.

So there are no big chops looming in my future.  I've been there and done that and I know it's not what will make me happy.  I think I'll just put my hair up now and forget about it.

Tomorrow I'll be posting a quick and easy hairstyle.

I hope everyone is having  a wonderful weekend.