Arrgggghhhh! I'm an Oil Slick

I think by now it's clear that I'm in love with my coconut oil soap. From reading the reports of everyone who is using what is now being called "Movie Star Shampoo", everyone seems to need a different ratio of coconut oil to shampoo. Some use more shampoo than oil, others, like me, use more oil than shampoo.

However, the last time I washed my hair, I accidentally doubled the amount of coconut oil in my mixture.

Let me tell you, it ain't pretty.

The ends of my hair are fairly happy, but all of the hair from the forehead to the nape just looks plain oily. Wearing an updo barely helps, because it looks as though I greased my hair back. Yipes!

So, I'll be making sure to be more diligent about my measurements in the future. When I do the correct ratio, my hair doesn't look oily at all. In fact it just looks lustrous and full.

There's a lot going on right now in my life that's distracting me, so I'm not really in shock that I made such a goof. Anyway, one shampoo will take care of that little oops.

My bangs are already at the stage when I would ordinarily trim them. I guess I forget how quickly they grow. They're starting to irk me already, so I may have to start using gel to keep them out of my eyes.

I don't know how this bang-growing-out thing is going to work. I just might not have the patience right now.

I'm starting to get a bit nervous about Christmas. I've had so much on my plate that I really haven't made the proper preparations as yet.

I guess things will get done though, as they always do.

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

It's One Of Those Days

I just can't seem to do a thing with my hair today other than put it up in a very simple bun. I did a deep oiling yesterday with EVOO, and my hair dried nicely, but I think it didn't need the additional drops of oil that I later put in my hair without thinking about it. 

I was on auto-pilot I guess, since I usually oil my hair every day. After a deep oiling though, I generally don't add any more oil until the next wash.

Even though I'm getting to know my hair much better than I ever did, I still slip up sometimes. I guess we all do from time to time.

It's been over a week, but I still can't get over the fact that my hair is looking long, even at the front. I was just looking at a front photo of myself taken in January, and the difference is astounding. It's not a great photo, but once I take a new photo of myself from the front, I will post it anyway. 

Today has not been the day to take a face photo though. I have a migraine, acid reflux, and I woke up in the wee hours of the morning once again, after going to bed last night a little later than usual. I think I'd rather have a bit of rest and feel a little more healthy before having another photo taken.

Right now, I'm looking at the clock and wishing it was a little closer to bedtime. I could likely fall asleep right now, but then I'd jeopardize my night's sleep, methinks.

Anyway, I know that I'm usually Chatty McYapstick, but for today, that's about it.

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

xo

Not Quite As Cheerful As I'd Hoped

I really wanted to be more chipper and cheerful when I wrote today, but it's just not happening. I still have a migraine and that summer cold as well as hot flashes, and I feel like a bear with a thorn stuck in its paw.

I'm not feeling as impatient about my hair today as I was yesterday, but I'm not feeling great about it either.  AutumnLeaves, wouldn't you think we'd have learned our lessons by this age?

I do want to say hi and thank you to Linda, a new reader who left some lovely comments on my website.  Your kind words cheered me up, and we can all learn  to be patient together.

I've mentioned before that I used to use cone-free products, but that I am now using cones (products with silicones) on my damaged ends. I really like the conditioners that I've been using, but I tried another one yesterday that made my ends feel as if they're made of plastic. This is not helping me feel any better about those damaged ends.  I don't know whether it was a one-time thing with this conditioner or if I need to clarify and perhaps that's the problem. I have used this conditioner in the past, but I don't recall my hair feeling this way after using it.

I will be trying the conditioner again, but I do have to say that the last few inches of my hair feel like Barbie hair.  It's really not a good feeling. I'll go back to the usual conditioners and give this one another try at a later date.  It really could be other factors that is causing my hair to feel this way. We'll see.

It's going to be quite a while until I'll be able to go cone-free again, but I'm not minding it too much ordinarily. If I try to go completely cone-free now, I'd have so many tangles on the ends, and my hair would feel so rough. It's just not worth it to me.

With the heat and the humidity, as well as the hot flashes that I'm experiencing, I just can't say enough how happy I am that my hair is long enough to put up and keep off my neck. I'm not wearing it in any way fancy, but it's up and out of the way. I don't know how I would cope if I had hair on my neck during hot flashes.

On another note, they say that a mother is only as happy as her least happy child.  I believe that to be true. I won't say much, but I will say that one of my kids is going through a trying time.  It's only temporary, and it's not health-related, thank heaven, but it's a trying time nonetheless. I truly hope things get better very quickly.

Well, I guess that's about as much babbling as I dare do today.

Love to all.  'Til tomorrow my friends.

Migraine, Limp Hair and More On Shea Butter Allergies

Well, I have a blaster of a migraine today, so this entry will be a quickie. My migraines are definitely related to the weather. I can predict a thunderstorm with amazing accuracy judging by how a migraine feels, and I knew when I awoke this morning that we're in for some thunder and lightning.  The weather office agrees, it seems.

Today is one of those days where my hair is limp and lank. I think in this case the cause is that I put just a bit too much oil on my ends last night when doing my light bedtime oil and brushing. An extra two drops can make all the difference.  Less is more when it comes to every day oiling, as I've mentioned before.  I guess I wasn't keeping track of my drops.

However, my hair does feel soft, and it's days like this that I am so happy to know a few rock solid updos that hide the fact that I'm having a bad hair day. I never oil my bangs, so they look just fine.

I was discussing Shea Butter yesterday, and I have had good results with it on my hair and skin.  I have very sensitive skin and some eczema, on which I use Shea Butter happily, but according to this blog entry by Ktani, it is a more common allergen than what I wrote yesterday, so I'm adding this link as a caution.

So if you do purchase Shea Butter, make sure you get a small size the first time and do a patch test before slathering it all over.  As I mentioned yesterday, it is not recommended for use by people with latex allergies and it goes without saying that it's a no-no if you have nut allergies.

I myself have a severe peanut allergy, but peanuts are not nuts; they are legumes.  While I can eat other legumes, peanuts cause anaphylactic shock in me.

In any case, Ktani has quite extensive information there.  It's always best to be informed.

So, that's it for today. Not much new happening here, and I am going to relax and do what I have to in order to get rid of this migraine.

Love to all. 'Til tomorrow.

Today Is a Bad Hair Day

All I really wanted to do today for my blog was a style tutorial.  However, my hair is not in the mood to cooperate.

My hair is just too slippery today.  I tried a French Twist, and it slumped.  I tried a Figure 8 and it fell out.  I did a 5 Strand Braid Half-up, and it just drooped.

I won’t say I’m not frustrated, because I really am.  Yet as I wrote in this post, we all have bad hair days from time to time. 

Why is my hair so slippery today?  I washed the same way, with the same conditioner that I always do, and I thought that I had rinsed it as long as usual, but for a reason that eludes me, my hair just doesn’t feel the way it usually does.  That’s just the way it is today.

So, I’ve settled for just wearing a messy Wrapped Hairstick bun, which is one of my bad hair day go-to styles.  One really can’t go too far wrong with this one.

It’s meant to look messy.  One day this month, I’ll give instructions on how to do the Wrapped Hair Stick Bun, but for now, I’ve had enough of attempting to style my hair. 

I’m pretty sure that if I tried to document this hairstyle step-by-step today, I would get more frustrated than I already am.  I’m not about to do that. 

I think I’m going to forget about anything to do with hair for the rest of the day, and just watch a movie.  Yes, that is just what I’ll do.

Bad Hair Days

We all get them.  It doesn't matter who you are, some days your hair just doesn't want to cooperate.  It may be too frizzy, or it may be too limp and lank.  People make jokes about bad hair days, but I've been around long enough to know that it's not funny to most people.  If something negative is going on in your life, a bad hair day can only make you feel worse.  Somehow people tend to grab onto that as their focus instead of thinking about the bigger things in life that are distressing.  And really, that's no joke.

Sometimes you know why your hair is misbehaving.  It could be high humidity, rain, or a real lack of humidity. Other times, it's a mystery.

There are so many variables that can cause bad hair days. You may think that you've treated your hair the way you always do, but you may have put in just an extra bit of conditioner, or a little less than usual.  You may not have rinsed your hair long enough.  Your hair may have dried in an unusual position, so it may show a strange part or cowlick.

Another thing that I notice is that there are certain length stages that one goes through that seem to be awkward.  No matter what you try, nothing seems to make your hair look right.  These stages always pass, but it can be difficult to realize that when you're in the midst of it.

The thing is, bad hair days can really get you down, and if you have too many in a row, it can be discouraging not only to your process of growing out your hair, but to how you feel in general, especially if you're going through other more real stresses.

Often people will give in on a whim and decide to give in to a major chop when they're feeling down about their hair.  And just as often, people regret it and in turn feel worse about themselves.

There are things you can do to cope with awkward phases and bad hair days.

First of all, make sure that you learn at least one or two good, efficient, foolproof hairstyles that are easy to do.  There are styles that work for every length imaginable.  If your hair is too short to make a nice bun, it is likely long enough to make a French Twist or a Gibson Tuck.  Take the time to learn how to French Braid if you don't already know how to do so.

It may seem daunting, but everyone can learn some simple styles.

Secondly, make sure that in your purse or you backpack, you keep a nice hair accessory or two.  Depending on the length of your hair, what accessory you carry may differ.

I always keep a hair clip, a hair stick and a ponytail holder in my bag.  What you carry is up to you.  Just make sure you always have something to fall back on if your hair is getting out of control.

When all else fails, put your hair up every day for a while and forget about it. 

Bad hair days really don't have to be so bad.  It's not worth cutting over.