52:41:Design

 

We are getting ready for Halloween around here.  I had to measure Claire to make sure I made the right costume decisions, but Claire decided that she knew how to do it better, so she proceeded to design her own costume from my yards of tulle.  She knows what she is going to be--she will tell you what it is.  However, I'm having a hard time seeing the final result in her dramatic costume interpretation above.  Can't wait to reveal the final product!

Hair Revolution: No More 'Poo!

I met a lovely girl a few years ago who was student teaching in my building.  She had the cutest ringlets.  I wondered if it was natural or how you make hair like that--I assumed some kind of perm (oh, what a naive white girl I am).  She just smiled and said it was natural.  I told her I had some curl in my hair, but all I really had was frizz with curl underneath.  She told me she used to have frizzy hair, too, before she stopped washing her hair. 

Say WHAT?  She hadn't used shampoo in over two years.  But her hair looked so clean! 

Talk to your old people, and you'll probably find out they didn't shampoo daily back in the day (and many don't now, either).  It wasn't a "dirty" thing.  We've been programed to believe we have to shampoo every day now thanks to new marketing and advertising.  It's actually bad for our hair.  Well, I couldn't go without shampoo--Fistfuls of glorious foamy bubbles coursing through my long thick hair.  Could I?

I've seen the infomercials and QVC spots about Wen cleansing products.  That's a conditioning cleanser--not shampoo.  I'd love to be a Wen girl.  But Wen girls need a lot of money when the product costs that much.  So I found an alternative at Sally Beauty Supply (where I hang out all the time now, it seems).  It's called Hair One.  What's the big deal though?  What is the difference between washing my hair every day with this stuff and washing my hair with Pantene? 

Hair One vs. Wen... Money Wise

 They're called sulfates: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (the worst) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (not as bad, but  not great).  These are detergents that strip your oils from your hair... and everything else (hence that lovely clean feel).  But sometimes your hair LIKES its own oil.  Our hair has a way to take care of itself--its own oils make it happy.  But every time we shampoo, we wash our natural oils away, and when we shampoo every day, sometimes our hair wants to fight back. Hair might be frizzy, overly oily, or just dull and lifeless.

My daughter has lovely ringlets and curls.  I've marveled at the fact that she doesn't have frizzy hair.  That's because we use baby shampoo.  Baby shampoo has some form of coco betaine (feel like a chemistry lesson?  Because this research has been awful because I hated chemistry).  It doesn't have sulfates. 

Hair One (which I love) doesn't contain any of these products.  It has an astringent and a lot of natural oils to help remove dirt and distribute your natural oils.  There's no bubbles, no suds, just a thick conditioner (hence conditioning cleanser).  It's a real process, but basically you're manually washing your hair--scrubbing for a certain amount of time, leaving it on for a certain amount of time... rinsing for a certain amount of time (Wen is the same).  I literally set a timer to make sure I do every step long enough.  But it allows your natural oils to work with these added oils to moisturize.  Your hair is clean because you scrubbed away the dirt and dead cells.

My favorite is the Sweet Almond Mint.  I'm starting the one with Argon Oil though.  Fingers crossed!

The benefits?  The frizz starts to go away.  My hair looked darker, shinier, richer, and of course, my curls started to pop up much better.  Think I'm lying?  I switched back to shampoo this week because of a pinched nerve and a hair gel issue, and my hair got a thin layer of frizz all over.  My curls were weaker.  After three shampoos.  So I'm going back to Hair One tomorrow.

My first day trying out real curls.  Notice the non-frizzy waves.  Oh yes.

So, if you're having hair issues like me, start investigating.  What does your hair really want?  Turns out mine just really wanted to be left to take care of itself, like an unruly teenager with a freezer full of Totino's Pizza Rolls.  I'm excited to share more research, but for anyone interested, look into the "no poo" movement or "low poo" products.  I'm not saying Hair One is your key to success, and there are a bunch of similar products out there like DivaCurl products and Wen.  Some women even just buy really cheap (bad) conditioners and scrub using those and it works just fine.  But maybe it's time you let your hair take the wheel and provide for itself.  Just maybe. 

52:40:Toss

 

Claire is obsessed with leaves.  We went to visit Papa's house to stock up on peacock feathers for our costume (hint!) and we had to take time out to play in the luscious leaves on the property.  We raked up a big pile and let Claire do what she does.  She absolutely loved it.  This girl is all about fall, just like her momma!

Hair Revolution: Something's Gotta Give

Confession: My hair takes ten minutes to wash (shampoo and condition) but I prefer to leave the conditioner in until last.  And I use a deep conditioner a few times a week.  And I've been known to pull out the olive oil and some eggs and whip it up and stick it on my head under some saran wrap for a few hours.

Field trip day.  I was so excited/nervous I got up early, plus had 10 extra minutes to get ready since I wasn't dropping off the kiddo at day care.  One of the best hair days I can recall.  Oh the straightness.

I have frizzy, wavy, mostly frizzy hair.  I put on an Aveda straightening lotion most days, trying to help the issue (it doesn't, much, but any help I can get) I blow dry straight in sections.  Four, to be exact.  This takes about 15 minutes (if I'm not too picky about some damp sections).  I can't go out like this.  My hair looks like a giant triangle.  FRIZZZZZ (ironically, that's the noise it makes, I think, every time I whip my hair back after flipping my  head to dry the top section so I have volume).

So after I think it's dry enough, I resection my  hair (the same four sections--bottom layer, middle bottom layer, middle top layer, top layer).  Then I run a thin comb through and straighten each section with my Chi flat iron.  For those who don't know, the Chi's run incredibly hot (and expensive, but when you have hair like mine, you have to have molten-lava hot).  I usually put in some kind of heat protector oil--I have some cheap weird stuff like biosilk.  I have Chi oil.  I also have a Rusk heat activated (some how protective) shine serum spray.  I like the spray because it makes it look like I didn't just cook my hair for breakfast.  Then I start the flat ironing.  The bottom two layers aren't terrible.  The bottom layer of my hair is frizz free, flat, impervious to curl.  Easy to straighten.  The next layer up is wavy.  Not kinky.  It responds like a sullen child.  Except for the back of my head, up by the roots.  This is where it's getting course and kinky.  Just at the roots though, it always seems.

The next layer (mid top) is worst. I have a "kitchen" from what I've read online.  One ugly unruly spot in the back of my head with course, kinky hair that defies all product, heat, and reason.  I spend a long time on this layer.  If you've ever seen the back of my head and noticed a little wave up top, you've seen my "kitchen".  It's peeking through and messing up my flat top layer.  My top layer doesn't take long.  It'd have more curls, but they've all died and turned to frizz or split ends or straw.  I kill that top layer with heat.  And sun.  And blow drying.  And shampoo.  It cries when I reach for the Chi.

This process obviously takes the longest.  And I've sprayed or used whatever I needed to to "save" my hair a little.  So then I brush it, check the back, notice the "kitchen-waves" curse a little, realize I'm running behind, and leave the house.  And run back in and check to make sure I unplugged everything in the bathroom.  Then I leave again.

I can't let my hair air dry.  I will put it up in a messy bun or a roll of some sort partially wet (these are the days I either don't have 40ish minutes to do my hair... or just don't want to take that long to do my hair... or the day before I felt like my hair was burnt to a crisp or something and I somehow think this will give it a nice break).  When my hair air dries naturally, it's about just as bad as the post-blow-dry pre-flat-iron look.  FRIZZZZZ.  And clumps.  And waves.  And straight parts.  Ugly. And sometimes (not sure what caused it) I'd get "hot spots" on my head.  In the back.  Little sores that sometimes itched, but were always sore and wet feeling.  Sometimes I'd think they came from straightening too soon on my hair that didn't get quite dry enough (hot steam burns).  Sometimes I'd swear it was my shampoo and I'd not gotten something out and it caused a reaction. 

Big curl waves--This was achieved by straightening first, then getting out a curling iron.  Think about how long THAT took.

That was my hair history.  Until about two weeks ago.  I decided that something had to give.  I was killing my hair with heat and product and killing myself each morning to make it look right. That's what started my hair revolution.  Can't wait to share with you all I've discovered since I holstered the Chi and started doing some research.  I might never go straight again--and I honestly think I'm okay with that!

Missed a Few Birchboxes!

No big deal, I've been busy.  That and I won't say my Birchboxes have SUCKED, but I haven't found a product in a few months I've just died to tell y'all about.

September's Birchbox--teas, nail polish, the scrub, in the black is a tinted moisturizer I already reviewed, nail polish remover, and perfume sample.

So in this birchbox, I got a few packets of tea (but I haven't tried them... they sound yummy though and I may pack tea with me tomorrow for P/T conferences (since I can't stand talking all day plus all night--my voice dies).  The stand outs in this box were Kate Spade's Twirl perfume (which is amazing...ly expensive.  But still amazing).  I also like the white bottle in the middle.  It's a face scrub, but it's the kind with the really really fine scrubbers, so it feels like a high quality sandpaper rather than chunks of stuff in your soap.  If you're dying to know the name, I can send it to you.  It escapes me at the moment.  Duds?  The nail polish which was toted as "fall's hottest style" which made me think, matte?  No.  Just a runny pea soup green.  Thank goodness that little packet that says "fresh" was nail polish remover.  Irony, I suppose.

October's Birchbox: Explained below in order from Luna bar to lip gloss

So, this month I received:
Luna Bar (15 bars for $18.75)--I've had these before.  Take them or leave them.  I'll probably bring it to school and eat it 15 minutes after I get there stuff it in my desk for emergencies. 

A Beauty Blender (the pink thing--$25.95 for two)--This is a make-up sponge basically.  For "flawless coverage" you get it damp and put on your foundation.  I feel like it COULD work, but I haven't tried it.  Mostly because I use a fairly thick foundation and I just don't imagine it would go on smoothly with this.  Also, I really figured they were disposable, which meant the price was obscene, but apparently there are cleaning directions.  So.  Maybe it's started to get a little more interesting.  On a sidenote, Claire thought it was cool.

DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum ($85)--with a price like that, I imagine that name must cost ten dollars a word.  1)thanks Birchbox for making me feel like I need an $85 wrinkle cream at 31 years old, 2) I do kind of get a little sparkly when I realize I'm wearing an $85 dollar cream that no one can tell I have on.  I guess it works?  I think I need to hold on to this until I have something more to minimize.  I don't feel like it did much for the giant wrinkle on my forehead though.  And it's not just my forehead all screwed up from looking at the price tag.  I have a wrinkle there, too.

Marie Veronique Organics Anti-Aging Oil + ($80)--I actually really liked this stuff.  Great smell, great texture, made my skin happy.  Of course, unless they're selling 100 gallon barrels for $80, I'm probably not getting this.  But I really liked it.  And use it sparingly.  So it will last.

And finally, Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss in Charm ($33)--It's supposed to plump lips a little and keep the little lines from showing up.  For $33, it better do something better than Lip Smackers, right? It has the normal wear and tear of a gloss, but I do like the color and it definitely feels thicker and richer... like in theory if I trusted myself to walk around with a tube of this, I could see reapplying this all day and enjoying the wonderful effects.


All in all?  I got a lot of expensive stuff the past two months and I'm not seriously going to buy wrinkle stuff that costs that much or lip gloss (that I'll just lose anyway) for that much.  I'd buy the Kate Spade perfume, but it's going on my Christmas list.  I've been awfully good this year. 

52.39.Be Nice

Claire goes through stages where she is very nice to others... then the next week she is no longer nice, every turn is her turn, and there is no sharing.  We were pleasantly surprised when we had a friend outing that Claire had a "nice" day and not only played, but they held hands when they walked around the pumpkin patch.  They both have their mini-pumpkins and they're on an adventure.  Holding hands.  And what does Claire say when I compliment her night behavior?  She tells me, "Awww... NICE!" (and it sounds a lot like Borat).  It's too hilarious.  I'm hoping for a lot more nice days in the future!

52.38.Adventure

Last weekend we took Claire to a local pumpkin patch with some friends to play and have a good time.  Claire had a great time running around and trying new things.  Ever fearless, she led the way into the maze (and promptly got lost--we had to yell over to her a lot to follow the big kids). 

She got to see some planes take off.  She also went on a wild ride in a wagon to get a pumpkin!  She played in the corn box and had to pet all the animals we found.  She was so excited and happy!  We ALL were!  This place was great and we'll probably be back--before the season runs out, weather permitting!