The Long Hair Community

PurpleCow · August 31st, 2003, 05:13 PM

I seem to be stuck in that length between bra strap and waist. I thought perhaps beginning a journal would both distract me from getting frustrated with my hair and also help me catch hold of some of the thoughts rambling around in my head.
The last time I got a hair cut was in June of 2001. It was a Friday, the 15th I believe. It may seem odd to remember a hair cut so precisely but it was the day that The Fast and The Furious was released in movie theatres. I got my once a year short haircut that day. I think it was about mid-neck. Since I had a fear of haircutters after a bad experience I procrastinated as much as possible. That meant for a few years I would just get a hair cut once a year towards the beginning of summer. I can't remember at what point I really decided to grown out my hair rather than do my usual trick of trying to avoid haircuts. I know that by March of 2002 I had joined LHL and was trying to do everything I could to take care of my hair. Between then and now, I know I've done things I probably shouldn't have and I haven't done things I probably should have. I've gotten frustrated. I've wanted to cut it, dye it, shave it, make it grow faster. I did succumb to the cutting urge once this past spring/summer but it was only about 2". I've been seeing quite a few people with long hair lately and it looks so beautiful and healthy that I experience a pang of jealousy and doubt that my hair will ever be that beautiful. I wish I had a digital camera so I could post a picture and get opinions from those people who know what they're talking about. Anyway, so I don't lose track of these, I'm posting them here. The few measurements I've been able to keep track of over the past year or so.

May 2002 23"
June 2002 23.5"
July 2002 24"
August 2002 24.5"
September 2002 25"
October 2002 25.5"
December 20, 2002 27"
February 28, 2003 28"
cut my hair sometime in here
June 2, 2003 28"

I've also realized in the past week that either I completely did my hair typing wrong in the past, or that it's changed. I'm inclined to think it's a combination of the two. For the longest time I believed I was a 1aFi but now I think I'm a 1a/cM i. I'm fairly certain the F/M confusion was because I didn't read the description thoroughly and just thought of the many people throughout my life who have commented that I have fine hair. I don't think I really have fine hair, I just have thin hair. As far as the a/c, I think I've gone from having straight hair to having somewhat wavy hair. At first I thought maybe it was just from styling or from the way I dried my hair, but it keeps doing it in the same spot every time. It's very odd to see. Should be interesting to see if it's some sort of temporarly fluke or if it continues. I hope something changes though because it seems to be a bit limited to the right side of head while the left side still stays pretty straight. Oh well, I have always been a bit unbalanced.

And of course I can't forget to include the one hair pic I do have, even if it is old.

PurpleCow · September 3rd, 2003, 04:46 AM

I tried a bit of an experiment yesterday as far as my hair type. After my shower I tried to do as little as I could to touch my hair. I didn't wring it out the way I normally do and I didn't wrap it up in a towel. I just let it hang there and dry. I wanted to make sure I hadn't been doing anything to artifically manipulate my hair type. I definitely have curls/waves. It's kind of cool realizing this. Sometimes it seems like just basic waves and sometimes its like semi-loose spiral curls. I used to not like having stick straight hair and wished for curls. Looks like I'm finally getting them.
I wonder if this curl/wave thing can explain the little "furls" in my hair. I don't want to call it frizz but I have these little bits all over that stick out. I had thought my hair was just damaged or split but after trying to trim those suckers I realized it was something else. I would trim above what I thought was the split only to have the new freshly cut end curl up the same way. I've decided that's just the way my hair is and I have to accept it.
I haven't yet showered this morning and my hair still feels nice and soft and silky from yesterday. I slathered some St. Ives hair repair on before showering yesterday and then put even more on once I was in the shower. I then used the Strawberries and Cream VO5 for a CO wash. After my hair was mostly dry I used a very tiny amount of monoi oil to smooth down some of the furls. I can't say if it was the combination of things or any one in particular that made my hair feel so nice but I'm happy about it. I just don't have the patience to try one product at a time to see results.
I do think I'll go back to doing ACV rinses once in a while. I can't really think of why I stopped other than laziness. And being less than fond of the smell. I do know they helped my hair as far as shine and softness.
It will be interesting to see if the new vitamin routine I'm on makes any difference in my hair. I've added a lot of stuff that I wasn't taking before. I know the silica has been making a difference in my nail length and strength so I assume it's helping my hair as well.
I think I need to teach my boyfriend, Keith, how to measure my hair. I've shielded him from my tiny obsession for the most part since we started dating but I guess it's time to start letting him see how important this is to me. I'm sure he'll tease me about it but only in a nice way.
I found a couple more of my old hair measurements so I thought I'd add them.

March 2002 20.5"
April 2002 22"

Seems like I had some significant growth spurts last spring. Or I was measuring wrong.
Here's my current vitamin routine in case anyone's interested.

Every Morning:
Acidophilus
Biotin
Calcium
Zinc
Lysine
Silica
Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Morning:
Antioxidants
B Complex
Monday, Wednesday, Friday Morning:
Ultra Vita-min
Every Night:
Silica
Lysine
Garlic
Monday, Wednesday, Friday Night:
Eseential Oils

PurpleCow · September 5th, 2003, 03:07 AM

Well I've been good about doing ACV rinses the past few mornings and then using the VO5 conditioner afterward. It's hard to say for sure since I usually have my hair bunned or braided, but it does seem to be working for me. My hair is definitely getting shinier from the ACV rinses and the VO5 has a strong enough scent that I don't feel paranoid about my head smelling after.
I wish I knew what was going on with the hair around my face. I grew out my bangs about 3 years ago but suddenly it seems like I'm going through it again. I have these weird wing-like bits around my face, especially on the right. I guess it's either a new sudden growth spurt there or that changing from glasses to contacts stopped pulling at that bit allowing it to finally grow into something. I'll be happy when it gets long enough to secure in a hairstyle. I keep trying to slick it back with mousse or gel only to have it come flopping forward later in the day.

PurpleCow · September 9th, 2003, 05:09 AM

All the talk in another forum about husbands and boyfriends not liking hair length/colour/style got me thinking. Every once in a while my boyfriend will say he likes the way I have my hair styled but for the most part he's pretty quiet on the subject. So I sent him an email asking what he really thinks of my hair. I know there was one instance a few months ago where I had slept in curlers and he said I should get a perm so my hair was curly all the time. I don't know if that's something he still thinks or not. Should be interesting to see what his response to my email is. I have a sneaky suspicion though that today will be one of those days where he's too busy to answer. Regardless, this is something I'm doing for myself. I know I want to grow it to waist length, after I reach that goal though who knows what I'll do. I want this for myself but at the same time I care what his opinion is because I want to do what I can to make him happy.

I *finally* got my order from Hair Boutique yesterday. I didn't realize when I placed the order on a Friday afternoon that they didn't work on weekends and of course the following Monday was Labor day. It was worth the wait though. I got the Evita Peroni Audrey Pelican in gold, the Evita Peroni Mile Pelican in copper, and a large France Luxe barette in luxe. They're all beautiful. The Audrey Pelican was larger than I thought it would be. (I'm not good at visualizing things from their measurements.) I pulled half my hair back yesterday and held it with the France Luxe. It looked good with my color and stayed in place very well. When I took my sleeping braid out this morning I threw my hair up into a messy bun held with the Audrey Pelican. It's been holding very well without pulling or feeling heavy. I think I'll give the Mile a test drive at my meeting tomorrow.

I did a CWC on my hair yesterday. I first used my Suave Aloe Vera Conditioner, then washed with Clairol Herbal Essences Clarifying Shampoo and finished up with the Dove Intense Daily Conditioner. It left my hair feeling very clean and slick but also made my furls much worse. I think the combination of the Clairol and Dove was just too harsh for my hair. I can't decide if I'll continue using them once in a while or if I should get rid of them all together. My furls did calm down after I used a drop or two of the VO5 as a leave in. I think I'll do another ACV rinse this morning. I really need to set a routine for myself and stick to it. I'm tired of it being rather haphazard and not being able to determine which things make a difference in my hair. I also think I'm going to try tweaking my vitamin routine a bit. I feel like I'm overdoing it with some of what I'm taking. I think I can cut back a bit and still get everything I need.

PurpleCow · April 13th, 2004, 04:08 AM

Several months ago I had gotten to a point where I wasn't happy with my hair. I felt like I was growing it to prove a point to someone I loathed and it didn't feel like it was growing. I was having trouble measuring it myself and everything was just turning into frustration. So I cut a few inches off. A few months later, I cut more off. I ended up cutting off about 6 inches or so between both trims. So my hair went from somewhere between BS and waist to somewhere between shoulders and shoulderblades. I was happy with it. It was much more flattering when I wore it down and I felt less burdened. Over time I wanted to start wearing it up more again and found out I couldn't really do certain hairstyles anymore. I enjoyed being able to do figure 8's before and finding that I couldn't was frustrating. So I'm starting over. I'm not setting a goal for myself. I'll just let it grow and make length decisions as I want. It feels a bit more freeing to do it this way. Also, now I have someone to help me measure my hair so I can keep track of progress even when it doesn't seem to be doing anything. As of April 2 or 3 my hair measured 23.5". The overall health of it seems to be pretty good. I haven't been paying too much attention to it. Mostly trying to let it do it's own thing. I do think that using the VO5 Tangerine Tickle doesn't seem to agree with me. I seem to end up a bit greasy not matter how much I rinse. I'll have to experiment with it a bit more. Worst case scenario I can throw it away. One of the perks of cheap conditioner.

PurpleCow · April 16th, 2004, 05:26 AM

The other day I ordered some more vitamins from Puritan's Pride. I ended up with the choice of paying $4 for shipping or buying something for $8 and qualifying for free shipping. So I found a conditioner to try for the $8 and since it's during the Buy 1 Get 2 Free I think I really lucked out. I ordered the Olivia - Olive & Aloe Conditioner by Home Health. (Product No. 51824) I didn't really look at the label when I ordered just figured I'd give it a try.
The order arrived Tuesday night so I tried the conditioner in the shower Wednesday morning. I really like this stuff! It has a nice natural fresh scent to it. I only used a little bit since I wasn't sure about it. When I put it in my hair it felt a bit weird. Almost a bit rough and tangly. I think I've been glopping on too much conditioner lately so that might account for it feeling "off" to me. It rinsed out well. When I combed out my hair it felt really smooth even though it was still wet. I put my hair up in a damp braided bun. As my hair dried throughout the day I pet/patted at it a few times and what I could feel was smooth and soft. When I took down my hair last night it was crinkly from the braid but still very soft just felt good. It still feels nice this morning. This is definitely a keeper.
According to the label, "Its rich natural ingredients include:
- Olive Oil - to nourish the scalp and leave hair soft and manageable
-Silk Protein - to increase softness and luster
-Aloe Vera - to moisturize and protect
-Jojoba - to repair damaged hair
-Vegetable Protein and Panthenol - to thicken hair and add sheen"

Ingredients: Deionized Water, Cetearyl Alcohol (and) Peg-40 Hoydrogenated Castor Oil (and) Steralkonium Chloride, Olive Oil, Aloe Vera Gel, Laneth-10 Acetate, Hydrolyzed Silk Protein, Vegetable Protein, Jojoba Oil, Panthenol, Grapefruit Seed Extract and Fragrance.

Hopefully my order from Tznius will arrive soon. I'm looking forward to trying a braided bun with a scarf woven into it. Now if I could just get rid of this stupid cold.

PurpleCow · April 17th, 2004, 01:57 AM

Less is more definitely seems to be the right philosophy for me. I conditioned yesterday with a small amount of the the VO5 Tangerine with a few drops of honey mixed in. Didn't end up with the greasies. I also let my hair air dry a bit more than I have been lately which resulted in a really good french braid. My sections were nice and even and lay down pretty smoothly. At one point during the day I thought my hair looked a bit greasy but it felt okay. When I got home last night I took a closer look in the mirror and realized that what I thought was sort of greasy looking was just a darker area of hair that was more shiny. Glad that my hair is looking healthy just wish that didn't mean it also looks product-laden.
I conditioned with the Tangerine/honey blend again this morning. Still have my hair up in the turbie twist. Think I'll try doing a figure-8 bun today. Hopefully I won't have too many ends poking out.
Finished up with the dose of steroids yesterday and it feels like this cold is almost gone so I can stop taking the extra Vitamin C and Echnecia soon. Feeling quite pill-overloaded this past week.

PurpleCow · April 17th, 2004, 04:00 PM

A figure-8 was not a good idea this morning. After several failed attempts I finally had to settle for the weird series of bumps I had. It held up well throughout the day but it wasn't what it was supposed to be. I just took the hairpins out and was planning on taking a picture of my hair. It's a bit too wavy/kinky from being pinned up all day so I'll just have to wait on that. I'm going to try somehow loose bunning it tonight. I want to try and do a half up-do tomorrow and not "wash" it. I have always "washed" (meaning gotten it wet in the shower not necessarily shampooed) my hair everyday so I'm wondering if I can make my hair healthier by breaking this habit. Won't be easy...

PurpleCow · April 21st, 2004, 12:40 PM

Not washing my hair in the shower the other morning didn't work well. My hair just felt weird all day. Plus I don't know what I was thinking wearing it half down at work. It constantly felt like it was in my way. From now on I think I'll stick to leaving it down when I'm going out somewhere. And I think I'll stick to washing it every day. My hair just seems to like it better. Or maybe I'm just too used to it since I've done it my whole life. I tried plopping my hair today and the little bit of wave I had half an hour ago already seems to be wearing out. Oh well. At least my body seems like it has some body to it now. Maybe I'll try playing with some braids later. Tried taking a couple of pictures of my hair right after I took it out of the turbie twist. I have a whole new level of respect for people who take pictures of their own hair. It's hard! The pics didn't turn out very well but here they are anyway.

I also managed to get onto my old system today and found a picture from when I first started growing my hair out almost 2 years ago. If only I hadn't gotten frustrated and cut it off. But it's what I needed to do for my own sanity at the time. I'll live.

Maybe one of these days I'll stop being a chicken and ask my boyfriend to do a photo shoot of my hair. Heck, he already thinks I'm kind of crazy.

PurpleCow · April 25th, 2004, 03:22 AM

I've been sticking with just using a small amount of VO5 Tangerine with some honey when I shower. It seems to be working well. I did a dutch braid (inside out french braid) yesterday and was so happy with how well it turned out that I took a picture of it. Hopefully my hair will be as well behaved today once I figure out what I'm going to do with it.

PurpleCow · April 26th, 2004, 11:19 AM

My boyfriend came home from work early today. Just in time to see me trying to hide the pictures of the back of my head that I had just opened in Photoshop.

After some good-natured laughing at my expense, he offered to take pics for me sometime. Woohoo! Anyway, I did a CO wash with the VO5 Lime this morning and followed it with some Aussie 3 minute miracle. I had my hair up in a damp bun until mid afternoon when I took it down for a picture. It looks a bit frizzy but I think that's partly from the washing this morning. I have some fairly nice bun waves in.

PurpleCow · May 2nd, 2004, 02:50 AM

When I walked out into the living room holding the measuring tape last night my boyfriend just chuckled and said "The hair, right?" Gotta love him for being so understanding about what seems weird to him. Anyway, my hair measured 24" which means I got 1/2" growth since last month. I'm happy that my hair is growing at the normal rate but part of me is a bit disappointed. I secretly hoped that since I take so many vitamins (more for my physical well-being) that I would have some sort of extra growth spurt. But I will be patient this time. I have someone to help me measure so I'll know that it's growing even when it doesn't feel like it is. I can't wait until we get this Ficcare group order done. I have an itching for some new hair toys. I keep wanting to go look at the Argus website. I don't really have any hairsticks anymore. The ones I did have were cheap and the finish eventually started coming off. I like the idea of getting metal sticks since I put my hair up when it's wet/damp. I'm just afraid I'll go overboard. I'm planning on getting two Ficcares so that's a lot of $$$ right there. If I start looking at Argus I might find too much that I like. The past few days I've been sticking with just a bit of V05 Tangerine and honey. I've also been trying to just accept a bit of stray hairs when I put my hair up and not load it down with gel or mousse. My hair seems happy with this. It's been very soft and shiny. Less is more. A lot of times while I'm putting my hair up in the morning I keep thinking of a certain infommercial. The one for the rotisserie thing. I just hear the audience shouting "Just set it and forget it!" I try and do that with my hair. Put it up, and leave it alone.

PurpleCow · May 3rd, 2004, 04:58 AM

Did an ACV rinse yesterday followed by my Olivia conditioner. My hair felt really nice all day. I had put it up in a messy bun held with one of my Evita Peroni clips since we were planning on going on the Bay Bridge walk. After we ate breakfast we went over to the parking area. Some wanna-be cop told us that they weren't taking any more people. When my boyfriend asked why he started mumbling some vague story about how the people that were just not going it would take them several hours. So we left and came home and started watching tv. We both ended up falling asleep for a bit. After that we drove down to the Inner Harbor to walk around. I had made the mistake of taking my bun out and just putting on a headband. My hair got blown around a bit while we were walking around but I made sure to be very careful when brushing it out later. Plus it felt kind of nice to just enjoy my hair for once. I was doing some "calculations" yesterday. The last measurement I have for my hair before I cut it was 28". I'm currently at 24". So as long as my hair keeps up it's 1/2" per month in less than a year I'll be back at the lenght I used to be. Then I can keep growing longer from there. And since this is only the start of warm weather, I'll most likely be wearing my hair up all the time so as not to get too hot. That means I won't be paying much attention to the length which makes it easier to grow. So all in all this should work out well.

PurpleCow · May 6th, 2004, 04:21 PM

In an effort to get rid of some of the products I have cluttering up the bathroom cabinet I've used my Aussie 3 Minute Miracle yesterday and today. I think it's almost done so I'm torn between alternating something else in there or just keep using it until it's all gone. I know that my hair likes rotation. It will stop responding to a product if I use it too much consistently. But then I seem to end up with serveral different products and get frustrated at having so many. I think I need to limit myself to just two or three at a time. I think it's also an issue of me just wanting a change. A different smell. A different brand. Oh well. At least I tend to buy cheap stuff. I thought about throwing out the bottle of VO5 Kiwi Lime but didn't want to waste it. My hair doesn't like it much but I spent money on it. A whopping 74 cents. Sheesh I'm a cheapskate. My logic just amazes me sometimes. I won't throw away a half a bottle of clearance conditioner because it would be wasting money but I don't blink at the thought of ordering two ficarres.

PurpleCow · May 8th, 2004, 01:04 PM

I'm really not happy with my hair today. I've got all these stupid little bits that want to stick straight out from my head. Bleah. I finished using the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle yesterday. I mad the mistake of wearing my hair sort of down. I had it in a low ponytail that was flipped through. My hair kept getting rather tangly. This morning I did an ACV rinse followed by my Clairol Clean Rinse Hydrating something or other. (I'm still on my narrow the products down kick.) I'm not sure if my hair is being crazy today because of what I used this morning or if it's from wearing it down yesterday. I might try the Clairol again tomorrow to try and figuer it out. So I currently have the 1/2 bottle of Clairol, about 1/2 of V05 Tangerine, about 1/2 VO5 VO5 Kiwi and my three bottles of Olivia. The Olivia I won't have a problem using because my hair seems to really like it. The Tangerine is fine with the honey mixed in. Not sure what I'm going to do about the Kiwi. It works well to clarify but I don't do that very often and when I do I have an Herbal Essences shampoo that I water down or I can do an ACV rinse. I'll figure something out I guess.