'ello!

[sparrowswing]

First of all, please call me Sparrow. This has been my screen name for more than 15 years, so I answer to that more readily than my own name at times.

I've always loved long hair. I got that from my father, who has been trying in vain to get his thinning hair to grow out ever since he turned 50. My mother, on the other hand, tries to persuade me to get a haircut every time I see her. The last time my hair was close to shoulder-length, I was in high, and my mom took me to her hairstylist for a "trim" and paid him an extra $10 to lie to me and say he wasn't taking much off as he took away more than a foot of hair and then layered the rest. I can't see a thing without my glasses, and they both assured me every time I mentioned how short it seemed that it was all in my head. Those of you on this forum are probably some of the only people who would understand why I consider this a somewhat traumatic memory. I haven't been to a hairstylist since.

I have, however, had a trusted friend cut my hair in '05, '07, and '09 so I could send it in to Locks of Love. The plan was to continue this every two years. But my two years was up in November, and I just never got around to it. My friend had moved away by then, and I still don't trust salons. It took me until this past month to decide I was no longer trying to find someone I could trust to cut my hair, and was instead growing it out. That was when I decided that the shedding I've been experiencing for the past... oh, about ten years I suppose... was just not acceptable, if I could do anything about it. I googled something about stopping shedding and wound up here.

So, as of now, my hair is all one length, fairy-tale ends because I haven't had the guts to try trimming it as of yet, right about tailbone length (I measured a single strand about a month ago and it was 33", but I'm not sure what that equates to in the over-the-head measuring method). I suppose it's what you'd call stick-straight, though I'm still waiting on a visual guide for that. Whenever I google "stick-straight hair" I get a slew of images of hair that's obviously been straightened to within an inch of its life, so I really don't want to rely on that. And yes, my hair is virgin - no dyes or bleach; no dryers, curling irons, etc.; no styling products. I do use Garnier Fructis shampoo, though, and I wonder if the sulfates in it are causing or at least contributing to the shedding.

I also wanted to say that I tried using EVOO on my hair just two days ago, and the results were amazing. It's so soft! My ends no longer felt so dry. It seems just a tiny bit thicker, too. It even seemed like there was less shedding when I washed it, though I can't tell from just one wash. We'll see.

Oh, and I'm almost desperate to try henna. Just straight henna, I think. At least at first. My hair's pretty dark already, and I want a sort of burgundy color. But I think I'd like to get a new shampoo and figure out this oiling thing first. Any tips, hints, suggestions, or tutorials are welcome.

Sorry for the wall of text!

[coneyisland]

Welcome, Sparrow.

[sparrowswing]

Welcome, Sparrow.

Thank you! ^_^

[Pixie0763]

Welcome! Your hair sounds gorgeous! I look forward pictures!

[Pierre]

Welcome to LHC! I just hennaed last night.

[sparrowswing]

Welcome! Your hair sounds gorgeous! I look forward pictures!

Thank you! I'm excited about getting my post count high enough that I can start my blog with pictures, but I'm still trying to figure out the basic logistics of getting a picture taken of the back of my head. My brother borrowed my tripod a few months ago, and I doubt I'll get it back anytime soon. I suppose I'll just have to enlist help.

Welcome to LHC! I just hennaed last night.

Thanks! I can't decide whether it's the color or the healthier hair that makes me want to try henna. But I don't know the first thing about dyeing hair, so again I'll need to enlist help. There's a hairstylist somewhat nearby who does henna dyeing, but for long hair she charges almost as much as I paid for my last computer. Definitely not in the budget, lol. So instead I'm sifting through information wherever I can find it, trying to figure out the best/safest/cheapest place to find just straight henna, and hopefully some suggestions about the different things you can mix with it and what each has to offer. I'm talking mostly just about water, tea, and such; not conditioner for gloss. There's just so much information, and on a lot of sites it seems geared toward selling something.


On a slightly different note, I'm trying to figure out a consistent way to measure my hair. I hold it in the same place every time (right at the hairline on my forehead, dead-center at the natural part), but somehow get different numbers. I guess it's just moving around, or maybe I'm measuring different spots at the bottom, since I do have fairytale ends. *shrugs* At any rate, I think I've decided my goal for now is classic, which should be another 5-6 inches, I think. It's not a solid goal, just something to help motivate me.

The EVOO is definitely making a difference for me, and the CWC method really helped as well. Now if I could just get away from sulfates and silicones...

[Pierre]

I get different numbers too. Must be the fairytale ends. I take a few measurements and take the average.

As to henna mixes, I suggest you start with a simple mix of henna and water, applied immediately and kept on for several hours, and then experiment with different additives. I buy several hg of henna at once and keep it in the freezer.

[whitebengal]

Hi! Welcome to LHC!