Elizabeth E
July 24th, 2019, 03:24 AM
Hi everyone!
I haven't posted here in ages because I was so busy with my first book - rewriting for the third time now, which will hopefully be the last. I've been browsing the community a lot these past two weeks and was surprised at how much I missed all of you. At the moment I'm not too busy, so I look forward to posting more regularly :D
Despite all my writing, I still made time for proper hair care. Here are a couple of things I've started doing these past few months:
Wooden comb! I used to use a plastic wide-toothed comb, but then heard that wood is better so decided to try that. I got mine from The Body Shop and I'm amazed at how smoothly it glides through my hair. My shedding is also a lot less than with the plastic comb.
https://imgur.com/qqY9Na4
I made my own hair stick. I picked up a branch outside, used a saw to remove a small piece and scraped off the bark with a craft knife. Then I sharpened the tip, sanded it and coated the stick with oil. Here it is, mid-process:
https://imgur.com/cIEOpsT
The finished result:
https://imgur.com/xEau6cd
Action shot (I prefer to wear it on days I won't be working out):
https://imgur.com/zbYfS11
I finally made the switch to SLS-free shampoo and conditioner. I got a grapefruit-and-sugarbeet shampoo and conditioner from a local brand, Earthsap, and I am in love. I chose that blend because it's for oily hair (I like oiling mine) and I'm truly amazed at how well it cleans. My hair feels so much softer, my scalp doesn't get greasy as quickly and my shedding! I used to shed 15-20 hairs while washing and now I shed only 3-5.
I changed my daily hairstyle. I used to wear a bun in the same spot every day which started making me uncomfortable - some of you might remember the post I made about wanting to wear my hair down instead. Luckily, I found an alternative. I make a very loose braid, bring it over my head and fold the ends under. I pin it into place and apart from being very secure, it doesn't pull or hurt at all. It spreads the weight of my hair nicely over my head and is flat enough to be comfortable when I lie down.
https://imgur.com/psU9pES
Sorry if this pic came out a bit dark.
https://imgur.com/oIRr31H
And lastly...I got bitten by the henna bug. I actually tried the 2-step henna and indigo process for black hair, but it didn't work out that well - the indigo didn't really stick. But then I liked the look of the henna alone so much, that I continued using just the henna. I prefer henna glosses, for which I mix 4 tablespoons of henna with conditioner and leave it on for 4 hours. Because my hair is very dark brown, it still looks black indoors, but in the sun the red colour really pops out.
https://imgur.com/AURnecf
Lengthwise I'm now at a solid HL when wavy and TBL when straight, which I'm very happy about. I changed the thickness in my profile to ii earlier this year because I'd cut the baby hairs around my face short. But I didn't like the maintenance so I left them to grow out again and now they're long enough to be added into a high ponytail (literally at the crown of my head). I think that the henna treatments and less overall shedding have also contributed to pushing my pony circumference just beyond 4 inches. So I'm back at iii :joy:
So that's it. I'm sooooo happy to be back with you all!
I haven't posted here in ages because I was so busy with my first book - rewriting for the third time now, which will hopefully be the last. I've been browsing the community a lot these past two weeks and was surprised at how much I missed all of you. At the moment I'm not too busy, so I look forward to posting more regularly :D
Despite all my writing, I still made time for proper hair care. Here are a couple of things I've started doing these past few months:
Wooden comb! I used to use a plastic wide-toothed comb, but then heard that wood is better so decided to try that. I got mine from The Body Shop and I'm amazed at how smoothly it glides through my hair. My shedding is also a lot less than with the plastic comb.
https://imgur.com/qqY9Na4
I made my own hair stick. I picked up a branch outside, used a saw to remove a small piece and scraped off the bark with a craft knife. Then I sharpened the tip, sanded it and coated the stick with oil. Here it is, mid-process:
https://imgur.com/cIEOpsT
The finished result:
https://imgur.com/xEau6cd
Action shot (I prefer to wear it on days I won't be working out):
https://imgur.com/zbYfS11
I finally made the switch to SLS-free shampoo and conditioner. I got a grapefruit-and-sugarbeet shampoo and conditioner from a local brand, Earthsap, and I am in love. I chose that blend because it's for oily hair (I like oiling mine) and I'm truly amazed at how well it cleans. My hair feels so much softer, my scalp doesn't get greasy as quickly and my shedding! I used to shed 15-20 hairs while washing and now I shed only 3-5.
I changed my daily hairstyle. I used to wear a bun in the same spot every day which started making me uncomfortable - some of you might remember the post I made about wanting to wear my hair down instead. Luckily, I found an alternative. I make a very loose braid, bring it over my head and fold the ends under. I pin it into place and apart from being very secure, it doesn't pull or hurt at all. It spreads the weight of my hair nicely over my head and is flat enough to be comfortable when I lie down.
https://imgur.com/psU9pES
Sorry if this pic came out a bit dark.
https://imgur.com/oIRr31H
And lastly...I got bitten by the henna bug. I actually tried the 2-step henna and indigo process for black hair, but it didn't work out that well - the indigo didn't really stick. But then I liked the look of the henna alone so much, that I continued using just the henna. I prefer henna glosses, for which I mix 4 tablespoons of henna with conditioner and leave it on for 4 hours. Because my hair is very dark brown, it still looks black indoors, but in the sun the red colour really pops out.
https://imgur.com/AURnecf
Lengthwise I'm now at a solid HL when wavy and TBL when straight, which I'm very happy about. I changed the thickness in my profile to ii earlier this year because I'd cut the baby hairs around my face short. But I didn't like the maintenance so I left them to grow out again and now they're long enough to be added into a high ponytail (literally at the crown of my head). I think that the henna treatments and less overall shedding have also contributed to pushing my pony circumference just beyond 4 inches. So I'm back at iii :joy:
So that's it. I'm sooooo happy to be back with you all!