Learn from my Failure, LHC-style

[Intransigentia]

I thought it might be fun to share some of our hair blunders, for the edification (and, of course, amusement) of others. I'll start:

Yes, you can re-bend a paperclip so it looks like a U-pin.
Yes, it will hold those ends that were trying to pop out of your updo.
Do keep in mind, however, that the ends of the paperclip are not plastic-tipped, and they will not only gouge your scalp, they will tear just about every hair they encounter as you insert it.

[Angeletti]

This will be a fun thread : )

Well this is my latest fail moment... I usually wear hats on the last few days before wash day and decided to wear a somewhat large bun with the hat. I decided to fold the two flaps that connect at the back of the hat underneath the main part to make room for my bun and ended up getting the rough side of the velcro on the flap stuck in my hair. It was horrible to remove and I ended up damaging a ton of hair probably, so don't let your hair get near velcro!

[Luckysock]

hehe, I want to play too,

Yes a tablespoon of oil as a pre-soak is a great conditioner....
Yes it might stand to reason a half cup would be even better, but some things that are good in theory are not so good in practice and
yes it will take you a week to finally shampoo it all out ;)

[jera]

The first time I did an egg yolk protein mask, I combined the egg yolk with mayonnaise but forgot to add some oil as an emollient. After a haf an hour the egg yolk had dried solid despite the mayo and I had a sticky glutunous mass to try to wash out of my hair. :p

[alwayssmiling]

hehe, I want to play too,

Yes a tablespoon of oil as a pre-soak is a great conditioner....
Yes it might stand to reason a half cup would be even better, but some things that are good in theory are not so good in practice and
yes it will take you a week to finally shampoo it all out ;)

was going to say the same myself. Also it has been a bit of a shock to me that a little bit of oil is heaven, too much makes my hair FRIZZY :eek: There is a fine line. It took me months to work out what I was doing wrong.

[angelfell]

Fail: If your hair doesn't curl from heat the first time, do not go back over it 20 times trying to make it stay. It still won't stay, and it will HATE you.

[jeanniet]

Trying to brush (rip) tangles out of your hair while driving your teenagers to school (late) on bumpy, pothole-filled backroads is a very bad idea. Fortunately, I've learned my lesson on that one! :D

[Elph]

If you have brown hair with red undertones - DO NOT expect to be able to get blond from bleaching rather you will get an orange.

[Roscata]

Dying your hair red, then black, then bleaching and coloring it back to brown all within 2-3 months may sound like a good idea but it can fry your hair beyond repair and after a month of washing it will look orange. It's taken me a year to cut off all the damage and grow it back to its original length (13 inches).

[Nightshade]

If you're going to do an ACV rinse dilute it 1 part ACV to 10 parts water. Use straight ACV and your hair will smell like ACV for weeks whenever it's wet :rolleyes:

[KristiLe]

was going to say the same myself. Also it has been a bit of a shock to me that a little bit of oil is heaven, too much makes my hair FRIZZY :eek: There is a fine line. It took me months to work out what I was doing wrong.


So that's why my hair is unusually poofy! Aha, mystery solved! :D

[CryssieWillow]

If you want the hairdresser to cut some subtle layers, be very specific. If you're not, odds are you will end up with a mullet.

[alwayssmiling]

So that's why my hair is unusually poofy! Aha, mystery solved! :D

Its worth thinking about if you are having problems, but there are people on here who swear by heavy oilings. For me less is more.

[weatherwax]

This just in: you can't substitute lecithin for btms in a homemade conditioner, no matter how much you add or how long you blend it . . .

*goes to throw out curdled mess of expensive oils*

[tanya222]

Just because your hair is done up in a nice tight figure-8 bun to go outside tidying up the garden, does not mean you are safe from weed burrs!

I learned this the hard way this summer. I was bent over beside a weed that I had let get too tall and a burr/seed thing which was covered in backwards-pointing burrs stuck into my hair :eek: I moved forward hoping it would make it easier to dislodge but I wound up getting several more stuck in. I was bent at a 90-degree angle, and was just about to freak and call out to my downstairs neighbour but then I had visions of her coming at me waving a pair of scissors so I just extricated myself, myself. (Honestly I know she wouldn't do that to me without trying all other options first, because she admires my long hair, but still, I thought, this is my mess, I got me into it, I gotta get myself out :cool:)

I had a few nice little tangles after that, but nothing a bunch of coconut oil didn't help with. :o

[2peasinapod]

Ouch to everyone's stories (I can relate a little to well to some of them :o)!

Mine is pretty minor. Sometimes, there is too much of a good thing! When I started experimenting with ACV rinses, I would use almost 1/4 cup of ACV diluted in 1 cup water on my not-yet-shoulder length hair! Suffice to say, less is more!

[Elenna]

Tried a blend of rosemary, sage, parsley and black tea leaves in an attempt to cover the grays naturally. After several weeks of brewed tea, my hair was a coated, out-of-control mess. Then came the coffee mask (instant coffee mixed with molasses) which didn't work either for covering the grays.

[RitaPG]

That amazing conditioner I used years ago has a different formula today.

If you smell the new and improved version at the store and don't like it, don't buy it. It will smell 10 times worse on your hair :(

[TrudieCat]

Good thread! :)

If a hairstylist tells you that she is going to give you a "porn star" haircut, just leave. Also, don't bring pictures of tween pop stars with extensions to your hair appointment and think a stylist will be able to give you the same type of hair cut. Also, just don't pay any attention to tween pop stars' hair styles, in general.

[rhosyn_du]

If you get frizzy, dry hair using a particular substance once, it makes sense to try it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It does not make sense to try it five more times, then try it again several more times a year later, then try it again a year after that. No matter how many LHCers think it's the awesomest thing ever. :shake:

[UltraBella]

Beware of toasters. Do not put frozen whole grain waffles in the toaster and then forget you are wearing your hair down and lean over the toaster to get a plate in the cabinet above. Just don't do it, ever.

[Anje]

You may get some seriously nasty smells if you blend baking soda with ALS shampoo in an attempt to clarify your hair. I haven't exactly repeated the experiment to determine what caused that perm-like odor, but I'm glad it didn't dissolve my hair, whatever it was!


Just because your hair is done up in a nice tight figure-8 bun to go outside tidying up the garden, does not mean you are safe from weed burrs!
Ack! Yes, always wear a bandana or something similar over a bun when doing anything where your hair may get near burrs or tangled in trees! Or while painting, for that matter!

Not my personal experience, but I've also been informed that one should never wear long hair in braids when using hedge clippers.

[kjirstiben]

To continue the velcro theme, be very, VERY careful when going in and out of tents. Particularly if your hair is tied up. Losing a whole section from the front of your hairline while you hang, entangled, in the tent opening, is no fun!!!

[Hana212]

Not my personal experience, but I've also been informed that one should never wear long hair in braids when using hedge clippers.

Oh goodness that made me laugh!! The image I got was great!

xxx

[Sundial]

Be sure to follow recipes as much as possible - there must be a reason why the recipes asked for ripe avocados. :rolleyes: It was a nightmare picking out bits of avocado from my hair and I had to enlist the help of my appalled hubby (Him: "did someone just puke on you??"). Oh. The pipes were choked too :mad: No prizes for guessing who cleaned up (Him: "I'm late for a meeting! *disappears* Me: .............)


ETA: adding to that, never attempt to wash out hair recipes containing eggs with hot water (disclaimer: I didn't do this! I remember reading about it and just thought to chuck that into my account of hair-stuff-gone-wrong)

[PrincessBob]

Oh, goodness! Odd you should post this. I, too discovered this, just Monday. My tucked hair tassel was falling out of my bun, but for the most part it was a dang cute bun and I didn't wish to re-do my hair in the middle of lecture, so I pulled out a couple of paperclips and used them in the described manner (though one side was about a centimeter and a half longer than the other. Had the same issues, and it only held until the exact end of lecture.

[luxepiggy]

If you are wearing your hair down, and it is a windy, blustery sort of day, do make sure ALL of your hair is safely inside your vehicle, with no errant strands being blown out past the doorframe, before closing the door (>(oo)<)`

On a similar note, loose hair and umbrella spokes do not play well together! Remember to put your hair up before your umbrella! (^(oo)^)

[Loviatar]

You may get some seriously nasty smells if you blend baking soda with ALS shampoo in an attempt to clarify your hair. I haven't exactly repeated the experiment to determine what caused that perm-like odor, but I'm glad it didn't dissolve my hair, whatever it was!


Oh wow, I thought I was alone in noticing this. :oops:

Also, if you mix sage tea with molasses, your BF will leave the kitchen because of the smell, and refuse to let you out, making disgusted faces at you through the window. :D

[bumblebums]

This just in: you can't substitute lecithin for btms in a homemade conditioner, no matter how much you add or how long you blend it . . .

*goes to throw out curdled mess of expensive oils*

I've done that! Failure confirmed. I will never put lecithin in my hair again.

Another mistake not to be repeated: If you are going to put oatmeal in your hair, don't just grind it in a coffee maker and soak it in hot water. Strain it out, too. Otherwise you will never get it out of your hair.

And another one: do not put your hair in a bun held with a fork and then put on a shirt over your head. You will either (a) get scalped or (b) dislocate your shoulder and injure your neck. I got (b). Took me a week to recover, and I was too embarrassed to tell my boyfriend why I couldn't turn my neck or sleep on my side!

[bumblebums]

Be sure to follow recipes as much as possible - there must be a reason why the recipes asked for ripe avocados. :rolleyes: It was a nightmare picking out bits of avocado from my hair and I had to enlist the help of my appalled hubby (Him: "did someone just puke on you??"). Oh. The pipes were choked too :mad: No prizes for guessing who cleaned up (Him: "I'm late for a meeting! *disappears* Me: .............)


ETA: adding to that, never attempt to wash out hair recipes containing eggs with hot water (disclaimer: I didn't do this! I remember reading about it and just thought to chuck that into my account of hair-stuff-gone-wrong)

Hahah, I've done the not-quite-ripe avocado before, too! Confirmed.

As far as eggs go, that one is unfortunately not true. The water can be quite hot and it will not cook the egg in your head; it takes a lot more heat than the body can stand to cook an egg. The egg wash thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=40386) talks about that one. When people find little scrambled bits in their hair, it's the white stringy bits that hold the yolk in place inside the egg. You can avoid the problem by straining the egg before putting it in your hair.

[spitfire511]

What an awesome thread!

This is a very old *oops* as I no longer dye my hair - but don't use a shampoo with a color additive when you have highlights. Especially if those highlights are blonde and the rest of your hair is naturally red - and the color additive shampoo is used to enhance red.

You wind up with a rather lovely pinky color for highlights, that naturally clash miserably with your red hair. Then you get to pay for foils to bleach the color back out when washing it won't pull it out. :)

[Milui Elenath]

Do not wear complex, too tight, needs a mirror to take out safely*, hairstyles/hairtoys when you will not have access to a mirror for 8 hours or more.

This goes double if you suffer from migraines.

*by safely I mean without ripping or hair curling. :boohoo:

When half way through Henna'ing always make sure you have more gloves in the box before throwing away the ones you are wearing!

[Night_Kitten]

...
When half way through Henna'ing always make sure you have more gloves in the box before throwing away the ones you are wearing!

I second that!
Henna on hands makes for "lovely" orange nails, and it doesn't come off - you need to wait for the nail to grow out! :o

[TrudieCat]

And another one: do not put your hair in a bun held with a fork and then put on a shirt over your head. You will either (a) get scalped or (b) dislocate your shoulder and injure your neck. I got (b). Took me a week to recover, and I was too embarrassed to tell my boyfriend why I couldn't turn my neck or sleep on my side!

Oh, I've done this... more than once.... :oops: Bad news.

[Pixna]

Do not put your hair in a bun held with a fork and then put on a shirt over your head. You will either (a) get scalped or (b) dislocate your shoulder and injure your neck. I got (b). Took me a week to recover, and I was too embarrassed to tell my boyfriend why I couldn't turn my neck or sleep on my side!


Oh, I've done this... more than once.... :oops: Bad news.

Yup. :agree: How many times a week do I still do this despite the consequences??? :lipssealed:

[luxepiggy]

Yup. :agree: How many times a week do I still do this despite the consequences??? :lipssealed:

The trick is to buy lots of clothing that you put on feet first - why do you think I wear so many dresses? :D

[Sundial]

Hahah, I've done the not-quite-ripe avocado before, too! Confirmed.

As far as eggs go, that one is unfortunately not true. The water can be quite hot and it will not cook the egg in your head; it takes a lot more heat than the body can stand to cook an egg. The egg wash thread (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=40386) talks about that one. When people find little scrambled bits in their hair, it's the white stringy bits that hold the yolk in place inside the egg. You can avoid the problem by straining the egg before putting it in your hair.

De-mythed!!! :( And to think I spent all those time standing under a cold shower after using treatments with eggs! *roar*

[Toadstool]

I second that!
Henna on hands makes for "lovely" orange nails, and it doesn't come off - you need to wait for the nail to grow out! :o


Still waiting for mine to grow out...

[Dreams_in_Pink]

This is fresh new from today:

If semi-permanent color says black, it IS black. Pitch-black i would say.

[Intransigentia]

Here's one from my multicoloured short hair days:

When you dye your own hair, you generally pick a colour by imagining something halfway between the colour on the box and whatever colour you already have. When you go to a salon, they do whatever it takes to make your hair the exact colour you picked. Even if that colour was iridescent orange.

[madeline_]

I'll add to the egg-disasters with me, pre-LHC, thinking that a hot olive oil treatment would be even better with egg. What I got was scrambled eggs, unfortunately it was already on my head by the time I noticed.

Another was trying out my herbal care package with shikakai, amla, neem, ... from Henna Boy the day before a music festival I'd been looking forward to for ages. I was impatient and threw the whole thing on there, and I ended up with impossible straw-like hair for three days. I did have access to showers but unfortunately... I'd forgotten my conditioner. :(

I still have no idea how to use that package and I still have one left over that I haven't had the guts to try since. Though I'm guessing I probably shouldn't use the whole thing all at once.

[Nera]

Yes, combing/brushin wet hair is damaging!
But brushing my hair when dry is probably the most damaging thing i've ever done to it.

[Unofficial_Rose]

Still waiting for mine to grow out...

Henna on the nails is not as unattractive as indigo on the nails, believe me.

Oh, and while we're on the subject - if your hair has so much as touched indigo in passing, do not bleach it. EVER. Teal/khaki/seaweed effect. :eek:

[excentricat]

This is fresh new from today:

If semi-permanent color says black, it IS black. Pitch-black i would say.

Bad news, it's also permanent. Yes, I know it says it isn't. They lie.

[bjt]

yet more velcro warnings, not only do tents have velcro, but sleeping bags also have velcro closures. If you ever happen to find yourself in a sleeping bag... with a friend... moving around a bunch... be careful that you don't get pretty much all your hair wadded up and attached to velcro.

on a motorcycle? probably best to make sure all your hear is braided, tied up, pony-tailed all the way down, or something so none of it is flying free. any flying free bits get tangled. let the whole mess fly free for a couple of hours? Well, then one looks like the bride of Frankenstein and will take hours, a few friends and an entire bottle of olive oil to get one's hair back to normal. Not to mention the two weeks to get all that olive oil shampooed out of your hair. whatever hair you have left, that is.

[HikerTrash]

Oh yes, the motorcycle thing. Goes for convertibles and open windows, too. Also, some hats have velcro. Beware those hats.

Shampoo with coloring in it? I've never heard of that? Does the color come out easily? I might like to try that, unless it's really damaging to your hair.

[luxepiggy]

yet more velcro warnings, not only do tents have velcro, but sleeping bags also have velcro closures. If you ever happen to find yourself in a sleeping bag... with a friend... moving around a bunch... be careful that you don't get pretty much all your hair wadded up and attached to velcro.

on a motorcycle? probably best to make sure all your hear is braided, tied up, pony-tailed all the way down, or something so none of it is flying free. any flying free bits get tangled. let the whole mess fly free for a couple of hours? Well, then one looks like the bride of Frankenstein and will take hours, a few friends and an entire bottle of olive oil to get one's hair back to normal. Not to mention the two weeks to get all that olive oil shampooed out of your hair. whatever hair you have left, that is.

Agreed! I usually go for the French braid all the way down, tucked inside my jacket. In a pinch I've been known to just do a low ponytail & tuck it into the jacket that way, for short rides (^(oo)^)v

[babybabycat]

Cinnamon and honey = hair that smells like honeybuns
Found out this today, yum!

[Jezerellica]

Yes to above! I learned from a guy friend with long hair that you braid and tuck into your clothes. That is the safest thing to so if you are in any kind of questionable situation.

There is no price on peace of mind!

[luxepiggy]

yet more velcro warnings, not only do tents have velcro, but sleeping bags also have velcro closures. If you ever happen to find yourself in a sleeping bag... with a friend... moving around a bunch... be careful that you don't get pretty much all your hair wadded up and attached to velcro.

on a motorcycle? probably best to make sure all your hear is braided, tied up, pony-tailed all the way down, or something so none of it is flying free. any flying free bits get tangled. let the whole mess fly free for a couple of hours? Well, then one looks like the bride of Frankenstein and will take hours, a few friends and an entire bottle of olive oil to get one's hair back to normal. Not to mention the two weeks to get all that olive oil shampooed out of your hair. whatever hair you have left, that is.

Oh this just reminded me of another one - SWIMMING! I don't know how LittleOrca does it! I went into a swimming pool once with my hair loose; it was not a happy evening at the pigpen, let me tell you! :(

I usually do pigtails (hehe - piggy with pigtails!!! I amuse myself far too easily :p)

[Unofficial_Rose]

Do not ride in an uncovered jeep without tying your hair back.

I think that is the most tangled my hair has ever got. :eek:

[Igor]

Coconut oil + freezing cold day = Very unhappy hair :o

[Sheltie_Momma]

Do not let a 3 year old brush your hair with a round brush.

[lw8666]

Do not try to save money by asking your inexperienced friends in cosmetology school to cut your hair! Whom you did not trust in the first place.

I went against my instinct, and went from BSL to Mullet... then from Mullet to Chin!

[Intransigentia]

Do not let a 3 year old brush your hair with a round brush.

I can't manage a round brush very well myself. I'm shuddering at the idea of one in the hands of a three-year-old.

[daaisychains]

Remember to make sure your ACV rinse is diluted enough, velcro dry ends are not pretty!

[Johanna]

I was the small child weilding the round brush. My victim was curly haired and waist length. Poor girl had to have the brush cut out. I was only trying to play :P

Too much conditioner in the hair means a lot of slippery condidtioner underfoot when you're rinsing out. Falling over in the shower isn't very fun :/ My butt!

[RitaPG]

Too much conditioner in the hair means a lot of slippery condidtioner underfoot when you're rinsing out. Falling over in the shower isn't very fun :/ My butt!

Omg that is so true, how did I forget this one? Bruised elbows and tush for weeks is not fun at all :(

[Johanna]

In my shower cubicle, it also has a faucet sticking out at shin length too. So many times I've bruised up my shins on that stupid thing. Still, I never learn.

[jojo]

When I had long hair before, I thought it would be fun to put some blonde highlights in my then fringe. The stuff I got was a gel which you put on your hair where you wanted and then used the heat from a hair dryer to lighten it, word of warning DO NOT DO THIS WITH STRAIGHTENERS!! Yup! it snapped straight off...stump of hair for a fringe for quite a few months as I remember!!!

[Aurielle]

If you have brown hair with red undertones - DO NOT expect to be able to get blond from bleaching rather you will get an orange.

Ah! Ditto to this, only add that it also sometimes happens with plain old color that isn't bleach. Personally, I'd say don't color at all.

Also, a ponytail plus a long car ride tends to lead to one massive dreadlock for me.

[nowxisxforever]

And another one: do not put your hair in a bun held with a fork and then put on a shirt over your head. You will either (a) get scalped or (b) dislocate your shoulder and injure your neck. I got (b). Took me a week to recover, and I was too embarrassed to tell my boyfriend why I couldn't turn my neck or sleep on my side!

It is doable, but you have to alter how you put on your shirt. I always give my bun extra room! :)

[Sanyia]

If you want the hairdresser to cut some subtle layers, be very specific. If you're not, odds are you will end up with a mullet.
Been there, done that, luckily it was 1986! :cheese:

[HintOfMint]

Don't ask a boy if your updo is neat in the back. I did a figure eight bun and asked that question. He said it looked fine. Later on my roommate told me that it was a spiky, exploding mess. She was right. :p

[Khiwanean]

Don't expect what looks like a reasonable amount of solid coconut oil for a heavy oiling to still be a reasonable amount of coconut oil once you've melted it in the microwave. It's safer to just rub a small amount at a time between your palms and rub that into your hair.

[Hotrox]

Henna on the nails is not as unattractive as indigo on the nails, believe me.

Yes, I can confirm that blue/green nails are not a good look :rolleyes:

[maria_asa]

Do not put your hair in a bun held with a fork and then put on a shirt over your head. You will either (a) get scalped or (b) dislocate your shoulder and injure your neck. I got (b). Took me a week to recover, and I was too embarrassed to tell my boyfriend why I couldn't turn my neck or sleep on my side!


Oh, I've done this... more than once.... Bad news.
Yup. How many times a week do I still do this despite the consequences???


Yup. :agree: How many times a week do I still do this despite the consequences??? :lipssealed:

Also agree, I do it pretty much every day. You'd think I'd learned my lesson by now...:rolleyes:

[C. sinensis]

Note to self: no matter how lovely OCM is for your skin, it DOES NOT WORK for hair! :razz:

(On the plus side, my hair was rather nicely conditioned once I finally got the excess oil out...)

[Coan-Teen]

Just because it is good for your skin does not mean it is good for your hair, especially if the good thing contains beeswax. Yes, I know it saves you from windburn. No, I still don't think you should put it on your ends. >.> Again.

[PraiseCheeses]

Coconut oil + freezing cold day = Very unhappy hair :o

Ha! So true. I had a somewhat analogous experience. A while back I tried my first overnight deep oiling with coconut oil, of course with the neophyte's excess of oil. When I went to wash it out in the morning, surprise! No hot water.:justy:My hair felt and looked like I had dipped it into candle wax; the coconut oil solidified upon immersion when I attempted to wash it out with the icy water.

I had some fun making spikes before I figured I'd better set about getting it out... before my job interview later that day.

(Boiled some water, added it to a bin of cooler water, mermaid-soaked, rinsed. Repeat. But lesson learned - no heavy oilings or experimentation before anything important!:))

[Alvrodul]

Those little claw clips will go easily into your hair, and they will hold your hair up wonderfully. When you are taking your hair down you are going to have a time of it getting the d**ned things out of your hair without them taking half your hair with you - and even so, they will take at least a few hairs as the price for holding your hair up!

[Becky Safari]

Yes you are known to have the best Halloween costumes, but don't sacrifice your hair to do so by

teasing to no return
using Elmer's glue to get it to stay
painting it with non hair paint
etc etc

[princessp]

Avoid "hair dysmophic disorder". Love and respect your hair as it is. If you have thick long hair, those gorgeous delicate antique estate hair toys you bought are just not going to work for you. Seriously, they are meant for gorgeous, shiny, straight, less volumous hair, now stop wasting all your time trying to make them work and just buy another ficcare already (directed at myself)! :p

[owlathena]

I've been victim to the unripe avocado mess.

Also, "sun in" is incredibly damaging to hair.

[p3_Arme]

Hum, some lessons I've learnt the hard way. :)

Never use a round brush; spent 3 hours with my hubby, cutting me out of it. :o

When colouring hair at home, make sure you cover EVERYTHING, unless your flatmate/mum/hubby doesn't mind a change of decor. :D

Conditioner should be used with caution, esp. when in shower.

When doing fancy updo's, and it comes to taking out all the bobby pins, add about 5 to the number you think you put in. Your hair and hair brush wont thank you, for the ones you forgot. :)

[Fadedbluedreams]

Yes you are known to have the best Halloween costumes, but don't sacrifice your hair to do so by

teasing to no return
using Elmer's glue to get it to stay
painting it with non hair paint
etc etc
Oh WOW! That's dedication.

[bluesnowflake]

Yes, scrunchies hold your hair out of your face. They do, however, when your hair is wet, leave a ring of color on your hair. Luckily, it washed out!

[bluesnowflake]

The trick is to buy lots of clothing that you put on feet first - why do you think I wear so many dresses? :D
hahaha :) Once I stupidly did my hair before I got dressed. I ended up getting hair and bobby pins enmeshed into a sweater. That took a while to detangle.