FOREVER

It has been forever since I've posted anything hair related.

A few weeks ago I had surgery where I had to undergo anesthesia. Recovering from the surgery was fairly easy; however, recovery from anesthesia just about knocks you down a notch or two.

For 3 days I felt sluggish and drugged and was unable to walk to the bathroom without becoming exhausted; that meant I wasn't showering or caring for my hair either. Being sick is more than just hard on the body it's hard on the hair; I've spent the last week trying to revive and bring my curls out of hiding, hehehe.

The rain has helped my cause tremendously and I am thankful for the added moisture in the air. I continue to do co-washes, averaging about 2 times a week, and I wash with the lemonade to get the dirt and grit out of it about once a week. :) If my scalp gets itchy or dry I'll rub a little aloe vera on it and try not to scratch.

Again, I've learned to listen to my hair and care for the curls specific needs at the time. If they're not calling for anything I leave them alone and try to let them hang free as much as I can. It's getting long and I've been fighting the urge to whack it all off. With the summer heat coming I'm just not sure I want thick and curly hair down to the middle of my back...
I will be honest in saying that I can tell that no matter what length I decide on it is definitely time for at least a trim. I may not look scraggly but I feel it. My hope is to get back to Mitchells, in Cincinnati, here soon. Now it's just a matter of finding a weekend to get up there!

Curl: 9
Frizz: 1
Weather: Rainy and chilly
Stress: Low

Day 117: Routine

Since I've pretty much gotten into a routine of hair care I don't believe that I need to blog EVERY day about what I'm doing. I'll pop in every few days to make an update and be sure to record anything new or when I try a fun recipe again.

Unfortunately I didn't get to moisturize as I had hoped this weekend. I was singing at church again and it really does tie up my time, more than I would have thought. I love every minute of it so please don't think I'm complaining.

I did need to do a lemonade wash this weekend. I filled my 3 oz. bottle 75% with my conditioner and the other 25% with pure lemon juice. After a giving it a good shake I hopped in the shower and did a co-wash with the mixture. I was extravagant in my dosage and made sure to really massage my scalp. I plopped the ends and rinsed; while rinsing I gently ran my fingers through my hair to untangle and remove any loose hair. I lost a LOT of hair in the shower and even more once it was dry. With the amount of hair I loose in a given day I'm always amazed that I'm not bald!!!

I blot dried with my t-shirt, gel plopped and let it sit on a shirt until it was completely dry. I pulled the front back and gently pinned it and left the rest alone. It was a curly mess and I loved it! The next day I did a lavender spritz and pinned the front again and it looked even better than it had the day before!

Key tip I've learned about being a curly girl, and I've said this before, LISTEN to what your hair needs and wants. When it wants moisture do a treatment or a heavy co-wash. When it wants cleaned use one of the cleaning recipes (I prefer the lemonade). When it's grooving on it's own do a cold water rinse and leave it alone. Getting it trimmed regularly keeps the curls from getting weighed down; but be sure to find a stylist who understands how to work with curly hair.

Today my drive to work was long and slow and my hair is up in a messy up-do!
If your getting all the snow I am, stay safe and warm!

Curl: 8
Frizz: 2
Weather: 24F, SNOWY, 78% humidity
Stress: surprisingly low :)

Day 113: Breathe

My weekend was a whirl wind of activity. I recently joined the Praise Team at my church and the amount of music we had to learn for this past weekend caused extra rehearsals through out the day on Saturday in preparation for our Saturday night service. I was up early to get to the church by 10 and then headed back at 3. Sunday I was up even earlier to get there by 8 and when I got home after the 9 and 12:PM services I crashed.

Work has not been much better. We found out on Monday that UPS is going to furlough 300 of our pilots and that means that everyone's workload will double to ensure the care for our pilots needs in lue of the devastating news.

Tuesday my office was closed due to weather and I was afflicted with endometriosis. Once I was back on my feet I tackled the driveway and the grocery shopping. All of this lead to no time to blog about my hair let alone do much with it.

Today I did a cold water rinse, blot dry, with a light gel plop and shake. The curls are springy and bouncing with moisture despite the cold wind and weather. I've been making a conscious effort to keep them hydrated as much as possible and can see the payoff.

Curl: 8
Frizz: 1
Weather: 26F, Cloudy and snowy, 62% humidity
Stress: moderate

Day 107: Batten Down the Hatches

*Photo courtesy of Science

I'm not sure how the weather men are viewed in other parts of the US or the world but here where I live people are often skeptical of the forecast. For this weekend the forecast is that of the Apocalypse: freezing rain with a mixture of snow that will cause roads to shut down, people to get stranded, and mass chaos at the grocery stores and gas stations. Milk and bread will be impossible to find, gas stations will run out of gas and people will throw elbows to get a hold of generators; all before the first drop of rain falls from the sky and hits the pavement.

I got up this morning and turned on the news expecting to hear about numerous accidents that would cause me to have to leave for work 20 minutes earlier than normal. Where I live, even a little rain makes people go crazy. I don't care if frogs fall from the sky, if they change the condition of the pavement SLOW DOWN!

When I heard that traffic was normal I spritzed my hair with lavender spray standing upright instead of bending over. I blot dried what moisture was dripping and did a gel plop. I also did a light brush over of gel to keep the frizz down. This is where I have a small amount of gel on my fingers and lightly run it over the top of my hair, working from the scalp down to the tips. I let it sit on a towel, enjoyed the news and listened to the ghastly weather report for the weekend.

When I got to work I plopped again to add volume and shook out my curls from underneath. I've left it alone and yet again it is driving me nuts. The rain has added frizz and made the under curls CrAZy so I will attempt leave it down as long as I can stand it.
You better believe that when I get home from work it WILL be put in a pony tail or pulled out of my face and off my neck in some way shape or fashion!

Curl: 8
Frizz: 3-4
Weather: 38F, Rainy, 89% humidity
Stress: Low

Day 106: Much Better Curl

After nothing more than a cold rinse this morning I am much happier with the Fruit Smoothie results. I'm beginning to think that the day of the treatment adds so much moisture it actually weighs my curls down a little. Today the curls are soft and bouncy and seem very happy with the added moisture; so much so they are driving me nuts curling around my ears and all over my neck. I have resolved to NOT pull them back in any way but instead learn to accept the mass of curls that have assailed me.

I was very gentle with my hair as I blot dried and plopped. I normally bend over to plop; however, this morning I kept upright and gently plopped each section twice. I let the curls sit and dry and once dry I plopped again to get a little volume. I'll have to shake the curls a little through out the day to get them away from my scalp and neck but less plopping was my attempt to not over work the curls and create less frizz.

Happy Curls today mean Happy Erin! Ü

Curl: 8
Frizz: 2
Weather: 33F, Cloudy, 75% humidty
Stress: Low

Day 104: Fruit Smoothie

Today I made myself a fruit smoothie. No, I didn't drink it I put it on my hair.

3 very ripe bananas, 1/2 cup of carrot juice, and 1 teaspoon of almond oil were mixed together in my blender and worked into my hair, scalp, and curls. It was a messy job and caused a slight clog in our bathtub drain but I feel it was well worth the effort. It was simple to make, easy to apply, and it smelled heavenly. I am a huge fan of fruit, any and all kinds, so this recipe had been on my list of must tries for a while.

Once I had thoroughly coated my hair in the smoothie I wrapped it in a damp towel and let it sit for 1/2 hour. I then rinsed it thoroughly in warm, not hot, water. I blot dried with a t-shirt, did a light gel plop and anxiously waited for my hair to dry to see the result. Although I see how the smoothie helped add moisture it didn't quite have the curling effect I was hoping for; give it time I guess. It took longer to dry than normal and when all was said and done it was already in an up-do. I'm home sick today due to a meneire's spell so although my hair is less dry and somewhat bouncy I think I was just tired of messing with it. :)

Curl: 6
Frizz: 1
Weather: 35F, Cloudy
Stress: Moderate

Day 103: Why Can't My Curls Get Along

It's Monday and I'm in desperate need of some moisture. I did a lavender spritz and was happy with the result but I can tell that a deeper treatment is in order. I won't have time tonight and I'm not sure about the rest of the week but I'm going to have to come up with something soon. The curl started out good but is feeling slightly crunchy. My scalp is not itchy but somewhat flaky. I dabbed some aloe where the flakes seemed the worst and left my hair to do it's own thing.

The under curls were insane and driving me crazy, tickling my neck. The top curls were more of waves and don't really seem to want to do much of anything. This constant struggle with two types of curl and hair is really what drives me nuts. I don't know how to get my curls in sync with each other and the more I try the worse I make it. In lue of that, I think I may have overworked the top portion of my hair today and caused more frizz than necessary which frustrated me even more. *sigh* It's just going to be one of those weeks...

Curl: 8/3
Frizz: 6
Weather: 34F, Sunny
Stress: High