Julia, I know what you mean!  Even when hair is in great condition, it can help to have it chopped a bit!

Should be getting my Sedusa diffuser in the next few days (thanks to Lynne!), so will update my curl diary with the results

Well, I have been very pleased to learn in the last few days that I am able to dry my hair and epilate my legs at the same time.

This brings me joy as I find hair drying terribly tedious, but necessary. 

Please join with me friends in hoping that I never, never, never ever get these two mixed up.  Drying my legs I can cope with…..

LOL!!!!  I actually epilate my legs while doing my protein DT!  Us women are great at multi-tasking!

Emma.

Julia - 16 August 2011 07:28 PM

Well, I have been very pleased to learn in the last few days that I am able to dry my hair and epilate my legs at the same time.

This brings me joy as I find hair drying terribly tedious, but necessary. 

Please join with me friends in hoping that I never, never, never ever get these two mixed up.  Drying my legs I can cope with…..

Haha! I always do and think the same thing.

Well, back end of august seemed to mean a falling out between my head and my hair. It kept expanding, nothing worked. Seems to have settled a bit. An overnight treatment with argan oil and lots of GFRS has helped this week…. Fingers crossed.

Well, I’ve not updated for a while - recently returned from holiday - where on account of weather and general activity hair was not my highest priority and as you can see from the attached image, it was most useful for flossing my teeth.

Still, it was worth lugging my hair drier and diffuser all the way there not to use it at all - in fairness though, I had decanted a range of gels and conditioners into travel containers and they did get used - there is only so much wildness a girl can take. 

Any road, terribly liberating, so much so that on my return to work I forgot to dry my hair in the morning (I always go slightly damp, but this was proper wet) and felt somewhat under dressed. 

The 27 degree heat has benefited today from a Dr Organics olive oil co-wash, Joico K-Pak reconstruct condition, a smidge of GFRS as leave in, CIAB scrunched in soaking wet, curl cloth and BRHG (now the proud owner of 3 litres for £30 courtesy of TK Maxx) - then an upside down diffuse with the sedusa - a pretty decent day.  Slight frizz caused by own humidity circle created from sweaty train - delightful!  Do they do ‘Mitchum’ for scalps?

LOL!  Where did you go?

Off myself tomorrow to Majorca, so know what you mean about travel bottles, and minimal packing!  Luckily hubby isn’t taking too much stuff, so can fill his case too LOL!

All the best,
Emma.

Hi Emma - We were in Scotland - Skye and Loch Lomond and a few other stop offs in between. Jolly splendid.  I am horrendous at packing light, I do not understand the principle of a capsule wardrobe at all. Thankfully we had the car, so fill it up we could, and fill it up we did!

Enjoy yourself in Majorca, I hope it’s relaxing, and fun too.

Well it’s been many months and it feels wise to record winter hair trials, tribulations and successes.

Through the summer I ahe worked well with CIAB and hard gel on top. Conditioner of the season had been GFRS. Temperature dropped, not all that much really and the combo seemed less effective.  I just seemed to have dry frizz in greater than acceptable quantity.  I switched back to CJCQ, which was a good start, but not enough. Rich conditioners were ok, but not enough either. Finally I have established that the smoothest and most moisturised results are from using co wash with Btms, or behentrimonium chloride in it (mild cationic surfactant, I have learnt as well as good for smoothing)... A rinse out with both moisture and some protein in, EO conditioner has been the best here and then a smoothing LI. Reasonable results with CJ smoothing lotion, good results by adding more EO and rinsing slightly.

With styling, the first layer is normally CJCQ. I also tried this winter some MYhoneyChild whipped soy gel, work fine, smells rank. By rank I mean rather industrial, rubbery… A bit like a condom and it lingers. Also tried afroveda PUR… As a base layer on my hair left me looking like an oil slick. Big no.

So CQ in soaking hair, smoothed then scrunched, curl towel scrunch and pump… All upside down. Tip back up and sort parting. Mix a finger tip of styling butter (been using afroveda totally twisted and cocolatte) with BRHG to make a cream. Rub palms together to cover palms and fingers and scrunch again. Finish other beautification attempts, dress self and dry. Dry upside down, sedusa first, front then sides. Small diffuser after for back. Minimal movement of diffuser.

The butters seem to keep the moisture in without oil slick and the gel gives needed hold. A smear of the PUR whipped gel is ok for SOTC or halo amothing later in the day… But man be stingy with it.

Have also been using other products to rotate include Giovanni lo poo think it’s the smooth as silk (not new recipe), CJ cleansing poo, repair me, Sitrinillah, curl fix, Joico k-pak reconstruct daily conditioner and GFRS (decided GFRS is a better summer than winter product). Also keeping up with occasional ACV rinse.

Wearing a hat has been surprisingly effective during daily walk to the station, and far less curl crushing than I thought.

Still being cut by MJ every 12 weeks.

Thinking 2012 might be the year of the dye. I’ve held off, but am now going grey and see random spiking up when I get into lifts, why is it that the lighting in lifts is so frightful? I give myself a scare most days.

Well today I washed, DC’d, left in and for the first time in several years put zero styling product on. Was curious to see fluff and drying time. 3 and a half hours to dry, flat top but much less frizz than in previous years. Ringlets at the end. Not quite leaving the house hair, but I wouldn’t feel too terrible if I had to answer the door!

So, partly inspired by Cupcake Queen discussing fringes and partly because I’ve been itchy to experiment I’ve cut myself a fringe.  Not sure if I’ve finished with it yet though!  I’ve never been brave enough to get near myself with scissors but hey, I took the plunge.  It’s only two weeks since I had a cut; I was thinking about it then because sorta had it styled with a sweeping look and it got me wondering.  So then I started playing with grips and seeing what would work.  I’d always thought curly fringes were out, then I decided that a kinda 70s 80s look might be just what was called for. And then I braved it.  I thought I can always sweep it out of the way by slightly different styling, grips etc. Mr B is calling it boho and cute.  I’m enjoying the novelty.

Linked entirely to the above I should also say that I did to myself the following:

Bee Mine Purity Rhassoul Clay Clarifying Bar - I bought this a few weeks ago and have used it 6 or 7 times. I was curious about shampoo bars. It has a really thick, rich lather, which is lush.  Leaves my hair feeling a bit ‘grippy’ which I’m not keen on; but it cleanses fine and a conditioner soon takes the grippiness away.  Conditioner today was EO lemon verbena clarifying; it’s very smoothing and compliments the grippy bar well.  I go for big, big, big rinse - one day I will write about my relationship with water - safe to say that I’m water greedy.  After mamouth rinsing session, two small squirts of EO are applied as a leave in, although I made sure hair gets another quick soaking before exiting shower.  Out of shower, on with Pattern Pusha - straight into soaking hair, this stuff has really grown on me; it gives splendid shine and smoothness; it’s also pretty decent for clumping.  Smoothed it through, then scrunched in curl, curl towel scrunch and pump and then scrunch in BRHG.  Tweak shape. Faff(not with hair). Diffuse. Rest (hair, not body). Air dry. SOTC.  The back of today’s hair (in contrast to the fringe) is attached.

Looks good Julia! You did a good job of cutting it

Julia, your fringe looks great! I’ve been snipping at a few curls in a fringe-like way, but I haven’t been as brave as you - I feel quite inspired now!

Cheers fellow curly women! Knitwit, there’s a point of no return, you’ll know when you’ve found it!