Thank you so much for all the awesome responses about e-books and print books.
Today is the day I do my hair. Or rather have it done. ::stares at a head full of grey:: Ehhh.
Water in Texas is murdering my hair. Unless I pour on a small puddle of detangler and brush it immediately after I shower, I can’t brush through it until the next shower. I actually had resorted to extreme measures a couple of times and brushed hair in the shower with a ton of conditioner on it. Hard water is a bitch. 
I need to have a haircut, but because I have a round face, I can’t actually have that much hair cut off.
I need to have pretty hair for RT. And also for my husband, because I want to look pretty, and my own personal satisfaction, because I’m sick of seeing grey and not being able to brush through my hair.
My regular stylist isn’t available. I get a junior stylist. I have a complicated color job.
Men who are reading this are probably going, “So what?” while women are taking a sharp breath of anxiety. Dear male readers, please excuse the girly outburst that follows.
I need a hair cut, a color, and my stylist is on vacation. OMG, what if the junior stylist messes up my hair and there is no time to fix it for RT???
::gulps giant gulps of coffee:
My sympathy, really. I have long, very fine hair that tangles easily, and we also live in a very hard water area. I’ve used the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine system for a while now and they finally released a brand-new leave-in conditioner. Before, they had the “Conditioning Glaze” which was perfect for my hair, but of course they discontinued it and every retailer sold out
The new one is the Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream, so far it’s pretty good, I just finger-comb it in and let my hair air dry. The only thing is I can’t use a lot or it weighs down my hair too much. If the stylist doesn’t ok the stuff like the vinegar rinse, etc., try a leave-in conditioner like this one, it’s about the only thing that keeps my hair semi-manageable.
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Yes, Good Luck! I had one hair cut that made me look like I did in grade 1. I was not amused. I’m growing mine out right now so I’ll see how it looks in a couple of months. I hope your cut and colour turns out the way you want:-)
I ended up adding a water softener to the house. Culligan lease, so it’s not too expensive. What a difference. To everything – my hair (huge, huge, huge), dishes, clothes, that white stuff that was clogging up my shower head. Well worth it.
Good luck!
Hmmm….. I remember having hair.
Suave professionals sleek and shine is awesome and they also have different shampoos for different hair types.
well it it goes really poorly, you can always just dye it black and be all emo goth…
Also, have you tried rinsing with cider vinegar before shampooing? Google about vinegar for hair and hard water, cause I am sure there are instructions out there better than what I can come up with.
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Good luck with your hair appointment. Not to be flippant because I do understand about having trouble combing my hair, but if the color job doesn’t work you could always tell them at RT that you are experimenting or doing research for a character in your next book. They won’t know it wasn’t true until that book comes out and you could always say you changed your mind and went back to the original concept.
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Apple cider vinegar mixed with water will do a fair job of conditioning your hair and removing the buildup, but the jr. colorist issue I can’t help you with. Maybe vodka can.
Don’t they have another senior stylist you can see? Juniors never work out. As for the hard water, do the final rinse from a bottle of distilled water. I’d consider a whole house softener, too. Our last house had hard water and after ten years, every faucet was blocked and corroded.
Don’t stress about it…sometimes a new stylist can help. Also…I have a very round face, and I finally had it cut above my shoulders and I love it so much more.
I would never have guessed. But I like it more than when it hung there and did nothing.
Hard water is terrible! You should get a water softener. When ours broke the last time we all hated it. I’m praying the new stylist doesn’t do anything horrible!
Good luck with the hair, I will be hold my breath for you.
When we lived in Texas, we had a water softner and I was told to replace it every 5 or 7 years. I scoffed at that, but, then the softner busted wide open at the 7 year mark. Texas is the only place where Lowes and Home Depot showed the water line attaching to the water softner before even attaching to the water heater. We also needed a secondary osmosis filter for the drinking water and the ice cube water. Texas water is HARD.
You will like how your hair and your skin feels after getting a softner though. We recommend Aqua systems out of Avon, IN. They are practically 1/3 of the price of others out there.
You should try one of the oils that you put in after washing. I use Frizz Ease or Smooth and Shine ($5 at Walmart – lasts FOREVER). Basically, depending on how long your hair is you squeeze around a dime to nickel size amount and then run it through your wet hair. It takes care of the crazies. My hair without it is so frizzy, its unmanageable. With it, I have beautiful wavy curls – no frizz at all. Awesome stuff.
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Yep, I use a moisturizing shampoo, conditioner, AND the after-shampoo leave-in conditioner. There are tons of oil or silicone based ones to choose from and they’re great. I have very thick, fine hair and it feels like silk if I treat it well.
And, yeah, in some parts of the country a water softener is a must.
Good luck on your hair appt. I hope it all works out.
Is it an option to add a filter to your shower line? My dad did that to further filter the water we were showering in
I swear by Frizz Ease (Citre Shine, but I think there’s a few other brands) as well. I haven’t had problems with the tangles since I started using it. I just use a gentle shampoo, then the Frizz Ease after I’m out of the shower. Also I only fingercomb my hair after the initial brush out. That lets my hair separate into locks. Brushing it dry just makes it poof out, which looks ridiculous on me at least. Good luck at the stylist!
I just returned from Arizona where my MIL has a water softener…..It makes my hair not so nice! It makes me love Northern VA. I use Deva hair products on my hair and my daughter’s hair. Her hair is long and very curly….think Botticelli…..I find the products work great! I gave up on coloring….My hair is a lovely salt and pepper. Good Luck!!
First off, I ditched the “color teh greys” last year and have never been happier. Oddly enough, my hair looks darker. Can’t quite figure that out. Am enjoying not spending the 82$ every 6-8 weeks too.
I use coconut oil on it about once a week or so. I leave mine in all night (sleep on pillow) and wash it out in the morning.
“Men who are reading this are probably going, “So what?” ”
or cursing male pattern baldness and wishing for the good ole’ days when hair styling was more of an issue. I really liked my hair, why did so much of it have to go away?
I know the feeling. One of the first things I got here was a water softener. It’s helped, though not with my gray. Sadly, that keeps coming. And coming. And coming.
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Hmmm. . ..I would have to double-thumbs up the whole house water softener. Makes a huge difference. The water is so hard here, that the outside plants have calcium spots on them. Bleh!
For hair, try to get Sulfate free brands and use as little as possible. You can just cleanse your scalp and let the suds rinse through the longer strands. And I really, really love the Morrocan Oil products (shampoos, leave in treatments). They are fantastic for decreasing frizz and controlling dry ends. And even though they are more expensive, a little bit goes a long, long way.
http://www.beautycollection.com/moroccan-oil?gclid=CP2A9ea4n68CFSQZQgoddVWqaQ
As far as junior stylists?? Sigh. This is why I drive an hour through major city traffic to get to mine. Good luck. Don’t give the stylist the vodka though. . .
I know what you mean, Girlfriend, and I’m with you on this… I had a few mishaps with new stylists but sometimes magic happens and the new style is totally you!
You have to cross your fingers and hope to have time to save the day before the RT if it’s a disaster!
How about trying an argan oil leave in product? They’re extremely nourishing (contain HUGE amounts of vitamin E) and makes your hair all soft, shiny, and silky
Somebody above posted about Moroccan Oil, which contains argan oil, but don’t get it – it contains silicones. While silicones do make your hair silky, smooth, and shiny when you use the product, they are, in actuality, drying out your hair.
For the shampoo, try a sulfate free line – L’Oreal has a nice one. It’ll damage your hair less and help you keep the dye looking nice for longer.
As for the junior stylist, well… Tequila. Tequila always helps. Or if you’re feeling nostalgic, Jaeger will also do the trick.
Im sure everything will work out fine, and wish you all the best for RT. I feel kinda stupid asking this, but since i dont live in the US what is ‘hard water’? i guess i need to read more books.
xoxo Nas D.
Hi, Nas:
Hard water is water that has a lot of dissolved mineral content. It makes it difficult for soap to “suds up” (instead it forms a slimy scum – and isn’t that fun!) and it causes a buildup of scaly mineral deposits on anything it touches. The harder the water, the more deposits are formed. It can wreak havoc on plumbing and it often causes hair to react in strange ways since the hair follicles are being coated in minerals.
Hi TK, thanks for answering my question, i dont feel so dumb now lol.
take care.
First, I think you can hook up some water softeners into your system to soften your water. Second, you are a woman, a writer and a keen student of the human condition. You know all the guys are just going to look at the boobies.
OTOH, you are going to RT, which I understand is populated heavily by females. I understand now. You want to establish your self as an alpha …female with excellent grooming.
Enjoy the trip.
You poor thing – I used to live in Texas, I remember. . . I had a big meeting coming up, and went out and got bottled distilled water to wash my hair in. The vinegar thing works too, if I remember right, but didn’t it leave me smelling like a salad? Hummm….. As for the dye job, I am going to try this, as I like to try out different natural things. At least you would smell like hot chocolate, and what woman wouldn’t be following you around with THAT smell?
http://www.ehow.com/how_6038530_rinse-gray-hair-cocoa.html
Since your hair is naturally dark, it could be a good, quick, non-permanent fix! I used to have brown hair, but it is allllllll gray now. And not that pretty silver that dark haired women, like you, get – sigh. L’Oreal hair colour works great when I want to ‘do it myself’ at home, and is nice for the hair. Just a thought – but if you are nervous, try something natural! Better for the body, the ecology, and if you smell like chocolate, well, who couldn’t love that!
I’m sure your cut & color will go just fine! What about using “No More Tangles” or a similar spray-on detangler? I remember we used to have some when I was a kid. I’m not sure if they come in non-overwhelming scents, but you could look. As I recall, they do wonders on tangles.
Alternatively, you could go the route my sister did, and get dreads put in. She had them done professionally, so they’re small and even, and she says you really can wash them. Or get your hair braided? The little braids keep it untangled and if your hair won’t frizz out of them like mine does they look beautiful, too.
You know grey is in right now right? Also I don’t understand why round face means you can’t cut much off your hair. I have seen all sorts of women with round faces with all sorts of flattering hair lengths from long to pixie. I have one myself and it looks pretty good right around the jaw line.
I’d get a water softener. It is going to make all sorts of things better.
I use biolage detangling conditioner. Then put a leave in the size of quarter and my hair is thick and curly and i highlight it blond. So any blonding makes your hair more difficult. U need to alternate shampoos and conditioners.
I moved to Birmingham, AL from Atlanta 18 months ago. I still haven’t found a stylist to do a 2 step color (all over color + highlights) well, without charging the equivalent of luxury German import monthly payment.
Have you tried Wen?
Soo there is this awesome book that could help you with your hair, well it helped me with my unruly curly hair!! The book is called “Curly Girl: The Handbook” it does wonders and tells you all the good techniques in taking care of curly and wavy hair!! Good luck with our problem! I hope it turns out well for you.
I have really thick and wavy hair and it dries out very quickly. I now wash my hair maybe twice a week with shampoo, but I condition every day (I ripped this from that insane 50 buck wen product concept.. this is the cheapo version). I can not tell you what a difference this has made (well I just did huh?). I don’t know if it will help with hard water or dye, but it does help with brushing!
You don’t condition every day? *hands flutter* *pearls clutched*
In all seriousness, get a spritz detangler. It is a miracle worker. I cannot use it because I will look like a drowned, greased rat.
Also, there’s an awesome thing by Joico called Silk Result. You squirt a dime size onto your hand (if you have a lot of hair), rub it between your palms, and then run it through your hair with your hands STARTING at your ends. Do not buy the cheap stuff. Buy the good stuff. Joico = good stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/Joico-Result-Sheer-Gloss-Shine/dp/B000LSBZC8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333855366&sr=8-3
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Hard water is a pain, but now they make a water softener filter for the shower that is pretty neat! It’s not quite as good as a full on water softener for the home, but it’s loads cheaper and easier to maintain.
http://www.amazon.com/Culligan-ISH-200-In-line-Shower-Filter/dp/B003RWSNBG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1JSKK0FE65PWA&colid=3HOXZMI9AN1O7
Wen is great w/ hard water. Mine usually frizzes & I color & it keeps the color in for weeks longer. Cheaper from QVC (& they deliver!) Only use about 2/3 of the amt they say to use, doesn’t take as much. Just a little to condition after & wash 3x/wk. Doesn’t get too expensive. And, yes, new stylist before a big conference *is* a major Blog moment!
I recommend getting a charcoal filter for your shower head and a brazilian blow dry treatment for your hair.
Works every time!