Today's hair

Running some errands this weekend where I want to look relaxed, but not like a complete slob. So for laziness's sake, I figured I could do the four braid base thing yesterday. Maybe it can even look okay for work Monday and Tuesday?

The quest for "healthy" part 2

Back some three weeks ago I put a post up on The quest for "healthy" and got some really interesting comments. Anja and Buchfreundin both recommended melatonin and I made an order of three different kinds so I can experiment with brand and dosage. 

I bought:

Olympian Labs Fast dissolve (Tastes like "raspberry", so I just swallow them instead of letting them dissolve)

Natrol Advanced sleep

and Bluebonnet Nutrition Chewables

I have only tried the Olympian Labs one so far and I think it helps me sleep better. 

It's a little hard to tell how big a difference it makes though. It's not like I can directly compare the effects to the sleep I get without. But so far I'm very happy with it!

So thank you for the advice to Anja and Buchfreundin! I really appreciate you took the time to write the recommendation!

I also received an email with recommendations on a mediation app. I actually tried various mediation apps and MP3's, but I always end up getting mildly annoyed with them and feel like it's a waste of time and energy.

It's actually better for me to take care of those various office/private things I can on my commute. It feels good to be on top of those things and get it done.

One thing that does help me "zone out" is books on MP3. It gives me something "to do" while still relaxing. However, I have discovered that I need to check and be sure of the audio quality and how the narrator delivers the story. I had to give up on the Ursula K. Le Guin books because the quality was too poor. And I'm one who wears "ridiculously expensive"(Quote Mr Igor) around-the-ear Sennheiser headphones. I couldn't get past the first five minutes in the The Witcher books because the narrator delivered the story like he was trying to be sexy or something (Honestly, WTF). Audio quality and narrator delivery matters, people!

Nurses Assistant-friend brought something up the other day: We were talking about massage therapists (I love mine, she swears by hers) but we both agreed on that we wouldn't go if it wasn't for the purpose of fixing muscles that gets abused by too much static office work. It's not always that pleasant. Or, well, it can be, but then it doesn't really get the effect that you want.

Nurses Assistant-friend pointed out that maybe what we should do, is to go to a real spa once in a while. Something you go to for a purpose other than to unfuck your neck muscles. Something that you just go to to relax and be spoiled. Something that you go to with no other real purpose than to lower your cortisol levels.

Nurses Assistant-friend can be annoyingly wise.

I took her advice and have booked a 90 minute spa treatment at the end of the month. I figured I could "shop around" a little in Lund and have started with Complete Me for no other reason than it's conveniently located near the train station. If I like it, I figure I'd want something like body scrubs and masks or something like that on the regular. I'm deeply (And understandably) suspicious of the products they use in places like this and expect them to be picked for smelling nice. The exact opposite I need for my sensitive skin. I mean, when I go to my own massage therapist she has oils (Hemp and argan) standing around that I brought myself and she only uses on me and Mr Igor just because I'm suspicious of standard oil she uses. We'll see what happens at the spa. Maybe I will like it, maybe my skin will flip out so hard I will never dare go again.

I have managed to prioritize time with Mr Igor and friends better lately. It's a nice recharging experience. I literally made a list with things like museums, yoga classes and the water park that I want to see/do. And a separate list with the restaurants nearby I want to try. I figure if we prioritize to do something like that every other week, it's a nice "break" and something to look forward to, without becoming too much work and pressure to "do" something. I need to prioritize that kind of things too. 2018 seemed to disappear in a haze of work and school with just two vacation breaks. I don't want to repeat that.

I guess the key is to do little, fun things. Nothing that requires a lot of preparation and work and ends up feeling like pressure. Plopping down in a restaurant chair and waiting to be spoiled sounds good. Plopping down in a spa chair and waiting to be spoiled sounds good too. Something simple like going to the city park with some peas for the local ducks sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon. Trying a new cake-recipe is also fun. It's the little things that counts and should help me sleep better.

L'Anza leave in conditioner

I bought this massive leave in conditioner solely based on that I have never seen such a large leave in product before. A whole liter in this one! It's heavy!

I didn't expect much from it, but it actually has a really nice ingredient list and even contains SPF (Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate)! As usual, I'm suspicious of the extracts though.

Ingredient list

Water (Aqua), Ceteryl Alcohol, Glycereth 26, Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) Flower Extract, Centaurea Cyanus (Cornflower) Extract (Corn Flower), Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract (Hibiscus), Orchis Morio Flower Extract (Orchid), Gardenia Florida Flower Extract (Gardenia), Rosaceae Foetida Flower Extract (Yellow Rose), Echinacea Pupurea (Coneflower) Extract (Cone Flower), Citrus Medica Limonum Extract (Lemon), Fumaria Officinalis Extract (Fumitory), Ceramide 2, Keratin Amino Acids, Fumaric Acid, Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui Nut) Oil (Kukui Nut), Macadamia Ternifolia (Nut) Seed Oil, Sodium PCA, Magnesium PCA, Zinc PCA, Manganese PCA, Ergothioneine, Saccharide Hydrolysate, Magnesium Aspartate, Glycine, Alanine, Creatine, PPG 4 Ceteth 20, Dipropylene Glycol, Dimethiconal Meadowfoamate, Polyether 1, Cinnamidopropyl Trimonium Chloride, C11 15 Pareth 7, C12 16 Pareth 9, Glycerin, Trideceth 12, Dimethicone, Cetrimonium Chloride, Steartrimonium Chloride, Urea, Sodium Benzotriazole Butylphenol Sulfonate, Buteth 3, Tributyl Citrate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Butyparaben, BCC12-Base