Blogging from A to Z challenge: Æ, Ø and Å

Just for fun, and just in case anyone forgot that I'm Danish.

Danish has 29 letters in the alphabet, just like all the other Nordics. 

I'm not going to go through all the three "extras" Æ, Ø and Å individually, but I just wanted to point one out. Ø for...

Øvelse gør mester. Practice makes perfect.

This is a point I feel like I always make, but I'm making it again:

It's a good idea to have this one updo you have practiced enough that you can always nail it. 

As much as I love experimenting with updos, you don't always have the time or option.

Some times life is just crazy and annoying and everything goes wrong. Then it's good to have this one updo you can always wring up and have it stay up without annoying you or hurting.

It doesn't have to be your signature style or anything fancy. Just something that will stay up and your muscle memory has nailed.

For me, its the Nautilus bun. It's simple enough that I won't screw it up even if I'm distracted, and pretty much hurricane-proof once it's up. 

Blogging from A to Z challenge: Z is for zone therapy

 

Many years ago, way back before I even started this blog, I tried this little trick: Your fingernails are supposedly the acupressure point for increasing blood flow to your scalp, and should increase hair growth. So I spent ages doing this before it pissed my friends off to much. Yea, it was weird. And it didn't affect my hair growth or anything.

But it's one of those things that I guess it can't really hurt to try. Can't see why it would help, but can't see why it would hurt either.

As far as I can find (And mind you, the sources don't always agree 100%!) the fingernails are the only place that should help hair growth directly.

However, I would say that there are other spots you should probably give some attention if you want to try zone therapy or acupressure:

I would go for the kidney and liver zones to help clear and filter your body. It is good for your skin, and therefore your scalp and hair.

I would also go for all the zones that affects the digestive system. Better digestion means better absorption of nutrients, which should help hair growth.

If nothing else, it should be nice and relaxing, and that's always good for both your body and mind!

Blogging from A to Z challenge: Y is for Ylang Ylang

Ylang ylang essential oils is one of my favorite scents.

As all other essential oils it should never be used undiluted, but diluted in a base oil or product.

Ylang ylang is said to help stimulate the oil production on the scalp, and be able to help normalize sebum production for dry scalp.

Blogging from A to Z challenge: X is for Xanthan gum

Okay, I am really reaching here, lol.
I spent days sweating about this entry!

Finally, I decided to just go with xanthum gum, which I've seen in a few hair products before. I figured, this would be a quick little entry and I would maybe write a few words about the Xanthum tree that produces Xanthum gum, or something like that.

But nope!

Instead it got interesting!

Xanthum gum is not made from any plant, but from a species of bacteria! Xanthomonas campestris. This bacteria forms a black rot on leafy vegetables.

Xanthum gum was discovered by chemical researcher Allene Rosalind Jeanes and brought into commercial production under the name Kelzan in the early 1960s. It has no adverse effects even in high doses in foods, so there are no safety concerns for its usage. It was approved for use in foods in 1968, and can be found as E-number E415.

For hair product use, it's perfectly soluble in water and also has some condition properties.

Products can use xanthum gum for it's ability to function as a thickener in hair masks. 

It can also be used because it stabilizes emulsions and keeps ingredients from separating. 

Although it does have the emulsion-stabilizing effect, it's not an emulsifier ingredient that can help clean hair for CO washes. 

So yea: This was way more interesting than I expected!

Blogging from A to Z challenge: W is for Weird shit in your hair

 

I've been in the longhair circuit for something like 21 years by now (Holy shit. Honestly, what the fuck? How did that happen?) and over the years I have seen people put so much weird shit in and on their hair. Nothing compared to the weirdness in skin products though, especially when you're into K-beauty which has a tendency to be very experimental with ingredients. I'm pretty hardened with that. 

But ingredients can only do so much for hair, since it's mostly dead protein. You can try to rebuild the protein and sulphur hydrogen bonds, but other than that, ingredients can only really make hairs surface shiny, and make it feel good and smooth. 

Of course some products will treat the scalp, but even then, they are not so inventive.

For the really weird hair product ingredients, you often have to look at DIY.

When I say an ingredient is weird, it's not always the ingredient in itself but the risk it has. A lot of the DIY ingredients are simply not water soluble! I will never understand why people want to run the risk of putting something in their hair that can't be rinsed away with water. It can be a real problem just to rinse out "clingy" products that are deliberately made for hair and to be rinsed out, so why risk it with DIY?

But of course there are products such as Hask henna and placenta, which will rinse out just fine, but most people will be creeped out by the fact that it does contain placenta. I actually tried this one, a few times and it was... okay? Not impressed, not disappointed, but not doing something that most other products can't do.

Even with a ingredient like oatmeal I would worry about solubility, and oatmeal is known for being an excellent skin reliever for itchiness or dryness. There are scalp products found on the market that can do the same, or almost the same, so why risk leaving tiny bits of grainy oats in your hair?

If you really want to go "natural", why not try honey? Honey can do almost the same, but it's water soluble. It can be dissolved and rinsed away. The only issue with honey is that it starts a reaction that leads to hydrogen peroxide when it comes into contact with water, but supposedly you can stop that ability by microwaving it first so it doesn't bleach your hair.

But there are so many ingredients I have seen used over the years that can't dissolve in water: Quinoa, seaweed, avocado, bananas, flaxseeds and so on and so on.

Even with something like rice water, which is said to help accelerate hair growth, I would worry about rice "dust" or stickiness being left behind in the hair.

There are also some ingredients that are more or less sort of-kind of water soluble such as yoghurt and mayonnaise. I would want to try to absorb it into regular conditioner before rinsing it out, and even then I would worry about leftovers rotting in my hair. 

I never understood why people use mayonnaise, but maybe that's just me. Those who use it, use it because it contains both protein and oil. Why not just use some regular oil then? And a protein treatment?

And speaking of protein treatments, I've read one too many horror-stories about people using eggs for the protein, and then trying to rinse with too warm water. Eggs doesn't need to boil, or even come close to boiling for the proteins to start taking damage, and the egg changes texture and...Voila: Little, clingy egg chunks in your hair. Yummy.

Then there are the products that soluble just fine, but where I would worry about absorbing smells: Beer, which is said to help plump up fine hair. Potato juice, which is supposedly good for hair growth. Onion juice is recommended for the sulphur content, but I can't imagine why anyone would dare try it with the potential smell issues. Hair is absorbent. It likes to pick up smells. Why risk it?

I have spotted products a few times that contained volcanic rock and I think they were meant for exfoliating the scalp. I wouldn't want to have that sandpaper effect on any length it would get into contact with though... But maybe volcanic rock isn't as much "weird" as it is "epic". Or just a tourist on a volcano island-kind of thing.

Morocco method has a conditioner with quartz crystals liquefied into a base of St. John's Wort Oil, which, I guess wouldn't be so weird if it was just to make your hair pretty and shiny. But no. They are "highly energized liquid crystals from the Himalayan Mountains of India" for... Dunno. Something holistic? Something with healing? 

Blogging from A to Z challenge: V is for Vaguely creepy endearing weirdos

 

History lesson ahead!

Today's post takes us back to the month of September 2010 where Christchurch was hit by a 7,1 earthquake, where Lady Gaga wore her meat dress and where Netflix made their first expansion into another market: Canada. It's that long ago.

In internet culture, the idea of planking was beginning to take off, Instragram was launched and Limewire shut down. Feel old yet?

"Vaguely creepy endearing weirdos" was a bit of a meme or inside joke on the longhair community, even years after this event happened. I'm not sure if people still use it though.

On September 20th, 2010 an article went up on a now defunct website named lemondrop.com. 

(Not so shocking that the site would cease to exist if this article is representative of the quality of their work btw)

"Secrets of a former beauty editor: how to grow long, healthy hair"
The next day, it was brought up on Longhaircommunity in the post "LHC members are vaguely creepy! (2010 article) [Epic thread]"

The site lemondrop.com no longer works, but here is the imprint on the Wayback Machine
The Longhaircommunity forum response thread exist in two different places:
LHC members are vaguely creepy! (2010 article) [Epic thread]
and the archived version here: Archived

The text of the original article is as follows

Secrets of a Former Beauty Editor -- How to Grow Long, Healthy Hair
Sep 20th 2010 By Cat Marnell

Posted in Beauty, Advice
13 Comments

I've been obsessed with Long Hair Community -- the vaguely creepy site for people who like to take photos of themselves sitting on their long, long hair, then post them on the Internet to brag about it -- for years.

Just read the message boards with posts titled things like "I FINALLY HAVE MY FAIRY-TALE HAIR!". It's addicting. They've got a lot to teach me about growing my hair to levels of Rapunzel-worthy epic-ness, and I can't get enough.

Of course, when it comes to growing out your hair, the real key is -- as your friend and mine Axl Rose would tell you -- just a little patience. Actually, a lot of patience. It takes forever! And then there's that stupid rule that you have to keep cutting it to keep it healthy while you grow it! I hate that rule, but I've interviewed 40 million (not an exaggeration, practically) hair experts and stylists over the years and they've all said it's true.

Anyhow, that brings me to this: the endearing weirdos of Long Hair Community and all of the amazing advice I've culled from them over my years as a beauty editor. Among the most useful information are the products and tools the die-hards swear by. You don't have to totally convert to long-haired-loony-dom, but whether you try a few these tricks or all of them, you'll get results. Read on!

1. Deep Conditioner, Leave-ins and Hair Oil
OK, OK, OK. How bored are you about reading about how important it is to deep condition? Answer: not as bored as I am about writing about it, friend. I've written the same article 10 times! Because, duh, intensive treatments are crucial if you want healthy long hair, and I promise you that no one will ever tell you otherwise.

But I'm starting with conditioners because they're the essential to end all essentials. So, to review what we all already know as quickly as possible: Find a deep conditioner that you love to leave on for 30 minutes twice a week. I am a lifelong devotee of Terax Crema, which is not only one of the best-working treatments ever, but one of the best-smelling ones, too. I am also a big fan of the conditioners that come in boxes of hair dye, which are now sold individually, like Clairol Nice 'N Easy ColorSeal Gloss Conditioner.

Another way to condition is with leave-in. Again, Terax is a favorite of mine: their Life-Drops, which have reconstructive protein, are so, so good, as is Frederic Fekkai's Protein Rx Reparative Spray -- it's a dewy milk that's super-lightweight and doubles as a detangler. And my hair is a long, fake blonde, tangled mess – both soften and pretty it right up like crazy. I actually use both products together every day, to give you any indication of how much product I need just to look decent and unlike early '80s Vince Neil.

Use hair oil on dry split ends: anything really works here; I use Philip B. These are not inexpensive, particularly, either. I spend money on conditioning. Not denying it.

2. Biotin Vitamins
We here at Lemondrop do not endorse of any kind of compulsive pill-popping to achieve glossy, Kardashian-worthy (minus the extensions -- oh puh-leeasse, like they don't have them) hair, but as far as taking supplements go, a daily dose of these babies is safe -- unlike, say, habitually abusing pre-natal vitamins for vanity purposes. (Not unheard of in Hollywood circles.) They make hair and nails stronger and more lustrous (can nails be lustrous? Just go with it.), are relatively inexpensive, and can be found at any GNC or Vitamin Shoppe, or here on amazon.com. They allegedly make hair grow faster, and while this is probably true, remember that still means your hair will grow agonizingly slowly, just ... a little less agonizingly so.

3. Scrunchies, Snag-Free Elastics and the Spin-PinFirst of all, that's right, SCRUNCHIES! How psyched is your inner Kimmy Gibler? Okay, the reason you need a scrunchie is because you need to be seriously, seriously protecting your hair from snagging at all times, especially at night, especially when you wear it up. You're going to look really dorky and unsexy, like, a lot, and you're going to just have to deal.

Don't try to make it work, style-wise. It just doesn't. (Well, OK, Urban Outfitters has some cute ones, but that's it. Oh, and American Apparel. FINE. Scrunchies are back for real life! Gross.) At night, sleep with your hair wrapped up in a bun right on TOP -- not at the back -- of your head, like you're the kidnap-ably cute ballerina little sister in "Welcome to the Dollhouse." Bonus: During the day, you can put them on your dog! Gotta love Etsy.

Then, during the day, if you can't bring yourself to wear the scrunchie out of the house (and I don't blame you, my dear), go with snag-free elastics, like these by Blax, which every hairdresser I've ever interviewed has named as the best elastics for mastering really sleek, beautiful ponytails and buns, so you should probably add them to your hair-care arsenal anyway.

I've also read only the biggest raves on Long Hair Community about Goody Spin Pin, a coiled miracle bobby pin of sorts which holds up gigantic buns and French twists (sort of high-class prosti-chic, but I'm into it) with minimal damage to hair. You can even wear them when you work out and they stay put, according to everyone who seriously won't shut up about them. Has anyone reading this tried them? AWESOME.

4. Sulfate-Free Shampoo
The key thing about sulfate-free shampoo is that it doesn't strip your hair of any crucial oils or other conditioning agents essential to having beautiful, long healthy hair. The downside is that many of the best sulfate shampoos are akin to fragrance-free laundry detergent: they leave your hair, after a shower, simply smelling like unscented ... hair. It's sort of disconcerting.

As far as product goes, I cannot recommend enough, for those very serious about this growing-your-hair-long thing, a line of fantastic, absurdly gentle shampoos by a little-known brand called Aestelance; they are an entire company devoted especially to people who are obsessed with long hair, and every product is like nothing you've ever tried. Drugstore brands are also on the sulfate-free bandwagon: check out these options from Organix, L'oreal, Burt's Bees and TIGI Bed Head.
Oh, and the in-shower tip here is to shampoo at the roots and scalp only, which is truly where you need it most anyway; this way you don't strip good oils from the length of the hair. Later, skip conditioner at the roots so they won't get weighed down, then condition the length of your hair which you neglected to shampoo practically to death (or for however long you can stand it, whatever).

5. Satin Pillowcase
A satin pillowcase, in theory, sounds both expensive and prissy when you imagine it in your head, but is actually cheap and butch! No, I'm joking. It's just a regular-looking pillowcase. It doesn't have to be shiny-satin per se, just a special, non-breakage pillowcase like this one, which only costs $10.

6. Boar-Bristle Brush and the Old T-Shirt Trick
OK, so there are all sort of crazy rules you have to follow about brushing and combing your hair in order to grow it long and perfect. LIKE: Do not even THINK about brushing it when it's wet. You can only brush it when it's dry, and preferably before every shampoo, so you distribute the oils over every strand to protect them from shampoo and don't have to detangle much post-shower -- hair is most vulnerable to breakage when it's dripping and you're roughing it up with a towel. Oh, and incidentally, stop roughing it up with a towel! What are you thinking?! Everyone on Long Hair Community dabs their gorgeous hair dry with old, soft T-shirts, and now I finally know what to do my The Cramps tank top that's too obscene to wear out of the house. (I'm not trying to be mean, by the way. I'm just trying to terrify you. It's two totally different things!)

AND you're supposed to use a boar-bristle brush. I'm too lazy and this post is too long already for me to look up if that means the bristles are extracted from ACTUAL BOARS. WHATEVER. Maybe some PETA henchman will do my research for me in the comments section for me if I'm lucky. Boar-bristle brushes can be expensive -- the ultimate example being the stylists' universal favorite, any style seen sold here by Mason-Pearson, but there are cheaper versions at beauty supply stores. The most expensive stylists I've ever been to rave about these boar bristle brushes by Denman, which are totally affordable indeed.

7. Wide-Toothed Comb
When you're out of the shower, comb out wet hair and tangles with a wide-toothed comb. Please tell me you own one already. I linked to the Sephora comb if not; it's good, but they are all good. And that's it. You're not allowed to blow-dry your hair EVER AGAIN! Or flat iron it, or curl it! Seriously! If you're serious about growing your hair long like a fanatic, at least. That's the biggest lesson you'll learn from reading the Long Hair Community message boards -- posting about crimping your hair in one of those forums would be like waltzing drunk into an A.A. meeting. No one would be feeling you. So if you're seriously trying to grow your hair long, curb your hair tool enthusiasm at least a little bit and, again, patience is key.

Good luck! Leave any hair growth tips, stories and experiences of your own in the comments section -- we can start our own little Lemondrop community, har har!

Cat Marnell was a magazine beauty editor before she was a blogger. She HATES the words "tresses", "locks," and "mane" because no sane person uses them in conversational speech, which is why you had to read "hair" over and over again throughout this post. Check out her other awesome "Secrets of an Ex-Beauty Editor" posts here.

Comment section of the original post

Monday 20 September
By KMBuckeye

I totally agree with the Biotin! I started using it in January due to medication I was on that was making my hair thin. It has come back stronger, and healthier. I take 5,000 micrograms a day, which equates to 5 milligrams. There's no known side effects either.

Tuesday 21 September
By sibiryachka

LHC is already buzzing about this article! ; ) I've been called much, much worse than "vaguely creepy" before, so no offense taken...

Tuesday 21 September
By missjessiecakes

I am a member over there. Thank you for noticing us. However, there are a few inaccuracies in your article. Plenty of people there use sulphates and cones. There are also many who do heat style. Yes you have to considerably cut it down but we have many members that also color treat and flat iron.
Biotin has been reported to cause some acne problems in some. Not everyone uses a BBB for some its a no go especially a lot of curly members.
Also make sure your wide tooth comb is seamless! Bodyshop has a nice wood one :D Anyways happy growing.

Tuesday 21 September
By LHC Member

We're glad you like our advice! :)

Tuesday 21 September
By LHC member

Your article is inaccurate and or lacking in information in a number of places; I agree with missjessiecakes. Seems like you've spent all in all 5 seconds on the boards and made-up your mind to misrepresent an entire community.

Tuesday 21 September
By AnotherLHCer

Vaguely creepy? I think of LHC more as a supportive place to get hair care tips, but okay. Perhaps creepy is in the eye of the beholder.

First off, Spin Pins rock and I couldn't have gotten my hair as long as I did without a satin pillow case. Everything else you posted is a fail for my hair/skin type, with the exception of the wide toothed comb..

I MUST detangle both before and after wetting my hair, or the darn stuff snarls forever and that is the end of it. I am very careful when it is wet, however. I still use a towel. BBB's are not nearly as useful as my Tangle Teezer. Biotin made my skin break out. Anything with protein in it turns my hair into dry, crispy velcro, despite it being color treated. I don't use scrunchies. They would slide right off the end of a braid in the night, and a bun on top of my head pulls because my hair is so darned heavy!

While I don't use a blow dryer often, I do occasionally. I think the trick when blow drying is don't use high heat and don't leave it in one spot so long you crisp your hair.

I hit tailbone thanks to LHC and I am considering creeping closer to classic.

Tuesday 21 September
By LHC member

Well, I had to come read what all the buzz is about on the LHC! Part of the reason you're seeing disagreements with some of our members even is this - we have people who wish to grow their hair only to their bra strap or to their waist.. These are the ones who will be still flat ironing, etc. usually. It's only when you want to get to super long lengths that it becomes so very important (and even then, I know of at least a couple people on LHC past classic length who dye their hair!)

Oh, and BBB are the actual hairs off of a boar, yes. :)

Tuesday 21 September
By Melanie

A couple of issues... not everyone needs to use sulfate-free shampoos. Many people start having scalp issues when sulfates are taken out of the equation.

Similarly, not everyone likes using conditioners with silicones. They work for some people but are a nightmare for others. Also, if you pair sulfate-free shampoos with heavy, silicone-based conditioners, you may find yourself experiencing some buildup, which can make perfectly healthy hair go limp and lank.

Finally, there is no reason why hair needs to be trimmed regularly. Hairstlyists tell you this so you and your money come back frequently. Plenty of people can go for months or even years without getting trims. Just gotta trim off split ends, because they can travel up the hair shaft.

So really, there are no rules for having long hair. Just treat is gently and don't cut off more than you grow, and sooner or later you will have long, healthy hair.

Tuesday 21 September
By Khiwanean

Another LHCer here. Some of the things you've mentioned are spot on. Other things... not so much.

No LHCer would take pictures sitting on their hair. That would be inviting mechanical damage. It also makes LHC sound like a fetish site, when the moderators take great pains to keep the fetishists out. We do take progress photos. But that's no different than some diet or exercise sites.

Of course you would be told by so many hair experts and stylists that hair needs to be cut to grow. They make money off of hair cuts or learn from people who do. It does need to be trimmed sometimes for split ends, but not everyone gets those and it should be less than approximately 1/2 inch per month or you will lose length.

A lot of us use cheap products or things found in the kitchen on our hair. Using expensive products on really long hair would be like stuffing shredded fifty dollar bills down the drain while cackling madly. Coconut oil works wonders for me and is not extremely expensive. One of the products you mentioned has isopropyl alcohol as one of the top five ingredients. That will dry your hair out.

You never mentioned Ficcares, Flexi-8s, forks or hair sticks as instruments for pulling hair back. I think more people on LHC use any one of those than scrunchies.

Sulphates do work for some people. Alternative washing methods are also something more people should explore.

Make sure any comb you get in seamless. Otherwise the seams will rough up your hair.

You don't seem to have learned much from your time at LHC. Us "vaguely creepy" people are here to teach and learn the truth about hair care - not what the industry wants us to believe.

Tuesday 21 September
By Yet another LHCer

While I'm glad that you gave us a shout out (hopefully we got some new members), I have to agree with the other LHC members who have commented. You do us serious injustice with your article. You make us sound like a fetish site filled with obsessive "weirdos", which is very unfair.
Also some of your advice isn't quite right. Khiwanean is spot-on.

Tuesday 21 September
By Yet Another Misrepresented LHCer

Are you being paid commission to hawk these ridiculously expensive products? If you spent much time around the LHC you'd realise hair care doesn't have to be pricey to work well, and the combination of products is different for every person. Curlies end up with a tangled disaster from brushes, silicone-heavy conditioners with sulphate-free shampoos is a recipe for build-up and the lank, lifeless hair that goes with it, and Biotin often causes acne - particularly cystic acne - even in those who are several decades past their teens.

There is no miracle product; it's 21st century snake oil. If you want to grow your hair to longer lengths, it's about understanding your hair type and working with it, not throwing money at it.

Tuesday 21 September
By An.Endearing.Weirdo

"I've been obsessed with Long Hair Community -- the vaguely creepy site for people who like to take photos of themselves sitting on their long, long hair, then post them on the Internet to brag about it -- for years."

Hmm, I have yet to find a thread or a photo with people sitting on their hair and bragging about it.

Are we "creepy" because we have long hair, care for it, and enjoy it no matter what the cosmetic/beauty industry says we should do or buy to make ourselves "beautiful" and "happy"? (That is until they tell us that is wrong, too and we need to spend more money to fix it.)

Or are you creepy for lurking on the site for so many years like a voyeur then misusing information, misrepresenting a lot of the members, and twisting the information so that you make your poor readers want to run out and waste money on products and salon visits they really don't need?

As for: "And then there's that stupid rule that you have to keep cutting it to keep it healthy while you grow it! I hate that rule, but I've interviewed 40 million (not an exaggeration, practically) hair experts and stylists over the years and they've all said it's true."

Funny how you didn't take time to mentioning the process of S&D;, being able to trim your hair yourself, or how the average hair growth rate is only 1/2 an inch a month; therefore cutting an inch every 6-8 weeks in a typical salon will negate any growth you are attempting to get. That, and hair grows from the root, not the tips. If your hair is healthy and nearly damage free, you don't have to trim as often as the general population that gushes over their fried hair and cadaver extensions. Some don't need to trim at all and rely just on S&D.;

Growing your hair long will not be the same journey for everyone. People on the LHC know that and understand that and are willing to help people with different hair types find what works for them. The beauty world wants to cookie-cutter everyone and blogs like this don't help everyone as much as you think they might.

Tuesday 21 September
By LHCer :)

Another one here! It's a little silly how you have such a negative outlook on us, but I'm used to that. Everything meaningful has already been said- we're not that weird, it's not a fetish site (which you make it sound like), the products mentioned are more expensive than what we'd use, you forgot some things, etc. - but thank you for the shout-out! :) If nothing else, it gives (some of) us a little thrill to be noticed by the less-'creepy' mainstream blogs. ;)

[End of comment section]

Igor says
I thought the article was really dumb then, and my thoughts are no different now, over ten years later.

This Cat Marnell basically rips off your standard “How to grow healthy hair 101” article, while simultaneously acting smug and superior. She is definitely too cool for that forum! Way above them, really! Look at them and laugh! Like, ironically, totally, like she does!

Also, I can't help but read this in a stereotypical valley-girl tone. It doesn't help make her article funnier or sound smarter.

She definitely knew what she was doing, mocking the forum while stealing the classic advice of her own, and expected drama to come for her that she could profit off. You can almost feel the Trolololol-face behind this, and it makes the article feel even more dated. If it hadn't been for the aspect that she was so obviously seeking attention from the forum, this whole article would have felt even more Web 1.0-esque than it does.

I actually had to go back and check just to see if the person bringing this article up on LHC could have been this articles "author", but since she joined two years before bringing it up, I guess not. I would not have been surprised if that had been the case, especially when she decided to call it "[Epic thread]" in the title. That would have tied very well into the article "authors" Trolololol-personality.

The article has So. Many. Affiliate. Links. The vast majority of them are products that were never popular on any hair forum due to price or lack of effect (I have removed them in the text version) You have to give classic era LHC credit for never hyping products that wasn't worth the money, but the "author" totally missed that important point.

The way she writes really haven’t aged well. Everything about this feels so "last generation internet". Re-reading it today, I can’t help but repeatedly think “Yep, this is why no one likes or trusts “journalists” anymore. You people brought it on yourself”.

Anyways. Basically, there is nothing new or even particularly interesting about her “advice”. Her superior better-then-them attitude and misrepresenting the forum and a lot of the advice is though.

The whole thing was generally just dumb, but the “Vaguely creepy endearing weirdos” stuck around as a bit of a meme.

For archival purposes, I have screenshotted (Screen hot?) the whole thing off the Wayback Machine so it doesn’t slip off the internet again.

Blogging from A to Z challenge: U is for Updos

U is for updos. The very reason I grew my hair long to begin with. 

I never understood the reason anyone would grow their hair long and then either just leave it down all the time, or always wear the same thing. Long hair is the material for cool, fun and creative updos in my book, not something that should be long for the sake of length. 

When I first started growing my hair out, I just wanted to be able to make a simple ponytail. Then I reached flip/shoulder length and could do that, and I wanted more length to do a braid. Then I reached below shoulder length and could do that, and I wanted more length to do a cinnamon bun. Then I reached bra strap length and could do that, and I wanted more length to do a Chinese bun. Then I reached waist length and could do that, and I wanted more length to do a knotty bun. And etc, etc...

Wanting to do cool updos have been my drive for growing my hair long.

October last year I did a video series about updo (methods) for very long hair:

I also did the 29 hairdos in February challenge last year and this is what I did back then:
Braided Chinese bun
Braided Chinese bun/infinity variation
Braided cinnamon bun
Braided headband and Chinese bun combo
Braided Nautilus bun
Chinese bun
Cinnaknot bun
Crown wrap
Double braided buns
Double braided Chinese buns
Double braided Nautilus buns
Double figure 8 buns
Double Nautilus bun
Ellingwoman/Nautilus hybrid
Figure 8 bun
Four small braided cinnamon buns
Igor's mess
Infinity bun
Mega royal bun
Mickey mouse ears
Nautilus bun
Overhand knot bun
Rope bun

Royal bun
Sock bun
Simplified Elling woman bun
Triple braided buns
Triple braided buns, stacked
Wrapunder bun

And that is just covering the bunned updos, mostly excluding the variants. I'm also usually excluding things I've done for fun but don't find particularly wearable for one reason or another like the updo of my twin Caroline von Holnstein that I messed around with a lot. A lot. Like, really. A lot. A real lot. A lot. Well, you get the point.

As for braids, also excluding details and variants: 
Double Dutch three stranded braids split vertically
Double three stranded braids split horizontally
Double three stranded French braids horizontally
Eight three stranded braids
Four three stranded braids
Single five stranded English braid
Single seven stranded Dutch braid with a five strand base
Single three stranded French braid
Single three stranded Dutch braid
Single three stranded English braid
Three three stranded braids split horizontally

Blogging from A to Z challenge: T is for Terminal length

 

There are four ways to guestimate your terminal length:

By looking at the hemline

By using a picture and paint

By graph

By calculating

Disclaimer: All of these methods are absolute guestimates. 

There are many issues with each methods, such as layers interfering, that a lot of hairs have a shorter terminal length than others, and the fact that you can't know any of these numbers with 100% accuracy. 

By looking at the hemline

True terminal length means that your hair simply can't grow any longer. Here, everyone should say "Well, duh, Igor". 

But looking into what that means physically, it means that the hair is at the resting phase right before the hair sheds. This also means that the hair is only at this phase for a matter of weeks. Knowing this, we also know that this means that true terminal will have extreme taper, because so few hairs are at this stage. In fact, some of the people who have reached true, actual terminal on the hair forums have often described their ends as "just a few, trailing hairs" or something similar. 

Therefore, if you can maintain anything that even vaguely resemble a hemline of a desired shape, you are not at terminal length.

By using a picture and paint

This method is pretty simple: You make a plain English braid and take a picture of it. Then put it through any program where you can paint on it. 

You follow the taper of the braid and put in two straight lines following the outline of the braid. At one point the lines will intersect and that is the picture and paint-based guestimate for where your braid will end at your terminal length.

By graph

You will probably need help for this method.

Put your hair in a ponytail and compress it pretty well. Keep putting more elastics in along the length, like making the bubble ponytail, except without making volume. 

Measure the distance between each elastic and put those entries in on the X-axis of a graph.

Measure the circumference of your hair at each elastic and put those entries in on the Y-axis of a graph.

The data should give you something that looks like a sloping curve, that you can try to draw up looking a little straighter between data points. Where the curve hits the X-axis for Y=0, should be the terminal length and X will tell you how long that is guesstimated to.

By calculating

If you know a few things about your hair and hair growth, you can calculate your guesstimated terminal length.

The numbers you need to know are:

1. How fast your hair grows
2. How much you shed
3. How many hairs you have on your head 

Notes:

1. How fast your hair grows is fairly easy to measure, and most people interested in growing their hair longer will know this. This has a fairly high accuracy.
2. How much you shed can be counted by picking up your shed hairs and counting them. Of course the chance of getting your hands on all of them are low, but you can get a guestimate if you have some patience (Or are bored) This has a medium accuracy.
3. How many hairs you have on your head is just impossible to know, unless you are the most patient person on the planet. The numbers that gets repeated seems to be the same no matter the source though. Blonde hair has 150,000 hairs on the scalp, brown hair has 110,000,  black haired people come in at 100,000 and finally those with red hair only 90,000. For those inbetween-colours like mine, I guess you just have to guestimate. This has a low accuracy, especially if you start playing around with the difference just a few thousand hairs make.

First number you need to have, is how long it takes your scalp to replace all actively growing hairs.

So you take your guestimated number of hairs on your scalp and divide it by your shedding rate. If you have counted your shed hairs on a daily basis, go x 365, if you have any other counts, use that.

Like this: 

(Guestimated number of hairs on your scalp) / (Daily shedding rate x 365) = The number of years it will take your scalp to replace all actively growing hairs

Second number you need to know is how fast your hair grows in a year.

You either take your annual, or the monthly x 12. Depends on which number is trim free, because of course you need to know this without trims.

Like this:

((Monthly growth rate) x 12) + any seasonal variation if you have that = The annual total hair growth

Now take these two numbers and multiply them. 

Like this:

(The number of years it will take your scalp to replace all actively growing hairs) x (The annual total hair growth) = Your guestimated terminal length

This might be confusing to some, so here are my own numbers if it makes it easier to follow

(Guestimated number of hairs on my scalp) / (Daily shedding rate x 365) = The number of years it will take my scalp to replace all actively growing hairs

I'm going to go with the blonde number for this, so 150,000.
Years ago I actually tried picking up and counting my shed hairs for a full week (Yes, it was exactly as boring as it sounds. 2/10, would not recommend) and I think I landed at 60-something hairs per day. It's many years ago, so my memory at the numbers might fail me. Let's put it as an even 70 just to compensate for the hairs I didn't find.

150,000 / (70 x 365) = 150,000 / 25,550 = 5,8 years for my scalp to replace all actively growing hairs

((Monthly growth rate) x 12) + any seasonal variation = The annual total hair growth

I get a monthly 1,5 cm, plus 2-3 months during the summer where I get 2,0 cm. 

(1,5 x 12) + (2 x 0,5) = 18 + 1 = 19 cm of annual hair growth

(The number of years it will take your scalp to replace all actively growing hairs) x (The annual total hair growth) = Your guestimated terminal length

Now I multiply those numbers 

(The number of years it will take my scalp to replace all actively growing hairs) x (My annual total hair growth) = My guestimated terminal length

5,8 x 19 = 110, 2 cm

Even if we say that this is the maximum length for each individual hair, this is obviously not accurate to reality. If you play around with these numbers, you can see how huge a difference it makes to increase growth rate, reduce shedding rate or use a "between" count for the hair colours.

But hey, all these methods are guestimates :)

Blogging from A to Z challenge: S is for search and destroy

Back on the 5th I talked about dusting, and I thought it would be a good idea to compare the two methods. Both have their strengths and both have their weaknesses.

Where you trim without really looking for dusting, search and destroy is the opposite. You look for damaged areas, isolate the damaged hair strands and then cut the damaged area away a little bit up where the hair looks healthy and undamaged. How high up you should cut is a matter of opinion, but you should definitely take a few extra millimeter to make sure you have removed all the damage. 

Dusting

Good: You cut off all ends to keep them fresh and healthy, and you remove damaged areas before they really develop

Bad: You also cut length off healthy ends

Search and destroy

Good: You only remove damaged ends and don't cut off length off healthy ends

Bad: You can't always spot all damage and you don't remove damaged ends in the making

So which method is best?

Honestly I use both methods depending on what I feel like.

But as a general recommendation, I would say using S&D for the top to mid length is a good idea and using dusting for the mid length to ends is good. Once hair reaches a certain age, it's almost guaranteed to be damaged and a good dusting can help it look and feel a lot better.

Another recommendation is to keep your scissor near your computer, because the monitor has a good contrast for spotting damage against. 

 

Blogging from A to Z challenge: R is for Ron Quattro

Ron Quattro is my favorite hair tool maker!

I highly recommend them to anyone.

They are so simple, so elegant and so strong. No pointless decorations that can get stuck in your hair or damage it, just smooth and lightweight "workhorse" tools. I was hooked the first time I tried them, and my collection has only grown since.

I was genuinely upset when one of my Quattro forks was confiscated in Tenerife and started ordering new ones the second I sat on the place.

Blogging from A to Z challenge: Q is for Quaterniums

Quaterniums are pretty much the most confusing ingredients out there when it comes to hair care.

The real name behind them is quaternary ammonium cations, but are for obvious reasons referred to as quaterniums or just quats. The chemical names for quats can be even crazier, for example with quaternium 15, which has the chemical name methenamine 3-chloroallylochloride.

Quaterniums cover a whole group of positively charged molecules, and polyquaterniums are the same, only larger molecules consisting of, well, multiple quaterniums. Just like it says in the name. 

Being positively charged is a good thing for these molecules, because hairs cuticle is mildly negatively charged. Hair becomes more and more negatively charged with damage that ruins the surface of hair, so quaterniums will be attracted to these areas just like regular magnets sticking together. With the magnetic effect, the molecules can form an effective film around the surface of hair.
(I honestly didn’t understand a whole lot of the more technical and chemical explanations, but I think this is good enough for most people, at least it is for me)
Quaterniums don’t react to anything other than really strong bases, which will destroy them.

Quaterniums have properties that makes them antistatic, which means they are also used in fabric softeners. This was patented back in 1984.

This also explains the videos where people run dryer sheets through their hair and then film their amazed reactions. It's not some amazing new hack, it's just a matter of two products using some of the same ingredients to perform their functions.

Of course the potential negative in the quaterniums is right there in the explanation of how they work: They can cause build up in your hair because they bind strongly to the hair strand.

Depending on the type of quaternium, they can have lots of different functions and abilities, such as being an emulsifier for silicones, being anti-static, protecting your hair from loss of colour, smoothing damage or adding shine.

Polyquaterniums generally have good safety ratings and functions as film formers and anti-statics.  

So far, so good.

Now for the confusing part.

Each number following the word quaternium, is a different molecule and often completely different in size, structure, magnetic "pull", function and origin. 

The number following “quaternium” or “polyquaternium” is not based on the molecule, but on the order of which it was registered to The International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (Yes, that's a thing). And The International Nomenclature for Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) has over 40 different molecules listed under just the polyquaternium name.
Therefore, the higher the number, the newer the quaternium.
It would be a lot easier if the name were tied to something about the molecules, so you could have a broad rule of thumb such as “Low number better” or something. But nope.

Maybe, just maybe, and this is written with all the caution I can: The higher numbers are newer, and are probably more water soluble, since there seems to be a growing awareness of ingredients and their effect on hair. A lot of people worry about water-soluble-ability and build up in their hair products, and it would make sense that the creation and registration of newer quaterniums have a focus on that. But I might also overestimate consumer demand and understanding. After all, people still buy "natural" and "hair friendly" products.

To further the confusion, there are quaterniums that doesn’t have quaternium in the name. Such as stearalkonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, cetrimonium bromide, behentrimonium methosulfate behentrimonium chloride and cetrimonium chloride.

And just to make things even more confusing, there seems to be a Venn diagram of silicones and quaterniums. PEG-8 Distearmonium Chloride PG-Dimethicone, quaternium 86, quaternium-80, silicone Quaternium-1 and silicone Quaternium-2 Panthenol Succinate are all both silicones and quaterniums. For some, you can figure it out from the name. From others, not so much. 

A silicone and quaternium with PEG or PPG in the name is so water soluble that it can be washed out with conditioner only washing or water only washing.

The following list was something I started on, but then sorta-kinda gave up on on making comprehensive. For starters, I couldn't find out for sure if all quaternium numbers are still in use, so that just added to the confusion.

On to the quaternium list...

PEG-8 Distearmonium Chloride PG-Dimethicone is both a silicone and a quaternium.

Polyquaternium- 4 is a film former with a glossy finish. Good for providing hold, even in humidity. Potential for build up is in the higher end. Good safety rating.

Polyquaternium-7 is an anti-static with a glossy finish and is good for providing hold. Moderate build up potential.

 
Polyquaternium-10 is also known as Quaternium-19. It can be listed on ingredient lists as plant cellulose, since it was derived from it. Smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. Lower build up potential.

Polyquaternium-10 can be listed on ingredient lists as plant cellulose, since it was derived from it. Smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. Moderate build up potential.

Polyquaternium-24 increases the stability of oil in watery solutions. Smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Good safety rating.

 
Polyquaternium-28 is made from PVP and methacrylamidopropyl trimethylammonium chloride. Smoothing film former. Moderate build up potential. Good safety rating.

Polyquaternium-32 is a good anti-static. Provides good hold. This quaternium has some restrictions for concentrations, since it’s classified as expected to be toxic and suspected to be an environmental toxin. Moderate build up potential.

Polyquaternium-37 is often found in products for fine and thin hair because it helps “plump” hair up and increase volume. Good anti-static and provides good hold.

Polyquaternium-44 is an anti-static with a glossy finish and is good for providing hold. Lower build-Up potential.

Polyquaternium-47 is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Moderate build up potential. Good safety rating.

Polyquaternium-55 is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. Moderate build up potential.

Polyquaternium-57 is made from castor oil. Smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. Good safety rating.

Polyquatermium-59 has UV absorbing properties, so this is a sun protecting ingredient. Moderate build-up potential, but in this one, particular ingredients case, this is absolutely something you want it to do so it doesn’t sweat off in the sun!

Polyquaternium-69 is an anti-static with a glossy finish and is good for providing hold. Lower build-up potential. Good safety rating

Polyquaternium-87 is a film former with a glossy finish. Good for providing hold, even in humidity. Lower build-up potential.

Quaternium-14 is an antimicrobial, which means it inhibits or kills bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa. It is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Middle safety rating.

Quaternium-15 inhibits or kills yeast, molds and bacteria. Smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. This quaternium releases formaldehyde, so it has a bad safety rating and is well known for causing allergic reactions.

Quaternium-20 can be listed on ingredient lists as plant cellulose, since it was derived from it. Smoothing film former that adds shine, with anti-static properties and light hold. Lower build up potential.

Quaternium-22 is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. Middle safety rating.

Quaternium-23 is also known as polyquaternium-11. It can be listed on ingredient lists as plant cellulose, since it was derived from it. Used to keep products from separating. Smoothing film former with anti-static properties and light hold. Moderate build up potential.

Quaternium-26 is derived from mink oil. It is an anti-static with a glossy finish and is good for providing hold. Middle safety rating.

Quaternium-31 is also known as Dicetyldimonium chloride. It is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Used to keep products from separating.

Quaternium-33 is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Middle safety rating.

Quaternium-41 is also known as Polyquaternium-7. It is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Used to keep products from separating and help products foam. Good safety rating.

Quaternium-77 is a smoothing film former with anti-static properties. Middle safety rating.

Quaternium-80 is one of the quaterniums from the silicone/quaternium Venn diagram. Low build up potential.

Quaternium 86 is both a silicone and a quaternium.

Silicone Quaternium-1 is both a silicone and a quaternium.

Silicone Quaternium-2 Panthenol Succinate is both a silicone and a quaternium.

Blogging from A to Z challenge: P is for Protein

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist.

I tried to cover the importance of protein a while back. Here. 

I only looked into this because I worry about my upcoming surgery.

In eukaryotes, there are only 21 proteinogenic amino acids, the 20 of the standard genetic code, plus selenocysteine. 

Humans can synthesize 12 of these from each other or from other molecules of intermediary metabolism. 

The other nine must be consumed (usually as their protein derivatives), and so they are called essential amino acids. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. 

Three are BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine

• 

  L-Alanine
  (Ala / A)
   
• 

  L-Arginine
  (Arg / R)
   
• 

  L-Asparagine
  (Asn / N)
   
• 

  L-Aspartic acid
  (Asp / D)
   
• 

  L-Cysteine
  (Cys / C)
   
• 

  L-Glutamic acid
  (Glu / E)
   
• 

  L-Glutamine
  (Gln / Q)
   
• 

  Glycine
  (Gly / G)
   
• 

  L-Histidine
  (His / H)
   
• 

  L-Isoleucine
  (Ile / I)
   
• 

  L-Leucine
  (Leu / L)
   
• 

  L-Lysine
  (Lys / K)
   
• 

  L-Methionine
  (Met / M)
   
• 

  L-Phenylalanine
  (Phe / F)
   
• 

  L-Proline
  (Pro / P)
   
• 

  L-Serine
  (Ser / S)
   
• 

  L-Threonine
  (Thr / T)
   
• 

  L-Tryptophan
  (Trp / W)
   
• 

  L-Tyrosine
  (Tyr / Y)
   
• 

  L-Valine
  (Val / V)

IUPAC/IUBMB now also recommends standard abbreviations for the following two amino acids:

• 

  L-Selenocysteine
  (Sec / U)
   
• 

  L-Pyrrolysine
  (Pyl / O)

Essential	Conditionally essential[3][4]	Non-essential
Histidine (H)	Arginine (R)	Alanine (A)
Isoleucine (I)	Cysteine (C)	Aspartic acid (D)
Leucine (L)	Glutamine (Q)	Asparagine (N)
Lysine (K)	Glycine (G)	Glutamic acid (E)
Methionine (M)	Proline (P)	Serine (S)
Phenylalanine (F)	Tyrosine (Y)	Selenocysteine (U)
Threonine (T)		Pyrrolysine* (O)
Tryptophan (W)
Valine (V)

Amino acids in hair
The most abundant amino acids are: Cysteine, cystine, serine, glutamic acid, glycine, threonine, arginine, valine, leucine and isoleucine. Alpha keratin, fibrous and with a low sulphur content, is the protein we find in the greatest quantity in hair. It has a molecular weight of around 45,000 and is insoluble in water.
Some 18 amino acids can be found in the hair, such as proline, threonine, leucine and arginine. Keratin is particularly rich in cysteine (a type of sulfurated amino acid), which forms disulfide bonds between molecules, adding rigidity and resistance to the entire structure.

The 18 found in human hair are alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, prolyne, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine. In the list of the18 amino acids, are all 9 essential amino acids as well. 

1. Alanine is found in the highest concentrations in gelatin products, seaweed products, egg, turkey and beef.
2. Arginine is found in the highest concentrations in more obscure food sources, but some of the higher concentrations are found in crab, shrimp, lobster and spinach.
3. Aspartic acid is found in nectarines, peaches, cherries, plums, apricots, strawberries, lime and grapefruit.
4. Cysteine is found in the highest concentrations in egg white, beef, pork, milk and halibut. The amino acid cysteine forms the disulfide bonds between the other molecules and adds rigid strength to the hair structure. The rigid strength to hair is something that seems to be underrated a lot, but it is what gives hair the ability to snap and break instead of being pulled until the structural integrity is ruined.
5. Glutamic acid is found in the highest concentrations in soy protein products, defatted sunflower seed and peanut flour, egg white and parmesan.
6. Glycine is found in gelatin products, pork skin, pork products in general, chicken breast, and lamb.
7. Histidine is an essential amino acid. It's found in the highest concentrations in more obscure food sources, but some of the higher concentrations are found in parmesan, deer, defatted sunflower seed and peanut flour and pork
8. Isoleucine is an essential amino acid. Isoleucine is found in egg white, seaweeds, turkey, chicken and lamb.
9. Leucine is an essential amino acid. It's found in egg white, soy protein products, seaweed, chicken and tuna.
10. Lysine is an essential amino acid. Lysine is found in chicken, pudding, honey, canned pears, margarine and corn starch.
11. Methionine is an essential amino acid. It's found in egg white, halibut, chicken, tuna and turkey.
12. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid. Phenylalanine is found in pollock, grouper, tilapia, duck, chicken, turkey and shrimp.
13. Prolyne is found in gelatin products, beef products, cream cheese, cottage cheese, savoy cabbage, cheddar and Colby cheese.
14. Serine is found in egg white, soy protein products, seaweed, turkey, cottage cheese and cream cheese.
15. Threonine is an essential amino acid. Threonine is found in watercress, seaweed, turkey and in fish like tilapia, tuna, pike and cod.
16. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. It's found in seaweed, spinach, egg white, crab, shrimp and halibut.
17. Tyrosine is found in seaweed, soy protein products, egg white, cottage cheese, salmon and turkey. The amino acid tyrosine is also part of the complicated process of hair producing melanin. There are two types: Pheomelanin, present in light hair and eumelanin, which is present in dark hair.
18. Valine is an essential amino acid. Valine is found in egg white, seaweed, watercress, seaweed, turkey, tuna and cod.

I always consider the protein to calorie ratio, so to speak how many calories a gram of protein will "cost" me. 1 gram of protein is 4 calories of energy to the body. But how many extra calories gets "carried" with the protein content?

As a rule of thumb, a 1:10 ratio is really good, and not so easy to obtain. 

Just for fun, here is chapter 7 of Danberu nan kiro moteru? which is the only chapter of the manga where they talk about nutrition. 

I like the manga and the anime, so I figured it would be some nice entertainment to break the text up a bit with. So I'd like to use this to make a point....

 

In the anime, Akemi Soryuin has an average metabolic rate of 1366 calories burned per day. Otherwise her measurements are the same.

Hibiki Sakura's lunch here is obviously played for laughs, so I'm not going to analyze it.

Akemi Soryuin has an average metabolic rate of 1366 calories burned per day. Her lunch comes to 378 calories total, so this lunch is 27% of her daily calorie requirement.

Lets calculate her protein intake for this meal...

• Brown rice. 269 calories. Cooked, long-grained brown rice comes to around 110 calories per 100 gram, so 244 gram of rice. That's around 6,3 gram of protein. The protein to calorie rate is around 42:1. 
• Boiled broccoli. 15 calories. Broccoli is around 35 calories per 100 gram, so that is around 45 gram. 1,2 gram of protein and a protein to calories ratio of 12,5:1. Not bad!
• Salted bitter melon. 9 calories. I'm not entirely sure what kind of melon this is, but a guestimate after looking around for a bit, would put this down as 50 grams of whatever kind of melon this is. Turns out there are a few different bitter melons out there. Half a gram of protein, and a ratio of 18:1. 
• Pan-fried egg whites. 40 calories. The egg whites we have (Comes in a bottle instead of the individual packs, which is so much easier to work with) are 47 calories and 9,7 gram of protein per 100 gram/ml. So this is 85 ml of egg whites and 8,2 grams of protein. The ratio is 4,8:1, which is really good. Also consider the fact that egg whites are really high as a source for the amino acids on almost all amino acids. 
• Steamed chicken breast. 45 calories. I assume this is without skin or anything, so around 110 calories per 100 gram and a 40 gram portion. With 23 gram of proteins per 100 grams, this is 9,2 grams of protein. The ratio is 4,7:1, which exactly beats out the egg whites for best ratio.

This 378 calories bento lands at 25,4 grams of protein. The ratio is 14,8:1, which is pretty good actually.

I would have gotten rid of the rice entirely, since it comes to 71% of the total calories. 

But maybe that's just me who doesn't really care for rice, bread, potatoes and pasta in general (Strangely, that's mr Igor's favorites. He could seriously eat pita bread with butter all day every day. Gag.) And the steamed chicken breast sounds like it would taste like cardboard and sadness. 

If Akemi Soryuin's breakfast and dinner is around the same amount of calories as her lunch, there is not much "space" left for the two snacks she mentions. Especially not with the mentioned mackerel. 

I would have liked a little focus on the protein here, but it seems like the know what they're talking about just from running the numbers earlier!