My gift to myself

After trying in various ways to motivate and reward myself for going to the gym, I have come to the conclusion that I simply don’t like going.

Hmm.

Part of the issue is that amount of transportation it requires. Not very motivating when I spend almost as much time on getting there than on a lifting-session.

Then I tried running again, thinking it would work when I just have to change clothes and shoes and get out the door. Also didn’t work: My ankle is still pretty shot.

I would really like to exercise, but I need to find something I enjoy and don’t get irritated with.

(Funnily I find it a lot better as motivation to know that “It’s good for your hair and skin!!” than “It will lover your blood pressure and boost your immune system and statistically it will lover your risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, cancer, apoplexy…”)

So, now I’m trying with this thing:

I haven’t even owned a bike for a couple of years, but I used to love mountain biking. 

Scarf style attempt

I tried copying the first style here, only with the intention of wrapping the scarf around my bun a couple of times:

It worked sort of okay, except that it would have looked a lot better if I had more scarf around the bun.

The purple scarf is 190 cm long, so holy crap, how long a scarf would I really need to get a good amount around the bun? 

Conditioner only wash

When I first started getting serious about my hairs health, I tried the CO wash method. Transitioning from 3 shampoos per week to 2 CO washes a week took me around a year. My patience was so worth it!

My scalp is happier, my hair feels wonderful and the winter static electricity issues have decreased a lot.

Why shampoo sucks

Shampoo strips the oils out of hair and then conditioner replaces them. No matter what clever and flashy commercials tell you, shampoo is damaging to hair.

The harsh surfactacts present in shampoo like sodium lauryl sulfate/sodium laureth sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate tend to overcleanse the scalp. These detergents also dry out the hair.

To compensate for the drying out, the scalp produces more sebum to protect itself and restore the natural state. Skin and scalp needs both a certain pH and natural oils to stay healthy.

This tends to put you in a cycle where you overcleanse to get rid of the greasy hair and your scalp produces more grease to compensate. Some link the overcleansing to dandruff and scalp issues.

For those who are familiar with the oil cleansing method for skin, using CO washing is a lot like that: Instead of using harsh products for cleansing and the putting the back moisture on, you can clean with a product that adds moisture.

Going conditioner only

If you are interested in going conditioner only, you should know it isn’t suitable if you use styling products (Not counting leave in conditioner or natural products like aloe vera and oils)

Of course you can always use the CO method as a supplement to shampoo or other cleansing methods. If you can substitute one shampoo for one CO wash a week, you are still doing something good for your hair and scalp.

Conditioners contain cleansing agents, surfactants and ingredients such as glycerin or glycerol, which are able to dissolve sebum, grease and dirt on your scalp. Cetyl and cetearyl alcohol are thickening and emulsifying agents are used to make a conditioner rich and creamy. Because they’re oil soluble help lift some of the sebum of your hair and scalp.
Conditioner will admittedly take longer to cleanse the scalp than shampoo does, so you need leave it on your scalp for a while before rinsing it off. Of course if you follow shampoo with conditioner, this adds up to about the same time spent.

Transition period

If you cut the shampoo out of daily use, initially your hair will feel very oily and dirty. This is because your hair is used to produce an excessive amount of oils as a defense against the daily oil stripping from shampoo. In some time, this balances out and the scalp adjusts to the new regime, resulting in less oil being produced in the first place.

You shouldn’t attempt going conditioner only if you’re not able to accept that you have a transitioning period where your hair won’t look so good!

Disguise greasy hair with a variety of braids, or hide it under a hat or bandana. It could be a good idea to look ahead in your schedule and avoid trying around major events where there will be pictures involved.

Warning

For those who suffer from dandruff, this might not work for you. Since the CO method doesn’t fully have the same cleansing properties as shampoo and dandruff thrives on excess sebum and oil, the method can make you itchy or uncomfortable.

Cool water rinses and ACV may however reduce the itching.

Method

• It may be a good idea to brush or scritch to loosen the sebum a bit first. It makes it easier to dissolve and wash out.
• Rinse your hair thoroughly. You can pre-scrub your scalp gently with your fingertips to dislodge dirt and oil from the scalp.
• Apply a generous amount of conditioner to hair. Take a big handful of conditioner so everything is covered and feels “slimy”. Ignore what the bottle recommends.
• I find the best way is to bend at the waist and let your hair hang down when you apply conditioner so you don’t get conditioner all over your skin. I have sensitive skin and my skin doesn’t appreciate too much contact with conditioner.
• Massage the conditioner into your scalp.
• Comb conditioner through your hair from the root to the tip using a wide-tooth comb.
• Leave the conditioner on your hair for some minutes.
• Rinse your hair thoroughly. Comb while rinsing and use your fingertips to scrub your scalp.
• I find the best way is to bend at the waist and let your hair hang down when you rinse. If you stand up and rinse downwards, the water seems to “bounce off”, where when you bend and rinse up, the water can penetrate the mass of hair better and you can direct and focus the water.
• Make sure all conditioner is rinsed from your scalp and roots.

Tips and tricks

• Some people find using cone free conditioners better than those that contain cones. It doesn’t include me, but now I have passed the advice on.
• Personally I find that conditioners containing protein are good for washing. There might be some scientific reason for this, but I haven’t found one yet.
• Be prepared to stick with this for a long time. Change comes slow and gradually. Try replacing one shampooing per week with one CO wash, and then some months later replace yet another shampooing with CO etc.
• Related to this is of course that you should ease into the CO wash method. You can’t go straight from shampoo to CO washes. Alternating them is a good plan.
• Try finishing with an ACV dip or rinse after CO washing. It normalizes the scalps pH, closes the hair scales and makes your hair feel great.
• Pick the right conditioners for trying: Sauve Naturals, VO5 (Alberto Balsam in Canada), White Rain and Tresemme Naturals are famous for being good for CO washes.

Of course then there are all the hybrid methods like low-poo and baking powder and various herbs for washing, but I will leave it to the reader to look these up if you’re interested.

I’m aware of, but not familiar with these methods. Since CO washing works for me, I haven’t experimented with them. 

Fabulous fruit!

Finding this product delighted me like crazy. Seriously. I was cracking up in the middle of the hair product isle. Unfortunately I wasn’t out with any of my girl friends, but with Hubby. He definitely didn’t get it. Instead he gave me that look where I suspect he is weighing my good sides against the most recent outburst of the crazies.

But seriously. Look at it:

It is so blatantly copying Fructis.

• The name: Fabulous fruit! I mean, not only does it lean against the Fructis name, but I just can’t help but imagining it being said with overly excited jazz-hands: Fabulous! Fruit!!
• The colour: That migraine inducing glow-in-the-dark green.
• The claim: “With fruit extract”. (Which I feel requires an exclamation point and some gesturing as well)
• The scent… Wow, the scent took gave me an honest to goddess flashback to the mid 90s. I remember being off at boarding school and this girl in my class told me her new shampoo smelled delicious and I stuck my nose in it and felt the explosion of sour green apple bubblegum up my sinuses. It was so absolutely over the top. Fructis really toned that scent down since then. Maybe they had too many allergic reactions to the ridiculous over-perfuming on their hands?

The ingredient list is simple:

Aqua. Water. H2O.

Cetyl alcohol. It keep an emulsion from separating into its oil and liquid components, are also used to alter the thickness of liquid products, to increase foaming capacity or to stabilize foams.

Cetrimonium chloride.  Helps to form emulsions by reducing the surface tension of the substances. www.cosmeticsinfo.org says “… safe for use in rinse-off products and were safe for use at concentrations of up to 0.25% in leave-on products.”

Vaccinium myrtillius extract. This is the Latin name for bilberry.

Saccharum officinarum extract. This is the Latin name for sugar cane. Also something found a lot in Fructis products (Never got why it was supposed to be good for hair)

Acer saccharum extract. This is the Latin name for sugar maple. Hah, this could easily have been in a Fructis product too.

Citrus aurantium dulcis fruit extract. This is the Latin name for oranges. Oranges have many uses in cosmetics, but the fruit extract in particular seems to be used for fragrance only.

Citrus medica limonum fruit extract. This is the Latin name for lemons. Lemons have many uses in cosmetics, but the fruit extract in particular seems to be used for fragrance only.

Parfym. Hah, I would have thought this one would be higher up with such a dominating scent!

Phenoxyethanol. Prevents microbial growth and prevents product from spoiling.

DMDM hydantoin. Is a formaldehyde-donor preservative that prevents or retards microbial growth.

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate. Prevents or retards bacterial growth. www.cosmeticsinfo.org says “…safe as a cosmetic ingredient at concentrations less than or equal to 0.1%.”

Except for the Cetrimonium chloride so high up the list, this seems to be a nice product. Of course this leaves me with a dilemma: I really want to try this happily green product but then it wouldn’t sit there on my shelf anymore and make me crack a smile every time I look at it… 

Word of the day

Found here: Link

"Tangled hair, as if matted by elves." 

Origin: 1590s 

As in: Jeez, dude, look at the state of those elflocks — have you not heard of a comb?

Funny how this seems to be related to fairyknots (Those tiny unexplained and severely difficult to untangle knots)

32 tomorrow

I never really understood the big deal about birthdays.

I mean, really, it’s not like I have some condition or sickness that would lover my chances of surviving another year and there are no big sabre tooth tigers lurking around here.

So, really, we’re celebrating that I didn’t step out in front of a big truck for a grand total of 365 days?

Couldn’t people celebrate me when I accomplish something real instead?

I mean, honestly, I spent more energy on paying my bills this month than on turning 32. And I sure felt like I deserved cake and alcohol more after that!

Anyways: I turn 32 tomorrow. Yay! 

Que the poo-jokes

I’m exactly so immature that I find myself snickering at the low-poo and no poo-methods so this one amused me….

How about it? 

Overkill

Hm, really feels like overkill to use a pin to keep up the 20 or so hairs I’m trying to grow out. But if I don’t, they make this irritating curl and flap around all over the place. I need some serious shopping for some smaller pins or tiny claw clips.

Sunscreen for hair

Sunscreen is one of those things where I start to feel stupid. It seems like when I learn one thing, the next thing I learn is that the first thing I learned wasn’t really carved in stone and depends on a whole lot of other things. Meh.

I get confused at all the UV’s: UVA1, UVA2, UVB and UV…C?

Anyways. Sunscreen is good. Even the worst sunscreen is better than no sunscreen.

Sunscreen is also good for hair. The UV rays will break down the structure and strength of your hair, much like it does to old fabrics or paintings.

Covering your hair is a great thing, especially in the summer: It protects hair and scalp from sun and drying out. Not to mention salt or chlorine or whatever you can expose it to.

But sunscreen is a good thing to invest in when it comes to hair.

The active ingredients in sunscreen come in two versions: Physical and chemical. 

Physical sunscreen

Physical ingredients sit on your skin’s surface forming a protective barrier and don’t have the ability to be absorbed into your skin. Physical sunscreens protect your skin from the sun by deflecting or blocking the sun's rays. They start protecting immediately upon application and don’t degrade with exposure to sunlight.

Physical sunscreen ingredients

Zinc oxide (TiO2) protects you from UVB and most of UVA providing more UVA protection than titanium dioxide. Listed at the top of the FDA monograph as effective sun protection and considered the best broad spectrum protection. Zinc oxide is also known for its mild antimicrobial and wound healing properties. Zinc oxide is generally safe. It can be used on delicate skin and is a main ingredient in diaper rash cream.

Titanium dioxide (ZnO) protects you from UVB and short UVA radiation but not long UVA known to cause sun damage and aging in humans. Derived from the highly reflective chalky, white mineral, titanium, it's non-irritating, non-comedogenic, and for cosmetic use micronized by forming many small micro particles allowing your own skin tone to show. Titanium dioxide can be problematic for some people. (If you break out from mineral make up and physical sunscreen, titanium dioxide could be the culprit.)

Chemical sunscreen

Chemical ingredients work by absorbing the sun's rays. Some chemical filters can scatter sun rays, but still mostly just absorb them. Chemical filters tend to be more irritating to skin. If it gets in your eyes, it can make your eyes sting and water. Some can also cause allergic reactions. Chemical filters offer more coverage against UVA and UVB rays than physical sunscreens, but the range of protection will depend on the particular active and its stability. You must wait 20 minutes after application for effective sun protection.

Chemical sunscreen ingredients

Aminobenzoic Acid (PABA) PABA protects against UVB but not UVA. It was discovered to have harmful health effects and so its use is highly discouraged.

Avobenzone, Extensive UVA and limited UVB

Cinnamates (octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), UVB

Cinoxate, Extensive UVB and limited UVA.

Dioxybenzone (UVB, UVAII), Extensive UVB and considerable UVA.

Ecamsule (Mexoryl SX)Extensive UVA and limited UVB.

Ensulizole(Phenylbenzimiazole Sulfonic Acid), UVB

Ethylhexyl p-Methoxycinnamate, high incident of contact irritation, non comedogenic, widely used), UVB

Homosalate, Minimal UVA and extensive UVB.

Menthyl Anthranilate, Considerable UVA and extensive UVB.

Meradimate(Menthyl Anthranilate), UVA

Octinoxate(Octyl Methoxycinnamate), UVB

Octisalate( Octyl Salicylate), UVB

Octocrylene, Limited UVA and extensive UVB.

Octyl dimethyl paba, UVB

Octyl Methoxycinnamate (OMC) Limited UVA and extensive UVB.UVB

Octyl Salicylate, Minimal UVA and extensive UVB.

Oxybenzone (benzophenone, benzophenone-3), Considerable UVA and extensive UVB.

Padimate O, Minimal UVA and extensive UVB.

Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), UVB

Parsol 1789, UVA

Phenylbenzimidazole, Minimal UVA and extensive UVB.

Salicylates (octyl salicytate (OCS), high incident of contact irritation, widely used), UVB

Sulisobenzone (UVB, UVAII). Considerable UVA and extensive UVB.

Trolamine salicylate, Minimal UVA and extensive UVB.

With this in mind, I took a look at my own usual SPF and was pleasantly surprised: My Garnier Ambre Solaire contains titanium dioxide and some chemical sunscreen ingredients and the Elvital Colour-vive spray that boasts of “UV nutri-filter” I had my serious doubts about, actually does contain chemical sunscreen ingredients. Pleasant surprise, I had my doubt if it actually contained any actual SPF or not, especially since there is no regulation when it comes to slapping “SPF” or “UV” on a hair product.

Adding your own sunscreen

I recommend people getting a good, expensive hair spray with SPF. Seriously, this is one of the few instances where I will recommend salon products or a good splurge. Use it to mist over all exposed parts of your hair and scalp, especially in the summer.

Of course you can always add sunscreen on your own. I find I can add a good tablespoon of heavy sunscreen to my 200 ml of Sunsilk leave in-conditioner without it messes with the texture or end result. It may not add up to a lot of active SPF, but any protection is better than none.

You can also add a little bit of a SPF spray to a normal leave in-conditioner spray, but I haven’t experimented with how much it can “take”. 

Loop-do

This was pretty simple and kind of cute.

I did it like this: Ponytail and then tied it off again a little further down. Split the tail in two braids that I wrapped around the base and put a hair stick through.