I generally try to keep my blog on track: It was made as a personal "scrapbook" for my own hair, but some beauty stuff and other off-topic stuff tends to sneak in there.
But, today I have to share a personal success story: I survived the dentist today!
Okay, you need a little more background to understand why it's important to me...
I'm terrified of the dentist.
Like, scared shitless.
Terrified.
Before moving out from my parents', I had encountered two dentists. One of the regular family variety and one for braces.
The regular one was just plain useless. I was never sedated enough and by now Every. Single. Filling. he ever did has either just fallen out or had to be drilled out because an even worse cavity was forming underneath it, from not having been fixed right in the first place.
Completely useless.
The one for the braces was known among all the children in the area for being completely crazy. Everyone knew it: Even if you just went there for an assessment, you would leave with braces. No one escaped. Ever.
So of course I had to have braces too. And I suffered the headaches and shredded lips for 6 years. The result? Well, not much. Looking back I can't see why I needed them in the first place.
Oh, and my bite got too narrow after all those years (Funny how that happens when you keep tightening a brace like that! Shocker.) so I was fitted with a retainer for some years after that.
Sort of to get my teeth back to where they were before.
Like I said: I have my reasons to fear dentists.
After a while it becomes a Pavlovian response and not something you can actually control.
Today I went to the dentist to have a tooth fixed. A piece of it had fallen out some time ago and it looked and felt exactly like if someone had cut a piece out of a cake.
Of course it turned out that it was a cavity formed under the crappy work of dentist #1 which had undermined the tooth and broken off. Shocker.
It was seriously terrifying, especially since the dentist and the dental nurse said it wouldn't be easy (gulp) but I survived!
Monday
Why did I rinse my hair out the other day? I might as well just have left it in.
I repeat what I did Saturday, only with adding an Lador ampoule. Then put the same pyjamas back on and go back in front of the computer.
Tuesday
Hubby is coming home today. Uhh... Good news
I have done a lot of work on my project and is ahead of time now. Maybe we can even have a little vacation together now that Hubby can travel again? Bad news
I have played foul bachelorette frog for like 5 days in total. I have spent an unholy amount of time on 4chan. The apartment is a mess with pizza cartons, takeout boxes and empty soda bottles everywhere. Whoops. I probably ruined all my dieting now. Also, I barely saw sunlight since Friday.
Hubby doesn't have to know. Unless he reads my blog.
Damn.
Hair? Braided nautilus. Wednesday
Near the bus hub in the middle of Lund, there is a little bubbly pool. Quite often there is at least one duck there. It's pretty funny how much they love their water. People, dogs and traffic? No problem, we have water!
Just when I was about to take a picture, they decided to take off. I though the picture was ruined, but it turned out pretty cool!
Hair is in a Chinese bun.
Thursday
I intended a deep conditioning with Schwarzkopf Gliss million gloss conditioner. But it turned out to be one of those conditioners that starts dripping intensely much after a few minutes. Just a minute after I had finished wrapping it up in cling wrap and putting the heating cap over, it started dripping like crazy.
I don't know what it is, but some conditioners have a crazy dripping going on. It's like the product separate once it comes into contact with hair?
Anyways, my intended deep conditioning turned into just 20 minutes. Couldn't stand any more.
To make everything even more irritating, the conditioner didn't even add any real shine. Total fail product!
Hair is feeling pretty slippery and unmanageable, maybe I didn't rinse it out enough?
I put it up in a simple braid.
Friday
Nurse-friend send me the picture underneath with a joke about how much it looks like me.
Gosh.
She. Is. Gorgeous.
There is so much I love about the picture: The "hime" style short parts. That her hair is longer than the skirt. The hint of waves or curls.
Gorgeous!
It doesn't happen a lot that I'm jealous of someones hair like this.
Does anyone know this woman? Does she have a blog?
Hair is in yesterdays braid, wrapped up in a nautilus bun.
Saturday
It's cold and windy, but I decide to do something fun with my toenails and wear sandals out anyways.
The result was too shiny to capture, but it's a pink snakeskin-like pattern with shiny silver details.
Trampy toes :)
Hair is in a figure 8 bun.
Sunday
I'm really happy I got through reviewing some of the products that I've had around forever. It was beginning to make me feel bad I had so many products piled up in the "to review"-pile. Although I am very surprised at how bad the cosdna analysis of the cholesterol product was!
Hair is back in a simple braid.
Hubby annoyed me today, so I whacked him with my braid. Somehow I managed to get my braid right into his eye. Whoops.
Lyko.com had a 3 for 2 on these. Since I'm always on the lookout for leave in-conditioners, I got 3.
Link to products site
It has a really strong smell, like bubblegum. Seriously like that awful artificial bubblegum of the pinkest and cheapest bubblegum you could find.
Luckily it disappears as soon as hair dries. Strangely hubby actually liked the smell?
It has a surprising amount of hold. Actually too much hold for my taste!
Some parts of my hair seemed to "freeze"in shape as it dried.
COSDNA says it has no ingredients marked red for safety, but it does have quite a few quite high i yellow. Hmm. Also a few that scores high on acne and irritant.
I haven't ever heard of Crambe Abyssinica, but Google informs me it "is a is an oilseed crop, native to the Mediterranean area. According to the Alternative Field Crops Manual, it is used as an industrial lubricant, a corrosion inhibitor, and as an ingredient in the manufacture of synthetic rubber. It can also be used in surfactants and slip and coating agents" Uh?
Cute little flower though. Other than that it contains argan (Seems like all products does these days, doesn't it?) and sunflower oil. I'm not really sure what to think of this product. It's the first time I've encountered leave in-conditioner that offered me too much hold! And the scent is just really odd...
These were from Lyko.com and I found myself curious about the difference between them.
According to my experience so far, a "protector" are for "heat protecting" (*cogh* bullshit *cough*) and is usually cones, cones and another bunch of cones to hide heat damage and make hair appear glossy and healthy.
At first glance, these looks incredibly similar. The leave in conditioner has a nice, firm consistency. Firm and creamy, just the way I like it. Scent? Seriously, barely any. Then I tried the protector and it was the exact same: Good consistency, the right amount of hold, added a bit of shine but nothing noticeable and a barely-there scent. Both were exactly what I want in a leave in conditioner. Maybe, if I'm picky, both adds just a bit too much slip which makes handling difficult. The only difference between them was that the protector had a vaguely yellow tone and the conditioner was white.
That didn't really make me any smarter about the ingredients and differences between them... Both contain a bunch of plant extracts and some vitamin of questionable value to hair. Both have Cetyl Alchol far up on the ingredient list which has remarks as a potential acne trigger and irritant. Both have another potential acne trigger and irritant on the list too: The protector has Tocopherol and the conditioner has Cetearyl Alcohol.
My only complaint about these? The fact that I have to push them in to fit in my haircare stash shelf. Verdict: I like them both and cannot tell the difference. I will buy these again.
There really isn't so much "in hair" about my "week in hair", is there?
It feels a bit boring to write about, because it makes me realise how little time I actually spend messing with my hair! Monday
Skin is increasingly unhappy. Looks like I have a bunch of closed comedones (Tiny whiteheads that don't come to a head and can't be squeezed like normal whiteheads) now? Stupid skin.
I switch to a honey and hemp oil routine, that usually calms my skin but also has a tendency to cause real whiteheads. Anxiously awaiting my Testerkorea haul!
My hair is in a Chinese bun.
My in laws come down from Stockholm for a visit and we have dinner together. We go to a a buffet style restaurant here that I have a hate/love relationship with. I love it because it has sushi, Thai and Chinese food at a good quality for a decent price. But I also hate it because it's exactly so good that we often end up going there instead of trying something new.
Tuesday
My hair is in a braided Nautilus bun with plenty of sun SPF. It's a really hot and sunny day!
I have taken a few days off to spend time with Hubby and the inlaws. Today we go to the Botanical garden in Lund. It's been in the present location since it was set up 1862–1867 after having been moved from the original location where it first was planted in 1690.
They have a guided tour for pensioners that we have signed them up for.
We're actually a bit jealous that we're not even allowed to join and hear about the history of the place, the plants and the animals...
My beloved Mr. Igor and I taking our own tour of the green houses.
The quails are so cute!
They're king quails, which is actually the smallest quail.
I really like this picture... If you didn't know the scale, it would look exactly like a chubby dinosaur stomping around in a Cretaceous jungle.
This little fountain made a really cool fog effect. I guess the humidity is too high for the vapor to absorb in the air, so it flows down like a waterfall?
Afterwards, we had coffee and cake outside at the awesome little cafe at the pond. They make the best cakes!
We made friends with this cute little beggar :)
Wednesday
Another hot and sunny day! My hair is in my nameless braided stick bun. My hair is a bit unhappy. I think maybe the SPF spray makes it a bit hard to comb?
I get a compliment from a stranger in town! It always makes me shy and stuttering, lol.
We play tourists around Lund.
I took some pictures from inside Lund cathedral to share :)
The build was finished 1145.
The astronomical clock is from 1425.
The clock shows the moon phases and has six figures that moves around while it plays a melodi.
I tried avoiding the other tourists, but got some in the pictures anyways.
Entrance to the crypt.
I'm really impressed by the cool, original wood carvings found everywhere.
In the crypt, one of the pillars have a figure clinging to it. It's the giant Finn, who legend says was the main builder on the church. He was tricked by the saint Laurentius and turned into stone.
I think it's funny how many churches have this sort of pre-christian type legends tied to them.
Thursday
I have a meeting today that I can't get out of, so I have to leave Hubby with the in-laws and go to Denmark for most of the day.
It's really hot! Despite the SPF I keep rubbing on, the skin my arms is unhappy because of all the sun it has been exposed to. Sigh.
Friday
Hubby and in-laws leave for Stockholm.
We both had the yellow Swedish ID card but they ran out last month. I didn't notice because I've been using my Danish drivers license for the ID-controls. I had been using my Swedish ID card since the pictures is 17 years younger (!) and actually looks like me now, but suddenly it wasn't good enough (You would think this kind of very important information might be in the media or something, but nope) so I had to use the drivers license instead and therefore didn't notice the expiration date.
(Hm, now I miss travelling. I especially always had a soft spot for Germany. I really need to be less busy so we can travel together...)
Since Hubby doesn't have a drivers license and we also found his passport had run out, it suddenly left him with no valid ID at all. When he tried to book a time to get a new passport instead (Valid for longer and works just the same) every possibility in Lund and Malmö was booked until september! The only way he could get any sort of ID this month, was if he traveled to Stockholm to get it. But wait, it gets even stupider... Because his ID has run out, he needs someone to confirm that he is indeed him in person. Despite that I've been registered to live at the same address as Hubby for the past 6 years or so, I can't do that because I'm not Swedish. But who can confirm that? His parents who see him maybe once a year. Or his boss, whom he has never even met. Me, who live with him? Nope.
My hair is in the same braid as yesterday. I need a wash.
Saturday
My testerkorea haul arrived.
I've been itching to do something different with my skin. In a decision that might come back and haunt me later, I start a Hadalabo-based routine up because I've been wanting to try the Gokujyun- line.
I rinse my hair and make a braid with my favourite conditioner, the Welcos Confume Argan Treatment Hair Pack before putting a bag over and wrapping a bandage around it.
Sunday
I rinse my hair out in the morning and wash my scalp with V05, my favourite cleansing conditioner. Ah :)
Hair feels awesome!
I miss hubby. It's so weird to be all alone at home. On the plus-side, I get to play foul bachelorette frog on my own :)
It was actually a little embarrassing just how long it took me to place it all out for the picture...
Now I have so much stuff I ended up doing what I've seen (and had a chuckle at) on K-beauty blogs: Having a spreadsheet just to manage all the products and potential routines you have available...
Getting a good nights sleep is one of the most important thing you can do for both your mind and your body.
This is where your body repairs and refreshes.
When you sleep, your body follows a sleep cycle of REM and non-REM sleep. This is called the ultradian sleep cycle. The different stages in sleep have different characteristics and effects. Each cycle takes approximately 90 minutes. It begins with light sleep and goes deeper before going light again.
There is a lot to cover here, so if you're interested, I urge you to look it up on your own. I will skip to the important stuff:
People seem to have a tendency to count their sleep in full hours. But to work with your body's natural cycle, try to calculate according to the 90 minute-cycle. Waking up in the middle of the deep sleep part as opposed to the light sleep can start of your day on the wrong foot. This is often where you wake up feeling cold and miserable instead of rested.
You may find yourself more refreshed from sleeping 7½ hours (5 full cycles) than 8 hours (5 and 1/3 cycle).
To further help your body's natural cycle, try not to have too big fluctuations in bedtime and when you get up. Don't sleep in more than an hour extra in the weekends. Of course you should enjoy your days off, but sleeping in too much will mess with the cycle your body has build up during the workdays.
Tips for hair
Getting good sleep is so much more important than any damage you might do to your hair, so always ignore a tip if it will interfere with the quality of your sleep!
Fun hair and sleep facts
Lack or sleep or bad sleep quality is known to cause hair loss
It's also said that during sleep is where your hair grows the fastest.
Protecting your hair
During the night, your hair will rub on pillows and sheets, and maybe even get caught between your body and the surface under you. To minimize this, there is three things you can do:
Sleep on smooth fabric like satin or silk. Or look into a sleep cap of some sort. Maybe even consider wearing a silk shirt for when your hair gets caught between your body and the surface under you. What way you should go depends entirely on what you find comfortable
Contain your hair (In a braid or bun) in a way that points "away" from the pillow. As in: If you sleep on your back, dont wear a single braid at the neck. If you sleep on your sides, dont wear double braids.
If your hair is long enough to be caught under your shoulders or below, consider looping the braid up
Always contain your hair in one way or another during the night: Braid or bun, it doesn't matter. Just make sure it's contained in a way that will minimize the detangling you need to do the next day. Detangling causes mechanical damage, so getting into a good habit will make a difference in accumulated damage. It drastically adds up when your hair has to survive for something like a decade!
Igor's personal recommendation I absolutely cannot sleep on silk or satin. It's too smooth and slippery and often feels cold to the touch. There is just something about it that rubs me the wrong way. But, there is a lot of difference in cottons, so I pick something that feels soft and has "slip". Remember: Be kind to your skin and change the covers often, so you don't rub in your own old dirt. If you have troublesome or sensitive skin, you may want to change the pillow cover every day or every other day. Treating your hair
While you sleep, why not add some treatment to your hair?
It's as simple as adding a bit of oil or conditioner to your ends, then putting a thin plastic bag over and securing it with a bandage. Rinse out the next morning.
Just make sure it doesn't disturb your sleep.
Tips for better sleep
First of all: Make your bed and bedroom a place you want to be.
Buy a mattress that feels comfortable to you. Have a bed frame that fits you (and your partners) lengths and sleeping patterns. Seek out information on what type of pillows you should get as this depends on what kind of sleeper you are. Do you prefer light blankets over you or do you feel calmer with more weight? How warm is it comfortable for you to be? Consider having at least two sets of covers for the different seasons.
Make your bedroom comfy and clean. Keep out the disturbing clutter and don't use your bedroom as a storage room. Also, you may want to try cleaning everything you can clean around the bed: Vacuum the mattress, dust the structure of the bed frame everywhere and wash everything you can.
Just think about how large a portion of your day you spend in the bed or bedroom: Is that reflected in how you prioritize furniture and decoration?
Get yourself some soft and comfy sleepwear too. Nothing that bunches up or twists uncomfortably. Sexy is not a priority, being comfortable so you sleep well is.
Make a ritual
Consider making a bedtime ritual. It can help kick your body and mind into "unwind" mode and sleep faster.
Why not make it something that will further help you sleep?
First step of the bedtime ritual should be to put down the phones, shut down the computers and turn off the TV. No monitors on an hour before bed. (Igor says: Impossible, I know! Some sources even say two! It's just not possible for me. I make it the first step in my "Get my ass to bed" routine, and it can't get better than that with my work and nerdy lifestyle.)The light suppresses melatonin, which makes you sleep better.
As a side note: If you wake up to pee in the middle of the night, go to the bathroom without turning on the light. The sudden shock of bright light can seriously mess with your ability to fall back asleep and the sleep quality after.
Air out to lower the temperature and get fresh air in.
Have a pamper-ritual where you apply moisturizer or do something else so you wake up beautiful. Or how about a nice, warm bath ro help you relax?
Why not check that everything that should be "off" really is off? A routine like that can save you on the energy bill.
White noise
It can seem like a strange idea to add more noise to your bedroom. But it works because external noise (Noisy neighbors, traffic, animals etc) is blended into the white noise and becomes less noticeable. It literally makes your brain pay less attention to the offending noise.
It's always the context of the noise that makes you react: If you're already annoyed at the neighbors noises, if a car suddenly honks it's horn or a dog starts barking. The noises you know and are used to doesn't cause a reaction, some times you might not even notice them.
The principle of adding extra noise is called "sound masking" because the offending noises are masked, rather than drowned out.
You can find many different resources for white noise. They seem to fall in different categories:
Ambient soundscapes: Spacestations (I know, lol), well known background noises from TV shows, movies or games, interior noises from airplanes, crackling campfires, crowd noise etc.
Machinery noises: Fans, air conditioning units, washing machine, heaters, vaccum cleaners, hair dryers, lawn sprinklers, traffic noises etc.
When picking a white noise to try, ask yourself what you think will work for you:
Do you need the sound to be monotonous or can it vary?
More treble or bass?
Any noises that triggers a happy or relaxing memory?
If you're okay with leaving a computer on all night, try on youtube. Relaxing White Noise videos offer 120+ videos all over 10 hours long with different white noises, usually in the nature genre.
Or try Crysknife007 videos with hundreds of videos. They are more sci-fi and science oriented and often very specific in the frequency.
Igor's personal recommendation Yogayak videos offers lots of yoga videos (Why not do some yoga before bed to stretch and soothe?) and relaxing white noise videos with nature sounds. A lot of them with added healing music or frequencies to the mix. They combine different series of background sounds witha 174 Hz tone for reducing pain andSolfeggio frequencies for different effect. I honestly find this channel very interesting and recommend giving them a try.
I like something like this: Some bass and rather monotonous. No screaming monkeys, chirping birds or insects to disturb the peace. (I never got how anyone could find that relaxing?)
This one has the 852 Hz Solfeggio for returning to spiritual order.
This one is very monotonous and has a lot of bass. It almost has a "static" kind of noise to it. I prefer the "deeper" sounds to put me to sleep.
Relaxing incense etc.
Strangely, our ability to react to smells changes when we’re asleep. Studies have found that unlike sounds, smells won’t wake us up. This is literally why you need firealarms: The smell of a burning building wont wake you up.
Therefore: Calming scents works only for before you fall asleep. This doesn't mean that they don't serve a purpose, but the effect stop once you're asleep. A drink won't help you
I don't think I need to put too much energy into talking about caffeine. Don't eat and drink right before sleeping either (But also, don't go to bed hungry). But it some seems to think that an alcoholic drink will help you relax and sleep. But REM sleep is greatly reduced with just two drinks. It also adds a tendency to wake up more often and therefore disturb the ultradian sleep cycle.
Humidity
While you're at it, why not do yourself a favor and add some humidity while you sleep? Dry air is known to irritate sinuses and throat, making your eyes dry and itchy and making your skin dry. It may even cause nosebleeds A study has also found that influenza virus can survive longer in dry air.
The ideal humidity level is around 40-60% depending on the sources.
You don't have to invest in a humidifier. Something as simple as a damp towel on the radiator can make a difference.
Multitasking: Beauty while you sleep
Why not multitask and do something for your beauty?
BB 2015 Fall/winter episode 5: Healing beauty
The episode focuses on stress relief and relaxation.
The sleep and relaxation-part with products begins at about 8 minutes.
Get it beauty: Sleeping beauty 1/2
Beauty products you can use before or during your sleep.
Get it beauty: Sleeping beauty 2/2
Mostly makeup focused, but part two of the show.
Igor's personal recommendation My skin dislikes sleeping with heavy products. It has a comodogenic effect for me and I always wake up to irritation. Dr. Hauschka recommends sleeping with a completely bare face so your skin can "breathe". (Good advice, but the brand doesn't work for me) For those with dry skin, this might not be possible. Try with toner alone if you can, or maybe an essence or a light lotion. If you do like your nigh creams, no problem. But maybe you can alternate nights and see how your skin reacts?
