Matas Argan leave-in hårkur

Strange. After all my worries about not being able to find a leave in product I'm willing to pay for after the orange Sunsilk one has been discontinued (?), suddenly I find leave in conditioners everywhere I look!

Maybe it's because people are beginning to see them as "BB creams for hair"? 

No matter what, I'm not complaining!

I bought this in Matas, which is a Danish beauty chain (I think it might have a few stores in Sweden too?) on a 3 for 2 sale.

The "striped" products are their own brand and are usually quite cheap. I paid 100 DKK (Around 13 Euro and 15 USD) for all three and got 450 ml in total. Good price for this.

Danish language lesson of the day: "Hårkur" translates into "hair treatment". 

The product has a "clean", inoffensive smell. Sort of soapy, I think?

The pump dispenses a good amount of product. It's white and fairly thick, like a good cream consistency.
It offers pretty good hold but just a bit too much slip for my taste.

Ingredients
Water, cetearyl alcohol, butyrosperum parkii butter, argania spinosa kernel oil, behenoyl PG-trimonium chloride, dimethisone, cetyl palmitate, glycerin, quaternium-87, bis-cetearyl amodimethicone, cetrimonium chloride, panthenol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, tocopheryl acetate, behentrimonium methosulfate, helianthus anuus seed extract, hexylene glycol, parfum, sodium gluconate, citric acid, lactic acid, phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate.

Before I start commenting on COSDNA's analysis, I have to say how thrilled I am to see my old friend shea butter as ingredient #3! Very nice.
(Gosh, this takes me back some 10+ years when shea butter was all the rage in the longhair circuit!)
And argan oil comes in as #4. Really, very nice indeed.
Near the end of the list, it also contains panthenol and sunflower oil.

• Two two's and two one's for acne.
• One two and one one for irritant.
• Nothing scored above a four for safety.

Not too bad.
I will definitely buy this again.

Today's hair

I wasn't really pleased with my last attempt to make a single bun out of three braids.

So I figured, maybe if I used one of the braids to make a headband...?

Looks good from the front.

But in the back? Not so much.
I guess it doesn't help that three braids instead of one creates my surface, which creates more options for hairs to escape from the braid.
That fuzzy pipe cleaner look just isn't a good look.

Trim

When it comes to hair care tips, I tend to mentally separate them into three categories: "The good", "the bad" and the "Meh, I guess it can't hurt". 

The Morocco Method's lunar trimming schedule falls under the  "Meh, I guess it can't hurt" for me. Meaning that I don't really believe my hair could in any way care about when I cut it, but hey, why not?

I can't explain why it would it work, but I cannot explain why it would hurt either. 

Also, I have a "Holy f***ing shit, what the f***ing hell is wrong with you to give out such shit advice, motherf***er??!? Are you actively trying to kill people?!11!"-category, but luckily that one is very rare. Last case of that category I remember was a nutcase on a hair forum, who claimed that as long as you took your supplements "With a good attitude" you would never encounter side effects. 

Uh. Wut.

So there you have it: Anyone who ever encountered side effects from medication, interactions from medication, allergies and other problems: It's your own damn fault for having a bad attitude.

Great advice.

Anyways. The Morocco Method. 

Lunar Hair Care charts

Back when I went "Try all the things!!" to get my hair to grow faster I would S&D after days like thicken, lengthen and strengthen. 

Of course it never seemed to do anything for my hair growth, but still... Can't hurt, can it?

It felt a bit nostalgic to check the lunar chart before trimming.

Pre-trim: Dripping wet hair.
We're experimenting with how wet my hair should be to make it easiest for Hubby.

Trim. Hubby took off exactly 3 cm.
I think I would have preferred a bit more, but he was so proud of how exact he was I didn't want to complain.

After trim.
Didn't make a lot of difference, did it?

Side by side comparisons...
I'd say the only difference is in that the "post trim" was combed out a little smoother?
Oh well. Still good to get rid of some of the old ends.

As always, afterwards I put my hair in a low ponytail and snipped a tiny bit (Like, less than ½ cm) of the ends.
I think when you make a trim with loose hair, you can get a "wrong" hemline for your updos: I'd like my braids to be as long as possible with as little tassel as possible, so I should trim for that effect.

Awesome (And scary) new tool

I've been wanting a silicone mask cover for a while.
Since watching this episode of Beauty Bible actually.

(Starts at 32:32 if the embedding doesn't work 100%)

I do love my sheet masks, but it is very irritating that you're stuck laying down while wearing them. It's not always so comfortable when you try to watch TV or be on a laptop at the same time.
Testerkorea did have some stuff, but those are more "belt" types for depuffing your V-zone (The V your chin and neck forms) and not for holding a sheet mask onto your face.

Like this.

I had some problems finding one, but ended up finding them on Amazon.
However, not all of the listings will send to Europe!
I got mine here.

So I ordered two, one for using and one for backup if the first should eventually break.
It arrived with an "assorted" Amazon order.
Hubby instantly stole the book, so I had peace to play with the silicone mask.

Oh boy, this looks creepy.

Like, really creepy.

When I showed hubby, he made a squeaky noise. He then informed me it was in fact a very manly squeaky noise. Then he compared me to Tom Cruise in Vanilla Sky, before parking himself in front of a desktop to play Warthunder with great intensity so he didn't have to look at me any more. Hmpf.

It didn't get any less creepy-looking with a real sheet mask underneath.

It has it's issues: The fit is just odd. It's quite tight on my Caucasian face especially the nose, while still being too big at the forehead and too loose at the chin. But then again, all sheet masks have odd fits too and never seem to fit anyone's face, ever. Also, it got pretty uncomfortable behind my ears from the loops after a while

However, it serves the exact purpose I bought it for: It holds a sheet mask to my face while I sit upright.
I don't think I could use this while working though. It manages to both push and pull at the tissue and muscles around my eyes, so reading or writing a work text might be headache-inducing in the long run.
But it is absolutely perfect for using in front of the TV or just browsing the internet for fun.

I like it. This is what I wanted.

Also it might be useful for when I want hubby to leave me alone.

Done!

Finally done with the project. No more obnoxious transportation! Back to spending all day in my pyjamas and working from my own computer!
Hooray!

To be honest, it's going to be such a relief to get out of the transportation.
The transportation has just been insane: The Swedish train company seems to just blame all the problems on the border control and refuse to acknowledge the crazy delays and problems, because everything is the border controls' fault!

The border controls have been the least problem. Never any delays there and at least they served a purpose. It's been the delays and problems for no apparent fault that's been frustrating.
Just to begin with, the trains going back inland in Sweden always had to wait in Malmö for no apparat reason. Biochemist friend said she heard this was in order to get the trains back onto schedule, but since they always had to wait at least 15 minutes, why not move the schedule up like 10 minutes?

Of course this is the one thing the train conductors doesn't feel to inform you about at all. Here's an unfunny fact: All Swedish train conductors seems to think they are radio DJs. They will blab on and on and on about all sorts of dumb stuff. The weather outside (No, really, I'm not joking), every single connection by train and bus from the upcoming station (Not like there are giant signs everywhere for that once you arrive, right?) how happy they are to have you on board (What.) and naming every station on the route (Not like that flashes across the infoboards on a regular basis!)
I guess they think they seem friendly and engaging but it's just irritating. Especially when some totally cheery persona yaks on and on when you're crazy delayed and you're trying to calculate how much later you will be home. It feels plain insulting on top of injury.
I guess they assume people will go "Oh, I will not vandalise this train because the train conductor was so funny!" or "I won't beat up the train conductor in frustration over being 35 minutes late because he said he was so happy to have us on the train!".
As I already wrote: They're idiots and have no idea what matters to their customers.

I honestly don't think there haven't been a single day where there at least wasn't a delay on the route.
Usually it was more than a delay though: Trains not showing up at all, trains stopping for no apparent reason and everyone ordered out, trains that didn't stop at certain stations to make up time, trains that suddenly had to go as regional trains instead and stopping at every single little shit village on the route, trains unable to leave the station anyways because the staff didn't show up(?), you name it.

Of course the train company seems to take no responsibility for any of their general uselessness and extreme inconvenience, because everything is the border controls' fault!

Anyways. I'm looking forward to spending lots of time in my pyjamas and wearing the same (boring) braid.

I've accumulated a bunch of new products, so my to do list right now consists of going through those for reviews. Last month have been good for finding leave in-conditioners, so it makes me very happy!

Today's hair

My "work bun" irritated me, so I made a figure 8 as soon as I got home.

It's been a while since last I made one of these!

Bazaars runway report

Meh, the problem with spending too much time on the trains...

...Is that I end up buying magazines at 7-11 when I can't be bothered to read something more intelligent.

Bazaar says that braids, low hairstyles and pretty accessories will be in for next season.
I'm okay with this.

Today's hair: Paranda

I bought myself a new pair of fatpants sweatpants and they had an annoying drawstring hidden on the inside of the elastic waist. 

As I picked it out, I thought: Hey, why not turn this into a matching paranda?
Granted, I haven't had much luck with parandas. But since I was going to toss the string out anyways, why not give it a shot?

I wasn't going to braid the three "legs", but the fabric was quite prone to tangling, so I did.

The paranda is a bit too skinny to really show up in the braid though.

And it really disappears in a bun.
I don't dislike it, but it might be too discrete for anyone to notice unless I bring it up.

Heating cap in use

Just call me bucket head!

Based on the temperature measurements from yesterday, I have a warm hat underneath the heating cap to distribute and buffer the heat.

Pardon the crappy webcam quality.

It's pretty comfortable since the weight is distributed evenly in the cap!

Park Juns Home Hair care heating cap

This came with the Testerkorea haul I posted about yesterday, but I wanted to talk about it separately.

Direct link to product: Link

It wasn't quite as soft-looking and glamorous as it looked from the picture, but not like I was disappointed in the actual product once I had it in my hands.

It came with a plastic cap and an instruction manual.
The instruction manual is exclusively in Korean, so I can't read it.
I'm seriously considering taking Korean for beginners, is that weird?
Since I get so much knowledge and products for my sensitive skin from Korea, I find myself more and more wishing I knew the basics.
Once I have some more free hours in my day, I will look into it.

Anyways. The cap has a drawstring to tighten it and a zipper going all the way around it along the edge. It also has a good length cord, so you could easily sit in a chair with it plugged into a socket a bit away.

Unzipped, the structure inside looks like this.
It could be a little softer and more shape-able. It has a bit of "bucket head" effect, but I guess the heating system has to be fairly stiff.

Of course, this is where we get to the important stuff: Exactly how warm does this thing get?

I like to compare hair to skin in this situation:
Basically, once warmth starts hurting your skin, it's a sign from your nerves that you're taking damage. While you can of course recover from this, the "uncomfortable treshold" for heat is where will quickly see evidence of the destruction to your skin: Redness, swelling and eventual peeling.
You don't need to go a lot above the body's temperature, before your proteins starts to take damage.
For a very obvious example: This protein damage is how you turn a raw egg into a cooked one and you don't even have to boil the egg to cook it.

As a simplified rule of thumb
If heat is uncomfortable to the skin, it is because your skin is taking damage. The heat will be doing the exact same thing to your hair: Destroying the proteins. 
And where your skin can heal itself and eventually recover, hair damage is forever.

So, this needed experimenting.
I was about to just plug it in itself and observere and measure, but I figured why not compare it to my old heating "system" with the self heating pads?

The self heating pads gets uncomfortably hot, too hot to touch for more than a few seconds, so I always have a hat under them to "buffer" and distribute the heat. And then a hat on top of, to keep the heat in.

For both "systems", I would need cling wrap and possibly also a bandage to keep dripping down. I will exclude the weight of those, since it will be the same for both.

First and easiest test: The heating cap weighs 145 gram excluding the cable.

Two heating pads with two warm hats: 445 gram.

300 gram difference. That's a lot!

It's also important because the pads add a poorly distributed weight for my head and neck. Do a deep treatment with these for some hours and I begin to feel uncomfortable and unfocused. This is of course very undesirable, because I would really love to do this while I'm in front of a computer. Often I find myself having to go on the couch to get support for my head during deep treatments. But then I'm stuck in a half propped up position that's neither comfortable or something I'm capable of doing serious work on my laptop in.

The cap should be light enough to sit upright with and the cable is long enough to reach the outlet under the table.

Now for an effect-test...
Of course it would be too troublesome and not directly comparable if I had done two separate deep conditioning sessions, so I decided for a simulated deep conditioning.

• The heating pads: I put both pads inside both warm hats and try to keep it as closed as possible.
• The heating cap: I pulled the draw string as tight as possible.

Of course when I measured the temperatures, the termometer(s) are in more direct contact with the heat source than if I had been doing a hair treatment.
But as I have described before: The highest possible temperature is very important, because I don't want to damage my hair.

Just a few seconds after I activated the pads, I ran into the first problem: The termometer only measures up to 43 degrees celsius, because it's a standard, household body termometer. Crap!
So I went hunting in the kitchen to find our cooking termometer. That one of course only measures in the 55-100 bracket, since that's all it needs to do.
So my measurements are not as precise as I wanted them to be...

Measurements in celsius

• 5  minutes: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: Above 43 C, below 55 C
• 10 minutes: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: Above 43 C, below 55 C

Both are in the process of heating up.

• 15 minutes: Pad: 57 C. Cap: 58 C
• 30 minutes: Pad: 57 C. Cap: 67 C
• 45 minutes: Pad: 57 C. Cap: 58 C
• 1 hour: Pad: 55 C. Cap: 55 C

One hour in and the pad is slowly losing the heat. 

The cap however seems to heat and cool in cycles. When I measure and then remeasure a few minutes later I get different results. I'm interested in the highest and lowest result. The 67 C result is slightly worrying!

• 1 hour 15 minutes: Pad: 55 C. Cap: 58 C
• 1 hour 30 minutes: Pad: 55 C. Cap: 67 C
• 1 hour 45 minutes: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: 63 C
• 2 hours: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: Above 43 C, below 55 C

The pads continue to lose heat and the cap gets another slightly worrying 67 C result. I will definitely need a hat underneath to distribute and "buffer" the heat. This of course adds some extra weight for the treatment, which I'm not interested in. But the weight of a hat is more well distributed than two pads.

• 2 hours 15 minutes: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: 58 C
• 2 hours 30 minutes: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: 58 C
• 2 hours 45 minutes: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: 63 C
• 3 hours: Pad: Above 43 C, below 55 C. Cap: 63 C

At first sight it would appear that the cap has stabilized a bit more in the heating cycles, but I think it's just a coincidence that I got those exact numbers. Measured one or two minutes later might have given an entirely different result.

• 3 hours 15 minutes: Pad: 41,9 C. Cap: 70 C
• 3 hours 30 minutes: Pad: 41,0 C. Cap: 70 C
• 3 hours 45 minutes: Pad: 39,7 C. Cap: 58 C
• 4 hours: Pad: 36,4 C. Cap: 63 C

The pads are finally down at a temperature where the body termometer can measure it.
The cap however seemed to get hotter and hotter?

4 hours in and I decided to stop the experiment. It's very rare I deep condition for longer than this, because it's quite irritating and keeps me from doing what I want to.

Highest and lowest temperatures
I'm going to exclude the first 10 minutes where both the cap and the pads needed time to heat up.

• Heating pads: Highest temperature was 57 C and after that, it decreased slowly.
• Heating cap: Highest temperature was 70 C and the lowest was below 55.

Conclusion:
The heating cap definitely doesn't require additional insulation on the outside to keep the heat in!
The heating cap is a good tool and better for head and neck because of the lower weight.
But it will definitely need a hat underneath to distribute and "buffer" the heat. Just like with the pads. This shouldn't be too uncomfortable because it's a more evenly distributed weight.