Why Long Hair?

This winter has been tough on my hair. Living in southern California as I do, we haven’t had a lot of rain, and of course no snow. Came close, but not quite. We’ve had unusual cold, sufficient to freeze our pipes (practically unheard of here!), and a half inch of ice on the sandbox we filled with water when we realized how cold the nights were.

Not at all kind to long hair.

The air here has been insanely dry and my hair just hates it. I’ve had more trouble with tangling and split ends than usual. (There is more where this came from … )

One of the roughest things you do to your hair every day is brush it… especially if you deal with a lot of tangles. There is little gentle about the way many people brush their hair.

First of all, do your best to never brush your hair when it’s wet. This is when it is most easily damaged. It stretches easily when wet, but also breaks easily. If you can avoid using a hair dryer, which dries out your hair in more ways than just getting the water out, do so. It takes a little time to let it dry naturally, but if you can do it so much the better for your hair. (There is more where this came from … )

How often do you see older women with really long hair? Not often, right? It seems like by their late 30s or early 40s most women have given up on longer hair and go for the shorter cuts.

Admittedly, not all women’s hair looks good long as they get older. Some do suffer from thinning hair, which may not look good long. Coloring treatments can damage hair, and damaged hair just doesn’t cope too well long either.

However, I have seen older women with long, beautiful hair. Even pure grey or white. (There is more where this came from … )

Any kind of hair can suffer from static. You know how your hair can just cling to everything, getting in the way and just doesn’t cooperate when it gets staticy. The trick is knowing what to do about it.

You could wet down your hair, but wet hair is more easily damaged than dry hair, so that’s not too good an idea.

A better idea is to add some moisture to the air. Start up a humidifier well before you need to start styling your hair. Hair gets staticy when there is too little moisture in the air. (There is more where this came from … )

One of my minor vices is watching What Not to Wear. I’m far from fashionable myself, but it can be interesting to see what they say about what people wear. However, the hair styling section can make me wince whenever they’re dealing with longer hair.

If you look around, you know that extremely long hair isn’t exactly the most popular style. It certainly isn’t popular with stylists. After all, long hair doesn’t require much cutting.

I don’t tend to agree with the assessment they always use that long hair tends to make you look older or isn’t flattering. Just watching how they move the long hair around in it’s most unflattering modes. You could easily get shorter hair to do the same. I don’t think it always looks thinner or whatever else they may say. Sometimes, yes, but not on every single woman. (There is more where this came from … )

Swimming is great exercise. However, all the chlorine that keeps the water sanitary is really bad for your hair.

A quick rinse is a good idea before you go swimming. Not only does it rinse off any dirt, keeping it from getting into the pool, but if you use fresh water it lets your hair absorb that first, rather than the chlorinated water.

After your swim you should at the very least repeat the clean water rinse. A clarifying shampoo will help get the chlorine out. (There is more where this came from … )

I’ve posted here about how much fun I’ve had shopping on eBay for hair accessories. Just thought I would share my purchases.

The dragonfly barrette is just beautiful. It prompted one of my sisters to ask where I found it. So did the flowery/rhinestone bun holder… which I use on ponytails, not buns. I have no idea how you would use it on a bun. It’s too small. But that’s what the seller called it.

The Celtic silver holder is a personal favorite. I love going to Renaissance Faires, and that one just feels right. It’s pretty heavy; silver plated, as I recall.

The plain hairsticks are something I’ve been working on decorating, although I plan on leaving at least one pair of the wooden ones plain. I really think the shorter bone ones are better for decorating; the longer ones come out too long when you top them off. Doesn’t mean I can’t paint them to add a little interest, though. The wood bleeds stain, so a good sealer is vital for painting them.