State of the Hair Address

[ocelot]

I am happy about my hair today.

I haven't used shampoo since April 2005. For a while I washed with baking soda/apple cider vinegar, but found that my hair got too tangled with that. So in November 2005 I switched to washing with conditioner, using the bs/acv occasionally to help remove buildup (which I've done just two or three times since this last April, and probably will again with a bit more frequency after we move). I also haven't been using plastic combs/brushes since April 2005.

I've had some lingering doubts about this. My hair felt fine to me, and koyote said it was fine, but I don't entirely trust his judgement as he's more crazy hippy than I am. I'll admit - a large source of the doubt was that I stopped getting compliments on my hair after we moved away from LA (which happened to coincide with the start of the experiment). I suspect this is more because LA is full of creepy freaks than anything to do with my hair, but I'd still become accustomed to it, and it was a little disconcerting.

Last night I was hanging out with a bunch of people I didn't know (and some who I did). One was trimming hair, and she offered to trim mine. I took her up on it, as it hadn't been trimmed since last Thanksgiving. She declared it perfect, and took off about 1/4".

Yay validation!

I think it would probably be best (and cheaper) if I cut down to conditioning once every 2-3 days. Every day seems like overkill. Or maybe I should just do more research and find something that works that doesn't involve store-bought conditioner.

I'm not sure what the best option is for Leif. Between his dislike of anyone messing with his hair and his picky seeming scalp, it just doesn't seem to be working wonderfully. His hair is well behaved for a few days after a hairwashing, and then it starts getting terribly tangled. But I hate putting him through the torment of either combing out the tangles or conditioning more frequently. And koyote doesn't want his (Leif's, or his own for that matter, but that's a different story) hair to be cut. So... I don't know. Try the olive oil one more time for his scalp, and look into a better spray-on detangler? Or perhaps leave-in conditioner would work well for him. (Hmm... diluted conditioner in a spray bottle apparently works well as a spray detangler. Should find a spray bottle and try that.)

And no, koyote, dreads are not an option at this point.

Comments

[fleckerbug.livejournal.com]

Leif would look adorable with dreads. I saw a woman at a belly dance festival with two little girls, the youngest about Leif's age. All three of them were blond and had dreads. So cute. You could do what my mother did with me and just cut all his hair off(I had/have a very sensitive head and wouldn't let her comb my 'baby hairs'-- the hairs towards the nape of my neck.. once eventually resulted in one giant snarly mess).
I am looking to unload some bathy prooducts soon. I have an unhealthy habit of buying them and not using them. Occasionally I try a new product, but end up going back to the tried and true. I have hauled them around to too many apartments and plan on going through and wedding out whats not expiredish. I am going to try and sell/return some of the un-opened/barely used ones, but I have soo much stuff, I could make up a box for you. I know you don't shampoo, but I have plenty of conditioners and such and some nice bath smellies, probably. They will eventually all go on the curb or freecycle.

Maybe I just haven't gotten far enough down your journal, but when is your baby shower and you said you're registered? We also need to discuss if you still want me to be your doula or not. The distance thing is an issue, but I am fine with coming up-- Ted would probably have to drive me though, but I'm sure he'd like the opportunity to visit friends in Davis. Work *might* be an issue. I am trying to get a job at a non-profit in the bay area right now, but assuming they'll be flexible.

Gah.. you make me feel so guilty. I am so wasteful. Trying to be better.

[therealocelot.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about it too much - we threw out a ton of stuff when we moved out ourselves. It happens. We're trying to cut down, but nowhere near perfect or anything.

koyote posted a link to my registry somewhere or other (either as a reply to this or on the list entry). If you need, I can post it tomorrow, but can't copy and paste right now. We're having a koyote birthday/baby/housewarming party at some point - probably the 16th, and you two are invited, of course. We will announce something about it soon.

At this point, I don't really want a doula at all. This is no offense to you, and I'm not replacing you with someone else or anything. I just don't think it is what I want. At most, I'd want someone there only so Leif could be there, and I wouldn't want you to have to drive up just for that. Especially since it could go fast, though I am not counting on it. (My mom's second labor was 3 hours, but her first was considerably shorter than my first, so who knows?).

I'll be more than happy to take any conditioner that doesn't have ingredients ending in "cone" in the ingredients list - those are supposedly bad for hair that isn't shampooed.

I'd happily cut hair off (or shorter, anyways) but koyote hates that idea. I've been tempted to do it anyways, honestly.

I do think he'd look cute with dreads, and if there was a way to do it temporarily I would probably go for it. Our deal right now is that we give koyote's hair six months or so before discussing the idea seriously again. That way if it turns out badly for koyote, we won't have made the same mistake twice.