I think it happens to everyone: you get your hair cut and about a month later it looks awesome. Totally like you want it to look. You have rock star hair. THEN, the next week, it's over. Your rock star hair has turned into just normal hair once again, too long to style properly, too short to be different. Your styling products no longer have their desired effect. The magic is over.
Time for another haircut, or just rebel and let it go? What to do.
Two weeks ago, in an attempt to save $, I decided that giving myself a foiled (don't know the technical term) highlight was a good idea. Having watched many colorists perform this seemingly easy task, I thought I could get the hang of it after a few tries. Out comes the box-coloring and aluminium foil cut up into little squares. 2 hours later: Orange top later of hair with brown blotches and underneath, darker brown hair...damaged, frizzy and just gross. I looked like an electrified Garfield (the cat).
For those of you on a budget who may attempt this feat, Aveda Institute on Clark Street can make you whole again for the small cost of $55. And they use great product. Just be prepared to wear a baseball cap for 2 weeks until the appointment.
Speaking of hair...i'm starting to think that we may need a new category called "hair removal."
Hair removal is the ignored, underappreciated topic among beauty magazines and girlietalk. Why aren't we more open about this matter? How much time is spent shaving, plucking, waxing, exfoliating, bleaching, carefully releasing ingrown hairs...worrying that you CAN'T go to the beach tomorrow unless you can get an appointment with Olga today in enough time for the irritation to heal and not cause any attention to your upper thigh area? And if you factor in time, energy and money, how much do you spend doing so? A heck of a lot of resources are spent grooming unwanted hair. But I don't hear enough about it.
Of all the topics I discuss with girlfriends, the most uncomfortable that of hair removal...ESPECIALLY "down there." Some of my friends are blessed with blondness and say they just don't get it...what is all the fuss? just shave daily. I could write volumes in response, but not today. Let's just say this is clearly a case of the "haves" and the "have nots" and this time, the latter has the privilege. When I ask other girlfriends, they give me short responses like "I'll give you my waxer's number" or "Don't ask me, I just can't be bothered to upkeep anymore." Some are lucky enough to laser and be done with it. We will spend hours talking about hair color, the latest fragrance, and just the right shade of lipstick, but hair removal conversations remain short. I haven't figured out why.
Perhaps I am a wee bit sensitive to this question right now because after spending 10 years and 120 hours, and an estimated $4800 on leg waxing, I have just discovered the EMJOI GOLD CARESS CORDLESS EPILATOR (I promise this is not an infomercial). This handydandy item is not for the faint at heart, but if you have ever given yourself a bikini wax, you possess the pain threshold and this is the item for you!!! Of all the epilators, it is better than Silk-epil, Satinelle, and the Epilady (I have tried all).
Why it rocks:
1) A one-time cost of $75 - it is cheap, cheap, cheap
2) Can be used anytime. you can capriciously decide to go to the beach tomorrow, worryfree of flashing anyone.
3) Experiement with hair removal in places you've always been curious about without telling a soul or paying big bucks (disclaimer: i have not done this myself, and can't vouch for pain threshold).
Here's the catch. You can't buy it in stores. Yes, folks. Parallel to the topic of hair removal itself, this little item is inaccessable except through the internet (try shavers.com or emjoi.com).
So, if you can't talk to your girlfriends about it you can read about it here :)
According to Elizabeth Somer, if you have dry, lackluster hair (yes, sometimes I do), you might be missing vital minerals in your diet. You may need: folic acid, iron, protein, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, water.
What to do about it? For iron and folic acid, eat a spinach, caesar, or lentil salad; for vitamin C, eat fruit; for iron, protein, B-6 and B-12, eat a chicken or roast beef sandwich. And as always, drink lots of water!