Beauty Recipe: Horsetail Skin & Nails Cocktail

      Horsetail is a little wild herb that looks like something from the Jurassic age. It is full of goodness for the skin and nails: silicic acid, potassium, aluminum salts, and calcium. I will share a skin and nails herbal cocktail from horsetail that is easy to make; and is a great way to get that extra bit of minerals (remember my thoughts on supplementation?). Plus, its raw -- so you get the maximum goodness that this little plant offers.

    I learned to make this drink from a guy at a raw food festival. He drinks it regularly, and I must say his skin looked great -- he turned out to be fifteen years older than I expected him to be! He told me that drinking the raw horsetail potion keeps wrinkles away.

    Before I start, a disclaimer: do not use horsetail if pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic, have hypokalemia or potassium deficiency, kidney or heart problems, and please inform yourself about any other counter-indications as well as how it may interact with any medicaments that you may be taking. Like most herbs, horsetail should not be taken non-stop for a long period of time.

    How to make a horsetail skin and nails cocktail:

* You will need: horsetail, lemon juice, water and stevia. Horsetail grows wild in most parts of the world except australasia. It is best when young (light green), before it has flowered.

* Throw the whole stalks into a blender with water, blend really well.

* Pour through a sieve to get rid of the hard fibres.

* Add lemon juice and stevia to taste.

* Drink up!

    The taste of the raw horsetail cocktail is rather grassy, but not bitter. Actually most of the flavour comes from the stevia and lemon juice, and the whole is quite refreshing.

   Have you every tried horsetail in any form? What are your favourite foods for hair and nails?

Charlize Theron Demonstrates Breast Migration

   This photo of Charlize Theron shows how breast tissue can migrate. Lets see the close up:

 

    You can see that the built-in cups are way to small for her breasts. The same thing happens when we wear a band that is too big + cups that are too small: the breast tissue escapes and turns into armpit and back rolls. I have explained it here, with pictures.

   If you are not sure whether your bra is doing this to you, you can do this quick test.

My Cleansing Routine, + Meet My Four Cleansers

I wanted to show you what I clean my face with:

My cleanser, also: my peonies

I just realised I need to upgrade my containers. Anyway, here are the products:

Oil cleanser:

   This doubles as makeup remover and moisturiser. At the moment I am using a mix of castor oil, jojoba, and grape seed oil. When I need to get my make up off, I apply the oil on my face, massage in, an wipe of with a wet microfibre cloth. And then I repeat. Often I leave the traces of oil on my face (I don't use any product on top of it), otherwise I follow it with:

Clay cleanser:

   I love the Alverde Clear Waschcreme Heilerde because the clay soaks up dirt and grease, and at the same time contains oils that re-moisturise the skin, so it doesn't leave my face dry like a regular clay mask would. I often use this creamy clay cleanser solo to when I'm not wearing makeup.

Micellar Water:

   I have already waxed poetic about this product. It looks and feels like water, but has magical cleansing properties. It removes makeup wonderfully, and leaves my face perfectly clean but not dry. I make mine with this kit (they are currently working on the english version of their page).

Orange Water:

    Orange water is basically a hydrolate or flower-water and it works as a toner (lightly cleanses, refreshes, and balances the skin's pH levels). This I use solo when I just need to refresh my face, like in the morning (I usually wet my konjac sponge with it and gently massage my face). I also use it after the other cleansers. When the bottle is empty, I will try out rose water, I think it's more fitting for the summer, no? Also, I need a prettier bottle.



   So I mix and match these four products depending on what I need to cleanse off my face, and what I want to apply afterwards. I cleanse religiously every evening because I believe that skin needs to be free from makeup and dirt to regenerate at night. I don't cleanse in the morning (apart from the orange water). Since my skin has fragile capillaries, I almost never scrub. Ah, I forgot the most important part: my skin type is dry to normal, depending on time of year.


    How does your cleansing routine look like? What are your favourite cleansing products? Anything I should try out?

About Emollients: Do Oils Moisturise?

What we call moisturising is done by humectants (like glycerin) that pull moisture from wet place to dry place, and emollients (like oils and silicones) that seal the moisture in (or out). *more here*. Emollients replenish our natural emollient layer (sebum) that gets washed off by detergents and hot water, and prevent our skin from drying out.

What do emollients do ?

Emollients are many different substances, their common characteristic is that they form a film over the hair / skin. They:

* seal the moisture in (or out, when the air is too humid). In effect the skin is moisturised, and softer.
* replenish the lipids of the skin that are removed by cleansing agents that contain synthetic detergents, or by etyl alcohol.
* form a barrier against the environment.
* make the skin feel soft, smooth and slippery, by "filling in the crevices".

Any emollients I might be familiar with ?

Sure ! Ever heard of oil ?
Here are some common emollients:

• Fatty alcohols (can be recognised by "alcohol" in the name, for example cetearyl alcohol. EXCEPT alcohol denat.)
• Paraffin (aka mineral oil. Not recommended, petroleum by-product) The problem here is that the may for a too thick layer, excu I recommend using plant oils instead.
• Oils: Especially my favourite Jojoba oil as it is similar to sebum, an oil that is naturally found in the skin. For this reason, jojoba oil helps keep dry skin moist and suppresses the production of oil in skin that is oily.
• Silicones: the water-solubles ones are ok, the more stubborn ones will form an impermeable layer. *Here* is a list of which is which.
• Polymers: polyquaternium
• Lanolin (sheep wax) -- can be comodogenic for some. I love this as a heel balm,
• Aloe Vera
• Vitamins A and E

Here is a more exhaustive list from dermatology.about.com

How to use emollients in your beauty routine:

* Emollients (like an oil or moisturising cream) work best when applied on moist skin (after a bath). That way you are sealing in the moisture.

* I recommend using plant-based oils, and avoiding mineral oil (it´s not very good at retaining moisture, and doesn´t contain all the good stuff that plant oils have).

 

Sources: wizaz.pl

wisegeek.com

 

The Cost-Effective Way To Buy Your First Right-Sized Bras

    After finding your correct size, many of you will have to buy bras online, because your local store carries only a miserable size selection. This might be daunting at first -- but fear not, I will help.

    Many women make the mistake of ordering one or two bras from an online store or Ebay, just to see how it goes. Very often both of the bras ordered don't really fit well. Maybe the sizing is lightly off, maybe the cup style is all wrong. The woman returns the bras and orders another two. These don't fit perfectly either. At this stage she is frustrated at spending so much time and money on shipping, and often keeps the sub-optimal bras just because she doesn't want to pay extra shipping again. As time passes, she gets more and more dissatisfied with the bras and soon needs to buy better-fitting ones. She buyas another two bras... abd the story repeats itself. So much money, time and energy wasted!

    This is obviously not the most cost-effective way! So what's the solution? After advising many girls on bra-shopping, this is the method I developed which comes out the cheapest:

Step One: Preliminary trials

    First, do check if there are brands like Panache, Fantasie etc available in a brick-and-mortar store anywhere near you. Go to an online store like Figleaves and check which other brands make bras in your size, and google whether they have stores anywhere near you. It would be amazing if you find something. If you find a store with a great selection of bras and affordable prices, consider yourself lucky and enjoy that! It´s possible that the stores will not carry 28 bands but only 30D (65D) and will be expensive, in that case you can try a couple of sizes and models and then escape. And then shop online.

   No such store near you? You can also try on a sister size which you can find in an average store. Sister sizing means if you go up a band size, go down a cup size (and the other way around); so if you need a 30DD, try on a 32D or 34C (the cup size will be roughly the sam, the band will be way bigger). Test out which kind of cup styles fit you best, but don't be tempted to buy them since the band might feel supportive but trust me, after a few wears and washes you will be able to wrap it around your waist twice.

 

Step Two: Order as much bras for as much money as you can temporarily "freeze"

    Temporarily invest some money and order ten bras or more from an online store, with the purpose of returning all but the best fitting ones. Try Brastop, EwaMichalak (switch the language to english), Figleaves or Barenecessities. Be sure to pick several different cup styles. Be sure to check the return policy. When all this arrives, try everything on and make notes. You will quickly see that maybe a balconette looks great on you but half-cups don´t; or that you need to go a cup size up or down.
   If something fits perfectly, keep it. Return the rest, and order more if necessary. If most of the bras didn't fit well, you will need to again order a bigger amount, maybe from a different brand?
   If you are really cheap you can send them all back and buy some from "cheap sources" (more on this later), but only if you have established your size and compatible styles.

    Why order so many bras? Remember, when buying correctly-fitting bras for the first time, the chances are pretty high that you will have to return at least some of your first bras. Even if the size happens to be exactly right, you might not know which cup style fits you best, and whether you need narrower or broader underwires. So you might as well make the most of the shipping costs  and order a lot of bras, so that you can try out as many as possible. This will cut down the time and costs of searching for a bra, and in the future you will know.
   Don't worry, bra shopping will get way easier after you have got your first couple of bras!

 

Step Three: you know what you need, now find bras that have it

 

     Now that you have some idea what you need. For example I look for plunges and low-cut balconettes and half-cups because my breasts are flatter on the top, and medium to broad underwires. Now, pictures of bras on a model can be misleading, since a) they might have different proportions from you and b) many models are very badly fitted. So you need to look for reviews online; the best are from blogs of girls that have been correctly fitted. CurvyWordy specialises in bra reviews, and her blogroll has links to many blogs of many girls who never miss the chance to review every bra they can get their impeccably-fitted boobs on. Brastop has its own blog with bra reviews; I have also explained how to navigate Balkonatka's Bra Catalogue.

Step Four: Some cheap-o bra sources

   Although I like to support great bra brands and stores, sometimes a girl is broke and just can't afford a regular-priced bra! There are some alternative places to buy bras, the most common being ebay.co.uk Check your own local Ebay as well as any other clothing swap / selling sites. Also, do search for online bra-fitting forums, these usually have a section where members sell and swap bras. Of course, watch out for sales in regular online bra stores -- Brastop has some great deals.


    Any tips you would add? Or other cheap places to buy bras?

Review: My Glasses From Firmoo

    I´d like to write about my impressions of the pair of eyewear I received courtesy of Firmoo. (Have you entered the eyewear giveway already?). I was impressed at how quickly my order was processed, and how soon it arrived. I´m used to waiting for weeks for stuff from US, but my glasses were here in a couple of days!

     The package contained the glasses in a case, a cloth bag and a screw for adjusting the nose pads. I love the little screw and the key ring, since I always liked to tighten my glasses screws myself and did it with the tip of a kitchen knife thus far. No more!

      Coming to the glasses themselves, it was not easy to choose a design over the internet, but the glasses turned out to be very much as I had imagined them to be. I wanted strong, straight lines, in contrast to the rounded designs I usually lean towards. However after wearing them for a day I fel like something was off, though I couldn´t quite put my finger on it. After examining the frame closely today morning, I realised that they were not symmetrical:

     Due to this reason I will be wearing this pair for occasions where I don´t want to damage my other glasses. Apart from the assymetry, I like the material (titanium) and the lightness of these glasses.

      I found Firmoo prices very affordable even by German standards (I hear that in the US the prices are way higher, starting from three-digit-numbers), so it is good when you a pair of very affordable eyewear and don´t need them to be perfect.

Update: I contacted Firmoo and they are kindly sending me another pair!

   Is the assymetry noticeable to you, or am I beeing too nitpicky? On a side note, 
what do you think of the thick-framed hipster glasses? Do you own more than one set of glasses? What does your pair look like?

How To Make The Best Of A Short, Cold Summer

  If you live way north (or way south) of the globe, chances are that summer is much shorter than you´d want it. For each three hot, sunny days you get a week of rain and cold; and you seem to go immediately from waiting-for-summer to wtf-its-autumn-already. I know I find the summer way to short, and the warm days way to few! Here are some of my best tips for feeling like you´ve really made the best out of your summer :


* Wear your thin, short summer stuff anyway
   And combine them creatively with warmer, longer pieces. Shorts with a sweater. Sleeveless top with boots. Summer dress under a coat. Add extra warmth with leggings, light scarves and tank tops.

* Do stuff outdoors as much as you can
    Choose outdoor seating in cafes, or just get a to-go cup and sit on the pavement. Walk and bike more. Take your laptop to a park and work / study there. Meet your friends to swim, go for a walk, grill or chill in a park. Drink tea on your balcony and sleep with the windows open.

* Get a separate summer coat
  Even if it´s cold enough for your winter coat, you won´t feel as miserable if you´re not wearing your actual winter coat. Invest in a cute warm jacket in a light or bright color, just for the summer. Personally I feel that the warm season has begun when I pack away my winter coats!

* Wear summer accessories
    Florals, straw totes, hats -- have a collection of great accessories that scream "summer". Wear them to make your outfits feel summery, even on cold, grey days.

* Do something that involves bikinis
    Even if it´s just lounging on your balcony with a drink. Bikinis = summer, everyone knows that. Sun yourself with a friend in their garden (step one: find a friend with a garden) or go to an open-air swimming pool.

* Remember what was the typical summer thing you did as a child.
    Now go and re-create it ! Childhood rituals often get ingrained deep into our psyche, and indulging in them can make your summer feel complete. If summer meant ice cream and playing in rubber pools to your childhood self, you know what you have to go and do!

    What do you do when you want to feel summery? How do you cope with cold summer days? Do share.

How To Stay Hydrated. Really Hydrated.

    When I spend a day with someone, I'm often surprised to see how few water they drink. Six hours somewhere for me means emptying my 1 litre sigg bottle, maybe also having a juice, tea or hot chocolate, and several visits to the ladies´. The person I am with usually drinks one coffee... and that's it.
     You've probably heard a lot already about how you should be drinking more water, basically every health and beauty magazine goes on and one about it. And you know, they are right. Staying hydrated is the single best thing you can do for your skin, hair and energy levels. (Not to mention that it's also the easiest and cheapest thing!) A hydrated girl just has that glow about them: the hair and skin stay more firm and fresh. Besides, drinking enough water keeps your brain alert!

    I wasn't always hydrated. During my pregnancy my midwife wanted to know how much water I was drinking daily, and I believe my reply was a sheepish 1,5 liter (I lied, it was more around 1 liter.) Much later, I found out I had a rather low blood pressure (hypothenia) and that not being hydrated made it drop more, which made me feel tired, sluggish, and sometimes dizzy. Also, I found I often had a headache when I hadn't drunk enough water. One of the headaches was really, really, really bad, so bad that I didn't want it to ever happen again. That night of pure pain motivated me to change.
     So I did a small experiment, I tried being super-hydrated for two days. I drank as much water as I comfortably could, just to give my body a baseline of hydration. The idea came from this article about sleep and dehydration, which says that "you'll never know how dehydrated you really unless you get super-hydrated". After the two days I just let my thirst dictate how much water I drank, but I was automatically drinking more than before the experiment. Today I am rarely without a water bottle (I have a ridiculous collection of Sigg bottles, ranging from teeny to huge). I also read somewhere that your concentration levels drop as soon as the hydration level drops. This was a huge motivator for me to drink more fluids, who doesn't want to be smart and alert!

So what stops people from being hydrated? How can you be more hydrated?

* Being more aware:

   I highly recommend doing the hydration experiment I just wrote about. Remember, you should not be forcing yourself to drink water, you should drink only as much as is comfortable. A couple of days should give you a feel of what it feels like to be well-hydrated.

* Make it pretty

   I use stuff more if I find ir pretty. Get a pretty glass carafe and drop mountain crystals and amethysts into it. Get pretty water bottles. You could also splurge on pretty drinking glasses, or even drink your H2O out of champagne glasses if you feel like it.

* Memory tips:

   A lot of people just forget to drink water. Here are some tips to remember:

• Put a water bottle on your desk and aim to finish it by the end of the day.
• Drink a glass of water before every tea or coffee you have.
• Connect water with other activities you do throughout the day: first thing after waking up, a just before you leave the house, shower, gym etc.
• Put the amount of glasses you want to drink in your planner or on a chart. Each time you drink a glass, cross one out.

* Get proper-sized glasses, not the wimpy thimble-sized ones.

   Easy way to trick your brain!

 

* Dealing with public toilet phobia:

   Many ladies don't like to drink a lot of water because they don't like using public restrooms. I totally get you, I find them disgusting and I find western-style toilets barbarically unhygienic (seriously, it took me years to make myself actually sit on one that wasn't in my house). Still, I think that the advantages of being hydrated outweigh the sacrifice of peeing in public restrooms. Another solution would be to drink most water during the times you are at home, especially first thing after you wake up and as soon as you get home.

* Don't like water?

    Unfortunately fizzy drinks can't replace water, and coffee only makes you dehydrated (since the body uses a lot of water to flush the caffeine out). But it's easy to make your water more palatable: a dash of fruit juice, kombucha, or herbal tea do wonders for the taste. Or put a lemon slice or fresh mint leaves into your carafe.

    What are your tips for staying hydrated? Or do you naturally love guzzling water? Do share.

Weekend Reads 09-06-2012

      Hi everyone, how did your week go? In summer my town comes alive, so I had so many fun things to chose from. I ended up goin to a Persian festival, an anti-ACTA protest (of course) and lazing around in my lovely garden. Oh, and making a bonfire, which unfortunately ended up in us grabbing all our stuff and running away from the rain! I hope your week was lovely as well.
    Here is some lovely stuff I read during the week and though you would like:

* Style: Here is a great guide to choosing glasses, with great advice like: "If you search the Interwebs, you will find a lot of conflicting information on how to choose the right color frames for your complexion, so here is my opinion: The color of your frames should bring out your best facial feature."

* DIY: Pimp your wallet

* Wisdom: Apathy vs acceptence

*Nails: A basic guide to painting your nails. Finally I found out how to avoid painting my cuticles.

* Body: How to highlight your assets

* Food: Zoetica´s blender recipes

Eyewear Giveway! For You!

     I was pleased to be contacted by Firmoo, an online optical store of prescription eyeglasses and prescription sunglasses, who generously offered a free pair of glasses or sunnies for me as well as for you (two of you, actually!) (giveway details below!). I alternate between glasses and contact lenses -- I used to wear only contact lenses but my doctor warned me against wearing them for more than 8 hours daily, and told me to have a contacts-free day every week. I own a cheap pair which I bough, fully expecting them not to survive my trip to Bolivia (they did), but I jumped at the opportunity of getting a more stylish pair!

    Firmoo has quite a big selection of frames! Picking out a pair of glasses can be hard, fortunately I had a rough idea of what I wanted -- rectangular frames, since my face is a roundish-oval. The glasses I already own helped to serve as a guide of the width that I needed. I found the Firmoo site is pretty easy to use, I especially liked the option of searching by PD. I mostly used the Virtual Try-On where you can upload your photo and see how the glasses look on you, and I liked the way you can compare three pairs of eyewear side-by-side. Even though eyewear in Germany is way cheaper than in the US, I found Firmoo eyewear prices even more affordable. My only complaint is that while some glasses have several photos from different angles, others do not. Also, a slightly bigger selection of rimless glasses would be great! I would have like those but I didn´t find a style that I liked. I chose these, and I can´t wait for them to arrive!

Giveway Time!

  Firmoo is generously giving away two pairs of eyewear! This includes prescription glasses as well as sunnies! And, everyone who participates gets a coupon worth 25$!

  To enter, just follow the Rafflecopter instructions. Giveway is open till 17 June 9 July, and the winners will be picked by random.org. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  If you want to oder your eyewear right now, here is a coupon code for 30% off for any eyewear purchased at Firmoo: ETERNAL30. It is valid until July 4th.

   Does anyone of you also like mens eyewear? I find the lines stronger and cleaner, but do like delicate womens styles as well.

Giveway featured on Contestgirl

Anti-Aging For Young Skin

     I'm pretty surprised that in central Europe most anti-aging products are about repair rather than prevention. There many products targeted at mature skin, which focus on minimising existing wrinkles, but there is barely anything for under-30s who are getting (or going to get) their first lines. Prevention of ageing is a big thing in east asia (or so I hear), and should be a part of every younger woman's skin care regimen.

So what can you do if you are in your 20s?

Eat, move, drink

     The people with the best skin that I know are the ones that eat simply but healthy (basically lots of fresh fruit and veggies) and stay hydrated. And I have noticed that people who have been doing yoga (or something similar) regularly look less than their age even in their 70s.
       Basically, the best skin care regime will not help you if you eat crap, smoke, and sit in front of the TV all day long.

Avoid the sun:

       This photo is the best proof of how sun ages the skin. But before you slather on any old sunscreen, inform yourself as because there is more to than than SPF. Many sunscreens are not photostable, or don't protect from both UVA and UVB, or contain ingredients that are more likely to give you skin cancer than the sun. Also, you need to apply a certain amount of product to get the promised protection. Avoid anything with nano-particles.

Protecting skin elasticity:

   Be gentle on the skin, don't tug or pull. Don't overdo on the scrubs, your face is not the bathroom floor. Be gentle when removing eye makeup. Massage your face in upward movements, using a moisturiser or oil as lubricant. If you want to prevent slack facial muscles, try face exercises.

Choose your skin care wisely:

Moisturise:
       Obviously keeping the face moisturised helps to delay ageing. I like hylauron, urea in lower percentages. Collagen is also a good moisturiser (but it doesn't have any other anti-aging properties!). Occlusives like plant oils are great for sealing the moisture in.

Anti-aging ingredients to look for:

Check the ingredient lists of your moisturisers, serums and creams for these:

• Antioxidants: look for extracts of green tea, pomegranate and blueberries.
• Vitamin C: of all vitamins, vit C is the one that is best for preventing ageing. It helps the skin to regenerate faster.
• Adenosine Triphosphoric Acid: Stimulates the production of skin protein. Meant for skin that has already lost firmness.
• Oils: rose hip, carrot, seabuckthorn, argan, berry seed, pomegranate seed as well as neroli essential oil have anti-aging properties. These can also be used for oil-cleansing, or as moisturisers.

    I have heard the opinion that anti-aging products might harm younger skin. This is only true for "strong" anti-wrinkle ingredients like AHAs. The ingredients I have mentioned in this post are great for skin of all ages!
    Also, labels like "for ages 40 upwards" on products should not be taken seriously. Your skin can be up to 10 years younger or older than you are!

Be happy

   If you feed your soul everyday and keep your inner joy alive, you will be beautiful even if you are 100 and covered in wrinkles. Nothing looks as good as a woman who feels comfortable in her skin!



    Do you use / have you used anti-aging products in your 20s? What are the attitudes to ani-aging skin care in your country? What are your best anti-agin skin tips?

On Scents, Perfume, Toxicity and Essential Oils

    I am starting to get obsessed with scents. So today's post will be about perfume, it's a bit rambly so bear with me.

     I always had a strong memory for scents, and in my first pregnancy I suddenly developed a very keen sense of smell. But I don't know the names of the scents, I can't distinguish between the notes. Now I'm trying to read up on scents and learn, and some day I hope to mix my own natural perfumes.

   Perfume newbies might like this perfume FAQ from basenote forums which has lots of nice tips (btw the whole forums are great). And if you like scents and magical movies, do watch Jasminium (you can download english subtitles from the internet.)

 
   The problem with conventional perfumes is that they are probably the most toxic of all cosmetics. This is because the ingredients are legally "trade secrets" and don't have to be declared, so the manufacturers can put inside whatever they like, without restrictions. The Öko Test recently ran a test of 30 perfumes, checking for ingredients that are harmful to health. Only four perfumes were graded as "satisfactory". The rest were much worse, even the very expensive one. Because of this, the Öko Test recommends applying perfume on clothes, not on the skin.
   Obviously, it's the same with the ingredient "perfume" in skin and hair care --- it's likely to irritate the skin, apart from probably being unhealthy. Certified natural cosmetics may contained scent that essential oils, so it's ok. Incidentally, I realised that the Skin Deep cosmetic directory cannot tell whether the ingredient "fragrance" is natural and synthetic, and because of this it often wrongly raises the toxicity rating of products from brands like Weleda.

   I have another problem with conventional perfume -- most smell chemical-y to me. It's unpleasant enough to keep at a distance to the perfume aisle. It's comparable to that detergent-y smell in the cleaning products aisles of the supermarket, which I dislike ever since I switched to natural cleaning products. But then, I told you I have an over-sensitive nose.
   I tend towards natural perfume, but this isn't easy either. The ones I like tend to be very expensive, and the cheaper ones are too simplistic (I want an interesting blend of scents, not rose EO added to lavender EO).
   My experiments in mixing perfume so far have been rather haphazard. I did have someone make a custom scent for me once though. It was a bearded Sufi guy with at a corner of a fleamarket with scented oils he brought back from his travels in the middle east, which he mixed and poured into the most amazingly beautiful fragile fluted glass vials. He mixed an earthy, oriental scent for me, which I still have. Unfortunately I don't remember what he used to make it.

May ´12 Hair Update + Honey Rinse

  So I let my hairdresser cut several inches off my hair. I´m glad that he suggested it -- I got instantly more lift, volume and waves. Having almost waist-length hair is nice, but it does weight everything down. It was more than half a year since I had a hair cut, and this time I felt a bit guilty towards my hairdresser -- he had a lot of work! I resolved to get the next one in four months, like a normal human being.

   This is what my hair looked like after the cut:

    I love my hairdresser´s work, I got lots of texture, volume and movement. (Artistically messy is the look I asked for). But the shampoo did dry out my hair and make it frizz. Time to co-wash!

After one co-wash:

After a month:

after protein treatment and parsley n honey rinse

   Much better! I think I forgot to take off my root-lifting clips for the photo, that´s why the strange thing going on at the top. Also, I realise that the curls go only halfway up my hair -- I probably need to scrunch higher up as well?

   As for my routine, I am continuing with modified co-washing. It goes like this: conditioner on the length of the hair, and a little bit of sulfate-free shampoo on the roots. Rinse out, then condition again, this time scrunching. Dry with a microfibre towel, in scrunching motions. Turban wrap for a few minutes, then us a duck clip to lift the hair on my crown as it air-dries.

    I try to do a protein-treatment at least once a month, and at least once a week I do a herbal or beer rinse / oil conditioning / hair masque.

Honey rinse

   Honey for hair isn´t exactly new, but I though I´d write about it to motivate any of you who haven´t used it yet to try it out. Honey is a humectant so it´s a great moisturiser, and it also gives hold to the hair like hairspray. Except that unlike hairspray it is really easy to remove -- all you need is water. I like to add a spoonful of honey to a herbal rinse (basically a herb steeped in hot water) and use it as a last rinse. I feel that it gives "hold" to my waves and the occasional curl, and doesn´t allow the hair to droop. I used parsley in the photo, if you´d like detailed instructions and ideas there are many in this post on DIY herbal hair rinses.

    How often do you get your hair cut? Do you like your hairdresser? Any advice for hair that curls only on the bottom half?