How To Determine Your Hair's Porousity, And Why It Is Important

    Porous or non-porous hair ? This will help you understand you hair´s behaviour and what kind of treatments it will best respond to.


What is hair porousity? It is a way to describe how the hair scales life. If the hair scales lie flat then the hair is low porousity. If they scales stand away, the hair is porous.

Highly porous hair

    Porous hair means hair that has gaps and holes in its shaft --- either dues to genetics, or damage. It easily absorbs a lot of water (this leads to frizz and breakage), and easily looses even more water (this leads to dryness). This kind of hair usually likes protein. Emollients (like natural oils) and slightly acidic rinses seal the scales shut.

Non-porous hair

     Non-porous hair has very tightly-bound scales, with no gaps. This kind of hair doesn´t like protein, since protein weights it down and makes it feel like straw. If non-porous hair gets dry, it´s hard to get the moisture in --- usually some heat is required to get the scales to open (think warm oil or shower cap)

Hair Porosity Tests: 

   The most reliable way to test porousity is under a microscope, if you have access to one. If not, there are a couple of tests that can help you determine your hairs porousity. The hair on different parts of the head often has different porosity. Test hair from the front hairline, in front of ears, and near the crown:

The finger test:

   Run a single hair between thumb and ring finger (this finger is more sensitive than the index finger). If the hair feels uneven, knobbly and bumpy then it´s porous. Non-porous hair feels smooth.

Reverse finger test:

   Hold a hair end firmly. With the other hand, run fingers from end to scalp. When the hair ruffles, and its is difficult to slide the fingers, then the hair is porous.

The water test:

    Put a strand of hair in a bowl of water. The sooner it sinks, the more porous it is. Very porous hair sinks in under a minute. Non-porous hair will float. Update: this method is ureliable, since hair is usually coated with natural oils and other stuff that might make it float (or sink).

The theories method:

    There are certain theories about which types of hair are more porous than others. 

Chances that your hair is non-porous if:

* It´s very shiny
* It repels water
* It is straight
* Is difficult to perm or colour.

Chances that your hair is porous if:
* It is curly
* It's always dry
* Holds styles well
* It gets frizzy and soaks water fast
* It is damaged
* It is often blow-dried, hot-curled, straightened, permed, bleached, dyed chemically, etc.
* It is easy to dye, but the colous gets washed out quicker.

Medium porosity is the best, of course. Knowing how porous your hair is makes it easier to pick the right care regimen and products that work with your hair and not against it.

   Coming up: what to do about very porous hair

    

Weekend reads 05-03-2011

* Fashion: Which is your best white ?

* Style: The many uses of fashion tape. I read this and ordered me some.

* Humour & Glamour: How To… Be Assaulted by a Horde of StreetStyle Photographers (Myself included) by  Garance Doré is ridiculously funny.

* Lazy Unselfishness: Virtue, Volunteering From Your Couch

* Frugality: How to save money on groceries

* Parenting: Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior --- a controversial but thought provoking piece.

* DIY: make over an old sweater into a cute bolero

I´m no newbie when it comes to eyebrow shaping, but I did learn some new stuff from this video:

Learn How to shape your eyebrows with eyebrow guru Ramy Gafni. For more Hair Removal How-To Videos & Articles, visit WonderHowTo.

    

DIY beauty tips from Joie

Here is an article about DIY beauty from the fist issue of Joie. The author, Amanda Cook, is doing a year long beauty detox, which she documents on Vintage Savoir Faire.

The article includes a couple of simple beauty recipes. Enjoy !

Problems with flaking skin

 

      I am dealing with seborrhea on my scalp and face. Seborrhea is a fungus that looks like dandruff when its on the head, but it can also invade different parts of the body. It makes the skin flake off in silvery-white patches. It´s medically harmless, but aesthetically annoying. And it´s really hard to get rid of.

   I have pretty much ignored the flaking skin on the sides of my nose and between my eyebrows, until I started using mineral makeup. The foundation really made the little flakes show, so I exfoliated really thoroughly with my microfibre cloth. But as soon as I started blending in the foundation with the brush, out came the flakes again. I actually exfoliated again, and the flakes still reappeared.
    The flakes wouldn´t go away no matter what I tried, so I asked my doc. She told me to try Dr. Hauschka Med´s Intensive Ice Plant Cream. Its meant for flaky irritated skin, as well as for neurodermitis problems. It´s part of the Med line, so you might not see it on Dr Hauschka´s web page. I paid 20€ for it which I consider a lot for a beauty product, but it´s been worth it.
    When I started using it, the skin on the sides of my nose peeled off (like in peeled, not flaked). Four weeks later, there is no sign of flaking and my skin fells really good. The cream is very moisturising without being the least bit oily. I´m very pleased with the results so far. So if you have problems with irritated, itchy or flaky skin, I recommend you give it a try. Stores that carry it give out samples if you ask.

    The flaking on my head is another story. The product I´m using is not helping, although it works amazingly well on my guy. Am I doing something wrong, or is my seborrhea more stubborn ? I´d also love to understand what really triggers the spread of this fungus. I´ve heard all kinds of things from emotional blockades to digestive problems, but no clear explanation that would hit home for me.

      Got any tips for me ? Every struggled with flaking skin ? What´s the maximum you´ve ever spent on a beauty product ? Was it worth it ?

A Frakkin Battlestar Galactica Interlude

    I´ve just finished watching the season 4 finale of BSG and I still can´t stop thinking about it ! I´m not generally a big sci-fi fan, but this show rocked my socks off. I was already hooked halfway into the first episode, loving the action and the characters. It´s an amazing mix of drama, haunting emotions, with a touch of mysticism and a lot of suspense. The look is a big grungy and grainy, You care for the characters, and empathize with their real, complex emotions.



   More reasons why I love BSG (no spoilers):

* Everyone is a shade of grey.
    Each of the characters has their dark sides, parts of their character they are struggling with. There is no childish division of good guys vs bad guys. The characters often let their darker traits take over, and you end up loving and hating them at the same time because

* It´s gritty and realistic.
They don´t come up with a sci-fi solution for every problem. Characters die. Those that survive struggle with survivor´s guilt. The problems, the happy and sad moments are not far removed from what we know, in spite of happening a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

And they are all hot.

* Strong, real female characters.
    Finally, a feminist Sci-fi ! Battlestar Galactica´s ladies are strong, real characters, that would have worked even if you switched their gender. Even though they are all good-looking, they are under-glamourised throughout the show (except for the head 6, but she has a good excuse). They get dirty and grungy doing their jobs. I admit I have a ladycrush on Kara Thrace, for her tomboyish looks and her drunken laugh. However, there is plenty of eye-candy for the ladies, too.

* The romance
    For an action-oriented series, the love stories are deep, touching and often heart-wrenching. I have teared up several times during the series. The love stories are often messy and complicated, with twists and  turns and lows and highs.

* The music
   The intro goes from the Gayatri Mantra to the amazing Gaelic drums. The sountrack includes a trance-like version of Bob Dylan´s "All Along The Watchtower". And ethnic instruments like er hu, zhong hu, bansuri, duduk, nagado daikos and tablas. Main characters have a leitmotif. Of course you don´t always notice it, what with all the action and romance happening on the screen, but it´s totally worth keeping an ear open for.

* It´s no kiddy tale.
I was always annoyed how most sci-fy seemed like it was written for the under-13 crowd: girls and boys just hold hands, and everything episode ends on a happy note. BSG is refreshingly grown-up, and girls and boys share hot, steamy moments. Some of the characters drink heavily, and smoke cigars (some, like Starbuck, do a lot of both). And everyone says "Frack".

* The WTF moments.
Especially the ones brought to us by Gaius Baltar. BTW why does he look like Jesus when he grows out the hair and beard ? Also: the fat Lee Adama. and every moment with Romo Lampkin.

* The dry humor:
'Helo' Agathon: That's my Raptor wranglers, always looking for new and interesting ways to get killed.

*

Gaius Baltar: “All we need is strength, and strength comes from within…and guns. More guns. Bigger guns. Better guns.” 

*

Apollo: (speaking to Starbuck who is in the brig) What’s the charge this time?
Starbuck: Striking a superior asshole.

*

Laura: (talking to Tory about getting information from Baltar) I don't really care if you have to spend the night on your knees praying, or just on your knees. I want a name.

   And the last season finale ? I liked it that not all the mysteries were forcibly solved. Gives me something to ponder about at random moments.

     What are you waiting for, go and watch it !


For those of you who have already watched the series:

For fans of Starbuck
Frak yeah BSG
Gaius on Tumblr
Top 100 scenes of BSG


Now some picspam, because I couldn´t decide which images to post.

Bra Fitting For Petites

"I have used various bra calculators and charts, including the ones listed on your blog. The thing is that I'd like to find out if it would make a difference if I'm petite."
           --- K.


Being petite doesn´t affect the bra size, but it does affect the type of bra you should look for. Petites usually have a proportionally smaller upper torso, and the distance from breasts to shoulder is shorter than for a tall girl. These rules don´t apply for every petite out there, but they are good general guidelines:

* Bras that are low-cut under the armpit:

Bras that have wide (high) side panels and long underwires will probably poke into your armpit. So look for bras cut low on the sides, with underwires that don´t go all the way up. Usually dainty and skimpier bras are like that. Be careful with catalogue pictures: all bras will look low-cut on giraffe-proportioned models, on you they might look like turtlenecks. If you are buying online, try Balkonetka´s Catalogue for photos of bras on non-models.

* Adjustible shoulder straps:

Petites often need to tighten their shoulder straps, since the décolletée area is shorter than average. Not all bra straps are equally adjustable -- many can be tightened only a little, especially the ones with decorations on the front part. As the straps stretch with time, you might find you cannot tighten them any more. If you can do some basic sewing, you can always shorten them. If you don´t sew, buy only those you can tighten a lot. Straps that can be tightened all the way are usually more practical.

* Closely placed shoulder straps

This doesn´t apply if you are broad-shouldered. But if you are not, it is possible that very widely spaced straps will slip off. This post talks about strap placement.


Dear petites, what did I miss ? What is your greatest challenge when looking for a bra ? Any tips for K?

Photo via weheartit    

Todoist, the Zen-est of task managers

Warning: this love letter will be very interesting for all the other Penelopes. If the word "organized" disturbs you, just escape.

   I use Todoist manage my to-do lists, plans, as well as affirmations and motivating images . I love it because it's uncluttered, easy to use, and yet has some powerful features. I think that Todoist really nailed Einstein's "Everything should be made as simple as possible. But not simpler." And this simplicity makes Todoist a really flexible and powerful tool.

   When I was looking for a task manager, I signed up for half a dozen free online services and did some test runs. They all fell through at some point. Then Unclutterer pointed me towards Todoist.

Why I´m such a fan

   I chose Todoist because of its simplicity. There are no distractions. Adding a task is easy, especially with keyboard shortcuts. Also, it's really easy to get several different overviews of your tasks (by list, by tag, by due date, by priority, etc). I love that you aren't forced to use these extra features: if you don't need to use lists, priority, sub-tasks, tags, you don't have to. You can even add tasks without a due date (Yay ! can you imagine that many scheduling software doesn't let you do this ? Am I the only one who doesn't know when she will finally feel like making that book clock ?) 

   Also, I dig how Todoist understands typed commands such as "thurs", "every day" or "every 25". (Granted, if the event is biweekly, bimonthly or biyearly I have to add it twice).

   To organise stuff, I can create sub-tasks. And sub-sub tasks. And lists can have sub-lists. The sub-tasks can be collapsed to cut visual clutter.

    I can add tags such as @errand, @home @computer or @husband. If I'm going out with an errand, I can look up @errands to see what else I can do on the way. 

How I use Todoist

Since Todoist has become my life command center, I will show you how I use it for different things:

I put in everything that I have to do, want to do, or just think about doing someday. 

Tasks that I I do regularly are set to repeat. I water the plants every Tuesday. Translating a text that I'm working on is on wed.Cleaning my house is divided into chunks for each day of the week. Updating my medicine cabinet is twice a year. I also add reminders to wish people on birthdays, buy gifts, send cards. And then I can forget them until they pop up.

I save mental energy by not having to think about when was it last that I had vacuumed the fridge coils or watered my dracaena.

Lists ahoy !

    I also use Todoist as a list maker. That's right, random, rambling lists. Books and movies that sound interesting. Hoop tricks (along with video URLs) that I want to master. Things that sound interesting enough to try them some day. Blog post ideas. A wish list. A gardening list with all the garden tasks & chores arranged by month.

   I can change these items into to-dos: when I decide that I want to work on this hoop move on sunday afternoon, I just need to add a date next to the item. And it will appear in my to-do list on that day.

Inform and inspire

   Those scraps of wisdom, pretty quotes and affirmations that you're told to write some place obvious ? They're on my Todoist. A quote on saving appears on Mondays. Astrological advice to re-check everything during Merc retrograde appears daily during that period. I´m so happy I thought of this because I never notice stuff when it´s on my bulletin board or my notebook.

   This is why I love Todoist. Did I mention it's free ? I also like their about page.

DIY dry shampoos (& what NOT to use as dry shampoo)

Dry shampoo can save you behind when:

* Your friend calls you with an invitation to a fantastic event that's starting in half an hour. And you haven't washed your hair in days.
* You can't shower after getting operated.
* Travelling. Especially backpacking through the shower-less wilderness.
* Your shower is broke. Or clogged.


What you can use as a DIY dry shampoo:

• Flour
• Coco powder (for dark hair !)
• Cosmetic clay (green, white, agar-agar, healing earth)
• Dry algeas
• Potato / corn starch (very absorbent, harder to brush out. Shows on darker hair)
• Oatmeal (blended fine)
• Almond meal
• Cornmeal (it has really large granules, easier to brush out. Yellow, doesn't show on dark hair)

What I don't recommend:

• Baby powder or talc: inhaled, it causes lung problems.
• Baking soda: It's alkaline which means it spoils the pH balance of the scalp and its drying. Use baking soda only for clarifying.

    You can mixing the powders to create your favourite mix. For example, coco powder will make flour or starch darker. Combining cornmeal with cornstarch creates a dry shampoo that is very absorbent, but not too hard to brush out.

   I recommend putting the mixture into a salt or Parmesan cheese shaker. For a nice scent, add a few drops of essential oil. Tip: add some chickpeas or beans or beads to keep the powder loose and easy to shake out.


How to dry shampoo:

   Dab a little on the roots with your fingers, or separate the hair and sprinkle straight on roots. Do all of your scalp. Massage in gently till the hair looks cleaner (if it doesn't, repeat step one). Then brush out the excess. Then flip your hair over and brush again.

Bra fitting for plus-sizes -- really big bands or not ?

    The bra calculator and table are usually inaccurate at both ends of the size spectrum (because the more material a bra has, the more it stretches). This means that plus-sized ladies that need big bands can´t rely on these tools to find their perfect size. You need to try on many bras to find the perfect fit. But don´t go: "I have small breasts so I need an A, I´m plus sized so I need 48".

How to find your bra size:

   You might want to go down a couple of band sizes, because big bands are stretchier than small bands. Also, fat on the ribcage is compressible. For example band 46(105) usually fits a woman with a tightly, measured 120 cm ribcage, though the calculator would say band 50(115). This is great news, since we all know that you get more bra choices in smaller bands. 

   When it comes to cups, you might need smaller than what the table/calculator says. This is because the torso, not the breasts, take up most of the bust measurement. 

   Another problem with such sizes is that the cups often poke into the armpit, so you may need to try on several models before you find something that is comfortable.

How to find that perfect bra

   If you´re not lucky enough to have a store like Bravissimo around, go to whatever large place sells bras in your neighbourhood. Even if you don´t find your size, trying on whatever sizes they have might give you an idea what to order online. And you might be surprised that a 44(95) band fits fine, even though the calculator says 48. Even if the bands are too tight, you might get some idea what cup size you are going for. Lets say the 44C cup is fine but the band is too tight, then you can look online for 46B.

   Online, the best strategy would be to find a store with a good return policy and order a bigger number of bras than you need. Say, a couple of models in a couple of different sizes. Send back the ones that don´t fit perfectly.

Do read: Does this bra fit ? How can I tell ? Print it out and bring it to the store.

Here is a list of great online retailers.

    I hope this didn´t discourage you. Once you find your perfect size and model, the effort will be totally worth it, I promise !

   I´d love it if any curvy readers cared to share their bra-fitting story.

How I store my jewelry

    I´m a visual person, so I need to have an overview of my stuff. I do love little bags and boxes, but as my jewelry collection grew, I no longer remembered what I had.



This is how I store everything except earrings and special (fragile or expensive) jewelry:

It´s a part of an Ikea Pax wardrobe. I must say nothing beats the Pax when it comes to functionality and saving space (at least not in this price range). I have planned my Pax to use up every last centimeter, and I love how practical it is. 

    The black hook that slides out is the Ikea Komplement pull-out rack. You could probably mount it on any wardrobe, as long as you don´ t mind making some holes. It takes up zero space when it´s pushed in, and when I pull it out I get a good overview of my necklaces. I want to get a couple of more to hang my belts and headscarves. 

The drawer holds my jewelry, sorted by colour. That makes it easy to grab something matching when I´m in a hurry. I can´t find the drawer on the Ikea site, but for those who don´ t like wood there is also this option.

Yes, I actually do sort my tops by colour

I have to admit I got inspired by this photo. Again, the organiser is from Ikea.

This is how I store my earrings:

   Yes, I had to consume large amounts of pralines to make those boxes empty ! Again, the earrings are kinda arranged by colour. The boxes fit the drawer almost perfectly.

   The fragile stuff, and special pieces that I wear only occasionally got their own separate box, where they live in the pretty boxes and bags.

    So, this is how I store my jewelry. How do you store yours ?

   I haven´t figured out how to store my makeup. I haven´t got much, but it´s overwhelming me already. Any ideas ?

Featured on We´re Organised Wendsday

Photos by Eternal*Voyageur    

Weekend Reads 12-02-2011

Fashion: The Real Story of UGGS !!!

Travel: Making Your Travel Dream a Reality

Life: Concentrate Your Power

Wardrobe: How To Care For Your Bras

Cute: How to Make Hearts from Plastic Straws

Home: The Life Expectancy of Your Home Tech

DIY: Removable Shoe Ruffles Tutorial

Style: Hiding Your Assets and Accentuating Your Liabilities

via funnyreceipts.com

G+ bras that are NOT impossibly wide set

A lot of big cups have a tiny band and cups that are under the armpits, not in the front. I explained in the last post what the problems is (in short: cups that are broad instead of deep, too flexible underwires, and wrong cup construction).

   Here is a small lists of bras that are not wide set in big sizes, as well as a list of bras to avoid. This is by no means an exhaustive list, feel free to add any other bras in the comments !


The good:

Eva Michalak: everything. Their  bras in big cups are very stable. Proof here and here. I wrote about this brand *here.*
Panache: George Cleo, Ariza. Sienna is almost ok.
Curvy Kate: padded bras are ok, but above HH not so good. The newer soft bras are better, for eg Ella, Angel, Emily, Princess, Showgirl
Bravissimo: Baubels, Dotty Spot, Alana (watch out, Alana cups tend to be smaller than standard) update: a reader says Alana in 34L makes cradles!
Freya: Arabella
Masquerade


The bad:

Ballet
Panache: Harmony, Portia, Tango, Sienna
Flirtelle: Sublime
Curvy Kate: Ella
Kalyani: Natural Charm
Fantasie: Apparently a lot of models

I know that this list is very incomplete, but I don´t have any more data. Do you have a good / bad bra in a bigger cup ? Do let me know in the comments. And keep coming back to this post for updates.

Photo by Kasica