Good Saturday to you!
It’s nice to see the rain around here, though I hope it stops soon so we can have time to enjoy the summer growth. Yesterday didn’t feel like the longest day of the year by us because it was overcast with distant storm clouds throughout the day.
Unlike Daisy from The Great Gatsby, I look forward to the longest day of the year, and I don’t miss it. I think it’s because I’m so appreciative longer days of light after dealing with the month of February. It’s the month I struggle with the most because I just want sun and energy and more Vitamin D in my system.
Don’t get me wrong. I actually love winter, but every year I DO feel the physical effects of sun deprivation in the form of chronic fatigue, and it’s become more pronounced the older I am.
Anyway, I was hoping for more sun during the longest day of the year, and hope for more sunny days in the years to come.
On to hair.
Where our class is working on getting acquainted with each other in the first week, I’ve started reading up on some features of hair’s properties to figure out why mine looks so dried out and unruly.
Last year, on my birthday, I went to a hairdresser for a cut and a little flash of color just to treat myself. It had been several months (problem number one regarding split ends) since I had gone to a hairdresser because I was trying to keep my budget under control.
But it was my birthday, I was in the midst of some very stressful events regarding my parents, and I just needed to relax. So, a quiet salon it is.
The kind hairdresser declined coloring a small portion of my hair, stating that my hair’s texture was far too brittle and she didn’t want to risk damaging it more.
“I know I shower regularly, but I try not to shampoo it every day…is there anything else that I can do?”
“Prolonged stress can damage it. If you have a lot of cortisol in your system, it’ll throw your hormones off balance and effect your scalp and hair texture…have you been stressed?”
“…Yeah…”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, we are going to have to wait on the color because if I hit this chemicals, I fear your hair is going to snap like straw.”
I loved Kathy, the hairdresser, for telling me that. She is my parents’ hairdresser, and I was very grateful for her honesty and integrity.
I’ve been getting better sleep and maintaining a predictable schedule in order to help mitigate my stress levels. I’ll get there.
*****
The other thing I’ve realized, and this sort of bums me out, is that I like to take hot showers in order to get body aches to subside. Aches from work, aches from age, aches from long hours of driving.
Hot water is great for cleaning hair because it does a better job of rinsing hair products from your hair; however, hot water lifts the cuticles that make up the hair strand’s surface. This, on a larger level (full head of hair) creates frizz. Your hair might be really clean, but the trade off is that it dries it out.
So, I need to find ways to make sure my hair doesn’t hit hot water as much as it does.
Or shave my head (NOOOOOOOO!).
Alright, maybe a modified mohawk…nevermind. What might be fun for me might be a nightmare for someone else to see so I’ll hold off going there.
Additionally!
When you’re young, teens and twenties, you’re a grease goblin who produces a lot of moisture and oils, generally speaking. The older you get, the less moisture you produce. You have to fight drying up like a raisin, which has been a bit of a challenge for me given that I have to consciously think to drink water (thank you, central NJ…never liked the water in our town so have never been inclined to drink it even when it was free from the outside garden tap!)
So I stand at the sink multiple times per day just to drink water. And eat all the watery foods. I’m sure there are other things I can do, but I’m tight on funds and need to work with what I’ve got.
So! Lesson learned! Avoid letting my hair hit water on a daily basis, and chill the fuck out!
Why do I care?
Because I’ve seen my image in the mirror more times in the first week of school than I have in the past year in totality, and it’s drawn my attention to how wrecked my hair looks with age. Anyone who knew me when I was young knew my hair wasn’t much better then, and I was really trying to find my stride.
I never did. If anything, I sort of gave up and gave it the chop. Not the best look for a girl of my stature.
I will try to avoid that route again, ‘cause it’s liable to stress me out and make me cry, the exact thing I’m trying to avoid.
Enough on that. Thanks for taking the time to read even if you don’t give a hoot about the topic.
Enjoy your day and this great rain!