[mandolyn]

so.cannot.let.this.thread.die.

none of my hair products are working properly these days. and i'm combining "product cocktails" like crazy (teency amounts, not huge globs). but i've just realized - i haven't used the neutrogena anti-residue shampoo since forever, so maybe that's it. but i'm also tempted to splurge on my beloved keristase again. i pine for the consistent great style it gives my hair. shit's like crack for me.

i trimmed my own bangs. the first time since starting with the new stylist. i love her, she's beyond fab, but i don't think she cuts my bangs properly. they keep curling into a backwards "c" no matter how straight i blow them.

/end hair babbling.

[mandolyn]

taligator, i love your new 'do! low-maintenance yet chic is the best of all possible worlds!

(((punkerplus))) don't give up hope. the trick is finding the right stylist (which sometimes you have to pay $$$ for) and the right styling products. oh, and luck, of course. i'm finally thrilled with my mind-of-its-own hair, but it's certainly been an arduous journey.

(((lawyergirl))) did your friend come to your rescue? i accidentally dyed my mother's hair the blackest black, and it took two visits to professional colorists to fix, but it's definitely fixable.

and by the way, your attorney is a sexist asshole for implying that if you're a blonde, you won't be taken seriously, or whatever. just my two cents. good luck with your hair and the lawsuit.

[punkerplus]

I am forever doomed to have crap hair. It has been decided by the Gods. I was probably a hair demon in a past life and then went bald and killed virgin peasant saints for their spun gold locks and this life is my punishment.

Gragh. Hairdressers.

[taligator]

This has nothing to do with wearing hair specifically but .. I tried the Jonathan brand shampoon and conditioner this week .. OMG it was awful! I had such high hopes for it but it felt like rubbing honey into my hair and then trying to rinse was awful. My hair felt like a wet dog afterwards. I then put on the conditioner hoping it would ease out the knots and it did until I removed it and then I had to comb out the knots in my hair. It was insane. I've never had a shampoo/conditioner pair knot my hair up like that and then it felt like it was coated in something waxy after it was rinsed and dried. I'm really surprised ..

Anybody else used his products? I like his Dirt product but the shamp/conditioner had to get returned to the store. I'll stick with the Bumble and Bumble.

[ginger_kitty]

taligator, super cute cut, really compliments the shape of your face.

(((lawyergirl)))

I am used to drastically changing my hair every few months, but I decided to grow it out a few months ago. And I feel like I am stuck in a rut. I want long hair, I haven't grown it long since I was like 14, but I am craving change!!!! It's my natural red color w/ blonde streaks, I have been tossing around the idea of coloring the streaks bright red or orange, but I am hesitant b/c I am job hunting.

[taligator]

Oh I'm sorry to hear about your hair (and your lawsuit)! Maybe you can get it down to a honey color initially after it's been stripped and that won't be as bad.

Keep us posted and thanks!

[lawyergirl]

Hi Taligator,
Your pics are cute! Nice haircut! I love it! I have had my hair very blonde for 20 years, and upon the slight suggestion of my attorney last Friday, I regrettably dyed it black over the weekend, (he is very conservative, and I have a major lawsuit going against my workplace for discrimination and hostile work environment for me and my 2 girlfriends 4 telling on my perverted, sexually harrasing boss...) I liked it (my hair, NOT the boss..........ick!) for one day, but it's just not me...........I callled my girlfriend who does my hair, in tears, this afternoon, trying to see if she can undo the horrid thing I have done to my hair.....no guarantees..............she will see me 2morrow nite. i am scared 2 death. if i cannot get this depressing color off, and back to my platinum blonde beloved color, i may just shave my head, and wear a wig for months....seriously....i hate how i look now, and cannot live with this!

[taligator]

And I did it .. pardon the awful pictures but I did get my hair cut today (surprisingly) and I'm very happy with the results. It's much neater looking and trimmed up. It'll grow into the shape I want as well.

[taligator]

Well, I decided to go for it and am going to try and find a stylist who will do an inverted bob on my hair. When I say "try to find" I don't mean one that will do it just because I say so but one who thinks it will look OK on me and can actually understand me.

Is it too much to ask to want a stylist to speak and understand english? To understand face shapes and haircuts that fit the face you have and not just do what you ask? I have a hard time finding that around here (San Jose, CA) and I don't mean to be rude about it but I want someone who speaks English and that sounds terrible.

Here's a couple pics of my hair now. I had curled it so it looks shorter than it is but I think that if I cut it now in the inverted bob style it'll continue to grow and fill in that shape whereas right now it's just sort of hanging around looking ugly.

ETA: I made an appointment today to see a stylist to get my hair cut. I'm so excited I'm nervous. I'm not used to going some place and paying them more than $10 to do my hair - then again I usually don't care what my hair looks like but lately I do care and I think it's time.

I'll post pics when I get back tonight .. assuming I'm not too embarassed

[sixelacat]

This killer heat and my broken air-conditioning had something to do with it, I'm sure! Mostly I was just looking at it thinking I don't DO anything with all this hair, it has to go, now ! I'll try and get some pictures up this weekend....

mouse, I mailed off the hair to Locks for Love. It's weird to think somebody could be wearing my hair on their head

[punkerplus]

Yeah! Go sixelacat! Did anything spur you on? Or was it really a spur of the moment, devil be damned haircut? We want before and after pics!

[mouse]

wow! sixelacat!!!! man spontaneous drastic haircuts are the BEST. pictures??? honestly i think that's the worst thing about having short hair to begin with--you can't get all dramatic and go "I'M CUTTING MY HAIR ALL OFF!!!". it's just kind of......anti-climactic. nothing like the first time!

you should do something ridiculous with the leftover hair, like make a purse. or a HAT! that would be hilarious.

[sixelacat]

Okay, I can't quite believe I did this, but I got a bit restless yesterday with my hair, went into a salon as a walk-in, and CUT IT ALL OFF! I had no idea how long my hair really had got, but the stylist measured it and she cut off a FOOT. She suggested donating it (which I hadn't thought about), so I have this foot-long ponytail of hair to mail off today. Now it's 2-3 inches long all over my head, in a kind of piece-y, razored-y kind of way....gah. I'm still in shock....I do sort of like it, though....

[sybarite]

Punkerplus, it will kill your hair, but try backcombing your fringe so it stays off your forehead, then shaping it with hairspray so it goes 'quiff-like'.

I could never get my fringe to stay off my forehead, which is why I don't have one anymore. I'm too afraid of growing it out...

[punkerplus]

I'm just a graffiti nut in general actually bklyn! She is by far my favourite artist though. The icon I just found on the internet but I did see some of her work in Barcelona and oh its so much better in real life. I can't believe you know her. Sigh.

Ok, back on topic. If you have some shape cut into your hair it doesn't necessarily mean you won't be able to wear it up. If you had long layers that'd be fine I'd imagine.

I just get so fed up of wearing my growing out fringe is a side swept mess. Its a vicious cycle of me trying to grow out my hair and fringe, getting annoyed, getting it all cut off, and so on. Also I keep a log of people with cool hair that I see on the internet, so when I want to get my hair cut its there. I'm sure they'd be terrified to know that.

And so the key is little bits at a time, not all at once. I'm going to go and practice!

[tyger]

bklyn, what i used to do was start with a ponytail, leaving the front few inches down. then take small/medium bits of hair and bobby-pin them up (depending on how long your hair is, you can pin the same piece up 2-4 times, making little 'loops' however you want them). then pin some of the front back and up and loopy like the rest, or you can put it all back (depending on how you like bits hanging by your face. the big thing is to really be kinda lazy/half-assed about it. because if you're trying *really hard* to make it look cute and imperfect, it usually just ends up looking bad, but if you're actually relaxed about how it ends up looking it comes out much nicer

[bklynhermit]

punkerplus -- i love your icon! where'd you get it? i actually know the girl who does those, and i keep seeing her stuff in all these great new places. like in an adidas ad?! or are you a French grafitti nut and i just didn't know it?

now on to hair. i have that same problem. everyone has these quirky piecey updos and every time i try it just looks silly. i would love a step by step on that.

also, in a similar vein, i'm feeling a haircut jones. my hair is getting long now, and i like it long, but i feel like as my hair grows it really lacks shape and style. and since i have no idea how to fix it up, i wear it down all the time and it looks stringy and flat and gross. i made a hair appointment for a few weeks from now, and i've decided to start observing cool people with cool hairstyles and try to get some inspiration.

every cool hairstyle i see is a way of doing up long hair.

so what should i do? should i cut some shape into it, sacrificing the length that would allow me to acheive what i apparently really want, which is long hair pulled up? should i just cut it? does anyone have some long hair transition styles, or a good website where i could figure this out? my hair is straight and fine and not terribly thick. it's about shoulder length now, slightly longer in front due to the aftermath of a razor-cut bob.

i love Mouse's hair, but bangs make me look like a 5 year old. so that style is out of the question.

[punkerplus]

Hello there! A part of the lounge I've never posted in before - I'm a little scared.

I need your help. How do you do the fun quiff style thing? I always try but bits fall out and it looks silly and i get angry and I was wondering if anyone had step by step instructions. (Bustygirl.... I know you'd be able to do this!)

And a bit late, but I want to squee a little at mouse's hair. Its gorgeous. I wish I could rock short hair.

[candycane_girl]

Hi everyone, this is my first post in this newly designed forum! Anyway, onto the actual topic. I went through with the Japanese straightening and I love it! I would post a picture but I don't have a before to compare it to. Anyway, I've been told that it's good to do protein/deep conditioning treatments on my hair now, to keep it soft, but I don't know what products to use. Any suggestions?

[mouse]

beeeeeeeeee! thanks for all the compliments ladies. it is mostly my natural haircolor; i dyed it a couple of shades darker than it usually is a few months ago, but it's mostly faded back to the original. my roots are a little lighter, but not noticeably. i think i may forgo the red and bleaching, the reasons being twofold: one, i'm worried about it being too hipster-stylee, and two, i'm still poor and have other things i would rather be spending money on.

koshkasbritvas: maybe your friend could try henna dyes? what color does she want to dye it? henna's primarily reds and auburns, but you can get other colors too. i've had a lot of good experiences with henna, and it's all natural and good for your hair to boot.