20 Struggles Of Fine Haired Girls

1) Hair gets trapped in your watchband and you don't realise until you accidentally yank it out.
2) Strands of hair stick to your face and you can't find it without checking a mirror.
3) Your pony tail constantly falls out.
4) You need to wash or dry shampoo your hair every day.
5) Your goes limp after it's been curled or straightened.
6) You can see your scalp through your hair.
7) There's not enough hair to conceal a hair donut/sock bun.
8) Long hair must be tied up or it will catch onto things.
9) A haircut costs the same as someone who has more hair and takes more time to cut than yours.
10) After a few rounds of GHD, split ends appear.
11) You feel raindrops hitting your head hard.
12) Your scalp is extra sensitive to hairdryer heat.
13) You can't have bangs or you'll have hardly any volume in your hair.
14) Plaits or braids look like rats tails.
15) Hair appears glued to your head after it's been slept on.
16) Hair gets caught in your mouth or pasted over your sweaty forehead during a workout.
17) Brushing out knots causes more hair loss so sometimes you don't.
18) Any static causes flyaway strands to stand up on end.
19) You can't grow your hair beyond your armpits without it look straggly.
20) Watching your fine hair get even finer with age.

Gel Nails Hack - Clear Gel Glitter Gradient

This is a trick I learned when I had gels nails done. To prolong the effect, pick a transparent base with a glitter gradient from the tips. You can go an extra two weeks or more without having to remove them. Also you can clip and buff the nails if you feel the nails are too long.

Regrowth is practically invisible. You could grow out the gel so there's less of it to soak off when it eventually gets removed. Works great for my nails because they grow so quickly and I don't like the soaking and scraping. Some salons charge a little extra for the gradient effect but it's worth it.

Romwe Review - What You See vs The Reality

I was enticed by the cheap fashionable clothes from the website Romwe and made my first order. I bought the sweatshirt below, taking note of the measurements given. I even used a tape measure to make sure I was getting the right size because I knew returning it would be a hassle, or rather, not worth it. I bought a size Small, although the sleeves might be too long for me.

Two weeks later (that's with expedited shipping) I received this. It was tiny, looking more like a shrunken thermal top. The sleeves went as far as my mid forearms. I could barely stick my head through the neckhole! The measurements on the website were completely wrong. 

Not only was the sizing off, the material stated on the website was wrong. Instead of "cotton", the top was made from a cheap synthetic material, not far off from polyester from the 70s. This was so disappointing. The website's product descriptions are inaccurate and the clothing is hardly like how it's pictured. It's not worth getting partially what I bargained for, especially if I can't even wear it.

With their inbox-only style of customer service and returns at my own cost, I didn't bother to deal with Romwe again. But I didn't let it all go to waste. I re-fashioned the top into these two snazzy zip up pouches. Not bad huh?

Testing The Accuracy Of Hair Straightener Temperatures

I used to take the temperatures on hair straighteners as a given but after this test with a infrared thermometer, I understand more about how my straighteners work. 

The thermometer I used has an accuracy variance of + or - 2 degrees Celsius. I firstly checked the temperature of a travel straightener without heat settings. It got as high as 190 degrees which is too hot for my fine hair. 

I bought my Berta straightener because apparently it's lowest setting is 120 degrees as seen on this dial. I turned it on and waited for the "ready to use" green light.

The temperature surged to 150 degrees. 

But it dropped back to 122 degrees before the temperature crept up again. 

I noticed a similar variance with the hotter settings. The highest at 210 degrees, set the temperature as high as 229 degrees. This was the maximum heat before dropping to 210 degrees. 

Therefore the numbers on the dial shows the minimum temperature with a variance of  up to 30 degrees. The straightener doesn't keep heat at a constant temperature. 120 degrees on the dial can be actually be 150 on the plates. 

The test was important because my hair feels damaged at temperatures at 150 degrees and above. Heat control is a useful function but it's better to know the actual temperature, especially if you have hair that is prone to damage. 

Fermented Rice Water Hair Rinse

I was making organic brown rice flour and thought it was a shame to pour the soaking water down the drain. Surely it could be used for something? I googled and the most popular method using it as a hair rinse. Other uses were as a facial toner and for watering plants.

I was intrigued by the hair rinse because use as you may know, I'm obsessed with natural hair care. There were blog posts about it, referencing it's use with Chinese villagers who grow their hair super long. Apparently they cleanse their hair with fermented rice water. I'm not one to readily believe stuff from the internet but since I had the rice water, there was no harm in trying it.

I had a litre of water from rice that was soaked in it for 24 hours and let out to sit. There was foam on the top and it looked carbonated when it was shaken. I kept the bottle on the counter with the lid on and decanted a cup or two everytime I used it on my hair. To make the fermented rice water, you have to leave it for a few days. Allegedly the method the villagers use requires the water to be boiled before using and couldn't find an explanation as to why. I don't see the point of boiling it so I skipped that part.

After a day of letting the water sit, I poured a few cups on my head and let it run through my hair. This was done after it had been washed and conditioned. It smelt wonderful like fresh rice. I had feel-good vibes letting it sit in my hair for a few minutes. I rinsed it off although it smelt so good I didn't want to. After my hair had dried I noticed it felt shinier and softer.

Even my friend mentioned it, saying my hair looked glossy and healthier. I wasn't convinced it was because of the rice water. I intended to make a judgement after all the rice water was used up.

For the next wash which was two days later, there was a definite pong in the rice water. I was weary so I kept the bottle in the fridge at that point. I tested the pH with a test strip and it was at 7, which is neutral. Not acidic as I expected after fermentation.

When I poured the rice water through my hair, I started to regret it because it smelt a bit like horse poo. The bad bacteria had gotten to it and it was going rancid. The smell remained in my hair until it dried. The results on my hair were similar to the first time.  Although I noticed my hair strands felt not as weak or stretchy when I combed it.

I used the last of the rice water the third time and the smell was much more pungent. The pH was the same at 7. I was at the gym when I used it and I wish I hadn't because the person using the shower next to me must have thought I'd done something very nasty! The smell was revolting, like a fresh steaming cow pat. Again I got soft and shiny hair but no way would I ever use rice water that old again.

So the conclusion is that I think rice water is beneficial for hair. It's a mystery as to how but it worked for me. From now on I'll retain the rinsing water when I cook rice and store it in the fridge.  If you make rice, don't let the water go to waste-give it a try and see if it works for you too!

Mane N Tail - Will It Work For Me?

It's my new obsession although Mane n Tail has been around for ages.

I've got a new hair routine because my ends were beyond revival. My hair was falling out in chunks and took 10 minutes to detangle. I had to give it a proper trim and two inches came off. And there are still split ends!

Now I'm taking silica daily and oiling my hair ends everyday. I'm using Bawang shampoo (don't think it's doing anything but I got to use it up!) and Mane n Tail conditioner and Maximum Herbal Gro.

There are tonnes of reviews on Mane n Tail-the common theme is that it makes your hair grow fast. This is misinformation. The only thing that can make your hair grow is something you take internally. An over the counter shampoo and conditioner will not do anything except preserve your hair so you'll need less trims.

Mane n Tail products are cheap. I went to Paks Cosmetics and bought a big bottle of the Deep Conditioner £2.99 and Maximum Herbal Gro £2.99. The conditioner is thick and an unusual blue colour. I realised it has dimethicone in it and although it leaves the hair soft and feeling moisturised there was a slight residue so I went back to Paks to get the original conditioner.

The original is also called the Moisturiser and Texturiser. It's silicone free and smells lovely. It's a little runnier than the deep conditioner and it's a more pleasing pale yellow colour. You can use it as a leave in as well as a normal conditioner.

UPDATE: I've been using the Texturiser shampoo and noticed I'm shedding alot more than usual. My hair was dropping so much, I decided to stop using it. I've gone back to using shikakai and alma for hair cleaning.

4 Reasons Why Fine Haired Girls Hate Getting Hair Cuts

Look at those straggly hair ends. I finally got a decent amount chopped because my hair turned bad. It was falling out from the roots and the ends became limp.

I was going to write this post like an open letter to hairdressers but open letters are annoying and self indulgent. I'll just list the reasons why don't like my hair cut. I have very fine hair and not a lot of it. Hopefully fine haired girls understand what I'm saying here!

1) Hairdressers cut more hair than they say they will

Maybe they think I'm kidding myself when I tell them I only want 1/2 inch off and yes I know my hair is damaged. It's probably more obvious on fine hair. Most of time, an inch or more actually gets cut off. This happens when hair is cut while soaking wet. As I can't grow a lot of hair and it takes a long time to get it past my elbows, I'm not quick to trust hairdressers when they'll only take off half an inch. 

2) Paying above the odds for a blunt trim

Hairdressers don't even need to section by layer before cutting my hair. They separate it into left, back and right sections and cut straight across. For fine haired girls we only need a blunt trim to preserve volume. It takes 5-10 minutes to cut my hair. So why do I have to pay for an expensive "long hair" cut, or the same price as someone with mega thick hair or who's asking for a style cut?

3) Hairdryer fear

Professional hair dryers are so hot I've been burned by them. My hair barely shields my scalp so if a hairdryer goes near it for longer than a second, it bloody well burns. Most hairdressers don't get this and treat fine hair like thick hair. Fine hair is more venerable to heat and it grates me to see them fry my hair with the hairdryer. I'd prefer to walk out of the salon with wet hair. Especially since the slightest of moisture in the air causes my hair to go frizzy no matter how well it's been blow dried. As for point 3, why do I have to pay for a finish when I don't want one?

4) Hairdressers yanking through tangled hair

We fine haired girls know when hairdressers are yanking through our tangled ends after a wash. No matter how it's "concealed" by holding onto the lengths, I hear the comb smacking against the sink because the hairdresser's trying to save time. Fine hair snags easily and even though the ends are getting cut off, the lengths are undergoing stress by having a comb pull through the knots. Fine haired girls don't do this to their own hair so neither should hairdressers. We don't want to, nor should have to say this either.