Black to Blonde: A Melting Fiasco

So as you all know I have been job hunting. No luck yet. One interview, millions of applications sent in. So I decided that since I wanted to go natural with my hair that I would get some dark blonde highlights in my dyed black hair so the growing out process wouldn't be so awkward. So I enlisted the help of a friend. She helped me pick out the stuff and we went to her place. She tried to highlight my hair and I ended up with blonde roots and nothing else changed. So we called in the help of another friend. Both of these people are my very bestest friends in the world. So we had a ton of fun during this whole process. Unfortunately, when bleach and heat entered the mix I ended up with very blonde, very melted hair. Some of it had to be cut off and what is left is rubbery and just plain dead. I don't blame anyone but myself for this. It was my idea to start this mess so I can't blame them for doing what I asked.

So what did I do to fix it? For a week after the bleaching incident I used this stuff called Africa's Best. It has multiple good for you oils in it and it's super greasy. So I would get up in the morning, comb thru my rubber hair and goop this stuff on it and let it sit all day long. Then I would wash it out with this super moisturizing shampoo. It's Simply U shampoo that as far as I know is only available at Walmart. It doesn't have the harsh chemicals in it that damage my already damaged hair. I also have not been blowing drying for that whole week. I did then try a protein treatment from Sally's Beauty Supply. It was called Aphogee 2 Step Protein Treatment. It's in a packet that has two sections. One has the protein treatment stuff and the other has the conditioner. It's messy, smells weird and just generally unpleasant but it did seem to help. The next morning I dried my hair and it was good. Then disaster struck a couple days later when I went to dry my hair. It had turned back to rubber and was breaking with each brush stroke. I almost cried at the amount of hair that was breaking off.

I had realized that the only thing that was going to help my hair was a cut. I don't want to cut my hair. I hate the idea of cutting my hair. Especially any shorter then it is right now. But that seemed like the only thing that would help. I resumed gooping it up with Africa's Best and it seemed to help. Then this morning I had to get up early to meet the Dish Network guy who btw never showed up, and showered. I let my hair air dry. It was a poofy mess but I didn't want to put it up again. I've been wearing it up almost every day because it looks so awful. But I had read on the back of my conditioner bottle that it could also be used on dry hair to help frizz. So I thought, what the hell? I'll give it a shot. It can't  make it look any worse. And OMG! It actually made my hair look almost as healthy as it was before. It's not poofy and frizzy anymore. It actually looks like just over processed hair rather than melted fried hair. It's incredible. While my hair really should be cut I think I can wait now. Give it some time to grow out longer before I cut some off. I can make it look decent for a while and just get regular trims until my natural hair grows out completely. I cannot tell you how happy I am. I still can't blow dry my hair and most likely can't use a flat iron. But just knowing that I can make it look decent still is such a weight off of my shoulders.

I hope this helps anyone that is also in the same situation. Don't do something drastic before trying out all your options. I know how hard it is to cut off long hair. I want my hair to be super long eventually. So I'm seeing this as my chance to start from scratch. I'll just keep getting the ends trimmed until all this damage is completely gone. Then after that, I'm never coloring my hair again. Never. I don't care how tempted I am to do something different or try something new. If I have to I'll use those clip in hair extensions that are all different colors to get my coloring fix. Also beware of bleach ladies and gents. It's not good. No matter how well you apply it. It's not good. Just say no.

Overqualified and Jobless

Well apparently I am overqualified for most of the jobs I've been applying for. Which sucks. It's not like I'm not willing to do work that is below my skill level. I need to work. I need to find a job. I need money. People are jumping on all the good jobs so by the time I hear about them it's too late. Or the jobs don't pay enough for me to drive 25 miles into town and 25 miles back every day. I've applied and lots of different places and all of them are advertising that they need help. So for some reason they just aren't hiring me. I realize I haven't worked in five years but I do have a degree and I do have the motivation to work. So someone will have to hire me sometime. I hope.
I've decided that I need to do something with my hair. I don't like the way it looks right now. it's long, part faded black and part natural blonde. I want to cut it but I don't know how I want it cut. I want to either highlight it or strip it or something. I hate this in between look. Plus it doesn't make me look really professional for job hunting. I also need to buy some decent clothes. I feel so frumpy and housewife-ish in my clothes now. I do believe it's time for a makeover!

Going Gray, roses and interviews

I've got a few updates for you. Nothing major. Just what's been going on around the house here lately. First of all I told you in the last post that I was using the tea tree oil for my acne. Well I don't know if you can call what I have acne, just a few zits popping up at the worst possible times. So anyway, I got a small spray bottle at Wal-Mart for about a dollar. I filled it with about ten drops of tea tree oil and the rest of the way up with witch hazel. I shake it up and then spray on to a cotton pad. I apply it liberally to my face in the morning and at night (if I'm not too tired and forget). So far it works great. It has been keeping my forehead clear of zits and the ones that do pop up on my chin or nose area go away quickly. The blackheads that were all over my nose are disappearing and are less noticeable. So overall this combination of things seems to be a success. And very cheap too. One bottle of tea tree oil may seem expensive but given how long it lasts I think it's a great deal. So give it a try. If you have sensitive skin you may have to use less tea tree oil and if you have super oily skin you may want to use more. Just keep playing with it until you find a combination that works for you.

Next, I had my first job interview last Thursday. It's at a local dentists office. It's a super awesome job with great benefits and awesome hours. I'd be able to wear scrubs every day so I wont have to buy a bunch of new works clothes which is great. I am trying to decide if I should call today to check on the job or wait until tomorrow. Since yesterday was a holiday I am thinking I should wait until tomorrow but I am dying to know if I got the job. I know they will call me if I got it but I want it sooooo bad. So I don't know what I'll do. Call today? Call tomorrow? AAAAAH!

I've decided I'm to let my natural hair color grow out. So far it's looking a little on the gray side. Which is fine. I don't care if I'm going gray. It doesn't change my actual age or anything. So I'm not worried about looking older. The part I don't like is the waiting on it all to grow out. I've got a lot of hair and most of it is black right now. So I'm going to look really goofy for a while. If I get the job I mentioned before I might go ahead and strip my hair just so I wont look so crazy while working. I don't know. We'll see what happens. I really don't want to strip it. It's so bad for your hair and my hair is already damaged from all the dye anyway. I'll decide on something after I hear from the dentist I guess.

A couple days ago I planted a Caldwell's Pink rose bush. It has beautiful pink blooms and can get up to 4 feet tall and four feet wide. I hope it does that well. I planted it in the evening and gave it plenty of water. I let it sit for the day yesterday and then got up early and watered it this morning. So hopefully it will do well. It's supposed to stand up well to heat and droughts so maybe the heat here in Arkansas and lack of rain we've been having lately wont kill it. Now if I can keep the grasshoppers away from it.

A Couple Forgotten Thoughts...

I forget to mention my two new favorite things in the world yesterday. I have been watching a ton of youtube video's getting ideas for crochet, sewing, make up and hair styling. Since I'm looking for a job I thought it would be a good idea to learn how to do my hair in a professional way and learn how to do more then just put powder on my face. So while doing that I came across two products that I thought I would try. Tresemme Heat Protector Spray and tea tree oil.
We'll start with the heat protector spray. I blow dry my hair almost every day. If I don't my hair just looks dull and lifeless. I have very fine and pretty straight hair. It's damaged because I dye it all the time and probably because I wasn't using the heat protector spray. So when I saw all these people using the Tresemme spray I thought well what the hell..I'll give it a shot. So I bought some on Saturday. You can find it at your local wally world. It's not expensive. Between 3 and 4 bucks. It says to hold it away from your head and spray on before you use any kind of heat on your hair. So things like hair dryers, flat irons, curling irons...etc. So I sprayed it on my towel dried hair and used my hair dryer the same as I always do. I wasn't really expecting my hair to look different after using it. But it did look different and in the best way possible. It's smooth, sleek and very shiny. So not only is my hair protected from the heat it gets the added bonus of looking awesome as well. Even with the crazy humidity we've had the past couple of days my hair is still looking good. So I have to say, I love this stuff. I wish I had known about it sooner.
Now for the tea tree oil. I had this laying around the house already since I use it to make my homemade juju. The juju is a combination of beeswax, tea tree oil, and comfrey oil. It's used for burns, bites, sore muscles...pretty much anything. It's good stuff. So tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and I had heard that it was good for acne. But it has a strong odor and it's well...oily. I mean it's oil so it's gonna be oily. And seeing as how my face is naturally oily to begin with I thought no way am I going to use oil on an oily face. But after watching several videos where people assured me that it works to cure acne I thought what the hell? I'll give it a whirl. Most people dilute it the oil with either water or some people use witch hazel (which is an excellent toner btw). I didn't dilute it. I just put a tiny bit of the tea tree oil on a cotton pad and wiped it over my face, neck and chest because for some reason I'm breaking out everywhere. It smells awful and very strong and going on it feels oily. It also stings just a tiny bit. Not any worse then some of the stuff you buy at the store for acne so no big deal there. After about 20 or 30 minutes the oiliness went away and the stinging was nonexistent. So that was awesome. Then this morning I woke up and my face, which is normally super oily int he morning, was clean and smooth and not one bit oily feeling. It had an overall tightness to it that normally it doesn't have at all. And believe it or not the zits that were beginning to pop up yesterday already seem to be going away. I have one fairly large one on my forehead but even it seems to be getting less red and much smaller. So after one night with the oil I would say it's a huge success. I plan on continuing to use it and see how it does. I'll keep you posted. I am thinking of diluting it with the witch hazel today and using it nightly before I go to bed. I wouldn't use it in the morning mainly because of the smell of the tea tree oil. It's strong. Even diluted it will be strong. So be warned. You can buy a bottle of tea tree oil at walmart for about 8 dollars. I'm sure you can find it online cheaper or at natural food stores. So yeah...that's it for not. I'll let you know how it does and let me know if you try it too. I'd like to hear how it works for other people.

Jobs?

Well it's finally that time. My son is about to embark on that great journey into kindergarten. Which means I need to find a job. I wont have any kids at home during the day and I need money so there is nothing holding me back. Well except for that whole nobody that is paying a decent wage wants to hire me thing. Which really sucks. I have a college degree and I would consider myself and hard worker. But apparently everyone and their mother is looking for work right now and millions of people are applying for the same jobs as I am. I'm sure I will find something eventually. I just hope it's sooner rather then later.
I'm really not picky. I just want something that I know I would be comfortable doing and pays me enough to drive the 25 miles into town and 25 miles back home every day. So anything that pays 9 dollars/per hour or up would be fantastic. I've only applied for two jobs and I haven't heard from them yet. I'm hoping that I do soon. If not I'll start putting in applications everywhere and anywhere.
Not much else going on around here. It's abnormally hot for this time of year. I don't like it at all. I hate being hot. I hate being sweaty and I really really hate being sticky after I've showered already. There really is nothing worse then taking a shower, blow drying your hair and then being sweaty and sticky all over again. I hate it. That is why I am considering cutting my hair. It's getting really long and honestly it's starting to look a little ragged. I am also thinking of going back to my natural color. Which last time I checked was a dark blonde color. It could be gray now for all I know. But I saw this woman at Walmart the other night that had the most beautiful long gray hair. I just kept thinking ya know if my hair looks like that then that is nothing to be ashamed of. She didn't look old. She looked mature and beautiful. I'm not old, I'll be thirty this year. But I'm also not 19 anymore. There is no need to pretend I'm still a teenager. Even though I find it hard to believe that I'll be 30 in a few short months. But I have no problem with looking my age. So in the spirit of maturity I am no longer going to hide what might or might not be going on with my natural color. After all my dad went gray very early and he still looked very handsome.
My son went to a half day at Kindergarten today. He did awesome. He didn't cry, he didn't beg me to stay and I only shed a few small tears on my way home. I am just as ready for him to as he is but it's still a little sad that my last baby is growing up so fast. And I know how fast the time flies by once they start school. It's just a few years before they are teenagers and talking about getting cars, jobs and moving out. (I kinda look forward to that part just cause that means more time alone for me and the husband LOL) But it does go by very fast. I was so proud of the way he just went off and made friends and didn't cling to me like I thought he would. It makes me feel so much better about him starting school in the fall.
This Sunday is not only Mother's Day, it's also my 6th wedding anniversary. I am still the luckiest girl alive. I've got the best husband in the world. He still knows how to make me laugh, I still watch for him out the kitchen window while I'm cooking dinner and seeing him walk thru the door is still the best part of my day. Well that or going to bed and lying next time watching tv. I like that a lot. I don't know if he'll ever know how grateful I am to have met him and become his wife. Just thinking of all the chances we both had before meeting to either get married or get involved with other people and knowing how either fate or chance led us to each other it's just a miracle that we were able to finally come together. And I don't plan on ever letting  him go.

MSG vs Mrs. Dash

In our attempt to eat healthier and use less salt in our diet my husband bought Accent salt replacement. And if you've never looked at it, it's just MSG or mono-sodium glutamate. It's supposed to be a "flavor enhancer". It is so not an flavor enhancer. It's nasty. I tried it by itself so I would know what it was going to make the food taste like. It basically tastes like that glue on the sticky part of an envelope. Nasty. So I tried it on meat thinking maybe once it was cooked on something it would taste better. Nope. It was still nasty. So the next night my husband brought home Mrs. Dash after I mentioned it was supposed to be really good and good for you because it has absolutely no salt in it. Surprisingly it is very good. I mean you can tell there is no salt in the seasoning. Which is basically the point. But it has so many other flavors going on in it that you don't really miss the salt. And I think that if you used it long enough you would get to where you didn't even notice there was no salt. I'm not gonna lie, I like my salt. But when it comes to health you can afford to make some sacrifices. Plus there are just so many other ways to add flavor to your food. I'm going to be trying them all I think.
I also plan on trying lots of marinades and different ways of cooking veggies. We did that also. We got some fresh asparagus, fresh mushrooms and fresh bell pepper and sprayed some vegetable oil and liberally sprinkled them with Mrs. Dash. We thru them on the grill and man was it some good stuff. I didn't eat the peppers cause I'm not a huge fan of eating big chunks of pepper, I put them in stuff like soups and chili and what not. But the asparagus and mushrooms were amazing. So it's beginning to look like this is going to be a lot easier then I thought. As long as the food is good and good for us I think we will be fine. I plan on buying all new stuff when we go grocery shopping. My list will include lots of heart healthy foods and gut healthy foods. My gut can't take some things now that I am gall bladderless. Some things that are supposed to be good foods are:
Beans
Nuts
High fiber veggies
fruits of any kind really
spicy peppers (the chemicals in spicy peppers are super good for you)
yogurt
lean meats like chicken and turkey
fish (especially oily fish like tuna and salmon)
olive oil
avocado
whole grain breads
Well you get the idea. It may seem like that limits you a lot but just take a look around the produce section the next time you go shopping. There are so many things to choose from. Especially with spring and summer just around the corner.
So I will try to get some pictures and recipes on  here as we go thru this whole process. I am actually pretty excited about this whole thing. I was scared at first because being a cook in the south the idea of cooking without salt and fat is terrifying. But I love the idea of being healthier and eating fresher more natural foods. And the idea of fitting into my old pair of jeans isn't exactly terrifying either. ;)

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired.

February is almost over and we've all been sick in this house. It all started with Libby bringing home a "viral cold" and spreading it to everyone else. Lucky for her she got over it pretty quickly. Unfortunately for the rest of us it's sticking around. My son now has a sinus infection and both ears are infected. So he's on medication. My husband is on medication for an almost ear infection among other things. Me, no meds other then over the counter stuff and it seems like this cold or whatever the hell it is wont go away. I'm not coughing as bad and when I do it's productive so that's always a plus.
Along the lines of health I have decided do to my recent health issues, my husbands health issues and just for the over all well being of my kids that we need to eat healthier in this house. We eat way too many processed foods, sugary snacks and salt. So the next time I shop for groceries I am going to pack this house full of healthier foods and drinks. More fresh fruits and veggies, more nuts and grains, and definitely more fish and lean poultry. I worry about these things and I think it's time to stop worrying and start doing something about it. I want us all to feel better and live longer, healthier lives. And I think by changing our diet we can do that. Also I want to get rid of a lot of the clutter in my house. I think stress causes a lot of health problems and by having too many piles of junk laying around the house we have unnecessary stress. So slowly but surely I will start to go thru everything and get rid of the things we either don't use or just plain don't need anymore. I'm not a hoarder by any means but we just have too much stuff in too small of a place. And since it doesn't look like we'll be able to buy a bigger place any time soon I guess we just need to downsize our stuff. Plus it would be a whole hell of a lot easier to clean if you don't have move shit around every time you want to clean that area.
So yeah, things need to change. I am going to be trying a lot of new recipes using less salt and less processed foods. I think I'm going to try to include them on here to share with everyone else. I'll try to take pictures too. I'll TRY. I don't always remember to come on here and write but I'll try to do it more often.
So yeah, that's about it for now. I'll try to keep you all posted.