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Vibrating Gadgets, Pronged Gloves and Egg on my Head
…and who said wedding planning was not fun? I’ve had a love-hate relationship with my hair my entire life: it’s frizzy and unruly, and though a straightening iron may mask my secret Cyndi Lauper-esque identity, it sadly also contributes to fragile, breakable ends—making the dream of long, romantic waves for the wedding seemingly unattainable. Thanks to all your suggestions (thank you!), I’ve decided on a down-do. I feel far more comfortable with my hair down, plus it’ll cover my tattoos! But the clock is ticking—I have a matter of months in which to get my hair strong enough to keep growing past my shoulders, and stop breaking off in pieces all over the bathroom sink.
I’ve read up on my options, and after being told extensions may cost between $500 and $1,000 (!), decided the only way to do this is to try everything.
Strategy 1: Get regular trims. I’m one of those people who finds it tough believing making it shorter more often will make it longer in the end, and after being mortified with a “trim” that was far too short last fall, decided against it. This may work in the long run, but we have a deadline! I’ve opted instead for trying to make it more resilient. No matter how messy things may get…
Strategy 2: Products, supplements, and switching up the routine. I recently discovered a new addition to the Pantene line, and Beautiful Lengths sounded like just the ticket. I made the switch a few weeks ago, and also invested in a heat protection spray to use before straightening—hopefully this will help reduce the damage. I’m also going to colour less often, and shampoo at night, so I can cut out the blow-dryer. The lovely Stephanie Gray also told me she heard Gwyneth Paltrow swears by pre-natal vitamins and they’re the key to keeping her heavily coloured and styled hair growing long, healthy and strong!
Strategy 3: Focus on the roots, not just the ends. One thing I’ve read frequently is that stimulating the scalp promotes faster hair growth. I decided to hit up my best friend in wedding planning: eBay. I was looking for a scalp massager, and ended up not only with rubber-pronged shower gloves (you really can find anything on the internet), but also the hilariously named Orgasmatron: no, not a bedroom toy, but a four-speed, Octopus-shaped head massager, which apparently increases circulation—and promotes hair growth.
Strategy 4: Go grocery shopping. And then dump it all over my head. Everyone’s heard stories of home-made hair concoctions, and when I spotted a magazine at the checkout telling me I could “Get Rapunzel-worthy Locks, Fast!” I had to pick it up. I read through pages of tips on better product selection—as well as mixtures I could throw together at home to get stronger, healthier hair. Eggs? Check. Olive oil? Check. Honey? Check… what did I have to lose? I whipped up a rather unappetizing looking mixture, glanced at the model in the magazine, crossed my fingers… and proceeded to pour it all over my head. My first mistake was failing to realize that eggs are kept in the fridge for a reason—this was one COLD mixture! After attempting to warm it in the microwave for slightly too long (and ending up with breakfast), I attempted another batch and tried again. This was messy business—chunks of yolk in my hair, oil dripping down my neck, and nasty remnants in the sink. (Do I still have readers? High five!). Twenty minutes later, I cleaned myself (and the bathroom) up, and left my hair to air-dry—and as hilarious as the experiment was, I must say my hair was significantly less frizzy. I don’t know if I have the stomach to keep this up every week, but maybe it’s worth trying monthly. Maybe?
Have you ever tried anything crazy in planning for your wedding? And do you have any other (slightly less crazy) tips on how to get long, wedding-worthy hair? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. By me—and my kitchen counters.
Tags: beauty, blogger bride, carrie underwood, diy, hair, textiles, traditional
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I have long curly frizzy thick hair and so far I’ve been on a no-shampoo regiment for the past month or so. Yes, you heard that right. I have not been shampooing my hair.
Instead I’ve been using a whole lot of condition to wash it and massage around the scalp to remove any dandruff. The theory goes that the natural oils will eventually build up thanks to not being removed by the shampoo, and make hair super silky shiny strong lovely. My hair looked kind of bad the first couple weeks (but I was able to cover that up with enough gel), but now it’s starting to look really nice with just a leave in conditioner. If you wanna try this, don’t use any silicon based products (like Frizz-eze or any of those sorts) because they aren’t water soluble and you can only get rid of them with shampoo.
Also I recommend a good diet with lots of good fats (fish, olive oil, avocado, etc) and vitamins. Hair comes from the body and you can’t have healthy hair without a healthy body.
I admire your determination and persistence mixed in with your fabulous sense of humour- what we women won’t do for ‘good hair’! Best of luck growing your locks! You’ll look amazing either way!!
Your hair inspiration pic is lovely and you’ll look stunning whether your hair is shoulder or waist length! Thanks for making me laugh, & I agree, the more you can avoid direct heat on the hair the less damaged it’ll become. Great post.
This is hysterical! I love your little adventures.
My recommendation is using products promoting length and strength, avoid any kind of direct heat on the hair as much as possible and totally do the yucky mixture… you are far more brave than I am. :)
xoxo
That Orgasmatron made me laugh out loud!
I’ve never really tried anything to get my hair to grow because my hair is so INSANELY thick as it is, but I’ve heard that prenatal (as other ladies have said) work well!
Looking forward to reading more of your awesome blogs. They’re hilarious!
Lots of good ideas for a great post – Emily this has been my favourite (2nd to your winter coat post which was just as fun!). Hope you got lots of ideas and just remember we all think you’re a beautiful girl inside and out and I hope people have seen from the start how genuine you are- your posts are full of warmth and personality, you’re donating to charity instead of making favors, you’re supporting all the other brides in the contest and you go thru life with a smile on your face. I truly hope people can see that. All the best to ya girl.
It may not be best for me to give advice, given I have dreads, therefore am extremely limited as to what i can put on my hair… BUT…
I TOTALLY agree 100% that stimulating the scalp works, having to rub my hair into my scalp every day has stimulated mine, adding almost an inch in about a month ! pretty impressive…
But before i had my dreads I used a dreadlock shampoo on my hair that strips out all the pollutants and ‘un-natural’ addidtives that coat our hair from shampoos and conditioners. Although my hair appeared to dry out in the beggining, once the hairs natural oils had regained control of my hair I found it to be softer and much more managable, I remember walking into the salon the day of my dreads, it was shiny, strong, well behaved and the down right best it had looked in a long time…I thought for one second about backing out.. but didn’t… and the natural peppermint oils in the shampoo leave your scalp so tingley i’m sure this helps with the growth…
My recommendation is KnottyBoy dread shampoo… not just for dreadheads you know!
Thanks Jen, that’s a great idea :) I have two tattoos – one on my neck that’s in Gaelic which translates to “my father’s daughter” – I got it for my dad as a father’s day gift one year. I also have a big one between my shoulder blades so I think having my hair down would look a bit more “traditional”!
Faye – of course I don’t mind who you share my posts with, I’m glad you enjoy them!! And you’re way too sweet :) I did just get my first paid writing gig today, which was very exciting!!
Donna – thanks for the tip! VERY good to know, as I was planning on trying out hot oil treatments! I’ll be sure to do it on a Friday night and hibernate for a weekend :)
Soph – it’s fun, I just think the name’s hilarious! The legs vibrate at different speeds, it’s so funny, David LOVES holding it on his head while he’s watching TV lol!!
Sam – thanks for your sweet comment, I’m glad you liked the post :) It was fun trying all this out. I will definitely look into clip-in extensions!
Thanks again everyone, love you all!
Fun post! I’d look into clip-ins too. They might be less than the full extensions because I think half the cost is attaching them, whereas clipping them in wouldn’t take much time at all. Tattoos? What do you have?
LOL em hope you don’t mind I shared this with my sisters it was too funny not too!!! you should be writing for a wedding magazine period so much more entertaining than the norm!!!! icky on the egg front but props for trying “EVERYTHING” – and you don’t need to worry about having long hair, you look gorgeous just as u are.
Faye xoxo
LOL em hope you don’t mind I shared this with my sisters it was too funny not too!!! you should be writing for a wedding magazine period so much more entertaining than the norm!!!! icky on the egg front but props for trying “EVERYTHING” — and you don’t need to worry about having long hair, you look gorgeous just as u are.
Faye xoxo
Emily I would be careful with hot oil treatments, I tried them once and it left my hair really quite greasy for several days! So don’t use them right before the wedding lol, but if you have a couple of days at home and you don’t have to go outside then maybe give them a go, after it has all come out after a few days it does make hair quite a bit softer, but only if you have a few days to ‘hide’!!!
Also I forgot to ask how the “orgasmatron” is going haha!
Hilarious post dear! Loving all your blog’s, this is my fav so far! What about clip in extensions, maybe they’re a bit cheaper than full on ones?
Aww, Elizabeth, I’m sorry to hear that – I hope it wasn’t too stressful and that you got to enjoy your day! And Ashley – I did NOT expect to hear “horse shampoo” TWICE, haha, there must be something to it – I’ll have to check it out because I am beyond curious! Maybe one trim… I’m SO scared after last time though (if you saw my engagement pics with the balloons I have ridiculously short hair!), and the problem with never going to ANYONE is not having anyone I can trust with it, lol :)
Karen, I’ve seen your hair and it’s lovely! I’m jealous you don’t have to do much to it to have it looking good :) Britt I’d be too worried I’d get sidetracked and EAT the avocado, it’s kind of one of my favourite things in the whole world :) Great tips for straightening though (although I seriously have a MANE of frizz… maybe this horse thing isn’t such a bad idea…)… but I’ve seen the Joico stuff, I can def. give that a try!
Prenatal vitamins for the win! My wedding drama was dealing with the in-laws. Good luck chica!
I agree with prenatal vitamins. My big wedding disasters were dealing with my in-laws.
Some people SWEAR by horse shampoo for keeping hair in great condition. Not sure if that is true at all :)
Maybe getting just one trim between now and your wedding would help? Just go to someone who you trust. haha
I must admit I am pretty much useless when it comes to making your hair look pretty. All I do is wash it and condition it, then blow-dry it. When I straighten it, I do use heat protection spray (in a red bottle by Dove), but that hardly ever happens because I am too impatient/lazy. I also don’t color my hair ever. And the last time I cut it was last summer. (I usually get one hair cut a year, no kidding.) I don’t really think my hair is damaged but I also don’t really do anything to it that would damage it. I try to keep it as low-maintenance as possible (though a definite consequence is that just about any blogger I know has cuter hair than I do).
As for the prenatal vitamins? Definitely tell me if those work! I wouldn’t mind better hair and nails.
01. Prenatal vitamins work – you’ll see improvements in anything keratin: so think hair and nails.
02. I love mixing avocado, egg and a little olive oil and letting it sit under plastic wrap for like 30 minutes weekly.
03. I am a heat-machine so things I’ve learned.. don’t do it daily. Straighten just the face-framing bits if need be on day two… and no ponytails at night! They can snag, pull and break hair! (soft cloth scrunchies are OK)
04. Leave-in Conditioner, alongside your detangler/heat-blocker. It’s like a dime sized amount on damp hair. Lasts for ages!
05. I wreck the shiz out of my hair and there is one conditioner that fixes it – though I’m a cheapskate otherwise. Joico K-Pak (http://www.amazon.com/Joico-Reconstruct-Deep-Penetrating-Reconstructor-Damaged/dp/B000F4INSW)… its meant for occassional treatment but bullshizzle! Use it as a regular and it ROCKS.
Great post! I actually have been using the Pantene Beautiful Lengths stuff for the past eight months or so, and I love it. I can’t honestly tell you whether it’s helping my hair grow faster, because I haven’t noticed a huge change. But it definitely makes my hair feel healthy and clean, and I blow-dry it daily and straighten/curl it a couple times a week. Good luck with the hair prep! :)
This post was hilarious! I don’t have any tips since I’ve never really tried anything to make my hair grow faster. I have heard getting a trim does help, because it gets rid of split ends and keeps it healthy. Now, the at-home remedy? You are BRAVE for trying that! I’m way too scared to try many at-home remedies. Good luck with growing out your hair!
you’ll have to tell me how this goes because i am so lazy with my hair! it just is what it is :)
LOL David sweetie I would LOVE to have your thick hair!! Haha :)
Thank you again for your wonderfully kind comments, and GREAT suggestions – definitely going to look into hot oil treatments. Judith, I can’t believe your mum MADE the coconut oil! That’s dedication! I wonder if canned coconut milk would do the same thing… it’s not like I wouldn’t be open to trying, haha :)
My only concern with pre-natal vitamins is that they also make your nails grow really fast – and that would mean getting fills far more often, which would kind of defeat the “saving money” idea – the head massager is totally fun for now, the pronged shower glove kind of feels like something you’d use to bathe a PET rather than your own head, but I’m all for trying new things! :) Kelly – thanks for being such a sweetie :) I’m sure everyone will be honest with their voting, and who knows, maybe there will be a different system this time around. Thank you so much for your support! And Jen – I’d LOVE to try the dry shampoo, I’ve heard of it and it sounds ideal, but I haven’t been able to track it down ANYWHERE! :(
I would like to repeat my last comment to the wedding bells staff: have you ever had a blogger with such consistent high responses and interest? I hope you take this into consideration when the winner is picked. i voted back in 2009 to get emily into this round and have to say it wasn’t a great way of doing things. if you had hours to spare you could make as many accounts as you liked and vote all day. i know this girl is a hard worker and an honest soul and i believe the fabulous response she has gotten so far in this contest shows that she is a true “blogger.” it is my sincere hope you will have some professional bloggers have a say in who should win because clearly the most deserving girl is here.
emily: once again i must say you are a thoroughly entertaining, well written and very deserving finalist. you brought a smile to my face today with this one you always leave me excited to read your next blogs. you know i will be voting for you when the time comes and until then i look forward to more fantastic blogs from you. your hair is lovely as it is, by the way! don’t worry about getting it longer – david loves you however long your hair is, and you’re guaranteed to look beautiful no matter what. although i did thoroughly enjoy reading about your little experiments i must admit!
kel xoxo
Too funny!!!! I’ve been trying to grow my hair out since I had Jordan (3 years ago) and I had it cut super short. It was easy then but not really my favorite hairstyle. I have curly hair and I so want hair like Kate from Lost. I’m working on it. The problem is I’ve got layers so that takes forever to grow out. I’ve always been told my hair is healthy when I go and get it cut. Honestly, I have only colored my hair once, and that was highlights my junior or senior year in high school. I’m guessing that might make a difference. I use a leave in conditioner after I get out of the shower and then gel and I blowdry with a diffuser. Have you heard of this new dry/powder shampoo stuff? Since you have straight hair it might work for you, you don’t have to wash your hair every day, but it gives you volume? I have no clue really. I didn’t do anything too crazy for my wedding. I remember doing nonstop pilates…but that’s not so crazy really. :)
Top post em!!! Love the pics, priceless. Nice to see someone in this contest having some fun with is & your posts are always written well & entertaining! I’d deffo try the hot oil treatments, I tried them a coupla times and they made my hair well soft and it felt a lot healthier. which might make it less likely to break off. I’m with you on the straightening irons though don’t know what I’d do without them! & these ladies are right, specially Lisa U. it doesn’t matter what you do with your hair, you are going to be the loveliest bride in the history of weddings, it won’t matter 1 bit =)
I take pre-natal vitamins every day. They really do make my hair grow faster. As an added bonus: it makes your nails grow too. If thats not your thing try a hot oil treatment once every few weeks. I also dont wash my hair every day. The hair dryer, flat iron, hot rollers, etc damange it and it generally keeps its style from day to day.
Such a funny post :). Although I must say, I don’t remember your hair being anything but beautiful when we met for lunch.
The only thing “different” that I’ve ever done to my hair is the old beauty tip handed down from my mom and aunts; coconut oil. Unfortunately here are the problems with that: a) I don’t know how to properly derive the oil as I always remember it being available (my mom made it and stored it in a coffee mug on the vanity) b) I’m not sure if it helps with hair length but it does leave your hair silky smooth c) It’s a bit greasy looking so it’s more of a “night in” kind of treatment. The great thing is that it’s all natural and probably less messy than the experiment you described :), although it really was a funny experience to read about…hehe.
Good luck!
ps. I still don’t see anything wrong with your current hair, it’s beautiful and so are you :).
I can vouch for the fact that even though the hair hasn’t grown faster, it was very soft after the egg treatment!!
P.S. I would easily pass some of my thick hair to you, sweetheart! ;)
I agree with Lisa – EverPure is an excellent choice for drugstore-quality shampoo and conditioner. The Orgasmatron makes me giggle – I think I need to buy one for my husband (he is constantly bugging me to give him head massages.)
Hey everyone!! Haha I’m glad you enjoyed my little experiment :) As gross as it was, it was pretty funny!
Hot oil sounds like a GREAT idea! Ashley – I checked out the website and got this message: “The product you are looking for is not available in our international catalog. Please confirm your country and currency below to continue shopping.”
Being in Canada really sucks for shopping online sometimes! I’m going to scour Google though, see if I can see it anywhere else. Definitely sounds worth a try! :)
Thank you all for commenting and for your CONTINUED support in this journey… it means the world to both of us, it really does. Especially the fact that you’re still commenting after I graced your screens with cling film on my head this morning, haha! :)
Very impressive! I’ve thought about trying an egg or mayo hair treatment, but I’m pretty sure I’d lose my lunch in the process. The only other food-based treatment I’ve tried is apple cider vinegar, but didn’t stick with it long enough to know if it made a difference. I really like (VO5) hot oil.
Good luck with figuring out what works. :)
Oh, what a great post! You had me cracking up during Strategy #4! I’ve always had fine, frizzy, unruly hair, too, and it’s frustrating that so much time has to go into making it look even halfway decent! One thing I’ve realized, though, is for how awful I personally think my hair looks, no one else ever sees it as bad as I do. It never looks to other people as it does to yourself. I think no matter what you do with your hair on your wedding day, you’ll get nothing but praise for how beautiful you look! It’s only a part of the whole you, afterall.
Looks like you have your work cut out for ya! The vibrating gadgets are absolutely hilarious! Good luck love… whatever you do, it is going to look spectacular!
Best,
Hannah Katy
I swear by GNC’s Nourshair tablets!
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp68748_333181_sespider/gnc_womens/ultra_nourishair_tablets.htm
They make your hair grow like WHOA.
I love the pictures! Good luck in your hair adventures, Em!
another fun post em! your poor house lol I hope it wasn’t too hard to clean up. hilarious pix thanks for sharing! i’d be a bit sketchy on taking pills but i’m funny that way… i agree with alycia tho, pantene has never done anything for me either. i like the hot mask idea – sounds quite indulgent (& less messy!) good luck looking forward to hearing more from you as always!
Oh and ps: a shampoo that I’ve been using is Loreal’s EverPure, the smoothing one. It’s amazing, especially for over the counter!!!! It’s sulfate free so it’s super gentle on your hair…I would totally recommend it!
This is such a super fun post! I love everything you’ve tried already. I’ve also heard that mayo is supposed to be really awesome for your hair (but I hate mayo so I’m not sure if I would ever try it, lol.) Another thing you might try is just doing an olive oil “mask”…instead of doing eggs/honey every time you could just slather olive oil in your hair (focusing on the ends) and leave it on for a few hours or over night even–I highly recommend covering your head or pillow with something to keep from getting oil on your pillows, if you do it overnight. Anyway I’ve done this before and it makes my hair really soft and shiny and strong! It’s a really awesome high moisture boost. Also, I would lay off the straight iron any chance you get! Of course I know you’ve got to do it in the mornings before work but maybe, if you’re planning on staying in for the weekend, you could try just letting your hair go free? Lol…just a suggestion cuz I know how annoying that can be! Yay! Good luck! <3
The at-home remedies certainly sound disgusting, but I’d imagine they’d produce some of the best results. And if there was an immediate difference, I’d say just deal with the mess and keep at it regularly. Perhaps as part of a shower on the weekend to keep the mess to a minimum. :)
Whatever you do it will be fabulous. Your hair is only a part of the whole package. You are beautiful and you’ll be in your gown so we will see the whole picture. Your hair always looks perfect when I see you.Don’t worry…Lisa
I TOTALLY put eggs in my hair once. It was not pretty!! Haha
I would personally give you a high five for being such a good sport. Your blogs have always been entertaining and it is refreshing to see a bride who is not hung up on perfecting details or getting her own way, but who is not afraid to be real and enjoy the process of wedding planning and have a little fun. This is my favorite post so far.
PLEASE don’t use Pantene!!! Any salon will tell you that!! It will fry your hair even more!!! And your hair won’t take to dyes as well. If you do anything in your hair with bleach…it will smoke!
I used to do hot oil treatments on my hair…they really worked!!
That is the most hilarious article!!!! Maybe homemade remedies are great options. Plus environmentally friendly. Regular haircuts/trimming of the ends does help as well! Good luck with growing your hair.
Maybe you should get a less DIY hair mask? Lush has some amazing products, they might have something fun!
the best kept secret is Horse shampoo and conditioner.
L.O.L. hands down one of the best posts I’ve ever read. “and ending up with breakfast” seriously made me laugh out loud!!! extensions can definately be costly so kudos to you for being willing to venture into other options… and sharing the story with us. totally awesome!!!!
Haha brilliant Em! I’ve heard about the egg one.. Apparently there’s also vinegar (but you end up smelling like a chip shop) and beer apparently is a really good one (but then you smell like you’ve spent half your life in a pub!) One thing that always worked with me was doing an ICE COLD rinse on my hair just before I finished! Give it a go!
Once again, another fun blog post to read ^_^
I’m too scared to blog about my wedding plans lol, mine would sound constantly angry! At least you’re having fun :P