Frail and Thin Hair: I'm going back to Kerastase

I seriously need to help my hair out. Since the baby was born, my hair has gotten stronger, then weaker, then it started to fall out, then it got thinner (I didn't think that was even possible, but alas! never say never...)

I have been cutting it to grow it stronger, but that hasn't worked out so far. And I'm left with short and weak hair. And I hate short and weak hair.

While there is not much I can do about hair falling out, I can try to strengthen the few strands left on my head! Not to worry, I'm not bald yet. If that ever happens, I guess I won't worry about shampoos anymore, and I'll spend all my money on wigs, just like Lady Gaga.  ;)

But until I have some hair left on my head, I will try all I can to help it get stronger, and maybe multiply (a little wine, some Barry White, a few drops of sexy Moroccan oil...) What I've tried in the past (yes, I've always had some kind of hair problem) that have worked are two different products: Rogaine and Kerastase.

I used Rogaine for women years back, when I had a bout of hair taking a leave of absence. Blame it on stress and my not-so-great health, so then, like now, I had to cut my hair short, because having long, thin and sparse hair is just too painful to watch and impossible to style. And Rogaine was something short of a miracle, because I did get all of my hair back, and it was so noticeable, that people started asking what I had been using...

Today I don't feel like using Rogaine, only because it's annoying to put on, and I don't feel I have the time nor the patience for it. And maybe I'm not as vain anymore. Or maybe I still have enough hair on my head to  be able to postpone the treatment.

What I will start using immediately, instead, is another treatment I used about 5 years ago, that also proved successful: Kerastase Fortifying products.

There is a shampoo:
Kerastase Resistance Bain De Force Fortifying Shampoo

A Conditioner:
Kerastase RESISTANCE CIMENT ANTI-USURE

A leave-in conditioner:
Kerastase Kerastase Resistance Ciment Thermique Reconstructor Milk

 And there was a "rescue program", sort of a reconstructive conditioner which I have used, and which left my hair feeling thicker almost instantly. Unfortunately Kerastase has discontinued this product (it makes me wonder why), but it's still available around the web: Kerastase Forcintense (6 - 15 ml. tubes)

I will try to document some of the trials and tribulations of trying to grow and strengthen my hair, in hope to help someone else out there with similar problems, and also to welcome any suggestions you might have that I can use to make this process more successful (I've been told to use eggs, and also beer, but I haven't done it... yet)

Sunday Reads

Happy Sunday! Here are some interesting articles from around the web (because you don't want to read just me "all the time", right?  ;)

1) Here is a girl that has been doing what I always wanted to do, but never had the discipline nor the patience to do so: Alison takes a picture of her daily wardrobe (and I can't even blame the baby on this one, because she has a baby, too!).

2) It feels good when justice is done: Lululemon killer convicted

3) Scary but interesting and good to know: GPS trail legal to follow? I'm just thinking I need to invest on GPS companies, pronto!

4) Lovely article about being a stay at home mom. I cried reading it. Yes, I'm still hormonal, even if my baby is almost three years old...

5) Some eye candy never hurts: Ryan Gosling, yum! 

6) Follow on Twitter: The most beautiful girl in town: @IndiaJewelJax Beauty Editor Extraordinaire

Cute Cutey Cutest! Bracelet Giveaway!

Here is a jewelry company to keep an eye on: Cutey from the UK.

Just founded in 2011, all of their charm bracelets are made with the prettiest colorful beads and adorable metal links.

Charms come in a variety of colors and best of all their prices are very affordable (even if you are buying from the States, with shipping, it still comes to so much less than other charm bracelets out there).

Best of all, I was able to get my hands on a couple of these bracelets, and while I'm keeping one for myself - it's so cutey! ;) I will share my other one with you: just enter a comment below, leave your email address, and I will select a random winner on Sunday, January 29th, 2012. US delivery addresses only, please. Good luck!

*** And the winner is: Lisaluc88! Congrats!

H&R $100,000 Refund Giveaway!

We are currently thinking about buying a house. This is without any doubt the biggest expense most people incur in their lifetime, and it's not one to be taken lightly.

We have been looking for more than a year already, at many different houses, in many different towns. After six months we did find a house we liked: it was big, it had a nice lot of land around it, and it was within our budget. It seemed perfect. The current owner was eager to sit down and sign the contract, but I wasn't willing to just drop thousands of dollars on the spot without the extra reassurance of a professional advice.

And with any big decisions, I always like to "sleep on it".

So I slept on it, and the next day I called Mr. Davis.

Mr. Davis is a house inspector, a man that just by looking at a rooftop can tell you if it's going to last or if it's going to fall on your head within a year. A man that can smell mildew and termites as soon as he enters a room. Mr. Davis was also a man that never smiled. He was very serious about his business!

I asked Mr. Davis to meet us at the house for an inspection, and when he did, he didn't say much and went right to work. He looked at the basement, at the furnace, at the chimney, at the ceilings, at the roof, at the garage, at the stairs, under the carpets, inside the closets...

My husband was following him everywhere, while I was standing in front of the house with the baby in my arms, or wandering around the kitchen looking around just like Mr. Davis was doing. Except I didn't know what I was looking for!

Actual Picture of the "House"

When the inspector had finished looking around he told us he was going to send us a report in a day or two. But he also added that the house was in pretty bad shape, and so he didn't recommend us buying it, unless we wanted to rebuild it from the ground up. That comment made us look at the house with very different eyes, and when we received the report, we realized that the house was going to be a lot of work and that it was not worth what they were trying to sell it for. After the inspection, the seller tried to lower the price of the house to entice us once more, but at that point we knew that the house was not what we wanted anymore.

In the end we didn't buy that house. Thanks to Mr. Davis, a professional in his field, we avoided making a big mistake that would have cost us so much money and headaches. And we didn't settle for less than what we wanted.

I love taking charge of my life and my decisions, but I also know when it's time to call in the "professionals"! Some things we can do on our own, but some things are better left to the people who know best. Like our taxes. And right now H&R Block At Home is offering a great contest: customers who completed their taxes using H&R Block at Home can instantly win one of the hourly drawn cash prizes and be entered to win a $100,000 grand prize refund. To enter, complete a tax return online via computer or tablet device using H&R Block At Home tax preparation.

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When it comes to your tax return, you never have to settle for less with H&R Block. Filing your taxes with H&R Block just became an event worth sharing. Get started now for your chance at instant cash prizes and the $100,000 refund! There are winners every hour. So file your taxes then let your friends know how rewarding it can be.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF MONEY NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. H&R Block® –100,000 Refund Giveaway starts 1/17/12 at 12:00 P.M. (midnight) ET and ends 4/17/12 at 11:59:59 PM ET. For Official Rules, to learn how to obtain a free means of entry without purchase, to learn how to play the instant win game and enter the sweepstakes, drawings, prize details, odds of winning, restrictions, etc. click here [www.hrbathomegiveaway.com]. Open to eligible legal residents of 50 US/DC, 18 years or older at time of entry. Void in P.R. and where prohibited. Sponsor: HRB Digital LLC, One H&R Block Way, Kansas City, MO 64105.


Disclosure: Compensation was provided by H&R Block® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of H&R Block®

Atlantic City vs. Las Vegas

Yesterday I was re-watching a movie I remember I liked the first time around, Swingers, with Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, but the whole time through I couldn't focus much because I kept thinking: "wow, what happened to Vince???" and "wow, what happened to Jon???" I kept thinking it over and over... those guys were not just younger but sooo much slimmer. Vince Vaughn must literally weight double or more now than what he did in that movie.

In any case, these guys are bored and live in California. So where do you go when you are bored, sad, happy, adventurous... (insert any other adjective here)? Las Vegas, right!

So they went to Vegas and spent some time "not thinking about their problems", "gambling", "flirting"... you know...

This got me thinking: where do New York people go when they feel in such a way? We can't drive to Vegas, unfortunately. There are a few casinos here and there, but the only thing that comes close is Atlantic City, and even then... it falls short.

I've been to Atlantic City a few times, and I've been to Las Vegas once. There is no comparison. I had so much fun in Vegas, while I actually felt AC as a bit of a downer.

But I'm not the only one thinking that Atlantic City could use some help, in fact there is a website created by the CRDA (Casino Reinvestment Development Authority) to collect public suggestions on how to better revitalize Atlantic City. If you feel you have something to say, you can visit the website here: revitalizeac.com. I've already left my input.

I really hope something good comes out of this, because while I'm not a gambler, I do enjoy the thrill of maybe hitting a jackpot, or betting my favorite number (only once or twice) on the roulette and see it win (yes, it has happened to me) :)