Pursuing The Dream: Hair & Nails Edition

For a little more than over a year now, I’ve noticed that my hair is no longer the hair I’ve been accustomed to. At first I thought it was because I was growing my hair out instead of keeping my usual bob, but it’s more than that. I also think hormones might have something to do with it; my nails aren’t doing so well either, and I thought maybe it was just that I was using nail polish more but I’m starting to think this is a keratin problem. :P

So I’ve developed a loose plan of attack to address some of my issues:

1. Stop combing my hair when it’s wet. This used to never be an issue because the comb would glide through my hair without stopping. But lately my head is just tangle central, even at the roots! So it’s not just #longhairproblems unfortunately.
2. Find a good leave-in treatment. Because if I’m not going to comb my hair after a shower, I need some way for it to be manageable! Friends have suggested that VO5 hot oil treatment but I will go for something more authentic like coconut oil. Desi stylez y’all!
3. Stop touching my hair or poking at my scalp all the time, which just makes my hair oily when I don’t want it to be. Hard habit to break, it’s a mindless tic I have.
4. Buy Bautiste, which is a dry shampoo. Dry shampoos are these sprays you can use in-between showers to maintain your hair’s volume and freshness, and to reduce that gross oily look hair can get.
5. Maybe – buy biotin, which supposedly enhances the look of hair and nails. Double bonus! But I hear that stuff is expensive, so we’ll see.
6. Maybe – get a satin scarf or pillowcase, because apparently cotton sheets can be abrasive to hair. But as a tried and true skeptic, especially when it comes to beauty and fashion, I might pass on it. Seems excessive, like sleeping in an oxygen casket to prolong your life. ;)

While I’m at it, I think I will try to improve things on the nail front as well. In addition to potential biotin use mentioned above, I will try to -

1. Consistently moisturize. I already have the right tools in place, I just ain’t doin’ it right. I have The Body Shop’s Hemp Hand Cream underneath my kitchen sink (because I wash my dishes by hand, OLD SCHOOL Y’ALL) and it’s super nourishing. I just need to remember to use it more often. I also have Burt’s Bees Cuticle Balm right on my night table, but I don’t use it before bed like I should.
2. Improve my diet/nutrients. Sigh, this is always a struggle. I’m lucky if I manage to eat actual meal food for my meals, as opposed to cake or Ringolos. (Side note: hell yeah Ringolos!) If I’m eating lasagne for dinner, I’m just proud of myself for eating a Real Dinner. I’m not concerned with salt intake or fat content. I’m concerned with “what is easy to make and won’t make me hate the kitchen?”

Major Lazer

So this past Friday, I got laser eye surgery! I've been dreaming about getting it since I was maybe 19 years old and it's always been something I've wanted to put my savings towards. The surgery itself went by ridiculously fast, even though I was kept waiting for about 3 hours the day of the surgery. The surgery itself wasn't even painful, just uncomfortable at times due to being blinded by bright and/or flashing lights. Oh, and then there was the part where I could smell the laser burning off my corneal flesh, ew. If anything, that was the grossest part. But otherwise? Easy peasy. The staff at the office kept asking: are you nervous? Do you want some Xanax? Hee. Naw, I was cool as a cucumber.

Initially things were pretty blurry and I wanted to keep my eyes closed a lot while sitting around and wearing protective sunglasses. There was also the complex system of eye drops I was required to take post-op; eye drops are never an issue for me but the steroid eye drops (to prevent inflammation) had a nasty freaking aftertaste that would drip down the back of my throat, causing me to go "BLECHHHHH I NEED FOOD TO WIPE AWAY THE GROSSNESS." ;) By the evening my eyesight had mostly returned and I was reading shit from meters away.

I woke up the next day with really dry eyes, but thankfully my intense regiment of eye drops fixed that. At my follow-up assessment, they told me my eyes were a vision (hah!) of perfect health and that my eyesight was at 20/15. I don't think I've ever been able to see that well. Ever! I've been wearing glasses since I was 8 years old, after all. This is probably the best I've ever been able to see in my entire life.

Right now, things are looking good. I've got a bit of eye dryness at night and in the morning, plus ghosting/starbursts when I look at bright lights at night, but typically those side effects fade away around 4 weeks after the surgery. I'm just watching that I don't rub my eyes (which is something I never realized I did all that much, but now that I can't do it I notice I want to do it A LOT), and I can't wear any eye makeup until my next post-op check up in a week. But it's stunning how quickly I've become a Person Who Can See Unaided. It's weird to wake up in the morning or be in the shower while being totally able to see everything, I keep wondering why the hell I'm wearing my contacts!

I'm sure I'll get used to it soon enough. :)