Part 4: Uncovering the Skin

It was a good thing that the first book I read on this subject was written by a dermatologist. Instead of being bombarded by marketing myths I was able to approach the skin as a vital organ of the body and see skin care as an extension of health and nutrition, instead of in the light of glamour and illusions. Here are some of the key  elements I learned:



1. All Skin is Unique
The first thing I learned is skin care is very personalized, what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. So getting to know your own skin is key. My skin is not too bad. It tends to be a little on the sensitive side, but a little moisturizing helps that. I also learned that I needed a little gentle exfoliating. Nothing fancy, I just use a clean washcloth and gently rub my skin in the shower once a week now. It helps exfoliate and it also helps with circulation which is an added bonus.

2. Moisturizing After a Shower
I learned that it's best to apply moisturizer right after taking a shower, apparently water drying on your skin actually dries out your skin. This way the lotion seals in the moisture. One of the books I read mentioned that you should not do this because the water on your skin will dilute the lotion you use, but I that doesn't sound very logical to me. I mean if your lotion is good that small amount of water should not make that much difference and you could always use more lotion if you feel you need it. If you wait until your skin has completely dried out you would probably need to use even more lotion anyway right.

3. The One Thing We Should ALL use: Sunscreen
While there are tons of products that promise younger looking skin, the key word in that phrase is "looking". The fact is that all those products don't actually make your skin younger, it's just an illusion. Sunscreen is the only product that actually protects your skin from aging and other dangers that are possible from sun damage. No matter what kind of skin a person has we are all vulnerable to damage from the sun since the rays actually penetrate the skin. This causes signs of aging and can even lead to skin cancers.


Once my current lotion runs out I am planning to look for a lotion that works well with my skin and has sunscreen in it already, which is a good way to get both moisture and protection at once.

I saved some reference material for the future because over time the skin changes. I'm sure as I get older my skin needs will change and my daughters will each have their own unique needs. I did learn a lot of other neat things but I didn't want to make this entry too long. I also feel like I learned new ways to help and protect my family's health from this part of my journey so I'm really glad about that :)

The next part of this saga is where things get scary for me.... make-up... this one might get rough.



@_@

Part 3: I cut Jeremy's Hair!

It makes me very happy to know that Jeremy trusts me enough to allow me to try this. If you can see the pictures above, I cut Jeremy's hair and it came out "not terrible/ okay". Just to put this in context, Jeremy's hair was long and down past his shoulders before I cut it (I should have taken a before pic). 

I think this experience was really good for a number of reasons:

1. It will save us money if I can get better at this and cut his (and maybe the kid's hair) regularly. 

2. I learned how to section hair properly which will help me when I start trying to figure out different styles

3. I learned about the importance of hair texture, thickness, and directionality; again all these will help me when I try to tackle styles.

4. Just the act of manipulating his hair made me more aware and confident of how to approach styling in the future :)

All in all we were both happy with the outcome and I am one step further in my journey...

Mommy Journals Part 2

My quest to understand hair continues...

As far as product goes, I think I will stick to simple mousse and maybe a serum or detangler if I get adventurous.
I really hate hair spray, and I don't think I should confuse myself with all the other crap I see.

I started getting a little confused with hairstyles, in part because I was looking at hairstyles for long hair, which I currently do not have. I thought I should take a step back and learn about the different hair lengths, how they match up to different face shapes (like which hair lengths are best for my face shape or for Phoenix), and once I have a good handle on that I can look for hairstyles for the right length of hair.

As an added bonus I am even going to try a little haircutting (which will be beneficial if I can figure it out, since it will save my family time and money). I've been studying the techniques, learning how to section hair, and learning which angles to cut the hair in. I even get to practice on Jeremy this week! (we figure if I really mess up he can get it fixed, and worst case scenario he works from home so it won't be too embarrassing while it grows out)

The absolute BEST thing I've discovered so far is that my whole life I have been using TOO much shampoo! I learned how to just use a little bit now (about the size of a nickel) and use the water to help get a good lather. I really feel the difference when I wash my hair now, and I think even my scalp is healthier! and the best part is that now we all use less shampoo meaning we save $$$ since we will need to buy it less often!! I especially love this for Phoenix because I love buying her the Burt's Bees hair/body wash and that stuff is pricey. Now the big bottle should last us even longer! :)

Next Mission: Skin...

Mommy Journals Part 1

OK, so Phoenix is showing quite a few girly-girl tendencies, and being more of a tomboy this puts me in a weird place. I refuse to be one of those parents that treats their kids like freaks if they don't act just like them, and I can't really pass the ball to Jeremy on this one, so I've made a choice...

... to study the basics of girly-girlism... 

Lesson one, hair. I find that my mom has a few really cute hair accessories, and I honestly have no clue how to use them. I'm really not exaggerating, I could probably make a comedic video of me trying to put these things on my own hair. 

I started by going online and watching some videos. I scared Jeremy. He heard a video playing on my laptop and came by saying "oh, what are you watching sweety" and I got completely defensive and secretive "Why! why do you need to know what I'm watching!!! ~growl~". I think this is the first time I've ever acted like that as I am normally very open and don't really have anything to hide. The truth is I don't even know why I acted like that. This is just so new to me I was thrown off guard!

So I discovered today that not only was I clueless about accessories, but there is a whole world of "product" that I was blissfully ignorant about. I'll start small here. 

Since Phoenix's hair is the same texture as mine I figure I can experiment with my hair for now. 

I do have a small number of girly-girl female friends, I might turn to them once I have a little more experience with some of these terms and ideas. I would probably just be a deer in the headlights right now if I tried to approach them. 

Well, it's the start of a very weird journey for me. I'm scared and alone, but I know my relationship with my daughter will be better in the future if I can at least understand a little bit of this world. 

Here goes!!!