My husband, my guinea pig

Well... It looks like I'm not the only one trying my hair growth experiments, now. My husband has agreed to be my "guinea pig" with some of the remedies! He absolutely can't stand Jello, but he's willing to try the scalp treatments and other herbal and dietary remedies. His wish is a bit different, though -- he wears his hair short, but his hairline is beginning to recede just a bit, and he's only in his 20s. So, we'll give it a month or two and see if these treatments also are effective at combating a receding hairline.

I'm also happy to report that my hair is growing really quickly! It's just sprouting right out of my scalp. This is quite possibly the fastest that my hair has ever grown. Something's working! I'm betting that, by April, I'll be able to put it up in a ponytail. It seems to be thicker, too.

I'm getting used to the taste of the hair/skin/nails multivitamins. They're bitter, which makes them difficult to swallow, but they're not so bad after a while. Every time I go to the kitchen to take a vitamin, I try to conjure up a mental picture of myself with long hair. Swallowing the vitamins is much easier with that in mind. :-) I'm still taking the Vitamin D, herbal and cayenne supplements, as well, but they're easier to swallow. The rosemary supplement actually tastes refreshing and smells good.

I know I don't "need" long hair in order to be happy... All I do know is that it would bring me some added joy. I'm at a place in my life where I'm making some changes in order to be happier and more content. Maybe it's a quarter-life crisis. Who knows? I am leaving my ultra-stressful day job and pursuing some opportunities that will give me more contentment and freedom to be a human being. Life is short. It's definitely too short to waste time being miserable. Life is all about making decisions, and I have decided to be kinder to myself and pursue things that will bring me joy, even if they seem a little "superficial." So many aspects of life are depressing and negative. Shouldn't we try that much harder, then, to find some things that make us happy?

Mixin' it up: A search for more scalp treatments

I've done some more reading on scalp treatments that are supposed to either help hair grow or simply make it healthier and stronger. Hair health is important always, but especially if you are growing out your hair, as I am. As the ends of the hair get older and older, they dry out and break or split, making the hair look thinner. That has always been part of the problem for me -- my hair ends get thin, and I end up getting a haircut.

Here's the list:
-- olive oil
-- mayonnaise
-- aspirin/coconut milk mixture (Would that also soak in and relieve headaches?)
-- avocado
-- aloe
-- raw egg (Eww, slimy!)
-- tea (rosemary, mint, chamomile, sage)
-- dish liquid/baking soda made into a paste
-- black pepper/lime seeds made into a paste
-- castor oil
-- lavender oil
-- onions

I'll do my best to try each of these treatments, but not all at once. As always, when I try a remedy, I'll report back with a summary of the experiment. Not sure about the raw egg... That's just kind of gross. Maybe I'll talk myself into it.

Has anyone else ever tried any of these treatments? Did you have any success with them? Let me know!

Apple cider vinegar is a sweet hair treatment. But lettuce? Not so much.

I have now tried the apple cider vinegar hair rinse and the banana/lettuce/citrus scalp treatment. Obviously, I have no idea yet if they'll contribute to hair growth, but I am pleased with the immediate results of the vinegar rinse! The fruits-and-veggies treatment was not so fun.

I diluted the vinegar to one part vinegar, one part water, and poured it all over my hair right after washing it, while it was still wet. I massaged it into my hair and scalp and did not rinse it out. I'll admit, my hair smelled a little funky while it was wet, but after I dried it, it smelled fine, almost like a fresh apple. My hair was very shiny and soft, as well! Styling it was easier, and it looked like silk. I'll keep this treatment up and see what happens!

The banana/lettuce/citrus treatment was a mess. I used about a fourth of a banana, a handful of lettuce and a lime wedge, and mashed everything together in a plastic bag. I probably should have used a blender, and if I get super-bored some Saturday in the future, maybe I'll try that. I wrapped a towel around my shoulders and proceeded to rub the mixture through my hair. About 90 percent of the mixture landed either on the floor or in the sink. I tried to scoop some of it back up from the sink, but didn't have much luck. I wrapped it all up in a towel and let it sit for 30 minutes. Besides smelling like a fruit salad, it wasn't unpleasant. I can't imagine how such a treatment would be beneficial, though! I rinsed it out... And rinsed it some more. It was quite challenging to extract all the tiny chunks of lime pulp, lettuce and banana. I gave up on water and did manage to brush the rest of it out. All in all, I give this treatment a thumbs down.

What's next on the list of treatments? Well, you might catch me hanging upside down like a bat, because I'm going to add the inversion table to my regimen. It sits in the exercise room (out of sight, out of mind), but I am going to try harder to remember to use it. Maybe I'll find a picture of a bat and tape it to my alarm clock so that I see it every morning. That would be a lovely thing to see first thing in the morning... Not.

Cayenne is Hot, Hot, Hot!

So, I was in Vitamin Shoppe yesterday stocking up on rosemary and Vitamin D (sunshine in pill form?!), and I came across cayenne. I've heard that cayenne applied topically can help increase hair growth, but I'm not sure how I feel about that. What if it got in my eyes? Ouch! So, I picked up some cayenne supplements -- even better, it's a cayenne/garlic blend, and garlic is supposed to be a wonderful supplement for general health. The cayenne is supposed to invigorate circulation and warm the blood -- sounds like a great answer to this cold winter weather, anyway! I'm starting out slowly -- apparently, cayenne in high dosages can upset the stomach. So, I'll be building up my tolerance to it.

The Vitamin D, recommended by my cousin, should help, too. In addition, I read in the paper this morning that for anyone living north of the Deep South (Georgia, Alabama, etc.), the winter sun is not strong enough to provide sufficient Vitamin D. Good to know! I prefer my sunshine in the great outdoors, but there's nothing great about 30-degree weather and gloomy January (blah), so I'm going to take my Vitamin D (sunshine vitamin) and cayenne (heat), and look forward to SPRING!