I know, I know, it sounds gross (unless you’ve already tried it!).  And I’ll admit that I haven’t gotten around to trying it myself, and don’t know if I ever will.  But I’ve heard some intriguing things about “no-poo,” and one of these days maybe I’ll get bored and take the plunge.

The idea behind not using shampoo is that the chemicals in most commercial varieties are basically detergents; they dry hair out.  This has created a cycle that most of us assume is normal, where your scalp has to produce lots of extra oil to keep hair from being totally desertified.  So if you go for more than a couple of days without washing, it gets greasy and nasty, and you run screaming for the Pantene.

But, if you can handle a week or two of extreme grease as you go cold turkey off shampoo, you’ll be rewarded (more…)

Everyone needs spring break.  No, I don’t mean the kind where you spend a week getting drunk in Cancun (although if that’s what floats your boat, who am I to argue?).  I mean that the weather is taunting you with the occasional ray of sunshine, even a warm day sandwiched between the cold rainy ones, and your allergies are due to break out at any moment.  THAT is the time that you need to take a day to sleep in, eat some waffles, and possibly leave the house to do some shopping.  Before all the activity – whether holidays, sports, yard work, whatever – associated with spring and summer sweeps you away. (more…)

Short-haired people sometime get short shrift.  So much of the information about hair styling out there only applies to shoulder-length or longer hair.  But as little as there may be about styling short hair, there’s even less advice on how to cover it.

Think about it.  If you have long hair and want to cover it all, you need to tie it up and tuck it in.  So items like pretied bandanas and snoods are designed with that in mind.  Many tichel-tying methods assume that you have a bun of hair to anchor the style.  But if your hair is short, you lose that anchor, and you don’t need extra hair-room in your covers.  Some women choose short hair styles specifically because it allows them to cover their hair differently.

So, whether you have a pixie or a bob, or are considering cutting your hair, check out the tips below.   (more…)

You’ve seen Muslim women with veils on before, but have you ever paid attention to the different kinds that they wear?  You may know a couple of terms like hijab or burqa, but do you really know what they mean?  Here’s some info about Muslim headcovering styles. 

First of all, veiling and other modesty measures were common in the Middle East and Central Asia before Islam developed; ancient Persian, Turk, Greek, Byzantine, and other women dressed in the prototypes of styles that are still worn today.  This is why you will see Muslim women in Afghanistan wearing one thing, women in Saudi Arabia wearing another, and women in Morocco wearing yet another style of clothing and veil. 

The term “hijab” refers to both a style of covering, and to the concept of covering for modesty in general.  People from different areas will have different ideas on how much to cover, or how.  Just as there are lots of ways to tie a tichel, there are lots of ways to wear hijab.  (more…)

Did you ever wonder why chemotherapy treatment for cancer often results in hair loss?

Basically, cancer cells grow really fast.  In order to kill them, or stop them from spreading, drugs need to inhibit cell growth.  So while chemo is running around your body killing off anything that grows too quickly, your hair will get caught in the crossfire.  Hair loss tends to begin within one to three weeks after treatment begins, and can continue to happen for several weeks after it ends.   (more…)

Lace isn’t just for wedding dresses and baby bonnets, you know.  You can find it everywhere from lingerie to stylish clothing to home decor.  It doesn’t have to be white, and there are dozens different ways to make it.  If you’re into the romantic, feminine air that lace lends to wherever it goes, read on!

It’s possible that lacemaking goes back as far as ancient Rome, where tools that resemble those used in the craft have been found.  But we do know for sure that it became popular in medieval Flanders (that’s Belgium nowadays!), and spread from there all over Europe. Different places developed their own signature techniques (more…)