I have long, straight hair, and it has been this way for most of my life, other than a few short periods between hair donations.
I used to blow-dry it every morning before, and style it with hairspray and other "product" so it would sit calmly slightly off my face, or in a tidy ponytail or bun, before packing up and heading off to work for the day.
Then I stopped working in an office, and I felt no real need to blow-dry my hair.
After some time, this weird thing happened, where I realized that my hair looked pretty much the same -- just fine -- even though I was spending almost no time on it anymore.
WHAT THE F^$#K?
Here's what I think happened.
1. Not working meant I could take more risks and thus experiment more.
COVID-19 related lockdowns may be giving a lot more people this opportunity now too, unfortunately.
2. Skipping "product" for weeks and then months meant the build-up I didn't even know existed was gone.
3. In my continued pursuit of slashing plastic at home, I decided to give bar shampoo a try. It took me a bit to find one I loved but now, there's no going back! It's more moisturizing than my old bottled shampoo, so don't even need conditioner anymore, and it also doubles as an amazing lather for shaving!
4. I started making my own hair barrettes.
Wearing barrettes wasn't new for me, but when I started making them myself, I had the opportunity to make them exactly they way I thought they should be made. I was able to come up with a design that was more functional than any of the other barrettes I had previously owned, AND I started having fun with how they looked, too.
Why? Mostly because the "large" clips I use are actually, well, large. And the extra large hair clips are giant. And the leather design piece is flexible and slightly textured and attached with super strong metal rivets to the clip. So I can twist, clip an go. Everything stays put.
Do you need this level of simplicity too?
If so, here's what I suggest:
1. Give bar shampoo a try!
2. Wait for your hair to air-dry to about 80-90% so it's just slightly damp, then brush, twist and clip. The little bit of moisture will help hold everything together, especially for straight or fine hair.
3. Find a clip or tie that holds everything snugly in place. Don't settle for slippage! Some folks have decent luck with scrunchies or elastics. For me, there is nothing that works as well as a large strong French-style barrette clip.
4. And most importantly, go easy on yourself. It's just hair! Save the flowing-locks look for special occasions. You too can look just fine with a simple clip-do!
