About Me

July 2012

Hello, I am Anethea and this is my long hair blog.  I have had long hair for my entire adult life.  I started at about bra-strap length (BSL) when I graduated from high school, and grew longer from there.  I kept my hair between hip length and classic length for many years (classic length means the hair ends are at the bottom of the buttocks).  More recently I grew my hair down to knee length, but then developed health problems that made much of my hair fall out.  I cut all the way back to BSL to hide the thinness.  Now I am regaining my health, and regrowing my hair.

I am currently a stay at home mom, but I have an AA in fine arts, a BS in biology, a BS in geology, and an MS in geology (focused on biogeochemistry).  I blogged about my health problems that led me to drop my career path in my general blog (Peruse at Your Peril).  I practice martial arts, work on art or household renovations, and go horseback riding in my spare time.  Although I obviously spend some time on the internet, I do not watch tv.  I am likely a bit eccentric.  I eat a low glycemic index paleo style diet (as of the start of October 2012), all organic and free range/grassfed.  I eat this diet because I must eat gluten free, and I feel the healthiest and stay the fittest on this diet.  I am looking to keep my own chickens, have plenty of fresh veggies growing in my gardens, and have espalier fruit trees... as soon I get a place where I can have those things (currently stuck in a condo).  I like to workout, and stick mostly to ZWOWs and BodyRock style workouts at home.  My living room has paint stains on the floor, workout equipment and a huge punching bag instead of pretty furniture and decorations.  I don't wear bras anymore, and I intend to keep my hair long as I age.

About My Hair:

It is brown, although back when I was born (in 1975) it was red.  Only my baby hair was red.  It was soon replaced with brown hair.  It is an odd, cool toned brown.  I recently hennaed it to make it a warmer brown with red highlights in the sun.  My eyes are centrally heterochomatic, and contain both warm and cool colors, so I can get away with either warm or cool tones of hair.  I also have two white sparkling hairs on my head, so far.

There are many types of hair in this world, and mine (according to Fia's Hairtyping System), is 2bMii.  2b means that my hair is naturally wavy (it looks like I have braid waves when my natural waves show).  M means that each individual strand of hair is neither fine nor coarse (this is for the majority of the hairs on my head, I have some fine around my hairline, and a few coarse hairs, randomly located).  ii means that my ponytail circumference is between 2 inches and 4 inches.  Before I had any noticeable health related hair loss my ponytail circumference was 4.25 inches.  I watched it slowly go down to 3.5 inches, and then rapidly drop all the way down to 2 inches.  Now it is increasing, slowly, and is nearing 3 inches at this time.

I have tried many ways of caring for my hair.  Regular shampoo and conditioner washing (both with and without 'cones), medicated shampoos (for dandruff), organic/natural shampoo and conditioner, soap nuts, Indian herbal washes, shampoo bars (store-bought, and traditional homemade types, and Lush shampoo bars that contain SLS), eggs, other homemade concoctions, conditioner only washing (CO), water only washing (WO), and the no water/sebum only method (NW/SO).  I have also tried henna, cassia, and a home bleaching kit.  Everyone is different, and what has and has not worked for me may not be the same for you.  I may, however, write posts now and then about my experiences with any of the listed methods.

July 2012.  Don't just stand there and smile in every photo!