Oh and thanks for the olive oil tip. I’ve tried coconut & avocado so far, didn’t help much. Maybe olive will do better.

Synne, I just looked up Jante, found the laws thereof—yikes!

Okay, I'm not weighing in on the plain or fancy conversation but I do need to say that you look FAB in palazzo pants!!!

Yep, you are right! My natural hair is black too. I was born with brown, stick straight hair. It turned black as I got older and then wavy in my 20s and then really quite curly when I hit my 30s. I started dabbling with colour with the invention of Olaplex after that. I feel my hair can be awkward - or that I’m awkward with hair, lol! Colour is like a cheat, makes it look like I’ve done something... haha!

@FashIntern@ I suppose it's all a matter of perspective - my husband was very interested in Buddhist philosophy, with the goal of letting everything go so that (as you mentioned in Shaker ideology too) it gives you more time to focus on the other 'more important' stuff (whatever your ideology may lead you to believe that is). I do see merits in that, especially from seeing what happens at the other extreme (from folk who are either hoarders or perhaps a little too deeply attached to the 'stuff' in their life). That said, he now feels that going so far as to go on meditative retreats for weeks at a time was a little too extreme in the *other* direction for him, since it completely detaches you from this world (he likely wouldn't have met me in a forest cabin in the Deep South lol)

@Ophelia The key is to heat it up beforehand (warm, not scalding!) so it better penetrates the hair. Mine is low porosity so I have to leave it overnight to work effectively, but you may have better results in a shorter time.

@Suz Thanks! Any reason in particular for the palazzo preference over the harem pants?

@rachylou Interesting how the texture changes! Mine has always been pitch black (even fellow Pakistanis would comment on how *black* it is, as opposed to brown lol) but it was much curlier as a kid. Your hair isn't awkward, it's lovely! But I do know the issues behind having 'in between' hair - mine is technically wavy but the ends form ringlets. Tips for straight hair don't work for me, but curly hair products are often too heavy for me as well. Is Olaplex really as good as everyone says it is? I've only started dyeing my hair 'regularly' in the past 1-2 years (had it blue for a bit as a teen) but I'm already considering switching to henna treatments at home. Going in for a salon dye is exhausting - too much small talk