Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Woof

I want a dog. Or rather, wanted. Well… I still want one. Kind of. But now my home is overrun with animals – okay cats – and so it probably isn’t the best time to get a dog.

The lady who wanted to rehome her Scottie fell off my radar. She always had some excuse as to why I couldn’t meet him – and so I’d give up, and then she’d contact me. “Still interested?” “Hells yeah!” And we’d start the process all over again and it would always end the same way: I would not get to meet the dog.

While I was waiting for her to squeeze me into her busy schedule, I decided to visit other dogs. There are plenty of them available. I visited adoption sites and the Humane Society. I sat with dogs, talked to dogs, and played with dogs. Still… I didn’t find one who seemed to like me as much as Buster did.

And in case you didn’t catch it, Buster is a cat – my new cat.

Apparently I’m not as patient as I like to think I am, because after about a month, I decided to give in and adopt Buster instead of holding out for a dog. According to my other two cats, that was a mistake. They might be right… but I won’t admit it to them.

I still yearn for a dog, so I’m going to have to go back to my original plan which was this: get myself a boyfriend who has a dog. Or two. Think that will work?

Bad Hair Day

Like most women, my confidence level is equal to how good I feel about my hair. If my hair is frizzy, or my grey streak wide, I find that I don’t want people to notice me. On the other hand, when my hair feels soft and the grey streak is gone, watch out world: I want you to notice me!

A few years ago, my stylist introduced me to a wonderful hair product: Kerastase. It’s from France, and falls under L’Oreal’s umbrella of products. She raved about it and said that I’d never even know my hair was colored – that this product would make my hair feel soft to the touch.

Now excuse me for being skeptical, but I can’t count the amount of times a stylist has gushed about this product or that, only to find that the product did not live up to the hype. So, I told her I while I trusted her, I was going to hold judgment on the product until I saw the effects myself.

After coloring my hair, she used the then new Kerastase products to wash and condition my hair. Then she used some styling Kerastase products on my hair before blow drying – and I had to admit that afterwards, my hair felt soft. But then again, it always does right after getting it done. She said, “Just wait – your hair will still feel this great three days from now.”

She was right. Not only did my hair feel great on the third day, but it felt good on the 4th and 5th day as well. I was sold – but my wallet wasn’t. Kerastase is expensive, and so I was going to have to make do with my Nature’s Organics products (which did not have the same effect!).

Then I was laid off, and my stylist gave me a full size Kerastase shampoo and conditioner for Christmas. “It’s all I can do – but at least you’ll have great hair for your interviews!” I thanked her profusely.

The next time I visited, she gave me some full-size tester styling products, too. I was set.

In the years that have passed, I’ve been lucky to find the products at a deep discount on eBay. So, my hair has remained soft, shiny and supple ever since. And because I’m sold on Kerastase, I am hesitant to try other products.

The other day, Eco-Emi sent me hair product samples from Neuma. Organic. Sustainable. Smelled great. I thought, “Why not?” So, I used the products on my hair the next day. Washed my hair with the shampoo. Conditioned with the conditioner. Used the styling products afterwards.

After blow drying and flat ironing my hair, I noticed that it didn’t feel good. Well.. it didn’t feel bad, either… but it definitely didn’t feel as good as it did after using Kerastase. And now it’s two days later, and my hair feels dry and almost straw-like. And even though the average passerby has no idea what my hair feels like – and the feel hasn’t affected the look – I find my confidence is waning. Strangers might not know that my hair is dry, but I do… and it bugs me.

Lesson learned: Stick with what works. When it comes to something as important as my hair, experimentation isn’t always a good thing.