sweeet, have you tried Head & Shoulders? I use it to keep my dandruff at bay and they specialize in scalp care too.

I'd actually steer clear of Head and Shoulders...I've heard from a few hair-dressers that it's actually not great quality...(Although I haven't tried it myself). I know my mom suffers from a dry scalp and she uses a medicated shampoo specfically made to treat the condition. I can't remember what it's called but it's in a brown bottle and you can buy it at the drugstore I'll find out the name!

Its probably TGel, Val. My mom uses that, too. Does it look like this?

I'm a little afriad to find out what my hair would look like if I only conditioned it I don't think that would work with my hair...I usually shampoo the whole thing, condition the length (never the top, unless for some reason it's REALLY dry and damaged).

Warrior, I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of beards, but I definetly think the guy should be mature...i.e., not under 20, at least. I don't think I've ever seen a beard on a under 20 year old that I liked

I just conditioned my hair once and it turned out so oily.

Actually, this is it It says it's formulated for dry scalp, dandruff, and psoriasis. It kind of have a icky, tar like smell but I think it does a good job. I even use it occasionally!

I wonder if the tar-like smell comes because there's tar in it. I know that t-gel has actual tar in it. I wonder if that's to keep the dead skin sticking to your scalp.

Hmm, I've never heard of Aussie, but I'll look for it. That's my problem-- I keep having to rotate shampoos because my hair gets used to the one and the problem starts over again.

Sweet, it does have different kinds of tar in the ingredients. It's not gross or anything though My hair feels very clean after!

Also when I was at the drugstore I work at yesterday I checked out the haircare section, and besides the two LA and I mentioned, they had quite a large selection of medicated shampoos and conditioners specfically made for clinically dry and itching/irritated scalps.

So, I have a question for girls and not the guys who seem to be into lurking here. When you put on makeup, what do you do first? What's normalish? I, for one, have always, up until this point, washed my face, and put on toner and moisturizer before applying any makeup. I find my face feels too dry/tight usually after cleansing to even put on concealer without moisturizer. However, at the end of the day my face is always shiny and I hate that, so for the last couple days I've tried just putting on toner and then my makeup. I thought it wouldn't work, but the toner makes my face slightly sticky/damp so that everything doesn't looks icky and dry, my makeup isn't melting off at the end of the day either, and my skin isn't getting too dry from the use of less moisturizer. So I'm just wondering as to what others do because now I'm curious if I've been doing it weirdly all this time up until now

Also, does anyone know anything about E.L.F. makeup? My cousin and I bought $5 ELF eyeshadow palettes a few weeks ago and they seem to be relatively good quality, so my cousin looked up their site and we're both ordering a whole bunch of their super cheap makeup - because so much of it is only $1-$3! Anyone know if it's a good brand at all?

Also, does anyone know anything about E.L.F. makeup? My cousin and I bought $5 ELF eyeshadow palettes a few weeks ago and they seem to be relatively good quality, so my cousin looked up their site and we're both ordering a whole bunch of their super cheap makeup - because so much of it is only $1-$3! Anyone know if it's a good brand at all?

Ooh! I use that brand too! I love it my aunt bought me some for Christmas last year. She says that they don't have adds on TV and stuff like that so you pay for the product and not the name. That's why it's so cheep. Have you seen the 100 eyeshadow thingy. It's so cool! I don't have it but my aunt does. What did you get? I have the little kit with eyeshadow and lipstick and eyebrow stuff and blush and all that. Its small and it folds out so you have every thing in there.

Hmm, I've never heard of Aussie, but I'll look for it. That's my problem-- I keep having to rotate shampoos because my hair gets used to the one and the problem starts over again.

I've had that exact same problem. I live in a high humidity area so when the humidity is high, the shampoos that are designed to strip all the gunk out of your hair work better for me then. During times where there is low humidity, something that adds moisture helps. If I try and use the one that adds moisture during the high humidity times, my hair goes limp and flat. If I use the one that strips everything out during the low humidity, it tends to leave my hair feeling brittle. Aussie's one of the few shampoos I've been able to use consistently for more than a year. I do switch back and forth between the different types of Aussie though based on the humidity levels.

Previously I was switching through shampoo brands about every six months or so.

I recently cut myself some bangs (I had sort of "side sweep" bangs but wanted to try blunt ones) and am now thinking I may eventually get a perm, to give my hair some body and wave (a la Lisbon from The Mentalist) Only from halfway down my hair though, and fairly loose. I'd love to get a look something like this:

That's a great look, it looks very low maintenance (if it just dries like that naturally) and is very pretty and cute at the same time. I've never gotten a perm before. About how long do they last? Your hair is a bit shorter than that, right? I think it would still look really good. What's your natural color Val?

I was wondering if anyone could give me a little info on thinning. What does it entail? How much does it cost usually? Are there risks involved?

I've never thought of getting a perm like that before. That's pretty much how I want my hair in the long run - long and wavy with a blunt-ish fringe. My hair's naturally wavy/curly but I haven't had it long in years so I'm not sure how it's going to behave once it gets longer My hair has a looong way to go before it's anywhere near 'long'

My hair is currently a little past my shoulders, Kate. I think if I do go with the perm idea, it wouldn't be for several months so it'd hopefully be longer.
I got a perm once before...when I was 16. It was OK, I remember I'd wanted it pretty loose and I couldn't stop brushing it so it didn't stay in too long after a wash (but the slight wave was there for months afterward). I really have no idea how long they last I'm guessing maybe 4-5 months for a fairly tight one, and less for a loose one? Oh, and my natural hair color is brown. But I prefer the slight reddish tint I have it colored now

I can't really imagine you with long hair, Shantih. All I've ever seen in pics of you is your super short hair.

Kate--re: thinning. As far as I know there aren't any risks. And it doesn't cost anything big. Usually whenever I got for a trim I just ask them to thin it too, and as far as I know they don't add on anything extra to the charge. I think how it works is a special pair of scissors, that slices thru your hair but because of how they're made, only cuts a small amount. So, like, if you grabbed a chunk of hair and took the thinning scissors to it, instead of ending up with a chunk of hair on the floor, you'd just end up with maybe 25% of it on the floor. Again, I'm definetly no expert, that's just my rather poor explanation. But it defintetly isn't any kind of scary, hugely altering procedure. I ususally notice it gives my hair more movement instead of it getting weighed down with all the weight. And it makes it easier to manage too.
Hope that helped!

Oh, I missed the beard discussion.

I *like beards on guys. I really do. I think it makes them, in most cases, look way better. *shrug* Not sure why. But I'm a big fan of beards on guys.

Course, once I get married and have to be kissed by my husband I might like cleanshaven better. So far I haven't dealt with that. *laugh*

Edit: On the age note, I have a brother under 20 who has a beard... and I like it, though I like him cleanshaven too. He looks older then 20 the way it is though.
I've seen someone who looks like 14 with a beard, and it really, really surprised me. I probably *looked surprised. But I didn't meet him or anything.
There's another guy in our church around 16; without a beard he looks around 14, with a beard he *might look his age. Basically, I don't mind because I know him, but if I saw him on the street I might think it was a little weird for him to have a beard at his age.

But hey. It's *their hair. I don't really care if they're younger and have a beard, as long as they can actually grow a decent one. Just the first time I saw it it was a "shock".

/ramble.