The Girl Stuff Thread

SJSantiago · Jun 6, 2019

"le sigh" Thinning hair has me down today, had a handful in the shower today... PCOS so my hair doesnt grow like it used to and the scale is a battle ... down in the hormonal depression dumps again pms is the worst.
Oh ya,
hi ladies, long time no post ... lots has been happening keeping me away

WriteMinded · Jun 8, 2019

Minoxidil (for women) works for thinning hair. Maybe I should say, it helps thinning hair. As long as you own a viable hair follicle, Minoxidil will prompt it to produce a precious hair. You don't have to buy Rogaine, either. Many companies make cheaper brands. I buy WalMart's brand for about half the price of Rogaine. You can take supplements, also. I have used Hair Essentials which I purchase from Natural Wellbeing. It grows hair, at least it grows hair on my head.

You might guess from my post that I have thinning hair.

It has been thinning for a long time, so I've had ample time to test these products.

You have to keep at it, whatever you use. Therein lies my problem. I have a keep-it-up glitch in my nature. Once things start to go well, I stop putting effort into whatever I was working on. :Shrug:

MadAlice · Jun 8, 2019

WriteMinded said:
Minoxidil (for women) works for thinning hair. Maybe I should say, it helps thinning hair. As long as you own a viable hair follicle, Minoxidil will prompt it to produce a precious hair. You don't have to buy Rogaine, either. Many companies make cheaper brands. I buy WalMart's brand for about half the price of Rogaine. You can take supplements, also. I have used Hair Essentials which I purchase from Natural Wellbeing. It grows hair, at least it grows hair on my head.

You might guess from my post that I have thinning hair. It has been thinning for a long time, so I've had ample time to test these products.

You have to keep at it, whatever you use. Therein lies my problem. I have a keep-it-up glitch in my nature. Once things start to go well, I stop putting effort into whatever I was working on.

Ah, I have the same glitch! That's why wigs have been so wonderful for me.

WriteMinded · Jun 9, 2019

MadAlice said:
Ah, I have the same glitch! That's why wigs have been so wonderful for me.

Yes, wigs make for lots of options. I live in a hot town. I wonder how it would be to depend on them here.

MadAlice · Jun 10, 2019

WriteMinded said:
Yes, wigs make for lots of options. I live in a hot town. I wonder how it would be to depend on them here.

I'm not an expert by any means, but you'd have to do some research on the cap construction types. Some would be terrible in hot weather, but some are more open to allow air flow. I have a pixie cut I've just bought to keep the hair off my neck and such.

SJSantiago · Jun 11, 2019

WriteMinded said:
Minoxidil (for women) works for thinning hair. Maybe I should say, it helps thinning hair. As long as you own a viable hair follicle, Minoxidil will prompt it to produce a precious hair. You don't have to buy Rogaine, either. Many companies make cheaper brands. I buy WalMart's brand for about half the price of Rogaine. You can take supplements, also. I have used Hair Essentials which I purchase from Natural Wellbeing. It grows hair, at least it grows hair on my head.

You might guess from my post that I have thinning hair. It has been thinning for a long time, so I've had ample time to test these products.

You have to keep at it, whatever you use. Therein lies my problem. I have a keep-it-up glitch in my nature. Once things start to go well, I stop putting effort into whatever I was working on.

thanks! I will give that a try!

Ive been taking Biotin for a cpl years but dont think it is helping
Finally over the pms blues, some months are so much worse than others bleh

LeeLara · Nov 13, 2019

WriteMinded said:
Minoxidil (for women) works for thinning hair. Maybe I should say, it helps thinning hair. As long as you own a viable hair follicle, Minoxidil will prompt it to produce a precious hair. You don't have to buy Rogaine, either. Many companies make cheaper brands. I buy WalMart's brand for about half the price of Rogaine. You can take supplements, also. I have used Hair Essentials which I purchase from Natural Wellbeing. It grows hair, at least it grows hair on my head.

You might guess from my post that I have thinning hair. It has been thinning for a long time, so I've had ample time to test these products.

You have to keep at it, whatever you use. Therein lies my problem. I have a keep-it-up glitch in my nature. Once things start to go well, I stop putting effort into whatever I was working on.

I've been reading a lot of articles about minoxidil (rogaine) like this https://www.webmd.com/beauty/qa/what-is-minoxidil-and-how-can-it-help-thinning-hair and this https://www.quora.com/Can-I-use-minoxidil-for-my-thinning-hair and all I could get is that it won't help to get back your hair if you're already started balding. I'm still afraid to try it, even if it doesn't require any prescription. By the way, what do you think about using flat irons? It is said here that having an appropriate moisture level is the key to keep hair from heat damage.

Maryn · Nov 13, 2019

I've read some articles--from less reliable sources than WebMD--that say the opposite. While Minoxidil doesn't work for everyone, for some people it does regrow "lost" hair, the hitch being that it takes four to six weeks of use to know if you're one of them, and if you are, you have to keep using it forever and ever.

We have a fancy big bathtub now, the sort that makes me want to linger with a paperback and a glass of wine. (And music, and incense, and bare-chested men with big fans...) I haven't used bubble bath in eons. Any recommendations? My preference is that it not dry my skin and that it doesn't create a ring. A nice smell is a bonus.

Maryn, determined to figure out a way to escape that deep tub

Maryn · Sep 14, 2021

I killed the thread? My daughter's new place doesn't have a tub, so she gave me some Bath & Body Works bubble bath that's very nice--and man, it makes lots of bubbles. (Some of the scents are not especially girly, great for anyone who'd enjoy a hot soak. Try the Teak and Mahogany.)

I hunted down this thread to share my liking of a lip balm that's color-free and not sticky. It's cheap, too! Nivea's Milk & Honey lip balm went into our other daughter's birthday box, my purse, the local daughter's purse, and my makeup drawer. I need one for the kitchen next.

Maryn · Dec 11, 2021

Can we talk bras? Because both my sister and my friend are doing it all wrong, spending $35 to $50 per bra at Kohl's or Macy's, and when they wear something knit that clings momentarily, it's obvious the bra absolutely does not fit.

When I got my present plus-size body (some present, huh?), I wore bras that didn't really fit, too. It's all there seemed to be, no matter where I shopped. Even dedicated lingerie stores didn't seem to have anything that fit like the bras my younger body wore.

Enter online shopping. BareNecessities.com and FreshPair.com both sell brands designed to fit larger women. My favorite is Elomi, but you might also find a great bra for your body from Fantasie, Glamorise, Freya, or Goddess.

No more straps that cut into shoulders (although the dent from past bras seems to be permanent), no more bra backs that are higher than the fronts, no more underwire that kills you (although some brands kind of prod my armpits, but that could just be me). The part between the cups touches the breastbone instead of leaving a gap large enough to catch dropped popcorn. And to my pleasure, exactly zero times has an underwire worked its way out of the bra, even the oldest ones, which seemed to happen fairly often with department store bras.

Do they cost more? Yes, they do. But there are constant sales, especially on colors (and that, especially at Bare Necessities), bringing them into direct competition with the prices at the stores that really can't fit me. Unless you wear a lot of thin tops in light colors, a bright or deep-tone bra doesn't matter. For example, I don't own a red top (so not my color), but I wear my red bra regularly, as well as some fairly gaudy prints.

If you're not sure of your size, they have real-human chat online as well as phone support. You need a tape measure and to be wearing the best bra you've got, even if it's not great.

Bare Necessities often enclose a coupon for 20% off your next purchase. Fresh Pair is female owned.

I'm pretty old, pretty overweight, and I have the prettiest and best-fitting lingerie of my life. I rarely pay full price but note the sales and click through on the emails to see if one I like is included.

Maryn, with a public service announcement

Unimportant · Dec 11, 2021

Maryn said:
And to my pleasure, exactly zero times has an underwire worked its way out of the bra, even the oldest ones, which seemed to happen fairly often with department store bras.

OMG, that happened to me, out of the blue, whilst I was sitting in a formal meeting with Very Important Rich People. I got up to pour coffee (bc the woman always has to do that when in meetings with men, Important or not) and next thing I know this freaking underwire is sticking up out of the neckline of my top and jabbing me in the chin. Absolutely mortifying.

Maryn · Dec 11, 2021

As a person who sews, I have attempted to fix many a $50 bra losing its wire, in multiple ways. No repair ever lasted. (My escaped wires usually aren't as "fun" as yours was, though.) Most ended with a side jabbed bloody before I could get home and take the damned thing off.

BTW, one thing I didn't mention is that while many people recommend hand washing and air drying bras, I'd never have a clean one if I waited on myself to do that. I machine wash in a lingerie bag and hang 'em to dry. To date, no damage of any kind. The oldest ones still look fairly new at around four years.

Maryn, wearing one as we speak

Friendly Frog · Dec 11, 2021

Maryn said:
BTW, one thing I didn't mention is that while many people recommend hand washing and air drying bras, I'd never have a clean one if I waited on myself to do that. I machine wash in a lingerie bag and hang 'em to dry. To date, no damage of any kind. The oldest ones still look fairly new at around four years.

Same here. As far as I can tell, if it's a decent bra to start with, it will survive many years of machine washing.

I recently had to replace half of my bras. I was sorry to see some go as they were very comfortable, right up until the wire started to poke in sensitive areas, that is. And not in amusing ways either.

It did show that the last time I bought bras was in bulk, as many started to go bust (hah hah) around the same time. And clearly it has been some years I last went shopping for them, my favourite type has almost everywhere been replaced by preformed foam ones.

SusanStar · Dec 11, 2021

Unimportant said:
OMG, that happened to me, out of the blue, whilst I was sitting in a formal meeting with Very Important Rich People. I got up to pour coffee (bc the woman always has to do that when in meetings with men, Important or not) and next thing I know this freaking underwire is sticking up out of the neckline of my top and jabbing me in the chin. Absolutely mortifying.

I felt that in my heart

Unimportant · Dec 11, 2021

Rather off topic, but not sure where else to share this:

My father always refused to let my mother change their health insurance, claiming they had 'the best', regardless of what she said. (And he would tell her she was stupid and knew nothing, which she believed, so she never pursued it.) After he died last year, she started looking again into whether there are better options for her.

Amongst other things, the health insurance she's paying ungodly sums for include full coverage for pregnancy, prenatal care, and cost of giving birth.

My mother is 95.

Maryn · Dec 11, 2021

They say hope is the last to die...

Friendly Frog · Dec 11, 2021

Unimportant said:
Amongst other things, the health insurance she's paying ungodly sums for include full coverage for pregnancy, prenatal care, and cost of giving birth.

My mother is 95.

Wut?

Frankly I think the insurance company deserves a good ol' grumpy side-eye on this. They pocketed that money for years without blinking, if they hadn't talked him into the full coverage in the first place.

And good on your mother to check it out when she finally could!

Unimportant · Dec 11, 2021

I suppose that when they first got the coverage, their dependent children were partly covered by it. But yeah, both the insurance company and my father have a lot to answer for: not that either of them will.

frimble3 · Dec 11, 2021

I was a lowly peon in a health insurance company for years, and this is a big thing as you age or circumstances change: checking that the policy meets your needs, and is right for you.
The plan that was perfect when you were young, with a family, and years of medical problems ahead of you may be a total waste now.
X coverage for dependents (the spouse and children plan) Including the pregnancy, etc. care.
X wage-replacement coverage if you are disabled from work.
Glasses and dental? Probably still useful, unless you're blind. You may still want your dentures re-lined, and even if your teeth are perfect, there's that unexpected fall.

If you're 95 and your health is good, yeah, probably less coverage, although things do happen - although,

not being in the US, you may have some sort of government medical? Check that out and see what duplication there is. (I am in Canada, anything that happens in a hospital is covered.)

Although, I don't entirely blame your father - most people never periodically check their coverage. And, when your dad started out, it was probably a point of pride to be able to get the 'best' coverage for his family.

ChaseJxyz · Dec 11, 2021

I have no idea how insurance works in Australia so I can't really comment on that part. In the US it's only based on age and "gender" (which is whatever it says on your legal documents*) which goes into some formula to math out how much the premium should be. So I imagine the formula takes into account what are the years a person is most likely to have a kid. TECHNICALLY all insurance covers everything, which would mean prenatal care for 13 year old girls and mammograms for 50 year old men (though it might auto-deny things that is for a gender they don't expect, like hystos for men, but that's just a technical flaw, not a policy one). The same things are covered (usually), it's just the final $/% of what you pay out of pocket is different.

At the work holiday party I mentioned how it was Interesting that the majority of the YoY insurance plan changes were very "if you're infertile: well sucks to be you!" and several people commented that they didn't know that...guess I'm the only one who actually read that letter. I imagine that most people do not go over the full list of what is/isnt covered unless they know they have a condition that might be not covered (i.e. most people don't think about it).

*since most insurance is through your employer, it's usually whatever gender your employer thinks you are. In some states, you can self-identify as [whatever] and that goes onto your state ID, which is enough to change what it is on "official" things like insurance or your bank. But usually you also have to change what it says on your social security so that it lines up if they ever do a background/information check on you. But it doesn't have to line up with your birth certificate

Unimportant · Dec 11, 2021

frimble3 said:
I was a lowly peon in a health insurance company for years, and this is a big thing as you age or circumstances change: checking that the policy meets your needs, and is right for you.
The plan that was perfect when you were young, with a family, and years of medical problems ahead of you may be a total waste now.
X coverage for dependents (the spouse and children plan) Including the pregnancy, etc. care.
X wage-replacement coverage if you are disabled from work.
Glasses and dental? Probably still useful, unless you're blind. You may still want your dentures re-lined, and even if your teeth are perfect, there's that unexpected fall.

If you're 95 and your health is good, yeah, probably less coverage, although things do happen - although, not being in the US, you may have some sort of government medical? Check that out and see what duplication there is. (I am in Canada, anything that happens in a hospital is covered.)

Although, I don't entirely blame your father - most people never periodically check their coverage. And, when your dad started out, it was probably a point of pride to be able to get the 'best' coverage for his family.

This is USA insurance, and no, seriously, my father was a pompous, privileged, white, sexist, racist, classist dick who seriously overestimated his own superiority and knowledge.

mccardey · Dec 11, 2021

Unimportant said:
This is USA insurance, and no, seriously, my father was a pompous, privileged, white, sexist, racist, classist dick who seriously overestimated his own superiority and knowledge.

There's a lot of that around. And it does go back a few years...

frimble3 · Dec 11, 2021

ChaseJxyz said:
I have no idea how insurance works in Australia so I can't really comment on that part. In the US it's only based on age and "gender" (which is whatever it says on your legal documents*) which goes into some formula to math out how much the premium should be. So I imagine the formula takes into account what are the years a person is most likely to have a kid. TECHNICALLY all insurance covers everything, which would mean prenatal care for 13 year old girls and mammograms for 50 year old men (though it might auto-deny things that is for a gender they don't expect, like hystos for men, but that's just a technical flaw, not a policy one). The same things are covered (usually), it's just the final $/% of what you pay out of pocket is different.

At the work holiday party I mentioned how it was Interesting that the majority of the YoY insurance plan changes were very "if you're infertile: well sucks to be you!" and several people commented that they didn't know that...guess I'm the only one who actually read that letter. I imagine that most people do not go over the full list of what is/isnt covered unless they know they have a condition that might be not covered (i.e. most people don't think about it).

*since most insurance is through your employer, it's usually whatever gender your employer thinks you are. In some states, you can self-identify as [whatever] and that goes onto your state ID, which is enough to change what it is on "official" things like insurance or your bank. But usually you also have to change what it says on your social security so that it lines up if they ever do a background/information check on you. But it doesn't have to line up with your birth certificate

True that, most people don't even look at coverage provided by work. Except to be pleased that they have the kind of job that provides it. (Sometimes leads to nasty surprises down the road.)

Always read the fine print. Did you know that travel insurance may be voided if you take part in criminal activities, riots or protests?
(Depends on the policy of course, always read it.)

Maryn · Aug 27, 2023

Reviving this thread to share a hair care product I really like.

I wear my hair long and don't trim it as often as I should. It gets split ends. But since I started adding white hairs (and more white hairs, and more, and more!), the breakage is a lot worse. Those white hairs are really fragile! (And slightly curly, unlike the rest.)

So I've tried lots of shampoos, conditioners, leave-in conditioners, including a few pretty expensive ones (Biolage, It's a 10), and found an inexpensive one I like better: L’Oreal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 (<-product line) Damage Erasing Balm Rinse-Out Mask, 8.5 fl oz,which costs $7.99 at drug and discount stores. It's a yellow jar you're looking for.

This is a cream about the consistency of mayonnaise. You shampoo early in your shower, rinse well, apply it paying special attention to the ends, then shower, putter around however you do, the object being to have it on your hair for a while. Then you rinse. It has a bit of fragrence, which rinses completely out.

It combs through wet with no tangles, and dries soft without being flat.

If you try it, let me know what you think.

Catriona Grace · Aug 27, 2023

Thanks, Maryn. I also have long hair (thigh length) that gets trimmed infrequently. My favorite afforable conditioner is Aussie Three Minute Miracle. Next time I run out, I'll see if I can find the long-named conditioner you recommended. I only have a few white hairs around my temples, as curly as the rest of my hair is straight, and considerably coarser than my fine original-colored hair. Hair is funny stuff, isn't it? And I used to have sooooo much more than I have now. Sigh.

The Girl Stuff Thread

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