I meet up with a group of my Asian-American acting girlfriends on a regular basis to connect, get inspired, and create. It’s not exactly a club, and there’s no official name, but in my calendar, I label it A.W.E. (Asian Women in Entertainment).
Sometimes we eat brunch, sometimes we watch a movie, sometimes we meet for happy hour. Yesterday we just sat on the floor and talked for nearly 4 hours!
Andrea put out a lovely spread – carrots, microwave popcorn, and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies…
…Trader Joe’s Cheddar Chipotle Potato Bites with bacon, sour cream, and chives…
…and these Caramelized Onion/Gorgonzola Pastry Puffs that I assumed were from TJ’s too (but were actually from Pavillions).
A sample of everything…
…my second plate looked pretty much identical, except I reached for an extra cheese puff (those were surprisingly incredible)…
…plus a Vanilla Macaron from Napoleon’s that Elaine brought:
Thanks so much to everyone for the advice about dental guards – between the blog and twitter, I’m connected to A LOT of folks who grind their teeth! We could start a whole club called G.A.G. (Grinders Anonymous with Guards).
Another completely random question for y’all – I want to grow my hair REALLY long. I’ve never had hair down to my ass before, and I’d like to accomplish this before I turn 40. So…5 years. Any advice? My ‘do is looking kinda shaggy and I’m already tempted to go further than a trim…
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Always trim girl…even if it’s 1/2 inch to get off all the dead, scraggly crap…you can also ask for your hair to be “point cut” – basically your HD would cut “into” your hair with the tips of the shears – it gives straight hair beautiful texture, and movement without sacraficing length. Yeah – I went to Vidal Sasson Academy in Toronto…one of my past lives.
I had my hair half way down my back at one point before I was 40, and now at 43 it’s just grazes my shoulders – and I love it…
perfect advice. thanks!!!
I cannot grow long hair for the life of me– it’s like I’m genetically programmed for it to stop at right below my shoulders. I hope you have better luck!
If you’re really serious about it, I’ve had several girlfriends use Viviscal pills with tremendous success. It’s a supplement that models with really damaged hair use; the downside is that it’s quite pricey (I think it’s $50/bottle!). Biotin supplements are supposed to be amazing for speeding hair growth as well. I
Trimming will stimulate your hair to grow, so doing this on a regular basis (6-8 weeks) is good. Taking neonatal vitamins can help (may help your skin too…not that you need that) and may be cheaper than other alternatives. Be very careful with what you use to pull your hair back so you don’t damage it.
Good thing you don’t really like working out, ’cause having your sweaty hair wrap your arm pits is not as much fun as you might think.
I had hair down to my butt before I started blow-drying, straightening, and dying it. I’m trying to grow mine out longer too, so dying and straightening should be done less frequently if you do either of those (but I don’t think you do anyway.) But I’m also trying to not blow-dry my hair at least twice a week, as I think a break from the intense heat of the hairdryer helps. Conditioning every day helps. Sorry, this is all common-sense stuff that I’m sure you know already! Hopefully I’m not boring you.
Just a few tips that have helped me in the past. 
Like someone else said, definitely get it trimmed every couple of months even if it seems counter-productive.
thank you for this! i don’t use a hairdryer but when i’m working they often curl my hair to death. i guess i should invest in a better conditioner!!!
Phyto makes some amazing tablets (http://www.drugstore.com/phyto-phytophanere/qxp217500?catid=98035&tab=1#1) that always do the trick for me when I’ trying to grow my hair. Added benefit they make your nails and skin pretty great too:) I’ve had a doctor friend take a look at the ingredients for me, and she said they were harmless – just chock full of beta carotene which explains the results.
I have very long hair. Best tip: don’t wash it often! I do once or twice a week. Dry shampoo or baby powder if it’s oily. It’s easier in LA because it’s not humid, I think.
ah, i like this advice. i look for any excuse not to wash my hair!
On the hair front- TAKE prenatal vitamins!!! What a fun spread. Those Chipotle Potato Bites sound great. Heart TJs
I’ve grown my hair out a few times to donate to charity – it’s all about preventing breakage The first thing I did was put away my brushes and get a detangling comb. Also, I always put my hair into two braided ponytails that fall down my front before sleeping. They say you should also switch out your regular pillowcase with a satin pillowcase, but I didn’t want to break up my matching set.
I swear by biotin. I lost a lot of hair in college (chalk it up to stress and a very unhealthy lifestyle) but I think the biotin has helped tons, both with thickness (my stylist even noticed the texture change for the better) and growth. Its also a cheaper jumping off point in terms of taking a supplement to help with hair growth. I’ve been taking 5000 mcg 1x day.
I have had hair past my butt for most of my life (I’m 46 now). The best piece of advice I can give you is to only wash your hair once a week if you can stand it. Your hair’s natural oils are far superior to any conditioner you could use. When I do wash my hair, I leave most of the conditioner in my hair past my shoulders. I don’t completely rinse it out. And I use the coldest water I can stand to rinse my hair. It seals the hair shaft so you don’t have the frizzies. I never use a brush. I use a detanging comb in combination with a light leave in conditioner everywhere but on my scalp. I use Target’s version of No More Tangles found in the baby section. I LOVE it and it’s cheap! I trim my ends about 1/8th an inch every month. And I always lightly braid my hair before going to bed. You’d be surprised how much hair can be damaged/lost from tossing and turning at night.
I have also used biotin in the past with mixed results. But eating as clean as I possibly can and taking a high potency vitamin works better for me.
I know this a long response, but I was really intrigued/excited about your quest for butt length hair before 40!
Good Luck!!
wow, angela, thanks for your advice! i had no idea how much work went into growing long beautiful hair!