sade087

Where I live, winters tend to be cold and dry. I use an electric humidifier indoors to keep my nose and eyes and lungs and skin and hair happier. But I also use a natural evaporative humidifier. Perhaps you've heard of it. It's called "Clean Wet Laundry." I should add that when the temperature is below 50°F (10°C) laundry doesn't get fully dry if hung outdoors here and when colder than that, my fingers freeze before the laundry is all hung out. If you buy a couple indoor laundry racks or are able to string a clothesline in your dwelling and not pull out the drywall, you can save several dollars (or more depending on your family size) per month on power. Your stretchy jeans won't shrink as much. Your clothes will actually last longer. I like to set my drying racks over the floor heat vents so the air passes around the clothes, drying them faster and spreading the humidity around. Laundry racks are a bit of an investment up-front, but they pay for themselves ove...

The steamer and diffuser, hose not shown - better to use a hose to prevent burns. My hair loves humidity. I don't worry about frizz - it looks natural. But how do I call up some humidity when the weather is very cold and dry, or very dry and windy and my hair has gone limp and flat? Here's my quick hair (and mood) pick-me-up. I made a steamer. I already had a "steam hot roller" steamer, which is like a facial steamer for skin or sinus problems. This picture simply has a diffuser attachment set on the steamer. This can be both too hot and very tippy. That steam is HOT and you do not want to dump boiling water on yourself. I am working on attaching a heat-tolerant hose - but I keep forgetting to pick some up at the hardware. If you want to do this yourself, I highly recommend using a hose to make it easier to use and safer. Boiling water and steam cause burns.  You want the steam to be a temperature that is comfortable to your skin - that way you know it's safer f...

Doubtless you have read about dewpoint and what it means for wavy and curly hair. Generally, wavy and curly hair looks better when there is a “just right” amount of water vapor in the air. The important thing to remember is that we Always Obey the Laws of Thermodynamics! Things tend to come to a state of equilibrium. If there is more heat in your house than outside and you open a window, the warm air rushes out. If you place a glass of iced tea on a table on a hot day, the ice melts and the tea warms as it absorbs heat from its surroundings. ©Science-y Hair Blog 2013 Too little water vapor in the air and hair tends to lose moisture to the drier air. Too much water vapor in the air and your hair takes on a lot of moisture and begins to curl more – getting bigger and less defined (frizzing). Just right – and your waves and curls look healthy and defined. But I need pictures. I love concepts, but for mental recall – flashing back to a picture is so much simpler. First of all, dewpoint. Wh...