Q&A: Questions and Answers

[Obscure_Trash]

Way more awkward and awkwardly hilarious. Everyone's stomach growls. If people look at you when yours does, just laugh it off and say you can't wait to eat.

[Ioanna]

Good evening,

My apologies if I'm hijacking the thread in any way; I need some advice. :/

 

I've always had a nice, healthy, full, thick hair since I was a little girl. 

But I've noticed that I'm losing so much hair! It had possibly started in the past 1 or 2 years (I'm not quite sure though as my hair was cut short last year; I didn't want to cut at all but I had to do so, to renew and improve my hair's health. My hair was long).

I don't know if that matters, but my hair is naturally straight, dark brown; and I'm sixteen only. Nowadays it's slightly below my shoulders, it's growing longer fairly well. And thanks God I'm not ill!

 

I believe the main cause of my hair loss is my stress and possibly my short temper. But perhaps it's also lacking vitamin or something? I don't drink milk/water enough, is that the problem? Must I let my hair loosen mostly of the time? Must I always sleep with loosen hair? 

I almost everyday use hair clips (specially when I cook, so my hair won't smell like food, much). I also sometimes use hair clips/ties when my hair is still wet. Am I doing it wrong? I've started doing this (often using hair clips/ties) possibly 7-4 years ago!

I also use conditioner in the entire hair, so consequently it goes to my scalp too (I keep forgetting to use conditioner only on the tips ) and I brush my hair during the shower time shortly after washing the conditioner well so it will be easier to brush again after showering. 

 

Please, help me! What shall I do? What am I doing wrong? I need my healthy, full, thick hair back! My hair is what I like the most about me, specially when it is long and nice. How long will it take to grow long and full again? My hair looks and is shiny and healthy but I'm losing hair...!

Before, my hair would never fit the medium sized hair clips as they were too small for my hair. Now my hair fits those hair clips almost perfectly!

I'm not sure if the hair loss controlling shampoos work very good. I have hair loss controlling shampoo, but I mostly use the one that helps the hair to be shiny.

 

Please help... this might sound stupid, but my hair is very important to me! :/ And I'm worried!

Thank you very much in advance!

And sorry for the length of my text. 

 

Edit: I forgot: is my hair more sensitive because it is thin?

(I mean, an individual hair is naturally thin.)

Edited April 29, 2013 by Slytherin7

[Alpha Gryph]

Socky and River - Thanks a bunch. I'll definitely check out those brands and ease my way into it until, like Deadly said, I can buy better raised meat.

 

kiyye - I used to do that in high school since my stomach would seem to growl the most when it was quiet. But nowadays I don't care as much. Laughing it off like Sock said sounds way better than trying to cover it up. It's just a natural bodily function.

 

Slytherin7 - The same exact thing happened to me when I first went off to college and was in an emotionally harmful relationship. My hair lost more than half of its volume and didn't look so good. Stress was definitely the main cause. Is there something in particular that's been stressing you out lately?

 

I'd put a little blame on diet too though, make sure you're getting decent nutrition. That probably attributed to my own hair loss as well (yah always eat junk your first year in college lol). My hair stylist told me to make sure I'm getting lots of protein (organic/grass-fed meats, almonds and other nuts, etc.), and she said protein shakes are good if you aren't getting enough.

 

There are definitely products out there that can help with hair strength, but their names escape me...maybe someone else here can post with some suggestions.

[Moonlightelf]

Slytherin7

Emotions definitely play part in hair loss. If you are stressed for long period of time, it will eventually show in your hair too. Whenever you feel you are stressed, it is time to stop and do something, which relieves the stress. Take a walk, start reading a book, listen to music that soothes you... whatever you do to relieve the stress. When you are happy, your hair will be "happy" too.

Example being my own mother. She was stressed for a long period of time, and it resulted into bald spots in her scalp.

 

Diet as well effects strength of hair. Hair needs protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and trace substances.

97% of the hair is protein, so they need amino acids and sulphur to build themselves. Nuts will be great for this, as well as seeds.

If your hair is dry, then you may need more fat for your hair. Olives, avocado, different seeds and certain oils for diet will be good addition.

As for vitamins, you are going to need B, C and A vitamins for your hair. However, in case of loss of hair, the B vitamins are the first thing to check. Are you getting enough of it? Are you lacking some B3? B9?

Here is a little list of what B-vitamins you are going to need for your hair:

B-2 (riboflavin)

B3 (niacin)

B6 (pyridoxine)

B-9 (folic acid)

B12 (kobalamin)

B5 (pantothenic acid)

B7 (biotin)

Also keep in mind that the hair needs different minerals and trace substances. Copper, iron and zinc affect straight to your hair, stimulating the vitamins to work.

 

For the love of Goddess, do not brush your hair when they are wet! After washing your hair, the fat is no longer there to protect your hair, and that causes them to be in the most vulnerable state. The damage such brushing causes is terrible for your hair.

The biggest hair loss in my entire life was because I brushed my hair during shower, so I stopped it immediately. The difference was huge!

Brush only when they are dry. Work from the ends towards the scalp. And when you are done with brushing, brush few more times all the way from scalp to tips. The fat that hair gets from sebaceous gland is your hair's friend when protecting it. And by that, it won't be too dry either.

 

How often do you blow dry your hair? While it is fast and convenient, but doing it too often damages your hair. So sometimes it is better to take time for your hair and actually let it dry naturally.

Tying your hair with hair tie or clip is the second worst thing while they are with. The clips are fine, but tying hair into ponytail is quite stressful for your hair. If you want longer hair back, try braiding it instead. That may seem like it is more stressful for it, but it damages hair far less than ponytail. Also... sleep with your hair loose without any ties. Though if you really want to sleep with hair tied, keep it braided instead while going to sleep.

 

I hope this bit of bulletin helps you to get back your lovely hair.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Moonlightelf

[kiffren]

For the love of Goddess, do not brush your hair when they are wet! After washing your hair, the fat is no longer there to protect your hair, and that causes them to be in the most vulnerable state. The damage such brushing causes is terrible for your hair.

The biggest hair loss in my entire life was because I brushed my hair during shower, so I stopped it immediately. The difference was huge!

Brush only when they are dry. Work from the ends towards the scalp. And when you are done with brushing, brush few more times all the way from scalp to tips. The fat that hair gets from sebaceous gland is your hair's friend when protecting it. And by that, it won't be too dry either.

When you have extremely curly hair (like me) you simply cannot brush it while it's dry. It'll be a giant frizzy mess. And if you don't brush it while it's wet (usually in the shower) it'll become one giant knot. Curly hair is evil. That's why I chopped most of it off.

[Riverwillows]

I have very very fine hair, almost wispy, and if I don't brush it out when wet, it will knot up and cause horrible tangles. Once brushed, it stays relatively tangle free, as it is so limp. It's been like that since I was born, remnant of my flaxen blondness up til age 4 or so.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Riverwillows

[Digital Decay]

Slytherin7, what kind of shampoo do you use? A lot of conventional shampoos contain silicone, in order to fill up gaps in your hair structure and smoothen it generally. But since the silicone stuff can't, contrary to advertisements, actively seek the damaged areas and stay there, it will slowly build up everywhere and prevent nutrients and whatever you're putting on your hair to keep it healthy from getting there. It might also irritate your scalp, especially if you're washing your hair very frequently.

 

 

[Kestra15]

When you have extremely curly hair (like me) you simply cannot brush it while it's dry. It'll be a giant frizzy mess. And if you don't brush it while it's wet (usually in the shower) it'll become one giant knot. Curly hair is evil. That's why I chopped most of it off.

This. My hair is easier to manage/comb after I've wetted it.

[Dimar]

This was kind of already answered, but I'm jumping in to support the answers and add opinion because... I can.

 

I've known people who go gradual or just jump all in at once and both do fine. Just make sure to watch what you eat and to make sure you're getting enough of what you need. I believe people should learn about what they're eating anyway, but it's especially important when you're making a rather big dietary change. In the end, you know your body best. I would just do some research on good vegetarian meals and do what feels right. If you jump right in and you aren't feeling well, then cut back a little and go in more gradually. Or, if you go gradually, pay attention to your body to see how slow or fast it can handle. If you're eating healthy food it's usually not too much of a shock (unless perhaps you eat really, really bad?). If it is something you're worried about, it's not a bad idea to talk to your doctor about it some. :3

This. In 6th grade, I abruptly made the decision to stop eating meat. I didn't even try to change gradually, but my body handled it just fine. My mom never cooked red meat anyway, only white, so I think that made the process easier. (In fact, I accidentally ate pepperoni a couple of weeks ago and got very sick. My omnivorous family was just fine; apparently my body doesn't even know how to process meat like that anymore.)

 

I have found at my local supermarket a line of vegitarian items that that taste really good, and it's hard to tell I'm not eating meat. It's also priced reasonably. They are Morning Star Farms brand items. You can try starting with those maybe.

Yes, Morning Star is so good! They're my preferred brand for non-meat burgers, breakfast sausage, all that stuff. I think they make some black bean burgers that are spicy and delicious.

[lightbird]

I'm running Opera on Ubuntu, and sometime ago it borked and now all it shows is a banner saying "Any visible images have invalid or missing ALT attributes". Anyone know how to fix this?

 

I obviously do have other browsers on this laptop, but I'd like to be able to run Opera again as well, since it does some some perks my other browsers don't.

Edited April 30, 2013 by lightbird

[Ioanna]

Alpha Gryph, Moonlightelf, Digital Decay

 

Thank you very much for the advices! That was really helpful

I will have to change a lot of things, specially by managing my stress and not harming my hair "physically" anymore. I get stressed/nervous rather easily, and I don't like it, these feelings affect a lot in the overall health.

 

Indeed, I was losing much more hair as I was brushing it during shower (and right after leaving the shower)! I didn't know that could be so harmful! My mother also brushes her hair while it's wet (she used to brush it while in the shower as well but I think she's stopped doing it). She's been losing hair, but not as much as me.

 

I haven't dyed my hair in about 8-9 years (so nowadays my hair doesn't have any dye in it) and I haven't blow dried it in a few years as well, I'd blow dry only when it's really necessary. Otherwise, I always let it dry naturally. Also, my hair gets greasy/oily easily, so it has some benefits

 

Well, last year a doctor told me to take vitamin B medicine for a certain period of time (not because of my hair, but for something else). I'll try to change my diet a little more then and maybe take more vitamin B medicines, but I don't get it, I eat healthy and I eat enough, I shouldn't be lacking vitamins!

 

Anyway thank you again!!

[S9429183F]

My crush and I crushed on each other back in my ex course; we were classmates. Now that we are in different courses(I changed course), we see far less of each other. Recently, when I bumped into him and his group of friends, it was awkward. We had not interacted for more than 2 weeks prolly cos I avoided him, never acknowledged him or he never saw me. When he noticed me approaching, he teased me, said 'hi' to me twice(upon seeing me and before I entered the lab. Greeting me once is enough jeez...) and I think he gossiped about me to his friends; whispered to them and laughed. I was embarrassed in front of my new classmates who were walking with me and rather pissed at our encounter. Why does he have to make things awkward for me?-.-

[shadowgrr]

In the song "zombies" from cranberries, it says "It's the same old thing since 1916, in your head they're still fighting"

In what fact is reffered the "1916"? Does anyone knows?

[TikindiDragon]

In the song "zombies" from cranberries, it says "It's the same old thing since 1916, in your head they're still fighting"

In what fact is reffered the "1916"? Does anyone knows?

Probably referencing the Great War (WWI), which was 1914-18. 1916 included two of the nastiest battles of the war - Verdun and the Somme.

 

Edit to add: 1916 was also the year that saw the first use of the Tank, which may also be relevant.

Edited June 1, 2013 by TikindiDragon

[CaduceusCade]

My crush and I crushed on each other back in my ex course; we were classmates. Now that we are in different courses(I changed course), we see far less of each other. Recently, when I bumped into him and his group of friends, it was awkward. We had not interacted for more than 2 weeks prolly cos I avoided him, never acknowledged him or he never saw me. When he noticed me approaching, he teased me, said 'hi' to me twice(upon seeing me and before I entered the lab. Greeting me once is enough jeez...) and I think he gossiped about me to his friends; whispered to them and laughed. I was embarrassed in front of my new classmates who were walking with me and rather pissed at our encounter. Why does he have to make things awkward for me?-.-

Sounds like he likes you, and missed talking to you. Why not just go up and talk to him? Be friends again like you were before? (I'm assuming you were from how you worded your post). If you weren't, go be friends now! Nothing's really stopping you. Other than you being pissed about the encounter... which I'm not sure why you were? Maybe I'm missing a crucial point...

[S9429183F]

In the song "zombies" from cranberries, it says "It's the same old thing since 1916, in your head they're still fighting"

In what fact is reffered the "1916"? Does anyone knows?

I like the techno remix of that song. 1916? Maybe WW1? IDK.

[Darklight]

Is there anything I can do to prevent nosebleeds? I have them everyday, or every other day, but they only last 1-5 minutes. Any suggestions?

[greatguy]

I've heard it can be caused by low vitamen levels (I think it's K), or allergies. Do you have any idea as to why you have them?

[shadowgrr]

Probably referencing the Great War (WWI), which was 1914-18. 1916 included two of the nastiest battles of the war - Verdun and the Somme.

 

Edit to add: 1916 was also the year that saw the first use of the Tank, which may also be relevant.

Thanks a lot. If anyone has anything more specific please post it.

[cfmtfm]

Is there anything I can do to prevent nosebleeds? I have them everyday, or every other day, but they only last 1-5 minutes. Any suggestions?

I have them about every few months, so I totally sympathise with you. (Just last Sunday, I had a 1 hour long nosebleed - and we were visiting a tourist attraction, so it was heavily embarrassing. D: )

 

Are you drinking enough water or have low humidity in your house? If you're too dehydrated or really dry, you're a lot more prone to nosebleeds (and rashes/irritant skin in general, too).

Do you pick your nose or blow it quite often? Picking your nose (especially when you have nosebleeds every [other] day) can either break the dried blood clot (which is what helps stop your nosebleed) or leave your nose really 'empty' and a lot more sensitive, making it more prone to bleeding. The same goes for blowing your nose, especially if you blow it really hard.

 

The two things above are mainly what causes me to have most of my nosebleeds. :I

 

Is there a certain time of day/pattern of when you have your nosebleed (i.e. do you know when it'll start)? Is there a lot of blood or just a little all the time?

 

Like greatguy said, low levels of vitamin K can also cause this, as well as blood thinners (aspirin, vitamin E, garlic, ginger, etc) and spicy/fried food. I don't want to go into too much detail, but you can read more here.

[cutiesonic]

(I'm asking here, because the last thing I said something in the unofficial advice thread, they totally ignored me.)

 

How can you stop thinking you're a failure or other bad things, without trying to think positively, because I'm not good at that.

[Matmetchi]

(I'm asking here, because the last thing I said something in the unofficial advice thread, they totally ignored me.)

 

How can you stop thinking you're a failure or other bad things, without trying to think positively, because I'm not good at that.

hi there. don't want to sound rude but 'i'm not good at that' sounds like an excuse to me. how can you get rid of negative thoughts if you don't think of positive thoughts?? it's pretty impossible to think of nothing, and our thoughts are what shape us and our attitude and how we come off to others. it's a very important part of our psyche. negative thoughts are poisonous and pollute our thinking and weigh us down.

 

for thinking you're a failure, it's a simple matter of learning to forgive yourself and realize your own worth. when you do something not quite up to par with how you wanted to do it, take a deep breath and try to talk to yourself inside your head in a way that you imagine a friend would toward you in your situation, or you would talk to a friend if they had the same problem. things like, 'i didn't get much sleep last night and i'm totally unfocused today because of it. that's why i did badly on my test. i can't change that test mark, but i can change the next one by going to bed earlier.' or if you do badly at something, 'alright i saw that i shot my arrow too much to the left. no one was watching me and if anyone was they'll forget by tomorrow anyway. no need to be hard on myself. i'll just concentrate a little harder and aim more to my right. i know i can do this, and if i can't right away, i can learn.'

 

the gist of the trick is having your internalized critic turn into your friend instead of an enemy. i'd love to hear if this works for you or if anyone else has some advice!! good luck and remember that you're worth something. not one person in this world has all bad traits, and not one person in this world has all good traits.

[wickerman3]

(I'm asking here, because the last thing I said something in the unofficial advice thread, they totally ignored me.)

 

How can you stop thinking you're a failure or other bad things, without trying to think positively, because I'm not good at that.

I actually think that Matmetchi pretty much hit the nail on the head. I would just like to add a few things to enhance what she said and also share one of my favorite quotes.

 

"Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools by which he builds himself up" -James Allen

 

It seems to me like you have a self image problem. And it's really easy to tell just from reading your post. By saying without thinking positively because you are not good at that you are already shooting yourself in the foot because you have told yourself that you can't. You have set yourself up for failure and you have already chosen the reason to give for when you don't succeed (sorry if I'm coming off as harsh I don't mean to). Any answers we give you will be of no use to you unless you believe that you can succeed in changing yourself.

 

What I like to do is set up really easy and achievable goals for myself. For example a while back I decided that I wanted to start reading again. I would do it for the first day and then after that let other things like hanging out with friends and stuff like that distract me. I would get home and constantly feel horrible that I hadn't done any reading. So what I told myself is that I will read 10 pages every day. That takes me roughly 15 minutes so there's no excuse not to. As I was doing it every day I was no longer feeling bad about myself, in fact I felt good because I was hitting my goals every single day and succeeding. As those 10 pages became a solid habit I kept bumping it up five pages to the point where now I just read freely and I never miss a day. But it was those baby steps that made it possible.

 

So set little goals for yourself every day that you know you cannot fail. As you are constantly succeeding and success becomes a habit you'll start to believe in yourself more and more. And as you start to believe in yourself your self image rises . Just my two cents. Good luck. I hope it works out for you

[Kestra15]

Probably referencing the Great War (WWI), which was 1914-18. 1916 included two of the nastiest battles of the war - Verdun and the Somme.

 

Edit to add: 1916 was also the year that saw the first use of the Tank, which may also be relevant.

It does refer to the Somme, and WWI in general.

[shadowgrr]

(I'm asking here, because the last thing I said something in the unofficial advice thread, they totally ignored me.)

 

How can you stop thinking you're a failure or other bad things, without trying to think positively, because I'm not good at that.

Try to concetrate on another goal, it helps you forget

 

@Kestra15 what is somme?