Four Hair Washes in 40 days?! No Problem!

Can you really get away with washing your hair only four times in 40 days?  That's nearly six weeks! I am telling you it's possible, that there's benefits to your hair health, the environment, and it'll save you time and money!

Also, WELCOME BACK!  I took a long break from blog for various reasons but I'm happy to be back and sharing some thoughts, recipes, photos and fun with ya'll again 😃

Accidental Matching Coconuts ;)
And six days without washing my hair!

Let me start by explaining that I didn't plan on doing this experiment until I was unknowingly two weeks into it.  My friend, Jess, and I planned an outing in Venice and I knew washing my hair, drying it, and then walking around would be a waste of a blow-out and extra heat damage when it would be windy by the beach and ruin it anyway.  So I let it go, threw on my Yankee's hat and we were off to Venice.  We arrived at Venice Ale House and I introduced Jess to Coconut Sake Bombs (which are exactly like they sound, fresh coconuts, cut open right in front of you and a generous pour of sake on the side to put into said coconut).  We cheersed the table next to us since I had asked one of the guys to take a photo of us earlier and now there was a gal sitting with them and I didn't want to be rude so I introduced myself to her.  She was so instantly kind and genuine, a rarity in LA, that we got to talking about food, fashion and then hair.  She told us how she hadn't washed her hair in over a month but then she got to a point where she couldn't stand it anymore.  She explained that you basically wet lather your hair with just water, put in a little leave-in conditioner or condition the ends, rinse and go.  You could use dry shampoo between washes but because she left her hair in a bun most of the time, it didn't really matter.  And she noticed her hair became healthier, shinier, and it seemed to grow faster.  I was in!

My hair is naturally wavy and fine; it holds curl and a style well and for the most part doesn't get oily for a few days.  I normally shampoo once every 3-4 days, plan my intense work-outs around my hair washing, and go on with my week.  This required me to cut my shampooing to once every 7-10 days; so I did a wet lather intermittently where you get your hair wet, give yourself a little head and scalp massage, then condition the ends with conditioner and you're done.  It definitely cut a couple minutes from my showers!  We all know more time for all the fun things is worth it!

Ten days without a shampoo and waves galore
when helping Lauren move!

I noticed when I styled my hair after that rare shampoo, the style lasted even longer (my hair dried quicker and it was a lot easier to do) it looked healthier, shinier, fuller/volume-wise, and on the days I didn't shampoo it, it still did what it needed to do but I tended to keep it in a bun or went more natural and embraced my waves and curls.  Leaving it wavy/curly allowed me to skip the days between shampooing even more because I only had to dampen my hair to reactivate the product I used the first day and on day five, sometimes it looked better than on day two!  Before I knew it, I was at 34 days with only four shampoos.  And today I hit 40.

Let's look at the known benefits for a second.  The more you give your hair and scalp a chance to breathe and cut back on the chemicals and sulfates, the more balanced your hair will be, giving it the opportunity to be in it's best physical shape.  You can't eat pizza every day and expect to lose weight (hey, I've tried) and the same goes for your hair.  While the sulfates clean your hair and make the shampoo lather, they also strip your hair of the natural oils in it, causing dryness, brittleness, hair-breakage, dullness, and over time a build-up of products.  Your hair has a natural growing out period, so pulling back on shampooing will essential re-set or train your hair back to the beginning where it creates the right amount of oil to keep your hair healthy and growing long and strong because it's renewing it's natural oils!  It may take a little time to adjust but that's what you're training your scalp to do!  You can't run a marathon without training and prep.

I haven't colored my hair even semi-permanently in at least seven years but for those who color their hair, this will help keep your color brighter and lasting longer.  Even just using water on it can cause color to fade so the longer you can go between washes will save your color and money because you'll be coloring less!  Plus, over-washing can actually aggravate your scalp more since excess oils can cause an itchy or flaky scalp to worsen.  I definitely noticed the dryness of my hair and scalp went MAJORLY down the further I got into my 40 days.

Lastly, the less you're washing your hair, even getting it wet, the less shampoo and conditioner you'll be using, meaning you'll be saving money and adding less plastic waste to the environment going through multiple bottles of shampoo every year.  And for those of you who don't know me, saving money is my jam!

I know your concern might be what if you work-out, what if your head/hair doesn't smell good between shampoos and I totally get it.  I pull my hair into a bun before my work-outs and when I'm done and it's not one of my intense workouts where I actually shampoo or at the very least do the wet lather, I'll just blow dry my hair on a cool/warm setting and when I let it out of the bun, it has a nice wave to it.  And scent...I had multiple people compliment me on how great my hair smelled when it had been six days since my last shampoo!  And I didn't ask them to smell my hair although it kind of became a game as I was getting closer to hitting 40 days.

You're not going to see results overnight, or even in a week because this process takes time, but perhaps you can cut down from 3-4 shampoo's a week to two, then maybe one, and see where it takes you!  I want to hear your thoughts on this!  Have you tried the wet lather routine before and did it work for you?  What did you like, what didn't you like?  Feel free to share your stories in the comments below💓

It's good to be back here with my blog so Welcome Back and thanks for joining me on this adventure again 😘

Piccolo for Dine LA

After hitting up Firefly for Dine LA I knew I only had one more free night to get Dinner somewhere so Jamie and I decided to check out Piccolo in Venice before I had to Host Karaoke at Gabe's.  This restaurant offered a four-course menu so we were very excited to try some yummy Italian food!

Piccolo is located right off the Venice Boardwalk down a side street off of an alley.  It was a little difficult to find and even more difficult to find parking so we ended up parking a few blocks away and then walking to the restaurant.  It was a little quiet when we got there with just a couple tables being occupied but by the time we left nearly every table had people sitting at them!  It was quaint, old-school Italian, and elegant.  Jamie and I chose Piccolo because of the four-course diverse menu.

Look at that beautiful Scallop!

I started off with the Sea Scallops Capesante, and a beautiful scallop perfectly seared was presented to me.  It was definitely more of an amuse-bouche than an appetizer and perhaps that's what it was supposed to be.  If I had ordered it off the regular menu and not the Dine LA Prix Fixe I would have expected at least one more scallop and preferably two.  Jamie's Lamb Carpaccio was so finely sliced it was literally paper-thin. The truffle oil on her amuse-bouche was a nice touch and I actually really liked her choice as well.

The pasta course was next followed by our entree/meat course.  We both chose to get the Fontina-filled Ravioli with Butter Parmesan and Black Truffle shavings as well as the Pan-Seared Duck Breast Anatra with fresh Mushrooms.  The Ravioli was fantastic (although perhaps a little too al-dente for me, Jamie loved the way it was cooked) and even though it was a small portion it was beautiful.  The Ravioli popped in your mouth and was a burst of cheese and flavor!  Jamie and I both agreed the Duck was a little over-cooked as it came out medium and had a poultry taste to it, but I was still proud that I ordered it and went out of my comfort zone to try something different. 

They brought us the Chef's Selection of house-made desserts including a Semifreddo which was amaretto cookies, soft frozen cream and amaretto caramel as well as a Cream Puff that just melted in your mouth.  Both of them were a lovely way to end the meal.  

Jamie and I at Piccolo in Venice for Dine LA

This four-course menu at Piccolo was also $40 per person and although the portions were smaller than I expected I would like to go back and try some more items off of their menu.  Jamie and I ended up stopping at Chaya Venice before heading to Gabe's since I was still hungry so I got a Spicy Shrimp Roll there since it was Happy Hour!  There are so many hidden little gems all around Los Angeles and I think Piccolo is definitely one of them :)

Lemonade, Sugarfish, Bouchon...

It was a rainy Sunday in LA, really rainy, as in it was down-pouring buckets of water.  Staying dry was impossible but I managed to try three new restaurants that day and found some new favorite spots to take my family to when they're visiting and visit again with friends!

Lunch was at Lemonade in Venice.  It took me nearly 10 minutes to decide what I wanted to eat because there were so many choices.  I finally settled on an Edamame, Snap Pea, Sunflower Sprout Salad, as well as Quinoa, Cauliflower, Mint with Raisin's Curry Salad.  I also got a Caprese Sandwich which kept my meal Vegetarian which I like to do on occasion.  Both the salads were wonderful, but the Quinoa was so flavorful and bright, I was truly impressed with how much I enjoyed it.  The Caprese Sandwich was just ok, slightly disappointing since I had tried my Lunch Date's Green Apple Chicken Curry, which was so creamy and yummy.  Since I had now swapped to meat, I also tried his Red Miso Beef Short Rib, which stopped me in my tracks.  It was so fantastic I actually went up and got my own.  It might be the best Short Ribs I have EVER had.  Bold claim right there!  Lunch wouldn't have been complete without a Lemon Bar which was a perfect compliment to the meal, tart and sweet.  This is definitely one of my new favorite Lunch spots in LA and they are everywhere...YAY!

This is what I call a Food Day in LA!

Dinner was at Sugarfish in Beverly Hills.  I've been hearing about this place for years from friends telling me how great the sushi is and once again I wasn't disappointed.  I met up with Ashley from Bar Lubitsch and after a 45 minute wait, I had built up an appetite after my huge Lunch, and was ready for the 'Trust Me' menu.  For $30 you get an eight-course meal, starting with Edamame, Tuna Sashimi (which was beautiful), Albacore Sushi (which melted in my mouth), Salmon Sushi, Yellowtail Sushi (which is always one of my favorites), Halibut Sushi (which was something that I'd never tried before and was surprised by how much I liked it) and then a Toro Hand Roll and Blue Crab Hand Roll that they graciously cut.  From the freshest fish, to the warm rice, courses and pacing of the meal, everything was amazing.  And it was absolutely worth every penny of that $30.

Dessert and After-Dinner Drinks took place at Bouchon which is also in Beverly Hills.  So we walked outside in the rain to our next spot and took a seat at the bar while Ashley's friend was the Bartender.  She had a Cosmo but since I was prepping for the re-opening of 'Thenardier's Inn' I was doing my usual no drinking before the show.  I ordered a Decaf Espresso and we got a Chocolate Brownie along with their Salted Caramel Macaroons.  I've had a couple Macaroons in my life but nothing like these that were dusted in 24 Carat-Gold.  Now I knew we were in Beverly Hills.  Such a perfect bite and compliment to my Espresso in addition to my fabulous company :)

Talk about a a day of Dining, it certainly was, and a Food Day I will never forget!

Wifey's Birthday!!

I've known Meggan since college at Winona State University.  She was also involved in Theater and we got cast as a lesbian couple in "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told."  It was one of the best acting experiences of my life and our friendship is a result of that wonderful show that brought our entire cast together.

Stout Burger.  Need it now.

Meggan lives in Portland with her boyfriend, Nick, who is from Los Angeles.  Meggan lived here in LA for a few years, we caused some trouble and had a lot of fun together and a couple years ago they picked up and moved to Portland.  They do come down for visits and decided her Birthday weekend would be one of them.  I missed her the last time she was in town so there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity!

Meggan & I at her Birthday Party!

We made plans to have Lunch at Stout in Santa Monica.  It was so exciting to see my 'Wife' and just catch up with her and Nick.  He's got his own bar in Portland, The Richmond Bar, that's causing quite a stir with it's awesomeness!  The Burger was amazing but the company was better.  We all walked around Santa Monica for a little bit but Nick went to run some errands so she could get a manicure and we could have girl time.  Since I was reading in Church and then had work so I didn't think I was going to be able to make her actual Birthday Party and wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.

Lucky for me, I swapped things around and was able to surprise her at the party.  The party had a Mariachi Band, two bars, were serving food that was catered from Gjelina, and was at this beautiful home in Venice.  I think the kids at this party were wearing clothes that cost more than my rent ;)  I even talked to Emmanuelle Chriqui for a minute!  All the boys in college had a huge crush on her during her "Entourage" days so I was even having a moment.  Meggan's cousin also lives in LA and brought his guitar so later on we all gathered in a Tee-Pee (yes, there was a Tee Pee at this party) and he played some acoustic music for us.  It was so cool!

I was glad to be able to catch up and spend the day with her while she was here in LA for a short amount of time.  Even if we don't talk all that often, we never miss a beat and are right on track with each other.  She will always be my 'Wifey' and I'll always love her <3  Miss you already!!

New Outs in LA

In between work last week I was able to check out a couple new places in LA.  Jamie and I had gone to The Backhouse one night for Late Night Happy Hour after rehearsal for our Princess Show that weekend.  We feasted on all sorts of sushi and after we were done and walking to our car passed by The Wellsbourne and said we'd have to check it out a different night.  And for years I've been hearing about the Turtle Races at Brennan's in Venice but had never gone, and looked forward to it soon since some of my friends had their weekly trip to Brennan's on Thursdays.

After I worked the first Thursday Night Fooball game at Irish Times I got ready for the Turtle Races at Brennan's.  There was a solid crowd of people there but not too busy which was nice.  Apparently, Mark and his friends are regulars so getting a turtle wasn't difficult.  I knew the premise of the races from years prior but when it came to my turn I got a little nervous.  I didn't want to drop my turtle before I even set him in the inner circle but lucky for me my little guy was hiding in his shell.  I still handled him gently and set him down slowly only to lose when the race started because he was so content in his shell.  On my second go-around this next turtle was feisty as his arms and legs were going crazy and when it came time to race he was a runner.  Unfortunately, a fault was called so they had to re-start the race and he came in second that time.  After the races a cover band started inside the bar and Courtney arrived so we all played darts for the rest of the night!  I was horrible in the first game but came back in the second and we had a lot of fun :)

Darts with Mark & Courtney at Brennan's!

On Friday night Jamie and I headed out to The Wellsbourne to see if it would be a cool new bar in the neighborhood.  Upon arrival, a bartender saw us looking for a seat so he motioned us to come to the end of the bar where there were two open stools.  Awesome!  After perusing the menu I noticed a couple different drinks I would have liked to try, so I decided on a Vodka Gimlet.  It was delicious, perfectly sweet with plenty of citrus to cover the alcohol taste but still a nice strong martini.  Jamie was drinking Whiskey so she had given him a recipe for the first one and he made something specific for her second.  He said he wanted to make me a drink that woud have Barrel-Aged Gin in it, and it was way too strong on the first go around but after adding some honey, ginger, and other mixers, it had a nice kick to it, and was something I could sip on.  The drinks were reasonably priced for the quality so that was great!  I loved the set-up of the bar, there were booths when you first walk in, and then on one side there's a game room with Foosball and Shuffleboard, and on the other side, it looks more like a Library perfect for lounging with big sofas and chairs.  After finishing our second drink I knew I was sold on it; the bartenders were super attentive, I loved the atmosphere, and everyone was really friendly.  Jamie and I hit up The Backhouse again for some late night sushi before heading home and it was certainly a successful Ladies Night!  

The Wellsbourne with Jamie :)

I'm really looking forward to going back to both bars, Brennan's and The Wellsbourne.  I loved the chill but fun vibe during Turtle Races and really enjoyed the cocktails and great people at The Wellsbourne.  That's two new places for me in September and I've got a whole lot more of this month left to find even more new spots to check out!  Exploring is fun and getting to do that with friends is even better!

Abbot Kinney Festival

I've been enjoying the last few weeks of Summer here in LA, from the Labor Day party with co-workers and friends, to concerts and travel; Summer is almost over, but it's been one busy and fun season!

 

This past weekend was the annual Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice, complete with street food and drinks, beer gardens, shopping, musical acts and DJ's.  It reminded me slightly of the Sheboygan County Fair back in Wisconsin, but only for the Funnel Cakes, large crowds of people walking slowly, music playing in the background, and everyone having a good time.  The Sheboygan County Fair is the best Summer Festival I can ever remember going to, with Steamboat Days being up there, but still not even close.  There was always such good food (and I had to eat one of everything: Teenie Weenie Donuts, Grilled Cheese, Deep Fried Cheese, Corn-on-the-cob, Milkshakes, Hawaiian Ice, Apple Pops, Cotton Candy, Popcorn, Pizza, Funnel Cakes, and Grilled Chicken Sandwiches), plenty of beer tents, inlcuding my favorite, Leinenkugel's, lots of street vendors, games and rides, performances throughout the fairgrounds, and the 4H Building that would house all the art projects that students submitted throughout Sheboygan County.  It's been over 15 years since I had anything in the 4H Building but I can't help walking through it and checking out the artwork, Lego Houses, photo displays, and clothing people took the time to work on and perfect before their submission.

 

It was a hot September day and I remembered how difficult it had been to park last year, as I had driven around for a half hour and finally parked a mile away, to which I waited another 45 minutes in line for a wristband just to get into the beer garden.  Luck was on my side this year, as I found a friendly driver, wave me over that he was leaving, and he was only a half block from the festivities, and I somehow finagled my way into the line (only having to wait 10 minutes for the wristband) while chatting with Dan, whom had a kelly green wallet, that matched my kelly green purse.  Dan, I looked for you inside the beer garden to buy you a beer, but alas, I never saw you.  You've got some good karma coming your way!  We had friends pouring the beers so we never waited long for a drink, but a group of 12 was bound to get bored so we moved onto greener pastures, a different beer tent, which we never made it to, because everyone was too hungry.  We stopped at a pizza place, picked up a slice, saw our good friend, Spencer, who was selling his clothing line, and had a booth set up (his t-shirts looked so comfy and I loved the style).  You can find out more information on his line right here: Herald Hill on Facebook

The Crew at Cabo!

Everyone parted ways after that and we all headed over to the Whaler (haven't been there in years, wrote my first ever Yelp review about that bar) and we didn't stay long, then made our way to Cabo to celebrate Jack's Birthday with some tequila shots, and lastly, dropped all the guys off at The Brig on Abbot Kinney.  That was about all the fun I could handle in one day with a busy work week ahead, but it ended up being a pretty awesome day :)

 

In Wisconsin, during the Summer, every week is a different town festival, with cover bands, cheap beer, yummy food, and lots of people, dancing and having a good time.  I definitely miss that about being at home during that time of year and wish LA had something like that, but for now, I'll just have to settle for the Abbot Kinney Festival and Brunette Bungalow fiesta's!