Excessive Sweating

Yes, I said it.  I sweat a lot under my arms.  It is not cute, not lady-like and not socially acceptable.  While I may not be at the point of having hyperhydrosis, I do get concerned about the appearance of pit stains.  Fortunately, there is a great product out there for women (or men) like me!  It is called Certain Dri and you can pick it up at your local drug store.

This product has saved me a lot of embarrassment over the years.  It was recommended to me by a fellow flight attendant that suffers from the same issue.  We have to expose our underarms so much throughout the course of the day; reaching up and closing bins, reaching over passengers to hand out drinks and the famous safety demos all while people are looking directly into our armpits!  Not only that, but I will admit that I wear my uniform for several days at a time so it helps to keep the underarms as sweat free as possible.

Certain Dri is not the same as other deodorants.  It is an anti-perspirant and it is so strong you only have to use it every 3 days.  You apply a few strokes before bedtime and it keeps you dry for the 72 hours between applications.  It is a roll on but I did see that they now make a solid so when this bottle I have runs out I will be testing out the new formula. It is not scented, so during the daytime I do use a traditional deodorant just to have some smell good under there. The only problem I run into  is to remember to put it on at night.  A word of caution, don't put it on immediately after shower or shaving, and allow it to dry before putting on pajamas or nightgown because it will sting and stain. 

Co-wash and Roller Set

I am transitioning from relaxed to natural hair and have decided to try to stay away from my flat iron for a while.  Last week I tried out a roller set using cold wave rods and I was pretty pleased with the results.  However I watched a video on YouTube where a woman did a two-strand twist then used the rollers and I have decided to try it out.
For the past year my hair routine has been wash, air-dry and flat iron once a week.  I would wrap my hair every night and sleep in a bonnet and comb out in the morning. I am in search of some hairstyles that do not require the use of heat because I have recently become paranoid about breakage and ruining my curl pattern on my new growth.  I have not had any breakage and I attribute that to the fact that I deep condition every week and don't use a blow dryer except in emergencies.

I enjoy trying different products but lately I have added two that I doubt will be removed from the line up.  I absolutely love the Shea Moisture Deep Treatment Masque.  It has totally transformed the ends of my hair.  No more split ends and no dry, crunchy feeling!  I get mine at Target but I recently saw some at Walgreens and both places were priced the same at  $9.99.  It smells great, it is all natural, affordable and effective.  I don't even sit under the dryer with mine, I just use it in the shower and it works great. 

Detangling is also a major issue with the two different textures of hair I have going on. For this I use the Jane Carter Solution Revitalizing Leave-in Conditioner.  I tried one her shampoos that touted being sulfate free but it seemed to strip my hair even more than other shampoos so I quickly tossed it. This leave in however is wonderful.  It detangles my hair with no problems and has a nice light scent.  I can also pick this one up at my local Target store for $9.99. 

Anyway, back to my two-strand twist roller set style.  I decided to do just a co-wash since I won't be wearing my hair straight.  I bought a new product last week which was a purification mask, also from the Shea Moisture collection, and used that as my "shampoo".  For those of you unfamiliar with the co-wash process, it is basically using a conditioner in place of shampoo to cleanse your hair and scalp.  You wet your hair, apply lots of conditioner, massage into your scalp and let it sit there while you are in the shower.  After my co-wash, I detangled and let air dry while I painted my nails. 

Once the hair was slightly damp, I parted my hair in two sections from ear to ear.  I secured the front section and started on the back.  I parted off about a third of the hair vertically and clipped the rest to the side.  I took about a one inch square section, spritzed with a spray bottle filled with water with a hint of setting lotion then twisted and rolled.  I tried to keep the twists roughly the same size.  Once I got to the fron section, I was careful not to make any weird parts in the front.  Here is a pic of my hair all rolled up.

I let my hair air dry overnight and wrapped it in a loose scarf.  When it was time to take the rollers out I moistened my fingers with a bit of shea butter and started unrolling.  I separated each twist and then finger combed through all of my hair.  I finished by adding a bit of gel and two barrets to keep the hair out of my face.  Here is how it turned out.

So I will try this method again with one change; next time I will make sure not to do the twists all the way to the ends.  They formed a strange crinkle frizzy look on a few of the curls.  I did really like that I could fit a lot more hair onto one roller with the twists and therefore used less.  The roots are more controlled with this method as well.   I got a few compliments on it so I guess it turned out okay.

****UPDATE****
Ok, I put a twist on this hairstyle (pun intended).  I did a two strand twist but only for about 5 turns then twirled the hair with my fingers and put in the rollers.  This worked out so well I think it is going to be my official hairstyle for a while!!! Here is a pic.

Best air freshener ever!

Nothing ruins a good jumpseat conversation like the foul odor from the lav.  That is why most flight attendants carry some form of air freshener with them to work.  My personal favorite is Pure Citrus Vanilla Air Freshener made by Blue Magic Inc. 

The cost is a bit more than you would pay for the average air freshener however it worth the extra money.  I paid $3.48 for a 7oz. canister but it is much more effective than any other spray I have ever tried and you don't have to use as much.  It is non-areosol and when it is sprayed it emits a very fine, even mist unlike other products that spit out large globs when the nozzle gets clogged up with all of those chemicals.  Plus, this product is made in the USA!  

Pure Citrus comes in four different varieties; Blend, Lemon, Orange and Vanilla.  The Vanilla reminds me of the smell of Stewart's Orange and Cream soda (if you never had one of those it is fab, you can get it at Cracker Barrel.  It has a definite orange scent like when you first break into the rind and then a light vanilla note.  It gets rid of odors immediately with just a short spray and the fragrance actually lasts for hours.  It is 100% natural so there is no underlying chemical pefume-y odor.  The ingredients are listed on the can as follows: contains 100% natural, delightfully fragrant oils and extracts found in fresh oranges and vanilla beans.  The fact that it is natural makes it perfect for use on an airplane because it won't overwhelm the flight deck when used in flight. But don't think that this spray is only limited to airplanes!  It works wonders in your house, car and at the office as well! 

What's for Dinner?

This evening I tried making white bean chicken chili.  Although it wasn't Ruby Tuesday's or Stone Creek Grill in Indy, it was pretty darn good.  My step-mom, dad, and sister were my test subjects.  Here is my ingredients list:

• 2 packs chicken tenderloin strips
• 2 cans great northern beans
• 1 can light kidney beans
• 1 package turkey sausage (looked like a polish sausage)
• 1 can of Rotel chiles and tomatoes with cilantro and lime
• 3 cans Swanson low sodium chicken broth
• ground cumin
• sour cream
• shredded monterrey and colby jack cheese
• 1 small can of green chiles
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• cornstarch
• 1 large onion
• minced garlic

I seasoned and cooked the chicken first.  Then I chopped the onion and put that in the pot with some butter to soften them up.  Next, I loaded in all the canned goods and added the chicken and sausage.  Then I got busy adding cumin until it got the right flavor.  Bring to a boil, mix in a bit of cornstarch and cold water mixture to thicken it up and voila!  I let it simmer for about an hour just to get the onions to the right texture.  Oh, I did secretly add a spoonful of mustard and two scoops of sour cream.  When it was time to serve I topped with the shredded cheese and sour cream and served with crackers.  It was so simple and tasted great. Will definitely be trying this recipe again!

Work Shoes and the Agony of de Feet

Success! Well at least I think that is what it is.  Yesterday I was on a relentless pursuit of a new pair of work shoes.  It may not sound like such a big deal to you, but I challenge any woman out there to find a pair of plain black leather pumps that are reasonably stylish and you won't throw in the garbage after a 13 hour day.  It is not an easy task, and when I look down at the fading, tattered toes of my latest pair of work shoes, I cringe at the thought of finding an affordable, attractive solution. 

I wear a uniform to work and standards require I wear all leather black 1 to 2 inch heels with all black soles and stitching, no buckles, designs etc.  So that already eliminates half of the shoes on the market.  Then add in the the amount of time I will be spending walking or standing in them, and the effects of a pressurized aircraft cabin, long walks through airport terminals and the prospects look dismal.  Air travel is quite rough on the average pair of shoes and they only last about 5 to 6 months.   I refuse to spend more than a hundred dollars on a pair of shoes that won't be around longer that my last tub of sour cream.  Plus, there is always the possibility that the shoes that felt great in the store and walking around the living room will make you miserable out in the real world and you can no longer return them.

My latest pair of shoes I am retiring are a size 7.5w, Easy Spirit Quotas.  I think I paid around  $53 after taxes.  They get a 5 out of 10 for style, 9 out of 10 for comfort, and 1 out of 10 for durability.   There were at least 3 times scrambling around a security checkpoint looking for the heel tip that came off of the shoe.  Then there was that time walking through the employee parking lot wondering why my shoe felt so funny, noticing the tip was missing and searching between parked cars for it and then beating the tip back into the heel on the bus while the driver was giving me dirty looks.  After the first time the tip came off I meant to super glue them on but I totally forgot until the next time it happened.  The deal breaker was when the interior stitching started pulling apart and was visible on the outside and the sole and upper were beginning to separate as well.  I knew it was yet again time to find another pair. 

The Easy Spirits were quite comfy though.  This was my first pair of wide shoes.  I don't have very wide feet but I did inherit a bunion on my right foot from my grandmother so the extra room was great.  They had more cushion on the inside than most shoes I tried but I did add a Dr. Scholls gel ball of foot cushion thingy because the cushion seemed to deflate after a few weeks of wear.  I could tolerate wearing them all day without switching to flats and they didn't create any new corns or callouses.  If only they had held up longer I would have purchased them again. 

So last week, I began the hunt for another suitable pair of pumps.  I struck out at Macy's.  Too high, too ugly, ill fitting, you name it I found it. Everything but what I wanted and now needed because the wear and tear was becoming visible to the average human eye under normal lighting conditions.  I checked at Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx, I even became desperate enough to go to Payless just in case I could find and interim shoe for cheap until I found "The One".  A few days ago I tried DSW.  I never find what I am looking for there but a friend and I were passing time on a layover so we perused the selection.  No pumps, but I did find a great pair of ballerina flats by Me Too that I can wear in flight.  Hopefully that will make my next pair of pumps last longer and my feet hurt less.  These flats were special, because the have an element of stretch right in that bunion area that make them perfect of my feet!  Most ballerina flats cut into my foot right under my big toe and are not worth changing out of pumps.  Plus, they have a really spring-y rubber-y sole.  A little pricey for something I will cram into a flight bag, $50, but I think they are gonna be worth it.  I went back to my hotel room and looked online for a pair of Me Too heels with the same stretch feature.  No such luck, but I got started on the Zappo's website and decided that when I got home I would order all of the shoes I thought may work, order them in two sizes and take advantage of the free shipping both ways. Never got around to it though.

Yesterday was another round of shopping.  I was determined to find the shoe for me before my next trip and I was running out of time! I tried Famous Footwear to no avail and decided to make a drive to a local outlet mall.  I hit another Famous Footwear, Easy Spirit, Nine West, and Bass.  Almost found something at Nine West but they didn't have my size.  Next, Rockport. Found a shoe something with an Addidas insole something.  It was kind of ugly but I was getting desperate and tired.  They felt really good walking around, and they came in wide. The cost was $89 plus tax, sold.  I walked back to the car and decided to stop at Rack Room Shoes and see if I would be fortunate enough to find something better.

I walked in and was ignored by the first employee I encountered.  Normally, that would have been a deal breaker because I like to get good service, even if it just means saying "hello" when I walk in the store.  This time, it was different.  I was fed up with going through this ritual and I wanted to come away with a pair of shoes I could live with for the next 6 months or so. Then, there she was; Judy.   The brand is Soft Shoe by Medicus.  Cushion-y, attractive, on sale, perfect!  They even had wides! I tried them on and fell in love.  The only down side was that I couldn't take advantage of the buy one get one half off since they only had one pair in my size.  I know the true test will be when I get to work in them but for now, they are just right.