It’s not easy to talk about, but lace front wigs weren’t forever my personal obsession. Dancing was what I thought about every day. That was true until the time my hair was falling out due to medical hair loss. It was obvious that I shouldn’t condone the outcome of being a bald Mr. Clean from New Hampshire.

Personally, this meant that I lost my identity, bereaved of my trademarked hair do. It became clear that it would be impossble to recover full fashion and the hair to match. Man, was I wrong. Before I got my authentic wig, I went through a selection of silly unnatural hair weaves that I couldn’t stand. My partner Malcolm introduced me to some dignified wig stores where I could get invisible lace front wigs I would love.

Not wasting any time, I hopped to it and checked it out. I found myself browsing an array of beautiful, seamless real hair wigs. Their natural African American wigs fit me perfectly.

Trying on the perfect wig, a girl in my situation can develop confidence while growing comfortable with her alopecia. I’ve never been more excited to toss my freshest earrings. It meant a lot to me to sassily go about as I used to at the mall.

It’s likely I’m getting out of hand as I ramble, but hair is integral to my emotional well-being. Is it possible there’s more things to existence than a great head of hair? Girl, it wouldn’t matter anyway if that were so. Its true, medical wigs offer an important option for stylish ladies who can relate.

You couldn’t imagine what this has felt like. Only close friends and family know the reality of me and my cancer. However that’s where I’m at, I’m thankfully glad to to strut my stuff. Having hair again improved things for me.

Detractors could think this method silly. They’re wrong. I don’t care who you are, what creature comforts make being alive so possible? Personally, the secret is kitchenware (haha!) and my hair.

Love Your Wig!

Denise Fleck

I just had an ah-ha - one of those moments of enlightenment that serves as proof that I’ve successfully modified the way I think and see in recent years.

This morning my husband sat at the kitchen table slurping his cereal milk. Slurp, slurp, slurp…every 5 seconds. I can’t stand noisy eating practices. He knows it.

I thought back to my previous marriage and how I would have handled it. I would have huffed and puffed, sighed in exasperation, made a speech about rude people who eat noisily, gotten myself in an anxious tizzy and tried to convince the world of why MY way of eating cereal was better.

Would the energy I would have expended made one iota of difference in the cereal slurper’s actions? Nope. Would it have set me on a pissy mood day and possibly created a tiny crack in my thoughts that would allow more negatively tainted energy in? Yep. Would it have made the slurper want to shoot some negative energy my way? Probably.

The law of attraction says that you attract more of what you’re thinking and saying. It’s a law. You can’t mess with it. Don’t even bother trying.

I got up and walked out of the kitchen. No more cereal/mouth sounds. Peace.

I’m laughing now. It’s a silly thing, but boy, does it drive the point home.

The world DOES revolve around me…the world doesn’t revolve around me - both are simultaneously true. I had a choice to experience the slurping any way I chose AND no one in the world gives a hoot about what I think of slurping. Ah, life’s great dichotomies.

My response to the cereal slurper is an amusing example of something much bigger for me. My ultimate intention or mission is to live in a peaceful home…and contribute in some way to a peaceful world. I intend to start my day off on a positive, peaceful note because the early hours when I first get up often set the stage for all the words I write, all the thoughts I think, and all the actions I perform that day.

I bet you never knew a bowl of cereal could have such a profound impact on helping to contribute to world peace. It can.

All good things start with one inspired intention, one small action, one kind word.

I have no control over others. I’m always in control by choosing to shift the direction of MY thoughts, words, and actions.

Now, go have some CHEERios to celebrate with me.

And mind your manners.

Copyright 2005, Ann Zuccardy, All rights reserved.

Ann Zuccardy is a freelance writer and entrepreneur with 17 years of industry experience in marketing and technical communication. For engaging copy, blog consulting, or article ghostwriting with heart, soul, passion, vision, and humor, Ann’s your gal. Visit Ann’s blog for more writing samples AND gift giving ideas at Vermont Shortbread Company.

Hair transplantation - “hair transplant” — is a surgical procedure that involves moving sections of scalp where hair still grows to a part of the scalp that is bald or where the hair is thinning.

History of hair transplantation

Hair restoration started in 1930, when Japanese doctors experimented to see if skin and hair could be transplanted from healthy parts of the body to parts that had been disfigured by injury.

In 1950, dermatologist Norman Orentreich wrote an article explaining how hair transplantation could be done. Although his studies were not embraced by the scientific community, he became even more determined to prove his theory “donor dominance,” which states that even when hair is relocated to a bald area it will continue to grow as it did before. He is considered the father of hair transplants.

Hair transplantation is the most common elective surgery among men. The reason for its popularity among men is the fact that results gained from this procedure are much better compared to other similar hair replacement procedures. The hair transplantation of today is not really different from the hair transplantation Dr. Orentreich performed — however, today’s hair transplantation involves graft or plug size.

The older method of hair transplantation is easily identified by its patchy appearance. This used to be the norm, until transplant surgeons critically examined the possibilities of using a different graft size. It was determined that better results would be gleaned from using grafts that were smaller.

What happens during a hair transplant?

As mentioned earlier, hair transplantation involves moving small pieces of scalp where hair still grows to a part of the scalp that is bald or where the hair is thinning.

There are five types of grafts, varying in size and shape. These are: punch grafts, mini-grafts, micro-grafts, slit grafts and strip grafts. Since this new method of hair transplantation makes use of smaller sizes of grafts, many surgical procedures are needed to fully covered a bald area, taking as long as two years. The number of large plugs transplanted during the first sessions of surgery varies with each individual, but the average is usually about 50. With mini-graphs or micro-graphs there may be up tp 700 plugs transplanted per session.

For more information on hair transplantation, ask your surgeon.

Kathryn Whittaker has an interest in Health and Beauty related topics. To access more information on bio matrix hair replacement or on elite hair replacement, please click on the links.

Are you tired of paying top-dollar for skin cleansers that never work? Then follow these recipes for home remedy skin cleansers, and never waste money on inferior products again.

For your body, the best ingredient you can use is sea salt. Mix it with water to the consistency of paste, and rub it on your knees, elbows and feet to remove dead skin. For more sensitive skin, grind oatmeal flakes in a clean coffee grinder, mix with brown sugar, aloe, and lemon juice.

Oatmeal can also be mixed with yogurt to create an effective facial cleanser. For a facial scrub, mix yogurt and walnuts (finely ground). Mix witch hazel and rosemary for a refreshing facial toner.

Facial masks are also easy to make at home. Experiment with ingredients such as oatmeal, honey, and mashed fruits and veggies such as cucumbers, strawberries, or peaches.

Looking for the benefits of Alpha hydroxy-acids, but tired of paying the price? Don’t worry - these acids are found naturally in papayas, pineapples, oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, apples, and sugar cane. You can puree or mash any combination of these and mix it with sugar or milk for a mask that can be left on for up to 30 minutes.

Vitamin C is also great for your skin, and it can be found in citrus fruits as well as veggies such as peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Experiment with combos to achieve your own personal recipe. It won’t take long to find the aroma and consistency you prefer, and your skin will look and feel great!

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Clear-Skin-Solutions.com He provides more acne clearing solutions, remedies and acne skin care products that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Your hair is your crowning glory. Look after it and it will shine for all the world to see. You don’t always need expensive treatments, or visits to a hair salon to manage your hair professionally. There’s so much you can do yourself.

1. For shiny, healthy hair think first of your body’s intake. Your hair is really just a reflection of what you are inside. A good balanced, nutritious and healthy diet will do more to make your hair shine than any shampoo or conditioner. And drink eight to ten glasses of water a day too; hair is 25% water, so don’t let yours go thirsty!

2. Dry your hair after washing in the ambient temperature of your room after using an absorbent towel to soak up the excess moisture, but don’t rub hard. If possible, don’t use blow-drying, flat irons, curling irons or hot rollers. Artificial heating will leave your hair brittle and damaged in time. Be natural whenever you can.

3. Prevent unnecessary hair damage by using the right kind of hairbrush. Only comb wet hair with a wide-tooth comb, combing from end to root, but avoiding touching the root. Detangling wet hair with a hard steel comb can create a lot of damage, so don’t!

4. Remove trichoptlosis, or split ends, like this: take small sections of your hair and carefully twist them in a gentle downward motion. The split ends will stick out. Using sharp scissors, carefully cut into the twisted section, but not right through, to remove the damaged cuticles and leave a natural layered look. Cut roughly the same amount from each twist to balance the effect.

5. Hair loss can be slowed, or even reversed by applying a few simple tips, though they probably won’t cure an underlying condition. Biotin can help to regenerate hair follicles: blend bananas with honey, yoghurt and low-fat milk, and drink it daily. Supplements such as Vitamin B6, zinc and saw palmetto will help too, but eliminating stress and getting plenty of sleep may work just as well.

We are all obsessed with our hair, whether we are 9 or 90, male or female. Look after yourself first and foremost and your hair will reflect that care and attention. The Biblical Samson’s strength lay in his fine flowing hair. Your hair reflects your strength too.

**********

Lucy Bryant is a hair specialist with her own website on all aspects of hair and hair styling. She lives with her family in rural Vermont.

The other day I was walking out of a store and a guy who appeared to be homeless stepped up to me and asked if I could spare some change. I gave him a few dollars and struck up a conversation with him. I thought I would share some positive information with him and do you know what? He got offensive and told me to leave him alone. He said he LIKED his life just the way it was and walked away from meangry. (He did take the money though.) I thought that was a bit strangenot that he took the money but, how could he like a life where whether or not he ate depended on whether or not someone else gave him a few dollars. But, hey, as my mother use to say, “to each his own”. Personally, I don’t believe he likes his life. I do believe that HE believes that there is nothing he could do about it and he has lived that way for so long that he simply has adapted to the life style and sees it as normal. All of his friends are probably in the same situation that he is in and they too have adapted and accepted it as a way of life.

What about you? What have you adapted as a way of life that is allowing you to live below your means or your standards? Perhaps you have adapted to a job or a career that is below your standards, where, deep inside of you, you know that you deserve better. But you stay because it’s comfortable or because all of your friends hate their job too, so it seems normal to you.

Or maybe you are in a relationship that you know is not good for you, or for your best interest, but you stay because it’s normal and all of your friends are in relationships that are similar to yours. Their partners are cheating on them, or their partners are treating them badly, too. So, hey, it must be normal.

Maybe your financial situation isn’t what you hoped it would be, but you have been broke for so long that you think it is normal and all of your friends are broke too, so you are OK where you are atborrowing from Peter to pay Paul and barely making it to your next pay day.

You do know that is not the way it is supposed to be, don’t you? You do know that the reason you are in that boat is because you have developed certain habits that allow you to remain in that boat, don’t you? You do realize that the reason all of your friends are in the same boat that you are in is because like attracts like (the Universal Law of Attraction) and therefore the people that you attract to yourself will be like-minded and their spirits will be aligned with yours.

It is not that it is normal. It is that you have MADE it normal by your thinking, your behaving and your believing.

You believe that this is the only job or type of job that you can get. So, therefore, it IS the only job or type of job you can get.

You believe that this is the only partner you can have and that any one else will probably treat you the same way so you might as well stay with this person because at least you are familiar with this persontheir habits and their ways. Besides, who has time to train someone else to put up with your stuff?

You believe that you will never be able to afford the lifestyle that you desire so you continue to live the lifestyle that you are living. You know that you came from a family of broke people so what makes you so special that you can break the cycle? Heck, your father made only $5 an hour. You are making $10 so you are making double what he made. What makes you think you can make more?

People, I am here to tell you that you are a prisoner of your thoughts and beliefs. Learn to change those thoughts and beliefs, and you will change your LIFE.

This is a new year. Break the cycle.

Break the chains that held you back for the past five years. If you were to think back on your life the past five years, are you in a better place, or are you in the same place, or even worse, are you in a worse place than you were five years ago?

Just because you didn’t have last year, doesn’t mean you can’t have this year.

Just because you were in a crummy relationship last year, doesn’t mean you have to be in one this year.

Just because you were in a job that you hated last year, doesn’t mean you have to be in one this year.

Break the chain. Change the cycle.

The other day, I wasn’t feeling well so I spent most of my day in bed watching television. I have IO Cable, which has HBO on Demand and I decided to watch the movie 50 First Dates. Have you ever seen that movie? If not, it’s a movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. Drew’s character was in a car accident, which caused her to lose her short-term memory. She could remember everything that happened up until the point of her accident. But she cannot retain any information after she goes to sleep at night. So each morning, she wakes up, with no memory of what happened the day before.

That is what you will have to do with your bad habits. Well, not quite that dramatic. But if you can do that to a certain extentcompletely wipe your conscious clean of all of your bad habits and replace them with new, positive and empowering thoughts and beliefs, you will be able to completely change your life and design it the way you desire it.

You can do that you know? You have the power to do it. God has given us the ability to do that. You can start right now. No more excuses. Let’s do it. This year, let’s get higher and higher and closer to our dreams. I’m down. Are you?

ACTION POINT: Wipe your slate clean. Don’t think about what has been happening in the past with your life. Think only of the things that you desire for the future. Keep your thoughts on positive, empowering things. Believe that you can have it and you will. Make this the year that you start to BELIEVE. Believe in yourself. Believe that God is with you at all times and with him all things are possible. Believe that this is the year where you will get higher and closer to your dreams!

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and life coach who teaches how to discover your life’s purpose and incorporate it into a lucrative career. Visit her web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and be sure to sign up for Your Life’s Purpose newsletter by sending a blank email to dawn@dawnfields.com
with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Tune in Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST to her live radio broadcast at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm