Anything faster is better. I whacked off my hair 4 years ago and found that the shorter, the harder it was. There was more mousse, more prep, curling irons, I looked like a dope in the morning and when it was windy, etc. Now, it's one length (with bangs), windy or not, sleeping or not it always looks the same. It's simple, it's easy, it's fast.

I'm getting lazy, to the point that now I'm sick of the makeup scene, so I do bare minium unless I go out somewhere I care. Not to mention my 4-yr old doesn't have the "time" for me to put this stuff on either. The easier morning prep is, the less "stuff" I have in my bathroom (and less hairspray stuck to my counter). And...the easier it is to go to bed. When I'm tired, I'm tired and I don't want to worry about make-up remover. Less is more!

Never tried the electric razor...Good idea????

For me short hair is the easiest.

I use makeup (own very little of it) only for church or important outings-occasions (quite rare), none at work.

Using an epilation machine every couple of weeks did the trick for me: no razor, no wax and hair grows back very soft and not as thick (keep in mind that we mediterraneans have more of a problem).

Maria

I bought the new Olay Shower Lotion product.
In the winter, my skin is SO dry, and I find I can spend an extra 10 minutes a day slathering on lotion. And then washing my hands so they are not too greasy to fix my hair and do make-up.

It was a PAIN. So I grabbed this product as soon as I heard about it. I SO enjoy having moisturized skin, in around 60 seconds overall now!!!!

I am so jealous of thouse who can wear short hair! I end up looking like Sally Struthers or Rosanne Rosanadana if I cut mine short. And it does end up more work.

Hey, I may not look sleek like Jennnifer Aniston. But I embrace my curly hair, and just let it hang loose. I also do not wash my hair every day like I did when I was younger.

I was commenting to my hairdresser last time I went, that the older I get, the more things need maintaining!!! Gee whiz! I get my eyebrows waxed and tinted (they have some grey), I get my hair colored (did it myself when I was out of work, but I didn't do such a good job), I feel like I'm just not complete unless I get a pedicure one or two times a month (my feet get so dry as I have gotten older).

Sigh, enough TMI for now!!!! LOL

Cutting my hair short really added to the time I spend getting ready in the morning, simply because I *have* to shower *every* morning...I can't just put it "up" if I don't feel like washing it, because it's always sticking straight up when I get out of bed! *sigh* I like it short, but it does take more maintenance. And I have to get a trim every 5 weeks.

I wear makeup to work Mon-Fri...I never used to, but tried an "experiment" to test a theory I read about that women who wear makeup make more money, and get more respect, and I have to begrudgingly admit that it was right, in my case at least...so I keep it up. It takes me all of about 8 minutes to do makeup though - moisturizer, foundation, eyeliner, eyeshadow, blush, and powder...light shades all around. When I get home at night I use those pre-moistened makeup remover cloths to take makeup off...I never remember if I have to use different bottles and get out a washcloth, etc.

I shave my legs every other day - I like them smooth, and so does DH. Habit from my days as a lifeguard...I lived in a swim suit for over 10 yrs, so having hairy legs just doesn't "feel" right. LOL

Spritz of body oil spray every morning after my shower...gel and spray in my hair, lotion on my hands throughout the day, lotion on my feet at night. I try to do a manicure once a week, and a pedicure once a month - at home, of course. My nails grow really fast & long, so I can't really avoid that.

It sounds like a lot, but it's all so habitual I don't even have to think about it, really...

is short hair easier or harder? depends what you mean by "shorter" or "short."

Short like a boy? Or short like a girl?
Long, as in shoulder length, or long as in down your back?

and, of course, what's your personal tolerance on how 'styled' it looks.

I have "short like a boy" and just comb it after my shower. You can't get more low-maintenance than that.

I never have worn makeup, except for special occasions (wedding, getting my driver's license picture taken, but not church, and not even other people's weddings always)

I'm thinking of getting my hair colored to hide the gray, but I just can't bring myself to the schedule commitment, let alone the $$ commitment.

I had to color the grey. When it started 'going', it was a big spot in the front of my hair. A real "in your face", this person has gray hair, kind of statement.

My dad went white in his 30's and my mom colored her hair since I was a kid so I don't know when hers turned grey.

Mine started in my mid-30's. Sigh.....

I do feel blond hair looks dingey when it starts to grey, it definitely does not look distinguished on me :-( So color away!

I saw a makeover where a woman went for low-maintenance look and let her grey grow out. She was 44, and looked 60.

Wow when they gave her a cut and color, she looked in her 30's!!!!

My secret tip that I wish someone would have told me when I first started going gray so I wouldn't have had to deal with going to the beauty salon to learn that that was not what I wanted to do:

For anyone starting to go gray: (drum rolls... ta dump..) I strongly recommend Wella brand "Color Charm". Here's a link on the web HERE which seems to be pretty cheap here but I buy my supply locally at a chain of stores called Sally's Beauty Supply. I can't find it in the regular grocery store.

You need to use disposable gloves or else it will color your hands. Also, as you're applying it to your hair, kind of wipe your forehead free of any color or else, you'll need to deal with this later.

You mix the tube of color with some "activation" lotion in a squeeze bottle, apply to your hair and wait 20 to 40 minutes depending. Then wash it out in the shower like you are washing your hair. then dry as normal. (You need to wipe out the shower afterwards, especially if your walls are pale because the coloring does do some staining. I have always been able to clean it out without a problem. I use a fiberglass shower stall when I do this. Not sure abour marble or something more fragile.)

The funny thing about the "20 or 40" minutes is that it is kind of hard to really mess up. I would recommend starting at 20 minutes the first time and then gradually increase. I leave mine on for 40 and then start my shower. You can be kind of relaxed about the timing. Once, I left it on too long and it was a bit too dark but big deal, it does eventaully start to dull and you haven't made any permanent screw up.

This product is called "semi-permanent" hair color because it does kind of get dull after a couple or three weeks. But it is so much better than permanent hair color which I tried for a year or so with treatments at a regular beauty salon. The growing out process for permanent hair color is so much more ungraceful than for the semi-permanent. With the permanent, the demarcation line between your hair and gray is very blatant. With the "semi-permanent", it is much more subtle. If you are just starting to go gray, you probably won't need to color your hair more than once per month. I've been using this product for about 10 years and I need to do mine every two weeks or else I'm in trouble. Even then, I'm afraid my gray still shows a little too much at the crown of my head. I think this product is made for those in transition more than those who are totally gray which I probably am close to being. But I'm stubborn. It is too easy so I plan to stay with it longer.

I think there is another product by Clairol called "Excellence" that is kind of similar , i.e. semi-permanent and you wash it out it in the shower and it lasts only a few weeks but I haven't tried it. I was too happy with Well Color Charm.

As far as picking the color, I think the results tend to be darker than the color chart. My hair is kind of between medium and dark brown. I use "medium sandy gold" which is perfect for me. If you have medium brown hair, I would recommend this color. There are some golden highlights which aren't glaring. There is no peroxide in this product so it isn't bleaching your hair at all, so this means it is rather weak which is good in my opinion.

With this information, I hope I may have helped some women find out that coloring your hair to hide the gray doesn't have to be a hugely difficult task. It still is a pain that this is necessary but not too bad. Give it a try if you are already thinking about coloring your gray. The worst you can do is after a month, if you don't like it, you can go to a regular beauty salon. Vice versa is not so true. That permanent hair color is in fact permanent.

--Alice

Does anyone faithfully use those disposable cleansing pads?

My hair is short (similar to Ashley Judd's in Twisted). It's much easier for me this way. My hair is very fine, but thick. It takes forever to dry & style when it's long. And the style won't hold because of the weight. My stylist razors it to remove the weight. It takes me 10 minutes or less to dry & style it now. I have to wash mine every day anyway because it's oily & looks terrible if it's not washed. Having it short is an advantage in that way, too; it doesn't take as long to wash & rinse. I do spend more time going to the stylist. Mine also grows fast, so it needs to be trimmed once a month. My stylist is really good about scheduling me so I can get it done after work.

I wear makeup to work & church, none when I'm at home. I don't wear a lot, so it doesn't take long to apply it. I apply lotion or oil after my shower & to my feet at night. I try to use a cream on my face at night. I don't do manicures, just keep my nails shaped nicely. I think I'm going to start using my electric razor; it seems to take a long time to shave when I'm in the shower.

Karen: have you tried using a humidifier? DH got one for us. Usually during the winter my oily/normal skin becomes very dry, even when using a moisturizer. I've definitely noticed a difference since getting the humidifier.

Greta

Greta,

We have a central humidifier, and I also use a standalone one in the room where I sleep, if the heat is going to run all night. We are thinking about getting an HVAC company to give us an estimate on another central system because it is not working good enough.

I can tell it from the soil in the houseplants how dry it is. It is not as severe as it was before we got the humidifier but my skin is so sensitive, that the only time I don't have dry skin is in the middle of July when the humidity is 100%. :-)

I just spent the last year growing my hair out and finally got it nice and long, but it was driving me crazy. It is so fine that keeping it thick and full of body, seemed impossible. So I just chopped off 8 inches and it is now back to chin length. It is a bob with bangs. Very boring but simple. I tend to like haircuts that are a bit "messy" looking, so I think I am going to put in some long layers so I can just scrunch it and go. Right now I look terribly prim and proper, which is certainly not me! LOL! But I do like the simplicity.

I love the disposible facial wipes, but hate spending the money. I did discover though that the oil of olay ones I can cut into 1/4s and they still lather up and do my face just great. So, now that I can get 4 times as much use out of a package, I don't feel guilty for spending it.

For me I find shaving while in the shower easier than an electric razor. Though, the only one I ever used was an epilady from decades ago that simply pulled your hair and made you want to cry. I suppose the new ones are much better.

I keep my makeup very simple . . . foundation, blush, natural looking lipstick and mascara. Sometimes, I add a smoky color in the corners of my eyes for "drama" but not on most days.

We joined and exercise gym about a month ago and so that has been nice, getting back in shape. I go at least 5 mornings a week. When I feel like a look better physically I find that I have a lot more energy to do other things and that I deal with depression far less.

Brenda

My hair dryer broke so I bought one of those Ion blow dryers as a replacement. Kind of pricey at $79 from Sharper Image. But... I swear it does dry my hair faster. I have a lot of hair and it has always taken a huge amount of time, never really timed it, though. Now, it seems like it is dry so quick. I don't think it works this way for everyone. I read some reviews before I bought it and some don't see any difference but if you have thick hair (or maybe long hair), and you need a new hair dryer, you might consider it.

--Alice

My update: I got about 3 or 4 inches cut off my hair. I also changed to a new mousse brand that they recommended. And as long as I don't blowdry my hair too much, and let it mostly air-dry, it doesn't frizz. It stays looking good with smooth curls all day.

She didn't want to cut my hair. She pulled out a pic of Teri Hatcher from Desperate Housewives and said my hair could look like hers - long, loose, smooth waves. HAHAHAHHAAAAA! Only if I really WAS one of those women and had nothing better to do but work on my hair every day!

I brought a "don't" picture of me from one time when I got a BAD short haircut, and all the ladies discussed and collaborated on how best to cut it. I think I'd like to get rid of a bit more, but I will wait for warmer weather to get here.

In the meantime, it's easy and looks a lot more professional. My longer hair could have looked better, but only if I had a lot of time to kill each morning - which I do not!