Julia uses horse shampoo?!

After spending four hours in a Vietnamese hair salon, I became inspired to write a blog post about hair, or rather, hair shampoo and conditioner.

Recently, I've discovered this hair shampoo and conditioner called Mane 'N Tail. I've actually heard about it before, and I've seen ads for it in magazines (Seventeen advertises it a lot), but I've never given it a second thought. However, about a month ago I was searching through tips on Yahoo Answers to see if anyone had tips on growing hair longer. I was surprised at the large amount of people that suggested using Mane 'N Tail hair products. Sure enough, I made a visit to http://www.straightarrowinc.com/ (The Mane 'N Tail company website) and not only did I learn how Mane 'N Tail makes hair longer by strengthening it and increasing it's health, I also discovered it was originally a hair product made for horses! Yes, that's right -- horses. In fact, the majority of Straight Arrow Inc. products are intended for animal use.

As I continued to read on and further research, I learned why countless numbers of people still used Mane 'N Tail despite its original purpose for horse manes. Apparently after many horse owners used Mane 'N Tail on their horses, they realized the significant improvement and decided to try it out themselves. After all, if it's safe for horses why not humans?

I decided to try it out for myself, so I went to CVS and purchased a bottle of shampoo, and a bottle of conditioner. The total cost for this product which received rave reviews was pretty impressive. For a regular sized bottle the online it was priced at only three dollars, and for a bottle that is somewhat Costco sized, it's priced at seven dollars. Unfortunately, CVS only had the largest size, but I bought it anyways, and I must say I am highly pleased that I did.

Mane 'N Tail shampoo and conditioner

Up until yesterday I haven't had a haircut in about four months, so I had several slight split ends. Nonetheless, I still thought my hair was pretty healthy in comparison to those of girls who've fried their hair by straightening it five times a day (Of course I'm exaggerating). However, after I used Mane 'N Tail I realized my split ends were nearly gone, and my hair was softer and thicker than ever. Honestly, best hair product ever, and I'll probably never use any other. I became completely obsessed with stroking my hair after washing it. Seriously, it's that great. The shampoo thickens, adds volume, and cleanses hair, while the conditioner seals, protects hair from heat damage, and leaves it super shiny, silky, and manageable.

Other Mane 'N Tail Products

Anyways, I highly suggest that anyone give it a try, and at least start out with a small bottle if you wish (Unlike what I did), and if you're looking for a deal, I hear (I'm not positive) some Sally's Beauty Supply locations offer a buy one get one free deal. Only three bucks for amazing hair? Not bad at all. Also, if you don't take my word for it, just ask my friend Greta. She's one of my blog followers, and a fellow Mane 'N Tail user. Also, feel free to check out her blog (http://www.manicbabble.blogspot.com/), I'm sure she'd appreciate the visit. (:

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:Julia

Explosions In The Sky

My goodness. I love this band. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not at all a fan of instrumental music, but's that's not what Explosions in the Sky is. Regular instrumentals are all very alike. Basically what they are is classic music taken by musicians stripped of their lyrics, and left with just a slightly catchy tune that doesn't keep the listener wanting more. As Simon Cowell says it, "It's like eating ice. You're eating something, but it never leaves you completely satisfied," but like I've said, that's not at all what this band is like. They're not just instrumentals. It's hard to explain but there's something about their sound that's just pure, and wonderful.

I accidentally came across them, and I'd like to tell people they need to listen to this band, but honestly, they don't -- they have to. Explosions in the sky coordinates the sound of their music (instead of lyrics) with the titles of their songs, and it helps tell a deeper story. They're absoulutely wonderful. They don't need lyrics to explain their emotions, or to impact music fans. It's kind of like a secret language, and it's almost enough to make you cry. 

They have plain, wholesome instrumentals, and personally, I feel that is a big portion of what's missing in today's so called "music" industry. What ever happened to the beautiful sounds of Ludwig van Beethoven, or other classics? Oh, that's right. They got replaced by Justin Beiber, because apparently, "And I was like, 'baby, baby, baby ohhh. Like baby, baby, baby noo. Like baby, baby, baby ohh'," are the best lyrics ever set in the minds of humans. Honestly, folks, I must say my generation is doomed to a fiery pit of terrible music.

More over, I took the liberty of making some of their songs the backround music for my blog, so go ahead and scroll near the bottom right of this page where my play list tool is and check them out. I made my favorite song by them, So Long Lonesome, the first on the list so make sure to listen to that also. 

In a world where the majority of music is no longer based on thought or feeling, but whether you have a boyish cute smile that will sell millions of songs or not, it's great to come by a few good people that are still doing it right. Go listen to Explosions in the Sky. Even if you discover their not your taste, alls well that well.

Anyways, I don't want to sound like a teenage girl who's overly obsessing on the topic of music, so I will end this.

Follow my blog, ohmyjulia!

Goodbye for now,

:Julia

Vintage Bicycles! It's beautiful.

Recently I've had a break through -- I want a bike. Just about thirty years ago a bike was what every kid wanted for their birthday, Christmas, maybe even Hanukkah. Unfortunately, nowadays, gifting doesn't get much more original other than the classic gift card. Anyways, I guess you could say that it was a spontaneous idea. My birthday party was a few days ago, and if your mind works like the average overly excited child (like mine) you've probably thought about what you want for you're next birthday, right after the day of your most recent one. 

It's not like I've never had a bike before. I've had many bikes when I was younger living in my house in Oregon. However, as the years progressed they became older and dustier in my garage, and then eventually nonexistent when my parents had to give them away. After a few years of being bike-less, I guess I'm not really sure why I would like to have a bike again other than the fact that they can be a plain ol' good time.

The other day I was browsing around on the internet -- doing a little web shopping, and I went to the Urban Outfitters website where I then discovered the Urban Outfitters Bike Shop (UO Bike Shop).  I died at how beautiful their bikes were. Urban Outfitters teamed up with Republic Bike, so now several bikes from Republic Bike are being sold on http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/. In fact, if you go to the site right now, I believe you'll be able to find a link to the bicycles on the bottom left corner of the homepage. Also, if you didn't already know, the bikes from Republic Bike are custom made (Even better right?). This means potential buyers are able to select colors on certain bike details, add skirts, or chain cases. In addition, the bicycles only go for a little bit under four hundred dollars (not including shipping). To some people this may seem like a large amount of money for a bike -- and it is. However, if you think about it, that's a pretty sweet deal for a customized bike that's absolutely adorable. Unfortunately, the one detail that isn't very customizable are the frame sizes. Since there isn't a very wide range of bike sizes/heights if you're generally smaller than the average American (like me) some bikes may not be very comfortable to ride. 

There are three types of bikes Republic Bike can customize for customers, which include: an aristotle, aristotle CRMO (It's a bit more expensive at $459), or plato. Aristotle bikes are multi-purpose and single speed, while Aristotle CRMOs are generally the same as regular aristotles besides their unique handle bars, and platos are for upright riding, and a simple stroll. Personally, I'd like to get my hands on a plato. I'm really into the vintage flair they give off, and the comfort aspects of riding one. I'm really not into the leaning over the handle bars type of ride, and because of that, an aristotle bike isn't an option for me.

Aristotle Bike.

Plato bicycle.

I'd really like to get my hands on a Republic Bike bicycle sometime. However, as much as I'd like to say I can afford a four hundred dollar bicycle, at the moment I cannot. Maybe in the future though, but for now I'll be adoring them from a distance. :)

:Julia