i finally made the appointment!! i get my braces back on by the end of the month, yay. 10k spent and finally done with dental work... i hope. well, at least until jaw surgery. it's funny how jaw surgery probably won't cost me remotely as much out of pocket... health insurance is a bit more generous than dental insurance

btw i just told my friend this, but if you want softer, shinier hair with pretty immediate results, i would guess 90% of people don't properly apply conditioner in the shower (or they just use 2-in-1 shampoo) if you want that super shiny hair that people compliment you on, after washing your hair, try gently wringing out as much excess water as you can, then towel dry it until it's damp rather than soaking wet. i've personally noticed MUCH better results doing this compared to just wringing it out then apply your conditioner or a hair mask (i LOVE the japanese fino hair masks) and PLEASE let your conditioner or hair mask sit!! i personally like leaving my hair masks on for 10–30 minutes, and my hair feels unbelievably smooth and shiny afterward. obviously it depends on the product, but the point is to actually give it some time instead of immediately rinsing it out your hair can feel unbelievably smooth and shiny afterward. i know that's more effort than some people wanna put into their hair, but it's such an easy way to improve how it looks and feels. and even if you're just taking a regular shower, you can at least try leaving your conditioner in for a minute or two instead of rinsing it out immediately

my goal with my hair is to reach a fuller classic length soon. technically the longest ends of my v-cut already reach classic length, but i'd love for the majority of my hair to reach there too. im hoping by mid or late 2027 i'll be able to achieve that my dream length has always been mid-thigh since i was in high school, and if i ever reach that, who knows... maybe i'll go for knee length fortunately since becoming a hair influencer i've learned how to take much better care of my hair over the last 2 years, and it's grown so much that im pretty confident i'll be able to reach my goal

btw i still haven't made an appointment to get my braces put back on yet 😅😅 the thing is, im getting my wires AND powerchains put back on, so it's gonna be double the tension on my teeth. and since my teeth aren't used to that pressure anymore, i already know it's gonna hurt SO so BAD i think there's a story highlight on my instagram from when i got my wires and powerchains put on for the first time after my extractions and i was nearly in tears... im just... not looking forward to it. once i finally get an appointment i'll have to clear my schedule for a few days so i can suffer in peace and get used to the soreness again