Beauty, Health, & Wellness | That Bald Chick

Philips Norelco Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper

November 29, 2011 By Virginia 8 Comments

I have been cutting Hubs hair since 2004, which was BEFORE he secured the title Hubs! But not anymore, thanks to his new Philips Norelco Qc5530/40 Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper, which we received for review.

About the Philips Norelco Qc5530/40 Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper…

Easy to Handle with 180-Degree Rotating Head
Thanks to the innovative 180-degree rotating head on the Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper, you can trim your own hair with ease and precision. Instead of trying to move your hand or arm into an uncomfortable and difficult position, you can simply rotate the trimmer’s head to achieve the angle that gives you the best reach. The rotating head has a 41-millimeter cutting width that lets you cut more hair with each stroke, and it provides a consistent and even cut every time.

Easy Adjustments for the Perfect Length
With 20 length settings between a #1/2 and #9, the Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper gives you the options you need to create the haircut you want. It’s easy to adjust to the length setting using the integrated zoom ring. Simply turn the wheel until you reach the right length for your hair–check the length settings on the side of the comb for accuracy.

Contour-Following Combs and Skin-Friendly Blades for Comfort
The Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper features 2-D combs (big, small, and precision) that move slightly up and down to follow the contours of your head for a smooth, even, and comfortable haircut. Both the combs and the stainless steel blades feature rounded edges that prevent scratching and increase comfort.

Precision Trimmer Contours Around Ears and Trims Sideburns
A precision trimmer is included for contouring around the ears and trimming your sideburns. This handy attachment ensures you’ll always have a well-groomed look.

Easy-Clean Design
The Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper is fully washable for easy cleaning. Keep it neat and tidy by simply running tap water over the combs and blades. There is no maintenance or lubrication required with this easy-to-use clipper–simply use, wash, and pack away for the next time.

Quick Charge and Long-Lasting Battery
Designed for total convenience, the Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper features a lithium-ion battery and Quick Charge Power System–a one-hour quick charge provides 60 minutes of running time. A charging indicator lets you know when the clipper is ready to go.

If you just need a quick trim and don’t have time to fully charge the clipper, you can plug it into a standard outlet for corded operation.

The Philips Norelco Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper is backed by a manufacturer’s two-year worldwide guarantee.

What’s in the Box
Philips Norelco Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper, cleaning brush, precision trimmer, and three guide combs (big, small, and precision).

I was pretty excited about getting this handy gadget for review. While I don’t mind cutting Hubs hair, I don’t like getting hair on me. I’m bald, okay? Cutting his hair (and Mister’s and Sister’s hair) is a sacrifice for love. I sacrifice my comfort level because I love them. Stray hair drives me nuts. I don’t like hair on me, on my clothes, in my sink, on my floor, or on my furniture. It just makes me want to wretch. Extreme? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

When presented with the opportunity to even think about not cutting his hair anymore, I nearly did a happy dance. I calmed myself down long enough to ask him if he would be interested in helping me with the review of it. “Sure, I’ll try it,” he said.

It just so happened that Hubs had been asking for a hair cut for a few days… okay, a few weeks… when the Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper arrived. So, I grabbed the camera, and we headed for the bathroom. Sometimes it is just easier to SHOW you how well a product works…

Can I just say, I love it!

Yep. It cuts HIS hair, but I love it. Why? Because I didn’t have to brush any of that hair, that ended up on the counter, off of me. I didn’t have to touch it (yep, Hubs cleans up after himself)! AND NOW I don’t have to cut his hair anymore! WOOT!

***Doing a little dance… Doing a little dance…***

Sure, I may have to get a hair here or there, that he misses, but for the most part… my hair cutting duty is OVER!!

Seriously, that rotating head makes this device truly a do-it-yourself device! That’s why I started cutting his hair in the first place, because he couldn’t angle the clippers easily to ensure an even cut.

***Doing a little dance… Doing a little dance…***

The only thing Hubs said he would change is that the clipper didn’t come with a storage bag or case, and he likes to keep stuff like that put away in cases.

The Philips Norelco Qc5530/40 Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper is reasonably priced at $39.99. For the trouble it is going to save me, I would pay double that. Literally. It just so happens that it is currently on sale on Amazon for $33.99. Plus, there is a handy dandy little Amazon coupon that allows you to save an additional $10 off the purchase of Philips Norelco Hair Clippers.

With the coupon, this gadget is just $23.99! That is a STEAL! If you have Amazon Prime, shipping is free of course. Otherwise, add $1.01 worth of stuff to your cart to get free shipping. SCORE!

What an awesome stocking stuffer of Christmas gift that would be for the guy(s) on your list!

Now I just need to teach Mister how to use it on his own head.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

Learn more about the Philips Norelco line of products, and money saving specials, by following @shaveexperts on Twitter.

Filed Under: Beauty, Health, & Wellness, Reviews Tagged With: clipper, haircut, philips, trimmer

Heavy Monthly Bleeding- There is Help

July 25, 2011 By Virginia 8 Comments

Okay, I am about to discuss something on here that some may consider taboo. It may make some uncomfortable. But, it may also help someone. That is my goal.

I started menstruating at the early age of nine. At first, my periods lasted three to four days, remained regular, and I could set the calendar by them. Around the age of fourteen, my periods started getting longer and heavier. And as a young adult, I dealt with heavy monthly bleeding, with periods that would last for seven to ten days. For the longest time, I just thought it was part of life, and that I should just suck it up and deal with it. So, I did.

Then it started interfering with my life. There were days when I felt like I couldn’t get out of bed, because the cramping was so bad.

Finally, I mentioned it to my doctor. Initially, my doctor told me to take over the counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (i.e. Ibuprofen or Naproxen) to help ease the discomfort and pain during those times. Then at some point, when that quit helping and the cycles of Aunt Flo’s visits was more than I could stand, I was put on “the pill.” While oral progesterone and oral contraceptives are not specifically approved to treat heavy monthly bleeding, they worked for me. It was wonderful! Not only was the length of my period shortened, it was also lighter. It was not, however, less painful.

And then I had my son.

After I had Mister, I chose not to go back on the oral contraceptives. My periods started getting heavier and more painful. The doctor gave me a prescription for stronger anti-inflammatory medication, as well as pain medication.

After Sister arrived, my cycles got out of control. I would have heavy bleeding for ten days, have a brief respite for ten days, and then start bleeding again. There were days when I would literally double up in a ball on the floor, as my kids played around me. I couldn’t function. The over the counter stuff wasn’t helping. The prescription NSAIDs and pain medicine wasn’t helping. I felt like my period ruled my life for at least ten days at a time. Often times I felt like my uterus was falling out, the bleeding was so bad. I would literally stack overnight pads on top of each other, and run through them in less than an hour.

Finally, enough was enough. I called the doctor and scheduled a consult. I just couldn’t take it anymore.

During the appointment, we discussed several treatment options for heavy bleeding. One of the options we discussed was endometrial ablation. My doctor felt like I was a good candidate for endometrial ablation, as we knew our family was complete. Endometrial ablation is minimally invasive, requires little recovery time, and could be performed in the office or as an outpatient procedure. Given that I had two little ones at home, I wanted something that would allow me to recover quickly and get back to being a mom.

My doctor offered me the option of having the ablation done as an outpatient or in the office. I chose to have it done in the office. It required less recovery time, and less red tape with getting insurance approval.

I would be lying if I said that the ablation was all rainbows and candy covered raindrops. It was a bit uncomfortable and I did have some contraction-like cramps, which my doctor had explained would happen. It wasn’t that bad. In fact, the cramps with the procedure weren’t as bad as the cramps I had with my cycle, and nothing like the contractions I had with my son! After the procedure, my doctor again explained that the ablation should lessen my monthly bleeding, and that some women stop having periods altogether after an ablation. She also explained that it could take up to six months for the full effect of the ablation to be noted. I haven’t had a period in the last twelve months. I have had some minimal spotting here and there, but nothing that was even noteworthy. And the monthly pain associated with my cycle? Also eliminated. While most women have to continue oral contraceptives after an ablation (as getting pregnant after an ablation can be very dangerous), I did not have to go back on them since Hubs has had the big “V” surgery and getting pregnant was a non-issue.

Twelve months of freedom.

I dealt with heavy monthly bleeding far longer than I had to, because I was hesitant to talk with my doctor and let her know what a problem it was. I felt like it was just a part of life. Women have periods. Some women have heavy periods. Get over it. I didn’t want to say that it interfered with my life, because that would somehow make me less of of woman. Or something silly like that. The fact is, had I been more up front with my doctor, we could have come up with a treatment plan sooner.

All that to say this… if you have heavy monthly bleeding, talk to your doctor… there is help!

For tips on making the most of your appointment, check out the heavy monthly bleeding resource center on HealthyWomen.org.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Ferring Pharmaceuticals and received a promotional item to facilitate my review.

Filed Under: Beauty, Health, & Wellness, Life in General Tagged With: Health, heavy bleeding, womenshealth

Free Lasik Consultation

April 29, 2011 By Virginia Leave a Comment

See if Lasik is right for you with this Free 30 second Lasik evaluation!

Check it out here!

Filed Under: Beauty, Health, & Wellness, Check This Out, Saving Tagged With: deals, free

Getting Fit- Yay Yay Yay

March 22, 2011 By Virginia 31 Comments

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just NEED a Yay Yay Yay kind of day? This last week was one of those kind of weeks. The kids were both sick with an upper respiratory infection, and on antibiotics. Then they contaminated me. Yes, I fell victim, too. So, I’ve been on antibiotics, which I have to take three times a day for seven days, and they make me queasy! As if I weren’t feeling miserable enough, I had a food reaction on Saturday evening which caused my face to break out, my lips to itch, my nostrils to swell shut, and all kinds of other fun (NOT) symptoms. I was desperate for a Yay Yay Yay kind of day.

Well, the last 24 hours have been my Yay Yay Yay kind of day!

First Yay!

I just love my EatSmart Precision GoFit Digital Body Fat Scale! As I mentioned in my scale review, I thought it was going to be SO much fun to watch the body fat number drop, as the body muscle number goes up. It is even more fun than I anticipated! The very first time I used the scale, it measured my body fat at 39.4% and by body muscle at 39.8%. As of today, my body fat number has dropped by an entire percent! I don’t pretend to understand why the body muscle number only increased by 0.2% (and not a whole digit), and I don’t care. Of course, the body water number fluctuates, as can be expected. (My apologies that you can’t see my toes on the scale… remember, I said it IS reflective).

I am loving how I can SEE on the scale the difference that adding strengthening exercises can make!

Oh yah, and did you notice that my total body weight also went down?

193.6 pounds this morning, baby. Yup. I have lost over 30 pounds since the beginning of this year.

And, my BMI is down to 32.2.

Second Yay!

The kids and I spent quite a bit of time outdoors on Sunday, and they absolutely loved that Mommy had the energy to chase them and push them around in their power wheels jeep. Yes, I said push. The blasted thing has a dead battery, so I pushed a power wheels jeep plus 60 pounds of kid around the yard for quite a while. Talk about an exercise on the GLUTS! Ha. Anyway, after that, we came indoors, and the kids occupied themselves playing with their toys while I did laundry and switched clothing sizes for all three of us. Yes. All. Three. of. Us. Mister graduated into a 4T, Sister graduated into a 3T, and I took out everything that is now too big and bagged it up. I removed two large bags of clothes from my closet.

And yesterday, I gave them away.

There is no going back, now, because if I do, I will have to go nekked.

Third yay!

When I got home from volunteering yesterday, I had an email in my inbox letting me know that I have been selected to take part in the second Total Gym Total Mom Challenge. I literally burst out crying when I got the email, I wanted it so bad. I am just so incredibly excited.

Just in case you didn’t read about the first Total Gym Total Mom Challenge, let me tell you a little about how it went. Blog Friendly PR teamed up with Total Gym to create a unique campaign in which ten bloggers used the Total Gym XLS for eight weeks to see what a difference it could make. The winner of that challenge, Michelle from A Happy Hippy Mommy, shed nine pounds and five inches. She then got to give a Total Gym away on her site (which I blogged about here)! I confess to having entered that giveaway many, many, many… many times.

I don’t have all of the campaign details yet, but I do know is this… this campaign is set to have six Mom’s, the campaign will last eight weeks, and my Total Gym should arrive in about 3-4 weeks. Each of our weekly posts will be assigned a theme, and I cannot wait to get the first one!

So, as my son would say, “Yay yay yay!”

Waiting for the Total Gym to come in is going to be tough (in the same way walking past wrapped Christmas gifts without touching them is).

But, I can assure you that I will not be sitting on my laurels while I wait.

When I Skype’d with Hubs this morning, he asked if he would be able to use the Total Gym, too. YEAH! So, you just might see some updates about him, too!

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Filed Under: Beauty, Health, & Wellness, Fitness, Miscellaneous, Total Gym Total Mom Tagged With: #totalgymmom, gettingfit

Chemical Conjunctivitis

March 19, 2011 By Virginia 13 Comments

Mister suddenly started crying and saying his eyes were hurting. Because his has bilateral nasal lacrimal duct stings, we take all eye complaints seriously. Upon inspection, his eyes were red and watery… and had the distinct scent of my cologne.

Ugh.

“What happened?” I asked him, as I headed for the shower.

“Sissy sprayed me.”

Sister followed saying, “Thoddy. Thoddy.” (Sorry)

I stripped off his clothes and put him the shower, turning it on. Of course, he wouldn’t hold his eyes open (duh), so I got in with him. Trying to hold him, hold his eyes open, and keep her out of the shower proved to be a futile endeavor. So, we got out, got dressed and headed to the Urgent Care down the road.

Only to discover that the Urgent Care was closed.

Really?

What is the point of an Urgent Care, if not to be open when physicians offices are closed?

Back in the van went we, and then another few miles down the road to the Emergency Room.

Fortunately, our wait was minimal.

I explained to the E.R. Physician that I had tried to rinse his eyes, but was unable to hold them open long enough to be of any benefit. I also reported that we attempted to go to the Urgent Care, but it was closed. The doctor told me that the Urgent Care would have likely sent us to E.R. anyway, since Mister has the stints. So, I suppose it was not a wasted trip to E.R.

Mister had to have his eyes flushed. It took three of us to do it, and both nurses commented on how “strong” Mister’s eyelids are. LOL. Don’t I know it! He’s had them messed with enough, he can clench them tighter than a pitbull clenches it’s jaw around a treasured bone.

chemical conjunctivitis

Diagnosis- Bilateral chemical conjunctivitis (i.e. chemical burn right and left eyelids).

After his eyes were flushed, and while we waited for paperwork, Mister’s nurse was kind enough to give both kidlets a coloring book and colors.

coloring book

Both kids thoroughly enjoyed their treasures!

kids coloring

So, what SHOULD you do when your child gets a chemical in their eyes?

For all chemical eye injuries, it is important to irrigate the eye with a lot of fluid, ideally “eye wash” or sterile isotonic saline solution, however, if you don’t have that on hand, use cold tap water. The eyes should be rinsed for ten minutes or longer, which can be done by having them stand under the shower with their eyes open as wide as possible. If the chemical happens to be an alkali or hydrofluoric acid, emergency medical care is required.

The next best step, if possible, is to find out what type of chemical you have been exposed to. You can look on the product label or call the Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222 to find out more about a specific chemical.

If a trip to the emergency room is necessary, take the chemical with you.

As I like to say, it is always better safe than sorry.

Looks like I will be stocking up on some sterile isotonic saline solution.

Having Eye Wash in your first aid kit could save a trip to Urgent Care… I mean E.R.

Filed Under: Beauty, Health, & Wellness Tagged With: chemical conjunctivitis, first aid, firstaid