Dear Sars and The Nation,

I have baby-fine, stick-straight hair, and I’ve learned over the years that I want to work with it, not against it. A new stylist who cut my hair at the beginning of the summer recommended that I stop using conditioner, which I’ve been told before, because my hair is so fine that conditioner just weighs it down. I’ve never been able to do that, though, because without conditioner, I end up looking like I’m walking around with a Van de Graaff machine in my pocket all day.

However, I’ve been happy this summer using the product she recommended, Tiger Protein Reconstructor spray. I use it a little differently from the instructions on the package — I pretty much use it as you would a conditioner, in the shower, and I even rinse most of it out. I suspected I was rinsing money down the drain (the instructions call for putting it on damp hair and leaving it in), but my hair does seem to behave better all day when I use it than when I skip it.

My question for the Nation is whether they know of any product that does the same thing or is similar but doesn’t cost so darn much. If the product linked above the same product (the bottle I have is purple, so I’m assuming they just changed the packaging), it’s already cheaper on Amazon than it was in the salon, so that’s a start.

Do other people with fine hair use this product? Is it possible I’m just experiencing a placebo effect and convincing myself that it works? And will it still work in the winter, or will I need to weigh down my hair with conditioner some more to avoid the cold-weather flyaways?

Is That A Van De Graaff Generator In My Pocket, Or Am I Just Happy To See You?

*****

Hi Sars,

Yay for me! I just got a new job! It leads me to a problem, though, and I need some expert help from the Nation.

My problem is shoes…and scoliosis. It’s a fairly dressy office (ties for men and slacks/skirts for ladies). I have scoliosis caused by an anatomically short left leg. A 3/8″ heel wedge provides a lot of pain relief and helps me stand/walk straighter, but it’s really hard to find dressy shoes that will hold the wedge without my heel popping out on every step. I walk like Lurch as it is, so shoes that require me to step juuuuust right (to avoid derailing myself) are a real problem.

The other problem is, every time I find a shoe with a deep enough heel cup to let me walk freely, those shoes are so fugly my grandma thinks they’re out of style.

So, can anyone suggest something that meets these criteria?

• Ladies’ dress shoes, with a deep heel cup. Deep enough for 3/8″ of plastic to tuck in there without my heel popping out the top. Ankle straps totally help, but aren’t mandatory if the shoe is built right.
• Basic, classic style. I am not trendy by any means, so one of those never-goes-out-of-style styles is probably best. Comfort and function is much more important. Boring is perfectly OK, actually, as long as it’s not going to make people stare in horror at my feet.
• No significant heels…I seem to get away with kitten-heel styles up to about an inch. Anything higher than that just kills my back.
• Can work with business skirts, dresses, and/or pants. (If it’s one or the other, please tell me which one, because I am clueless.)
• The wedge itself is hard clear plastic, and I don’t really care if it shows (it’s hard to see, really.) So an open-back shoe is not out of the question. I can tape the wedge in place if some open-back model is a real winner. That said, I usually have a hard time with mules; the heel straps fall down most of the time. Sandals work OK.
• I live in a mild-winter area and don’t have to do a lot of hard walking, so these do not need to stand up to snow/mud/ice or miles of street wear. Long-lasting would be nice, though, especially if they’re spendy.
• Finally, I’m open on cost. I don’t have a lot of extra cash, but can save up for something quality if it will do the job well and last for years. $300 would take a lot of saving, but $100 is a pretty reachable goal. I’ll also spring $20 for something that will get me by, even if it falls apart in two months! There’s several DSW locations near me, if that helps.

It’s a tall order, but are there any suggestions?

Please, spare me from the grandma shoes!

*****

I’ve been on the hunt for knee-high boots for a couple years now, and I am met over and over with frustration. I just want simple, knee-high, black boots — a bit of a heel, tight in the calf, look awesome with skirts. And I cannot find anything to fit me. Why? I’m pretty sure the answer is my feet.

I have size 10 feet (42 in European sizing), but I’m not especially tall or large. However, the shoe companies seem to think calves come in proportion to feet. Everything I try on ends up looking like galoshes — not really the sexy fashion look I was going for. I started going for boots that had some slouch to them, thinking that might help, but even with those there’s still an extra gap at the top that doesn’t look good.

I found one pair that worked reasonably well a few years ago at JCPenney — even though they still were somewhat wrinkly — but they were kind of cheapies and the heel started wearing off almost immediately. Then the geriatric cat peed on them, and ever since then I’ve been back on the hunt with no luck.

Do the readers have any recommendations for brands of boots that are either 1) tight in the calf even at larger sizes, 2) adjustable in some way or 3) styled in such a way that the extra space looks OK? (Or really effective calf-toning exercises, heh.)

If I can find these I will be so happy!! I have a friend with the same size feet who told me just to give up, but I thought, “I’ll give it one more shot by asking The Vine.”

Bigfoot seeks small boots

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