braiding books

Hi everyone,I'm looking for advice on which braiding books to buy. I'm from Germany, and there aren't ANY books on braiding around here, so I have to order the American books at our bookstore. As I can't order the books and then decide if I like them, I need a bit of information in order to find the right one. So if anyone has or knows the books mentioned below, I'd be so grateful if you could answer my questions...Thomas Hardy: "Great Braids: A new way to exciting hairstyles"...I know I saw a braiding book at a similar price ($ 17,95) at CROWN Books when I was in the US, so now I'm trying to find out if it's the same. Is there a bridal hairstyle in there which is a sort of braided crown incorporating white strips of fabric? If so, it's probably the same book.M.B.Janssen-Fleischman: "Braids: Easy step-by-step hairstyles"...does it contain a lot of the styles already featured in "Twists and Braids made easy" (which I already own)? Or are there a lot of diffent BRAIDS (not twists, they mostly don't work for my fine hair...) in it?If anybody would like to recommend their favourite braiding book to me, you could also email me privately!Thank you all for your trouble!Sincerely,HeikePS KAREN: I hope I'm not insulting you by posting this on the Hair Talk message board! I'm not mad at you because you haven't answered my email, I know you are terribly busy at the moment!!! It's just that I need the info... ;-)

Lately I have seen a few postings here about Karen and her slow response to email sometimes.I feel bad for her when I see this because I know that this lady works her butt off to help.So I wanted to share my own personal experience with her and her email behavior.I recently sent Karen email (AskKaren) about my disastrous attempts to color my hair. First I tried adding a darker color of red to my ligher red hair. It turned almost orange. Then I tried to lighten it and it turned green. Then it started to break off. I was freaking out. I could not stop crying.Karen took about 2 days to answer my email and promised to research and get back to me some suggestions. It took her about 5 days and then she sent me back 4 different emails with complete instructions on how to have my hair color disaster reversed. She also sent me suggestions on colorist in my area (which she researched for me) and names of some books to read on hair coloring techniques.WOW. I could not believe all the time she spent for me and my problems. At no charge. She even sent an email about 2 weeks later asking how I was doing and letting me know that she was there for me.I thought maybe I was an exception to her rule but I told a friend about Karen and she had just had a terrible experience with a haircut from hell. Karen send my friend 20 different photos of hair cuts that my friend could try to ease out of the horrible cut.So maybe she is slow to answer and maybe she can't always answer but when she does, it is worth it. I can not believe that she does this site part time and for free. So when I see people making comments about her being slow in her email responses I get a little upset. I just wanted people to know how much she tries.I read somewhere that she gets about 200 emails a day. That is over 1,000 a week. I guess with those sort of numbers she doesn't always get all her emails answered.Thanks Karen for being there for all of us.Toni> Hi everyone,> I'm looking for advice on which braiding> books to buy. I'm from Germany, and there aren't> ANY books on braiding around here, so I have to> order the American books at our bookstore. As> I can't order the books and then decide if I like> them, I need a bit of information in order to> find the right one. So if anyone has or knows> the books mentioned below, I'd be so grateful> if you could answer my questions...> Thomas Hardy: "Great Braids: A new way> to exciting hairstyles"...I know I saw a> braiding book at a similar price ($ 17,95) at> CROWN Books when I was in the US, so now I'm trying> to find out if it's the same. Is there a bridal> hairstyle in there which is a sort of braided> crown incorporating white strips of fabric? If> so, it's probably the same book.> M.B.Janssen-Fleischman: "Braids: Easy> step-by-step hairstyles"...does it contain> a lot of the styles already featured in "Twists> and Braids made easy" (which I already own)?> Or are there a lot of diffent BRAIDS (not twists,> they mostly don't work for my fine hair...) in> it?> If anybody would like to recommend their> favourite braiding book to me, you could also> email me privately!> Thank you all for your trouble!> Sincerely,> Heike> PS KAREN: I hope I'm not insulting you by> posting this on the Hair Talk message board! I'm> not mad at you because you haven't answered my> email, I know you are terribly busy at the moment!!!> It's just that I need the info... ;-)

Toni, I took your post very personal because I posted a message and asked if she got my e-mail,and then it was stated she receives over 200 e-mails a day. I am very new to the internet and extreamly new to Hair Talk. I wondered if she got my e-mail because I have been having problems with mine. On the radio it was saying if you have internet explorer and use outlook express for e-mail with certain versions you have to down load a patch, because if you receive e-mail with a long title yor computer will crash.So I have been having problems.If you read my post it didn't say anything about taking time.So now I feel bad.Sherry> Lately I have seen a few postings here about> Karen and her slow response to email sometimes.>> I feel bad for her when I see this because> I know that this lady works her butt off to help.>> So I wanted to share my own personal experience> with her and her email behavior.> I recently sent Karen email (AskKaren) about> my disastrous attempts to color my hair. First> I tried adding a darker color of red to my ligher> red hair. It turned almost orange. Then I tried> to lighten it and it turned green. Then it started> to break off. I was freaking out. I could not> stop crying.> Karen took about 2 days to answer my email> and promised to research and get back to me some> suggestions. It took her about 5 days and then> she sent me back 4 different emails with complete> instructions on how to have my hair color disaster> reversed. She also sent me suggestions on colorist> in my area (which she researched for me) and names> of some books to read on hair coloring techniques.>> WOW. I could not believe all the time she> spent for me and my problems. At no charge. She> even sent an email about 2 weeks later asking> how I was doing and letting me know that she was> there for me.> I thought maybe I was an exception to her> rule but I told a friend about Karen and she had> just had a terrible experience with a haircut> from hell. Karen send my friend 20 different photos> of hair cuts that my friend could try to ease> out of the horrible cut.> So maybe she is slow to answer and maybe> she can't always answer but when she does, it> is worth it. I can not believe that she does this> site part time and for free. So when I see people> making comments about her being slow in her email> responses I get a little upset. I just wanted> people to know how much she tries.> I read somewhere that she gets about 200> emails a day. That is over 1,000 a week. I guess> with those sort of numbers she doesn't always> get all her emails answered.> Thanks Karen for being there for all of us.>> Toni

Toni,I hope you haven`t got me wrong, I intended by no means to complain about Karen not answering my email about braiding books! On the contrary, by posting it on the message board I wanted to spare her the work of researching for and replying to my question.I can only wholeheartedly agree with you that it`s incredible she does this in her spare time!!!Best regards, Heike> Lately I have seen a few postings here about> Karen and her slow response to email sometimes.>> I feel bad for her when I see this because> I know that this lady works her butt off to help.>> So I wanted to share my own personal experience> with her and her email behavior.> I recently sent Karen email (AskKaren) about> my disastrous attempts to color my hair. First> I tried adding a darker color of red to my ligher> red hair. It turned almost orange. Then I tried> to lighten it and it turned green. Then it started> to break off. I was freaking out. I could not> stop crying.> Karen took about 2 days to answer my email> and promised to research and get back to me some> suggestions. It took her about 5 days and then> she sent me back 4 different emails with complete> instructions on how to have my hair color disaster> reversed. She also sent me suggestions on colorist> in my area (which she researched for me) and names> of some books to read on hair coloring techniques.>> WOW. I could not believe all the time she> spent for me and my problems. At no charge. She> even sent an email about 2 weeks later asking> how I was doing and letting me know that she was> there for me.> I thought maybe I was an exception to her> rule but I told a friend about Karen and she had> just had a terrible experience with a haircut> from hell. Karen send my friend 20 different photos> of hair cuts that my friend could try to ease> out of the horrible cut.> So maybe she is slow to answer and maybe> she can't always answer but when she does, it> is worth it. I can not believe that she does this> site part time and for free. So when I see people> making comments about her being slow in her email> responses I get a little upset. I just wanted> people to know how much she tries.> I read somewhere that she gets about 200> emails a day. That is over 1,000 a week. I guess> with those sort of numbers she doesn't always> get all her emails answered.> Thanks Karen for being there for all of us.>> Toni

To Sherry & Heike,I am not offended by your various postings about me and email. I appreciate Heike posting to HairTalk because it does help me. Also Sherry, I totally understood your situation and was not offended in the least.Thanks for caring enough to be concerned.Everything is very cool & OK. :-)I really do love getting email. I just get buried sometimes and I appreciate you all understanding that. :-)Best wishes,Karen> Toni,> I hope you haven`t got me wrong, I intended> by no means to complain about Karen not answering> my email about braiding books! On the contrary,> by posting it on the message board I wanted to> spare her the work of researching for and replying> to my question.I can only wholeheartedly agree> with you that it`s incredible she does this in> her spare time!!!> Best regards, Heike

> Hi Neil,> As always...you are my hero. :-)OK! I come in out of Deeeeeep Lurk to post one message and this is the thanks I get. *G* Your admiration is way too lofty for this boy and if you don't be careful, people are going to start talking. LOL Thanks so much, I am overwhelmed. You are too kind, but Karen that is exactly who you are.I post very infrequently here, but I visit y'all two or three times a day. I was only doing what you do Karen, and, all the other fine folks that take time to post messages that help other people in need. You set a fine example for us to maintain. You and Jeff have created something very wonderful here. We come to discuss something near and dear to our heads, but sometimes it is with great despair. It is the kind help that is given freely that is so great, even though the tone is sometimes like what we used to hear from our mothers.We thank you that the weirdos have never gotten a voice here, or at least a loud one. It is pretty tough for "the buzzers" to discuss hair and it's care when they "ain't got any".It's a place where ladies like Cher can tell her hair horror story, where Noreen can share her story of "the most incredible hair on the net", where guys like Dave can help us keep "the tangle monsters" away (Hey Dave, I'm a little jealous of those locks of yours *G*), and where a guy like me can answer a question on hair braiding books, be thanked for it and not get smirked at. Hey, and I just thank my lucky stars that you don't charge us guys to be able to sit here and listen to you gals discuss hair. *G*Karen, YOU ARE THE HERO, and that guy behind you that pushes the buttons and makes this stuff appear, Jeff, you stand up and take a bow too. Justly deserved! The word is getting out and the kudos are a commin' in.I am just glad to be counted as a friend. I am aren't I? Come on Karen, you said! Come on, pretty please!Hugs, Neil (back to Deeeeep Lurk)