Bad hair day

 I have an ongoing battle with my hair and I never seem to like it.  It was cut into a short graduated bob last summer and I was growing the fringe.  Then I decided that I would grow it all and it is currently about chin length all round.  It is a horrible length, but it just about goes into a ponytail.  So for days when I am really fed up with it, I decided to crochet some hair accessories.  Here are my selection of scrunchies, a hair band and a barrette clip.

 here's a picture of me wearing the hair band and my hair twisted in the scrunchie to disguise the shortmess of the pony tail.  Then I decided that scraping my hair right back off my face was not a good look.  I have a horrid 'widow's peak' hairline that is a bit vampire scary, and so I cut a fringe....

This is me with my hair scrunched and my new fringe.  It's so much better because it no longer flaps all over my face and despite how short it looks in this picture it is still long enough at the sides and back to go into a ponytail.  At the moment I'm feeling happy with it, but I'm not sure how long that feeling will last.

Henna Hair

The henna block

I have naturally mousey coloured hair that I have always hated.  I have been colouring it since I was about 14.  When I re-discovered my eco streak several years ago I had a dilema because I couldn't find a suitable hair dye.  I completely stopped colouring it for a while, but mousey hair isn't really me.  Then last year I discovered that Lush did henna, I first used the braun but it was a bit too dark so I now use the marran.  I dye it about every six weeks.

First I thoroughly wash my hair with bicarbs and rinse with apple cider vinegar, you can use regular shampoo but shouldn't use conditioner (I only ever wash my hair with bicarb/apple cider vinegar or plain water).

The mixture

Rough dry the hair, and as it finishes drying start preparing the henna.  My hair is just past chin length and I use two squares.  They need to be chopped up very small or grated and then mixed with very hot water - it forms a greenish brown paste.

me wearing the plastic cap

I put a little oil or facecream around my hairline and then wearing rubber gloves I spread the mixture over my hair.  Then cover my hair with a plastic shower cap and sit around for about two hours.  Then I remove the plastic shower cap and rinse the henna off under the shower.  I then wash thoroughly again with bicarbs and apple cider vinegar and leave my hair to dry as normal.

It takes another 24 or 48 hours for the full colour to develop.  This turns my hair a stunning shiny dark chestnut colour and seems much thicker.

Washed and nearly dry

Hair again

I wanted to do an update on my hair. As mentioned in an earlier blog I have more or less always hated my straight fine limp hair, especially as my brother is blessed with the curliest hair ever so that it forms natural ringlets - I have always been so jealous of this (and his long dark eyelashes!!). In a final attempt to like my hair in it's chin length bob and allow it to grow to shoulder length rather than the cropped, I decided to stop using shampoo and use bicarbs and cider vinegar. It took a couple of weeks for it to settle down during which time it looked a bit greasy and then got a bit dry. I only use the bicarbs about once a week and this has stopped the dryness and in between I either wash with just the cider vinegar rinse or plain water. As we have loads of eggs at the moment I indulged in an egg hair mask on Saturday. I just mixed it up and rubbed it into my hair after I had washed it with bicarbs, it was a bit gloopy but I've used gloopier things that have been bought in pots. The I lay back in the bath and relaxed for a while, before rinsing it out and finishing off with the vinegar rinse and a blast of cold water from the shower. I couldn't have got better results from my hair if I had used heaps of specially formulated products. My hair definitely has lots more volume, although I often tie it back for work as in the pictures from last week. I can't claim that my hair has gone curly, but if I brush it before washing and just leave it to dry after washing it certainly has more movement than before, which I am not displeased about. It's more shaggy than wavy but any natural movement in my hair is an improvement. I'll get a picture next sometime during the week as the kids are away now there's no-one to take a picture.

Help my Hair

I have been having hair issues this week. My hair is a constant annoyance to me as it is fine and limp. I have worn it short for years and I want to grow it a bit longer. The back had reached my shoulders, the front my chin and the fringe just about reached my nose. It was layered but seemed to be all different lengths so I had it cut into a chin length bob. It lloked fabulous immediately after it was cut, but as soon as I tried to do anything with it it was a disaster. The ends stuck out in all the wrong directions and I hated it. I was advised that I should blow dry it upside down with hair mousse and then use a hair straightener to make sure the ends went the right way. I could have cried, I don't use mousse and although I own a hair drier I don't use it and I have never owned straighteners - my hair is straight!! So I faced the option of having it cut really short again or finding something different.
I soon realised that part of the problem was that my hair was too clean and that it why it was limp and unmanagable and that is why I had been told to add the mousse. But what is the point of washing hair and then putting stuff in it. I decided to experiment and started washing my hair with baking soda and cider vinegar rinse. I week later and it looks fabulous. It looks thicker, is behaving itself and no one has noticed that I am not using conventional shampoo.
So far so good. Has anyone else tried this? Are the results good long term? I have some other 'non-soap' alternatives for both skin and hair that I intend trying. I'll keep you posted about how I get on. I would also be really interested in any home made natural hair and skin care recipes that other people have used.