Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Adventures with Lush Caca Noir

I had a Twitter request to post the details from when I dyed my hair with Lush's Caca Noir Mama natural henna hair color. Since I'm thinking about repeating the process, I thought this would be a good time to put it up. Apologies to those who already saw this on my Facebook page. I'll have something new for you very soon. :)


This is my hair pre-henna, freshly washed with no product in it.

The henna comes in blocks of 6. I used half of the total. To use it, I broke off the portion I needed and grated it into a powder using a box grater. Another option would have been to use a food processor to grind it up, but mine isn't big enough. (Nail polish: OPI Plugged in Plum :) )
After it was all grated, I added hot water to the powder until it was the consistency of pudding, then placed the bowl in a small pot of hot water on the stove to keep it hot and pliable while I applied it. I wore gloves and applied it by hand. I did the application in the kitchen next to the stove to keep the henna warm. (Spread newspapers or old wrapping paper on the floor to catch any spills. It can get messy.)

This is me looking ridiculous with plastic wrap on my head. I wrapped it to keep the heat in, which activates the henna. The smell of the henna is very earthy, but not too bad. I had the windows open and it didn't bother me too much.

I kept it on for 6 hours total; 3 hours wrapped, 3 open because the indigo needs air to develop. The henna dried into a SOLID MASS. At this point, the hair clips were totally redundant. I took this picture right before I washed it out.

I washed it out in the shower using a cheap shampoo. I washed it 4 times to make sure it was all out, then conditioned once. This is me right after washing and drying it.

Next morning! It is already darker, and continued to get darker over the next few days. In addition to the henna and indigo, Caca Noir also has cocoa butter, which left my hair super soft and shiny. I also woke up with no tangles, which is rare!
I'm definitely going to repeat the process soon. It took most of a day to do, but it was totally worth it. I'm so glad I found hair color that is natural!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Stupid moves

You guys. I was just a total idiot. And I need to tell you all about it. I just called him. It was awful. I am an idiot and deserve your mocking in the comments.

As you know (if you've been reading this), Steve and I are not currently speaking. His choice. As the caring person that I am, I was concerned after not hearing from him in over a week. So I texted him. No response. So I called him. He answered after the third try. It wasn't pleasant. So to recap: I still don't know what his issues are. He still doesn't want me to know what is bothering him. I am super frustrated. And sad. And drinking some Three Buck Chuck.

I am fully aware that I should not have called. I was silently berating myself the whole time. But that doesn't change the fact that I miss him more than I can bear.

I'm going to go cry over some ice cream now.

Fixing the skin you're in

I am a girl. Sometimes, I am a girly girl. I have an unhealthy addiction to Sephora. Ridiculously expensive mascara? Yes please. OPI nailpolish? Oh goodness yes. I bought three new colors yesterday. (OMG THE PIRATES COLLECTION!!!)

I recently bought some products from Bliss. I purchased the Steep Clean Pore Purifying Mask, and the No "Zit" Sherlock collection. I've been using the No Zit collection daily, and have used the mask twice. I adore them.

The mask is a dual formula (mix in hand) mask that you leave on for 15 minutes. When I washed it off, my skin was super soft. I've used it twice so far (once per week) and have no complaints.

The No Zit Sherlock collection (cleanser, serum, moisturizer) has been working so far. I tend to have mini breakouts every once in a while, but my skin has been clear since I've started using this. (For spot treatments, I've been using Burt's Bees Targeted Spot Treatment. I've had overnight success getting rid of pimples using this. Let's not get into my Burt's Bees addiction.) I expected some dryness since I'm using a whole slew of products, but I'm happy to report that my skin has been fine.

The correcting serum claims to correct dark spots from old pimples. This was a major selling point because I have some discoloration from past breakouts and want them to go away without resorting to chemical peels or anything more drastic. I like being able to go out with minimal makeup on. (Minimal = eyeliner, mascara only. I feel naked without eyeliner.) Having scrutinized my face since buying these, I haven't really seen a change in the discoloration, but it's only been two weeks. I'm keeping the faith on this.

These products are on the expensive side, but Bliss has an excellent reputation for skin care. And I had a gift card.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Muslims and Green Burials

I recently read some articles about green burials. These articles discussed a rising trend in people choosing to be buried in a way that doesn't add inorganic materials (embalming chemicals and metals from clothing and the casket) to the earth. Green burials are meant to return the body to the earth in as natural a state as possible. I know that sounds treehugger-ish and New Agey, but isn't that what is meant to happen when we die? Isn't it "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," not "Unable to decompose due to chemicals"?

Having been raised Muslim, I have always been a bit horrified with "Western" burial practices. It seems wrong to have complete strangers handling the body of the deceased and to have them pumped full of chemicals and placed in an incredibly expensive box whose sole purpose is to rot in the ground.

I'll provide some perspective. My maternal grandmother passed away a few years ago. She lived with my family, so I spent most of my life with her in the house. I was devastated when she passed. She died early in the morning at home, with my aunt at her bedside. The funeral took place the day that she died, as per her wishes, and only female family members handled her body. No stranger touched her. Her body was handled with love and respect by people who cared for her. Her daughters and several of her granddaughters washed her body, which was always covered with a cloth, and wrapped her in a plain white cotton shroud. She was then placed in a simple pine coffin that had wooden pegs to hold it shut. (In Guyana, they don't use the coffin. The body is placed directly in the ground. I believe we were required to use a coffin here.) There were no chemicals involved. We used only water and camphor to bathe her.

I was surprised to find that doing this wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. There were no tears while we prepared her. We spoke to her and let her know we loved her and were abiding by her final requests by laying her to rest as her religion dictated. It was like saying a final goodbye. After a short religious ceremony, she was buried in a Muslim burial ground before the sun set.

As I understand it, "Western" burials involve embalmers, funeral homes, and expensive coffins. I couldn't fathom having my loved ones handled by complete strangers in death. I wouldn't want that for me. When my paternal grandmother passed away in January, I had to explain to the nurse (who was removing the covers from my grandmother) that we do not expose the deceased's body out of respect. She was very accommodating, but I was surprised that this wasn't the norm.

Even if my family wasn't Muslim, I would still want to have a green burial. Am I alone in this? Has my upbringing caused me to think like this? I'm curious.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

I thought I loved Jon Stewart before...

Watch Jon ream out Donald Trump. (Apologies to faithful watchers of the Daily Show. This is an older clip. I watch the Daily Show online. Still no TV in the Haydia household.)