I Went Red!

Nightshade from Nightblooming on Etsy whipped up a custom batch of henna for me and I applied it last night.

I was seriously stressed about dye release, having never really hennaed before. I kept checking the color in the back of my hand. When the color didn't seem to get any darker, I took the plunge.

The color is absolutely perfect and really compliments my skin. I didn't realize how much my hair blended with my skin tone until I saw the red. The contrast is really lovely.

Please don't mind my ends. They really don't look as bad as they do in the photos. I've been trimming rather randomly, so the ends are thinner than usual. 

I also purchased these pretty combs to tuck into my buns:

In related news, the pictures make me wonder if I've wandered into "Can I call this classic?" length.

Nightblooming's Triple Moon Oil and Panacea Salve

My hair's been feeling a little dry lately and I decided to do a treatment.

Now for those of you unfamiliar with my favorite products, I'll have to pimp them out.

Many people use different kinds of oils on their hair. Olive oil, coconut oil and/ or milk, kukui oil, jojoba oil, yogurt, avocado oil, grapeseed oil and rapeseed oil are all common things people use to oil their hair. I personally find olive oil to coat my hair and make it stringy and greasy. I've had good results from kukui, jojoba and coconut oil and, in fact, use coconut oil routinely on my little girls. I still use jojoba to smooth back flyaways.

My personal favorite for oiling my hair is Nightblooming's Triple Moon Anointing oil. The ingredient list is: cold-pressed unrefined sunflower oil, primrose oil, shea nut oil, nettle infused oil, sea buckthorn oil, and essential oils of bay, birch, cedarwood, german chamomile, lavender, red thyme, rosemary, sage, tea tree, ylang-ylang. It smells mostly of rosemary and tea tree to my nose. I love herbally scents, so it works well for me. You can check out my tutorial on how to oil your hair in the YouTube bar to the left.

The Triple Moon Anointing Oil comes in a small sample bottle for a few dollars, or the larger 4 oz. bottle, which comes with a glass dropper for easy measuring.

My other favorite treatment is Nightblooming's Panacea Salve. This stuff is AWESOME! It's creamy and light and smells incredible. It's available in vegan and non-vegan blend. I think that the vegan blend leaves out the honey.

Ingredients are listed as; Certified Organic Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Herbal infusion of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), Pure Refined Coconut Oil, African Wild Honey, Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetearyl Alcohol, Panthenol (pro-Vitamin B5), Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Hydrolyzed Oat Protein, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid , and the Essential Oils of Frankincense, Myrrh, Sweet Orange, Ylang-Ylang, and Limone.

I use it on the tips of my hair and I really think it's softened them and helped prevent split ends. I've heard raves about using it as a hand cream, too. I've never intentionally just put it on my hands, but after applying it to my hair, I simply rub any extra into my hands.

Nightblooming is truly a joy to work with. She whipped up a custom cassia/henna blend for me, based on the color I was looking for and how much I wanted to spend. She has colorless blends that just condition and add gloss and shine. I personally use them and you can see the before and after results in the previous blog.


*** I wanted to let you guys know that the container of Panacea Salve in my photos is the *old* tin container.  Nightblooming has switched to a new twist-top plastic container that is much easier to open.  Check out her Etsy site here for more information.***

Monistat for Hair Growth

I took some length shots last night and I think I've had some growth. I've been having a growth stall for a little while and gave Monistat a try.

Now, before I go any further, I can hear a collective "What did she do with Monistat?!" Fear not, I do not have a yeast infection of the scalp. On the LHC (see the links to your left) there's a popular theory that Monistat (4%, not that cheap 2%) can help your hair grow. I've read that some people have gotten up to 3 inches of growth in a month. I've seen photos of people with bald spots who have been helped by Monistat.

You can dilute it or not, your choice. I've been taking the cream and applying it straight to my roots. It doesn't cause my roots to look greasy, so I apply after a wash and just leave it on until the next washday.

At first, I didn't notice anything except some growth around my hair line. My hair is certainly a bit thicker now. I didn't think it had done a thing for the length, though, until I took pictures. The difference is subtle, I think, but it's there.

This was taken March 14th, 2010.

And this one was taken yesterday, May 29th, 2010. Think there's a difference?

If you're wondering about the difference in my hair color, I did a henna/cassia gloss last month. Living in Hawai'i has bleached out almost all of my natural copper tones. I contacted Nightblooming on Etsy and asked if she could do a custom blend to help put the color back to the way it used to be. She was amazing and the color turned out exactly the way I wanted it to.

Anyways, Monistat... I think I will continue to apply it until I reach "classic" length (the bottom of my...er...bottom.)

For all you out there that wash every day and want to try Monistat for growth, here's what I would recommend; apply Monistat 4% cream to the roots every other day after washing. Style as usual. If it works for you, I'd love to hear about it!