A Bountiful Thing

Twenty is Plenty - Week 2

2012-02-16T08:39:00.001Z

£37.51.

I bought a lot of meat this week - minced beef, chicken fillets and some chicken drumsticks. Most of my financial blow out this week was directly connected to Valentine's Day, because I had a get together and provided all the food and drink. The other alternative I guess was getting everyone to chip in for Dominos, but I dislike the pressure this puts on people to give money that they don't have because everyone else is doing it.
Plus the waiting time is a pain.
So I cooked for 8 people on Tuesday, 2 people for 3 days and will be cooking for 3 people on Friday so I guess doing that all for around £40 is pretty decent.
Well, technically, I spent more like £55 but while I was running around like a headless chicken looking for buttermilk that was not there, the Wonder Thing acted like a ninja and paid for my shopping -___-

I actually said "Um. Hi. What happens to the bit where I pay for my food?"
The Wonder Thing: "I already paid."
Me: "Why????"

There were two reasons, he said, for paying: 1) Most of the meat I'd bought that weekend was for us. I don't usually tend to buy meat that often and definitely not in those numbers.
2) He had agreed to give me a Sainsburys voucher but had used it on his own shopping instead.

Me: "There is a massive difference between a £3 voucher and a £20 shop. But thank you. ^_^"

Anyway, I also grabbed some instant food (over the week, a hot chocolate, some delicious hand cut chips, a muffin and a pasty, arrrhhh!) which added up to just under a tenner's worth of damage.

On the bright side, I have a bit lot of food left over, so I'm at least mildly sorted for at least half another week.

So I'm still going to need to go shopping again this weekend...

Twenty is Plenty - Week 1

2012-02-09T08:34:00.004Z

£19.61 in one week *does a happy finance dance*.
Well, technically, it's £20.61, but I found a pound coin that helped subsidise my purchase.
I didn't do anything extraordinary - wrote my shopping list and did my shopping. However, looking at my shopping list, there seems to be an awful lot of fruit....

And not much else. I literally can't remember what I ate this week - how did I survive?!

Talking about thrifty things - don't forgot about some freeness right here!

Lining a Hat: A Tutorial?

2012-02-08T20:45:00.001Z

For Christmas, as part of the Faerie's and Lady V's gifts, I made them hats similar to the one I'd made myself a while ago.

But, as an additional treat, I lined both of them. This was mainly because the Faerie was concerned her hair was thinning out due to breakage - she does MMA and suspects that the grappling and the mat work might be taking a toll on her hair.

I made a few alterations to her hat (which I've nicknamed 'Turkish Delight') in that I skipped rounds 13 and 14 and then proceeded to squish the next three rounds in where available, before finishing off with 5 rounds of sc. I lined her hat with a lovely fuschia pink polyester satin. I searched and searched, but I couldn't find a proper tutorial on how to fully line a hat with satin, so I kind of hob cobbled my own out of two other tutorials.

The first part comes from this lining tutorial. I'm working on the wrong side of the material right now.

1). Firstly, I measured out the material - twice the height of the hat plus two inches (I gave myself an extra two inches for mistakes, mismeasuring and seam allowance).

2) Then I folded it in half, with the brim of the hat facing towards where the two edges of the fabric met, half an inch away from the edges.

3) I drew around the edge of the hat in pen (don't do that, use tailor's chalk!)

4) I pinned the edges together as I cut half an inch outside of the markings I'd made on the fabric (and I would really pin around where the markings have been made as well, just to hold it in place properly)

5) For appearances' sake, I folded up the brim edges of the hat about half an inch and sewed along the brim, as detailed in step 9 of this tutorial. It'll give the hat a neater appearance when it's finished.

6) Then I sewed the two pieces together along the curved top part of the hat, so it finally became one piece and all the pins could be removed.

7) However, at this point, I began to worry about the fitting of the lining in the hat - I wasn't sure if I had measured so that it would stretch with the hat efficiently. Scratch that: I knew I hadn't measured so the lining would stretch with the brim of the hat efficiently. In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have worried as much, but I did and ended up seam ripping out the sides of the lining , to give more flexibility in the brim and ruining the look completely. Oh well.

8) Then I turned the hat lining right side out, so the satiny side is now facing you and the not as shiny side you were working on is now touching the hat. I slipped the lining over the hat and pinned it into place.

9) To work out the amount of thread I'd need to use, I simply wound the thread around the circumferences of the brim twice, and then added 3 inches. You know, for one of my inevitable mistakes. To sew it in, I used this incredibly informative and detailed tutorial.

And then you're done! From start to finish, took me a total of 3 hours - the longest part was definitely number 9, sewing the whole thing in by hand. Took me about an hour and a half, but it was very therapeutic.

All in all, I love the way the lining contrasts with the colour of the hat- see why I called it Turkish delight?

In the next picture, you can kind of see the gaps I ripped in the lining in the top right and bottom left corners of the picture.

I bought the yarn for £1.49 from a charity shop 5 years ago and I used about 3/4 of it, the ribbon was about 50p and I only used half of the £1.55 lining.

£1.12 + £0.50 + £0.76 = £2.38

Yeah, New Look and the rest of the high street can go kick rocks *does budget dance of smugness*

It's All Coming Out...

2012-02-06T17:16:00.001Z

This weekend. *Insert Cinematic music here*

I don't know if I'm looking forward to it or not. But I feel I should prepare some cake as nutritional support.

You know, one day I will take a photo where one part of my body doesn't look grossly disproportionate to the rest of me. Maybe. Well, let's hope so anyway. How I still have any self esteem left is beyond me...

Can I get me some Vatika please?

2012-02-03T16:02:00.001Z

One of the things that usually drives me nuts is when it seems everyone in their blogs and the forums are going nuts for a product or ingredient and you can't get your hands on it. It's a major pain in the backside.

One such hard to get your hands on product is Vatika Oil. I quite like this oil - I'm not sure if it's any more incredible than ordinary coconut oil, but I quite like it the smell and am not bothered to make my own, so it's likely to stay in my arsenal for a while. If you want to know more about Vatika Oil, check out this post by Shelli at Hairscapades.

Let's get onto the actual purpose of this post. Whilst visiting the family for Christmas, I went into our not so local Indian grocers (because they actually have one within a 5 mile radius, unlike my pedestrianising self up North) I picked up another bottle.

One for me, and one for you.

It's a 300ml (10.14 fl oz) bottle, so slightly bigger than my last giveaway, and the instructions are simple.

1) Comment on this post and include the word 'Vatika' in your comment somewhere.

The giveaway ends on the 1st of March 2012 23:59 GMT.

Winners will be picked by random - probably out of a hat because that's how I roll.

Good luck!

Thrifty Thursday: Twenty is Plenty

2012-02-02T20:59:00.000Z

Firstly, I have to put my hands up and confess - this idea was not an original one of mine. It is actually based off an idea started by Penny Golightly, except that she is far more hardcore and keeps to £10 for a week.
During my first reading of the said post, I was completely and utterly convinced that I could complete such a feat with ease. But as I took my time to read over it again, I was struck by a sudden thought:
"Wait a second...surely this tenner challenge can't include food too?!"

Food can be a rather large expense for me. I like it - I enjoy sniffing it, cooking it, even looking at it occasionally and I especially enjoy eating it. Which is why I know that there is no way in heck that I would be able to survive on £10 for a week.
I eat a lot; if I go longer than 4 - 5 hours without eating, trouble starts to brew. My shiny demeanour starts to dull and fade, I get grouchy, I get grumpy. As my blood sugar drops, so does my mood and I turn into a furious harpy, intent on devouring the nearest edible thing.
It's really not pretty and I would advise keeping a distance of at least a mile (3.6km).

I once managed to survive on £9 for 5 days. I was incredibly proud of my thriftyness, though entirely focused on finally being able to restock that Saturday for the entire thing but then I completely and utterly blew it on the Friday night by eating out with friends and the portions were so offensively small, I ordered dessert too (sticky toffee pudding - oh, it was divine).
My handy dandy budget that I meticulously fill in every week helps me keep track of what I'm spending and where I've spent it. Which is how I've noticed that my food spending is going up and up and nearing the £40 per week mark.
A few years ago, I'd have spluttered in indignation at the very thought of spending £40 a week on food. What exactly has changed? Surely not my appetite (though with the cold we've been having lately, can you blame me? Obviously my body is craving more insulation.... ^_^)

Anyway, to cut this increasingly long ramble shorter than it could be, I've set myself the challenge of spending £20 per week on food in total for the entirety of February. All food is included! That includes eating out, food shopping and junk food.
Surely, £20 will be plenty?

4 weeks + ... a moment

2012-01-30T20:18:00.001Z

Last week Monday, there came a moment. I was approaching the 4 week mark for my sister twists. I removed some fluff from the roots. Somehow, despite regular and extremely valiant attempts at expelling all traces, there always seemed to be some near invisible smatter of fluff nestling in my hair.
Usually, by this point, I'm being driven mad by the simultaneous thoughts of having to keep my hair up and away for a single blasted second longer or having to deal with the inevitable torturous take down.

By this point, my roots were already incredibly fluffy and growing out, my parts as much a part of ancient history as the Romans and the ends have got more curls and knots in them than a ride at Alton Towers.

So early last week, did I feel the pangs of removal-itis?

Nope.

And today?

Nope again. This is my fifth week and I'm considering doing a full 6 weeks, simply because it's so convenient. I like the way it looks the more aged it gets. They haven't even considered unravelling in all that time (which shows how tangled my hair has the potential to be). I've converted a few into bigger twists but that's all the twiddling that's gone on up there.

Yeah, I know that eventually I'll have to take these twists down.

I'm also really aware that when I do finally get around to it, I'll suffer. Oh ho ho, how I'll suffer. However, for now, that's not my main concern.
I'm going to enjoy every second and get the most out of this two day twist install.

Thrifty Thursday: Hiding my purse

2012-01-26T20:48:00.005Z

It was Monday afternoon. My work day was barely on the brink of completion and I was hungry. My sweet treat partner in crime was also hungry. Unfortunately, there were no vending machines within a lazy girl's walking distance to speak off.

"I'll go t'shop," I volunteered and then spent the next thirty seconds wondering when I had turned into an extra from Emmerdale.

I searched thoroughly in my bag for my purse. As I dug deeper, the tiny cold feeling of dread in my heart hugely extended its reach.

I was pretty certain I had purposefully left my purse at home to stop this sort of behaviour. It usually manifested itself in the form of me lingering outside a corner shop, pretending I had a semblance of self control before persuading myself that it was okay - I only wanted one.

And then I would leave the shop, treasure enclosed tightly in my head, mouth already full of whatever flaky, crunchy delicious goodness I'd picked that day.

However, at the beginning of the week, I don't allow myself this luxury, especially knowing that I'm more likely to need this rush made up primary of simple sugars and pure endorphins later on in the week. I'm not against sweet treats. In fact, I enjoy them very much. But I'm not for me buying them on the regular when I can make something equally as satisfying in my own house for a far more economical price. Over the weeks, the price adds up and at the moment, I can't justify it.

So I make sure I leave my purse at home.

Even as I dig fruitlessly through my coat pockets cursing my practicality that morning, there was a part of me that was secretly impressed with myself. I hadn't budged an inch and left myself a security pound for emergency munchies like I normally would. All I managed to find was a less than useless 5p coin.

Despite how practical it was/is, I think I'll take some banana bread or some other home sweet treat in with me - those not-quite-hometime munchies were pure torture.

For Coily Headed Girls when the Tangles are Enough..

2012-01-23T10:36:00.001Z

Digging through the archives brought up this old post that was written around this time last year - and jeez it's a long one!
Sometimes, people end up getting REALLY fed up with their hair.

I can't lie - I know how it feels. At the beginning, I hadn't cracked what my hair needed at all and it was at a length where I couldn't get away with just washing and leaving it without suffering serious consequences soon after.

I remember waaaaaay back in the day when de-tangling took me three hours.

Three. Bloody. Hours.

Just to de tangle my hair.

And it was barely shoulder length.

Plus, I lost a buck load of hair.

I was so frustrated, I considered crying, because I was tired of my hair breaking and falling out and being dry and not really know what I was doing and simply being stuck in a stalemate with my hair. I mean, I'd already been through puberty once.

This second chance at adolescence through my hair was not appreciated.

When I worked out that the Denman brush I was using was the equivalent of constantly taking an axe to my hair and stopped using it, that stopped a lot of breakage. This was also a defining moment - it took me £11 ($18?) to realise that coily/curly haired people are not a monolith - if we are all truly unique, there is no one thing that magically works for everyone.

It's probable that here will be someone who hates it.

In this instance, it was me.

Then I put a satin scarf on my head, and hey, presto! Less moisture loss.

Maybe you're the one whose hair hates the gel that everyone on the forums and blogs seems to love, or that leave in conditioner everyone's got to have leaves your hair greasy or unfulfilled or is too inconsistent.

Maybe you don't understand why your hair keeps breaking or it's too much effort to do and you're beginning to actually hate your hair because you can't work with it anymore and it is simply driving you nuts that you're ____ years old and you don't know how to do your own hair.

I'm sure many people can relate to that reaching an impasse with your hair but, you know, relating can only take you so far. Sometimes, what you need is some grounded advice as to what you are supposed to actually do when it all gets a bit much.

Oh, and what do we have here?

Start planning what to do with your hair in advance. For me, this is a necessity since it takes products a while to get into and work their 'magic' on my hair. With my Christmas Meal Twist and Curl, I did a visual run through of my day to make sure it was possible.
I still ended up taking my flex-rods out, taking pictures of my hair and applying lip balm, all whilst trying to drag on a pair on tights in the two minutes before the bus left, but since I wasn't doing this on the actual bus, I'll count it as a win for me
Invest in hats and beanies and head scarves and other accessories. They can literally be life savers if something goes wrong. That means if you're not feeling the way your hair is, putting in a decorative hair pin can take attention away from that weird spot that didn't curl right; you can tie on a scarf and switch it up the style into a puff; or throw on a hat, do something interesting with your bangs and cover the rest up. I find that charity shops and thrift stores can sell the most gorgeous scarves, from prices ranging from 49p up to £4, so it's always worth having a bit of a nosey in.
Put it into a protective style and just leave it. I can leave my twists in for around 3 to 4 weeks After 3 weeks, I'm itching to take them out and start harassing my hair again. If you get bored of having your hair look the same, and to prevent you taking them out, you can take a look at Newly Naturals 101 Twisted Styles. At the moment, they aren't yet 101 styles, but it's definitely a start! You can even use kinky twists or extensions or braids or weaves in your hair - it doesn't make you a 'natural hair traitor' or a 'natural on the DL' - you're just taking care of your hair.
Read other people's blogs and the comments. You'll get different perspective, new ideas, and encouragement from other people who. You may even find yourself encouraging other people.
If you keep a record for yourself, such as photos on your phone, it means you have inspiration at your fingertips when you don't have time or access to the internet to check out your favourite blogger
Also, you can find out vital information, like if your favourite blogger is unwell (which is why the new comments on a certain post trying to enter a give away that said it would finish 3 weeks ago seriously narks me off!)
Decide if it'll be easier for you longer or shorter. Some people instinctively say 'longer' because they want longer hair that goes all the way down their ankles and they can use to show off to all the haters and shake their hair like they're Rapunzel and even Chaka Khan will be jealous.
But if you cannot be assed to put in the work to get there, you'll find it difficult reach that length and you'll be stuck in the same rut of frustration - of rough handling, due to lack of patience, continual breakage and no length retention.
One of my favouritest British bloggers, natural belle, wears her hair in a TWA and every time I see her, I have to fight myself not to get the clippers. In one of her videos, she says it's because it's convenient and easy for her. When she wants long hair, she simply clips in a wig (which fooled many into believing she'd had a ridiculously huge growth spurt).
Make hair time fun for yourself - so that you want to do your hair, rather than needing to. One thing I've learnt from reading Happy Hair Girl and Beads Braids Beyond is how the mums make the effort to amuse their children while their doing their hair, so they don't think it's a horrible, terrible chore and start to hate the hair they've been blessed with. So, I do the same with me. While I'm putting stuff in my hair, I'll catch up with my online Naruto manga and my Bleach anime, or the latest episode of my latest K-drama obsession (Secret Garden!). If I've got a (non drippy) deep conditioner in and it's going to be a while, I do some school work, or file my nails and make it a spa morning, or I put on a shower cap, then a hat and go out shopping or to the cinema or to hang out for a while. I always look forward to doing my hair, because there's so much to try, style wise and I get excited about watching my shows and having time to myself.
Trying to do small twists in a dark room by yourself with nothing to entertain you is probably one of the tasks in Dante's ninth circle.
If the spirit moves you, try locs. I don't know much about them, but I suspect detangling isn't really an issue. Plus, if you get fed up with them, you can take them down instead of just cutting them off.
Be Patient. Do you. And do your hair as well.
Hmm. That sounded a lot more deep in my head.
But I mean, I used to treat my hair like it belonged to someone else, pulling and tugging like that girl in the video I saw. I am very strong for someone that hates the gym so.
I also have very fine hair. This equalled breakage.
Or I got mad because I didn't like the way my bantu knots turned out but someone else looked awesome in them.
Ah well. I don't do bantu knot outs now because I don't think they suit me and I'm a helluva lot more careful with my hair than before. And there's less breakage now.
Throw out the rule book. You know the ones: No silicones, no mineral oils; that shea butter and love is all you need for length retention, protective styles most of the time, moisturising every single day etc etc.
I like to think of them more as 'guidelines'. If something is working for your hair and you like it, don't let anybody tell you differently.
I don't use silicones and mineral oils on my hair because they don't work for me.
But for this same reason, I don't use pure shea butter on my hair.
And if something blatantly isn't working...well. The words 'flogging' 'dead' and 'horse' come to mind. Don't be afraid to experiment - if wet de tangling isn't working for you, try it damp or dry (with conditioner in of course!) If taking down twists after 4 weeks means you're ripping out your hair, try braids or wearing out styles.
Variety is the spice of life! [/cheesy cliché moment]
Be flexible. Hopefully, you are planning your hair around your life and not vice versa. When other areas of your life are getting a bit hectic and stressful, the last thing you want to do is worry about your hair. When I was little and this TV show was talking about pathetic excuses people made for not going on dates or hanging out with their friends, and the one they presented as the silliest was "Oh, sorry, I'm washing my hair."
At the age of 8, I remember thinking "Who washes their hair that often!?"
At the age of 18, I felt that actually, with the amount of time it takes to wash my hair, and do all that came after, this was a decent and extremely relevant excuse and EVERYONE SHOULD RE-ARRANGE THEIR SOCIAL LIVES SO THAT I CAN DO MY HAIR.
Nowadays, I'd just wash my hair another day. Or think of a far better excuse (things involving flatulence is surprisingly effective and also prevents further questioning).

So for example, a potential 'hair plan' might look like:
I could de-tangle Friday night, put my hair in fat twists for the night.
Then I could put in a deep conditioner on the twists, shower cap, satin scarf under a hat while I go food shopping on Saturday.
Take twists out, pull hair back into a ponytail for church on Sunday morning, then wear a headband for netball. Rinse scalp after netball. Put twists in Sunday afternoon whilst reading some seminar work and leave it in for two weeks, because term is getting busy, and I don't have time to do my hair.
Deep condition weekly
Then, take them out, wear a twists out in a puff for two days with an interesting headband or flower.
Woke up later than planned, so rough French braid hair on Wednesday morning and then tie on a scarf.
A different scarf in a different position on Thursday.
Then Friday, take the braids out and wear them to the side or something or pin them in an interesting manner that I saw on a blog I read.

This type of 'plan' takes me about ten minutes to do, while watching my rice boil on a Thursday. I just run through stuff I have to do in my head through the week, thinking, 'Oh, I can fit a DC (deep condition) in there!' or, I won't have time to do anything that day, just puff it, and then on the day, I want to do something interesting with my fringe, so I roll it under or something. I now very rarely get bored with my hair now. However, sometimes - okay, a lot of the time - the plan completely and utter goes to pot.
And that's this ttidbit is for:

11. Minimise. Because sometimes you get busy and you have stuff to do and the last thing you want to worry about is your hair. So rather than preserving and treating and having a massive pamper session, you will be managing and dealing and trying to minimise the inevitable damage. And that's okay. I can't help with the minimising of the guilt though. I suppose that's what ice cream and sweet treats are for.

I Would Quite Like Some Boots Made For Walking...

2012-01-20T21:16:00.000Z

I'm thrifty. Indubitably so. It's one of my many many charms.

For me, thrifty is not the same as being cheap. Being thrifty is about spending less - and sometimes that means spending more but less often, as opposed to spending less more often.

The one category I have difficulty upholding this principle is with shoes. It's not that I'm one of those people whose nose is constantly clued to some shop window, as they foam frantically at the mouth, wildly screaming "SHOES!!!"
It's just I'm taller than the average woman in the UK (who is somewhere around 5' 4") and my feet aren't short either.

What I wanted were affordable, comfortable shoes I could walk in that would last.

What I found were that

1) Almost all of my options were only available via on the internet (which meant having to pay for postage, eurk)
2) They were affordable...but they did not last for very long.

The year 2011 saw me go through the most pairs of shoes in a year, ever in my life.

There were the boots...and the ballet flats...and the trainers...

And even my sensible Susie school shoes looked like they were giving up the ghost after only 2 weeks.

Hank Green disproves of my shoes' lame 2 week existence.

At first, I did think it was just me but as if that wasn't bad enough, one company I use went into administration a couple of days after I made yet another order and cancelled my order.

I'm still waiting for my money back and it's been a month. I've been trying to contact the company but that just = head + brick wall.

(They don't even have a phone number on their website - what's up with that?! And why didn't I notice that before entrusting them with my money?!)

I usually buy all my footwear when it's on sale, so it's even cheaper than normal. I've never paid more than £40 for a pair of shoes. The thought of paying over a £100 for a pair of boots makes me

Well, it used to. But after reading this post on Fabulously Broke, and the demise of so many shoes in such a short period of time, I started to consider the idea more. I mean, I thought I was buying quality - just at a reduced price. I bought a pair of wedge sandals once for $7 and they lasted me 3 years. So how can one tell quality? Is it simply by brand name alone? I hate the idea of dropping a (small) bomb on a pair of shoes, just for them to fail immensely. I need them to fit. I need them to last. And most difficult of all, I need to actually like them (I'm incredibly fussy).

I declare a new resolution: No more cheap quality shoes for me!

Let's just hope my current pairs last me until I can afford some decent ones...

If you are a girl/woman/lady with feet that isn't catered for in the usual places, I've found that this site is a veritable treasure trove of links and information.

I Can't Wear Curls

2012-01-16T18:06:00.004Z

Seriously. I have a massive lack of imagination when it comes to wearing my hair in a curly state. Whether it's a twist out, braid out, curlformer set or a bantu knot out, the process goes something like this:

1. I put a lot of effort into the set, applying product, carefully parting and separating etcetera etcera.

2. I leave it in to dry overnight.

3. I take it out in the morning and immediately hate it.

4. I pin it up in my signature 'style', which basically involves rolling or pinning under the top half of my hair and leaving the bottom bit out. Maybe add an accessory.

The evidence:

16th December

17th October

22nd October

20th November

23rd December

Well, you know, you get the point.

Either way, I'm feeling more than a little stuck in a rut when it comes to wearing my hair in a curly state. I think it's because my sides are still that much shorter than the rest of my hair.

Obviously Mission Death-To-The-Mullet-Sides cannot come quickly enough...

Not my Giveaway

2012-01-09T22:00:00.000Z

But it is one especially for British Curlies!

Head over here to take a quick peek at the offerings....

Split Decision

2012-01-09T10:00:00.000Z

Over the last couple of months, it would seem I've been plagued with more split ends and knots and tangles than I can remember. Frustration has caused me to snip them out, if I'm being good, or to simply pull them off (if I'm being bad).

When my hair suffered from breakage, I sorted myself out and now I don't notice my breakage as much. So I've got to do the same for the splits on my hair - deal with them or get over them.

I'm dealing with them, but in two ways only, because I'm too ~~lazy~~ busy to do any more than that.

1. Moisturise more heavily: It's winter. Between the radiators, the wind, the cold, the rain, hail, snow and the hats, my hair has been getting thirstier a lot more and I've been doing absolutely nothing to combat it. And obviously, my ends, as the oldest and most fragile parts of my hair, are taking the biggest hits. So this means I either need to moisturise mroe often (bleurgh)or use heavier products (more likely). I visited the Wonder Thing's family just before Christmas and forgot my safety pins, and was too lazy to find any, so the scarf fell off a lot during the night. After the second night, I gave up trying, and just wet my hair and left my rinse in conditioner (Tresemmé Naturals) in with some shea butter mix, as though this was going to combat any problems I would inevitably run into. Usually I'm quite leery of leaving in conditioners that are designed to be rinsed out but my beloved Giovanni is just not cutting it this winter.

It really helped deal with the dryness I'd felt was creeping up, all the way until I washed my hair. Bonus!

2. Ditch the shampoo - especially the sulphates: I incorporated it back into my routine last year, and thought that I'd found a shampoo I loved in the form of Lush's Trichomania, despite the fact that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, is the first ingredient. However, I think I've found an alternative cleanser that I'm even happier with. So sulphate shampoo is going to have to take a hike, at least until one of the major 'S' activities get reincorporated into my life in a major way: Sports, Summer, Swimming, Sweating.

Hopefully, I'll see some promising results soon!

Twisted on a miniature level

2012-01-02T08:36:00.002Z

I reckon it was subliminal messaging. What with all the miniature food over the holidays, and people talking about protecting their interests, their skin....

Well, I started on Tuesday afternoon and finished on Thursday afternoon. That's only 2 days.

Even less when you consider that it was a process interspersed with assignments and post-Christmas cleaning up of the mess my lovely siblings made for me. My hair had been conditioned earlier that day (with a pinch of salt - don't ask) and then I separated it into 6 different sections, to make it easier for me to work through the entirety of my head in a methodical manner that wouldn't drive me nuts.

I used some de tangling spray to go through my hair, make sure it stayed de tangled and slightly damp and added some shea butter mix to make sure they would stay properly.

I'm hoping it will last me at least 4 weeks. Look, I even kind of parted them!

I've let the ends get wet in the shower, but for some reason some of the finer strands aren't curling properly...

On the left side, the twists are distinctly the others - in some cases, three times as fat - because the Littlest Sis helped me out. Initially, I wasn't going to let her because...well, I'm still not quite cool with people touching my hair. Especially my crown area.

There was a bit of yanking for 3.5 seconds and then I quickly worked out that hey, how about I finger de tangle the sections she wants to work on first, to make life easier for both of us?
It made things go much smoother and she was bemused at how easy it was for me to handle my hair.

Well, you know....that's what it's aaaaall about *smug face*

Things I learnt in 2011

2011-12-31T23:59:00.002Z

1. Every time I read a (food) recipe that calls for coconut or grapeseed oil, I seethe internally, because I could be using that as a moisturiser instead.

2. Using my fingers to detangle my hair is frugal, efficient and less stress on my head.

3. 'Prison' can be a subjective term.

4. I can watch almost any programme as long as it is about food. Especially cakes. Especially the Great British Bake-Off.

5. Taking five hours to do a recap for just one episode of a television show is not an efficient use of time.

6. Sticky tape will rip the nail polish of your freshly done (home) manicure right off.

7. Sulfates are not the devil. And there's a reason I buy samples before committing to the full product.

8. If you don't remove the metal buckle from your skirt before putting it in the washing machine, you will have to listen to it clatter impishly against the door until the blasted cycle is finished.

9. It's not easy being pescetarian. But it's not too hard either.

10. The snip happy stylist is not a myth. But complaining about snip happy stylists whilst being snip happy yourself is kind of hypocritical...

Sayonara 2011! I'm looking forward to what 2012 has to offer. I hope each and every single one of you reading this has a blessed 2012, full of joy, peace, love and care!

Last Length Check of 2011

2011-12-30T13:00:00.023Z

To be honest, I didn't think much had happened with my hair (I think that's the problem with interim length checks). I've been dealing with a lot of split ends, which has meant a lot of snipping out, and pulling out (don't ask, it's a really horrible habit I have). But my family were convinced that my hair was longer than it had been before, at some undefined point in the past.

Mum: You know, I never thought you'd get this far with your hair you know!
The Rebel Sis: Although I know you never would, if you did relax your hair, it would be quite long actually if you did.
Mum: She can't relax her hair. She's the reason all of us have given it up! If she relaxes her hair now, she'll have to deal with all of us!

Whoo! Inspiring to the very end! Though it's probably because I wear my hair stretched a lot more now, so they can see the length, rather than any real action on my part.

Last year I was here:

and here

And one year, various cuts, trims and chops later, I'm here...

and here.

Honestly, I can't see much difference from August's update! >.< I've had a lot of breakage, and gung ho chopping due to split ends so the lack of length retention isn't surprising.

I think I'll have to restrict my scissor activity this year...or increase it? Maybe the difference is that I'm actually dealing with the split ends now and noticing them, whereas before I was blissfully ignorant of the state my hair was in.

Let's not end on such a nebulous note though - let's look at my fringe (bangs). Around this time last year, it was a bright brassy blonde, dry and breaking off. This year, I think I've grown out the worst dyed bits. All I have left is the colour that was put on top of my undyed hair.

Now they're nearly too long to be called a valid fringe, since they nestle right between my nose and lip.

This year Arm Pit Length (APL)/Shoulder Length (SL). Who knows, I may actually hit Bra Strap Length (BSL)/ Collar Bone Length (CBL) next year (yeah right!).
Next Length Check: December 2012

Four Months, where did the money go?

2011-12-28T14:21:00.000Z

Since everyone is taking a look at what they want to change and what they want to improve and leave behind when the bells of the New Year toll, I decided to assess the financial damage I'd done in 4 months. As a student, I keep tabs on my money. I've got to. It's the way I roll.
Therefore as a student with mild control issues, I keep a budget, so I know what I've ~~wasted~~ spent my money on. Wanna see? Here's a slice:

This is the condensed version. When it's green, it's good, but when it's red, it's ridiculous. A lot of the budget amounts are things left over from my incredibly strict undergraduate days, so it needs tweaking to be more realistic.

Notes

My other house mate has yet to give me her portion of the Internet money.
I spent money on clothes for netball - netball kit and er.. other necessary supports.
The annoying thing about my bus travel is that I still didn't spend enough to warrant a bus pass. If I had shopped less, I'd have walked more, I'm sure...
When I constructed this budget, I totally didn't take into account the fact that I might need to take the train for my placement. So if I don't want that amount to be true, I should probably claim the money back...
I had to get the sewing machine fixed. And that was not cheap. Neither was the excess amount of material I now have in my house.
Toiletries? Eh, I got no excuse. Come on, have you seen what I'm like?!
I'm actually quite proud of the Christmas amount. I calculated nine people I was buying presents for, and tried to keep it down to £10 each. I managed this for the siblings, failed massively when it came to my mum and didn't even bother when it came to the Wonder Thing. I put my hands up - I failed there. But it's a failure that only comes once a year and it's laced with mince pies to dull the pain.
Having to buy new stuff for this new academic year, including printer ink, meant my stationary costs shot up.

But on a more positive financial note - I finally set up my ISA! Yay! My grand plan is finally in action!

Whoo-hoo! So far all I've contributed to it is £100 of my own, and £600 of my overdraft. It's okay since I'm a student, I don't get charged for going into my And I do plan on giving it back, after I collect the interest on it, so it's all good.
Definitely something I should be keeping an eye on in the New Year....

Curls for Christmas?

2011-12-26T12:00:00.000Z

So, to avoid the inevitable question of "What are you going to do with your hair?" I decided to take preventative measures.

After some conditioning, I put my hair into Curlformers.

Now there was a distinctive difference from last time I used these. Last time, I used Giovanni Direct Leave-In conditioner, oil and flaxseed gel on damp hair.
This time, I used Tresemmé Naturals as a heavier leave in, as well as the oil and flaxseed and a bit of shea butter on damp hair.

You know what? The curls came out incredibly soft.

In fact, they were too soft. Even after being left in overnight, I had to leave half of the Curlformers in for a further half a day, because they hadn't held the curl.

And even after that, I still had to add some more flaxseed gel and leave the curlformers in for a bit longer.
Since they were a bit lower down, the curls were a bit more stretched than the others, so I was slightly lopsided. It's fine, I just bent my knee a little to balance it all out.

When I eventually took them out, the curls were fluffy and undefined and slowly shrunk up through the day.

Ah well. It was fun while it lasted.

Children's Christmas

2011-12-23T14:20:00.000Z

I hope everyone reading this has a lovely, Merry Christmas and happy holiday time.

I'll just leave you with this sweet interpretation of Christmas while you enjoy your festive time.

Duh Moment: Simple Satin Solution

2011-12-16T11:13:00.001Z

I'm a rough sleeper. Please believe that when I say rough, I mean wraps-herself-up-in-her-duvet-sandwich-style-and-tosses-and-turns-and-slides-up-and-down-the-bed-while-waving-her-arms-like-she-just-doesn't-care-in-a-single-bed rough.

I think it's fair to say I probably expend more physical energy whilst unconscious than when I am awake.

Due to this, the slinky satin scarf I loving tie onto my head before I go to sleep doesn't stay on for very long, even if I put some head bands on. Tying the headbands on any tighter would undoubtedly block the oxygen to my poor, strained cerebrum and I simply couldn't risk it.

However, neither am I willing to once again deal with the breakage that comes from not wearing an appropriate scarf to bed at night [I've already got some from last weekend, when I forgot my scarf in the pursuit of sewing based glory].

Suffering succotash! Surely a solution should be possible

Safety pins to the rescue!

Simply take a safety pin...

and use it to secure a corner of your scarf to your pillowcase.

Repeat 3 more times for sublime success.

Thus it's settled - No longer is it necessary to stress about surrendering my scarf whilst submersed in the state of sleep.

You can secure the scarf with more safety pins if you so please - I just used four because that's all I could find.

Having been a more regular visitor to my local fabric shop meant I realised that they have a scrap box and occasionally, there is some polyester satin scraps available for the bargain price of about 20p a piece. If a shop near you does a similar thing if you find a big enough piece, you could use on of those as well and save the scarf for wearing under your beanie hats!

However, this comes with a few caveats - obviously I wouldn't really try this with the pillow case of a small child, in fear of the small possibility that they dislodge one and end up pricking themselves during the night.

If you do it for yourself, you have to check it at semi-regular intervals to make sure that the safety pins are still in position too.

To run or not to run?

2011-12-05T11:33:00.004Z

Warning - the following post is link heavy, because I didn't want to load the post down with seemingly irrelevant links. Well, I think they're relevant, but it's all subjective :)

A mistake was made and now the ball is speeding back through the air towards you.

Towards the area you're guarding.

You're tired but t's not about you right now though - it's about your team, who have been working seamlessly together like some living, feeling, panting, screaming organism for the last 45 minutes; about the girls who can't come into your space, praying that you do your job properly so that they can do theirs.

Your feet are like lead and seem to be stuck to the ground but somehow you'e got to make them move and you've got to do it really fast.

But the world seems to have slowed down to an unbearable pace and you're not sure you'll be fast enough.

Your player has disappeared from your peripheral and something tells you that she's looming directly behind you, waiting for the chance to spring out and sprint. To the left or the right? You don't know - gotta stay on your toes.

What's the score? Don't know, can't see through the sweat and to be honest, it doesn't matter because your moment is coming, and your chest is starting to tighten painfully, right now, of all times, such a bother! What's gone before doesn't really matter now - it's a new moment, a new chance, a new opportunity to prove your worth.

Left, she's gone left, your weaker side, but no matter, your reflexes have already taken over and you're not quite sure if you're sprinting of flying and as you leap - into the void? Into glory? - you experience the thrill of the speed of the ball on your finger tips...

Well, netball feels that intense for me any ways. To be honest, I love playing sports in general but netball is a sport I can actually compete in.

But lord, does it require a lot of stamina. And that leads me onto the topic of this post - Should I take up running or not?

Don't get me wrong, I love being active and I adore sprinting - just going full pelt, as fast as I can for a short amount of time. But I'm not sure about the actual act of running/jogging.
I've read people's experiences, about the bad memories they have with running, how they used to hate running but now they can't be without it or various answers to any excuses one may have; I love the blogs and the motivational speak that goes along with encouraging people to keep running.
Despite all that. Despite knowing all the health benefits and positives and good things about running and/or jogging, I still kinda feel like this:

And thus, as I do in every moral quandry I experience, I wrote a sort of brain ramble.

I hate running.

Well, I don't think I hate running, but I don't know if I'd be passionate and motivated enough to keep it up.

Then again, my main motivation is that it would build up my stamina, making me a netballing BEAST!

But a lot of the girls on the netball team who run are really slim and I really don't want to lose weight or change my physique in any way. I don't want abs, I don't want to be slimmer, I just want to do a Kanye and get better, faster, stronger. Plus, is running going to be able to help me do leg splits as easily as Jordan Casanova?

But it's free!

Well, almost. It can actually be quite expensive. You need to get trainers for one and those set you back at least £40 on sale. And I can't run if I don't have music, and putting your mp3 player in your pocket or down your bra is not a good enough way to keep it secure and maintain momentum. And if you want to go running in the winter, you need thermals, or to join a gym. Both of which cost moola.

But I would be able to go running with The Wonder Thing and that is (nearly) enough to get me strapping on some trainers right now.

Except he used to be in the top 1 percentile for his age range for long distance running and that's incredibly off putting for a novice like me. I can't even run a mile and for him 3 miles is just a little bit of a warm up or something stupid. Also, I know he has a fondness for hills. Um. No thank you.

Running with someone else would be a great way of motivating two people, getting some comraderie and bonding with another human being (I may have some problems with that).

I know that running is safer with a partner, but I don't know anyone at my (non) level who'd be willing to do it. I've tried it with someone fitter than me - the Little Bro. To say he left me behind in his dirt is an understatement. I felt like the Fenton dog guy must've felt.

I want the endorphin rush that people always talk about getting after a great run. Heck, I just want to be able to say "a great run" without being incredibly sarcastic.

On the other hand, I'm not a complete couch potato (despite what my television habits may imply) - I dance and I do yoga occasionally.

However, I'll be honest, I need a proper timetable or class to go to in order to remember to do them consistently and to up my game instead of doing the same old same old. Running, I could do anywhere and it's easy to challenge yourself - adding hills, carving out new routes, trying to beat your personal best time.

But I've also got to consider my fear of injury -I got shin splints once after not warming up before a netball match and apparently they come with the running territory for some people. Uh. No thanks.

Then again, with the proper precautions, injury can easily be avoided.

If I run, I'll have to do it early in the morning (at least at first - to get over the idea people are staring at me). Which is fantastic in the summer. But just plain ridiculous in the winter.

Oh, I don't know. At least this post looks seasonal!

Hysteria over the 'n' word - aided by the cheezburger cats

2011-11-14T15:25:00.000Z

It's a fact that some words should just never be mentioned in polite company.

I was just innocently sitting down in the staff room, minding my own business and desperately clutching a(nother) cup of peppermint tea, as though this single action alone would blast my cold away and grant me again the ability to breathe with relative ease.

Since I'm sitting here now, still highly bunged up, I can confirm that my hopes were sadly disproved.

Ahem. Anyway. There I am, bunged up, hot mug in head, pondering whether the ginger in ginger cake was still good for colds when she said it.

I shot my head up in surprise, aghast.

"Pardon?" I asked. I felt my skin prickle coldly in anticipation of hearing the word again, in contrast to the relative warmth of the room. My whole body was suddenly on high alert. My ears tingled dangerously in disbelieve, and I'm sure I could hear the neurons firing off in my brain informing me that yes, I had heard her right. I could feel the fight or flight reflex building up within me, challenging me to stay put or grab my shoes and sprint for safety in a way that'd make Atalanta proud (no golden apple).

She repeated it again.

You know.

The 'n' word.

This word has an international history. Once uttered, it's almost compulsory to do a little subtle shuffle that takes you away from the person who said it.

I have no doubt that word has driven people to tears, a deep reflection of themselves and in some cases, baldness.

That's the power of it for you.

It's a word that is able to strike fear into most ordinary folk, let alone me of all people.

Nits.

Argh, I can't even write the word without a shiver of horror shooting up and down my spine!

"Nits," she said, "one of the kids has got it. I saw them scratch their head, lift up their hair and there was about 2 inches worth of nits eggs."

I looked at her like this:

WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

I mean COME ON. It was lunchtime! There was no need for that kind of talk around food. With my snotty self in the corner, the disgusting quota was already filled - there was no need to fuel that fire.

I spent the rest of the day furiously itching in paranoia. I could've screamed.

I spent the rest of the week gingerly inspecting the heads of children from a distance.

I was up in arms at the very idea of catching nits and took to examining my roots every night.

Getting rid of nits is so time-consuming, with the constant washing and the constant combing and the conditioning and the constant combing and the scratching and the itching and the combing!
When I told the Faerie, she spent (what felt like) the next half hour laughing at the very idea, but she's a bad person.

Whatever. I decided that my hair was going to need some serious protection. But that's a topic for another post..

Nathan vs Rudy: The Defense for the Split Psycho

2011-11-07T20:07:00.001Z

You may have guessed by now that I'm a little bit of a TV addict. I love shows like K-drama, Glee (loved?) and Misfits!

Misfits is a British science-fiction-comedy (bear with me) that I kind of adore.

I'll admit that when I first saw the trailers and the Littlest Sis' addiction to this show, I was not impressed. The characters swore, did the dirty in the dirtiest way and simply didn't fascinating at all.

And then I actually watched the show.

3 seasons later, I'm still completely and totally hooked on this delicious and weird mix of Heroes meets better meets any teenage soap opera you can think of.

I may be exaggerating a lot.

For all major and minor fans, the advent of Season 3 brought a massive shock - the exit of Nathan, played by Robert Sheehan.

Aw, they were so cute together!
source

Anyway. The reception of this news ~~horrified~~ upset quite a few of my family who were ~~in love~~ ~~obsessed with~~ mild, sane fans of Robert Sheehan, and they immediately wrote off the entire series and the new character Rudy as a poor man's Nathan.

Seriously? Just because of one character's (voluntary) exit?

Let me try and persuade you why you should give this Season a chance [Spoilers abound, as I wish to speak freely].

1. Hello? Everyone else is still there!: Now that people have stopped focusing so much on Nathan and his atrociousness, it gives the other characters a chance to shine and have some time in the limelight. Come ON. How can you write off a character like Kelly? She's an [expletive] rocket scientist! Curtis is still mopey as anything, but the writers are having a lot of fun upsetting his constant seriousness. Also, though I am team Alimon/Silisha for as long as she treats him right, that dynamic is just waiting to explode.
Who doesn't want to see when that eventually happen?
It's going to be MASSIVE.
And people's lives will probably be risked, so there's extra tension.

2. Rudy is not a poor man's Nathan: Look. Nathan was nice. But he was a psycho. I'm not even going to mention some of the various things he did, because if you know Nathan then you already know. He was a total sociopath with whose main emotional weak spot was caring about his own interests [hence the immortality methinks]. He was funny, but you didn't want to be in the same room as him...ooh, that sort of thing could give you nightmares! Be honest - if he hadn't had that distracting mop of hair and an Irish accent, you'd have hated him. If Nathan had been Brummie, nobody would've liked him.
Rudy on the other hand, is also kind of crazy, but seeing his inner id makes him human. He has insecurities, and he's tortured and his actions actually have a very real effect on him. He's like Nathan, but more unpredictable because he is not simply a hurtling cannonball heading for utter destruction and rabbit poop [you know what I mean, guys *knowing look*] - he veers off at random emotional intervals.

3. As of yet, Rudy has no ties: One of the most interesting things about Misfits is the character development. Simon, the quiet, cutely creepy arsonist turned building leaping hero; Kelly, initially viewed as the indelicate chav turns out to be the heart of the entire operation; Alisha, seeming only to depend on her physicality now having to express and explore her emotions on a deeper level and with someone who she is certain cares deeply for her as a person. I want to see his journey! I want to see who Rudy develops deep friendships, or affixes his affections to.
I'm nosey, okay?

4. Also, how sweet is Rudy's inner self/id/double/projected consciousness?
I love how Rudy has conversations with himself. I can't get over how talented an actor Joe Gilgun is. I think a part of my head simply thinks he has a twin and each twin plays the separate Rudy entities. But it's one person. And sometimes that blows me away.
And sometimes it just really makes me laugh.

A day later....

Bad Rudy.

5. Because I need people to discuss this with: Completely self-explanatory, really. I've had so many great shows cancelled on me without a proper resolution that I might just give up watching television if this series goes down the pan too.

Then I shall actually have to get a life and nobody really wants that to happen at all, do they?

I made a dress: To Infinity and Beyond!

2011-10-31T17:21:00.000Z

This dress and I have a long history, so you may want to pull up a chair.
If you're a seamstress or a sewist, you may want to stop now, because some of these pictures may be akin to watching a car crash/horror movie.

Just saying.

I first saw this dress in a hair forum - someone had posted up a thread saying 'I made a dress!' and, intrigued, I clicked my way in. I was stunned. She had done it in a stunning shade of bright yellow and hand sewn it. The others declared her crazy and I had to say, I completely agreed with them, though my skepticism was allayed when she pointed out that there was only one seam.

Plus, it was convertible, so you could switch it up and change it to a halter neck, to a dress with sleeves, or with one shoulder and twist and stretch to your heart's content. It's commonly known as the convertible and/or infinity dress.

This is the exact dress that inspired me - Isn't it gorgeous?

source

Only one seam? 1000 styling options? Truly, this dress was made for me, the very epitome of the term 'absolute beginner' and had no clue about how to make clothes, but was quite fond of wearing them for their heat trapping properties? And if I got this right, I'd never need to shop for clothes again, an activity I find truly ghastly and horrendous.
Hence my limited wardrobe and utter disinterest in fashion.
The one thing that got me fired up about this dress was that it's simplicity meant that mistakes would be easily forgiven and swallowed up by the effect of the dress.

This was about....4 years ago? Yeah, I know. But when I get stuck on something, I generally tend to get obsessed with it until I actually do it.
The impeding arrival of the Wonder Thing's sister's wedding gave me a brilliant reason/excuse to try and make the dress.

2 weekends to make an entire dress, when I've never even cut out a scrap of cloth before?

It's been the reason I've been so distracted from here, because my usual blogging time was taken up plotting on how to effectively make this dress.

I used four tutorials:
a) This is the original one from 4 years ago
b) This one was the main one I followed and it references a) and c) quite a bit.
c). This was my supplementary one for when things got a bit difficult, but her directions are slightly different, which caused even more difficulty when sewing on the blimming waistband.
d) This is the youtube video I used for when the waistband was too tough.

The original directions call for a stretchy material, which wasn't too hard to find. What was difficult was finding one in a colour that ~~didn't make me want to throw up~~ I liked. I don't wear prints or bold patterns very often because I don't think they suit me, and I definitely didn't want the sheer options so I wanted a plain material. But since I was planning on doing some serious dancing in this dress, I needed something my skin could breathe in. So I chose a cotton lycra blend off a seller off ebay. That basically gave me an option of two colours, and there wasn't enough of the purple I wanted, so I went with the blue.
Ah! I love choosing things by process of elimination!
Despite the macabre state of my finances, I sprung for 7 metres of fabric, on the basis it's better to be swathed than sorry. One thing I would definitely advise before buying any fabric at all is working out how much fabric you'll need, especially if like me you're not buying when it's on a discount.
You'll save money, time and storage space.

See here for a visual depiction and a mish mash of measurements:

Ridiculously not to scale

And nope that area to the right isn't just artistic license. That's how much fabric I had left over.

All 4 metres of it.

I don't have enough space in my room to house 4 metres of fabric appropriately!

The first thing I had to do before actually cutting out any material was to cut out the pattern for my circle skirt.

I stuck together two free yearly calenders I got, but to make up the extra bit, I went for a bit of newspaper.
This was a mistake. Newspaper is RUBBISH at being pattern paper - when I tried to pin it to the material, it kept tearing, which made my cutting even more haphazard, and that was one area I actually really didn't need any help in!

I also didn't pre-shrink my fabric before I stitched it and I forgot to cut the selvedge off the fabric before I measured and cut it, so one side was slightly shorter than it should've been. Whoops, my bad! Washing the dress should be an interesting experience.

I spent about half an hour practising machine sewing [for the first time ever in my life] on a scrap piece of fabric...

And after seeing that terrible, terrible example of sewing, I decided, ah, what the heck! Let's just go for it.

I pinned both sides of the skirt together, and then sewed up each seam. If you're on the petite side, you may be able to cut your skirt out of one piece. Since I am not, I could not and had to do two semi circles and then sew them together.

After I completed my first ever circle skirt, I proceeded to regal the Wonder Thing over the phone about my creative sewing genius, in detail, whilst swishing about the house wearing it. I don't think he was convinced.

Never mind I hadn't pinned the blasted thing properly, so there was a gap on one side, which the darling Wonder Thing helped me sew up during the wedding service.

And I managed to split the seam on the other side trying to get the dress on (I hid it with the straps though!)

I proceeded to cut out the waistband and straps...

And then left it.

Because the instructions regarding sewing the waistband and straps on are extremely difficult to understand and that was enough reason for my procrastination.

When I did eventually get around to doing it, I did it terribly, terribly wrong and tried to enclose the circle skirt within the waistband like the filling within a sandwich, but using a tortilla wrap instead of two pieces of bread.

And then I sewed the straps on behind the waistband, over the stitches keeping the waistband and skirt together, at which point the bobbin had a small seizure (mainly because it didn't like me though).

A lot of tutorials keep saying you need at least 4-5 inches of overlap. However, for me, because of the size of my waist and other measurements, I thought that in order to fit the straps on the waistband in an adequate position for me to be able to use them, the straps were near enough on top of each other and there was only a few inches left over on the side that weren't overlapped. Which I think limited my styling options a little, because the straps constantly looked like one strap. In foresight, I'll probably rip the seams out of the straps and do them again.

My darling creation was like Frankenstein wearing make up - pretty from a distance and then slightly disturbingly if you were too close.

But you know what? I am really enjoying my Frankenstein dress. I adore the way the skirt moves and lifts gently when the wind blows without causing an embarrassing situation involving my derrière.
I appreciate the way it covered me entirely if I so desire and how surprised people were at how well it had come together.
The way the colour pops against my skin and in photos makes me bubble with mirth and, dare I say it, smugness. If I was a far better photographer, I'd probably have taken pictures of me dreamily swanning and swishing about in an idyllic field in it.
I'm incredibly proud of the fact that I made it myself and because of this, I'm not afraid to muck with it and deconstruct it all over again if I have to. Through making this dress, I've discovered another form of creating that I love (though I now despise tangly bobbins with a passion).

I'm definitely going to make one in a yellow sometime soon.

In summary:

1. If you're reading more than one tutorial while you make it, make sure you read the instructions clearly and are sure of where they don't match up, so you don't end up with a Frankenstein piece.

2. Work out how much fabric you'll need. Just sketch it out roughly and make sure the maths adds up.

3. Sewing the waistband and straps on may actually drive you mad. Just be aware of where you're sewing the straps on and how it will work when the dress is completed.

4. If you're going to wear the dress to an event where you won't have internet access, you may want to practise before the event, especially since it takes a few moments to get used to wielding the straps. Stress and creativity are not necessarily the best of friends at all times and improvisation is for the brave.

5. Work out how you're going to get it on, especially if your waist is smaller than your shoulders and/or hips - are you going to install buttons? Or a zip? I went for the over the head option and felt a couple of seams pop.
It was totally worth it, but not advisable.

6. If you've decided on how you're wearing your dress, decide on how you're wearing your bra. Because, for example, if you have your bra in the halter neck position and decide at the last moment that your dress is actually going to have two separate straps results in your bra being annoyingly visible in every. single. picture that you are in.
Unless you have no need of a bra, in which case, have fun!

When the sale season rolls around, some hair sweets in dedication to the inspiration are definitely in order to make sure this dress stays in rotation....

My next project is to design [ha!] and make a dress similar to this one worn by Jessie of JessieAdore (whose blog is currently down, so I can't link you to the full post).
Isn't it beautiful, though? *sighs in delighted envy*

Coming to a screen/street near you circa 2015....

Sesame Got Glee

2011-10-24T13:49:00.000+01:00

I'll admit, I dropped off the Glee bandwagon a little bit.

My recaps stopped in the face of the four to five hours it took to do one and with the burgeoning load of my dissertation and various essays forced me out of it. Plus, there was that Rocky Horror Show episode (sooo inappropriate for so many different reasons) and then the Coach Beiste episode (like, what the heck? Coach Beiste is so awesome and getting a pity kiss off Will Schuester seems more of a punishment than a resolution) and I dropped out of the loop.

I'm debating whether to get back into it this winter or not. I mean, it's difficult to completely cut something you adore out of your life.

In the meanwhile, I found this and think it's genius. If you're a bit of a Gleek like me, then you'll recognise the brilliant quips that are so integral to the show, like Sue's quip about Will (Mr Goo?)'s hair.

And if you're not a Gleek, then you can take a gander at the dance moves of the 'I love my hair' muppet showing some moves whilst considering her career.

The Day of doing the Most: Part 2

2011-10-12T16:55:00.001+01:00

Continuing on from Monday's post:

So my hair is wet, quite clean and my guest is downstairs cackling at Secret Garden. I went to join her and decided to try out some Curlformers.

You better believe I jumped on that bandwagon. I've always wanted to try roller setting but the effort seemed far too much. I wanted something simple and easy that I wouldn't constantly need to re-arrange. This was before Curlformers started selling in Sally's in th UK, so I bought some off ebay.

My hair was still damp, so I separated my hair into four sections. I applied some Giovanni's Leave in and my oil mix to the area I was working on and then separated that into two and divided them into smaller sections until I was happy it was small enough to fit, but big enough that I wouldn't be there until time ended. I twisted the roots [to stretch 'em] before putting them into the Curlformers. I realised that

1) If you try and pull the section into the Curlformer and it doesn't fit or gets stuck, your section is almost definitely too big.
2) If you can't even pull the section down after wrapping the hook around the twisted root, you may have the hook too far up near the root of the hair. Slide it down the hair towards the middle until it works better.

It took me two episodes of Secret Garden til I was done, so that's about 2 hours. I'm not sure if the Faerie's insistence on helping me made it shorter or longer. I actually ran out of Curlformers - I think I used 48 in total - so I had just the one lonely section, which I just twisted and pin curled because I was tired. I didn't find that my arms got tired, but that might just be from the netball/because I'm Supergirl.

Spot the Odd one out...?

They weren't completely pain free [my impatience and failure to take my own advice bit me in the butt several times] and some of my hair did get caught in them, but you're touching your hair; breakage happens.

Sleeping on them wasn't too hard, though I'm a rough sleeper so it wasn't exactly easy either.

I simply separated the Curlformers, so there was a space for my head to get to the pillow and I wasn't lying on a massive wad of plastic.

Every time I rolled about to turn on my side, I remember that in my half conscious state thinking "Ooh. Curlformers." And that's it really.

I have serious, serious problems when it comes to getting all of my hair stretched and I was sure that I would be the exception and would soon be selling these back on ebay.

When I took them out in the morning, my jaw hit the floor, I was shocked. Flabbergasted.

Somehow, they had worked. To prove it, I took multiple [and probably an excessive amount of] pictures.

I didn't want them as a set - I was only using them for the [pretty awesome] stretch and I thought my hair in my curls were slightly Shirley Temple-esque. I was only seven curlers away from her signature style, so I think my point was valid. The Faerie and my housemate also want to try them out now. Some of my ends were a bit puffy because I confused the sizes - I have a mixture of the long and extra long and the hair at my crown is longer than my hair at the sides. Next time, I'll have to remember to use the right sizes on the right areas.

After all this faffery and activity, what did I do?

Put my hair into a sock bun. And it felt GOOD. It was sleek, but without the inevitable tangling that I know would come if I had done a wet bun. I didn't use any other styling products on it, apart from a little bit more of my oil mix. I was very much enamoured of the effective stretching from Curlformers, because I've tried quite a few techniques - braids, twists, banding, bantu knots - and none of them came close. It's not something I can do on a regular basis though, because it is a lot of mucking about and effort.

Maybe I could get someone else to do it for me...

The Day of doing the Most: Part 1

2011-10-10T09:00:00.004+01:00

I kind of cheated on my personal quest to put twists in for two weeks straight, since I started taking them out, and then was reminded I had somewhere to go which resulted in this style:

I'd started to remove the braids in the back on the left hand side, so I quickly twisted the loose section, forming a sort of pseudo peacock fan thing.

It looks way less crazy from the front, I promise.

On Friday night, I finally took all the braids out, finger detangling to get rid of shed hair . I was happy. But also tired. I quickly did my hair in the usual lazy style, pre-pooed my entire head with Vatika oil, on with the satin scarf and then off to bed I popped.

I woke up and wanted my hair to have a little sniff of the gentle Saturday morning rain. It was less then drizzling. It was literally like soft, gentle sprinkles of icing sugar.

Wet, cold, icing sugar rain.

I wasn't too worried - If you remember, I had a head full of Vatika Oil.

Anyway. It feels like I've literally been in protective styles since, ooh, February (what with participating in the 3in6 challenge since February and the hilarious lack of sunshine in the summer). Thus, I was a little bit cheeky and let my hair out a little bit in my most favourite style from my childhood: The Minnie Mouse ears.

It's basically my hair split down in half vertically, with each section tied up with a hair band.

The style always used to remind me of Minnie's ears, and the fluffiness of it always appealed me.

Though it's not quite yet up to the standard of Jazmine from Boondocks yet...

Not now but someday...one day!
source

After jaunting about in the icing sugar rain, buying vegetables, eating falarrrfel (emphasis compulsory ) and then drinking juice with The Faerie at Lady V's, I decided it was time to go home.

I had originally planned to do the yoghurt treatment as well as a Cassia (yeah, remember those?) but The Faerie was staying over and there's only so much K-drama you can leave a guest to watch by themselves without being extremely rude.

An all in one bonanza was my only option. I mixed

2 tablespoons (30g) of Cassia
with just enough hot water to form an extremely thick paste and
4 tablespoons of Greek Yoghurt and
2 tablespoons of Apple Cider vinegar.

It smelt like vinegar and looked like pea and mint soup.

Mmmm, yummy!

I slathered my head in this delightful mix and only just had enough stuff to cover my entire head. I leapt around my room for about 10 minutes, throwing things about in the pretense of cleaning my room, before leaping back into the shower and rinsing it all out before conditioning. I forgot how bitty Cassia is when it comes to rinsing it out.

Then I progressed onto the stretching...
But I'm tired now, so that'll have to be in Part 2.

The Plaits are out!

2011-10-06T22:07:00.000+01:00

Relief. Sheer, sweet, tangled relief.

How my mama would cry if she knew this picture was out on the internets.

Assortment of Plaits

2011-09-28T13:37:00.000+01:00

I'm sure I mentioned last week that I put my hair in braids. I have about 50 on my head.

A few are as fat as a child's crayon, whilst others are a similar width to quite thick sewing thread.

It's officially been a week and I already want to take them out.

The weather has been so dry and crisp that my housemate and I have been falling over ourselves to do laundry so that it can dry adequately in the sun.

In short, perfect weather to let the hair loose.

But it's only been a week!

They're not even frizzy yet...
..and I don't think I have enough strength to undo the braids and then put them back in this weekend.

Wangari Maathi

2011-09-27T19:42:00.002+01:00

She never released a single or albumn, so her death won't be reported in the news.

I first read about this woman in a copy of the book 'Speak Truth to Power'. I remember reading her story and being amazed at all she had managed to achieve. She truly took multi-tasking to a whole new level: a determined women that continuously battled discrimination and campaigned for equal benefits; a virulent activist for human rights and democracy that stood up for what she believed in, even when her own government was against her; the only African woman to have ever won the Nobel Peace Prize for her actions concerning the Greenbelt Movement, a conservation project that also worked to reduce women's poverty in Kenya.
Her life was continuously threatened by the government who was suspicious of her growing influence as a woman but she just never gave up. Her resolve and courage are simply inspiring. If you can get your hands on her life story (c'monk, I know you can Google it), I'd seriously encourage you to take a gander at it.

I hope that her dreams will continue to bloom, flourish and bear fruit.

Claiming Collarbone and Shoulder Length - Aiming for Arm Pit

2011-09-26T08:55:00.001+01:00

It dawned on me suddenly when I was chatting to my mum:

Mum: You know, I was surprised. I was so certain that [when you stopped relaxing] all your hair would fall out. But it's actually grown!
Me: Mmm, it's down to my armpit now.
Mum: [Instantly skeptical] Really?
*A Simple Thing pulls her hair down as proof and Mum laughs*
Mum: Me too, I can stretch my hair that far!

She couldn't, but that's not the point.

I have problems with efficiently stretching [read: I'm too impatient and busy to wait for it to dry properly and I never plan it right], and I'm guessing that unless I straighten my hair, it's never actually going to be seen for the length it actually is. So why do I bother claiming APL?

To be honest - I don't know.

Maybe my goals would be more realistic if I looked at them in the right context. For example, if one day I did twists and they brushed APL length, I'd fall over in pure joy. But I don't blow dry and or straighten my hair, so that's not my reality right now. There's something quite cool in the fact that only I (and you) know how long my hair is - but then sometimes that means it doesn't feel as real or factual. I don't want to prove it to people for the sake of it, especially since I'm not doing this for them.

I'm doing this for me.

Although we know where my hair goes down to, for now, if anyone asks me then I'm claiming shoulder length in general...

and collarbone length when gently stretched.

Achievements that I'm all very proud of :)

Duh Moment: Oh Snap!

2011-09-23T15:11:00.000+01:00

Snapped whilst I attempted a bun...

My first outing with a banana clip? No good. It quickly lost its a -peel.

What? Come on, that was a good one!

Font continuity? What's that?

So I thought I'd try something with a hair comb instead...

Maybe they're still in there.

Maybe this happened because my hair was tired of bunning.

Or maybe it was telling me to stop being so lame and get some studier, non plastic hair accessories.

Condition and Make up

2011-09-21T13:30:00.001+01:00

So I mentioned the rain once in this post and then, as though it heard me and felt I had declared some kind of challenge it just. Kept. coming. I was completely and utterly sogged out by the weekend, and my hair had still been in its punily stretched bun (I mean, I had washed it but then it went back into a bun. Obviously, my head is harder to get through than cement).

I did try stretching it but I'm useless when short on time and the most that ever happened was French braids.

After the abysmal treatment of my hair last week, what with rain and wet bunning and avoiding detangling, I decided I needed to condition it well (because kissing your hair is weird) in order to make up. So when I went shopping last Saturday, I literally went through the aisles and thought to myself - "Hmm. What food have I not yet put on my head?"

Okay, I'll be honest, that's not the actual yoghurt I bought that day. I bought this one.

Because I was only looking at the Greek Style bit and didn't look at the bit that said 'Coconut'. So it's got coconut bits in it and is quite tasty with some honey, but wholly inappropriate for slathering on my head.

I also picked up this:

At the time, I was considering something with the vinegar and yoghurt with a dash of honey and olive oil for extra yumminess.

And then, I promise this actually happened, I was doing my blog rounds that very evening and saw this:

Huh. Well. Okay. I'll try it that way!

It's basically 2-3 tablspoons of Greek Yoghurt + 2 tablespoons of Cider vinegar.
Leave it in for 20 minutes.
Rinse it out with your conditioner.
Apply Aloe Vera Juice as well and then get going.

On Wednesday morning, I followed that process in the morning, used my Tresemmé Naturals Conditioner, squidged the excess moisture out with a T-shirt (since I left my microfibre towel at high and refuse to buy another one) and used my Giovannni Direct Leave in in lieu of aloe vera juice.

I am blatantly delicious.

Note to self: Don't do this treatment in your room whilst wearing black trousers - you'll end up with your own constellation.

Initial impressions? Eh, it was okay. Since I've only done the treatment once, I don't have much to say about it.

I'd seriously learnt my sectioning lesson by now after a truly horrible detangling session the day before, so my hair was in four sections. I'd started braiding one bit, but I had to go to class. So I popped on my satin scarf, a hat and twisted my fringe and went out.

Hmm. This looks familiar.

And then I put it into braids that night whilst completing my course reading.

Gusty Gales and Shrunken Roots

2011-09-19T15:27:00.001+01:00

Originally written on the 13th September - but I didn't find my upload cable until this week.

As a guilty pleasure of mine has always been standing in strong winds in a warm coat, I have thoroughly enjoyed the last few days of Hurricane Katrin blustering about this little island, making the dustbins and fences and clothes pegs rattle to create a clattering cacophony.
There is something strangely exhilarating about surprising gusts of wind that force your steps sidewards, so that for a second, it was as though you were flying and taken by surprise by your own ability. Even better than that, it's been dry and -

Even as I write this, it has started raining. Eh, I'm inside so I'm not too bothered. What timing though!

The presence of the exciting winds without too much rain (even if only momentarily) meant that, for some preciously brief hours, I could pretend that Autumn actually happens here, instead of that weird still-kind-of-summer-season where it rains 90% of the time and the vibrantly coloured leaves are already moulding before the leave the tree. Fruit is ripening everywhere, and the harvest suddenly coming into abundance means that people are picking and digging out and wondering what on earth they're going to do with 10kg of courgettes [zucchinis] or 2kg of damson plums.

One of my classmates decided to make damson jam for which I am incredibly grateful. It smells delectable and tastes scrumptious on crumpets.

Hi. Damsom Jam? Let me introduce you to crumpets.

I'm sure you'll be the best of friends...*cackles*

Anyway, less about that, more about other things. I've been busy this week...no, this is the end of my second week - these past two weeks with my course. Seeing as I took my hair down, and then packed and then hoisted my entire livelihood on the train, then moved into my current lovely, kitsch [yet damp] abode, then threw away my duvet [I said it was damp in here, didn't I?] then bought some more and now I have blue feet.

Basically, apart from the weekly wash, there has been little to no time for hair.
For convenience's sake, I threw it into a bun after washing and detangling last Saturday. Not a doughnut/stretchy/on a braidout bun. Nope. Dripping wet hair, up and out of the way.

This lazy attitude plus my hair continually getting wetted by the rain (the convenient way to moisturise! At least I'm not setting fire to it) means that my hair has shrunk. A lot. So it has tangled. A lot.
Add to this the fact I've still been adding oil and leave in and shea butter (to weigh my hair down to keep it stretched) and you find me as I found myself earlier this week: with a big mass of linty, knotted, tangled buttery soft hair. It was lovely and moisturised and soft, but incredibly, incredibly tangled.

I already know my main problem: After having washed and conditioned and detangled my hair (never going up as far as the roots), I just don't want to deal with it any more and I hate styling it when it's wet so I don't twist it. I simply put it in a bun, where it eventually shrinks up in certain areas and promptly destroys the de-tangling effort I've just made.

What I need to do is motivate myself to twist my hair up to prevent it re-tangling, because if I'm not going to do it, I may as well skip the detangling process and start the locking process right here and now.

Mmmm....locking process....*strokes imaginary beard*

No, no locks. Must de-tangle. It doesn't even take that long. I just dislike being in the shower dealing with my hair. Evelyn can do all her washing stuff in an hour, and I don't even deep condition for 20 minutes like she does, so I'm sure I can do it in 30 minutes.

Supporting the Brotherhood

2011-09-16T15:56:00.000+01:00

I try not to post too many music videos up, because I dislike it immensely when other people do it - it feels like they wasted a post and also my time. My guilt in my hypocrisy is exemplified by the fact that this is my only post this week until I sort my life out this weekend.

But I seriously cannot get this guy out of my head. If I must blame anyone, I blame the Wonder Thing - his genuine excitement over this artist was more than infectious and now I'm blatantly obsessed. I'm beginning to suspect whether this is a conspiracy of some sort. I catch myself singing his songs at the most inopportune moments [for example, telling the driver "I can't, no I won't hush; I'll say the words that make you blush - I'm going to sing this nooow" whilst lugging a bookcase onto the semi empty bus can probably be described as one such inopportune moment. Or, if you wish to be more concise, just plain awkward].

His skill as a beat boxer and musician, using his guitar, his voice and a loop pedal is undeniable; his voice is simply beautiful; his lyrics occasionally disturbingly profound, while the music still continues to be..well, not depressing. His English tour dates are all sold out until January

I wish his music would stop having its holiday in my head for just a second so I can focus on other things, but it's difficult.

The radio stations have been playing A-team for what feels like months, and I still join in despite the fact I don't like the music video [and that was a big enough reason to put me off Artic Monkeys' "Scummy Man"]. I love the intensity of the lyrics, rhythm and chromatic video of You Need Me (a couple of words means it's not really suitable for little ears) which is so much stronger compared to the rest of his lighter, sweeter stuff. Listening to the lyrics of Small Bump makes me feel tingly and melancholy all over, like I want to lie down and weep in a field of flowers. There's a strange sort of satisfied passion that seems to emanate when this guy plays his - what is it? Half-size? - guitar.

And I relish every single second of it.

Philosophy

2011-09-08T14:58:00.000+01:00

If I purposely don't wear a hat when it rains, does this still count as moisturising my hair?

Looking at my Future through my Past - Aspiration Analysis

2011-09-02T10:16:00.000+01:00

I hope this post goes up in relative peace and serenity, whilst in real life I suppose I shall be losing my head as easily as people during the Tudor dynasty.

It's interesting looking at the list and seeing what I've done well and where I haven't done so well and then reflecting on the whys and hows.

But it's so good to see the stuff that I've been working on, seeing where I started and how far I'm getting. There have been less additions to the list the time around and more editing of old goals to modify them to where my mindset is at now. It's weird to see how much (and yet, at the same time, how little) I've matured. For example, I use far less exclamation marks than when I first got into the swing of blogging. I like to think that this reduction, as well as my continual use of ellipsis, shows I've gotten calmer...

General Life and School Aims

~~Have an awesome stall at Fresher's Fair!~~ DONE

~~Get a 2:1 or a 1st in my degree~~ DONE

~~Quit Theatre Group!~~ DONE

~~Finish my dissertation~~ DONE

~~Get onto a PGCE~~ DONE

~~Help my college team get 3rd or 2nd place in the league~~ FAILED

Two match losses dropped us two places from potentially battling it out for first place to a firm 4th.

Ah well, we've advanced a lot since being in last place in first year :)

~~Stop getting sucked into the ridiculous drama of a certain friend group(s)~~. DONE

~~Focus on the Belly dancing society properly~~ DONE

~~Stop ignoring my commitments. Or, stop signing up to so many (sssh, pretend we don't see the irony!)~~ DONE - so far. But a new year brings new opportunities for failure...

Be able to have a gentle conversation in Mandarin and/or Japanese (revising)

~~Learn to use the family camera (because my camera phone is pants)!~~

(I have a beginner's grasp on how to use the camera but my assumption that I would be able to use it freely has been proved wrong. So I think I'm letting this one go).

Do more with the blog - post at least once a week. Maybe do some give aways or something (still working on it - a continual work in progress).

Finish my PGCE

Try and stay organised with my classwork - if that means giving up a hobby or fun class to sort myself out, then so be it

Remember not to be afraid to ask questions about what I don't know - which seems to be a lot.

Start doing yoga/stretching regularly again.

Move out - possibly abroad for a bit.

Hair goals

Hit Bra Strap Length with the hair

(Really, I'm aiming for Waist Length by 2014. And I've hit Armpit Length (APL) already. But my goal for reaching Bra Strap Length is by the end of December 2012)

Master the art of flat twisting (in progress)

Grow out my mullet sides (because they're not funny any more).

Remember to trim the middle section.

Focusing on Food

6. ~~Cut cake making down to once a month~~ DONE

(Perhaps in excess - I haven't baked properly in months)

Get my bento making game up to scratch!

(in progress - I lost my food container again. But it's going to be even more important this year for me to keep myself fuelled.)

Try some Jackfruit.

(Because you're only young once...)

Financial

Save up £1000

Try and get a year without paying any unnecessary library fines.

(Prompted by having to pay £19 at my library the other day because they'd changed their fining system and I didn't know.)

Out and About

15. Run a 5k....? Okay, maybe that's reaching a little bit (meh, still thinking about it) [I don't know if I will ever run a 5k - it's not a prospect that excites me greatly at the moment. However, I do want to start this running business properly and am joining a group this autumn]

Stop being a chicken and get someone to teach me how to swim properly (Finally taking the plunge [heh heh] this autumn, as soon as my leisure centre sorts out its swimming schedule)

And skate. Preferably roller, since I don't like the cold. (Another activity taking place this autumn, now that I've found a seemingly wonderful group that I hope to be able to access at least on a monthly basis. I'm seriously, seriously excited about this)

If the J.E.T programme doesn't happen, go to France for the summer.

(*Sigh* This is probably my greatest disappointment. I was placed on the Alternate list for the JET programme and assumed that I would be eligible because of the disaster in March that meant people would be reluctant to go. This prediction proved correct. However, the changes in tuition fees meant that my PGCE university is not making any deferrals at all. So I could've gone to Japan this year, but I can't do my PGCE interview whilst abroad. And then I needed to work this summer, so no flitting off abroad for me!)

Get creative with my crafting and try and finish at least one project a month (Oh, another way to fail! However, winter is coming up...and that means hats! Lots and lots of lovely hats for me to start cracking on with)

I'm more than a little eager to get my teeth into this next step now - roll on Autumn!

My First (proper) Festival

2011-08-31T09:47:00.000+01:00

Though the festival season in the UK is trailing off now, I was very fortunate enough to go to one last weekend with The Wonder Thing and his family. Festivals in the UK tend to mean three things:
Great entertainment, Porta-loos (that have transformed into Porta-Grossness by the last day) and a notable lack of showering. When I usually go to a festival, I'm working, but this time I was going to be able to have fun!

I knew it was going to involve camping, and probably rain and not enough time/resources to 'nurture' my hair properly.

So my initial plan for Friday went like this:

- Wake up at 6
- Shower, wash and condition hair
- After drying slightly with towel, apply some wheatgerm oil
- Section hair into 24, apply leave in
- Dry hair in Curlformers (and to have done all this by 7am)
- While hair is drying, pack everything
- When hair is dry (hopefully in 3 hours), remove Curl formers one at a time
- Twist each section with Shea Butter
- Leave house, catch bus, walk to station, buy tickets

And of course, there would be cherubs singing a celestial song as I did all this, and the edges of my vision would be all misty and not quite in focus.

I woke up at 7am, and then realised that ~~I must've been off my rocker when I devised the original plan~~ the original plan was completely unrealistic.
What happened instead was:

- Shower
- I run around the house packing furiously, which somehow took me 2 and a half hours because I was looking for my sleeping bag and head torch
- I start twisting at 10:30am
- I stop twisting at 11: 30am. This doesn't mean I've finished, just that I've run out of time.
- I start running around panicking about what I may have forgotten for 10 minutes and then leave the house to walk to the bus stop
- The Littlest Sis runs after me. I have forgotten my phone (of all things).
- I tuck the unfinished section of hair behind my ear as it starts raining.
- The bus is late. It is still raining. I ponder what design error meant that my waterproof coat was made with no hood.
- Bus finally arrives.
- Power walks to train station.
- When I arrive at train station, I am almost wheezing too hard to ask for ticket.
- I buy my ticket, leap onto the train that has just arrived, find a seat and complete the unfinished section of hair.

Between 29 and 40 twists. I still haven't counted them.

The weekend was brilliant. I enjoyed it so very much. Lots of walking and joking and laughter and fun and listening to amazing music.

My hair held up well. I just wore it in its normal bun for the weekend. At occasions, it was very messy, but I'm sure nobody noticed *hopeful face*

If you can see my scalp, does that mean my parting is getting better?

The only kit I took with me was my satin scarf, and an elastic band to hold it on while I slept. The elastic band turned out to be completely useless because I'd forgotten my torch, and couldn't find the (black) elastic in the dark. I also brought some hair bands, my scrunchie and hair pins, but I only used two hair pins to keep up the twists who wanted to do their own thing. So no products and near to complete minimalism on the hair accessory front.

However.

By Saturday, my scalp was itchy.

By Sunday, it was on fire. I'm not someone who should really go more than a 5-7 days without washing my hair, and this was pushing 10 days.

The Wonder Thing was not having his hair being greasy, so shampooed with cold water.

Let me repeat that: COLD WATER.

I considered it, because the little dance he did when they poured the near freezing water over his head was inventive enough that I nearly wanted to join in.

Plus, there was always the possibility of boiling some water up so I could wash my hair with warm water.

But I was far too lazy and my hair was not my priority at that time; it would have to wait until I got home. I thoroughly enjoyed myself using the time I would've spent on my hair listening to some awesome people.
Such fun!

A Grand Plan

2011-08-29T09:12:00.003+01:00

Whilst desperately working my butt off this summer, in the midst of beating off boredom, apathy and wasps, I suddenly had A Bright Idea.

Why don't I try and save up £1000?

It's not that I've never had £1000 in my bank account before, but that money, dutifully loaned to me by the Student Loan Company to maintain my very existence, was usually already earmarked for 'rent.'.

I have never in my life had £1000 to call my own, that I could control without having it already destined for some greater, other purpose. I'm that type of student they talk about in the news - not the one who didn't need to worry about fees too much since they already had had some money tucked away, but the one whose entire university education was based completely on loans. And in the face of the £20,000+ debt I currently owe the Student Loan Company, I think £1000 would be a little ray of sunshine.

So, I thought to myself, why not? My jobs this summer have given me a nice spring board of about £400. That means that there'd £600 left on me to somehow raise, by this time next year.

Why a grand? Why not two or three or ten?

Well, for me, it's a realistic goal. It's something I can see myself working towards and at the same time, it's a goal I'd be happy to achieve, but at the same time, it's a bit of a challenge. A goal that my thrifty skills can A nice little pillow of money so that if things go belly up [as they are wont to do], then I wouldn't be in such a tight spot.

Hopefully, by now, I should have opened my very first ISA to get the ball rolling.

Oh my goodness. I'll have an ISA. Does this mean I'll be an adult soon?

Mama Do

2011-08-26T11:45:00.002+01:00

My mother was attempting to carefully coax me into the chair, using her tried and tested methods of maternal nagging and emotional blackmail. She succeeds - I'm down, in a room without television to encourage any distracted squirming. Product is generously spritzed onto my hair and a comb is magically made to appear, as though from thin air.
The comb is led towards the hair; its teeth, that had previously seemed so non-threatening, now seemed to give the comb a predatory air, that promised of tugging and pain and general discomfort. My skin started to creep with anxiety and fear, and my throat started to close up tightly in fear. I couldn't help myself. I winced in anticipation of the incoming pain....

That's not a memory from when I was a kid. That was me on a quiet Sunday evening a few weeks ago. I have to admit, it was all my fault really.

Mum: Do you ever comb your hair?
Me: Yes ma, of course I do.. I comb [de-tangle] at least once a week. (Sanctimoniously) In fact, I'm about to do it now.
Mum: Oooh! Let me do it!
Me: ...Er....
Mum: *bemused* You never let me touch that head of yours, you know. What's so special about it?
Me: (Guiltily) Nothing. Er. I mean. Okay. Let's do this.

Hoisted by my own petard.

I'm not a fan of styling my hair when it's wet, but I don't mind it damp or dry. But dry would've been a nightmare. So I mixed up a herb based detangling brew and poured it into a spray bottle. I also got my trusty wide tooth shower comb.

Boots Shower Comb - only the finest!

I plonked myself on the chair, separated my hair into 7 rough sections and liberally spritzed the spray onto the first three areas we'd be working with. When I flinched, my mum gently poked me in my forehead.

Mum: I'm your mother. I'm not going to intentionally hurt you.

I appreciate the fact she kept her promise.

The detangling brew made things so much easier since it gave quite a bit of slip (and made my hair sooo darn soft. But that's another post for another day), and my mum started from the ends and worked her way down to the roots. I helped out, finger detangling the next section she would be working on and twisting the sections she had just finished.

But my mum was not content with simply detangling. She'd been having a lot of fun playing in my hair ("Oooh, it's so soft!") and wanted to see it through to the end.

Which meant styling. And new tools to use.

*Jaws theme tune*

Luckily, about an hour earlier, I'd left out a couple of my flaxseed gel ice cubes to defrost, so that was my styler sorted. For the tools, my mum got to pick. Her hair tools of choice [from the limited selections I offered her - I hid my Denman] included a soft bristle brush, as well as the fine tooth comb for the parting.

Re the soft bristle brush: I'm not a fan of brushing, but the way my edges curl up annoys the heck out of my mum. When I used to be on forums a lot more, I remember posting a thread topic asking if anyone could help me deal with my thick edges.
I. Got. Crickets.
Nish.
Nada.
NOTHING.
Apparently, thick edges is not seen as a serious problem. Thus I let them be and then, ultimately, forgot about them.
But my mum could not forget and took great joy in being about to brush and smooth them out.

I don't know where we actually got the brush from, but I think it is actually a body brush.

When she had finished, she declared her handiwork 'beautiful!'.

To her credit, I can honestly say my mum put more work into my hair styling in that half an hour than I do in a week.

That's not a hair accessory.
That's my wonky lampshade.

Oooh, flaxseed gel, how it glistens.

It was...all sleek and had reduced volume and whatnot. I was bemused by how much my mum loved the way it (now) looked.

I learned that my mum can be trusted with my hair and my mum learned about the versatility of natural hair. Brilliant, right?

Mum: You know, I saw this girl, and she has natural hair and she straightens, no, she said she "presses" it, and it was so straight it looked relaxed! Maybe you could try it...just for special events, not every day.
Me: *firmly pretends not to hear*

Duh Moment: An inch is an inch

2011-08-24T09:10:00.000+01:00

In maths class as a child, we used to have these assignments where there would be a drawn line on the page, followed by the question 'Estimate how long this line is.'

I remember thinking this was an exercise in silliness.

"Why not let me use my ruler to measure the line? Then we'll know exactly how long the line is!"

I think you may have already worked out I was terrible when it came to those guesstimation questions. Turns out that this is a trait that has followed me into adult life, despite having learnt to appreciate and embrace silliness in most of its forms.

If you scour hair related blogs as much as I do, then you've heard it before: 'On average, hair grows half an inch a month.' "Oh!" You think. "That's cool."

But wait.

How long is an inch exactly ?

On my computer, this is actually to scale. I'm not sure about everyone's though!

Before I actually took the time to check this out, my mental measurement of an inch was where the orange arrow is on the measuring tape. My expectations were way ahead of the actual reality. And a half inch is a lot smaller than I thought!

I wonder if people who think that their hair doesn't grow, or that they have slow hair growth, have ever checked out how big an inch actually is?

Working Girl

2011-08-22T08:27:00.014+01:00

Yours truly has been working.

I say 'been working' as opposed to 'a job' as I am currently a temp.

My previous mode of employment this summer involved hawking food at a 3 day event for at least 8 hours a day. Since our stall was the only one of its kind at the event, the line was long and constant. 8 hours of gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) customer demand eventually takes its toll on your tootsies!

At the moment, I'm currently working in a factory for 8 hours a day nearly midnight.

The deafening thunder of the industrial machines is dulled to a background thrumming by ear protectors that also prevent us workers from speaking clearly to each other. But we've managed to develop our own methods of communication, mainly dependant on exaggerated facial expression, subtle hand gestures and pointing. If we lean in close, we can talk, but we rarely have time with that except for those closest in proximity to us.

Oh, what a glamourous life I live!

Chocolate is now my mainstay to make sure that I have enough superficial energy to keep going for my shift.

But it's been inspiring in a lot of different ways. On our breaks we chat (and I eat biscuits). Many of the people working there speak more than one language (one guy speaks five) and we all have plans to get out of the factory as soon as our contracts are up in order to move onwards and upwards. For all of us, it's merely a means to a far bigger end.

Ambition is not something that is lacking amongst us temps and it encourages and reminds me of my own plans for the future. It means that when the weekend rolls around, that free time to spend as we wish is more precious than gold.

Mixtress Mischief: Scalp Soother Serum

2011-08-15T17:37:00.002+01:00

Sometimes, my scalp has its bad days - days where it's dry, or a little bit on the itchy side, or when it's been exposed to the sun a little bit too long for it. I love this mixture because it's light, non greasy and incredibly cooling on the scalp - especially if you've left it in the fridge for a bit. It absorbs quickly into the scalp

Preparation Time: 2 mins

Ingredients:

1 tbsp (or 15ml) of aloe vera gel (45p)
1/4 tbsp (or 5ml) of grapeseed oil [or 4 drops of Japanese Camellia Oil or jojoba or any other light oil you have on hand] (3p)
3 drops of eucalyptus oil (35p)
3 drop of lavender oil (40p)
3 drops of Copaiba oil (so very optional) (26p)
Total cost: £1.49

Grapeseed Oil - This was the lightest oil I had on hand, since I didn't want to clog up my scalp.

Aloe Vera Gel - renowned for its healing and soothing properties

Lavender Essential Oil (Lavendula angustifolia) - Again, renowned for its calming and soothing properties. Also, I hate the smell of lavendula angustifolia by itself because I actually meant to buy lavendula officinalis. But augustifolia is what I've got, so that's what I'm putting down here.

Eucalyptus Essental Oil - Supposed anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiseptic properties. And something about encouraging ceramide production in the hair encouraging.
Copaiba Oil - read more here.

Method:

Basically, I put all the ingredients in a small glass jar and shook it as hard as I could, until the aloe vera gel had gone from clear...

...to a slightly thicker, creamier and translucent cream.

And you're done! To use, simple use your fingertips to apply the serum to the area and gently massage it in.

I usually apply this a day after washing or whenever I think my scalp needs it. My mum likes it and I hope you will too!

Mixtress Mischief: Bentonite Baby!

2011-08-12T16:53:00.015+01:00

I bought 200g of bentonite clay from Neals Yard Remedies, around the time of the Royal Wedding, because they were doing free shipping over the bank holidays.

Man, I love me some free shipping.

Although you order it in how many quantities of 100g you want, it all just came in one all consuming plastic bag. Better for the environment I guess!

~~Attempt 1~~

I actually tried it a while ago, but I'm easily confused and was so used to doing my Cassia and other things with hot water that when I made my horsetail tisane, I simply just added it straight to the bentonite..

...and promptly cooked the clay.

Well, that's what I thought. It's far more likely that I was being extra stingy with the bentonite clay and ended up with a watery mistake. I remember thinking it felt like under cooked porridge.

Ew. I tried to use it but it seemed pretty useless.

The REAL Attempt 1
This time I made no mistake and added my water cold.

I took out 1/2 cup (100-120g) of bentonite clay.

Then I slowly added between 1 and 1.5 cup of water (between 250 - 375ml) of water, mixing slowly with my wooden spoon until a (reasonably) smooth paste was formed.

Mine had quite a few lumps but you know, I thought you either like it or lump it.

I'm sorry. I can't help myself!

When applying, I simple scooped up parts of the mixture, rubbed it gently between my hands to get rid of any lumps, and then added it directly to my hair.

After I finished generously applying the bentonite clay mix to my hair and scalp and bits of my ears, I noted that there was still quite a bit left over.

So I threw it into a plastic bag and stuck it into the freezer.

Then I took advantage of the temporary colour of my hair to dance around the house like a golden oldie.

I was jiving and shaking and being crochety, like a rhuematic James Brown all over the place for the 25 minutes this was in my hair.

Ow! I feel good!

I rinsed it out with warm /tepid water and it didn't take long at all to rinse it out. Halfway through rinsing, I realised that my hair felt a little bit dry, so I decided to nix the idea to see how it felt by itself with no conditioner afterwards. I made sure to condition well with my Tresemmé Naturals conditioner, leaving it on for the full 5 minutes before de-tangling and rinsing.

Then I moisturised with my Giovanni Direct Leave in and my hair butter and twisted my hair up immediately.

My hair felt clean, my scalp was singing and I was content with the results, but I still remembered the drying effect I'd felt in the shower. In my next bentonite experiment I decided to add some aloe vera gel and see how that worked out.

Round My Hometown

2011-08-09T11:23:00.002+01:00

I had been up in Nottingham over the weekend, so I was late to hear the news. My cousins, who were staying over, were telling me that shops in Stratford had been raided.

Raided? What did they mean raided? Didn't they mean robbed?

And then I went onto the BBC website and saw the news and felt my heart sink to new lows and my stomach trembled violently as I watched parts of my beloved hometown disappear in smoke and anger and destruction. The realization hit and I was winded by it. The chaos was spreading throughout England, mainly by broadcasts over Blackberry messenger, and my facebook timeline showed a range of emotions, spanning to fury, fear, disappointment and attempts at strengthening humour by others.

I pray for strength for the police forces, doing their best to hold back the roaring mobs.
I pray for comfort for the business owners who will have to face the devastation this morning.
I pray for calm for those whose hearts and pockets felt empty and restless enough to take advantage of a sad situation.
And I pray that London will remember itself, recapture itself and somehow manage to rise from the ashes, so that when it hears this song, its depths feel pride in knowing that these words are still true.

British Bloggers - Part 2

2011-08-05T09:45:00.008+01:00

I remember ranting a while about the distinct lack of British bloggers that I could find.

A year, it hasn't exactly changed the situation. But it's gotten better. Or, you know, I just stopped being so lazy.

Natural Hair Bloggers and Vloggers
JC at Natural Haven
Natural Belle
The Natural Lounge
Simone's Crazy World
Naturally Random
Wande's World
Leila-Jean at FusionofCultures
SoFroLushes Hair Chronicles
Lionness Mane (LeiLei08)
Pamera (not a blog - a fotki. She has lovely hair and is a fan of weaves).
Spelt with a C
GirlsLoveYourCurls (I love her recollections and reconstructions of her own experiences with her hair in her videos, though her product selection makes me think she's not in the UK any more...seriously guys, what's with all the emigrating to America?!)
CareForYourHair and the facebook page
Lolascrib and her blog LolasCurls
My Kinks and Curls
That Girl With The Fro
Naturally Speaking
Loc Evolution
Me, My Locs and I
Holistic Locs
Moderne Maid
Curly Beautys (in Denmark)
The Naprika
My Long Hair Journey (Natural and Relaxed Hair)
4nappiness4eva
Uknaturaljoy
NaturallyNubian
Mumplus2
S1mnicity
MsBrownSugar75
MrsAwwsome
NaturallySexy
Revive UK
Hairolic
WomanInTheJungle
Lela Devine
There is another (British) blog that I just happen to love reading that doesn't have much to do with hair:

Yoruba Girl Dancing [Uh. There aren't enough words to describe how much I love this woman's writing. She talks about feminism. What Bradley Cooper does to certain people's ovaries. And other things I wish I was intelligent enough to come up with first. I'm just going to stop now. But just know this - when she came back from hiatus, I did a little dance of pure elicited joy].

This is not a definitive list - these are simply the blogs I've found and remembered to bookmark. If you've found any more good ones, please let me know in the comments!

3in6 recap

2011-08-02T19:10:00.001+01:00

So the 3in6 challenge officially finished yesterday. The guidelines went like this:

1. Eat fresh vegetables or fruits with each meal.
The fruits thing was easy. I typically eat about 3-4 portions of fruit a day as my snacks. And eating vegetables wasn't too hard, but I always ended up ending the same ones. The typical student lifestyle on campus doesn't lend itself to being able to access a huge range of fresh vegetables and fruit.

2. Take a daily multivitamin.
Complete and utter fail. I hate having to take pills and I always forgot. But I did try!

3. Drink sufficient water. (Amt of water in oz. = Your weight in lbs * 0.5)
According to that calculation, I was supposed to be drinking nearly 3 litres of water a day, which was unlikely to happen on my usual sedentary-sat-in-front-of-a-glowing-screen day. So I stuck for drinking between 1.5 litres and 2 litres a day. This has been a habit of mine since I was about 14, so not too difficult.
But seriously - 3 litres a day?!

4. Wear twists or braids 2-4 weeks at a time.
Well, I tried. But I didn't manage to wear my hair in braids or twists all the time. It's a matter of convenience and sometimes it was time to take my hair down before I wound up cutting them off out of laziness. I think I only started to take it seriously when I did my first set of small/mini braids/plaits and decided I liked them.
But there was definitely more than two weeks of free hair, where I just wore my signature two bun puffs for a week at a time due to lack of time and motivation.

5. No direct heat.
Done. Easy peasy due to my intense fear of heat damage.

And the fact I don't own any hair heating appliances.

6. Pre-poo with coconut oil for 20 minutes.
Until I copied this list, I'd totally forgotten about this bit! I think I stopped doing it around...er, June? I did it occasionally when it came to Cassia...but I'm lazy as, and the whole waiting around for 20 minutes meant I'd get real bored real quickly and forget what I was doing.

7. Absolutely no trimming. (Start with a fresh cut now if need be.)

Uh....I guess I can say....whoops? In my defence, my split ends were out of control. And it was just a one time thing.

So - The all important question: did I manage to maintain 3 inches in 6 months?

The short answer is...

I don't know. The fact is I totally forgot to to measure my hair at the beginning even though I was told. I assume I was swept up with something mildly important things like...um. Food. And coursework. And eating.

Eating is important business people.

But hey! I at least hit Armpit length! So I'm already on track for this year's hair ambitions!

Twisout attempt 1

2011-08-02T14:43:00.002+01:00

My hair was dry and I wanted to do something with it, as well as test out my latest shea butter mix. It was not freshly washed and detangled.

Products used: Giovanni Direct Leave In and Bee Mine Curly Rip off. And a little water to make the ends curl. Oil Mix made mainly of Olive Oil to take down.

Any special technique?: Nope. Just applied the Direct Leave In to my dry hair, then the shead butter cream for styling and hold. Then I dipped the ends in water and twirled them around my fingers and left them as I went about making a small supper and cleaning armchairs.

Number of twists: 20 medium to large sized twists and two small ones (for my fringe/bangs).

Time left in: 4 hours.

Resulting twisout:

The Sideshow Bob effect is so difficult to eliminate!

Verdict: I really like it - it's light and fluffy with awesome definition for such a short amount of time.
Although you can't see it, I didn't really do a parting, but next time I'd prefer to do a side parting. The straight on baby doll fringe look was not flattering of my face much

The pictures don't do this twistout justice. It looks absolutely gorgeous face on. Even as I type this, I keep getting up to look at it in the mirror. My hair is soft and fluffy at the roots and I'm doing my best not to touch it but it's so hard. Surprisingly enough, it doesn't feel all that oily. I'm disappointed that, as I write this, it is half eight at night and I have nowhere to go. If I was going anywhere, I would sort myself out with a big, bright bow headband. The shape resembles a mushroom a little bit, but vegetables are good for you.
The Littlest Sis liked it, so it must be good.

But instead, I'm staying in and watching The Hour. Such is life.

Alternative Soundtrack

2011-07-27T20:23:00.002+01:00

Living on this side of the pond can sometimes be depressing - if it's not the weather, it's the politics or the news, with a badly thought out pie attack and ninja wife defence few and far between.

And when you read the various blogs and forums and articles touting the latest product or the must have staple that you can't get your hands on, especially for those that live outside of the bigger cities, it's incredibly depressing.

Thus, I have made a list of some much lauded products (one of which I currently own) and posted them alongside their cheaper or easier to access alternatives, for the girls who don't live in London or have access to a debit card that allows them to buy things off the internet.

So if you're in an area where you are outnumbered by cattle or sheep...

If you're waiting for your next birthday so your national minimum wage will go up or you can finally get a debit card...

If playing 'Spot the Brown Person' is a genuinely difficult game to play in your current location...

Then this list is almost definitely for you!

The Must-Have Sound: A Micro Fibre Towel.

Used for: Absorbing water efficiently from your hair without causing too much damage to the hair strands.

I've seen some targeted specifically for hair needs run about £10.

Buy it cheaper: I got mine from Home Bargains (if you have one near you), though you can also usually find micro fibre cloths in the supermarket for reasonable prices.

The Alternative Track: An old cotton T-shirt or top usually works just as well - Cost: Free, or charity shop it.

The Must Have Sound: A Seamless Comb/Jilbere Shower Comb.

Used for: Detangling the hair easily in the shower with minimal hair loss and breakage. The Hercules Range usually run about £12 for each comb.

The Alternative Track: The Boots Shower Comb - it's not seamless but (in my opinion) with enough conditioner it does a decent job of the detangling business. If you don't have a Boots, your local Beauty Supply Store should have some variation of it - Cost: £1.99.

The Must Have Sound: Kinky Curly Curling Custard

Used for : Moisturised and well defined curls. Costs upwards of £15 for a 8oz container.

The Alternative Track(s): The Faerie swears by her Umberto Gianni's Scrunching Cu rl Friends - Cost: £4.79

A lot of people seem to really like Eco-Styler Gel, which you can get from Paks in London - Cost: £2.49

Make Your Own: Flaxseed/Linseed Gel - I would advise you half the amount though, that tutorial makes loads! However, flaxseed gel also freezes quite well. The seeds are available from Hollands and Barretts and Julian Graves - Cost: £3.69 for 500g (would make over 2 litres of gel).

For more options and reviews concerning gel, read here and here.

The Must Have Sound: Giovanni Direct Leave In Conditioner

Used for: Easy and lightweight moisturising and costs between £6-£8 for 250ml

The Alternative Track - I've got my lot here and the first two ingredients at the back are water and aloe vera juice. At the time of publishing, aloe vera juice is currently on sale at Hollands and Barretts for £3. You could easily mix up your own for half the price. If your hair hates it, you've saved yourself £3. If it loves it, you've saved yourself £3. And when I finish my other container, this is what I will be doing.

The Must Have Sound: Semi Exotic Oils and other edible stuffs.

Used for: Sealing, moisturising, pre-poo, deep conditioning, rinsing etc.
These are not just oils. These are cold pressed, organic, virgin fair trade oils that can cost a bomb if you're buying more than one.

The Alternative Track: Your supermarket or local Indian/Asian food mart.
I've found coconut oil, castor Oil, mustard oil, jasmine and amla oil in my local Indian stores.
If they're not available, your big supermarket will usually have some. I got my grape seed oil from Sainsburys at a far cheaper price than in my local health food store because its food grade, not cosmetic. The only difference I saw on the back was that the food grade didn't have Vitamin E added to it. They also sell avocado oil. If you want leaves or flowers, you can usually use tea bags instead. In that case, it's useful knowing the other names of things, such as how sorrel and hibiscus are usually one and the same.

Any other suggestions [or corrections] would be greatly appreciated!

Grad Hair

2011-07-26T12:58:00.000+01:00

For my hair during my graduation, I decided on plaits/braids like I did last time. I wanted this because I wanted something that I could literally jump out of bed with - no styling, no undoing, no faffery, nothing that I could mess up since my ceremony was early in the morning and I wouldn't have the time.
I did them two days before my ceremony, which was a mistake because they didn't age enough for me to like them on the day. They took me a day to to and the only product I used was my Bee Mine Curly Butter rip off.

To be honest, I didn't really need to worry about the hat fitting on my head since they had a range of hat sizes available.

Because I especially disliked the way my hair was hanging on the right side, I flat rolled it under, but I don't know where the picture of that is and I'm far too lazy to do it again.

My mum wore a gorgeous baby pink gele that drew a lot of attention. She was considering wearing Western clothing, since she'd worn a gele to a wedding the week before and felt a bit self-conscious. However, since I was little she has promised me that when I finally graduate, she'd wear a massive gele that would block the view of spectators behind her to make sure everyone knew that she was my mother.

She looked amazing. People kept coming up to me and asking "Is that your mum in the pink headscarf?" and I would relpy "YEP!"
There was no shame in my mama's game.

I wore Nigerian lace under my gown to match her, despite the fact that the design made me look heavily pregnant in the photos.

The day was pretty fun, even the part where our car broke down on the way home.

My family didn't appreciate this.

Nor did they appreciate getting bitten by the fire ants hidden in the grass.

Like ninjas.

Fire ant ninjas.

I'm planning to leave the braids in until the 1st of August, when I've completed Loo's 3in6 challenge [bwhaha, totally didn't keep up to date with the fortnightly update thing] because they are extremely convenient.

And I am extremely lazy.

Mixtress Mischief: Kurly Bella's Detangler

2011-07-25T16:26:00.001+01:00

I previously mentioned that I used this detangler to take down my braids and I thought I'd write down a little bit about what I did.

One thing about the original recipe on Kurly Bella's site is that there's no amount of water specified on the site.
So I did the usual and winged it.

Ingredients:

250ml (1 cup) of water
1 tablespoon of hibiscus flowers
1.5 tablespoons of marshmallow root
1.5 tablespoons of dried burdock root

I bought many of the raw materials from Anita Grant during my little end of ban splurge.

The hibiscus in the bag came from my local hippy co-operative

I love receiving packages from her - it's like getting a present in the mail from one of your favourite aunts!

Hi Anita!

I started off by putting the water in a pan and bringing it to a gentle simmer, with tiny bubbles everywhere.

I then added the hibiscus flowers, which dyed the water that lovely hue of pink red that is so particular to hibiscus.

I love it, but please be warned that it can seriously stain your clothes and and other materials (like toilet seat covers) really badly and will be the reason I'm losing about 10% of my accommodation deposit.

After simmering for about 5 minutes, I strained the hibiscus tisane into a bowl and added the marshmallow root and burdock roots.

I would later bury the hibiscus flowers in the deepest depths of the night as part of my secret eco-warrior sentiments.

I covered it with some cling film and went off to do something on the computer. We'll pretend it was work, but I was probably blog stalking again.

After half an hour, I remembered I was doing something in the kitchen and went back to strain out the mixture into a jug.

Filled with curiousity, I sniffed at the assortment of roots tentatively and then recoiled violently.

I will not be doing that again.

When it had cooled, I poured the pink liquid into a 20 fl oz spray bottle for ease of use.

How I used it:

When I was using it to take my braids down, I spritzed the mix liberally over the area I was working on, then used my rat tail comb end to pick out the braid.

I found it was incredibly useful when it came to slipping out the shed hairs towards the root of the hair without the weird slick greasiness I sometimes get from conditioner, when my finger slips off my hair and I end up thwacking myself in the face various times with the comb and my well conditioned fingers.

I wish it had made undoing the actual braids easier though *sad face* Despite the fact it wasn't an all round wonder product, it made slipping out the shed hair easy and simple, with a minimal loss of hair.

So I liked it . But I haven't made it again since, because I am lazy. However, now the holidays have started and no-one will employ me, it looks like I have a lot of time on my hands!

Unless you want to employ me. Maybe?

Ṣẹ you speak my language?

2011-07-15T21:09:00.000+01:00

Hi everyone.

My name is A Simple Thing.

I'm currently learning French at an advanced level and Japanese at an intermediate level, and I occasionally dabble in Korean and Mandarin.

But I have another confession to make (trying to get the Best Of You).

I don't actually speak Yoruba.

That's my embarrassment at my Nigerian fail, and my lacklustre MS Paint picture skills...

It's not that I've never wanted to - my parents never bothered to teach me. I've literally been bugging them since I can remember - "Mummy, teeeach me! Daddy! Please!"

I mean, I can understand it pretty well, and I worked out how to read the tones when I was seven and had to read letters to my grandma, but the writing? The speaking? These other essential parts of communication are severely lacking in my life.

And when I first started looking a while ago, it seemed that the resources for a comprehensive (and free) guide to learning Yoruba were..well, non-existent.

Although it's recognised nationally as a language in Nigeria, it's not an official language of the country. A distinct lack of famous nature reserves and an unfortunate non lack of political issues means it's not exactly a tourist hotspot. So outside of Nigeria, it's really difficult to learn to speak any Yoruba.

Of course, lack of resources hasn't stopped me from trying to learn it. A year later, I'm still trying.

My biggest inspiration has been a girl called Cara Titilayo. Here's one of her videos:

Isn't she amazing? My mum watched that video five times, because she was flabbergasted.

I've found some decent resources and I'm combining what is written with the knowledge buried inside the minds of my parents.

My mum actually never studied Yoruba, thanks to the golden education system of her time, but speaks it fluently and far more often than my dad.

I phone her when she's not busy so I can test my pronunciation on her.

She likes it because it's one way of getting her daily laugh.

My dad studied it and speaks it fluently, so he's a gold mine when I want to ask a question about the technical difficulties, like the alphabet rhymes (a for ajá, b for bàtà etc).

Again, he gets his fair share of laughs as well (and tells me that my younger cousins would call me 'Mama London' if they heard my accent, which I'm cool with that - it's not like it's a complete fiction).

Sugabelly currently has a language challenge going on where Nigerians post up them talking in their native language with a transcript, but I'm not brave enough to do it.

Instead, what I'm trying to do is stay committed to working me way through one form of internet Yoruba course. Although this one is more detailed, I find the way it's written very confusing, since it uses letter that are not present in the Yoruba dictionary (c, q, x, z) to replace the extra vowels.

Er. No thanks.

So I'm trying to stick to this one instead for this summer whilst waiting for my knee to decide whether or not it wants to stick with me or not.

But doing stuff like this makes me wonder if I'm the only person who is as obsessed with learning languages like this like this - most kids are know are either multilingual thanks to their upbringing or have no interest in another language, which I think is sad.

I'm fascinated by the constructs of different languages and it blows my mind that people with the resources to learn to communicate and ultimately learn from people from other countries, other cultures, and other places simply don't care.

Then again, I've also been told by many that I'm a nutter for being so obsessed, so I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

My Sister's (Hair) Keeper

2011-07-13T19:00:00.001+01:00

So my family were off to celebrate my uncle's birthday and the Littlest Sis ~~demanded~~ asked if I could assist her with her hair.

I actually LOVE playing in her hair because 1. She lets me and 2. She almost never ever complains.

Plus, unlike when I do my own hair, I can see what I'm doing. It's pure bliss.

I decided that a flat twist out would be the order of the day for my far more glamourous little sister.

I divided her hair into two sections - the top and the bottom.

I tied away with the top and then did four big vertical flat twists on the bottom and when I'd completed them, did the same on the top section. Then I rolled the ends on my funky instant-fun-in-a-packet neon rollers.

Yeah, she's reading the Lush Times....darn product junkie that she is!

Product wise, I think I used some (heavily) diluted Tresemmé Naturals conditioner as de-tangler and leave in and combined it with our newest purchase of Lush's R&B moisturiser and sealant - we went past one a couple of days before, got hooked in by the smell and then couldn't resist purchasing something.

I say 'our' purchase, but being glamourous also seems to mean that the Littlest Sis is permanently broke, so....

Anyhoo. I left it for about an hour and a half (we were in a rush) and then when the hectic atmosphere got too much, I had to pull out the hair dryer to try and persuade the roots that dry was the way to go. I kept it really far away from her head (about 6 inches) and on a low heat, since she has half relaxed and half natural hair and I'm mortally afraid of heat (I don't know if she's transitioning or not. Heck, I don't think she knows!).

We tried to do some pin curls on the front, but we hated them. So we combed them out.

I melted a small bit of coconut oil in my hand and then gently clapped it onto the twists before unravelling them.

Genuinely, the pictures don't do it justice. I was in envy at the shape because it somehow wound up looking really cute and bob like and I was blown over.

I'll pretend it's my handiwork but she's just really fortunate! It's especially galling considering I hadn't had time to do my hair and ended up with a scarf and a ponytail.

Her hair was actually amazing.

..until my mum went at it with a brush to 'comb it out'. BAM! Instant puff ball. I have no photographic evidence because I was too distraught at the destruction of my masterpiece and the Littlest Sis was fuming and refused to pose for most photos.

So just take my word for it.

Update - and a hair cut

2011-07-11T18:11:00.001+01:00

- I was cutting out split ends from my hair and then got frustrated and ended up cutting between 1 - 2 inches from my hair.

- I remembered to take a picture after the massacre impromptu hair cut.

- If you hear someone screaming horrificially in the distance, that means my mum has asked me what I'm doing with my hair for my graduation again.

- I can cross quite a few things off my resolution list now! But I'm far too lazy to do it right now.

- I put my hair in twists for two days. Took them down for my graduation ball and then put them back in the next day.

- I kept those twists in for two weeks. Since I was doing a placement, the twists were just on my head in what little high bun I could muster. My lazy initiative has spread to my hair care practises.

- I thought I would be avant garde and experiment with sulphates and cones this summer. After my carefully applied hibiscus colour was taken out by a colour care shampoo and I ended up with a haystack, this plan has been scrapped indefinitely. I was literally saved by applying liberal amounts of (The Littlest Sis') R&B moisturiser - me gusta!

- I had to reject a place on the J.E.T programme. I went into a spiral of despair for half an hour, and then lunchtime was over and the year 3 class I was with helped me get over it.

- My nails are terribly split from moving heavy boxes of my stuff about. This makes me sad.

- Any plans for rollering and/or running have to be scrapped since my left knee has been bugging me for about a week now. So I'm going to be swimming a lot. Which means I should probably get lessons first.

Which means I need an actual job.

Happy Daddie's Day once again!

2011-06-19T18:06:00.000+01:00

It's that time of the year, when we think of the father figures in our lives and start to think of how to appreciate them.

So I've compiled a couple of videos specially for today. Even if you're not celebrating, they're worth a peek for pure comedic value!

For Daddies with that special dancing style.

For Daddies who always help you to keep going.

For Daddies who just love every aspect of being a Daddy

Sweet Monday

2011-06-15T09:19:00.000+01:00

I took the braids out on Sunday, which makes it nine days.

The cornrows were looking a little wild and I was getting tired of the half style in general, so I took it out, using only my weird experimental grapeseed/Vatika/castor oil mix, because I hate wetting my hair.
It took me about 6 -7 hours of One Piece watching before I was done.

BANG! And the fro is released.

Then I washed my head that same night (I started taking it out in the afternoon, since I'd been playing netball all morning), conditioned with Tresemmé Naturals and then added my beloved Giovanni's and some aloe vera gel and the weird oil mix. I took the opportunity to do a search and destroy method, cutting out knots and split ends wherever they did pop up, which meant cutting up to an inch in some aresa.

The next day, which was Monday, the Faerie had to go to for an interview and Lady V and I were her morale boosting, joke cracking, doughnut purchasing escorts.

So I decided to make an effort with my hair and did a cinnabun [video tutorial here].

I loosely tied the ribbon around my head, and pulled it back to a comfortable position on my head, to make a puff a la Mwedzi. When I was happy with the position of the ribbon on my head, I tied it a little tighter and made it into a bow.

Then I grabbed sections of hair in the puff bit at the back, loosely twisted them around themselves from the base (to make a cleaner look. If not, random pieces of hair at the base start doing their own thing and trying to go their own way and it looks hilarious) and then pinned the end of the section near the base of the section with a bobby pin.

The closer to the base and the further from the center of the puff section I pinned it, the higher that section of the cinnabun would be. The close to the centre of the puff and the further from the base, the lower that section would be

I hope that makes sense.

I doubt it does.

This helped me create a semi-uniform look on my cinnabun buns, since my hair is differing thickness and length all over..

Lady V: The middle looks like a daisy!
Faerie: It looks so touchable! And squishy!

I think I managed to efficiently carry out my morale boosting duties.

See, using black bobby pins means you can't see them! Yay! And ignore any sign of 'shine' - that's purely the flash and my desk light conspiring together.

And then I took it down and resorted to Pajama hair - less pins and waaaay easier to sleep on.

Grunking on your Scalp

2011-06-13T08:49:00.002+01:00

Before I start, I'd like to remind you that I am not a doctor, nor a nurse, nor Doogie Howser. This is stuff I've gleaned from some journals I shouldn't have been looking at, since I still have another 75 episodes of One Piece to catch up on.
Thus, if you have any medical issues, pleaseplease PLEASE go and have a chat with your doctor, who is actually qualified to dispense with medical advice.

If you read my breakdown of my braids here, then you may have noticed me use the word 'grunk'.

As usual, I was flippant about it, because it was something I assumed everyone had experienced before.

Not so, mes chéries! It looks like the 'Grunk', as I like to call it, is something else entirely.

Ever since I started relaxing, I remember the Grunk - loyal companion to my constantly itchy head who particularly enjoyed making its presence excessively known after 2 or 3 months in braid extensions; I thought it was something that I would just have to accept as a part of life.

Like meany older cousins.

However, I've realised that this is not true. Well, the Grunk, not the mean older cousins.

Mean older cousins are definitely a certainty of life.

If you go on forums or facebook pages or any communal hair pages, and someone describes something that sounds like The Grunk - flaking, itchy scalp that is soothed briefly after a wash, but comes back with a vengeance as soon as you look the other way, most people advise them to clarify with ACV or use a scalp scrub.

Uh, noo....build up is usually waxy product build up that leaves your hair dull(er) and lank.

The Grunk (in the context of hair) only occurs on your scalp, because your hair is dead - it cannot produce flakes.

Though with people with straighter hair, the Grunk can travel down the hair strand and settle on your shoulders.

Sound familiar?

I call it The Grunk.

For some, it is Seborrheic Dermatitis.

For other, it's dandruff.

Before you squeal, close the webpage and protectively clutch your Head and Shoulders at the very mention of the D word, hear me out.

I'm about to put on my 'smart' cap and get my JC swag on.

There is a theory that goes like this:
Everybody has microflora, known as Pityrosporum ovale or Malassezia ovalis on their scalp.

I'm going to refer to them as the Grunkers though, because that's what I know.

And that's how I roll.

The Grunkers are a part of the essential workings of the scalp.

Every now and then, they'll release flakes that get rinsed away when you wash your scalp/hair. You don't notice them because...well, they're not noticeable.

People with dandruff have more of the Grunkers working in the same area, so the flakes stick together and are more noticeable:

And if it's Sebhorric Dermatitis, your Grunker density may be slightly higher than that, so the flakes are extremely noticeable.

Grunker Lights! Yay! ^_^

Sources: Journal of Investigative Dermatology [(1975), v.64(6) pg 401]
Journal of American Academy of Dermatology [(1985), v12(5) pg 852]
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology [(2000), v1(2) pg 75

They're basically the same thing, just different levels of severity.

I think cradle cap is also similar, but when it's present in babies, and the Seborrheic Dermatitis is similar to ezcema that people can get on other parts of the body.

I'll tell you what this doesn't mean - it doesn't mean that people with dandruff are dirty, or don't wash their hair enough.

I find it unusual that, amongst the 'natural community', topics like this haven't come up more often - almost every single person will say something about maintaining the health of your scalp being imperative for the health of your hair, but then what do you do if your scalp is flaring up something rotten? It only came to my attention when Serenity Spot brought it up on her blog.

There may be some connection between this and use of relaxers, but any evidence is purely anecdotal.

From what I can see, there's no definite cure - it's a condition that either you manage for the rest of your life, or it clears up on its own.

If you think you have too many Grunkers in your hair trunk, as a normal (albeit nosey) member of society, I would advise you go to your doctor and get their recommendation for treatment.

Back to Braids

2011-06-10T11:36:00.000+01:00

Back to Reality *breaks it down 90s old skool style*

Last week today I decided to try a cornrow and it resulted in my entire head getting put up. Because I'm obsessed.

Was this the day before my last exam on Friday? You bet it was!

The cornrows started out small, but as I moved further up my head, my arms got more tired and they got bigger and sloppier.

Random flash of colour from the ends of my hair muddled in the cornrow
Reminds me slightly of Rufio from Hook

Because I like my cornrow the way I like my potatoes.

Mashed.

I got to the top of my head and my arms officially gave out.

The plaits/braids of the cornrows ended up being medium thickness

So I threw in some braids for my fringe, since the very idea of being without my fringe to hide behind makes my heart do a funny dance of fear.

And then it just continued. Until half of my head was in cornrows and the rest was a river of braids. I think the braids are microscopically bigger than the last set, and it only took me just under 6 hours to do, so waaaaaaaaaaay less time than the other set.

Products? Uhhh.... Giovanni Direct Leave In, Aloe Vera Gel from Hollands and Barretts and a weird experimental mix of grapeseed oil (from Sainsburys), Vatika Oiland a drop of castor. I put about a drop of peppermint essential oil in to make sure I kept it fresh.

Minty Fresh *cheesy smile*

My hair had been washed the previous day and have been lovingly dried in my pajama hair style.

It's definitely not going to last more than two weeks, since I'm itching to take it out and I don't have anything to distract me from doing this.

Freedom is indeed a dangerous thing.

Pajama Hair

2011-06-08T21:07:00.000+01:00

After having taken down the braids, I was at a bit of a loss as to what I should do to my hair. After three days of having my hair out, I was done and wanted something a little bit less conspicuous, a little bit less effort and a heck of a lot more casual.

Something that matched the comfy clothes, like the tracksuit or pair of shorts you lounge around in when you're at home by yourself with nowhere to go, or when you've woken up and just relax in your pajamas, because there's nothing else to do.

I know for majority of people, these days don't happen very often. But while I was at home by myself, revising for another two weeks, I didn't really want to have fabulous hair because...well, it was a waste.

I know for a fact that my duvet does not appreciate the effort one may try and put into a twist out.

So this is my 'pajama' hair style.

Two massive French plaits, one on each side side.

Like Pippi Longstocking. But not as red.

It's simple and easy and quick and protective, both on the ends and manipulation side of things.

If it doesn't look right, because your cornrow game isn't up to par, like mine, then you can just cover it in a scarf and be done with it.

And then two smaller plaits (or twists, I was just trying to practise plaiting a bit more) at the front to use my my fringe hair.

The nice thing about this style is that it's easy to 'pretty' up if you've got 10 minutes to throw on some underwear, non loungey clothes and have to run out of the house somewhere. Like so:

The ends were simply pinned over each other in a criss cross style using two hair pins.
Why I decided to use brown ones, I know not.

I've worn the French braids in two loops, and then used a hair band on each loop to keep it them in place. Easy to decorate with clips or flowers or skulls and crossbones - whatever cute you're into.

You can use Scunci ouchless bands to create the loops, because they don't have the metal bits that cause excessive sagging. However, I find that continual daily use of them may still result in hair being pulled out since tighter coiling hair will find it a joy to wrap around them and then be ripped out. You have been warned.

They can be found in Sainsburys, Boots and the like. The band I'm using in the above picture isn't Scunci, it's just a hair bobble I got from some random hair shop.

Or you could let it all hang out. This was fine for me for a couple of hours, but constant shoulder shaking (because I'm so funny I can't help it) means that the ends of my plaits/braids end up pointing in various directions.

The pajama style usually lasts me 3 or 4 days, if I wear a satin scarf at night to lay the fluff down, before I take it down, remoisturise and then put them back up.

Viva la comfort!

The Very Picture of Folly?

2011-06-06T09:25:00.000+01:00

Since I've finished, I think updating slightly more regularly should be a given.

That, and I've been struck down by some sort of malevolent plague since Saturday evening so I can't really leave my room, lest I unleash it upon the rest of the student population.

The Cold Fairy has a wicked sense of irony.

Back to the actual subject of this post. The story goes like this:

Girl is wandering about town centre by herself (no adult supervision, tut tut). Decides to pop into TK Maxx (known as TJ Maxx in the States) to ogle at the shoes that will not fit her.

As usual, she drifts past the hair section, as she does in Every Single Shop she enters.

But something is different. There is...wait, does that bottle say Giovanni? By gum, it does! TK Maxx is stocking the entire Giovanni shampoo and conditioner range (though sadly, not the direct leave-in. *sniff*)

However, the price tag is £14.99. Yep, that's right, 15 squid for 1 litre of product.

The girl tries to talk herself out of it. After all, she's never tried any of them. What if she hates it? What if she goes bald?! And it's £15! That's a lot of food!

Knowing that cosmetic products are non - refundable, she fights with herself a little longer.

Bed's not made because I plan on getting right back in there *cough, hawwwwk*

And then caves in the biggest way possible. Someone obviously forgot their Willpower for breakfast that morning.

I've used it a couple of times on my scalp, and I like it (THANK GOD), though it does dry the hair out, so it's NOT a moisturising shampoo. It clearly reads on the description it's purpose:

Shampoo should clean hair. Really good shampoo should make you tingle from head to toe. With tea tree triple threat shampoo, invigorating ingredients wash in rejuvenation while washing away the previous day.

You're left with something rich, something clean. Something incredibly stimulating...for hair and mind. Think about it.

No mention of hydrating, because that's not what it does folks.

The Wonder Thing's thoughts on it: "It's....minty.'

The Faerie has used some too, and although she agrees that it's slightly drying too, she likes it because it helped her get the newly earned sweat out of her hair.

Yes, I'm sharing product with other people - may I remind you that it's 1 litre. Of shampoo.

And even though I'm happy with it, and even though it's more cost efficient that buying 3 of the shampoo for the same price and getting less product.... I still feel that I will forever think of myself as the girl who spent £15 on shampoo. It has a pump, for goodness sake! Which makes using it in the shower a breeze but still...it unsettles me slightly.

It kind of says "Hey! Look at me! I have a pump! Someone's obviously crazy obsessed here!"

Me? Crazy? Whaddya mean?

Finished!

2011-06-03T17:29:00.000+01:00

It's officially over! I had my last exam this morning, and I am (hopefully) finally a graduand - that strange state of being student who has completed their course requirements, and not yet undergone the graduation ceremony.

In short. I'm excited, I'm ecstatic and I am terribly alone, since The Wonder Thing, The Faerie and Lady V all have a couple more assignments and other stuff to do. Thus, I'm going to watch 100 episodes of One Piece, catch up with my K-Drama series (Oh, have I've missed y'all) and live out 80% of the lyrics of this song:

Well, minus the hands in the pants bit.

Does he mean pants in the American way, or the British way?

Doesn't matter, either way, I won't.

I'll think I'll be mainly focusing on the staying in bed and ignoring my phone.

Plaits, Matts and Two Cups of Hair

2011-05-25T09:30:00.006+01:00

For some reason, as I wrote this, I felt like I was doing it in your typical Cockney gangster film narrative voice. I have no idea why.

That is my justification for the abysmal title (name that film).

Obviously, my brain has been fried from far too much revision.

So in a nutshell, here's Braids - The Breakdown.

*Insert appropriate funky rock music here*

The Installation:
My hair had been washed the previous day was and minimally stretched from twists I'd gotten bored of the day before. I did the plaits/braids on dry hair, and used Vatika Oil as my styler thingy.

To do the plaits, I roughly parted and separated (and de-tangled) an adequate section with my fingers and started plaiting with three similarly sized strands of hair. When I no longer had three strands, I did twists to keep my ends together/protected.

I started at 4pm on the Friday evening and worked until 10pm. Then I started again at 11am the next day and was finished by 8pm. The installation was interspersed with cursing the assignment I was supposed to be working on and sorrowfully contemplating how I got myself into such a state.
So we'll just say it took me an entire day to do.

The Maintenance (and Styling)
To be honest, I didn't do anything special; I just went on as usual - I shampooed my hair twice a week, and did some extra rinsing when I'd been doing sports and had gotten all sweaty and stuff.

Every couple of days, I let my hair get a bit wet in the shower, and then applied some leave-in conditioner and Vatika Oil. At night, I put my hair up in as high a bun as I could manage with a silk satin scrunchie and covered it with a satin scarf.

Silk scrunchie: £1.94 from pc_traders on ebay
Satin scarf (not shown) £2.99 from Hair Shop in London

This made my hair stick up in the morning, so I'd have to wear it in a ponytail as I got ready, or just them them get a bit wet in the shower to remind the plaits of the laws of gravity.

Honestly, I could've done a bit more to look after my ends, but my hair wasn't really my priority at the time, since I was attempting to complete my dissertation and still emerge a mildly sane person out the other end.

Whether this objective was achieved remains to be seen.

I left them in for four weeks and they got delightfully fluffy and fuzzy towards the end at the roots, but from the midsection downwards, the hair was still presentable.

The Fuzzy Roots (totally sounds like a band)

Compared to the still presentable midsection.

However, attempting to do a ponytail with them, meant that the fuzz overtook everything, so for a couple of inches back from my edges, it looked like my edges went on for years.

However, a couple of headbands and I was good to go!

Think I've mentioned the headband was stolen from the Littlest Sis

Headband - Present from The Wonder Thing (Cambodia)
Ear rings - Bought from China.

The matted, fuzzy roots.
Fortunately, the Grunk is not visible.

I know they were fine, because I took them to an interview in the fourth, fuzziest week. And I got what I was interviewing for. So the hair was not a problem.

Just used a clip to put half my hair up

And left the rest down.

I don't remember where I got the clip from (so I probably hi-jacked it from my mum) but I remember it came in a packet, and you can find sturdier and more appealing clips in Boots and Superdrug.
I would have left them in for a couple more weeks, but my scalp was screaming at me for a proper deep cleansing scrub.

The Take Down
I found that I hadn't managed to completely avoid the grunk. You know, that stuff that appears at the base of the hair when you've had it in extension plaits or kinky twists for a couple of months, and it makes your hair go all matted...?

Wait, you mean you don't get that?

Oh. Okay.

Well, there was grunk. If you've never experienced it, don't worry about it. Just take my word for it.
I used KurlyBella's detangling spray to take my hair down (but that's for another post), and it was relatively easy.

Took me a couple of days though - I started on Thursday morning, and had half of it finished by the end of the day. Friday, had a sports tournament, so didn't get anything done really. Saturday, did some more in the morning, then chilled with friends in the evening and then finally got it all sorted out after church on Sunday.
So four days, but I could've easily done it in two. I was being extremely careful when I took these out, because I know I'd ~~amassed~~ ~~annihilated~~ caused a small bit of breakage when putting them in, and I shed buckets, so I was anticipating an ambush of knots and tangles.

My hair did not disappoint. Some areas were as easy as eating cake. Some areas were completely horrific (namely my crown, where the hair is finer and a pain-in-the-backside-ier). The braids were fine, but when I got to the roots, it was really matted and took me a while to gently de-tangle and separate the hair.

I used a pin/rat tail comb to unpick the ends, sprayed on the detangler and then unpicked the braid by hand. I detangled with my fingers and when I had a moderate section, I added more detangler and then clapped my hands together on either side of the section of hair and slid out the shed hair.
Separated the matting with my fingers and then slowly and gently ran my wide tooth shower comb through my hair to make sure.
If necessary, I added some Vatika Oil to give the harder to do sections a lot more slip.
Lack of nurturing my ends for four weeks meant some of them ran for the hills.

It's okay. I didn't like those fair weather ends anyway!

There aren't any pictures because trauma like that should not be shown to the general public...and my phone had been acting suspiciously anyway, so I decided not to.

How to Experiment - The Basics

2011-05-23T08:20:00.002+01:00

When I first started dealing with my hair, I was lost. Asking desperately for advise on different forums, I was told the same thing:

'Everybody is different. You have to experiment to find what works for you'

Which is all very well and good - but I didn't know how to experiment. It was kind of like trying to make a spaghetti bolognese that I liked with a vague idea of the ingredients but no standard recipe to work off and modify to my taste. Is there such thing as too much tomato purée?!

So I thought a little guide of how to experiment with different products would be kind of helpful. Some of it is based on my experiences, and the rest on methods I've observed.
Therefore it's incredibly subjective. You have been warned! If you have any other advice, please leave them in the comments - sharing is caring! :)

1. Get to know your hair and scalp.

When people talking talk about 'getting to know your hair', they make it sound either like a spiritual journey, or an extremely awkward set of compulsory forced dates. Totally doesn't need to be like that.
Ironically, at the same time, there is supposedly to be certain features unique to textured hair - that's it's coarse, thick and dry.
Yeah, whatever.
Here's a brief check list to help you and the stuff on your hair learn to bond:

How much does your hair ordinarily shed in a week?
A lot of people keep their weekly shed hair in little bag so they can keep an eye on it and come up with an average of how much hair they usually lose. This means you can eventually work out if you've lost too much hair from a particularly rough de-tangling session or potentially more internal issues.
What does your hair feel like when it's moisturised?
And this is very different to how it looks/feels when it's wet and/or oily. If you're transitioning from heat or relaxers, it may take you a while to nurse your hair up to this point. Damaged hair needs a lot of nursing. I can't tell you what it feels like when your hair is moisturised I'm afraid - it's different for everyone.
I'm guessing not like crisps (chips). But if you know when your hair is moisturised, it can help when trying to untangle that massive knot known as the Protein/Moisture balance.
The different needs of the different areas:
It's almost an accepted fact that people have different patches of hair on their. This doesn't necessarily apply only to hair texture and shape - it can also be to do with properties. For example, the areas that knot a lot easier, or don't respond as well to wheat protein, or turns into mush at the first sign of too much moisture, or never ever feels moisturised. Working out the different needs means banishing that horrid phrase known as 'the problem area'.

2. Do your research.

Did you just groan?
I know, I know, it's boring, but I did say the basics - so that means swotting up on what you think your hair is going to need. Not only on ingredients and techniques, but reviews of products you're considering buying - what have other people said? Is there a similar vein concerning it's faults or good parts? How did they use it, wet or dry? Was there side effects after a certain amount of time?
If that de-tangling method hasn't worked too well for you, what other methods are there? Can you combine different elements of each to make your own? What does slip feel like? [From what I can tell, it's not necessarily a slippy, slimy feeling as I first expected].
If you want to know something and a blog looks fairly knowledgeable, don't be afraid to use the search bar wherever it is. Educate yourselves the best you can.

Do be careful of urban legends that have come to be believed as gospel: E.g "If you cut your hair, it will help it grow!"

T_T

3. Write your own rule book

Just because someone says 'you're not supposed to' doesn't mean you have to listen to them. Have they been on twenty five failed co-wash dates with your hair? No? Okay.
Everybody expects different things from their hair, and may require different products to achieve.
For some, fluffy hair is where it's it, while others don't mind a bit of crunch if it looks the way they want it to.
You can't experiment freely if you've constricted yourself to a certain list of rules before you've even began.
If sulfate-free isn't working for you, then try sulphates.
If you've bought every single natural product under the sun and it's not working for you, then have a whirl with 'the dark side' of silicones and mineral oil and vice versa.
If you can't afford the mega expensive products, then have a whirl with the cheap ones.
Find what works for you. No such thing as a hair sin!

4. Have a set limit

When using a product, it's natural to expect big things from the product immediately.
Doesn't mean it's realistic.
Whatever you're using may need a couple more goes before it starts to show its true colours, which is useful to know before you start singing its praises or cursing its creator. So if you give yourself a limit, such as one month, 3 months, or 10 uses (depending on the frequency that you plan to use it) that gives you more opportunity to eliminate flukes and see what conditions it works best in or if it even works at all!
Try trial/travel sizes - it gives you a natural limit (to when it finishes) and helps you save money in case you absolutely abhor the product! There usually tend to be a lot of trial sizes of commercial products in Boots and Superdrug, and online suppliers usually have them as well. If not, you can always try and get a swap or, if you're feeling really cheeky, a freebie off kindly people on forums. Sometimes someone's bought a product and hated it so much, they're desperate to give it away.

5. Compare and take it slow.

Start off with what you think are the very basics of a hair regime. For example, a shampoo. See how that makes your hair/scalp feel. And after you've finished using that, and you want to try something else, do it and then compare them. How does this product make your hair feel? Cleaner? Drier? Whether it works better or worse depends on what you're looking for.
Using this method, you can slowly widen your arsenal after you've found the foundation products that work for you.

6. Accept the mistakes (and maybe keep a record of them)

Because that's how we learn!
Have you used too much pomade and now look like you took the term 'buttered up' too literally?
Yeah, you probably won't be doing that again any time soon.
Writing things down, even short notes, on what you used and how you used it can really help you in the future. Sometimes, you forget that thing you did with your fingers that was amazing, but flicking back and looking through can remind you of it and how great it was! Plus, you can keep a tab on what products you used and hated or disliked, so if they're ever discontinued, you can find a similar product without too much hassle and money wasted.

I hope this helps a little!

Why Won't It Whip?

2011-05-20T15:17:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, life had reached a time when I was getting into my third week of braids and The Wonder Thing had not had a hair cut for a fair while.

Knowing how hair obsessed I am, every now and then he would initiate a frenzy of crazed hair shaking by declaring "I whip my hair!".

This would result in both of us flinging our heads about like absolute loons until I was exhausted or he claimed that his hair was longer than mine.

We are normal, I promise.

Well, eventually the time came when he couldn't take it any more and went to get his hair cut.

An hour later, I got a message from him that said "Whip my - Ohhh, it's not doing it!"

Why does he look so happy? He's not doing it right!

It took me about 20 minutes to stop laughing.

Plaited Up

2011-05-10T11:49:00.000+01:00

Or braided up. You know what I mean.

You know who I blame? I blame pookinapp16! I was watching this video and I was thinking:

"Wow. Her plaits are so cute. I should put plaits in and then.... I will look cute."

Evidence that far too much staring at a computer screen will lead to delusion.

My hair was slightly stretched from twists though not much.

The twists

Also, taking pictures on the back of your head on a webcam is really hard!

I don't have a blow dryer at university, because I've never really been interested in blow drying (hot scalp! Ooowwwwch!). And I didn't part my hair when I started plaiting/braiding, because I'm lazy.

I did it on clean, dry hair, maybe semi-stretched from the twists.

All I used for styling was Vatika Oil, and when I ran out of hair halfway down, I just started twisting.

When I put the first one in, my thought was - "Huh. Maybe that's a little small".

After an hour, I had my front fringe/bangs section done.

By the time I'd finished for the night on the first day, I was ready to kick myself stupid. 4 hours of braiding (and de-tangling, and faux-parting, because my parts just never seem to work, and ripping my hair out) later and this is what I had.

I finished the next day, at about 4pm. Considering I was also agonising over an essay, my timing was not the best, because even for the best multi-taskers in the world, typing and braiding would be difficult.

Unless they can braid one handed.

Oh my goodness, is that even possible?!

Now for the million pound question - Why did I do this to myself?

a. I'm a masochist

b. I have no realistic sense of time, space or my limitations as a human being.

c. I thought it would be a lark

d. I'm a masochist

Since I was going home the next day, I decided to wash them while I was at uni (and still had time), and I felt I went a little overboard with the Vatika, so the only picture I have from the first week is just after I washed it.

See that space where there should be hair? Mm.

It was a LOT of manipulation - my floor was covered in hair, which was disturbing. I shall not be surprised if I take these down and I'm actually bald.

But.

I really like them! I keep whipping them back and forth to stuff on the radio, but it's actually nice just to be able to tie it up in a ponytail without having too much effort.

Also, my mum is pleased with it. YES! She wasn't too impressed with my partings (for obvious reasons - there aren't any) and said that I should take some down, so she could redo them.

I remember the hair on the ground.

And then I said I was disinclined to acquiesce her request.

At which she cut her eyes at me, but the hair was left undisturbed and just as messy. To be honest, having fine hair means that partings often make me look extremely scalpy in certain areas, so I prefer the messy look.

At the start of Week 2, it looked like this:

My colour is a lot more distinct now...though it's going reddy again >.<

Still kind of neat, though the ends had coiled up (since they were twisted)

Headband nicked from the Littlest Sis

I'm currently in my fourth week and the braids are definitely a lot fuzzier - washing twice a week probably didn't help much. To be honest, I don't mind the fuzz. The more this style has aged, the more I've liked it. I've also appreciated the flexibility and ease when I've had to wake up early to read through my work again and make sure that all 15,000 words make sense.

Joy.

Ephiphany Break

2011-05-05T08:51:00.005+01:00

This post is a bit of a long one - apparently, when it comes to my relationship with my hair, I'm quite the philosopher. Chew on that Socrates!

After I did my Cassia treatment and saw all the broken hairs in the bottom of my shower, I was miffed. I thought that the Cassia hadn't worked properly, that I needed more protein my products, that my hair was incredibly weak. It's usually at moments like this that I consider shaving all of my hair off, as doing so will spite my hair into doing what I want, but I know I'd regret it (though wouldn't it be awesome to graduate with a shaven head?).

Basically, I blamed everyone but myself as I asked "Why is my hair breaking?"

And then I remembered this post.

Truth be told, it was almost definitely breaking because of me. Usually, my breakage consists of long strands with no white bulbs, but this time, after handling my hair far in far too rough a manner; after the shrinkage and tangling I'd experienced from the Doomed Twistout; after using a new comb on my sopping wet and weak hair to make detangling easier, when I know my hair is too fine for me to use brushes and combs on it...well, there were a lot of those dreaded short curly bits on the floor.

Then I actually took a look at my hair and was like "Whoa. Why am I so upset?" The fact is, despite all the 'problems' I keep finding with my hair, I love it. At the moment, it's probably the best looked after it's ever been in my entire life. Even when I'm mad about breakage, I love the way it feels when it's wet, when it's dry, when it's twisted or when it's fluffy.

Hold up. Freud insight moment!

*breaks it down on her chaise lounge*

I've been so focused on getting to Waist Length and proving my mum wrong, I'd forgotten what I'd first thought when I'd stopped relaxing - that I wanted to enjoy my hair.

I was still bitter over the hair that got cut and kept thinking, if it hadn't gotten cut, I would be down to here by now... Which is stupid, because being bitter over it isn't going to make the hair miraculously grow back like it never left.

Obsessed with preserving my hair, I'd continuously been watching Youtube videos and reading blog posts and advice and wondering what I was doing wrong, whilst ignoring the most important piece of advice they'd all given:

Leave your hair alone and treat it extremely delicately.

And then prepare for the fact that, even after looking after it incredibly well, hair will still break eventually, because nothing lasts for ever.

My hair is not perfect, but neither am I. And there's a funny sort of liberation that comes from realising that your very idea of perfection is flawed - whether its to do with hair, or appearance or intelligence and talents.

I'll get to Waist Length, but there's no rush, except on my part. People can do it in two years, but I'm not prepared to put my hair away for 2 years in order to do that. I want to enjoy it! If I set myself a certain goal of achieving it, it'd more than likely be a measurement a year, because I'm taking it nice and slow now.

Armpit Length by the end of 2011, Bra Strap Length by the end of 2012, Mid Back Length by the end of 2013 and Waist Length by 2014.

Totally doable.

And even if takes me five years, or even ten, but I will get there eventually, but at my own pace.

But I really need to stop obsessing over my hair. Which for me consists of no longer compulsively recounting the hair journeys of other people and comparing my progress against theirs, and always pulling my hair down to check how length I've gained in 2 hours and signing up to so many challenges, because I always fail or find myself lacking.

Gets helluva boring pretty quickly. My only hair challenge for this year is no more hair challenges.

No more limiting myself by rules that are focused on gaining length.

Remembering the art of patience and the fact that I do have a life outside of my hair (even if my blog does not seem to indicate this!).

After I finish Loo's 3in6 challenge, I guess I'm dropping out of Milan's challenge.

So in order to honour this promise to myself, my hair and I are on a break.

After having this incredible epiphany, I went ahead and put my hair into braids.

Tiny, tiny braids.

Cassia-Nova

2011-05-02T08:50:00.000+01:00

Since it was one of my purchases, I decided to do a Cassia treatment to strengthen my hair. I didn't want to do a Henna because...well, I couldn't be bothered with the staining.

It's bad enough with hibiscus, and I actually like the colour of that.

Plus, I don't want red hair.

(If Henna stained purple instead of red, then I would probably have shares in the darn thing, but that's the way the Lawsonia Obovata crumbles).

I got it from my lovely local hippy co-operative shop.
This was the brand.

Yeah, I don't know who they are either.

First up, let me admit something. When I poured the Cassia powder out into the bowl, I expected fireworks.

I thought the stuff was going to come out wearing squeaky, shiny blue briefs and a cape and declare "Worry not, A Simple Thing! All your mushy haired breakage issues will now be a thing of the past!"

Of course, my over active imagination had set me up for crushing disappointment, because this is what I got instead:

Not only were there no trumpets or superhero theme tun music, it also smells almost exactly like henna. I know because I leant over the bowl and accidentally inhaled some.

I dumped the entire 90g into a bowl and added enough hot water to change it from a powder, to a paste...

..and so forth, until it was the consistency of chocolate pudding.

Because, you know, then it was thick enough to spread evenly on my hair.

And also, I really love chocolate pudding.

Then I covered it with...well, I don't remember, but I left it for half an hour, as per the instructions.

It went very brown on top. Maybe I didn't cover it properly. Oopsie.

I separated my hair into four incredibly elegant sections and pre-oiled really well with Vatika.

So with my gloved hands, I slapped the Cassia on section by section.

I tried to twist the four sections to make it easier and more methodical when rinsing it out, but that didn't really work since the heaviness of the Cassia and density of my hair meant that the twists kept unravelling and I just couldn't be bothered to do it up again.

If you want a reeeeal depth analysis, the procedure went a lot like this:

SHLOP! Schlep, schlep, schlurrrrrrp squish schlapschlapschlap!

I don't have any fancy gloves, so yes, I did use my kitchen ones to avoid staining my hands.

I left it on for an hour and a half and it took me an hour to rinse it out, probably because it was too thick and because I couldn't get more pressure. Removable shower heads are so under rated! Plus, it got everywhere in my shower - once my head was wet, if I turned around too quickly, there would be a massive streak of Cassia up the wall ;_;

So if I do this again, I definitely need to add more water to the paste (love of chocolate pudding consistency aside), because it dried on my head extremely quickly.

I did suffer massive breakage (as usual), so didn't take any pictures because I was sulking. More on that later (the breakage, not the sulking).

I half heartedly conditioned, because I was exhausted, then used my usual leave in and then sealed with Vatika oil and twisted my hair into fat twists.

...Breakage is a beast.

My verdict on the Cassia?
Usually, after washing, my hair is mushy, especially if I pre-treat it with anything, but it didn't feel that way afterwards.
My hair felt mildly stronger, like I'd had a weak but really effective protein treatment.

I was not completely blown away by it but then again, you know, I was expecting fireworks and Superman and briefs, you know? So it didn't meet those high (and probably unrealistic) expectations but it did pretty well.

Even now, when I touch my hair, it doesn't feel as limp as it usually does and that was *looks at the scheduled time of publishing* three weeks ago, so I'm thinking of making this a regular thing.

Maybe not during exam time though, since I made a real mess of the kitchen, because I dropped the stirring spoon and the Cassia went....splat on the fridge and floor >.< Plus, at £2.40 a go, it'll be like every 2 months or something -___-