Hair colour to spice things up

Since I started wearing my hair in dreadlocks, I count on hair colour to add a little zest to my look every now and then. Actually, in the Island Behind God's Back, I would colour probably every couple months. I haven't coloured since I left Jamaica and I was feeling the drudgery. But they don't have the colours I am used to using... so it took me a while. Certainly I could have gone to a hairdresser who knows afro hair but expensive hair care is not in my budget.

So today... I walked to the mall and took the bull by the horn. Two boxes of the permanent kind and a box of burgundy henna. I must say that the colour on that damn L'Oreal box was deceptive. The damn thing darkened my hair into a shade of drudgery that is beyond description. I drew for the henna. It's in my hair now, plastered on every lock underneath my garbage bag plastic cap. All I can say about it is that I hope it turns out more burgundy than what it looks like now.

Even so, I am going to continue to use henna to colour my hair. It is a natural and safer way to add colour. One thing's for certain, it smells like a fresh bunch of bitter bush. The price we pay for vanity.

Natural haircare for dreadlocks...The result

I need to update you. I have gotten a request from a church sister to do her locks. She wants to pay me. I used to get those requests all the time but have never been in this situation that I am in now (bored out of my skull during the days and in need of my own cash) so... I am going to take up her offer. Not sure what to charge though.

Eventually, I think I will actually start making and bottling my own products for use here as I build my clientele.

My hands (both now) are hurting badly due to overuse so I really have been forced to lay off the computer. Plus I will need to conserve to tackle her locks on Sun, which are at this stage, looking very dry and in need of some real know how.

Can I tell you a secret? From high school I wanted to do cosmetology. Can I tell you another secret? I should have. I guess it's never too late! Maybe I will put out word that I can do hair, makeup and photography for special occasions at church.

All Natural hair and skin care

I have maintained that the good old basics are really just better... cheaper in the long run, except for the initial requirement of a lot of your precious time.

As you know my by now, though I am really a novice, I am inspired by what little I know of Ayurveda and the balancing of the doshas and chakras. Hence, whatever physical ailment is just a manifestation of things gone wrong on the inside. Mind and Spirit manifest in Body.

So, since yesterday, I have really kicked up my regimen. I pretty much went on a juice fast yesterday. It was good. I can feel my body cleansing itself. I walked yesterday and today and I will try to walk a little everyday. I actually feel my muscles working even though the pace is not fast, because a long walk is actually best for burning fat.

I have also decided to do away with shampoos and conditioners with sulfates and silicones. I am fast becoming the all natural rasta woman who uses bicarbonate of soda for deodorant (eeew). So why the drama with all natural hair care? Well for starters ,I cannot find good stuff for my hair here. At least not in the supermarket and I am not yet in a position to venture into a swanky salon in the hopes of getting a decent bottle of shampoo for 7x the cost elsewhere. The answer I guess is: necessity is the mother of invention. My hair needs help. Fast. And all these products promising to make Rapunzels of Caucasian hair are doing nothing for my Afro kink dreadlocked self.

So here's the experimental treatment:

SHAMPOO:
Vinegar wash (vinegar diluted with warm water). I am using Cane Vinegar (from the pantry) because I am used to cane in the Caribbean as opposed to Apple Cider in colder climes.

CONDITIONER:
This is the fun part. First cold pressed EVO (from the pantry) and egg (from the fridge). I have whisked them together to make an emulsification...This will be used as a deep conditioner and I will rinse as thoroughly as possible. Rinsing temperature should be cold (for obvious reasons).

I will tell you how it went.

BTW... the carrot soup was just barely edible. Too strong a carrot flavour. Not enough chicken stock. Made baked chicken and rice for dinner tonight.