I am in London!!!!!!!

'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life' Samuel Johnson

Hello Darlings, I am in London!!!!!!!!!!!

And I love it. I came to visit my friend of 17 years (we have been friends since primary school) and I (and her sister) figured I should come down to visit her and surprise her for her 28th birthday. Gotta say, when you have friends like her, you have a friend for life. She and a few other ladies know me very well. Sometimes, they know me better than I know my self. Apart from that, will take lots of pictures, doing tons of tours during the next few days, so look forward to that. And yes This London trip was in the 2011/2012 Financial year budget. See I how I do?

I told you, it was going to be a wonderful surprise. Ohhhhhh, saw so many natural sisters whilst here. Need to find out what they use and where they go. Must. Investigate.

Love, Blessings and London Town

Two strand twists with curls.

Hair has always been important'

Diana Ross

More catch ups ( picture uploads are better and faster than before!!!!!!!!!!)

So, two nights before my London trip I decided to revisit the two strand twist and do it as a protective style for the next week(2). I firstly washed my hair with Jojoba oil and honey shampoo from Boots then afterwards I did a deep conditioner treatment. I used Aussie Moist 3 minute Miracle - Frizz Remedy (was I not the happiest person in the world, when I saw it in the store?!!!!!! I honestly didn't even care about the 2011/2012 Financial Year budget)

I then rinsed that out and used a Sulfate free conditioner (a sample that I bought) and oiled my hair with Shea butter, Aloe Vera gel, Argan oil and Jojoba oil. Then I got to twisting. I made small twists and then I cut up straws and added those at the ends. I fastened them with bobby pins (hair pins). Then it was bedtime. I slept with a scarf around my head and when I woke up, I realized that my hair was flat against my head. But that was no biggie, I just fluffed with my hands. And Presto. Twists and Curls.

Below are pictures.

(don't mind the dress, its my 'work my hair' old dress. Its cute, its says in the front ' sorry if I looked interested, I'm not '. Have had it since I was 14. Just goes to show you, my body needs to grow into womenhood, I mean for real, I can still fit into clothes I wore when I was a teenager and I am quickly coming off the calender.......)

Products I used.

I have a black head band in my hair.

The plan was to keep the style in for the duration of my trip however that didn't work out and on day 2 in London, I rocked a wash 'n go. I think it had more to do with the weather, than anything else. Or perhaps its just me, my hair cant seem to last more than 4 days in twists.

Overall I loved it and will give it a third go. Who knows maybe third time lucky?!!!!!!!

Peace, Blessings and Twists

ohhh, what am I up to?

'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover'

Mark Twain

Hi everyone,

I know, I have been quite quiet this week, but its only because I am still trying to work on getting my pictures back on Blogger and also planning a little something special for myself and Rocco.

Don't worry all will be revealed soon ;-)

Apart from that, all is well on the hair front. I am loving the shiny, fullness of my hair as well as the curliness - its so much more curlier than before. I still haven't decided exactly what protective style I will have it in, but for now, its in a bun.

So watch out for next week's Fabulous postings. I can hardly wait. And I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to post pictures as well.

Peace, Blessings and Sweet Surprises

My Henna (Indigo) process with pictures

There is no such thing as a "self-made" man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success.

- George Matthew Adams

Hi everyone

Back to the Henna (Indigo) edition (will post pictures soon - am still trying!!!!)

So, after I made my mixture and added honey, I set about combing my hair and splitting it into fours (two parts at the back and two parts in front) with my clips and claws. I then started at the back and worked my way to the front of my head. The application process it self was OK, I went line by line with my comb making sure I covered my whole head, however it was Messy (the floor, sink and my clothes). I just decided to clean and wipe as I went along (working at a kindergarten trains you for this), I also did this along my hairline, ears and neck. Then I cling filmed/saran wrapped my head and then covered that with my shower cap. I went about my way, watched YouTube Videos and did some reading, 4 and half hours later I was ready to hit the shower.

After I removed the shower cap and cling film/saran wrap, it looked like my hair was loc'd (which I secretly loved) I was very worried that it was hard but in actual fact, it was extremely soft to touch and I could manage it quite well. So after getting under the shower, I just rinsed away. I continued to rinse and rinse. All the while noticing how soft and much more thicker my hair was - this is also may have been due to the fact that I hadn't had my 'natural' hair in over more than a week (since my roller set and flat iron). But boy was it heavy and thick. I had read that when 'washing' out the Henna, its best to rather use conditioner and do a proper wash with shampoo in a few days. Which is what I opted to do. It cant hurt right? So I used a lot of conditioner and continued to wash my head until the water ran clear (no longer black/dark green).

When I was done, I just put my hair in a bun and called it a night.

Sorry, for the bad quality

When I was done, I just put my hair in a bun and called it a night.

So.......Am I sold?

Yes and No.

No because, I didn't use Henna powder and Indigo - I took a shortcut and just used Indigo.

Yes, because I loved how soft and thick my hair was under the shower. Also, I loved how my curls came alive after coming from under the shower (I was a bit worried since it looks like I may have 2 or three different textures - curly, straight and wavy). Which is strange since I didn't transition and I started my hair journey bald. I just figured I would have all over just the same, but hey thats the way, my head of hair works. I will further investigate this.

Overall, I like what I came away with. My hair is now 3 days post Indigo and I have to wash it with shampoo (will do so on day 4- I have a small sample of Sulfate free shampoo that I want to try out) and then I can really assess it, but thus far, I can tell you, its soft, thick and blacker (much darker), hopefully there will be some sun so I can have a really good look.

I will do the process again but next time with Henna powder and Indigo - I like my dark hair and have no reason to change it lighter - for now anyways. Never know, tomorrow, I may decide to rock a blond look ;-)

So let me know if there are any questions.

Peace, Love and hair assessments.

ummmmm, now what?

It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.

- Mohandas K. Gandhi

Hi,

I am trying to upload my pictures but all I get is this?

Can anyone help? I have gone to the help site and have done as instructed but to no avail.

Peace, Blessings and Getting everything sorted.

Rename and Henna (Indigo) part 1

To fill the hour -- that is happiness.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hi everyone (took me 2 days to post - What a Monday!!!! - Will post pictures as soon as I can)

So lets get to it. I was all Henna'd up on Sunday and decided to do a three part post about. My recipe, the goop'd up process and Day 4. This gives me a chance to really get to examine, if you will, my hair.

Firstly, let us say goodbye to Nico. He didn't make it, I am heart broken about it, but such is life. My mom was gracious enough to give me her camera which I have decided to rename from Rocky to Rocco. I like the way it sounds .....RRRRRRROOOCCCCO. Anyway, at this time, Nico is laying safely away, until I figure out what to do with him, perhaps during the summer, I can look at having him fixed.

Onto the Henna (Indigo).

Please note:

The Henna that I bought was written ' Black Henna' after consulting the sales lady, she assured me that what I had was Indigo (with no chemicals or PPD) and after reading up on Henna for hair I also came to the same conclusion. Therefore I decided not to let it release dye over night, I choose instead for a few hours. However the next time, I choose to Henna my hair, I will buy both normal Henna powder and Indigo power and do the whole mixing overnight process.

I did quite a lot of reading (blogs, forums and Henna for Hair) and watching YouTube videos and I came too a few conclusions.

1) It doesn't really matter if your hair is dry or wet (I honestly think its a personal preference)

2) Find a good recipe and tweak it to your liking. I found a basic one with just water, Amla oil and honey (I didn't have chamomile tea - I just choose to add more oils).

3) It's time consuming. Plan well, have enough time.

4) Clean up, clean up, clean up. Clean up as you go along, don't think to clean up afterwards, that wont work.

5) Don't wear colorful clothing. Wear old clothes that you wont mind getting dirty. Wear Black.

What I used was:

100 gr Black Henna (Indigo)

Amla oil

Jojoba oil

Argan oil

Honey (which I mixed in only when I was ready to use my mixture)

Gloves (I should have kept them on when I was washing my hair, now I got black nails)

boiled water (2 mugs but I ended up only using one)

bowl, wooden spoon (couldn't find a plastic one - as long as its not metal its fine)

wide tooth comb, hair claws, hair clips and shower cap.

I mixed:

Henna (Indigo), 2 tablespoons of Amla oil, 15 drops of Jojoba oil, 20 drops of Argan oil and gradually added water until I got to a smooth mashed potato consistency. Then I cling film/saran wrapped it for 3 hours and went about my day. The reason I used so many oils was because, since I was anyways, going to wrap my head (cling film and shower cap for a few hours) I would 'deep condition' using Henna (Indigo) and everything else. You know, really work the oils into my hair follicles and whatnot.

I read that if you leave the Henna either over night or for a few hours this process releases the dye which was why, I wrapped it and just left it. After 3 hours it was a dark green, blue/black color which was what I was after. Just before I applied it, I added 2 Tablespoons of Honey (this is apparently makes it easy to wash out)

Also, I choose to Henna (Indigo) my hair dry for the simple fact that I had flat ironed and roller set a week prior and I really just didn't want to wet it again and then re wet after the Henna(Indigo) was on top of it. I read that it doesn't make a difference weather its dry or wet. Also since I am going to Henna(Indigo) again, I figured the next time, I could do it on wet hair (that way, I see for myself which way works best or if it really doesn't matter) I like to test things out for myself sometimes. As for dry hair, I found that much better, I could tell which parts were Henna'd up and which weren't.

Please do research on Henna and also when buying anything, please please please ask what exactly you are buying, whats in it, whats it made from etc. Make sure you know exactly what you are getting/buying. The reason why I noted it like so ---- Henna (Indigo)----- is because when I next do it, I will use both Henna powder and Indigo powder, whereas here, I only used one kind, Indigo powder.

Look out for part 2.

Blessings, Peace and Rock on Rocco

Retail Therapy...... in my own way.

Buying something on sale is a very special feeling. In fact, the less I pay for something, the more worth it is to me. I have a dress that I paid so little for that I am afraid to wear it. I could spill something on it and then how would I replace it for that amount of money?'

Rita Rudner

Hiya everyone,

So the same day that Nico was acting up I decided to pamper myself and do some girly shopping. Now, some girls, like shoes (I do too) some girls like Chocolates (once a month when my Aunt comes to visit), some girls like makeup, bags, clothes ______________ (insert what does it for you) and some girls are like me, they like candles. Actually, I like everything, but really what I Love above all else are postcards, old poetry books and journals (I am most happiest reading and writing). ohhhh photography and traveling......and cheesecake.

However today's post isn't about that. Today is about me being upset with Nico and having to buy things which were not in the 2011/2012 Financial Year Budget. Believe me, Nico is in Big Trouble.

Here are my goodies.

Head massage thingie - I need it for the stress and also to stimulate growth. I read that some place......Will go nicely with all the oils I am using.

two candle holders

Homemade apple pie and cinnamon scented candles

Liquorice and Grapefruit scented candles

Bubblegum and White Jasmine scented candles

Lemon-grass and White Vanilla scented candles

Shower cap - for a true beauty. I gather they mean me?

Hot Chocolate - 100% real Belgian Chocolate (this will probably get a post all by itself)

So, I needed to get all these things to calm myself and figure out what I was gonna do. It was either all this or get Vodka. This was cheaper. Also, very soon, I will post about the 2011/2012 Financial Year Budget. That way, everyone - you, me and my hating bank account are all on the same page.

Just a quick note:

I started taking my Spirulina tablets this morning (its says on the packet for the first week take 2-4 per day, so I am following what it says on the instructions on the packet), I did my Pilates (stretching my leg and doing some crunches, some squats and worked on my abs etc) after my shower I added some Argan oil and Aloe Vera gel to my body lotion (its not really a lotion - its a mixture of coconut oil and shea butter) and applied that to my skin- all over from face to my tippy toes. Later today I plan on soaking my hands in some Argan and lemon juice + water and applying a little to my nails and cuticles, as for my hair (it was feeling a bit dry), so I just massaged some Argan oil + Jojoba oil to my scalp, edges and ends, I want to Henna on Sunday. So that's me done. Will keep you posted on how things progress during this month.

Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!!!

Peace, Blessings and Indulgence