Recycle! Recycle! Recycle!

KFC's coleslaw container specifically says "reusable."

I love to find another use for an empty bottle, jar or container, especially if it's glass or has an interesting shape or color.  I blame Tupperware and the 80's for making empty spaghetti bottles beneath us all.  Now that we are more conscious of the environment and the recession is kicking butt we should think twice before throwing things away.

Recycling containers are perfect for our homemade hair brews.  Many women like to mist their hair with a mixture of oils, water and herbs and spray bottles can be found everywhere for sale but why buy a dinky bottle with only one spray option when you have a power mister sitting on a shelf (or in the trash)?

This is the BEST spray bottle I ever had.  I've had it so long I can't remember what the product was that came in it.  It holds a lot of water and has nice spray power.  It's also useful as a spray bottle for pressing wrinkles.  Cost?  Zero!

Many containers can be cleaned and recycled for another use.

I made a couple of batches of "rosemary juice" for use in my hair growth experiment and used an empty baby oil bottle and a water bottle.

Neem, Miracle Plant?

Wow, talking about a powerful plant, neem kicks butt all the way around.  From scalp issues to athlete's feet and everything in between, there is nothing that neem can't seem to cure or contain.  Those of you who are familiar with ayurvedic medicine and hair care have probably heard of neem.  Those of you that are in dire need of relief from scalp itching, eczema, psoriasis or lice have probably not heard of neem.  It is known to act amazingly fast and is inexpensive. 

 It seems upside down that neem is so much more powerful and so much less expensive than eucalyptus oil and yet few people know about it.

"Rural inhabitants in India and Africa regularly use neem twigs as tooth brushes. Neem twigs contain antiseptic ingredients. That explains how these people are able to maintain healthy teeth and gums." Source

While neem does wonders for the hair and scalp, it is also very effective for skin problems such as pimples and severe acne.  It would take a book to list all the benefits of neem so here is an article that nicely explains pretty much everything about neem.  You will want to get some of this plant as soon as you finish reading it!

Neem will be offered on this site in the near future.

Want to Grow Your Hair? Get a Rosemary Bush

Rosemary is quite an herb.  Little do people know that a concoction of rosemary, poured over your scalp whenever you shampoo will make your hair grow.  I've seen it personally do this for a former boyfriend who was starting to go bald.  You know men are just as concerned about their hair (or lack of it) as women are and my FBF was frantic about the thinning he was noticing.  His friend told him to get some rosemary and place some in a bottle and fill it with water.  I'm not sure if he put the flowers in too but I do know that the concoction was purpulish in color. 

I've got to admit the results were startling!  His hair came back alright, even thicker than before!!  Someone told me that the "ro" in Rogaine comes from rosemary.  Sure enough whenI went to the Rogaine site there is a special page for rosemary.  

Rosemary is also suppose to be good for slowing (even eliminating) gray so I'm going to give it a go.  I'm going to buy a rosemary bush and put it in my yard.  It is a quick growing herb and you're suppose to trim the bush every month so that means a constant supply of "rosemary juice" which is what I called my FBF's concoction.

Update: My cousin and I went hiking this morning and I tried to spot a rosemary bush that perchance may be growing in the wild.  But I didn't so we went the Mexican market and found "fresh" (the date onthe back is 4/15/11, which means it was picked a month ago.  Anyway, it was the freshest rosemary I could find so I bought it.

It didn't look bad but then I've never seen fresh rosemary before so who knows for now.

So I put four sprigs into a pot of water and brought it to a boil.  The whole house spelled like eucalyptus once the steam got going.  Then I covered the pot and turned down the heat and let it simmer for a while (I can't remember how long, maybe 15 minutes).


This is after I boiled then simmered the rosemary for 10 or 15 minutes.



Same brew one hour later.

 After boiling and simmering I turned off the heat and let the mixture sit, with a lid, for about an hour.  The color of the liquid is similar  to my FBF's "rosemary juice."  Now I have to decide if I want to dilute it.  I think I won't.

I will be using this concoction on my cousin's hair which is blond and straight and is the exact opposite of mine.  I will update with pics.

I recycled an empty baby oil bottle after I strained the rosemary juice.

For directions read "Rosemary Rinse - Hair Growth Experiment - Week 1".

Microbraids in Tibet

  

As usual, I was watching a movie and noticed something about the hair of the people in the movie.  This was not documentary but was based on a true story.  The title of the movie is "Seven Years in Tibet" with Brad Pitt.  The movie is ho-hum but I was transfixed on the hair style of the Tibetan women and how it reminds of African-American microbraids.

Also, as usual, I had to find out why they braid their hair in such tiny braids.  African-American women wear micro (tiny) braids for easy hair care, to protect their own hair and for a different look.  Tibetan women braid their hair in tiny braids - 108 to be exact - because Tibetan Buddhism holds that 108 sacred qualities constitute an enlightened mind.  The number "108" is significant in Buddhism for many things and Tibetan women represent this with their hair style.


Source





Source







In old Tibet women never cut their hair from the the time they were born.

However, microbraids are fading in Tibet as women begin to embrace modern society and perferring shorter hair. An increasing number of young men and women often dye their hair and follow the fashions of pop film stars and singers.  Those women with the traditional long braids look wistfully on the young Tibetan women.  "I deeply admire and envy today's girls wearing bobbed hair, which looks neat and tidy and is very easy to look after," said Zhaxi Zholma, a 65-year-old Tibetan lady.

Source: Chinese Embassy:

A Henna Recipe

There are so many henna recipes with so many different combinations of various items that first-time henna users can be paralyzed or overwhelmed.  Here is a basic recipe that comes from an Indian website:

Ingredients:  

Henna powder, 2 cups (about 200 grams)

Warm water, 1 cup

Lime (or lemon) juice, 1 teaspoon.

Simple, huh?  Well, this is a basic, no-frills, how-they-did-it-back-in-the-day recipe.  This is pretty much the recipe I use when I'm in a "get 'er done" mood and don't feel like being creative.

Stir the ingredients into a thick paste. The acidity of the lime or lemon juice and the warmth of the water help release the colour. Let it stand for at least one hour before application.

  

The site does recommend additives for those who want to get fancy such as ground cloves, coffee, amla powder.  It even suggests  mixing henna "in an iron vessel"  to help give a dark brown shade. I'm not vouching for that one (but I've read it on more than one Indian website), but I do know that you can mix henna in any type of bowl - plastic (will leave stains), glass or metal.  Think of mixing flour.

 

The site also suggests that for dry hair add an egg and a tablespoon of coconut oil/olive oil/mustard oil to your henna mixture.  I can say I've added egg and olive oil to my mix on different occasions.  The egg is suppose to make your hair shiny but it's hard to tell because my hair is so shiny from the Vatika Oil I use.  However, I've stopped adding any kind of oil to my mix because it may keep the henna from fully coating and binding to the hair.

 

Lots of people like to leave their henna on for HOURS but this totally unnecessary.  Most authorities say from two to four hours.  I know I have to keep it on for at least 3 hours because of my white.

Anyway, I'll be posting other recipes or at least links to them.

One Way to Wash Your Hair the Green Way - With Baking Soda.

This method of washing your hair fufills every definition of Green.  The best part is the clean feeling you get from something so simple and inexpensive. Go here: A Non-Toxic, Frugal Way to Wash Your Hair Without Buying Shampoo.

How To Lighten Henna'd and or Indigo'd Hair

I am still working on getting just the right dark shade from henna/indigo for my hair.  I have a tremendous amount of white in my hair and my hair very non-porous (hair shaft is thicker to penetrate) so with just henna my white becomes orange which is not flattering to my skin tone.  I applied henna and indigo combinations several times on my hair and new white growth but could never achieve a brown of some sort.  At that time I did not realize that my hair shaft is extremely non-porous and I would have to leave the paste in for much longer than recommended.  I could not go out with orange in my hair so the next day I applied indigo and the results were exactly what I knew they would be - jet black hair.

I rocked the jet black for a minute but I feel it is too harsh and now I'm looking for ways to lighten my hair without chemicals.  If you're like me and need to "lighten up" literally check out this fantastic article by a Long Hair Community Discussion Board poster, Ktani.  All you need is honey, water and coconut oil!

I will be trying it soon and will report back with before and after pictures.