average hair, average cake.
I haven’t really done much “Skin Deep” stuff lately. On the hair front, the “No-Poo” scheme has slipped a little in it’s effectiveness. Possibly due to the change in season, I’m not sure, but I’ve been playing around with a few different alternatives for my crazy head.
Anyway, I’ve started to notice my hair looks rather dull, and no amount of lemon juice is bringing back the shine. My scalp started to get a little irritated by the bi carb as well which is weird, but then again, there’s not much normal about me, so why should my head/hair play along?
My sister-in-law left some proper shampoo + conditioner at my place, and on a whim, I decided to see what would happen if I used it. Honestly I thought it was going to make my hair look so amazing that I would ditch the “No-Poo” regime in a flash and go back to lathering in chemicals. No such luck…. as soon as I began to dry my hair, it was dandruff city. I have had no problem with flaky scalp syndrome in the 14 or so months I have been shampoo free. My scalp also felt really hot and itchy. Major fail.
When it comes to colour and adding a bit of oomph to my hair, I’m so lazy I rarely do. Hence why my hair is probably looking a little blah at the moment. I usually favour henna which is a natural option. The Rainbow Henna pictured above is pretty good (it’s cheap) although it does smell really earthy. I’m fine with that, but if you’d rather try something a little more fragrant, Lush have some beautiful hennas that you buy in a block and grate as needed.
Henna is fabulous stuff – you can vary the results you get by heating (whether it be with the sun/hair dryer) or choosing whether to cover your hair while it is working it’s magic.
I’m actually going to try something other than henna though. I found this product which avoids using amonia and resorcinol – 2 chemicals that tend to aggravate my scalp. I figure I may as well try and get my hair looking kind of good for my wedding which is ridiculously only 6 weeks away.
I’ll let you know how this goes… I need to do it when Misty can’t get into hair dye with his sticky little mitts.
When it comes to shampoo or No-poo, at the moment I’m sticking to Dr Broner’s to clean my hair. I’ve played a round with a few of the varieties and I find the lavender and almond flavours work well with my hair. Strangely the peppermint and orange leave my scalp more irritated and my hair flat. I suppose it’s the same as anything, really – you’ve got to play around and find out what works best for you.
These cake shots may look Yummo, but unfortunately this creation wasn’t my best work. The sponge part came out super dense, and the mousse sandwiched between just wasn’t quite right. The cashew cream frosting, however was my favourite part. I made a basic cashew cream using soaked cashews, dates and vanilla, and then added some orange juice and cooked sweet potato (!) I know, I know, sounds crazy, but seriously this was good. Cooked potato can add an awesome creamy texture, plus a nice earthy sweetness.
Anyway, I’m still deliberating over wedding cake ideas, but as long as I can get my hair in a better state, I’ll be happy.
20 Responses to “average hair, average cake.”
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Vegan. Stay at home Mum of Misty. Yoga teacher in training. Passionate about REAL food - creating it, eating it, sharing it. I can never stick to a recipe.
I love henna but my guy really hates the smell of it. He calls it a ‘wet dog’ smell, and I have to agree.. it does smell like that. So, I use ‘tints of nature’, or I just let the few grey bits show. Don’t know what’s happened to my vanity. Out the window. No pride.
Have you tried the Lush henna? It smells delicious compared to the plain henna (total wet dog!)
Don’t worry dude, my vanity vanished when I had a child. Ew I saw myself in the mirror at the chemist yesterday, and it was a fright, Ha.
That’s very strange that your scalp is reacting to seemingly mild products like bi carb and peppermint! But you’re right, we all have our own sensitivities and allergens so you never can tell! How did the hair dying go? I have never tried natural hair dyes, its one of the last of my personal care stuff I’m switching over. I mean my hair dresser tells me it’s organic but who knows whats lurking inside it!. I’ve been intriguied by those LUSH henna dyes though, so maybe I’ll give those a shot soon!
The cake looks gorgeous, even if it wasn’t quite right! At least you know you’ll have something that looks phenomenal
Henna is great, you should give it a go…. and the Lush stuff smells amazing! Haven’t dyed mine yet, I’ll try and get it done during nap time today, if nothing else comes up (!) Oh the life of a Mama…. everything else gets stuck on the back burner.
Yeah my skin is SUPER sensitive… a life time of ezcema and steroid creams has left my skin pretty fragile…. plus my scalp has always been weird. Apparently it can be hormonal too – the after effects of Misty Man
I gave up dying my hair yearrrrrrrrrs ago, but have been debating trying a little henna treatment lately (really just out of boredom lol).
Baking Soda and Peppermint always leave my skin irritated, I have to crazy dilute both to use either of them. I get all red and itchy. Every time I have attempted the no poo thing it’s been a giant rashy, itchy, greasy nightmare lol.
The almond dr bronners if my favorite (I <3 the smell). I have had really great results with mixing the lavender and tea tree though as a soap/shampoo. I am huge tea tree fan (it works amazing for me for scalp, itchiness and skin issues), but I find the dr bronners a little too strong on it's own… so mixing with some of the lavender seems to do the trick (or i just add a couple drops of tea tree oil to my lavender dr bronners).
Are you sure we weren’t somehow twins, separated at birth, Ami? Gosh even our skin sensitivities are pretty much the same ! Crazy!
Yeah, tea tree totally rocks… I use it in EVERYTHING…. from pimple-killing to cleaning, great stuff for sure
i’m also a no-poo-er! haha…that sounds silly, but it really helps with curly hair. And that cake looks outrageous! i love how tall it is! and that cashew cream…mmm, dreamy:)
hi caralyn. i don’t use shampoo either & have curly hair too. what do you use? it’s rare i find other curly girls that go no shampoo, so i like hearing suggestions. your hair looks pretty in your photo.
Ha
Your hair looks gorgeous in your photo! The cashew cream WAS yummy, but the whole dish needs a bit of work, but hey, I’m up for the challenge!
there is nothing average about you.
sodium bicarb is too harsh on my scalp too. i’ve switched over to shampoo bars made by a small family company in the US. everyone’s hair/scalp is different, so it’s nice to test out different essential oil combinations in the bars. i just rinse with acv afterward; although, i do like switching back & forth from lemon juice & acv every once in awhile. if i use one for too long, my hair either gets too greasy (lemon) or too…idk, blah? (acv). i would like to find a natural conditioner – something that leaves it soft without being greasy. keep me posted!
I agree…. I’m on the hunt for a new natural conditioner as acv tends to leave my hair feeling “blah” if I use is too often. Kind of heavy or something?
It’s interesting to hair lots of people find the bi carb too harsh… I’ve been sticking to a dry shampoo of oat flour at the moment, but I think because it’s Winter my oil production has changed, and it’s just not working as it used to.
Ah, it’s an on going adventure, huh?!
seriously. http://www.chagrinvalleysoapandsalve.com/ these are the shampoo bars i’m liking. they have a conditioning bar i’m going to try. maybe there is something like this you can find in Australia.
i don’t think that cashew frosting sounds crazy at all … although i may not be the best judge of “crazy”
that cake does look delish and i’m sure it was – even if it wasn’t quite up to your standards!
I reckon you would have liked it, T – I ended up eating the whole thing pretty darn happily
Do you know what I love about your current hair treatment decisions? Lavender and almond are two flavours/ingredients I adore, whereas orange and peppermint both tend to make me feel sick.
I’ve never been able to follow through with no-poo experiments because my curly hair becomes atrocious to manage. Yes, normal shampoo and conditioner aren’t much better, but at least I can get a comb through :S
Yeah, I reckon you gotta do whatever works for YOU – hair, diet, exercise the whole she-bang. Not 2 of us crazy humans are the same, so why should we all follow the same plan?! Being able to comb ones hair is a very useful thing indeed.
Ew, do you know my most hated combination – chocolate and PEPPERMINT arrrrrrrgh it just reminds me of eating toothpaste.
It was interesting to hear your hair experiments / experiences…I tried the no shampoo approach but my hair didn’t like it (it’s curly, so it should have, but then it doesn’t tend to follow orders at the best of times). I guess it’s a pretty individual thing.
Also, we must have weddings pretty much at the same time
Ours is the 1st September!
Oh yay, Kari – congrats on your upcoming nuptials (I love saying nuptials, it’s a fun word!) We are on August 25
My hair never follows orders…. I would LOVE curly hair…. mine is dead straight and BORING…. I wish I wish I WISH for an afro.
its difficult to find a good hair colour with no bad stuff in it. i have never heard of bi carb being a problem though… maybe you should find a new shampoo too!? i have been using a really nice natural one thats based on oils. i thought it would make my hair super greasy but it has made my hair go super silky- definitely wouldnt change the shampoo again and go back to my frizzy head.
I tried using henna when i was in india and it made my hair go bright ORANGE. i have a ton of red pigments in my hair that i cant do any copper and redish colours. looks ridiculous!
Oh my hair is the same, Alexia, it picks up ANY hint of red…. you could try the neutral henna which doesn’t colour your hair, just kind of gives it a “boost” and deep conditions it. The one in the picture is a neutral variety.
Yeah, the bi carb thing is funny…. a few people have commented that they have a similar reaction, which kind of makes me feel better
Totally on the hunt for new hair products! Yours sounds amazing.