Another random post: henna, no 'poo, and email's from readers

I'm not as far through Feel the Burn as I want to be, but that's pretty much to be expected when there's a fair amount of world building involved in the drafting. Already I know of at least three scenes I want to slot into what I've already written. It will be fab once this initial, messy, draft is done! In the meantime, I wanted to thank the lovely readers who've taken the time to get in touch via my contact form. Your emails really do make my day! I have a special folder for those emails in my outlook and they make me beam every time I look at them. Having people love the world/story you're creating is the best thing ever.
The no 'poo movement.
Is that a random enough title? *grin* Almost two months ago I picked up this fab book when it was on the free list. Though that said, had I known how immensely useful it would be I would certainly have paid for it.A bit of background. I'm not a natural redhead. My hair is actually predominantly white (and yes, I toy with the idea of having a white streak like Rogue—just cause I can ;p). I've been putting permanent dyes through it since I was 15 when the white was getting very obvious. Over the years I've done brown, dark brown (not good, everyone thought I was ill I looked so pale ;p), auburn, blonde and then RED! My favorite, not surprisingly, is red. But, the problem with all those chemicals going through your hair again and again is that it's SO damaging. My hair, while it looked okay in pics, had the texture of straw and I used to lose heaps of it in the shower when I washed it. Then it got worse and it stopped absorbing the dye. That's right, too many chemicals and hair can become dye resistant.So I began reading up on alternative options and came across Diane's blog. She hasn't used shampoo or conditioner in years and dyes her hair with henna. And it looks gorgeous.I can officially confirm that the no 'poo method is working beautifully for me and I haven't used shampoo or conditioner since reading her book and never intend to use them again. Instead I use a baking soda mix to clean my hair with (well diluted, I recommend reading the book so you don't screw this up! Too much and your scalp could be irritated) and then a cider vinegar rinse to condition it. Or, for a treat, honey.It all sounds crazy I know, but it really does work! And I love how the henna works in my hair. It does take more effort than out-the-bottle dye, but the colour is very Kim Possible *yay* and I can do my eyebrows too, without risking my eyesight!The first time I hennaed was quite the experience. I received the henna powder and dubiously followed the instructions for mixing it up the night before. It smells pretty bad and looks like you're stirring a giant cow patty. Not what I was expecting.My furry critter, Sable, watched disapprovingly from the other room and when Glenn came to see what we were doing, hurled herself at him in apology, as if to say 'It's not me! I don't know why she's doing it!' The dog already thinks I'm crazy for 'collecting' her poos on our walks, so she probably really did think I was playing with cow poo…It had to sit overnight and then the next day I plastered my hair with it. Then the next 5 (now I do it for 4) hours were spent with the green, smelly, cow patty stuff on my hair, thoroughly wrapped in plastic wrap. Thank GOD no one came to the door! *lol*But when you rinse that stuff off, oh my. The colour was gorgeous and the condition of my hair (henna is a really great treatment for hair, bonus!) was glorious. So I've been a convert ever since. I thought I'd share my experience incase anyone else is in a similar position or wanting to cut out some of the chemicals in their life.Take care all!Nic The Arrival, available at at Amazon : Barnes&Noble : iTunes : Kobo : Smashwords Awakening available at Amazon : AmazonUK : Barnes&Noble : Smashwords : itunes