How to grow out Henna

Hello Lovelies!

I love henna, I love the vibrant colours and the durability and nothing will make your hair as shiny and strong as henna. Unfortunately there might be a time you want to go back to your original hair colour. I always believe that true beauty lies in everything natural. So going back to my chestnut hair colour was always somewhere in the back of my mind. The last time I coloured my hair red was January 2012! It has been two years! My hair grows about 2 cm every month, which means my natural hair colour is about shoulder length now. It is a looong way to go! And it is easy to get frustrated and fed up on the way and relapse & colour your hair again. Here are some tips that helped me a lot on my way back to my natural hair colour.

1. Love your colour. 

Yes, that's true - you need to be ok with your hair colour no matter what colour you have. Do you have ashy brown hair? Light blonde hair? Mousy brown or dark brown? Go to Pinterest (I love it!) and build an inspirational colour board. Every colour that grows out against a vibrant henna shade is bound to look mousy, grey boring and yes somehow not taken care of and oily. You need to be brave and trust that your own hair colour will look beautiful once it has grown a little more and you can see it's beautiful colour shades. Every time you want to run to the drugstore and grab that bottle of hair die or mix your favourite henna recipe - be brave and look at your hair style inspiration board. You might be surprised to see how beautiful your colour is once it is visible. It also helps if you give a way your henna box and hair dyes to friends and family. It's just less temptation to go back on a weak moment.

2. It is ok to cheat a little.

The first 10 cm are the hardest. You don't know why you have to look like a little skunk and anyway natural hair colour is overrated?! So it is ok if you do cheat once in a while. Go and buy rinsable colour mousse, one time colour enhancer, whatever you want. Just make sure that they are 100% rinsable to prevent resulting night mares! All the hair dyes I have used are 100% rinsable on my medium brown hair, but if your own hair colour is very light be aware that there might be a slight colour tinge left. I will list down my favourite products.

3. Go for a slight fading

Embrace the ombre look :) We are very fashionable right now. If your own contrast is very strong you might want to think about dying your hair with less red tones until you have a smooth fading colour that will not bother you too much. If you are using dark red henna, use medium red the next time, and the a brownish henna with red undertones until you are close enough to your own colour.

4. The 2 weeks rule

Everytime you really want to go back to henna ir hair dye - take a break! Think about it for 2 weeks and if you are still strongly feeling about going back to red again then do it after two weeks. Chances are that you will change your mind soon and the regret any impulse decisions you might have done.

Help - need a smoother fading?

Try these rinsable colour mousses:

• Feuermohn - accent , lasts about 3-4 weeks very vibrant and beautiful. You can see the colour here on me : 
• Revlon - Copper Nutri Colour 740 , creamy and just a slight reddish hint, washes out in two washes. 
• Wella Colour Fresh Dark Copper, lasts about 4 washes, very natural orange tinge.

What do you think about the natural hair colour debate? Do your wear you own hair colour or prefer another colour?

Classic Hair Length

Hello Lovelies!

One of my lovely readers just pointed out that I did not post my classic length hair picture yet :) So here we go, this picture is 1 month old, but as y'all know - nothing much is changing. I now have red/brown ombre :p ! Thanks to the sunlight the henna really shows up again. I think that's it I will not grow my hair longer. But who knows I might add some face framing layers or change the colour a little bit. Lately I feel like I need more self-confidence and going red is my power colour, like some blondes like to go blonder and blonder and blonder. Will be rinsable again I think though :o) 

Review: Aubrey Organic's White Camellia Shampoo

Hello Lovelies,

If your hair is as dry as my hair and curly or wavy it is like a special quest to find a shampoo that is not drying out your hair and causing frizz. Aubrey Organic's is my favourite hair care brand and the White Camellia series is especially formulated for very dry hair. I had the conditioner as well and it is for sure one of my favourite conditioners! But be warned that this series is really only something for very dry hair - I don't have european fine hair, my hair is coarse and very thick. This series would be a good choice for women of colour as well, my roommate uses my shampoo on her shoulder length afro from time to time! I like to alternate White Camellia with the GPB Series (one of my favourite's as well! But causes a protein overkill from time to time so you need to alternate anyway). I usually dilute my shampoo, but White Camellia needs to be used pure otherwise my hair does not get clean.

INCI: Aqua, glycerin, decyl glucoside, sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, oryza sativa extract*, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil*, camellia japonica seed oil*, glucose, xanthan gum, simmondsia chinensis seed oil*, rosa rubiginosa seed oil*, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl linolenate, citric acid, tocopheryl acetate, pelargonium graveolens flower oil*, lavandula angustifolia flower oil*, macadamia ternifolia seed oil*, citrus grandis extract, glycine soja oil, glucose oxidase, lactoperoxidase, ascorbic acid, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, alcohol denat., (38b, lavender*), hamamelis viginiana water, daucus carota sativa root extract, beta-carotene.

Ingredients

Lots of almond oil, soy protein and camellia oil! Camellia oil was especially used in Japan and is a famous though very expensive hair care oil. 

Fragrance

Like all AO products the fragrances are all natural and without artificial components. Which makes them pleasant for me but it is not the soapy dove smell that comes with regular drugstore products. White Camellia does not smell floral but more herbal/mossy and it has definitely some eucalyptus like fragrance. My favourite AO smell is honeysuckle rose which is a very sweet flowery smell btw! 

Effect

My hair is heavy and takes much longer to dry. The curls and waves are defined. If I do not rinse it well it leaves an oily residue. And it is an absolute frizz killer!

Did you try any of AO Products? Did you like them or do you prefer another brand for organic hair care? 

Flechtwerk- Flower Power Spring Up-Do's

Hello Lovelies!

I hope all of you are enjoying spring time and spending as much time as possible outside! I am so excited for today's post - flower power hairstyles! I love a simple braid or bun with pin in flowers. I think it is always a cute and romantic look without overdoing the bling. While taking the pictures I noticed that you can see my natural hair colour very well - I got a new camera for my birthday last week! I am still working on the manual focus sorry for the blurriness. I am excited how the girl's hairstyles will look like! My bun is a messy wrap around bun with a dutch lace braid to soften the look. Have a look at the girl's posts,  Heike, Nessa, Bobby, Wuscheline, Lenja. I just pinned in red poppy/bobby pins. I love the colour combination red, blue and white during summer! Reminds me of the sea and sailors somehow :) . You can get flower clips at H&M, Claire's or do them on your own, like Rachel does here on this tutorial.

dutch lace braid

flower up do

messy bun

Natural Hair Colour

And here is my natural hair colour! My own colour has  grown up to armpit length/ bra length depending on which layer you are looking. It is medium brown with lots of golden and red streaks in it! Who could have known that my own colour would be so nice! It was quite a surprise for me for sure ^^ I do miss my vibrant red henna though. But I always think that nothing is a beautiful as natural beauty. I am looking forward to go back to occasionally red tones with rinsable colourmousses. I really want to post a review about non-permanent red hair dyes which will help you also while you are growing out your colour. Hopefully in a few weeks :)

growing out henna

Stress & Life

Hello Lovelies,

I just wanted to keep you updated that the blog will take a little break due to stress. I will do the monthly Flechtwerk Posts of course :) I hope you will not mind! I have been reading all your comments and was very happy about the feedback but I could not answer yet. I hope you all are doing fine and growing looong hair in the meantime.

Flechtwerk: Funny Hair Stories

Hello Lovelies, 

Today's Flechtwerk topic is funny long hair stories ! As soon as your hair is a little longer than the average post shoulder length you will hear funny, nice and sometimes weird comments. I have a few day to day comments for you - I usually get these as soon as I wear my hair down. I alss wrote a blogpost some time ago about a similiar topic here.

1. Cuties

Little girls around the age of 5 staring at me in the underground. The cutest comment was : "You have princess hair! "This one was so adorable! The lottle girls had fine blond hair and wearing pink from head to toe.

2. Daily 

The number one question; "How long did it take to grow your hair?"

It took me about three years from BSL to classic length with monthly trimms. Girls always look amazed and tell me  that they are growing their ( bleached, blow dried, straightend) hair for 5 years and nothing happens. Thanks to coconut oil, henna and natural hair care!

3. Funny 

Some comments are just a little silly. E.g. "How long does it take to do a braid ? Do you do your braid every day?" Ehm yes 5 seconds and yes ^^. And then : "Your hair is really long ! " well it is really long . I just nod and smile to this one. It is like saying you are really thin/ fat/ grey/ blond/ black/tall. Not very nice and not very mean - just a little awkward moments while you nod. What do you do when you get these comments?

Funny moustache photo just for you ^^

Check out the girls stories in the links below ! Now I am very cutrious about your stories :)  ?

 Nessa,
 Heike
Wuscheline
Lenja
 Bobby

Love, Zoey :)

Care: My SkinCare Routine for Hypoallergenic Skin

Skin Type:

My skin is very sensitive and extremely dry. I get red spots easily and itchy dry skin patches on my forehead and on my cheeks. I am sorry the picture is so out of focus I am having trouble with fading light and artificial lighting! I am allergic to most drugstore products, equally to the natural organic lines. Organic skin care is a problem for me as well because of the fragrances and high amount of alcohol that is used as preservative agents. 

Just for your visual help - when I am saying allergic skin I mean a horrible red version. This is my skin after I tried a different toner than my Avene Toner last week. My skin gets hot/itchy, swells a little and turns tomato red :( This pretty much happens anytime I try a new product - that's why I am very cautious in trying new brands.

My products are mostly from my local pharmacy and have been working well for me. I wish my products were more "clean" in an organic sense but so far I have not found an organic line that is mild enough for me and affordable at the same time. 

Products used

1. Avene Mousse Nettoyante Cleanser

2. Avene Lotion Douceur Toner

3. Skinceuticals Serum

4. Khadi Rose Face Oil

5. Balea Med Skin Cream

6. Lavera Intensive Eye Cream

Other brands I have used previously is the Toleriane Series by La-Roche-Posay but I had problems with the metallic smell of the products which I found unpleasant. It is a great line for sensitive skin and I can definitely recommend it. Whenever you look for skin care try to look for something that says without preservatives, artificial colour and fragrance. Ask for a smaller sample size at your pharmacy so you can try it first before you make a big purchase. Always keep the recipes so you can ask for a refund if you are allergic. 

The Balea Skin Cream is quite new, I have been previously used up a few bottles of Avene Riche cream for sensitive skin so I am not too sure about the Balea cream yet but I can definitely recommend the Riche Version of my standard Avene cream. I am trying to find more budget friendly alternatives because most of my products are very expensive. 

If your skin is not as dry as my skin you can skip the serum and face-oil. The rose oil smells heavenly and is great for your hair as well :) Stay tuned for a review. I am a big fan of anything that smells like real roses and so glad that Khadi fragrances don't cause allergic reactions for me.

Do you have problematic skin as well? I would be so happy if any of you had suggestions for affordable and good skin care products? 

Love, Zoey :)

Care: Herbal Hair Conditioner Shikakai & Honey

Khadi's Shikakai Conditioner is not what you usually expect from a conditioner, instead of detangling help you will get strengthened hair. The product is full of honey and shikakai as well as rheeta and jojoba oil. Honey is a natural humectant that attracts water and adds moisture to your hair. 

Let's have a look at the incis: 

Aqua٠Acacia concinna extract (Shikakai)٠Cetyl Alcohol٠Glyceryl Stearate SE٠Sapindus mukurossi peel extract (Reetha)٠Glyceryl Stearate٠Ceteareth-20٠Mel (Honig)٠Lanolin٠Parfum٠Glycerin٠Methylparaben٠Citric acid

Now once your hair is wet you apply the conditioner on your hair length - once in contact with water it gets very runny and you need to be careful not to drop it. After you applied it your hair will feel funny and kind of crunchy/hard. It will feel like straw and what the heck is happening here? :o) Don't worry this is normal. After it dries it will be soft, shiny and manageable with lots of volume. I think the effect is due to the Shikakai - like henna it is an astringent. The fragrance is very strong and flowery sweet, if you like heavy oriental perfumes this is your conditioner. I normally prefer lighter fresher or more herbal smells. After your hair dries the fragrance will vanish though.

What do I think?

Well I do like the effect but because my hair is very prone to knotting I do need more help detangling, that's is why I prefer a conditioner with detangling benefits and not only pure care. Please note that this conditioner is not organic - it contains parabens. I think fine hair will benefit more from this conditioner than coarse hair like mine because you will really get lots if volume!

Did you try Khadi's Conditioner? What is your experience?

Love, Zoey :*

Product provided by Khadi. All opinions are my own.

Toxic Thursday: Tea and Pesticides

I am a huge tea lover and you never find me sitting somewhere long without a mug of spicy hot tea! I recently discovered that my all natural tea is not really as green and good as I thought and believe me it was quite shocking for me! I know a lot of you try to eat organic and vegan, but did you ever think of checking your tea brand? 

 Check systematically what is wrong with your supermarket brand:

• Pesticides: The problem with conventional tea is that the amount of pesticides that are used for the plants is very high. Especially with regards to green and black tea - mono/cultures are just asking for bugs and the only way the conventional industry is fighting them are high doses of toxins.

• Flavoured Tea: Never buy tea that is flavoured - meaning added artificial flavour. The standard allowance for toxins is even higher in flavoured teas. Watch out for any suspicious sounding brands and check the ingredients. 
• Mineral Oil. 17 teas that have been tested by Oekotest showed slight amounts of mineral oil. Now we are trying to avoid this substance as much as we can in our hair care and now we are drinking polluted tea? Mineral oil is a sign of poor agriculture and could have been avoided with a proper standard. Keep in mind that the origin of tea is mostly Africa and Asia with a background of high poverty and a very low salary for employees. That's why you want to buy fair-trade products!
• Plastic packaging: The new fancy nylon bags are made of plastic and hot boiling water will release micro particle that you will consume. Avoid packaging all together if possible and use loose tea.

Solutions

• Please buy organic tea and toss your conventional products. Or buy herbal plants , dry the leaves and make your own tea. Organic brands can not use pesticides if they are certified.
• Try to buy fair-trade if you can.

I have again a very good documentary for you, the best I found was from NDR and is in German.

Did you know about toxic teas? How do you cope with this issue?

Love, Zoey.

Sources

• http://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/verbraucher/lebensmittel/bitterertee115.html
• http://www.oekotest.de/cgi/index.cgi?artnr=99298&bernr=04&seite=02
• http://www.examiner.com/article/dangerously-high-pesticide-levels-found-celestial-seasonings-teas
• http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/21/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-tea/
• http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Verbraucher/d/3194652/bundesinstitut-warnt-vor-schadstoffen-im-tee.html

Simple everyday braid

I thought it would be nice to show you my everyday braid after all our hair-care-posts :) I am wearing a simple braid (3/strand, rope braid, 5/strand) almost on a daily basis. It looks pulled together, my hair is out tot the way and I don't get a headache from a bun that's too tight. I can't keep the braid at work so I just pin it up with a wooden hair fork or ficcare clip. My hair looks super red - but that was just the lovely sunlight and a shopping day with my mum, it is still may natural golden brown with the henna lengths. I have been reading a little more into my colour type - I am an autumn though not too sure if I am warm or soft. Have a look at my Pinterest Board where I collect my colours. Hence the orange loop scarf. Orange is among curry yellow the nicest colour on me in all shades - I should switch my wardrobe a little! Current hair length is about 107 cm SSS - pretty much classic length.

Some tricks to keep a shiny and neat braid

• Brush your hair with a horn comb to remove your tangles.
• Use a little hair oil or serum on the length and especially your ends to keep them healthy before you braid your hair. Don't worry even if your hair looks greasy before you braid it , after you braided it it will just looks shiny and neat :)
• After you finished your braid use a little Aloe-vera Gel all over your braid to keep away fly-aways.
• Please never use an elastic on your hair with metal. It will tear your hair and cause split ends. Use a hair-friendly soft elastic. Don't tie your hair at the base of your neck on a daily basis - it will cause split ends there on the long term. And we don't want the short /term we are in for super-long hair right :) ? 

Do you believe in the colour typing? What is your daily signature hair do?

Toxic Thursday: Aluminium & Deodorants

Another post in our new toxic category! I hope I can help you open up your eyes a litte. Aluminium is a metal that has absolutely no place in our organic chemistry and is not part of our metabolism. It is used in shockingly high amounts in your favourite deodorants as well as skin powder and acid blocker (maloxaan) against gastric reflux. I am not sure if you have watched the ad about a deodorant that is only used once in 5 days. I think the question how this substance can be healthy is one that will pop up in everybody's mind.

Now you can ask yourself if you really want aluminium near your lymphatic main nodes which happen to be right under your armpits where you apply your deodorant. The biggest lymphatic path node is also called sentinel lymph node is right there and gets removed during breast surgery e.g.  There is no clear correlation between aluminium and cancer but it has been found in mamma carcinoma cells. I think this is enough to be careful and try to avoid it. It is also associated with dementia and food allergies.

There is a really good documentary called "The age of aluminium" by Bert Ehgartner about aluminium and it's health hazards. You can watch the trailer above and I really recommend watching the whole documentary. Please keep in mind that none of these findings have been proven facts yet - but I think it will be only a matter of time until we can be sure of the effect aluminium has on our organic structure. 

Deodorant Alternatives:

You don't need to be smelly, don't worry there are good alternatives in your local drug store.

• Vichy- Deostick 
• Nivea Fresh Natural Spray
• Sebamed Roll-on
• Lavera Basis Sensitive

As well as all Alverde and Alterra Products. I am using the Nivea Natural fresh one and the Sebamed Roll on. The effect is not as safe as my Rexona Deo Stick that I have been using for over 12 years! but to know that I will not toxify my body with unnecessary aluminium is worth the change.

How are your experiences with Aluminium free deodorants? Please check your spray or bottle and think about using it after you have read a little about Aluminium. 

Love, Zoey :)

Update:

Because my reader's are simply the best I have some additional suggestions for aluminium free deodorants. Here we go:

• Speick Deo Stick
• CD Waterlily Deo Roll-On
• Wolkenseifen Deo-Creme

One of my reader's makes her own deodorant cream! Maybe we will have a guest post about her recipe since I have no experience in making my own deo. Or maybe I should read into that as well :)