How to colour your hair with henna!

Hey guys!
So, I've been dying my hair with henna for awhile now, and figured I'd do a nice little blog on how to do it.
So. First off you will need your supplies. Depending on the length of your hair, you will need anywhere from 100g-500g of henna. I have had mediumish hair for the last while, (Until last week, when I got it cut.) So I've been using 200g. You will also need a bottle of lemon juice, a glass bowl (NO plastic. It will stain BAD.) gloves, and a plastic shower cap.

1.) You will want to make your Henna mixture the night before. Mix your henna powder, I use Jamila, with enough lemon juice to make a paste, roughly the consistency of mashed potatoes. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight to oxidize.
2.) The next day, pour more lemon juice in with the henna and mix it until it has the consistency of yogurt. You will have a bowl of mud.

My muddy concoction.

3.) Get those gloves out! Pick up the mixture and rub it into your hair, making sure you get it ALL covered.
4.) Once you have it all soaked in henna, put on the shower cap and wait.
5.) I have left my henna in as long as five hours, and as little as two. I generally tend to go longer, as it tends to give richer deeper colour.

The pretty rust colour my hair is now.

The waiting game begins!

A few tips and tricks:

1. If you get indigo powder (I haven't been able to find any in my city, but you can order it online.) you can mix it with the henna to get more of a brown colour, instead of the rust colour.

2. If you do your hair with henna, then go over it with indigo (Also mixed with lemon juice) Your hair will be that natural black colour.

3. Want blonde hair? Soak your hair in lemon juice and go lay in the sun for a few hours. The lemon juice will help the sun bleach your hair out a bit. If now give you a super blonde, it will definately give you nice blonde highlights.

4. I've also read, though have had no need to try it, that if you use black tea in the henna mixture, it helps with grey coverage.

And just a note, the reason I've been dying my hair with henna is due to all the chemicals that are in regular hair dye! There are cancer causing chemicals in there, and all sorts of fun stuff. Henna, Indigo, Lemon Juice, these are all natural things that will change your hair colour. No additives that are harmful to you!

Hair dos

Okay. So. Today, I decided that I wanted to cut my hair short again. As I've had it short many times, and prefer it to long, as it was. Now, I'm not overly worried about my appearance, over the years I've had every colour under the sun, and many different hair styles, including a mowhawk.

What bothered me about this, was that I always bring pictures, and go into a TON of detail whenever it's someone new cutting my hair. I always make sure I try the best to get across what I'm going for. Apparently, this didn't work this time.

I went to a salon I had heard good things about, expecting to get a good service since it was a higher end salon. The guy I got was nice. No doubt about that. But he didn't LISTEN. Which, in my opinion, is the MOST important attribute to a good hairstylist. I wanted a choppy edgy pixie cut. I described it and told him how I'd had it cut in the past and how I like it. And yet, he first, cut it WAY to short in the back and WAY too long on the top. So I looked like a twelve year old boy with a bowl cut. Yeah. I just about CRIED. He saw I was upset, and did try to fix it a bit. But I was so dissapointed! That I could have sucha BAD experience at a hair place. Especially a higher end salon! Usually I just go to Magicuts or some place. So it was frustrating that I got a bad stylist there, and always have had good service at Magicuts or other cheap places.

I cried when I got home. Is that weird? My boyfriend told me I was crazy and overreacting. I told him I just wanted him to tell me I was still pretty. =P Though, luckily for me, my hair grows pretty fast. So I'll only have to live with this for a month before it's long enough to get it fixed. (My sister LOVES her hairstylist. Apparently what she loves about her is that she listens really well. So I'ma try her next.)

So have you guys ever had this happen? A really bad experience at a hair salon?

Feminists, Queers and Prostitutes, Oh my!

Warning: I talk about subjects such as feminism, rape, and prostitution in this article. Read at your own risk.

So! This past weekend I went to the second rebELLEs gathering in Winnipeg, MB. To give a bit of a lowdown on what that is...
http://www.rebelles.org/
The rebELLEs is a feminist group in Canada. They hold these gatherings to get womyn and non-identified people together to talk about feminist goals and issues facing us today.
So yes! It was a wonderful weekend. I met so many wonderful people and made alot of connections.
The main sessions I was in were Prostitution and Sex Work, and LGBTTQ* Issues. I greatly enjoyed the prostitution workshop. I feel as if I learnt so much more than I previously knew. My viewpoint on legalization and/or decriminalization of prostitution has changed and evolved having had the access to all this new information.
The LGBTTQ* discussion was great. I identify within the group, so hearing from, and meeting many awesome people. We had a great discussion, and it was wonderful to express ourselves within the feminist movement.
One of my personal feminist goals is to organize a 'slutwalk' in my city. I think it would be great ot speak out against victim blaming. i.e. A woman who is scantily clad is 'asking for sex' and so her rapists should not be prosecuted.
So yeah! Feminist, Queers and Prostitutes, oh my!
What were you up to this weekend? Are you a feminist? What are some of your personal goals?

Summer & Shorts

So summer is finally starting, which I am super excited for. Hopefully all this sun will help decrease the flooded assinaboine! But besides the hopefully good environmental effects, it's finally time to start rocking shorts.
I'm beyond excited for this, as a month back I bought two new pairs. (I guess my hips got fuller, because my old ones are quite snug!) Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been cooperating, and I haven't really worn them out yet! So for your viewing pleasure, here's what I wore today:

I decided to go kinda cowgirly.

The fence may be broken, but it has character.

I personally love the top, which is american eagle, but I got it at a thrift store. I was super excited about it because I NEVER can find cute button ups that fit properly.
Besides my boyfriend's comment of how it looks like a blue tablecloth, I got a couple compliments on it today, which made me smile.
I also was painting my nails last night for the hundredth time, and these are what I rocked with it:

Sally Hansen white, OPI's Love Your Life, and Revlon Topcoat

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I don't know if you can really see them, but there are tiny little hearts on the thumbs. So let me know what you think! Too tablecloth like? Or just right?