Friday, October 13

{Friday Photo Bliss} Walks, Food, and Hair Dyeing!

On Fridays I like to post snapshots I took during the week that make me happy.


This morning Duke was at our neighbor's house for his writing class so I took Imp and Piper for a walk. 

"Come on Mom!"


It looks cool since it is foggy but it is actually warm and muggy this morning. We have had a few days of cooler weather (highs in the 80's rather than the 90's) so it is starting to feel a little like Autumn.


Sometimes we see the strangest creatures on our walks. This was some odd prehistoric-looking caterpillar-thing that crossed our path.  Do you have any idea what this thing is? It was about 1.5 inches long.


I bought the (affiliate link) "Ready or  Not" recipe book by Nom Nom Paleo and it has some excellent recipes. I made these chicken wings with fish sauce that the boys gobbled up almost instantly! I reduced the honey in the recipe from 1/4 cup to 1 tbsp and it tasted great. We had it on cauliflower rice. YUM!

This is one of those recipes I will probably make every week until I get sick of it.


Swimming season is almost over but not before the boys' best friend thirteenth birthday party! I can't believe I am going to have a teenager in two months. 


Here is a photo of me and my boys in Nacogdoches, TX. Notice that Duke is now as tall as me! He is 5'7'' and only 12 years old.


Now that it is slightly cooler we are really enjoying our walks at the Greenbelt.


Imp is always looking for interesting plants and insects.Thankfully no snakes were stepped on during this walk.


I included this unfortunately blurred image to show you that my hair looks more brown! Since I am a little hippie-dippy when it comes to chemicals in skin and hair products I have been living with my gray hair. Actually I have been barely tolerating/basically hating it. I don't feel my age at all and I can live with my wrinkles, but for some reason my graying hair really bugs me and even keeps me from feeling good about being photographed. Sad but true.

Finally I had enough of it so I spent some time reading about natural hair dyes and decided to try the brown hair version on Wellness Mama before resorting to using chemical hair dye. I modified it a bit and used (affiliate links) 1/4 cup sage, 1/4 cup rosemary, 1/4 cup nettle, 1 tbsp calendula, and 1 tbsp hibiscus (I added the last two hoping for a little bit of auburn tint) in 3 cups filtered water. Note: The 1 pound bags of herbs seem pricey but they are HUGE and will make enough hair dye for at least a year! Plus you can use them for tea or seasoning.

I simmered the tea for one hour and let it sit for a few additional hours until it was a very dark. Then I filtered it with a metal filter and then a coffee filter and stuck it in the fridge.

I make the spray for my shower fresh weekly. I mix 1/2 cup of the cold tea with 1/2 cup filtered water and add a few teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle. I store it in the shower stall and use it up in less than a week. I started spraying this on my wet or dry hair once a day and brush it in with this brush (I love this hairbrush as it goes through my wet or dry hair so easily) and I don't rinse it out. Within a few days it started blending in my grays. I was amazing! Within a week or two I could see a significant difference. Now I just use it a few times a week to maintain.


The gray is still there of course and more noticeable in bright outside light (like in the image above). But even in bright light it looks a little more subtle and more like highlights. This natural dye is similar to those semi-permanent dyes that "blend in the gray", not like permanent dyes that cover your grays. However, my "sideburns" were completely gray and now they are a soft brown, so it is really working. And I also think my hair is not falling out as much, so that is another perk. Paul is also using it on his hair and likes it.

I am shocked that a natural hair dye is so effective! And it is less work than dyeing my hair with normal chemical dyes. Just a little spray every week or so and I am good to go! And I feel so much happier about my hair and don't mind being photographed as much. It is funny how a little thing like dyeing your hair can improve your confidence so much.

I hope you have a great weekend!!!

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2 comments:

  1. Wow, a teenager soon? Let the hormone rage begin!

    Your hair looks great. I love the idea of a natural hair dye but again wouldn't want to go the trouble of making it myself. I'm lazy like that--okay, I'm not exactly lazy I just have a million medical conditions to deal with and really don't have the stamina or ability to do much on my own. I suppose I'll have to live with the grey for now. Unless it becomes out of control and then I may have to resort to covering it up. It is amazing the little things that we can change to feel better about ourselves--glad that you were successful! Have a great weekend ahead gang!

    Lisa

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  2. I haven't dyed my hair in 2 years - I decided to quit because of damage and it was falling out. But now I like it just to be different ;). at 43 I have a ton of gray - just started deep conditioning it once a week with grapeseed oil, jojoba oil and some cedarwood and sage oil - got a compliment on the color last week. :)
    WE just took our boys flying for the first time and I came here to grab that recent template you posted to put the photos in!

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Rita