Rambling & Recipes

So, last night, two interesting (and wonderful!) things happened.

1 - I got my box from MountainRose Herbs. 8 ounces of dried herbs by WEIGHT is a - well, it's a heck of a lot more than I was expecting to get, I'll say that much. I'm going to have to put most of in into a Foodsaver bag, and then freeze it to keep it.

2 - I finished the last of my MT mix.

I had to go and dig through the old MT/OCT challenge thread in order to find when I made that, and my 'latest' recipe - I really need to get better at recording things here.

Anyhow.

Firstly, the tub that I was using from Oyin was only 4 oz, not 8 like I thought it was. I have no clue why I thought it was 8, as the Whipped Pudding comes in an 8 oz container, and it's a heck of a lot bigger.

So - with that in mind, this is the 'new' recipe.

I did a bit of rambling to get here, and I'm going to skip all of that, because - I ramble enough, as it is.

*lol*


3/4 tsp Honeyquat (6 capfuls)
1/2 tsp SAA (4 capfuls)
1/2 teaspoon Castor Oil (2 capfuls)
1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil (20 squirts)
3.5 ounces MT (to fill)

I mix the first four ingredients together in the tub, then add the MT to it.

Simple, and straightforward.

Now.

I've been lurking over at NP.com lately, and I think I'll remain a lurker, because I'm just plain not that hardcore. And - I hate censoring/silencing myself, but I'm respectful of their rules, so rather than speak in a way that is only partially authentic, I'm opting to keep my mouth shut.
I read a bit of the original MoeGro thread/challenge, and it sounds - interesting. Seems like most ladies were getting excellent growth right from the start - which is most promising. No pictures, and I suspect it's because (as I've learned) curly hair doesn't show minute increases in growth well, at all. But, I can't see it making the MT work less, so - I'm very interested in seeing how this will work.

I've been debating whether to use straight castor oil, or to mix the castor and Vitamin E oil. For right now, I really think that I'm going to go with the straight castor oil - I've got more of it, it's cheaper, and if I don't like it/mess up, I'll be 'okay' with tossing that, but I will be real tight lipped if I have to toss some of my Vit. E! That stuff is not cheap.

So. I think I'll use straight castor oil - the last of the kroger kind, since I just got a GREAT big bottle from MrH - though, I need to check the thickness - it looks a little less viscous than the stuff I have now. I might use the less viscous kind, as that might 'infuse' better? I don't know.

I was going to use 2 ounces of oil - I figure that's about the 'minimum' I could use, and be sure that I had plenty - and considering how little of the stuff I use at once, that would be more than enough to get me through a while. I want to use enough herbs (half horsetail, half nettle) to fill up the oil to the halfway point - so it will be half herbs, half oil. Going to stick it in some boiling water, and let sit. Then, I think I'll put it. *thinks* on top of the fridge, or on top of one of our corner cabinets - that should be the hottest area of the house, and let sit for a week.

So, my next Thurday (17th) I should be ready to mix up a boosted version. I'm going to use the exact same recipe, and just use the boosted castor oil instead of the plain stuff. I figure I'll make just two ounces - since it's going on my temples only, that should be more than enough to last me for the month I want to use it for my trial period.

In the meantime, though, since I did run out of MT last night, I'm going to mix up a 4 oz tub, again, so that I don't have to 'ration' myself, out of the standard recipe. If by mid-August I decide that I like the boosted mix, I'll dump whatever is left of both versions into an 8oz container, and fill it up based on how much 'room' I have in the container. 8 ounces should last me from August until the end of the year, so we shall see.

I keep saying that I need to go and dig into the TLHC archives and see what the heck I can do with the Irish Moss and Hibiscus and Fenugreek (Methi). I'm certain that the IM and the Methi are both slip-agents. The Hibiscus I think was for the henna, to add extra red, but I think it has other hair benefits, too.

The lemongrass smells FABULOUS. Depending on how the MoeGro smells, I might add a little to it. The Amyris smells - woody. Not quite as full/sweet as sandalwood, but it's not a bad substitute. The Neem oil, on the other hand....... I don't know about that. It smells - very earthy and a little dirty, too. I'll have to look that one up too, I think one of it's properties is that it helps stop shedding (oooh, along with Shikaika and Amla, I think!) which, I could definitely use.

I think - not totally sure though - but I think that I'm shedding a little more than usual. I'm not sure if it's because I'm in my hair daily, or if it's my follicles reacting to the restart of MT, or if it's the shift in temps, or what....... but it 'feels' like a little more than usual, and anything I can use to gently convince my follicles to keep it and grow with it, is a good thing.

Hrm. I think that's it for the recipes and suchlike. I might post tomorrow on the results of my research. *wiggles eyebrows*

I have made another discovery though - Why, exactly, was I whinging about parting my hair down the middle? I can't remember now - but, I have figured out that an 'up' flat twist looks SO much better on me than a 'down' one does.

Compare:

An 'up' twist.



A 'down' twist.



I didn't have any full face pictures of the down one, but trust me, it's most likely because the squareness (and hugeness) of my head is - magnified, almost, by the style. I wore a 'down' twist yesterday, and I'm wearing an 'up' twist today, and - even though I was in one of my best look good outfits yesterday, and I'm more casual today, I look SO much cuter today.

It's all about the hair.

Okay.

I think I'm done.