I'm allergic to indigo!!? (dafuq!)

Just to warn you, this is gonna be a bit rambly… Enjoy!!! XD

Sooo, not too long ago I bought a whole bunch of indigo… Because I only "aloud" myself to dye my hair black because I could do it in a beneficial way to my hair… Well, my scalp first started itching. Then it turned really red and became super sore and tender. And that is so annoying 'cause it itches like crap, but when you scratch back it stings like a MOFO!!! At first I thought it was a reaction to the Special Effects 'Blue Mayhem' (a super bright, vibrant royal blue), so I stopped using that. But then I had the same reaction just using the henna and indigo after… It just didn't occur to me that this natural plant could give me this reaction! (?) Me, who lives by the fact that ALL is chemistry… I just really didn't expect that I would be allergic to freakin' indigo!!! I mean come on!!!!  *exaggerated pouty face*
… I'm not plannin' on growing out the black already, so I had to figure out another way to keep it black. Fortunately I was pretty lucky here not too long ago. I've seen a ton of commercials, and heard a lot of rave about this new line of box dye OLIA. The formula is supposedly 60% oil, and it's ammonia free, which is the reason I jumped on it, to be honest! :P I hate the smell and the tears. About the fortune, my local general store had six boxes of OLIA in deep black on sale for only 50DDK/9,18USD. Which is an insanely good bargain here in Denmark!!! I was so excite! :D (Normally it costs almost three times that!)

A little close up of the box!

I guess I'll do a little review, 'cause I feel like sharing my experience! Okay… I actually really like this product! It's give a nice strong colour result, which in deep black, gives a nice deep blue black. (Which is nice because it was what I wanted, but didn't expect! Looking at the illustrational picture on the box, I was expecting a very dark brownish black.) The formula is a bit runny, but very easy to distribute. It has a decent smell, but the best thing besides the result, is the after-conditioner! It's a quite nice sized bottle, because it's meant for a couple of applications, but I'm just stoked that it has enough for all my hair!!! Not that I have that much, but I guess it helps that I'm starting to have a little length. :) Another thing I love about this dye is that it makes my hair SOOOOOOO shiny! It's glorious! I'm not really too bothered about the bad chemicals and all that. My hair loves it and my skin approves, so I'm happy. (When it has to be like this.)

I'm gonna use the rest of the indigo on my length only, 'cause buying that indigo was not a cheap affaire for me! And I will not throw it out! 

I hope it wasn't a total bore? I would be nice if you would let me know if you did or did not enjoy it! 

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Length shot of november 2013!!!

So this is my last one this year! I know I'm quite late, but as I wrote in my previous entry, I've been ill.

On to the picture!!!

I'm definitely getting closer! Not that far from classic length… I'm happy with my ends and all is great!

LAST YEAR:

I have been trimming quite a bit since this pic, but I've still gained some length. As soon as I reach classic I'll maintain for a healthier hemline. :) I'm getting butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it!

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SICK OF BEING SICK!!!

I was kinda shocked to see that my last entry was from oktober… (!!!)
Things have been tough, life has been hard 'n' shit's been real. I've had a few really bad "attacks" which  means I have been tied to my bed for the last couple of months. I get really, really ill… First I had a little baby one, but right after, the big-ass-aggressive-moma-bear got me. I got pretty mauled, to stay in the analogy. (If you can call it that.) But I'm almost back! I'm still quite exhausted, but hungry for life!
I've been shopping a ton, so prepare for a lot of hauls and stuff! I have so many ideas!

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New Painting!

I'm done with the painting that I've mentioned but haven't showed yet! You ready???!!

"Smokin' in Pink"

Do you like it??? If you do please let me know. ^_______^

Hendigo+Blue Mayhem!!!

Okay, first the stuff I used! Indigo + fine salt + henna + blue mayhem, special effects.

I got the indigo powder from e-bay. The seller is bulgarian and so is the text. XD But a really nice instruction followed. :) I didn't need that though, since I researched pretty hard before I even thought about buying it. But it was a nice detail, and also a nice insurance that the seller knows what they are selling. 

... And the blue semi permanent hair dye from Special Effects. This brand is supposed to be one of the best ones out there, when it comes to colour and lasting power. :) But it's also a bit expensive!

              Okay! On to what I did with this stuff! DAY 1              

The first step I did was washing my hair with a deep cleansing shampoo, to clean off all cones and oils, to achieve a better colour result. :) When my hair was almost dry I went on with the next step...

Then I applied the henna, that I had mixed a few hours before and left to dye release. I like to use a foundation brush. Since I was going to end up with black hair, and wanted a strong dye result, I made the henna mix strong. I mixed henna with just demineralized water (I prefer distilled, but it's not available to me). I left the henna on for 3 

hours+. (It smells like hay to me.)

I call this the next step because it's a bit extensive. To get the henna out I do a mermaid soak in my dishwashing bowl. I stand in my shower with my head upside down. I repeat a few times until the water is somewhat clear. Then I shower my hair still upside down. When I'm done with that I squeeze out all excess water with my soft cotton pants.  I've learned that if I detangle my hair while still upside down, and then swing my hair back up, it's so much easier! I still don't use any products since I want the best result I can. I let my hair dry a little before I move on.

Then it's on to the actual indigo! I mix it with a bit of salt, (for better result) and some demineralized water. This time I use my hands to just put it on and rub it in! Since it's grainier than henna, it's easier this way. I mix small portions as I go since you can't freeze indigo like you can with henna. It smells kinda like stale grass. :( I also left this on for 3 hours+. With both henna, indigo and blue mayhem I covered it up with plastic. 

Next I did the same as with getting the henna out. I will say, compared to henna, indigo is harder to get out and it is so much more messier. XD This picture just shows the least of it. Before I got my camera it was down the drain...

After rinsing out as much as possible I rinsed with water+apple cider vinegar to get my scalp back to a healthy ph level, and also to close down the cuticles. 

Now I applied a TON of leave-in and to make my hair less grumpy! ^___^

This picture is from right after the first indigo application. As you can see it's pretty greenish and not very black, but I was expecting that since it needs time to oxidize. But a few hours later it was clear that it wouldn't become jet black from just one application... So I did another one same night!

I just redid the indigo step...

The second pic is almost right after the second indigo. You can still see the red through but it's a lot darker than the first. 

Then I decided it was time for bed! I was exhausted!

In the morning it was pretty black, yay!!! It wasn't until evening that I got around to do the next step.

Now it was time for blue mayhem! It's a super strong paste so I decided to mix it with some cone free conditioner. The mix was about 50/50. I applied it with my hands, covered it up and left it on overnight.   I just rinsed it out in the morning, and suddenly my hair was majestically blue black!!! To make it a bit easier for myself I think I'll just mix in the blue mayhem with the indigo next time. 

The end result: 

In some light it looks very blue and in other it looks super black!

And what the gloves looked like when I was done! Just remember them 'cause it will happen to your hands if not! Skin is not as dye resistant as gloves, if you don't know. 

I did not use gloves the first time, because I couldn't be bothered... Well I could this time!!! XD I literally had dark purple/blue hands for a week! Not to mention the smell... Ha ha.

FRIDA KAHLO!!!

Okay, when I found out that there was going to be a Frida Kahlo exhibition in Denmark, I almost died! She is my favorite artist of all time!!! So I had to check it out... Amazing doesn't even cover how incredible it was... I took a few pictures of some of my favorite things!

She preferred to wear these traditional mexican robes. It's very much her signature look. I was surprised to see how tiny she was! I knew she was short, but...

A little close up. It was quite difficult to get a nice quality shot, because the glass was messing it up. Sorry! If you can't see it it's dark green velvet.

One of her many masterpieces!

There were several huge floor-to-sealing portraits of her. She's holding a pre Colombian figurine. She and her husband, Diego Riviera, collected stuff like that. I'm not sure if it's one of her own, but it could be. :)

One of my favorite portraits of her! I love her pose, slight smile and the red scarf. It reminds me a bit of Mona Lisa, but prettier. I think she has the same mystique.

This is one of her many, many corsets. 

One of her hospital gowns from one of the many times she spend time in a hospital. You can't see it in this photograph but when you stand in front of it, you can actually see which hospital it's from, in the neck. And the stains are oil paint! So cool and inspiring... 

This is a post mortem picture of her, in her casket. Diego Riviera is the tall man in the middle, with the tan trench coat, dark tie and white button down. She died at 47.

A painting by Diego Riviera. It looks amazing IRL... Trust me. I sometimes hate my phone for what it does to art. :(

A self portrait by Frida Kahlo (pencil). I find it so incredibly beautiful, with the expression, the wavy, raven hair and the slight twist of the hip... :)

Another one of the great ones!

One of her more simple dresses.

My favorite one of the huge portraits. She looks so pretty!

A photo of her when she was pretty young. I really like this one too.

And one of her when she was a bit older...

Well that was it! I hope you enjoyed this just a tiny bit as much as I did!

MORE SEWING!!!

Very recently I was at my fabric store and, and have to admit, I splurged pretty hard... I feel a bit guilty. But I really feel like my money is spend very well. The clothes I sew for myself is something I wear till it falls apart. Literally.

Well, on to the "stuff"!

When I saw this print it was absolutely love at first sight! Some might call it ugly, fugly even. But I love it! Obviously I love spacey stuff... But I really dig the unusual colours. I think mint goes so amazingly well with my blue-black hair. It's a super soft jersey, so it's very comfy but also falls heavy and flattering. Perfect combination! :D

A little close up!

I bought enough to make two. But I made a train on the second one. 

I also bought some even softer, red jersey. The colour is a super strong and popping, orangey red. It looks super glamorous on. :) You can't see it when it's on the hanger but it has a TON of fabric in the skirt. Almost all the fabric is in the back, so it gives a bit of volume in the booty area, which my flat-ish butt doesn't mind! :P There are no pleats in the front but you can't really see that in the pictures, because the weight of the fabric drags it down.

And a close up of the back. You may get a sense of how much fabric there is. It weighs a ton but looks pretty! ^_^ On all the dresses I made the sleeves a bit too long. I think it gives a super elegant look and silhouette. it gives an almost gloved look.  

Okay, I had some serious problems making this look even decent on a hanger... This is the best I could do. :( It looks cute on, I swear! Well, it's a black and creme striped maxi skirt, also in jersey, with an exposed silver zipper in the back. I has a double layer of elastics in the waist, just because I was trying out something new. :) I really like that it's black and creme and not navy and white. It's the same old classic, but with a new twist. When I wear it it kinda looks circusy, because my style is getting a bit gypsy inspired, I think. :) But I don't at all mind the circus vibe. 

I guess my camera doesn't like stripes either... : S

Yeah I messed up a little with the zipper, but I didn't really care at that point. 

I'm working on a very exciting sewing project, and I can't wait to blog about it! It will be so glorious. A little hint: it's very appropriate for the current holiday... :P

I hope you like it!