Nadja

Yesterday, I was meandering through YouTube, listening and watching some music videos. I don't know how I got to where I was, but I stumbled upon some really disconcerting, aurally rich, somewhat disturbing music-- Nadja. I like some forms of black metal, and the video image on YouTube looked like it would be black metal, a grey and grainy image of trees heavily laden with snow, so I decided to give it a whirl. What I found was an unusual array of soundscapes, some would characterize this as noise. One must have an open mind, first of all, to click on this, let alone listen for the entire 19 minutes that some of the tracks ask of you. This, I warn you, is not for the faint of heart. I can envision some people turning the music off in fear listening to it in a dark room by themselves. Others, I can envision meditating to this. One has to have an appreciation for something incredibly atmospheric, and much different than anything one has heard before. Personally, I plan on taking a walk through the park with this in my iPod nearing dusk on a dreary autumn day, like today. 

According to the iTunes bio, and yes I am actually on the verge of purchasing, Nadja is a duo of Aidan Baker and Leah Buckareff characterized as ambient doom/metal/electronic music, and their first official release was Truth Becomes Death in 2005. They have done other musical works prior. If you click on the link to the Wiki on Aidan Baker, you will see there is quite an extensive music history of experimental music alchemy. Often the music starts softly, like a whisper and it grows as the music progresses. If you close your eyes, block out everything else around you, and listen deeply and carefully, you will begin to pick up on the subtle layers of sounds that build gradually to a climax. If you have synesthesia or are just have a very active mind's eye, this is meditative ear candy for you. This is great for the imagination, and brings forth many new and exciting emotions from music. When is the last time you have listened to something that might be disturbing at times? Meditative at others? The music is atmospheric, and sets a tone as you move through your environment.

I haven't followed up regarding my progress in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and this is because the progress is painfully slow. This book is not a speed-read, and I am trying to truly absorb the character development. So far, it seems there is a struggle between those whose reason is to succeed in wealth and those whose reason is for the greater good to succeed. I dislike most of the men in the book so far, although I am only in about 180 pages. Francisco D'Anconia is a dirt bag, and Rearden is just icky. It seems that Dagny loves success, and takes massive risks, but has a horrible taste in men. Or maybe Ayn Rand has horrible taste in men, or she just likes to be the s in BDsM. As I said, I haven't got too far yet, I have yet to get to the part where people say "this book will change the way you see the world."  I still keep in mind the icky feeling I got from Anthem, we'll see.

As far as hair goes, nothing much has changed. I am thinking because it is such a crappy day out, and I am a bit under the weather this morning, maybe I will deep condition today. I have to rest up since we are going into Holiday setup at my store and I need my health now more than ever. Way to spend the day off, I know, but my body thanks me. Until next time!

Epic Kings and Idols Tour -- Katatonia & Paradise Lost

I haven't been to a concert in almost a year, and this was certainly well worth it. I had an amazing time at Epic Kings and Idols Tour, in Irving Plaza 9/23/12. Thanks to my wonderful hubby, we upgraded our tickets to the box seats, and were right above the sound board.

The Lineup:
Stolen Babies
Paradise Lost
Devin Townsend
Katatonia

Stolen Babies was pretty decent as an opening act. Their sound was theatrical, similar to Psyche Corporation except much, much harder and metal. The way the music grooved, the rhythms were similar, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I give them plenty of credit for the show they put on. Opening acts are usually awful, and filler before the show, but Stolen Babies harkened to the days when first encountered Dog Fashion Disco live (until they played again at a festival somewhere in New Jersey and were awful).

Paradise Lost  was delicious. They opened with Enchantment, off of their older Draconian Times album, and the moment I heard the song begin I was taken back to the days when that album came out, I was 17 when I discovered them. I will be frank and say I haven't followed Paradise Lost all that much since after One Second came out, they went far goth and less metal. It is a shame I didn't stick with them, because boy oh boy they came back with a vengeance. Faith Divides Us is a great song, and Paradise Lost's live performance was excellent. Irving Plaza, I must add, is an excellent venue for metal. The acoustics work, unlike in a place like Roseland Ballroom. I will not go to another metal show there, simply because the acoustics have the tendency to make the sound muddy, and that puts a damper on enjoying the full blast of music.  A few glasses of wine and Paradise lost and I was in complete heaven. They played The Enemy, off of In Requiem, and here was where I realized that I was rediscovering a band with a legendary gothic metal sound. This review of Paradise Lost is 100% about rediscovering something that had been lost in time. I went to see Katatonia, but Paradise Lost made the show highly worthwhile as well. Thanks to this show, I am diving into Paradise Lost with renewed interest, and have purchased some of their newer music since! And I feel truly lucky to have had this experience because apparently they don't come to the states that often.

 

Next on the show was the Devin Townsend Project. Look, I thoroughly understand that I may get totally flamed for this review, but I never really followed Devin Townsend. I say I might get flamed because the reaction of the crowd to Devin Townsend was different than my personal impression of the music. I completely understand that with all his well known projects, such as Strapping Young Lad, and Frontline Assembly, that I should be reviewing this with a bowing reverence, but I am not. Frankly  I could care less, and I felt like every song played sounded the same live. Granted, I hadn't dove into the music beforehand to familiarize myself. Clearly there is a great deal of drug-addled humor and parody implied judging from the website and the trippy animations on screen before their live set, and I am sure that's pretty cool. This really just wasn't my cup of tea. I was fairly amused, that besides my husband and I, there was a random Asian girl sitting near us in the box seat area who seemed just as disinterested as we were. But everyone else was completely entranced by Devin Townsend. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.  I don't know. Anyway, I am not ripping them apart, I'm just saying it thoroughly just was not for me. To add, live, they sounded too muddled, and never heard anything like this,below, on YouTube, where they sound like twisted carnival music. I do give Devin credit, he is demented beyond words. Maybe if it didn't just sound like repetitive drum blasting live, it would have been better.

Finally we get to Katatonia. Aaah the band I was waiting to see.  I absolutely love this band on CD, and was a bit nervous about how they would sound live. Those vocals could go one of two ways live. I am happy to say they delivered, and played songs from a wide range of albums. They played The Longest Year, and I actually caught that on video. The Day and Then the Shade was played during encore, I truly love that song and they delivered. July, My Twin also were played solidly. I had hoped they would play Departer, as I see a thread of connection to July with that song, but they didn't. Oh well, they played Dead House, a very very old song, which came out in the late 1990's. Katatonia's sound back then was more doom, and their vocals weren't as refined as they are now. I highly recommend checking out the old version, and then hearing the difference live. All in all, great show.

Infinity through the eyes of Freethinking

          For years, maybe because of the history I have lived, I have moved between atheism and something else. Maybe atheism is a relative term used to define the perspective of disbelief from which one views a said religion/deity. This isn't a scientific post, and is not intended to sound the call of reason, if reason is what one calls it. Nowadays I am leaning towards something else, and is something I can't ever properly describe. I am going to try my best here. It may, to some sound quite simplistic, but it feels quite firm in reality. The FACT, the undeniable FACT, that we are here, along with the Universe around us, is proof that there is a higher power. The FACT that we feel a myriad of emotions, and can be conscious of our existence and the existence of the Universe around us, in all its vastness, is proof. 

          Science will explain how, and I don't deny science, evolution, or the myriad of theories proven. Science, however, is emotionally and morally neutral. The universe is neutral. Humans, however, and who knows what else dwells in the universe, are not morally neutral, but are constantly deciding  (often failing) right from wrong, and feeling joy, pain, anger, jealousy, rage, love, compassion, and sadness.  There. And that is where I will leave it. There was a comment regarding emotions being simply chemical reactions made somewhere on the web and it left me deeply perturbed. I frivolously responded "Oh that's all well and good, but we mustn't devalue all human emotions to being simply chemical reactions, as purely physical manifestations. Go ahead, give everyone a pill and stop all emotion and feeling," and left the post behind.  The whole thing touched upon something I had taken great issue with, the struggle to hold on to morals and ethics in a field which is increasingly devaluing the soul of the universe to chemical reactions-- science. The irreconcilable (or are they?) differences between science and the Soul, and morality. 

          The inability for either side to see a melding, maybe something that isn't either black or white. Something that isn't the Abrahamic Sky God, and not the preposterous notion that just because the Universe creates itself theoretically that there isn't a higher power at work, guiding it, or that it is a part of the All. What is beyond All? Here we are again, staring into infinity. Infinity. Mirrors creating endless halls. I recommend Chris Hedges' book When Atheism Becomes Religion, only so that anyone who has read the Four Horsemen has a counter-argument to moderate the extremes.System of a Down said the spirit moves through all things. In my experience, it does. And I will not debate this any more, as somehow I have developed a deep revulsion for the devaluation of everything to a strictly material existence by science. It is disconcerting, and makes my skin crawl. This is the thing Monsanto is made of. That old movie with Tim Curry, The Fly comes to mind as well. Science setting out to disprove the spiritual existence, destroying all moral compass, will destroy us all. Am I nuts for thinking that it is truly "mystical" that everything exists? Good. I am proud to be a card-carrying member of loonytoons. Most Atheists debate black and white. Extreme religion to extreme anti-god. There is no middle ground between dinosaur-denying 5000 year old earth believing Creationists, and stark mathematical science. Neither of these sides, in my view, see the forest, for the trees.You can acknowledge that science is true, without devaluing the sanctity of existence and recognizing this magnificent manifestation for what it is: a flourishing grandiose miracle. Trillions upon trillions of stars.

To Vote or Not to Vote

Never Before has it Been so Difficult

"I'm Your Puppet" - James and Bobby Purify

 

...To decide which lesser of two evils to vote for. No, it is not difficult to choose, it is difficult to actually participate in the voting process. I am going to start with an excerpt from a post I made on a friend's page, omitting the names of said friend and commentator:

"Coming from someone who is fiscally conservative in regards to military prowess/foreign aid and Austrian about the fractional reserve banking system, I agree with you (nice person with whom I engaged this discourse) that the American Dream has been destroyed. The FED got us into the mortgage bubble that destroyed the dream, and Bush/Cheney with their reckless, ignorant foreign policy nailed the coffin shut. The people, with their rampant consumerism weren't exactly innocent either when they signed their lives away to ARM loans and didn't expect to also owe a LEG, all the while living it up on their domicile being an atm machine. But Mitt has a severe disconnect with the common everyday people, who I am a part of. He has never walked in middle class shoes. My husband and I work our butts off every week, and certainly don't want people mooching on our hard-earned tax money who don't deserve it. Some people are out there to milk the system, and over-breed welfare families for an extra dime, but the Republicans are out to screw those same human beings by denying them women's health rights in the name of "personal responsibility." Where is he actually on this issue? He flip-flopped so much I can't keep track. I do believe however, that Obama's healthcare bill is lackluster, and I have stated many times it just forces people to participate in the insurance company mafia racket. If he really was a "socialist" he would promote single payer, and not be in the back pockets of the insurance industry and big pharma. Don't get me wrong, I seriously dislike Obama, as much as I dislike Mitt. Mitt saying 47% of america won't vote for him because they are playing "victim" isn't getting these people out of the hole so they can live Mitt's life, nor is it garnering any support. He's not changing any minds with that speech, in fact the corruption that the common person sees happening might just drive them further away from someone like Mitt. To say that human beings aren't entitled to medical coverage while the government continues to be in bed with the insurance companies and big pharma who are ruining the health of people for the sake of self interest and profit is also rather reckless. Everyone wants to do well, have that house on the hill, and succeed. It's impossible to do that when the price of success (tuition, housing, groceries, gas,and life in general) keeps rising and the value of our dollar keeps falling due to quantitative easing, and just when you think you have everything straight you get some messed up horrible disease like cancer. Oh and how are students supposed to get to college on merit if the education system in this country is deplorable. I use this as an example all the time, but have you seen the grammar on the internet? It makes me cry! Mitt wants the people of this country to rise, but he wants to cut all the tools to help them rise and instead blow more money on warmongering with netanyahu over Iran. The empire is broke, it is time to bring the troops home and leave the mideast alone. They don't want us there. See them all burning US flags? Hello, let's go home and take care of home, which is the american dream, which is broken...

  ...I feel like both parties are horribly out of touch. I have never had such distress about voting before. It was always so clear-cut for me in the past-- vote democrat. Then OWS, for better or for worse of opinions, happened, and it caused me to dig deeper. Way deeper. From economics to nutty conspiracies to corporatocracy it made me read more, and open my eyes, and for that after a year I am grateful, as my formerly (admittedly) superficial understanding of things has grown. But voting, on the other hand, has become exceedingly difficult."

 So, flat out, I can start by saying I am NOT, under any circumstances, voting for Mitt Romney. I just can't, in good conscience, vote for someone so out of touch with the ills of this country, and I cannot condone his foreign policy views. Lest we forget his cozy relationship with Netanyahu and his brown-nosing speech about Israel being a lonely flower in the desert. Sorry, I'm not buying it, foreign aid of all sorts to all nations is a pet peeve of mine. This nation is broke, and spending on more war and bribing more nations into submission with "foreign aid" is uncalled for. 

Ron Paul, my first choice for president, is out of the race. Jill Stein fits my views as well, and she has a more compassionate view of education, womens' issues, and health care. But go and say Jill Stein to any person you know, and the resounding answer will be "Jill Who!?" So that, unfortunately is a vote thrown into the toilet, as there are nowhere near enough people who know her, let alone like her to vote for her to actually win this late stage of the game. So I am left with dumb and dumber. Or Goldman Sachs vs Goldman Sachs. Or Fascism with womens' health or Fascism without womens' health. How sad this is how far we have fallen. How sad I am having such a difficult time of going into the voting booth and clicking Obama. Maybe if he wouldn't have disappointed me so much regarding civil liberties (NDAA, drones, etc) I wouldn't have such a hard time. Maybe if he wouldn't have gotten involved in mideast politics and encouraged the Arab not-so-Spring and put extremists into power, I would still like him. Maybe if the Obamacare was actually single payer which made the insurance company racket obsolete, I would still like him. Unfortunately, for being the First Democrat President Post 9/11, he has disappointed me, and disappointed me badly.

I feel, however, for the sake of national security (yeah, it's that serious) that I actually have to get my voting finger out, double bag some latex gloves, and stick my finger into that rotten cesspool called democratic two-party voting, and vote for Obama. Here is why: Romney scares the shit out of me. His foreign policy issues are frightening beyond belief. Obama put NDAA indefinite detention there, yeah, But I'm more worried about how Romney will use that provision than Obama. Romney is nuts. Completely out of touch with the people, and his ultra-hawkish foreign policy which panders to the Bush-Cheney era neocons has the potential to ignite the world into a war, unless you are thinking it already has ignited into WWIII but unofficially. 

But then, I think to myself about Obama, and how he is the architect of the NDAA indefinite detention provision, and how he continues to defend the provision in court cases that have challenged it.  If you have the time, or make the time, you can read the permanent injunction issued by Katherine Forrest here, He also appointed a former head of Monsanto to the FDA, and that is quite upsetting as well.  Another serious sticking point I have with Obama now, which I admittedly did not have in 2008, is his stance on the Federal Reserve, which is no stance at all-- Just keep stimulating and devaluing the currency. The FED is the root of all our problems, and central banks have been playing all sides of wars for decades. But this still won't make me vote for Romney. I just can't. I am sickened to my core by both of these candidates who are so out of touch with the issues at hand that it is just staggering. 

There is also an option to just NOT VOTE, and not participate in the corruption. There are those who say there are issues with the 14th amendment and the Citizens United ruling where there are grounds  for people to not vote out of protest, and it gets into this whole legal jargon between common law, Roman law, admiralty law, and Black's Law dictionary, and enslavement via paper documents (Straw Man Theory) but I'm not so sure I would go there either, and a lot of that stuff sounds secessionist. I'll keep my head squarely on my shoulders and stay far away from that one. Going back to Jesse Ventura, a better solution he offered about Citizens United was to amend the Constitution.  I guess the campaigns would try to label me a "swing voter," but I'm really not. I'm a disgusted voter. I am so sick of the choices we are given but in the end is it really the lesser of two evils? Everything is going to shit, but pick the guy who is less worse so when it goes to shit, it will just be shit not diarrhea that has to be cleaned up afterward. 

And this post has gotten me nowhere. I haven't resolved my painful voting conundrum, not one bit. Should I vote? Just to stave off Mittens Romney, who is his own worst enemy in the campaign?

Hair Products and Jesse Ventura

So, About the Hair...

Recently I tried a new, fairly expensive hair product and I am stunned and in heaven over the results. Surprisingly, the product, Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter Deep Treatment Masque, is available in CVS and Walgreens, and runs between $10-$13 for a 12-oz jar. Here is a link (currently under construction) to their full line of products. On the jar, there is an interesting story about the products' origins, Sierra Leone. A wide variety of products, including a shampoo which appears to be sulphate free, and a conditioner which is silicone free, also exist. This product claims to contain no parabens, pthalates, paraffin, gluten, proplylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, PABA, synthetic colors, DEA, or animal ingredients, nor is it tested on animals.  For the more persnickety ingredients hounds out there, here is a list of ingredients:

Deionized water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Certified Organic Shea Butter), Argan Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Emulsifying Wax, Sea Kelp Extract, Panthenol (Vitamin B-5), Essential Oil Blend, Avocado Oil, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower (and) Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Hyssopus Officinalis Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf and Equisetum Arvense Extract, Soybean Oil, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Seed Oil

The product is intended for dry/damaged hair, which in layman's terms means that as long as your hair and scalp don't suffer from excessive oiliness, you can use this product. The consistency is very thick, like a mayonnaise, and can be applied to the hair as a deep conditioner wet or dry. I try to pick a day that I am gleefully off from work and free from responsibilities, and leave this product in my hair as long as humanly possible. Generously  apply it to dry hair, then bun and cover it. One jar lasts about 3 uses on tailbone length hair, that is my idea of generous application. Yours may vary. The scent is beautiful, not the fruity, sweet, chemical laden scents that most are used to. One can smell the shea butter, but it is muted by a sweeter, warm, almost butter cream vanilla aroma. I am usually a real cheapo when it comes to hair products, and $10-$13 per product is usually really steep in my opinion, but this product is well worth it, at least to me.

I am going to conclude the hair section of my latest blathering with a length shot, which was taken by my husband, who is super-supportive of my now 5 year adventure in natural hair care and hair growing, on 9/12/12 at the local park. I guess fairytale ends are here to stay, and I have decided to embrace them since I last cut my hair around January. In January, I did cut about 4 inches of length off the bottom, as I had increasing intolerance for the frayed ends. There probably will not be a close encounter with scissors for quite some time, although some have known me to jog with them every now and again. When you run with scissors, you run with the wrong crowd.

Jesse Ventura

I was incredibly overjoyed to see Jesse Ventura, the former Minnesota Governor and pro-wrestler, completely own Piers Morgan on CNN. As most people who know me are aware, I have a complete disdain for mainstream media and news. Here is a clip of that interview, where Piers Morgan is basically humiliated and sent cowering back from whence he came. Screw Piers Morgan and Erin Burnett and their ilk. Corporate media shills and propagandists they are, all of them.

Nothing makes me proud like people standing up for what they believe in. Jesse has made an announcement of sorts, on the dubious Alex Jones show, that he may just run for President. (Don't get me started about Alex Jones. My Dad used to listen to Limbaugh every day because he loved to hate him. I would say my sentiments for Jones are the same. I truly disdain how he cuts off some of his guests and I agree some of the things he says are sensationalized and spun, and I disagree with a lot of what he says.) Will Ventura get in?  I highly doubt it considering the whole thing is admittedly bought and paid for by lobbyists, SuperPAC's, and corporations. Jesse makes valid points about 9/11, some of which, sorry my dear naysayers, are backed up by a scathing piece in the New York Times recently. The question will forever be whether it was blundering, bumbling negligence or something deliberate, and darker, to justify pre-planned wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which caused these horrid attacks. My opinion continues to be that it was blowback for our horrid foreign policy that goes way way back. But I digress. I like Jesse Ventura. And did you hear the applause he got from the audience who didn't feel he was a quack? He seems to have a good grasp on the problems at hand: Corporatocracy, religious zealotry, and government corruption. The decrying of religious zealotry puts Ventura above people like Ron Paul (and by far the dubious Alex Jones), as I get a sense they quietly give a nod to condoning the Christian variety here with their statements on religious liberty. I emphatically agree with Ventura (and Ron Paul) we need to get out of these Muslim countries and cut off all foreign aid, and focus on improving what is happening within our borders.

That's all for now! Stay tuned for more hair posts, and a review of a Katatonia concert I will be attending in the near future.

Various Assorted Topics to Bore You With...

On Unabashed Vanity...

So since I decided to connect this blog with the other website I frequent (less frequently), I am sure the majority of readers are quite interested about what is going on with my hair, and not my gratuitously, sometimes obnoxiously opinionated posts about politics and religion, which are sure to upset and offend everyone. For everyone else, Haaiii! I'm a freak with a hair growing hobby! I bet you didn't know that about me and I could care less what you think of me for it.  And no it is not a fetish, but purely aesthetic.  The last time I trimmed my hair was back in January, and I was exceedingly frustrated with the fairytale ends that were uneven, thus I cut back to hip length. At this point, the hair approaches tailbone length, and is being protected almost daily by a cinnabun held by 2 Ketylo hairsticks in Agatewood. I'm embracing the old school recommendation of wearing hair up often in order to protect it so it can grow longer, and have actually *what a shock* found great success with the method. The wearing-hair-up thing started occurring with frequency for a completely separate reason, however, as this past summer has been simply disgusting. The humidity made simple day-to-day minutia and chores unbearable with all that hair. Seriously any moron who insists there is no climate change can kiss my sweaty, uncomfortable ass. If anyone is wondering, no I haven't measured my hair in quite some time. Whatever inches it is, it is what it is. Standing around measuring hair with a measuring tape must be useful if someone has growth issues and they are using supplements or herbs or simply experimenting for hair growth. I don't have time for that, and I'm not particularly experimenting with anything for growth, except for testing my own patience lol.

On Deism and Thomas Paine

This past summer I read a wonderful old book that truly resonated with my heart. The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine. I discovered that there is something in between Atheism and Religion which resonates with my Pantheistic leanings. Deism. In a nutshell, it is disavowing all written theology, all the while not throwing the baby out with the bathwater-- a Deity. I don't use the word "God" because it has so much ridiculous Abrahamic  baggage which I do not want any affiliation with. It is a belief that doesn't disavow science and reason, either, and instead views the understanding and knowledge of science and reason as a pathway to knowing and understanding the deity. "Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it." An Atheist reading this will be shaking their head at me, and I really don't care. Believing there is nothing is too pessimistic for me. I can't accept that all this gigantic wonder, the Universe, and all the emotions we feel came from nothing, and are simply spiritually meaningless chemical reactions occurring constantly in the brain. That sounds as absurd as saying there is only one true religion based on a book written by humans , which insists that the Earth and Humans are the center of everything, after knowing what we know about the size, scope, and age of the Universe. (My suspicious, questioning mind has to ask where and from whom such a dangerously demoralizing, de-humanizing motive would come from. Maybe the powers that be DO in fact want to remove the concept of spiritual growth / transcendence in order to create strict obedience only to a man-made state. )  I encourage everyone to read this book. This was revolutionary writing in the time of Thomas Paine (1700's) and he was ostracized for single-handedly ripping apart every word of every chapter of the Bible; all the while not abandoning a greater being. "All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit." Because of this, his proper place as a founding father in American history is trivialized by some to this day, and has been the reason why constitutionalists argue on about rights and god and the US Constitution.  This book is especially refreshing after reading the works of the Atheist "Four Horseman," especially someone like Sam Harris. With Deism, you have your cake and eat it too.

Adventures with Ayn Rand

Most people will know me as a libertarian about many issues, not all, and for questioning  collectivism. Recently, I have felt arrows appearing around me, gently pointing in Ayn Rand's direction. I recently read Anthem, and was disappointed by the end, unless of course her intention was to point out that if humans are forced to extreme collectivism, the ego backlash  would be just as ugly. I'm going to leave that right there, and I don't think it would be fair to myself or the author to judge based on this one work. I have taken up Atlas Shrugged, which first started appearing in my life almost 2 years ago when a forum I was frequenting had some conflicts between the members and moderators and the book was mentioned. Since then, for reasons unrelated, I began to discover my own progressive libertarianism, as opposed to being a Liberal Democrat that I used to be. The works of Ayn Rand began to come up more often, and it is something, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, that I haven't made reasonable exploration of. I have read reviews of her work, and people appear to either adore her or find her abhorrent. There is no middle road. Either way it is probably better reading than the recent books about Obama by Dinesh Desouza, which I almost picked up instead, simply out of morbid curiosity of neoconservative blatherings. I say this without reading the Obama books by the said author because he also wrote a book singing the praises of Christianity, which clearly demonstrates the theocratic perspective from which he attacks Obama, apparently an "anti-colonialist" who will contribute to the "islamization" of America. I find that as absurd as calling the Obamacare bill socialized medicine, but that is another topic entirely. So, anyway, after straying off topic, Ayn Rand. Let's go and read, shall we? I will update my progress and opinions on the matter here. I am reading slow and leisurely, so bear with me, as Ayn Rand is very descriptive of characters and it appears there is lots to be gleaned from that. Thus far I think this will add fodder for another project I plan to pursue, the concept of being human, and how the cutthroat ways of business looks to shred any last vestige of being human from what is visible to the consumer. (I do abhor that word)

How to Dye Hair Black Without Manmade Chemicals!

Ravenna's

2 Step Hennindigo Process

A lot of people have become more conscious about their beauty routines, especially since there is a barrage of man-made chemicals in most hair products and dyes, which are not always safe for human contact to the skin, no matter what corrupt government agencies tell you about their safety. New reports about parabens, BPA, and other chemicals come out every other day explaining how these things are actually bad for us even though they are considered safe and legal by the FDA. Many people don't want to use conventional products because of the inhumane practice of animal testing, and yet others simply have extremely sensitive, allergic skin.  I figure it's a good idea to have my color routine in a blog post in case anyone is curious how I get this blue black color, and is interested in an alternative to using harsh chemical agents to dye the hair. A beauty routine sounds superficial, but every small step counts. So here it is, I'm going to try to keep the explanations simple. Please keep in mind my starting hair color, which is dirty blonde, and my hair type, which is 1C/M/II (slightly wavy, medium coarseness, medium thickness). The henna did take me from a 2B/C (wavy-almost curly) to a 1C (slightly wavy straight hair). I will attest to the straightening abilities of henna.

Step 1: Henna

I like to use Jamila henna from the Indian grocery.  It is cheap, and the quality and sift are good. One can experiment with more expensive or different henna crops, and results may vary. For example, Mehandi's henna for AA hair is particularly strong and the red really strikes through the indigo when you're done.  Moroccan Henna from HennaSooq.com creates a lush purple-black.

I mix the Jamila with strong black tea. I use 150-200g on my entire head.  My hair is currently just past hip. I use 2 tea bags and tap water in a Pyrex cup to make the tea. The tea is blended with the henna until smooth. Water is added as needed to create the consistency of pancake batter. This way the mix is easy to apply to the head. I let the mix sit on the counter and wash the hair. It is a good opportunity to clarify the hair right before the treatment. The henna is then mushed into wet, detangled hair, starting at the roots. A tint brush is useful for accurate, less messy application. The hennaed hair is then piled on top of the head, and then wrapped with cling wrap. I wrap it snug around a few times because this helps with drips. Then, to complete the attractive, alluring look of the henna process, an old bandanna and wool hat are applied. I leave my hair to marinade in henna for at least 4 hours, and have been known to leave it on for 8 hours because I love the conditioning properties. Afterwards, I rinse in the shower with water only, but sometimes I apply a cone free conditioner to the ends and rinse out to aid in detangling afterwards.

Step 2: Indigo

Once the henna is rinsed thoroughly from the hair, it is time to mix the indigo.  I obtain indigo online, from either Mehandi or Henna Sooq.  Do not mix your indigo in advance as indigo dye demises quick! I use 100g to touch up my roots, as I don't need to apply it to the whole hair anymore, because as many joke about it, indigo fades until a few applications later it will never leave. If it was my first time, I would use 200g for the entire length. Add two teaspoons of salt to the powder. Next, add water. Cool or cold water is advised, as warm water will truly bring out the smell of indigo, which IMHO is quite unappealing. The mix should be slightly thicker than the henna was, to prevent drips, but not thick and lumpy so it isn't workable. Make sure all the powder is mixed in and not lumpy, and the color should be like bluish-green goo. Apply immediately after mixing.

First off, it helps to detangle the hair.  Care should be taken about the application to the roots, as indigo doesn't mush and stick as well as henna. I use a small, angled tint brush to really get the indigo worked in there. I use the back end of the tint brush to section off my hair as I work it in.

Once the hair is completely saturated you are ready to cling wrap your head again, and apply the bandana and hat and whatever makes you looks silly and stop the dripping.  Indigo drips more than henna. Sometimes it helps to put an old towel around your neck or otherwise it may drip down your body and that is not pleasant. Leave the indigo on the head for 2 hours.

Step 3: Final Rinse

Once the two hours have passed it is time to rinse indigo from the head.  I find indigo needs more meticulous rinsing than henna, it is not as fine a sift and is generally a clumpier texture of substance. Therefore, this step warrants some heavy duty conditioning from your favorite conditioner. I prefer to have a silicone-free henna-indigo experience and use any VO5 or Inecto Coconut conditioner.  Pick whatever conditioner works for you.I condition 3 times in te shower to get the indigo out, taking care to massage the crud out of the scalp. Also, it is beneficial to keep detangling with a wide tooth comb in the shower. Following up after a good session of conditioner only and water rinsing, Apple Cider Vinegar rinse is highly recommended.  This seals the hair shaft and makes hair more manageable after the process. I usually fill an old water bottle 1/4-1/3 full with Apple Cider Vinegar, and then top off with water. I have this ready before I go in for the final rinse off. Make sure to pour the mixture all over the head and hair, and this feels refreshing. Leave it on the hair for a minute while the rest of the shower activities are completed and rinse off. The hair will not smell like vinegar once dry.

Extra Tips I Find Effective

1.       Make sure you are equipped with food and beverages. I don't think anyone realizes how important this is until it happens to them. It's not a good idea to cook while dripping everywhere, and nobody wants to go out hunting for food with this ridiculous contraption on the head. Indigo, especially, for whatever reason can turn an empty stomach. It makes no sense because it smells disgusting but you get hunger pangs when indigo is on the head. Trust me on this one. Stock the fridge.

2.       Be sure you really are committed to black hair. I mean really really committed. There's the old saying "Once you go black, you never go back." This applies to two-step Hennindigo. Any attempt to remove it will result in green hair, fried hair, or a shaved/pixied head. I spent months seriously thinking about this before taking the plunge and making this ultra-permanent decision.

3.       There is a lot of controversy surrounding the use of lemon juice with your henna. Personally, I have no use for it. I tried it once, added a splash of it, and it made no difference in the final outcome, which was black hair. Lemon juice makes dye release take longer and dries hair out for some. When the dye release time of Jamila henna is described as 8-12 hours, it is meant with lemon juice. I get immediate dye release without lemon juice and use it immediately.

4.       if you have leftover henna you can freeze it. Just throw it in a ziploc bag, squeeze out the air, and freeze. Next month you have some henna already prepared! Frozen henna does have better dye content because freezing enhances dye content. This, however, in my opinion is irrelevant for dyeing hair black. You're indigo-ing over it, so don't sweat it too much. Fresh or frozen it will do the job.

5.       Since you're kicking around the house with your head covered in goo, and it probably made a mess, it's a good opportunity to clean the house as well! Or watch a movie, play video games, laze on the Internet, or listen to music. Or take a nap with an old towel under your head. Either way, equip yourself with things to do to make the time pass.

Enjoy your new Blue Black hair in all its glory!