Why are the ends of your hair THAT colour?

I don't know , why are the ends my hair THIS colour!
Well actually I do know and I was able to satisfy my sister's curiosity when she asked me this question.
The oddly coloured ends are the remnants of a dye I had put on my hair four years ago (said dye also in part led to my SL installation, but that is another story). My hair was red, a colour I favoured for a long time and I really liked it this way. However, of late I and evidently other people, have noticed that my ends are looking a strange rust like shade. This is one of the reasons I have been considering adding some new colour to my hair. Now, in my previous life of experimental hairstyles and shades, I used Crazy Colour to frequently change my look. I often used Fire Red but have been known to use Capri Blue! It's an easy to use, although slightly messy product that you wash it in and wash it out and that doesn't contain peroxide.
I am now seriously considering buying a bottle of Fire and adding it to my hair, it would probably give an aubergine/plum hue to my locks. I know that lots of have added colour to your locks and would love to hear your two pence worth on the subject. To dye or not to dye, that is my question!

My List of 99

I saw this post on Brunsli's blog and decided to give the list a go. On account of my being an English girl and never having visited the States there are few things that I am unable to tick off...
(those I have achieved appear in bold)


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland - Tokyo and Paris, do they count?
8. Climbed a mountain - fall down them whenever I'm skiing!
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped - contemplated it in my youth, but I now recognise the dangers associated!
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea - although I have been a storm at sea, remember?
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning - an experience I don't wouldn't wish upon anyone
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked - No and not likely to happen
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill - don't tell anyone!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - does it count if it was on the Wii?
32. Been on a cruise - a mini one
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - everyone knows I'm trying!
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke - as recently as last week
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - I have always wanted to do this
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - the same one, twice!
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - I dont envisage this ever, ever, ever happening!
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - and won
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee - several times!

So I haven't quite managed to achieve half of the list, I need to get to work on putting that right!

Yes, my hair will grow!

The first picture was taken in July 2007 after I cut my hair. The others were taken a few days ago when I realised I was still amazed by the question I was asked.

Will your hair grow?

Yes!

Somebody actually asked me this question!

Tagged (Parts Three and Four)

This is not the first time I have been tagged, in fact it is the third and fourth(see here and here)! I am by no means complaining :-)

Here are the rules:
1. link to the person that tagged you, in my case, Sisterlocks Convert and Still Waters.
2. post the rules on your blog.
3. share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I guess as I've been tagged twice I should share twelve things, but I'm not sure that I can think of that many that you don't already know!

• My earliest childhood memories are of being at Nursery at the age of two. I can remember not being allowed in the paddling pool because I had a cold and having to watch all of the other children having fun in the water :-(
• I have a passionate dislike for Okra.
• I am really struggling to find facts to share! (does this count?)
• I like Root Beer, but it's hard to find over here. MacDonald's used to sell it, but haven't done so for years. I guess the closest thing in taste is Dr Pepper, but for me it's not close enough.
• I enjoy watching crime investigation series'; from Columbo to CSI, they all hold my attention.
  
• I once ruined a school production when I burst into a fit of laughter that lasted several minutes. I was playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and my teacher wasn't very happy with my lack of professionalism!
• I have always felt it useful to be able to speak another language. At the moment, I am trying to brush up on my French skills for a forthcoming holiday; I also have 'teach yourself' kits for Spanish and Italian which I intend to work my way through.

I honestly can't think of anything else to share that I haven't already or that I am saving for future posts. So that, as they say, is all folks.
I am posting this so late in the day, that I am sure that there isn't any left to tag.
However if you haven't been tagged yet, consider yourself tagged by me and I'll look forward to reading your post!

The bigger picture

Anonymous recently asked what had happened to me as I haven't been blogging with my usual frequency. Let me just say that I was touched that you had noticed and had missed me, Anon. :-). I am currently very busy with my school's production, which will be launched next week at The Palace of Westminster. The picture in my previous post is of me messing around on the set of the show; a few of the characters enter into a scene through a manhole and being me, I just had to test it out (I picked up the hard hat and drill on my way, to amuse my colleagues when I emerged!). Things are going to plan with the show and as of next week my job changes slightly and I, along with my colleagues and the students, am based at the theatre. We rehearse the show in situ, finalise lights and other technical aspects and then have a dress rehearsal. The following week the students perform eight shows in five days; it is a very gruelling task, but also an amazing experience for them.

These are a few more shots taken of the set (excuse my strange looking eyes, I haven't quite mastered red eye reduction on Picasa!).

1) I am having a very important meeting (probably about where to go for lunch) with my colleague Will, who is also the show's director.

2) The bridge is being strengthened - it gets used a lot so it's vital that it's completely safe.

3) I'm relaxing in 'Maria's apartment'.

4) Parks and I, in the orchestra pit, which doubles as an exit during the rumble.

What's happened 2 you Mel?

I hadn't really considered it before you asked

The question Anonymous asked in relation to my post was:

If you get Sisterlocks but maintain with a latch hook , Nappylocs tool or any method other than using the Sisterlocks tool, do you still have Sisterlocks?

I believe so!
There are people like me, who have Sisterlocks and have taken the step of teaching themselves to retighten their hair and therefore do not have the SL tool. On the other hand there are those who have paid for the SL retightening class, been provided with the tool and then for whatever reason, they have chosen not to use it anymore. Does that mean we are no longer Sisterlocked? I can't see why it would make a difference.
As far as I am concerned, I have Sisterlocks and will call them that no matter which tool I use to retighten them. I have paid a lot of money for the installation and maintenance of my SL's and I'm not about to call them anything else :-)
I am sure that a lot of you will have an opinion on this question - please share them in the comments!

How long are you going to grow your hair?

Mmm, how long is a piece of string!

I was asked this question the other day at a celebration for my Mother-in-Law's birthday. In fact, I was asked lots of questions about my hair and somebody there recognised them as Sisterlocks (Yes!).
But back to this question which, I found a little odd; needless to say, because nobody ever asked me this when I had relaxed hair. In the past I have mainly worn my hair at shoulder/just below shoulder length as this was versatile and could be kept up when it was hot and kept my ears and neck warm when it was cold. I have also worn it very short, for ease of maintenance and had some great mid length styles. At this moment in time I have no idea how long I will grow my hair and I don't think I have ever had clear ideas where that is concerned; when I want to grow my hair, I do and when I want to cut it, I do. Obviously, things are a little different at the moment and the length of my hair is being determined by the process I am going through, to achieve the style I want. But after that, who knows...

I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on this. Have any of you made definite decisions on the length you'd like your hair to be or are you going with the flow?

BTW, how did your SLs hold up?

N'drea asked this question in relation to my recent travels to Italy. I am pleased to report that my hair caused me no trouble at all; it's surprising how much extra space you have in your suitcase without straighteners and various hair lotions and potions! My hair accessories comprised a selection of Hairties and a few hair pins and bands; admittedly I took more of those than I actually needed.

I was in and out of the pool quite alot; I didn't b&b my hair, just put it up in a ponytail (wonder if this added to my bunching problem...). I was sure to rinse my hair thoroughly after each pool visit and I washed it twice during the five days we were away. This is in total contrast to our family holiday to Tunisia last year, when I spent the whole time sat by the pool. I ventured in on the second day because there was a fantastic waterslide there, but my hair was a ridiculous mess afterwards and it took me such a long time to make it look 'OK' that I didn't go in again.

On a day to day basis in Italy, my hair was also a dream to manage and I mostly wore it freestyle; I carried something in my bag just in case I needed to get it out of my face because of the heat.
I guess what I am trying to say is that, bunching aside, I don't really think about my hair these days (well that's not strictly true!). Does that make sense? What I mean is, I don't plan things around the way it will effect my hair nor do I plan my hair around the way it will effect things, which is something I often did in the past.



I know you are going away soon N'drea (and the place looks beautiful - think I will add it to my 'to visit' list), I look forward to reading about your SLs hold up in the sand and sea.

The new tagged

After reading her formaggio post, I jumped at the chance to have Brunsli interview me; I have taken a little while to come up with the answers but here goes...

If you had to trade in your English accent for an American accent, would you rather have a New York, Texas, or California accent? What about between a Scottish and Irish accent?

Now of course we Londoners don't really have accents, but if I could trade the way I spoke I'd like to road test a New York accent and order my coffee like Danny Messer from CSI:NY.
I am actually really good at accents and the Irish is one of my best (and not just because I'm a little bit Irish); it's also one of my favourites to listen to, so I'd opt for that over Scottish.

What do you think of the new Whole Foods? (It made the LA Times!)

I'm going to have to come back to this one as I haven't made it to Whole Foods yet. Whilst it isn't on the other side of the river, it's not quite local and my weekends have been taken up with work. I was also a little worried by the fact that little birds told me I might not have any money left after going there, so I'm going to wait for payday!

Which is better, blue or green, and why?

Definitely Blue!
Besides the fact that blue reminds me off the sky and the sea, I had an odd History teacher at secondary school. She had red hair and was under the impression that green was her colour. The trouble was she over did it, in a really scary way - clothes, nails, eyeshadow, everything. She was enough to put me off the colour.

If you didn't live in England, which European country would you rather live in? Which US state?

Italy! I love it there; the people, the food, the style, the scenery, the vino, I know I've said food but, the Ice Cream!!! I would try to tame all of the drivers though; I have had several close shaves with cars and mopeds whilst trying to cross the road there.
I will be back in Italy very soon; I have organised a school trip to the Lake Garda region. I can't wait...
If I moved to the States, I'd want to be somewhere with lots of sunshine; a change from the schizophrenic weather we have here. Maybe Southern California, as it never rains there (at least that's what Tony Toni Tone said and I so believed them!).

If you were a dog, would you rather be a Maltese (like Marcello, Chicco and Cooper), a Yorkie (like Mr. Nicolay Phonte), or a white German Shepard (like Mystic and Zwele) and why?

I think I'd be going for walks with Mystic and Zwele; Maltese and Yorkies are adorable but German Shepards have a bit more Grrrr.
If I could add my own to this list of choices, I'd be a Silver-Grey Doberman like Tyson, one of the dogs I had whilst growing up.

I am more than happy to keep this going by setting five questions for three of you; let me know if you want to play...

No pens this time!

With reference to my 3 month post Grace said:

Mel,

I really enjoy reading your blog. This b&w pic is really cute! What did you use to style your hair?

Grace

Thanks Grace! It was simple really, I put my hair into two loose french plaits before going to bed. I took them out in the morning and then finger combed. Voila!
I did take pictures of 'before' but they are not very clear; next time I do this style, I will take some more and than upload them :-)

Threading in America?

With reference to my eyebrows, Alvina sent me an e-mail:

Hey Mel,

I was reading your blog and I saw where you got your eyebrows threaded. What exactly is that and do you think we have that in America?? Your eyebrows look awesome. By the way, you hair is too cute and who would have thought to roll it with pens. I love it.

Alvina

Wikipedia says: "Threading is an ancient method of hair removal that is still used in parts of the Middle and Far East. Thin, twisted cotton threads are rolled over untidy hairlines, mustaches and so on, plucking the offending hair..."

I know threading is available in America but wasn't able to tell Alvina where. As she is a member of Lockitup, I posted a request for locations there. If any of you are able to point her in the right direction, please let me know.

And thanks for the compliments Alvina :-)

*Update*

From the feedback in Lockitup, Threading is available in:

Dublin, CA
Southern California - a chain called 'Ziba'
Indiana
Michigan
New York
Yuba City, California

Hope this helps...

Questions answered...

I really enjoy receiving and reading comments on my blog. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea to remark on what they have read; I ploughed through many blogs for months before I had the courage to leave a comment. (now you can't shut me up!) I continue to read the blogs of others - it's addictive - not only do I find them entertaining but highly informative. 9 times out of 10, if I have thought of a question to do with SL's, I have found the answer on a blog.


And now I have been asked a couple of questions which, I am going to attempt to answer in more detail here, should they be of interest to more people...

You mentioned using water with tea tree oil to help with the itchiness - how many drops of oil do you add to the water?

Since having my SL's put in I have been troubled by itchy scalp, at first I tried to ignore it but it started to really get to me. I posted a question on LockItUp and many replies suggested using an Apple Cider Vinegar solution. This was a one part ACV to two parts water mix. I was advised that this could be left on or applied, left for a few minutes and then rinsed off just before washing. Whilst leaving it on had a comforting effect on my scalp I was overcome by the smell. So with this one, I personally prefer to apply and then wash off.

Whilst reading blogs I then came across the idea of using Tea Tree Oil and Witch Hazel - much nicer smell!


For the Witch Hazel/Tea Tree Oil, mix I fill the Witch Hazel bottle's cap with Witch Hazel and then put a drop of the Tea Tree oil into it. I then use a cotton bud to apply it to the parts in my hair. I have found this is handy when I have the itching in a specific area of my hair.

This solution has a very soothing feel to it and reminds me of the sensation I used to get when I used ALL WAYS ISOGRO (Menthol) to grease my scalp.




I really have no exact measurements for the Tea Tree Oil spritz. But I can tell you that I fill the bottle (which is quite small) with water and then add 25 drops of Tea Tree Oil - I don't why 25 it just seemed like a good number! I use this more regularly to spritz my scalp and to give my hair a fresh smell in between washes.

BTW, how did you keep the ends from coming a loose?

I don't! I had nearly all of my length SL'd during the installation, apart from maybe 2-3 inches at the end. I have 2-3 inches of natural hair at the root. I have no idea what the effects of this decision will be, but so far I have had no issues.

It has, I believe, meant that my hair has been lower maintenance as I don't have to worry too much about keeping my ends looking neat.



I know that eventually they will have to go, otherwise I can imagine that as my SL's start to mature, I will have nice puffy locs that morph into chemically made stringy looking things!