Stupid Simple DIY - Applying Henna to Short Hair

If you prefer the tips without the explanatory babble, click Read More and scroll to the bottom. 


I'm not an expert on henna by any stretch, but I have applied it to my hair enough times to have come up with a pretty good system. I dabble in mehndi, but that's a post for another day. There is a lot of great information available on henna and how to get the most out of it on your hair, most if it at Henna for Hair. But, I keep my hair short, Jean Seberg short, and there isn't a lot of information (at least, not that I could find) on applying henna to short hair. So, through a bit of trial and error, this is the method I've come up with.

For starters, I've found it's best to henna hair just before cutting it. There are too reasons for this. First, the shorter the hair, the more apparent the roots; so if you don't feel like a day of hair maintenance, dye first and you won't have to walk around with obvious roots. Second, longer hair holds the henna in place. Henna is the consistency of mud, you don't want a mudslide down your face and neck. Just like trees, grass, and other plants prevent mudslides down a hill, hair prevents a mudslide on your head. This is also the reason you will want to mix your henna a bit thicker than the stirred up yogurt consistency that is normally recommended. Something a bit thinner than mashed potatoes works well when applied to my dry hair.

Keeping the mix simple works best, just henna, water, and lemon juice (lime juice and chamomile tea work in a pinch). Henna for Hair has an entire page devoted to the different things people mix into their henna, but adding terps is a bad idea, especially if you have short hair. Terps, or terpenes, are what you add to henna to get a better stain on the skin, but they have no effect on staining the hair.

Stupid Simple DIY-Treat Tubes for Cats and Small Animals

I picked this trick up when I was a zoo intern. We would save toilet paper and paper towel tubes to use as enrichment for the smaller, usually domesticated, animals (rabbit, chinchilla, opossum, etc.), and I've adapted it for use with my cats. I also use these to hold everything from scrap embroidery floss to cotton swabs. It's so stupidly simple you can probably follow along just by the pictures, or with brief directions, but we all learn differently, so I'm going visual and verbal (well, textual?... that sounds a little, um...). Also, my nail polish is fantastic, and I wanted to show it off.

Start with an empty toilet paper roll, or cut down a paper towel, wrapping paper, aluminum foil, etc. roll.

(click to enlarge to properly take in my nail polish)

Felt Tea Bag Tutorial

As promised, here is my version of a felt tea bag.

Materials
*white felt
*green felt
*white six strand embroidery floss
*needle
*scissors






Start with a rectangle of white felt about twice the width and slightly over twice the length you want the finished tea bag. (Mine is a bit squat, because I was trying to get the most out of a sheet of felt.) Stitch the longer sides together using a whip stitch. These stitches won't be seen, so no need to be terribly careful.

Flatten the tube you've just created so that the stitched edge runs down the middle.

Adventures In Litter Box Maintenance: A Litter Saving Tutorial

Jasper Gaius

I doubt anyone cares, but I have come up with a litter box system that I am fairly happy with, and thought I would share. I am currently using Yesterday's News litter (there are currently BOGO stickers on most bags) save one box, where I am testing out the Tidy Cat Breeze Cat Litter Pellets. The system I devised is actually quite similar to the Breeze system, so when I saw it at the pet store, I thought I'd give the litter a go (I'll do a full review, eventually). 

Mixing Nail Polish, A Guide To Frankening

It occurred to me today, as I stared at my bare nails (a rarity), that while frankening nail polish is common practice among aficionados, people who don't agonize over how to store and organize their nail polish might not be aware of the possibilities and fun it allows. Frankening is the act of combining nail polishes,   pigments, or glitter to create other (hopefully better) nail polishes. While there is a seemingly unlimited selection of nail polish in the world, there are so many combinations possible, that there will always be that one polish that you want and cannot find. Or, there will be if you have an obsessive nature, at least. There is always the added benefit of being able to impress people by telling them you made your nail polish. They will be in awe of your cleverness, at least they should be.

Mixing nail polish is a rather simple thing to do, but I'm going to let you in on some tricks and tips that I've picked up, often from trial and error. There is no need for us all to waste materials. The first step is to find a bottle for your creation. If you are a cheater person who values time over money, you can buy new, empty bottles; if you are a thrifty person who loves to repurpose items destined for the landfill, you can reuse bottles. This will require a bit of work, which is good for you, or so I've been told. You can either use a bottle you've used up, or buy a cheap bottle of ugly polish that never stood a chance. You can pick these up in Clearence bins, or at stores like Big Lots or Dollar Tree. You might also be able to talk you local salon owner into giving you her empties.

You will also need mixing spheres (stainless steel ball bearings), which I will refer to as balls, because not so deep down, I am a 12 year old. I have never purchased these (I'm cheap), but always harvest them from the bottles I empty. So, now that you know what you need, let's get started.