Leave in conditioner - Peppermint oil, I love you long time

Sometimes I forget how much things used to cost me before I started making them.

The other day I got lazy-annoyed about having to make more body lotion, so I thought I'll just buy a natural lotion. To which I then looked online and saw the prices and then my memory came back - but that's another conversation, I'll be making more lotion in a few weeks time so I'll talk about that then.

The same does apply for my leave in conditioner though, I have fine hair, I have never been a fan of the thick leave ins that you're supposed to put in your hair every day, they just made my hair look limp.

Through a lot of experimentation - and I'm sure it says something about it in the Science of Black Hair book. I then came across this lovely beauty which I have been using in good and bad ways for years but I believe I have now got it right.

My leave in conditioner uses these

• Water
• Rosemary, Lavender, Peppermint Essential oil
• Glycerin
• JASON Aloe Vera conditioner
• Spray bottle with adjustable nozzle

I typically use about a tsp of JASON, 250ml water, small dollop of Glycerin, 3 Rosemary, 2 Lavender, 3 Peppermint. I make a new one every 2 weeks and sometimes add an extra drop or 2 of EO after the first week. I can use this every day/ night followed by some protein when needed and sealer. The trick is to learning the amount you need to use. Some people like to co-wash every night, I don't have time for that - enough water, is enough.

In my *not paying attention* days I used to assume that the preservatives in the conditioner would keep the water from going bad for weeks - months - my full 9 week term. This was disgusting, I know that now, it was the reason why I had an itchy scalp, actively putting bacteria on my head and wondering why... Now 2 weeks is just enough, and I can always switch it up at anytime without it really costing me anything, the most expensive thing in it is the Conditioner and I can live with that, I'm a geek (and proud) I worked out that this costs me roughly 43p a month.

Once I corrected the above, I experimented again with different EO's, to be honest Sandalwood and my hair/scalp don't mix, I have no idea why because it's supposed to be moisturising but, it makes my hair feel dry. And even though every mix I did included Rosemary, my scalp really missed the Peppermint. I stopped using the peppermint because everyone everywhere says you should use that for greasy hair, and mine isn't greasy. But you know what, I think it helps to balance out the oils in my hair. Especially as my sealer is a mixture of oils and butters, that's the last ingredient that means I or anyone else can touch my hair and not need to wash their hands afterward (that and Mango butter). That's very important to me.

I do need to get a spray bottle that I can see through though, I don't know why I thought it was clever to get a pretty metal one. smh

Happy Easter Sunday :)

Micro win

The ever lovely Lisa Nichols told me to celebrate Micro Wins.

I don't know Lisa, I've never met her, but I do adore her and wish I spent more time listening to and reading her sooner.

I'm currently reading or trying to read Abundance Now by Lisa Nichols, amongst the many other books I'm juggling. I say trying to read because at the end of virtually every third paragraph she asks you these ridiculously thought provoking questions that send my head on a world wind trying to answer there and then.

I have accepted that I will have to read the book more than once to get the full benefit out of it. I haven't even gotten to the bit in the book where she discusses micro wins, I've only heard her speak about them in interviews. I like them. It's very easy to look at your big goal and feel like the tiny steps you made today didn't do much to shift the mountain, but it's never true. I try to think of it like a dial on a clock, the angle of the hand movement that adjusts for 5 minutes is much wider and obvious at the top of the clock then it is at the centre, and the centre is where I am at any given time. It's all I can see right there and then but doesn't mean that the hand didn't just move 5 minutes, because it did. All because it's not obvious to me yet from the centre, doesn't mean it didn't happen.

I had 2 Micro Wins today. The first one was a really good lunch with my Line Manager. I work at a fantastic company - I say that without being under a single feather of duress (no sarcasm). It's great and he's great, so we're chatting away and he asks me how I'm going to use my week off, I tell him I'm taking my second (and final) drivers test again and working on my personal business stuff like my writing and setting up the online business. There was no shock, no feeling threatened, no trying to talk me out of it, he just went on to talk about his nieces side businesses. And I'm sitting there thinking, I hadn't intended on bringing that up today, I was going to tell him that I had a business when I actually felt I had one. But there it is, out in the open and the ground didn't fall through, it didn't even murmur. And as I said in my well timed post yesterday - how many people said "are you allowed to do that and work for your company at the same time?" "don't you think they'll treat you differently, and not think you're invested?". Valid questions but A. I don't work for constantly paranoid people anymore, B. I rock my day job - I'm a Project Manager. I get things done morning, noon, and now night. If I ever felt that my personal business - the creating and functioning of it - ever interfered with my day job, I'd just move things around to make them integrate with my life better.

And I'm not in a rush for any of this, one of the biggest deals I made with myself when I decided to start doing all of these things (including this blog) was that I'd do it if it made me feel good, if it excited me, if I felt eager about it.

The second Win was I just bought my first stock for my first online business, I'll be setting up the prettiness (website, you tube, facebook page) once I actually receive said goods. All in good time.

And another

I keep getting ideas, I've learned in most cases I should follow them if they make me feel good.
This is the most recent idea.

I have a few personal business ideas that I'm getting underway. I have read, learned, ignored, proven and now accepted that I shouldn't talk about these things to people that aren't ready to hear them - which is most people it seems. Friends / family aren't purposefully raining on my parade, I've learned that you look at things from your own perspective, you assess the new using your own learned history and respond accordingly. So if something feels scary to you, regardless if it has nothing to do with you, you'll exhibit your fear for the other person by trying to steer them away from the possible danger.

Unfortunately, if you the person with the idea hasn't firmed it up in your mind enough or your gut even, then you'll feel downhearted and scared after hearing other peoples perspectives, whereas before you were excited and hopeful. Sometimes you really did need to hear the stop hold on a minute speech, but in my opinion, you have your life and it's your own - as long as you're not purposefully hurting yourself or anyone else, and have made your decisions from a sound mind (not a knee jerk reaction to something) go live it. Obviously you don't want to throw yourself off of figurative or literal bridges without a bungee cord but how many of us really want to do that? Often our ideas are really clear and not risk heavy to us, but they are to so many people, and that's what holds us back.

My latest idea was to write my thoughts up using my pre existing open journal. Because, whilst I know all of the above, I really really really really really like talking and I'm struggling being silent. I used to have many diaries as a child but, I struggle to write pen to paper now (unless it's the gratuity journal at the end of the week). This way feels better to me as I'm effectively talking, and don't need to worry about if it's interesting or not. I get things off of my chest, and if it helps anyone then so be it. If not, that's fine too.

NB. I have, much to my chagrin been told by a very wise woman (Delia) that I should be more vulnerable (I dislike that word passionately due to my interpretation of it), but I understand what she means. It's being fully comfortable being my full me out loud all the time. I'm more me out loud than I have ever been, and when I'm with my closest friends all of me is present and happy, but even as I write this I've had thoughts about removing my picture from the other posts so that I can still stay a little bit hidden. Mad isn't it.

So off I go, another blog page, about me, all of me, and as scary as it is, I'm writing a book about me and if I can't do this, then I can't do that.