Haircare Tips TL;DR Edition

What do you do when you need help repairing something? Research or call an expert.

Such is my mindset when teaching people about haircare. Turn off, unplug, reboot, repeat. So, if you have bad hair days that would make even a Vulcan smirk go ahead and forget that you've been shampooing your own hair for years and give my tips and tricks a try. 

1. Shampoo your scalp and condition your ends. Your scalp produces it's own natural oils (which don't travel down the hair shaft to the ends). Common sense says? Clean what's "dirty" and moisturize what's dry. Keeping conditioner off the scalp will prevent dandruff-like flakes for many people!
2. Salts are bad for your cholesterol AND hair. Stay away from box color and fashion colors like Splat! and Manic Panic they are extremely high in metallic salts which devastate hair over time and become extremely difficult to remove when the fun is done.  Likewise shampoo in sulfates strip color out of your hair as well as moisture leaving hair dull, dry and brittle over time.
3. It's a Trap! Just because hot showers feel great doesn't mean they are great for your hair. Always rinse your hair with as cool a temperature water as you can stand. This helps prevent rapid color loss, and frizz. 
4. No Glove, No Love. Always use a heat protectant when using a blow dryer or thermal styling tools to prevent "baking" your hair. Over usage of heat is one of the top 3 leading causes of damaged hair. (Refer to the Extended Release for a temp. guide)
5. Split ends are Zombies! And what do we do with zombies? That right! Cut off their heads! There is NO cure for split ends and they will continue to damage the hair shaft like a microscopic zombie slowly making it's way to your brains via hair strand. So keep up with your trims or you may look like the walking dead before you know it!

That's it for this version. If you'd like a bit more in-depth information feel free to check out the Extended Release or if you have specific questions don't hesitate to ask in the comment section below!

Haircair Tips: The Extended Release

So we are squarely tucked into the winter season right now and you find the chill in the air is chapping a bit more than your lips but don't know what to do about it? Today I'll give you a few tips and tricks to help keep your hair healthy, shiny and happy this winter.

The Prequel: A Warning
Damaged hair is damaged hair so treat yours gently and with love. Damage can occur from a number of things but the most common two offenders are consistent
intense heat without protection, chemical processes such as lighteners, relaxers and perms and color high in metallic salts found in box hair color and "fashion" colors like Splat! and Manic Panic. The thing all of them have in common? They pry open the cuticle layer of the hair shaft and it is unable to close after it's been altered.

The lowdown on hair anatomy (a sidebar)

Your hair is made of keratin, a hardened protein in overlapping scales called a cuticle layer. Color pigmentation, texture and the coding for a few other things are primarily stored in the nougat-y center. When the cuticle layer is left open and damaged (as seen above) it leads to split ends, brittle, dry and frizzy hair.

Next up... Hydration. Nutrition. Rest. You'd be amazed how much these things not only affect your mood but your skin and hair as well. Your body is a lot like a car and to keep it running at optimum capacity you need to do regular maintenance: oil change, tire rotation, etc. Your body is no different when you don't change the oil in your car you can destroy the engine... similarly if you don't hydrate how do you suppose your body will be able to produce the proper quantities of natural hair happy oils?

 That mom-like lecture out of the way let's move on.

Part One: The Shower
Shampoo and conditioner play a significant part in you overall hair health if you use them correctly. Let's kick off this section of with some fun 'Didya know's?'
Didya know:

• You don't have to shampoo your hair everyday, every other day or even once a week?

Everyone's hair texture and sebaceous glands (they produce/ secrete the oils at your scalp) are different some people get oily quicker and others could go a week or more and be fine. Shampooing your hair more often than needed is not only a waste of money it slowly strips color out and depletes precious moisture from the internal structure of your hair.

*Remember keep the focus of your shampoo at the scalp since that is where excess oils and product build up are the most prevalent.

• Many people believe they have dandruff when in all actuality it is dried conditioner they see flaking onto their clothing.

Since your scalp produces the oils obviously the longer your hair the less nutrients get to your ends which is where your conditioner should focus.

• Shampoo and can be an evil nemesis to fashion colors and red based hair color?

The number of times you shampoo and what is in your shampoo will be the number one cause of fading hair color. Always, always use a professional sulfate free, color safe shampoo.

• Hot water is like a hot triple chocolate chip molten lava cake for your hair. 

Just because it feels (or tastes) great doesn't mean it's good for your hair. Just like one bite will make you gain like 10 lbs on your hips hot water takes it's toll as well. Remember the scales I mentioned earlier? They react similar to your pores: hot water opens them, cold water closes them.

*By rinsing with cooler water you help close up the cuticle layer of your hair which helps prevent color fading, moisture loss, frizziness and more!

• There's a conspiracy here!

Hair care products commonly available at drug stores are heavily diluted with sulfates, alcohols and foam building agents which strip color, moisture, and damage hair. Conversely professional products are (yes, more expensive) but are much more concentrated (so a little goes MUCH further) and contain far less damaging ingredients.

*Think about it: if you were say L'Oreal (who makes a professional color/ product line and make $3.99 box color and drugstore shampoo and conditioner) wouldn't quantity of sales for your lower priced items be important for your profit margin? One way they do this is by diluting their shampoos with sulfates which will slowly remove color from your hair leading you to color it more often. Sneaky big corporations. Wicked, tricksy, false! They tried to steal our precious... well precious hair color anyways.

 Part Two: Haircare & Maintenence  

Ok, you finish your shampooing your scalp, conditioning your ends with professional products and rinsing with cold water now what?

A few good rules:

Get a deep conditioning treatment.
If you can't afford one at a salon call around to your local cosmetology schools ours was just $10! Trust my this is a great sigh of relief for your hair after being exposed to the harsh cold, dry air of the winter regardless of your hair's typical condition.   A deep conditioning treatment is like stuffing a suitcase full of clothes and then sitting on the lid haha. It will raise the cuticle layer, shove in essential oils and minerals and then help layer your cuticle layer back down flat. This will help decrease frizz, help deter split ends from heat styling and weather damage and make your hair happy, healthy and smooth!

Always use a heat protectant before styling
There is no limit to the varying forms of heat protectant in the market today. Some (like Redken's pillow proof) are a lightweight spray that even speeds up blow dry time, others (like Kenra Straigtening Gelee) are in gel form. These as self titled protect your hair from damage that may be incurred from thermal styling.

As a quick temperature guide:

Keep your blow dryer at least 3-6" away from your hair to prevent blasting open your cuticle layer and "baking" your hair.

If you have:                                                          Keep your flat iron:
Fine, ultra lifted or damaged hair                        Below 320 degrees
Medium or lightened/ color treated                     Below 390
Thick, Tightly Curled or Virgin hair                     Below "turkey fryer" haha, I mean 450

Keep up w/ Your Trims
Winter is an icy tundra that chaps lips and busts hair. Split ends are more than a valley girls
nightmare. They are a sure-fire sign of damage and make your hair frizz, break and tangle.

*Fun fact: These is no cure for split ends other than to cut them off. Split ends are like ivy... they will continue up the hair shaft wreaking havoc and causing frizziness in its wake. So regular trims prevents the undead from rising and eating your brains... kinda.

Part Three: Read the Label you Must
With it being just after the New Year many of you, I'm sure, are trying to eat healthier which causes you to look at the label to make an educated decision on whether or not to purchase/ consume that product. You should do likewise with your hair products. For instance, some dry shampoos contain ingredients like butane, isobutane, propane, and alcohol denat (a chemically altered ethenol). After reading that list on a can I just bought all I thought was this can is literally a bomb. Not something I want in my hair personally.  

I won't say stay away from all alcohols. They are a necessary ingredient but they shouldn't be in the top 4 ingredients... especially in the winter the drying effect they have can be particularly damaging. 

Likewise, not all oils are made the same. Often the first ingredient in drugstore oil/oil therapy products is nothing more than cheap mineral oil. The healthy oils they tout are generally way down at the bottom of the list. When buying oil for your hair make sure oil is present by about the 4th ingredient.

Ending Credits:
Your hair is the Rebel Alliance, nay Luke Skywalker. Fighting against the expansive and more powerful Imperial Fleet out to destroy the integrity of your hair. Though you're tempted by inexpensive products, and easy access colors you must resist the urge to go to the dark side. The fate of your healthy hair depends on it! I will be your Yoda and guide you on your path I will. As always, if you have any questions or comments please feel free to let me know in the comment section below!

What is Sci-fi anyways?

It started

 






"From a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."

"Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, 

to boldly go where no one has gone before."

If you're steeped in the geek culture these sayings you hold near and dear to your heart(s). But a simple question I was asked this morning, which I'll bring up momentarily, had me questioning my what I had thought to be black and white definition of the genre "Science Fiction". According to dictionary.com *science-fiction is "a form of fiction that draws imaginatively on scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot, setting, theme, etc." 

So that brings us to the most thought provoking question I have been asked all day. "Are comic book movies considered sci-fi?" Talk about a question to shake the foundations, right?! Well, maybe not but you can probably understand my conflict in answering that question. My immediate response was: Yessss? Wait, no. Comic book movies have clear-cut "hero's" and all the general archetypes of the Action/Adventure genre: larger than life man (yes, male hero... female superheros have yet to get their own prime time reboot), the love interest or "leading lady", badder than bad evil dude, and lots of explosions. Aside from gamma radiation, radioactive spider bites, Galactus the destroyer of worlds and the hint of the science-y in reference to the characters professions there isn't much there besides the 'fi' in sci-fi. The more appropriate term would be speculative fiction. Which, once again, is defined by dictionary.com as "a broad literary genre encompassing any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements". 

Matter resolved. Well... almost. When you think about it... where is the line drawn? I dearly love Star Trek and personally liked the cinematic reboot but it too was good vs. evil, a hero rising above, lots of explosions and a few ladies here and there to keep the plot interesting. Aide from taking place in space and there being more than one sentient species does that make something science fiction? Star Trek and Star Wars these two, in many opinions, fully embody what the term science fiction is all about.  Yet Star Trek TOS was inspired by Westerns of that era and Star Wars was considered a "epic space opera".  And with the reboots appealing largely to action movie fans due to enhanced graphics, more explosions, more fight scenes and (not so) arguably better acting where does that leave us?


Personally, I feel sci-fi should inspire one to learn. Think back to the 1950's with all of the cult-B sci-fi/ horror flicks. Many were about chemical accidents, radioactive mutants, invaders from space and the like. They were awe inspiring, terrifying and most importantly... curious. From fear or curiosity people looked into the facts behind the myths. Were there really aliens on Mars? Could radiation really cause a lizard to become terrifyingly large and rampage the city? For some these became life long puzzles leading them to professions in the sciences. Even for the average fan shows like Star Trek and Dr. Who continually provoke questions and curiosity. So I suppose, for me, the answer is simple. Science fiction differs from action/adventure purely because of the curiosity it provokes which continually leads to inquisitive learning.

  Is sci-fi a sub-genre of the overarching action/adventure heading? What qualifications does any form of media need in order to fit that category? Or is there truly a difference between sci-fi and speculative fiction at this point? What do you think?

*Fun fact: The term Sci-Fi has had quite the journey. It began with an isolated use in 1851 and not heard of again until it's use as the term scientification in 1916, then science fiction in 1929 and finally the term we know and love today sci-fi was coined in 1955. 

Love Letter

"A game of risk, deduction and luck"

What's included: 16 playing cards, 13 tokens of "affection", four reference cards, a rule book and a red velvet carrying pouch.

The story goes like this: You are a suitor attempting to woo the princess with your eloquent love letters but in order for them to reach her you must get it into the hands of the person closest to her. Each card character carries a rank in the top right and the higher the value the closer to the princess they are. Each character has it's own special ability or disadvantage so play them wisely! The one who receives the most tokens of affection wins... in our 2 player case 7 is the golden number!

 To begin playing:  Remove the top card and place it to the side face down, then (for 2-players) place the next 3 cards face up on top of it. 

Each player is dealt one card and the first player to begin draws one and plays one face down in front of them. As simple as that.  The player who has most recently dated goes first. <3

The Princess: She is the highest value card as she is your intended recipient, however, she is harder to hold onto than one might think and if you are forced to discard her due to another players card you lose the round.

The reference card: Will give you a list of cards, their abilities, as well as their value and the number per deck.

*This is valuable information as it can give players with certain cards (like the guard, or baron) an edge by doing simple probabilities.

For example: I play the guard and there is one prince in the pile to the side and my opponent just discarded the Countess (which must be discarded if caught with the king or prince) odds are very high that my opponent will either have the prince or king!  

   
Play through: Rounds 1-3
    The Baron 0wn'd me

 The Baron: when played the players compare hands and the player with the lower hand is out of the round.






Round Four: I forgot but sadly lost that hand as well. 

Round Five: The Baron Returns

 

Round Six:
I made it till the last turn... and lost to royalty.
If one player isn't eliminated before the draw pile is exhausted the players compare their final card and the one with the highest value wins... In this case my lowly 2-pt priest lost to the 8-pt Princess.

 Round Seven: Finishing StrongThis hand I lost before I could even play my first card. My opponent made and educated guess by calculating what was on the table and what his card limited him to. Since there is only one of each card remaining aside from the priest and the guard (which the ability restricts guessing) odds were slightly higher that the priest would be my card and indeed it was.

A few thoughts: Personally I really like this game despite my epic failure this match. The game is very inexpensive (~$6 on amazon when I got it), compact, amazingly simple in play and concept, and my favorite part: 15-20 min play time tops!  It's not the most fun I've had playing a game but some nights it's nice to take a break from complicated play procedures, hours of research, or quickly changing rules and play a quick game of wit and chance.

Alice in Wonderland (costume tutorial)

Let me preface this post briefly by letting you all know that I am currently part of a team working on an Alice in Wonderland themed photo shoot by working on costumes as well as hairstyles. The photo shoot is still a little ways off but once it's completed I will be posting copies of the photos for you all to enjoy/destroy. Critiques are what make us stronger after all.

This post specifically will be dedicated to the costumes I made for this project and will be updated regularly as I make them and edit the photos. I will do my best to tutorial everyone through them but I am by no means an advanced sewer and I am a complete n00b when it comes to writing tutorials so patience is appreciated as are questions when you have them... Work with me people!

So without further ado...




The Cheshire Cat (Part One)---

 Step One: Establish a goal

Either buy a pattern or make your own from a garment that is similar to the look you want to achieve

Step Two: Make a pattern/ cut out a pattern

 

Use the garment and trace the general outline on spare paper I generally use wrapping paper from the dollar store since I can make it as long as I need and it's cheap

 Cut out one for the back panel and one for the side panel

Step Three: Transfer your pattern

 Use a disappearing ink pen, chalk or the like to trace the pattern piece adding approx. 1/2" for seam allowances (as pictured above)

Cut 2 side panels (not on the fold), and folding the back panel pattern in half cut the back panel on the fold as pictured above to ensure it is symmetrical

Step Four: Collar compensation

 

Measure the "collar" piece on the side panels and cut a similar piece for the back

Step Five: Pull it all together

Sew the collar onto the back panel then pinning along the collar and shoulder as well as from the under arm to the end of the fabric sew your seam.
(Remember not to sew the opening for your arm closed-- sadly I've made this mistake on more than one occasion)

 Step Six: Finishing off the fray

After that is done turn your ends under and stitch them closed to prevent fraying during wear and washing. Typically I use a rolled hem simply because I'm lazy. To do this fold the unfinished edge under the "wrong" side of the fabric (where all your seams show) about 1/4" or less and fold over that a second time about 1/4" and sew along the open edge. This ensures the frayed ends will be trapped inside the fold and provides extra stability as well as a more professional polished look to your finished product.

 

Bingo-Presto-Done! The finished top... not an replica but I'm quiet pleased with the way it turned out none the less!

Some mistakes I made:

The biggest mistake I made was in my fabric consideration. I used a lightweight cotton when my model piece was made of a lightweight polyester which had more stretch and drape to it.

The second mistake I made was in determining how the collar was made on the model garment. It was not until after I made my cuts that I discovered how it was made. Hindsight being 20/20 and all. 

Ways to prevent making my mistakes:

Decide on your pattern or sample garment prior to purchasing your fabric. Honestly it's simple enough. Purchased patterns will give your fabric considerations on the packet and you can read the garment care label for the type of fabric it is made of in order to make your fabric purchase considerations. Or you can do what I should have and just bring it with you to the store and compare by feel like a naked mole rat!

The latter is fixed in two ways: the first, and easiest, don't be in a rush. In my case, the side panels and the collar were one piece (no seams) and that was attached to the back. The second, use a garment you don't mind taking apart. By removing the seams you get a much clearer picture of how it was put together in the first place. That's reverse engineering for ya!

The Cheshire Cat (Part Two)

Step One: Make your pattern 

 To make your pattern piece for a simple knee length pencil skirt you need 5 measurements: Waist, Hip, Knee, Waist -Hip and Waist to Knee. 

Your natural waist can be found by placing a hand on your side and leaning (like you're going to stretch) to that side... where your side creases is where your waist is. Or if you want to take the fun out of it generally speaking the waist is located 1 inch above the belly button.

Measure the widest point of your hips/bum and your knee measurement is with your legs hip width apart to allow for ease of walking in the skirt when we're finished. Next we need the length measurements from the waist to hip and waist to knee.

After that add a half inch to each of those numbers to give you seam allowance, draw out your measurements (divided by four!) onto spare paper and cut it out like you see above.

Step Two: Transfer the pattern

 The next step is to fold your fabric in half*, trace your outline with chalk and cut 2 on the fold so when you unfold each they will be 1 full panel. This method allows for symmetry and is the most efficient method of fabric usage... again, I'm cheap so waste not, want not.

 Step Three: Waist band (optional)

 I opted for a thicker waistband than my pattern allotted for. It's simple enough to make all you need to know is how wide you want it, and 1/2 of your waist measurement. Double the width so you can fold it in half as pictured. If you'd like to make the skirt reversible cut the band in half.

(make sure you add 1/2" to both width and length measurements)

Step Four: Sandwich time

To attach the waistband you'll need to "sandwich" the three layers. Depending on whether you want the waistband to have the same (matte) texture or opposite (shiny) texture will determine how you stack the layers. In my case I wanted the contrast between shiny and matte (on both sides of the skirt as I intended to make the skirt reversible) so I opted for the matte layer facing up for all three layers.

Step Five: Sewing the Band

Once sufficiently sandwiched pin the waistband to one of the skirt panels, sew with 1/4" seam allowance and make sure you use a serger or any stretch stitch (as pictured to the right) this allows for ease of movement in the skirt without putting too much strain on the seams. Be sure to repeat the process for the other skirt panel.

**To prevent a lot of frustration please, please, please make sure to change your needle to a stretch needle (generally 75/11 or 90/14) and they can be bought very inexpensively at most fabric stores. Using this needle will prevent torn fabric, tangled bobbins, as well as ranting, raving and copious amounts of cursing.... or so I've been told. >,>

Step Six:  Sew skirt panels/ Attach your zipper (optional)

Ok guys I have something to confess... I didn't take any pictures of this step. I followed this tutorial here.

Originally my plan was to make this skirt reversible but as the skirt progressed I realized the stretch of the fabric was not going to be sufficient enough to clear my models lovely curves so a zipper was inevitable. To make the skirt reversible place the two panels together sew with 1/2" seam allowance and sew with a straight stretch stitch along both sides of the skirt. To "hide" the seam do a rolled hem.

 Step Seven: Finishing touches

To ensure a polished finish make sure all loose threads are hemmed away neatly and make sure to hem the bottom of the skirt again using a rolled hem with the straight stretch function on your sewing machine to prevent fraying while allowing for ease of movement in your seams.

Inevitably when garments are intended to be "fitted" there will always be a need for adjustments. In my case the skirt was a bit too loose (below the hip) for the look we were going for so I took it in about 1/3" on each side.

The Completed Skirt:
Finished Front (Left) & Side (Right)

 

 

The Completed Outfit

 

 All that's left is the lavender undershirt (which is generally cheaper to buy), a cute kitty eared head band, some fashionable heels and a gorgeous model with some fabulously flashy makeup.

 

 So, what do you think? I hope you find this in some small way helpful and inspiring. I'd love to see pictures of your Cheshire cat cosplay, feel free to share your photos in the comments below!