Henna! (For the hair)

    A few years ago grey hairs started cropping up and before long there were too many to pluck whilst pretending it wasn't happening!  I was bemoaning this fact while hanging out in the Discord associated with The Cauldron.  And then someone recommended henna.

    So I henna'd my hair.  And have never looked back.  Here's why:

- I love the colour (a good start!)

    I went for red because I always fancied myself as a bit of a redhead.  My hair used to have a slightly ginger sheen in certain lights.  As a child I'd been blond, but my hair colour has latterly darkened to a really dull light-ish brown.  (And you couldn't really glimpse that hint of ginger any more.)  So the henna is a definite improvement.
I didn't know it when I started buying henna, but you can also get a brown (and I believe also a black).

- It makes my hair shine!

    In fact, not only does it make my hair shine but I find I don't need to use conditioner.  So it saves me a step in the shower.  (And as a spoonie that's a really great point in the favour of henna.)

- It's not a chemical dye
    Well obviously every substance has its own chemical compound, but I'm sure you get what I mean.  I never used chemical dyes on my hair, and this way I can claim that's still true!

- I love the smell!
    It makes me smell like a hippy - I feel an authentic New Ager when I'm fully henna'd and yet I don't need to reach for the patchouli.  But seriously, full disclosure, it does have a distinctive, sort of organic-y odour.

- I'm told it protects the hair

    Apparently, it works by sort of lacquering the individual hairs and giving them a level of protection from e.g. splitting.  (It's the reason your hair can't take chemical dyes after henna-ing, apparently.)
    And as someone with very long hair which is my proudest feature (and one of the things my spouse loves about me) but easily tangled, I'm keen to protect my tresses.
    (I haven't done my due diligence, but anecdotally I believe this to be true - my hair is easier to brush, even without conditioner.  I realise this is only a sample size of two, but it's good enough for me.  And again, as a spoonie, anything that makes my hair easier to care for is a good thing.)

- It doesn't wash out or fade much
    The colour fades a little bit, but it definitely doesn't go that washed out shade that people seem to get with the brightly coloured chemical dyes, e.g. the blues and pinks etc. (Of course it could just be that my hair has always been very porous, I'm not sure.) 

    There are some cons, just so you know:-

- It's admittedly messy and time-consuming to apply (but rinsing isn't too much of an issue);
- The grey hairs go a bright orange colour!
- Recommend devoting a specific, preferably dark-coloured towel to your hair after you start henna-ing it;
- Be aware you can't dye your hair with chemical dye after henna-ing it (you'd need to henna it a darker colour, or I guess you could try using harsh stuff like citric acid to try to remove the henna first - not recommended, just let it grow out);
- And of course you might not like the smell.

    I'm calling this a chronic ill-health life hack, because I genuinely find it so.  I can get away without conditioning and yet my hair is easier to brush & care for, as mentioned.  On top of that, all the compliments I received on the colour did wonders for my self-esteem!  😀

All photos from Unsplash

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Why do I celebrate Christmas?

Why, as a pagan, do I celebrate Christmas?

    The main reason for celebrating Christmas is, it's a time for getting together with family.  I can (Covid allowing) get together with family any time, of course.  But Christmas is the one time it's guaranteed to happen.

   

    I might be 'flaky' much of the rest of the year.  Or not get around to making plans.  (Much like most of my family members, too.)  My family (though not a million miles away by any means) are just far enough away to make it a bit of a trek.  Rather than just popping around for a cuppa.  So it tends to get put off.

    Around Christmas we'll always get together no matter what, however.  (Except for the first year of the pandemic.)

    I do also decorate for Christmas.  Partly it's because my spouse doesn't share my paganism.  So he still wants the place decorated for Christmas.  (Well, actually he could probably skip decorating altogether.  But if we're going to decorate, he wants it to be Christmas themed.)

    It's nice in the dreary winter to have a period of festive decorations to brighten up the place.  And for me it provides a bit of a magical atmosphere (much of which probably comes from nostalgia).

    Then when the decorations come down in early January there's a feeling of freshness.  It feels nice and uncluttered when all the bits and bobs get put away.

    Speaking of nostalgia, that's another big reason for celebrating Christmas.  I just loved Christmas time as a kid, it felt really magical.  I never really resonated with the Christian roots of Christmas, of course.  But as we all know these days you can pick and choose which elements of Christmas you include or not.  (Some will disagree, and they're obviously entitled to their own opinions.)

    Magical themes feature heavily on TV around Christmas, in contrast with other times of the year.  When I was small there used to be a float which drove around the streets of my town with 'Santa' aboard.  He'd distribute sweets to all the kids at their doorsteps and it was enthralling.  Fairy lights give a cozy atmosphere, and my sibling & I were each given a set for our rooms.  Together with a little tinselly Christmas tree, about a foot high.  The lights twinkled off the mini tree at nights.  It was like having my own fairy grotto in my room or something.

    Decorating & doing all the other celebratory Christmas things as an adult, it evokes those nostalgic childhood memories for me.

    Oddly, Christmas time was the first point I can recall learning of the existence of paganism, too.  I was probably about 7 or 8 years old.  And we learned in school that there'd been religions prior to Christianity.  Also that vestiges of the same were secreted away here and there if you knew where to look.  I think it was suggested that the song The Holly and the Ivy harkened back to pre-Christian times in some of its wording.

    And something seemed to slot into place for me, staying with me ever since.

    It's difficult to put into words.  It's just a feeling deep within.  It resonated.

    If I'm ever able to articulate it any better than that I'll write another blog post on it.

    But in a nutshell, those are the major reasons why I celebrate Christmas even though I'm a pagan.

All photos from Unsplash

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European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.