Do You Believe In Ghosts?

(Insert Wizard of Oz clip "I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do")

I believe in ghosts...but not completely, my opinion on this topic varies from time to time. I believe there is something out there, but I'm not so sure I believe in Great Aunt Harriet's ghost hanging around the house, watching over her family.

What I mainly believe in are spirits, "familiar spirits" to be exact. A familiar spirit is basically an entity that is not of God yet presents itself as trustworthy or friendly. They may even take the form of a deceased family member to gain your trust. While these spirits may never hurt you or 'turn' their goal is not an honorable one. They are dangerous and not to be trifled with.

And yet, I also believe in intercession, and angels and God speaking to His people. My problem lies in the question "How do you tell the difference?"

I've had a few moments in my life where I've known things I couldn't possibly have known on my own, I've had dreams come true and I believe that once God spoke to me. These experiences awed me and made me wonder if God had given me a gift.

Yet the Bible strongly warns against messing with such things so I've never followed that path, I've never looked to 'enlighten' myself. The way I feel about it is, if it's of God he'll bring it to me, I don't need to seek it out. That's why when I had the following experience I was more apt to pee my pants than try to communicate with the other side:

My husband and I used to live with his grandparents in an old farm house that was supposedly haunted. Things had moved on their own, voices had been heard, presences had been felt; but I had never experienced anything but the heebie jeebies.

One morning I was lying in bed, half asleep, lounging in the early morning sunshine. I heard a voice from the door behind me, someone whispered my name. I thought it was Shane's grandmother wanting to talk to me but didn't want to call me too loudly in case I was still asleep.

"Cheryl? Cheryl?"

I answered "Yes?" and flipped over to face the door. No one was there. I thought I was dreaming since I had been in that la-la state of semi-awake. So I laid my head back down and as soon as I closed my eyes (this time fully awake) I heard it again.

"Cheryl? Cheryl?"

It was very disconcerting. I jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. Later that morning I told Shane's grandmother about it and she informed me that the same thing used to happen to Shane's grandfather. He'd get up in the middle of the night irritated that someone kept calling his name...but no one was there.

What about you? Do you believe in ghosts? Have you had experiences with the other side?

Small World, The Conclusion

Thanks for stopping by! Today I share the last part of my Great Aunt Carrie's time in Libya in 1960. If you missed the beginning, be sure to check out part one and part two.

(The road to Sabratha, miles and miles of desert)

About food. You have most likely been advised on food handling but I will share this with you. Having Wheelus AFB in Tripoli was a God send. Our drinking water was piped from there to our apartments. So, if we purchased fresh produce from the local market, it was necessary to wash it thoroughly in a Clorox solution. When eating in restaurants, make sure everything is served hot. Another thing, make sure you know what you're eating. One experience I had with that is when I found out that the meatballs were made of camel meat. I can still feel the grainy texture. YUK! Eating in local restaurants were a very low priority. Just be very careful - Montezuma's revenge is painful. However, between then and now, maybe that won't be an issue. In fifty years, things can change.

(Ruins of Leptis Magna)

You'll really enjoy sight seeing excursions. I can still remember the ruins of Leptis Magna and of Sabratha. Then, of course, there is the Lady of Gharyan. The Mediterranean has magnificent beaches. On excursions you can expect to see herds of camels and fig-laden donkeys. And, if you venture into Tripoli, a visit to the harbor is breathtaking. Again, when you embark on an outing take plenty of water. The temp in the desert can reach 130 degrees by noon. Also, take cantaloupe or oranges for additional fluids. (Some folks we went with brought wine and cheese and not much water - dumb, dumb).

Hygiene was a low priority as was privacy. We never know what we'd see walking through the market but we could sure smell what we didn't see. Scads of horse drawn carriages were a big item. I went on one ride and came home with riddled with fleas. Dear heavens, how awful. Carriage rides ranked right up there with eating in local restaurants.

(Aunt Carrie on the car)

Cheryl - I hope you've enjoyed my memories. Even through the unexpected hardships, the experiences I had were life changing. I came away with a greater appreciation for our country and the freedoms we enjoy. Would I have had it any other way. Not on your life.

Thank you Aunt Carrie for sharing your adventure with us. I'm excited to experience many of the same things!

My First Weekly Wrap Up in Forever

I haven't participated in a Weekly Wrap Up in far too long. So here I am, catching up. This was a pretty busy and somewhat stressful week. It went a little something like this:

Monday was Bram's first dentist appointment. He has a few cavities and I feel like the worst mother on earth. He's TWO! And he has CAVITIES! Ugh. But he enjoyed his visit, so that's a plus, right?

Tuesday Fox got his braces off!! Woo Hoo! He was very excited. The orthodontist sent him home with a bag of treats he couldn't eat before, like taffy and gum. He also got a retainer. He's been showing off the pearly whites ever since!

Wednesday was Bram's appointment at the pediatric dentist our regular dentist referred us to. Apparently Bram has extremely deep grooves in his molars and in order to do the work needed it would require a hospital visit with sedation and they can fix everything at once. The idea of putting him to sleep so young scares me, but I think it will be easier than hours and hours in the dentist chair. I pray.

Thursday I contemplated running one of our dogs to the vet. She's been having severe constipation issues. The vet thinks it may be due to the antibiotic she's on, but I don't know. I've been having to give her soft food slathered with bacon grease, baby prunes and metamucil in order for her to be able to pass anything. Otherwise she is whining to go out (literally) 10 times a day and strains and strains. Oh and we went to see Toy Story 3, IT WAS SO GOOD!

Friday Bram went to the doctor because every once in a while he will stop what he's doing, grab his head, cry in pain for a minute and then be fine. It's only happened a few times, but he always grabs the same place, kind of behind his left ear. And this scares me because it is the same place my Uncle (who is alive and well) had a noncancerous brain tumor. Bram is having a CAT scan tomorrow morning just to be safe, so please say a prayer for him!!

Small World Part Two

This is a continuation of my Aunt Carrie's story, depicting her time in Libya during 1960. If you missed it, check out part one.

It is a given that Arab men don't respect women - especially American women. My first experience with that happened when the water tank which supplied the apartment building sprung a leak. As it happened, the water take was situated in an enclosed sunken atrium off my living room. One of the guards came to the Embassy and said I should get there quick to tell the men to turn off the water before it flooded out of the atrium. I made a mad dash to the apartment where four Arabs were splashing around in two feet of water - just having a big time with water running and all. I yelled "Imchi, imchi" which means get out. I may have been talking to the water. Finally, one of the locals who worked in the Embassy appeared and they listened to him.

(A herd of camels in the middle of the desert)

Another incident happened on a bicycle ride. Several of us rented some bicycles and headed out for an afternoon pleasure trip. All of a sudden I felt a thump on my back, and then another thump. Looking behind we saw several kids about 10 years old throwing stones at us shouting "Imchi, imchi". They had a pretty good arm but by the grace of God no serious injuries. You could say I was properly stoned.

Another semi-scary moment happened walking to church which was about eight blocks from the apartment. In those days, it was customary to wear dress, stocking/shoes, and hat to church. So off I went. About four blocks from the church, broad daylight, I encountered four Arab women in burkahs with only one eye showing**. They were all talking about something and pointing at my hat. I have no idea what they were chattering about but they pointed at my hat and followed me all the way to the church. I felt that if I had had to go much further, they would have snatched my hat. I did feel a fear of them.

(This is what the average Libyan home looked like. This was the view from my Aunt Carrie's 4th floor apartment. She says the houses were open in the center so the men could come out and face toward Mecca to pray)

Now, about going to church. The service was done in Italian - It wasn't too difficult to follow because the Holy Mass was the same universally. So, with my Latin/English missal in hand I followed pretty well. The problem was with the sermon. The monsignor was quite vocal and I had no idea what he said. The only two words I can remember him saying is "A tuta, a tuta" and with each "a tuta" his arms would flail in the air.

Can you imagine? I don't know how well I would have handled those situations! Join me tomorrow for the final installment of Aunt Carrie's adventure. She shares about the weather, tourist destinations and food!

**I believe the one eyed burkah Aunt Carrie was referring to is a niqab.

It's A Small World

As you know, my family and I are are planning to temporarily move to Libya for my husband's job. We are very much looking forward to the adventure and the chance to immerse ourselves in a rich and ancient culture! When I told my family of our plans, I found out a fascinating bit of information that proves just how small a world we live in.

Allow me to introduce my Great Aunt Carrie. This is my Grandmother's sister and she has an incredible story I'd like to share with you. She went to Libya in 1960! I was shocked. What are the chances someone in my family would have gone on a similar journey 50 years before?

Over a series of emails Aunt Carrie shared her journey with me and agreed to let me share it with you! She even mailed me photos she took (on her Brownie Hawkeye) while in Libya. My scanner is currently out of commission so these are just photos of her photos, and not as clear as the ones she sent (sorry!). Over the next three days I would like to share her experience and photos with you.

So without further ado, a Libyan adventure in the words of my Aunt Carrie...

(Aunt Carrie with a herd of camels, which she did not try to ride)

Perhaps the most significant day in my journey was the day I left the U.S. on the USS Constitution. It was on this ship that I met and subsequently married the love of my life. The memory of that five day ship board romance still warms my heart.

I was in the United States Foreign Service. My job was a cryptographer. Never in a million years did I picture myself as one who broke code and encrypted code. I was trained in Washington DC U.S. Dept. of State. I went to Tripoli in 1960 and was there one year. This was a real culture shock to say the least. It felt and looked like 2000 B.C. when I landed in Libya. In addition to the donkey carts, they did have cars and horrible drivers.

(A group of friends sharing cantaloupe on a desert excursion)

Starting from day one, I knew Libya was different from anywhere I'd ever been. At 24, I was quite adventurous and afraid of nothing. Not speaking one word of Arabic drove the point home that I was the foreigner, not the Libyans.

The American Embassy provided housing for me. Because I was single, a three bedroom-two bath furnished apartment was provided. The married couples were put in proper furnished houses complete with fenced yard. In both instances, all utilities were furnished. We had no telephones.

The first big adjustment was the time change. It took about a week to get back on schedule - so bleary-eyes and fuzzy thinking were pretty noticeable.

(Local travelers. I think the donkey in the front may be carrying a covered woman)

It didn't take long to realize there were no corner Walgreens, Hinky Dinky, or Dillards. Fortunately, all mail came APO because of Wheelus Air Base. Otherwise, if anything came by boat or local service, count on two-months to receive it. I was advised to bring a year supply of personal needs. After six weeks, my trunk of personal belongings which left DC in a moving van arrived on a jack-ass drawn cart. I still have a hearty laugh at that one. It appeared that even though it was 1961, nothing in Libya had changed much since the time of Christ.

Another little difference was their calendar. If my memory serves me right, the first day of the week on a Libyan calendar was Friday - the Arab equivalent of our Sunday. This meant all business were closed. Saturday was Jewish and Sunday was Christian holy days. Businesses were closed then too. So, if you had any errands to run or needed to shop, better do it Monday through Thursday. Oh yes, everything closed at 2:00 PM because of the heat and reopened at 7:00 P.M.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for part two when Aunt Carrie shares some scary run-ins with the locals!

Weekly Weigh In

Well, these weigh ins obviously aren't going to be weekly for me. I haven't weighed in lately because there isn't anything to report, unfortunately. I haven't gained any weight (hurrah!) but I haven't lost any either (boo, hiss!).

I know what I need to do...exercise. Exercise is key for me. Actually, I really like exercising, once I get up and get moving. But it is the getting started I struggle with. I've been so busy with sorting, packing, research and paperwork that the thought of adding exercise to my daily to-do list is a little overwhelming.

But that's what I need to do, even if it is just a quick 15 minute walk in the evening, I know my body would react to the activity. So, starting Monday I'm adding a minimum of 15 minutes of true exercise to my to-do list.

I can hardly wait to move that weight loss ticker on my sidebar!!

Are you on a weight loss journey? Share your ups and downs at Eclipsed.

Blog Mojo; A Haiku

I am at a loss

Blog mojo, where did you go

Not a thing to write

Biscuits Anyone?

One evening I decided to make homemade biscuits with dinner. Bram, who will be 3 in August, was my helper. And boy did he help! He floured the counter (and everything else within 3 feet), patted out the dough, cut out the biscuits and helped me arrange them neatly on the baking trays. He did a great job, he even helped me clean up!

Wasn't that nice?

I noticed this a few days later. He had "helped clean up" by stuffing the 3 extra, uncooked biscuits (that wouldn't fit on the trays) in an empty vase. I had assumed he threw them away in his "clean up" efforts while I was sweeping inches of flour off my floor...but nope, not quite.

Linked To:

Friday Fails at My Blessed Life

Yummy Poppycock

This recipe takes a bit of time to prepare, but it is really easy and comes out delicious every time! If you don't have dairy issues, feel free to replace the margarine and coconut oil with 1 cup of butter.

2 bags (3.6oz) popcorn (I use Orville Redenbacher's Simply Salted, it's dairy free)

1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or other dairy free margarine

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 cups mixed nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp baking soda

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Line 2 large cookie sheets with aluminum foil.
• Pop your popcorn, and empty one bag into a VERY large heatproof bowl taking special care to remove any unpopped kernels.
• In a large pan, over medium heat, melt the margarine and coconut oil.
• Add the brown sugar and honey and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the pan from heat and stir in the vanilla, baking soda and nuts.
• Pour half the sugar mixture onto the popcorn in the bowl (BE CAREFUL THIS IS EXTREMELY HOT AND CAN BURN BADLY!).
• Add the other bag of popcorn to the bowl and pour the remaining sugar mixture.
• Stir quickly and carefully, taking care not to burn yourself or crush the popcorn.
• Place half of the popcorn mixture on each cookie sheet and place in the oven.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Using a spatula, flip the popcorn mixture and bake for 30 minutes more.
• Remove the popcorn mixture from the oven and allow it to cool.
• Loosen the aluminum foil from the cookie sheet and use it to break the Poppycock up into delectable bite sized chunks.
• Store in an airtight container.

Linked To:

Mouth Watering Mondays at A Southern Fairytale
Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed With Grace
Tasty Tuesday at The Youngn's
Delicious Dishes

Love Me Some Chicken!!

I can't take credit for this find, a dear freind of mine posted it on Facebook and had me in tears laughing. I LOVE this kid, this song is too funny and when he breaks into the chorus you can tell he has talent!


My favorite lyric by far:

Fight you for some chicken,

Do the Mike Tyson,

I'll bite you for some chicken!

How To Line A Round Cake Pan

Some recipes call for lining a round cake pan. It's not that difficult, but tracing and cutting parchment paper can be tedious. Not to mention having to trim it because the circumference of the inside of the pan is smaller than the outside you trace. Ugh. So you can imagine my joy when I found a faster, easier way!

Start with a piece of parchment or wax paper slightly larger than your cake pan:

Square your paper by folding one end up to form an triangle and remove the rectangular excess:

This will leave you with a large triangle. Fold the triangle in half, base ends together:

On what used to be the base edge, there will now be a point. Keep this as the center point as you continue to fold the triangle in half again:

And again:

And again, until you have a slim triangle. Notice it won't be perfectly symmetrical, that's okay:

Turn your cake pan bottom up and place the triangle point just outside of center. Use the edge of the pan as a guide to trim the excess paper off:

You will have something that looks like this:

Turn your pan over, unfold your triangle and you should have a perfectly tailored liner!

Linked To:

Tuesday Tutorial at Smockity Frocks

Summer is Almost Here, Your Body Can Look Like This Too...

With A Personal Trainer...

A Professional Photographer....

Professional Lighting...

And Airbrushing.

Naturoli Extreme 18X Soap Nuts Liquid Giveaway

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO COMMENTER #19, HANNAH AND COMMENTER #8 MATT4MELIS!!

The generous folks over at Naturoli have offered to a free 2oz bottle of Extreme 18X Soap Nuts Liquid to TWO lucky winners! This ultra concentrated soap nuts liquid is all natural, non toxic and works beautifully! 2oz is enough to do 12 standard loads of laundry or 24 HE loads!! f you have not yet heard of Naturoli or their products, check out their website and my review!

Giveaway Rules:

• You must be 18 years of age or older
  
• Open to the congruent 48 states of the US and Canada only (my apologies to everyone else)
  
• You must leave an email address or a link to a blog page with contact information for notification purposes


• You may enter multiple times, up to 5 entries per person


• Each entry must be left in a SEPARATE COMMENT or it will not count

The winner will be chosen by a random number generator on June 18 on or around 7PM EST. The winnerswill be notified via email and have one week to claim the prize. If they do not respond within a week new winners will be chosen.

How To Enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me why you would like to win.
   
2. Subscribe to my blog feed (on the right sidebar) and comment that you did. If you already subscribe let me know.
   
3. Follow me on Twitter (on the right sidebar) and comment that you did. If you already follow me, let me know.


4. Tweet about the giveaway and leave the link to your tweet. I made it easy, just copy and paste: I want to win the Naturoli Extreme 18X Soap Nuts giveaway at @SomewhatCrunchy http://tinyurl.com/28a8nkt


5. Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!!

Submitting To Our Husbands : Tips For Beginners

*Again, my standard disclaimer that this series is for those in loving, committed relationships that seek to honor God's blueprint for marriage. This is NOT intended for those in abusive or unequally yoked relationships.



Welcome to the third and final installment of my series on submission. In part one we found out why we should submit to our husbands; in part two we discussed preparing our hearts for submission; today I will share tips and tricks that help me in my unending quest toward becoming a submissive, Proverbs 31 woman.


Pray

This is without doubt the most important thing you can do. If you ask, He will help you. But it won't always be easy; God often teaches us lessons in our struggles. What should you pray for?

• Your husband! Ask God to grant him the wisdom and fortitude to lead your family along His path. Pray for the Lord to draw close to your man.



• Patience. If you're naturally stubborn, combative and controlling (I'm all three) ask God to grant you extra reserves of patience as you strive to be the wife He wants you to be,



• Forgiveness, for those times when you fall short of expectations.



• A forgiving heart, for those times when your husband falls short of expectations.
  

Read

• The Bible. Read and reread why you are striving to be a submissive wife. Familiarize yourself with Ephesians 5:21-33 and Proverbs 31:10-31. Meditate on these verses and bring them to the front of your mind in difficult situations.



• More Bible. Another simple verse that helps me is Galatians 5:22, the fruits of the spirit. I will recite this to myself when I am stressed or overwhelmed or even sing it when I'm happy. I have fond memories of singing the Fruit of the Spirit song in youth group, too funny.

• The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. This is an eye opening, biblically based book that demonstrates how powerful prayer can be. It shows that we wives have power to lead our relationships even though we are not 'leading'. And that power lies in prayer.

Change Your Words

I found that demonstrating a heart of submission through words helped immensely. Some may say this is assuaging your husband's ego; I don't agree. Just as women feel the need to be heard and understood, men feel the need to be respected and trusted. Make sure your words communicate that trust and respect. Instead of saying things like "That won't work" or "I told you so!" try :

• I don't agree, but I trust you.



• I don't think so, but I'll follow your advice (decision, lead, etc.).



• If you think that's the right thing to do then we'll do it.



• It didn't work but you made the best decision you could, chalk it up to a learning experience.



• At least we learned what to do next time.
  

Relax

Chances are you will see that it's usually not the end of the world if your husband decides to switch careers, buy a used car even if you don't agree with it. Things won't always come out roses; your husband won't always make the right decision, but the productive relationship you foster will be priceless. Good will come of it.

Linked To:

Wifey Wednesdays at To Love Honor and Vacuum

Homeschooling Due To Bullying

In addition to the socialization issue, another homeschool assumption that gives me pause is the thought that protecting our children from bullies is a bad thing. That somehow, not allowing our children to be subjected to abuse will cripple them in adulthood. I think not.

To adults of that mindset I would like to ask:

If your child was circled in shark infested waters, would you scoop him out? Or would you, from the safety of your boat, encourage him to be unafraid and keep treading water? Would you watch and hope that he makes it out alive, or at least with all his limbs intact?

Again, I think not.

I've been thinking a lot about this topic since this news story broke. A 14 year old boy was lured to the home of his bullies under the guise of a truce. There the bully and three others threatened to beat the child unless he allowed the bullies to tattoo him. In order to get home safely the boy allowed them to tattoo vulgar images and words on his arms.

And he told no one. He told no one. That breaks my heart. He told no one out of fear and shame. It was only brought to the boy's parents' attention after a teacher overheard it being joked about in the school halls.

My heart breaks.

If I have any advice for those parents it would be to remove him from public school. Now. No matter the financial cost. Give him a chance to grow up in safety, security and confidence.

And to those who would say removing him is not the answer, let me say this:

Removing a child from a dangerous and emotionally degrading situation is not copping out, it is not giving up. It is allowing the child a chance to grow up in an environment where they feel safe and can develop self confidence.

Allowing a child to stay in a situation where they are continually berated and mentally or physically beaten down does not develop character. It teaches them that they do not have the right to protect themselves. It teaches them that they do not have the right to be treated well.

As an adult, would you stay at a job where your employer beat you? I imagine that unless you had no other choice, you would quit.

So why do we think our kids need to stick it out?

Again I ask, if your child was circled in shark infested waters would you scoop him out?

What's On Your iPod?

I saw this post over at Life's About A Dream and thought it looked like fun. So here I am, playing along. It's easy really, just grab your iPod, hit shuffle and list the first 10 songs that come up. So, what's on my iPod?

Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley

I Want You - Madonna

Kiss The Flame - Jewel

God Is A DJ - Pink

Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne

Symphony No. 9 (Scherzo) - Beethoven

Revelation Song - Kari Jobe

Paparazzi - Lady GaGa

SexyBack - Justin Timberlake

Heat Of The Moment - Asia

How about you, what's on your iPod?

Incognito

Weekends are my time to catch up and visit the blogs of those who have commented here. With all the activity preparing for our move and the holiday weekend I'm W-A-Y behind. On top of all that my mini laptop has been acting up and I need to send it in for repair, which means I'm not going to be able to catch up this weekend either. Grrr!

I'm sorry!

I adore my readers, I really do! I love the sense of community this blog affords me. I haven't been able to reciprocate lately and that makes me sad. Thank you to those who have blessed me with blog awards which I haven't been able to pass on.

Please continue to bear with me. Soon my laptop will be repaired, by the end of summer we should be settled in our new home and I'll be able to get back to my usual schedule of visitation :)

Until then I'll jump on line and moderate comments when I can steal a few moments on my son's computer. I have about a week's worth of posts scheduled, including an Naturoli Extreme 18X Soap Nuts Liquid giveaway! So, I'll be around, just not as active as I'd like to be.

Preparing Our Hearts For Submission

Again, please let me stress that this post is intended for believers. This is not meant for those trapped in abusive relationships, or even in marriages where they are unequally yoked. Those are very delicate situations which I do not feel qualified to address. Even addressing submission is stretching it a bit as it is, because I can say without hesitation that I am far from the submissive wife. But I try, my heart is facing that direction.

In part one I shared scripture which calls us to be submissive wives. I should be a submissive wife, I want to be a submissive wife; but...

As women in the US we're taught to be independent and fearless. In some ways these are good and necessary things; but marriage is a partnership.

Biblically, marriage is an interdependent relationship in which husbands are to love their wives and women are to submit to their husbands. So, how does one begin to be submissive in a culture where women are taught that they should never let a man tell them what to do? How do we prepare our hearts for submission?

In order to prepare our hearts, we must first change our minds.

Submission is not an act, it's a mindset.

Submission in marriage is the commitment to put 'us' before 'me'. It's the ability to work together toward common goals. It's acceptance of the fact that you are not giving up yourself, you're giving of yourself.

I truly believe that the root of submission is faith.

Faith and fear cannot coexist. Submission and fear cannot coexist. Just like faith, submitting means being able to let go of the fear. Fear of what? Well, what are you afraid of? We may each have a different answer. For me, it's the fear of losing control, the fear of complete surrender.

If you're struggling with submission, don't fret. I've been there, some days I AM there. Take the week to meditate on what I've shared. Get to the bottom of what you may be afraid of. And come back next Wednesday when I will share submission tips for beginners.

Linked To:

Wifey Wednesday at To Love Honor and Vacuum

Remove Hair Build-Up Naturally

I recently switched shampoos and had the unfortunate consequence of build-up. I switched back to my old shampoo but it wasn't enough. My hair looked continually greasy at the roots and felt slightly tacky to the touch. Yuck!

I knew I needed do do something drastic but I didn't want to use harsh chemicals. After a quick internet search I found a natural method to try. And it worked!

What you need

• Water
• 1 cup Baking Soda
• 2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar

Depending on the length of your hair you may need more or less of the above ingredients. This is what worked for me with shoulder length hair.

1. First, mix the baking soda with enough water to form a thin paste.
2. Next add about 2 cups of warm water to the vinegar. If you don't make sure the water is warm, you may end up doing the 'Hallelujah Dance' in the shower while screaming "It's cold, cold!" (ask me how I know).
3. Dress in a towel or robe so you can hop right into the shower, or just follow the rest of the steps while in the shower.
4. Wet your hair thoroughly, then wring it out well.
5. Take your baking soda paste and massage it into your scalp and throughout your hair all the way to the tips. Take special care to work it into the roots as this is usually where a lot of the build-up starts. This step will result in a lovely look which can only be described as "Unbathed Crack Addict With Dreadlocks"
   
   
   
6. Allow the baking soda paste to so sit on your hair for 5-10 minutes (I did 10 minutes).
7. While standing in the shower, slowly pour the vinegar mixture over your hair. This will create a bubbly action that feels surprisingly good. It's like a scalp massage. If you don't feel that the vinegar effectively rinsed most of the baking soda away, feel free to repeat the rinse.
8. Wash your hair as normal. Or not. I just rinsed my hair very well with lukewarm water.
9. Voila! Smooth, soft, build-up free hair.

Linked To:

Tutorial Tuesday at Smockity Frocks