Today’s hair: Suebian knot

Suebian knot on Wiki

I followed these instructions, but placed this at the back of my head instead of to the side. Compared to how much hair the bog bodies have, my knot would look ridiculously big and silly placed over the ear.

I had some trouble with the loop: Couldn’t entirely figure out how much length I should leave for it or how much tension I should maintain in the twists for it.

Like with all asymmetrical updos,  it has some seriously cute angles and some seriously bad angles.

To my surprise, I actually liked the end result. Usually I prefer my updos to be way more “packed” and restrained, but this actually worked for me.

Especially surprising is the fact that everything is held up with just three hairscroos, and I could probably have held it just fine with two! 

It holds up to my criteria for good hairstyles that I want to do again: It's fairly quick and simple, and easily distinguishable from any other hairstyles.

The loop made me want to try pinning it up.

With the loop pinned up, it looks a bit like the Celtic knot. But the Celtic knot is one of those styles that doesn't really work for me because my thick hair turns it into a massive lump that's barely distinguishable from a slightly lumpy cinnamon bun.

This however, has more character and looks more interesting than a Celtic knot.

I quite like this, both with the loop up and down!

Renaissance Henna’s Henna Hair Oil

This is a sponsored post.
In fact, this is my first sponsored post ever, and it makes me feel quite giddy inside!
How cool: Brands wants to send me stuff to review? Wowsa.

  

No, seriously. This is definitely one of the coolest experiences since I started blogging!

Renaissance Henna sent me a bottle of their Organic Henna Hair Oil Blend to try.

Direct link

Renaissance Henna store front page

Previous price: £12.99 (GBP)
Price: £10.99 (GBP)
The bottle contains 100ml.

Product description:

Renaissance Henna India Desert Earth Organic Blend Henna Hair Oil
A little goes a long way - just a few drops of this exquisite India hair oil will beautify, nourish, repair and condition the most lifeless hair. Perfect after and in between henna / indigo to help maintain henna hair colour and keep it glossy and strong. This is food for hair. May help to encourage hair growth.

It's manufactured and packed in India. How cool. 

First thought: Great bottle. Plastic, so no risk of shattering. Good grip on it too. The little grooves in the bottom should help maintain a grip on the bottle even with wet and slippery fingers.

Ingredients : Organic Sesame Seed Oil, Lawsonia Inermis Extract, Acacia Concinna, Eclipta Alba,
Aloe Barbadensis, Emblica Officinalis.

Ingredient list deciphered

Sesame seed oil.

Lawsonia Inermis is the Latin name for the henna bush.

Acacia concinna is used to make the herbal powder Shikakai.

Eclipta Alba known as false daisy or bhringraj.

Aloe vera.

Emblica Officinalis also known as amla.

I'm far from an expert on Indian herbs, but I recognize all of these. I've never actually gotten experimental with anything other than cassia and henna, but these herbs I've seen in so many hair recipes before. 

What do the herb-experts say?

The bottle opening

The oil
The oil itself is light and thin in consistency. It's easy to distribute in my hair and doesn't leave a greasy residue. It absorbs nicely and leaves a pretty shine behind.

Scent
It has a sort of lightly wooden scent with overtones of fruitiness. Once applied to hair, it seems to disappear.

Glossy!!

13 years

Huh. Ticker is off a bit. Because of leap years?

Unfortunately I didn't have time to let my hair properly air dry, so it's slightly damp in the pictures.

And my camera was being a pain, so all the pictures came out fuzzy.

This one was particularly blurry, but none the less I really liked it. Wish it had been clearer. Sigh.

Really not happy with the camera... 

The Jolly Blogger Award!

I was nominated for the Jolly Blogger Award, so here goes:

1. Do you open your gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Christmas Eve like most Danes.

2. Favourite Christmas song?

Shu-bi-dua: Den himmelblå

Or maybe

Mariah Carey: All I want for Christmas is you

Or 

Drengene fra Angora - Jul i Angora

(Feel free to be confused)

3. Favourite Christmas/holiday movie?

I’m going to have to go with ELF.

But if I can pick TV Christmas calendars too, I still love The Julekalender. It’s one of those bizarre Danish things that won’t make any sense to the rest of the world, but damn. Still cracks me up 23 years after it showed on TV for the first time (Holy crap I’m old!)

Here, have a full episode:

(And feel free to be thoroughly confused again)

4. Favourite Christmas decoration?

Nisser everywhere!

Any kind is good.

5. Favourite Christmas food?

Risalamande

Or

Traditional Danish Christmas duck

Or 

Æbleskiver

All things I miss quite a lot since Sweden has different Christmas traditions when it comes to food.

6. Favourite holiday/winter drink?

Christmas beers!

As much as I want to, I cannot stomach gløgg. It looks so cozy and nice, but bleargh.

7. Snow or no snow?

Hmm. Tricky question. Snow looks so awesome and feels so right for Christmas. But it also comes with nasty wet puddles everywhere, frozen sidewalks to slip on and generally messes up your home with all the mud and water you end up dragging in.

So… I don’t know.

8. Do you send out cards or no cards?

I do send cards, but I’m not very thorough with them. It feels a little silly. Like, once a year you “have to” send cards out to people for no other reason than that you should.

9. Do you still secretly believe in Santa Claus?

No.Does anyone?

10. Your favourite winter clothing item?

Big warm, heavy snowboots.

11. One beauty product you cannot be without this winter?

Lip balm. So much lip balm.

12. Best Christmas memory?

Hmmm. I don’t think I have any that sticks out as the best Christmas memory ever, but every year when we play Pakkespil, it seems to be the best moment ever!

It’s absolutely hilarious when people get all worked up about it.