Nightblooming fangirling in progress, part II

Nightblooming put a really funny (And quite sad actually!) blog post up about people asking for discounts from her. It made me feel really happy she gave us a discount for when she launched her book (Seriously, feels like being blessed by someone famous, which is exactly what it was!) 

My order got here in one piece (Although very delayed thanks to PostNord), but then again, Melissa did a very good job of packing it up both prettily and safely!
Nothing had room to rattle around and it was packed in a good, sturdy cardboard box.
Once you have experienced a package being completely smashed and the contents ruined thanks to poor packaging, you start finding this important.

I've been neglecting my hair a bit lately, so I figured it was time to give it some herbal love with:
Eilistraee: Gray, White, Colorless Herbal Hair Conditioner
Sarenrae Blonde Herbal Hair Color and Conditioner

I really like the description of the Eilistraee herbal conditioner:

Eilistraee, also referred to as “The Dark Maiden,” is a fictional deity in the Forgotten Realms. She is a goddess in the drow pantheon, and her portfolios are song, swordwork, hunting, the moon and beauty. This herbal mix seeks to capture such a glow for your own tresses.

That's a fictional goddess I can get behind!

The strange-looking blue blob on the left is the nitril gloves that just didn't photograph well. It's a really nice detail that Nightblooming adds this to orders, especially since I haven't ordered any hard-dying herbal blends.
I got two tea samples too:
Miruvor Long Hair Herbal Tea where Nightblooming writes:

Appearing in The Lord of the Rings, miruvor is a warm and fragrant cordial of the Elves that gives the drinker renewed strength and vitality. The elves do not reveal how miruvor was made, but it is thought to come from the honey of the undying flowers in the gardens of Yavanna.

The nerd in me (And there's a lot of it) rejoiced at that!
The other tea is Blooming Grove Caduceus & Mollymauk Butterfly Herbal Tea which changes colour from Mollymauk purple to Caduceus violet when you add something acidic to it. It sounds so cool and I'm really looking forward to try/see that! I just really hope I can catch the effect on camera!

The big package on the right is Sunlit Meadow Herbal Rinse for Light Hair 

I like that Nightblooming offers you a brochure on how to use herbal mud. You can take it or leave it. Some people might want help and guidance, some might be experts already or have a specific recipe in mind. I decided to take a brochure and was happy with it. It's good to brush up on the basics and this was very useful both for beginners and those who have used herbal hair conditioning before.

I've mentioned the packaging already, but seriously, I really like the care that was put into this.
The small glass bottle oil blends were put in a separate plastic bag to limit any potential broken glass and spilled essential oils to one place.
I've seen glass bottled mixed in with the rest of the order way too many times, even from seasoned sellers, so this makes me very happy.

Aamon: Iyarri Chronicles Signature Oil Blend
Aurelia: Iyarri Chronicles Signature Oil Blend
Cæl: Iyarri Chronicles Signature Oil Blend
Jasmine green tea (Not part of the Iyarri Chronicles line like the rest of them, but it sounded like the kind of scent I would like a lot. Jasmine, green tea and vanilla are some of my favourite scents and the rest of my favourites would probably make a weird, smelly mess if they were mixed in)
Lucien: Iyarri Chronicles Signature Oil Blend
Tiahmani: Iyarri Chronicles Signature Oil

I have never used oil blends like this before, so it will take some experimenting to see how I'd like them: In my hair, on my skin mixed with lotion, spritzed on skin after the shower dabbed on as a perfume.
I'm in a funny place with the Aamon blend though since it has sea buckthorn oil as a secondary oil and I am wildly and painfully allergic to it. I can't even give it to hubby since I have broken out from products he has used before. I can probably find a friend who would like it.

And of course I received the Heaven's Silhouette: Iyarri Chronicles Book 1 in hardcover.
I'm going to cover this in a separate post, but I have to say it right away: This book is so, so pretty.
It has such a wonderful paper quality feel to it and really clear print. Some books just feel good in your hands and this is one of them.

The Sunlit Meadow Herbal Rinse for Light Hair is so pretty and it smells so good I want to use it as potpourri. Or taste it as a tea for drinking!
And I probably could since it's pure organic leaves and flowers.

Nightblooming fangirling in progress, part I

My Nightblooming order finally, finally got here!

And with it, my copy of Heaven's Silhouette.

Of course PostNord Sweden ruined some of the joy of this for me because it took so crazy long to get here. Just five days to cross the 6800 km from Winona, Minnesota to Copenhagen, and then 11 days for the last 60 km or so from Copenhagen to Lund.

But enough of that. Onto the fun stuff!

While I read through the book and get ready to review it, you guys can read the first chapter in the book for free here.
Also, don't forget you can follow Melissa on Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram.

Nightblooming sent me a few samples of tea for me to enjoy while I read the book. So sweet of her!
She must have read my mind because I regretted not ordering the Miruvor herbal tea while I was ordering stuff.
She also sent me the Blooming Grove Caduceus & Mollymauk Butterfly Herbal Tea 2 tsp Sample Critical Role which is a colour changing butterfly tea (What?) that changes colour from Mollymauk purple to Caduceus pink when you add something acidic to it. I had to test that!

 

For those who have questions, here is the FAQ that Melissa promised us a while back!

We asked Melissa about Heaven’s Silhouette, growing real-life fairytale hair, and how she bridges her real-life alchemy into her fantasy writing.

What’s Heaven’s Silhouette about?
It’s actually kind of amazing how hard this question still is for me, and why it was such a relief when I made my book trailer--then I could point people to that.
“When I was little, other children called me a monster. A painting proved them right.”
With lyrical prose and atmospheric world building, Heaven’s Silhouette tells the story of a young woman’s search for her heritage - and in the process she finds herself. 

Amid a tempest of feathers, magic, and blood, Aurelia is drawn deeper into the heart of a millennia-old struggle. If she’s not careful, the consequences will tear her body, her heart, and the Iyarri in two.
Aurelia is a character that exists in the gray spaces, in between the halves of her world. The larger inspiration for Heaven’s Silhouette, and the series of The Iyarri Chronicles became an exploration in what happens when halves and pieces, real and perceived, get torn apart and pushed back together.

Do you have more books planned for the series?
I do--the second book, Mourning’s Dawn, will be out next fall, and I’m already in the process of drafting the third book in The Iyarri Chronicles. For those readers who are antsy about years-long delays in between books, I have a progress tracker that shows where I’m at in the process for each book--you can see the one for Mourning’s Dawn at the bottom of its page I’ve also planned a prequel and bonus content for my Patrons, like an illustrated guide to the Iyarri.

How do the Iyarri-Chronicles herbs and oils you make at NightBlooming tie together?
When I was creating the Iyarri I thought a lot about what made them culturally distinct from humans, and also how their wings influences everything from the clothes they wore, how they styled their hair, to what sorts of grooming all those feathers demanded.
The Iyarri clean and scent their feathers with specially-blended oils. Each Iyarri creates their own oil, giving their wings a signature scent.

Aurelia’s, for example, is an essential oil blend that smells of crushed Irish gardens, green moors, and nighttime dew smudged with vanilla. This blend then either becomes a mister that’s usable both as a perfume or a linen mister, or an oil that’s perfect for skin, hair, beards, and massage. I do one oil blend a month, some inspired by The Iyarri Chronicles, but all my oils are inspired by literature, fantasy, and folklore.

Tell us more about the Iyarri and how your real-life experiences with long hair found its way into your fictional worldbuilding?
One of my pet peeves in fantasy is how hair is treated: never tangles, worn down in battle (as if it isn’t getting in your face / gives opponents a really nice place to grab), braids are always a thick as a piece of cord wood and never taper, etc. 

In general, Iyarri wear their hair long, but up so it’s out of the way of their wings. In developing their hairstyles, I borrowed a lot from things I knew about long hair from personal experience: wearing it in twists and buns and plaits. I’ll cop to having an immense trove of hair accessories, and the Iyarri have their own hair ornaments, too: beads, feathers, and twists of metal. 

This extends to the oils for each character, too. When they’re done oiling their feathers, whatever is left on their hands they then smooth over the ends of their hair.

I’m sure our readers haven’t forgotten about the gifts you mentioned, tell us what you have for them.
The hardcover of Heaven's Silhouette is exquisite and a true representation of the work inside. 400 pages long, it includes the first chapter of Iyarri Chronicle's Book 2: Mourning's Dawn. The book itself has copper foil stamping, each page is printed on high-quality paper, and the dust jacket is matte with a spot-gloss finish, making it a total joy to hold in your hands.

When you order the hardcover of Heaven’s Silhouette from Etsy you’ll receive a beautiful metal feather bookmark and an Iyarri Chronicles perfume blend sample of your choice. I’ll also hand-sign and number the book! Patrons (at any tier) get to choose not only the color of their bookmark, but also the copy number they receive.

The ebook also comes with four printable bookmarks and a printable version of the full cover art. If you’re a Patron, you’ll get the special Patron-only version of the ebook, which also has the first chapter of Mourning’s Dawn.

How can people support you as an independent author and our resident long-haired herbal alchemist?
I could never, ever do all of this without people who believe in me. I nearly walked away from publishing Heaven’s Silhouette because the dream of being an author just seemed a bridge too far, and I never would have started NightBlooming without people who told me over and over they loved what I was creating for them. 

My biggest support comes from my Patrons through https://www.patreon.com/melissalynnherold. Their monthly contributions, their belief in what I do, allow me to bring them the things they love while being part of the entire creative process.

Today's hair

Regular old braided cinnamon bun held with a Ron Quattro

Product showdown

Up today are three Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in conditioner sprays:

• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair

I'm going to compare them on a few different factors:

• First impressions
• Effect: Shine and manageability
• Ingredient analysis and interesting ingredients such as "actives": Oils, fruits, keratin and my favorite: Sunscreen ingredients

First impressions

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length

The lid has a label with a drawing of a broken scissor and the text "Don't cut- Choose repair". Well, permit me to disagree. But okay, fine...

It has a clean and soapy scent and for the smell alone, this one is my favorite.
Mr Igor says: "Smells like a shampoo. Or bathing foam maybe? A bit sweet." Mr Igor approves. 

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength

It has a label with "Repairs and prevents: For lastingly beautiful hair" on the lid. I immediately dislike that part. You cannot repair damaged hair, only mask it with moisture and cones! Damage should always be cut off to protect the undamaged and healthy hairs that come in contact with rough and damaged ends.

Smells clean and soapy but with a more fruity scent as well.
Mr Igor says: "Smells like laundry detergent, but also kind of sweet. This one is my favorite."

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair
This one has the same stupid label with "Repairs and prevents: For lastingly beautiful hair" on the lid.
I like the packaging better. The shiny "metal foil"-like label on the other two ends up looking dirty with the first finger print.
This one left me mildly confused because it looks so much like the ultra moisture spray, which also says something about "hair repair" on it? Same colour theme on the packaging, same lid, same two-phase formulation, same peach-ish product colour, a lot of the same phrasing on the product? Strange.

But at least according to a US ingredient list for the Ultra moisture spray, this is not the same product.

Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultra moisture ingredient list
Aqua (Water), Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethiconol, Cetyl PEG, PPG-10, 1 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-16, Lactic Acid, Fragrance, Cetrimonium Chloride, Panthenol, Sodium Benzoate, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin, Arginine, Acetyl Tyrosine, Arctium Majus Root Extract, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Hydrolyzed Keratin, PEG-12 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-11, Ornithine HCl, Niacinamide, Chlorphenesin, Citrulline, Biotin, CI 15985 (Yellow 6), CI 17200 (Red 33)



So maybe this is the Euro-version? Or a newer or older "edition" of whatever product line that goes with the peach colour scheme? Or is it just a coincidence that two so similar products are not the same product, just separated by continents and product laws? I don't know, but it did make me scratch my head.

I dislike this scent the most: It has a strangely fruity and overly sweet smell. I think I recognize it from other Gliss product: The Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Repair conditioner which I also dislike the smell of. It's not as overpowering, but it's in the same scent "family" for sure.
Mr Igor says: "This one also reminds me of laundry. It has a sort of strong smell. Smells like clean stuff."

  

Effect
Okay, confession time: I could not tell the difference between these. I tried spraying half my hair with one and the other half with another over several days and... Nope. Can't tell them apart except for the smell. But they all do a decent enough job of what I want them to do: Adding some moisture to the ends for when they get too dry when I take too long at braiding them.
A few times I thought I could tell a difference in shine or slipperiness, but I think I was just seeing something that wasn't there. Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length, Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength and Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair have more or less the same effect for me.
It will be up to the scent and ingredient list to decide which ones I prefer.

Ingredient analysis

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length
Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Dimethiconol, Cetyl Peg/Ppg-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-16, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Glycerin, Cetrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Trideceth-5, Limonene, Benzyl Alcohol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol, Phenoxyethanol, Coumarin, CI 17200

Applying the Beauty Brains "First five ingredients rule"
Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer

When only looking at the top five ingredients, this is a emollient and moisturizing product with a random root extract.

Uninteresting ingredients

• Random extract of the day is Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract which is a pretty flower that I have no idea why it would be put in there. Google provides me with no information that would explain why this ingredient needs to be so high on the ingredient list. Not only does the root itself seem to offer no benefit, I'm deeply suspicious of the "extract". Why is this so high on the ingredient list? Can't it just be a "featured ingredient" or something? Bleh.

Interesting ingredients

• It has keratin in it.
• Benzyl Salicylate and Benzyl Alcohol are sun screen ingredients and hurray for that. I love seeing sunscreen, any sunscreen, in my hair products!
• Amodimethicone is a cone particularly prone to build up.
• Panthenol does maybe-maybe not penetrate and strengthen hair.
• Hexyl Cinnamal, Citronellol and Coumarin are fragrances. Why are three fragrance ingredients necessary?

27 ingredients in total
One ingredient that COSDNA couldn't find info on: Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer. Some googling informed me that this is a completely harmless cone.

1 marked as a "1" for acne-trigger. 4%
1 marked as a "2" for acne-trigger. 4%

No ingredients with an "irritant" rating!

12 marked as "green" for safety. 44%
11 marked as "yellow" for safety. 40%
2 marked as "red" for safety. 7%
And one marked as "green-yellow" for safety. 4%

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair
Aqua (Water, Eau), Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Amodimethicone/Morpholionmethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Dimethiconol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-16, Lactic Acid, Cetrimonium Chloride, Parfum, Sodium Benzoate, Trideceth-5, Linalool, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Phenoxyethanol, CI 17200

Applying the Beauty Brains "First five ingredients rule"
Aqua (Water, Eau), Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Amodimethicone/Morpholionmethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

When only looking at the top five ingredients, this is a heavily cone-y product with some oil. Which is fairly typical for a product boasting "repair". They tend to either go heavy on the proteins or heavy on the cones.

Interesting ingredients

• Contains Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil.
• Panthenol does maybe-maybe not penetrate and strengthen hair.
• Amodimethicone is a cone particularly prone to build up.
• Linalool, Coumarin and Hexyl Cinnamal are fragrances. Why are three fragrance ingredients necessary in addition to parfum?

Also I find it quite interesting how different the two ingredient lists are. Often it's basically just the "active"/selling point-ingredient that has been swapped out along with a few ingredients for stability or scent. But these two have very different ingredient lists.

Since this conditioner contains coconut oil, I would not want it on my scalp. This is a protein-free moisturizer and I would use it as such.

21 ingredients in total
COSDNA still can't find any information on Amodimethicone/Morpholinomethyl Silsesquioxane Copolymer, but it seems to be a harmless cone.

1 marked as a "1" for acne-trigger. 4%
1 marked as a "2" for acne-trigger. 4%

No ingredients with an "irritant" rating!

10 marked as "green" for safety. 47%
8 marked as "yellow" for safety. 38%
1 marked as "red" for safety. 4%
And one marked as "green-yellow" for safety. 4 %

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength

I founds several different ingredient lists for this one floating around online?
Pretty strange. This is the one I had on mine, which was bought in Normal in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Dimethiconol, Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone, Polyquaternium-16, Lactic Acid, Parfum, Cetrimonium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Limonene, Phenoxyethanol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Alcohol, Ci 17200, CI 15985

Applying the Beauty Brains "First five ingredients rule"
Aqua, Cyclomethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Hydrolyzed Keratin, Tocopheryl Acetate

When only looking at the top five ingredients, this is a moisturizing, cone-y product with keratin. Not bad for a start?

Interesting ingredients

• It has keratin in it high on the list.
• Cetyl Esters is an emolient and should result in soft hair.
• Panthenol does maybe-maybe not penetrate and strengthen hair.
• Benzyl Salicylate and Benzyl Alcohol are sun screen ingredients and hurray for that. I love seeing sunscreen, any sunscreen, in my hair products!
• Why does this need both parfum, linalool and Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone for fragrance?

I find it quite interesting how different the ingredient lists are. Often it's basically just the "active"/selling point-ingredient that has been swapped out along with a few ingredients for stability or scent. But these have very different ingredient lists. There are some similarities though: All have keratin, polyquaternium-16 and panthenol in them.

21 ingredients in total

1 marked as a "1" for acne-trigger. 4%

No ingredients with an "irritant" rating!

9 marked as "green" for safety. 42%
10 marked as "yellow" for safety. 47%
1 marked as "red" for safety. 4%
And one marked as "green-yellow" for safety. 4 %

Lady Igor says
Ehh... I feel like this became a whole lot of nothing really. Let's award some points and see where it gets us?

• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length: Best scent (1 point)
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength: Okayest scent
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair: Worst scent

• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length: Contains sunscreen ingredients (1 point)
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength: Contains sunscreen ingredients (1 point)
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair: No sunscreen ingredients

• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length: Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength: No oil
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair: Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

I will not award any points for either or, I just thought this was interesting since they have so many other identical ingredients like keratin, polyquaternium-16 and panthenol

• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length: Acne trigger warnings
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength: Least ratings for acne and irritations (1 point) 
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair: Acne trigger warnings

• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length: Random annoying flower extract
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength: I like this ingredient list the most for the keratin and panthenol so high on the list (1 point)
• Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair: Nothing memorable about this ingredient list

Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray supreme length: 2 points total
Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength: 3 points total
Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray total repair: 0 points total
So we have a winner in Schwarzkopf Gliss leave in spray sensational strength

Ridiculous longhair problem #72

Spot two ridiculous longhair problems in the picture below:

#1: Headrests. Stupid things. No matter how I place them, they always force my head into a mildly uncomfortable position. But then again, I guess they aren't designed for an orange-sized bun behind the head?

#2: My massive around-the-ear headphones (Sennheiser is love. Sennheiser is life) colliding with my equally massive braided Chinese bun. Award winning German engineering versus award winning (I wish. lol) Danish hair.
The hair wins (The hair always wins. Did I ever tell the story of how my hair murdered a car cooler?) so the headphones are constantly sliding slightly forwards. The headphones are awarded a pity point for being able to still deliver perfect sound even though they are constantly pushed away from their intended resting place.

Today's hair

The updo is a wrapunder bun or The pinless, heart-shaped bun

Getting pretty messy with lots of flyaways, but I think it actually works with this style?

I love that this updo is only held with two tiny elastics!

Today's hair

The two Dutch braids are still looking okay, so I made two braided buns out of them. I had placed the braids a little too forward though, I would have preferred the buns a little further back.

Today's hair

Today's hair is a braided Chinese bun 

The stick is a WoodArtJewelry made from bone and wood

Starting the braids a "layer" higher almost resulted in a headband-effect that I really like

Today's hair

Two Dutch braids.
I'm really happy with them. I spent a little extra time to get a more precise sectioning and started my "layers" higher than normal. It was time well spent, I think.
(Just for fun I timed myself: 20 minutes. Hmm. More than I thought!)

Today's hair

Yesterday I was wondering if there was some sort of updo I can do, that for some reason slipped out of rotation. And there is: The sock bun.

I thought it had slipped out because it's not on a braid base and therefore needs more time in the morning. But as soon as I had put it up, I could feel the construction sliding. Even though it's based on a ponytail (Two elastics for added stability) it was quickly uncomfortable.

So I took two Ron Quattro pins and nailed the hair donut to the elastics inside. That solved the stability issue, but also felt kind of stupid: If I wanted to do an updo that was held up by pins or sticks, why not make some other, any other, updo?

Even though the pins are super discrete, it still annoyed me.

A sock bun does end up as a massive head-eating bun though!
Even hubby who is used to seeing my hair commented on the size of it.

The sock bun is really a head eating monster bun!