Nightblooming order

My massive Nightblooming order got here!

It got quite a bit delayed actually. It was supposed to have shipped on October 8th where her second book came out, but I had placed a big order of cassia with it too which held it up. Nightblooming partners with Hennasooq so I could order everything hair related at one place, which is a cool partnership and awesome under normal circumstances! 

But since the supply of cassia and other herbs for hair have been disturbed by Corvid-issues, my order got very much delayed waiting for the cassia delivery. No big problem for me though: I understand. 

A lot of things have gone truly weird this year, even though it looks relatively normal on the surface. 

I mean, I just have to look at Mr Igor, who is also a small business owner to know how weird this year has been. 

I'm just grateful I'm essential and was the breadwinner all along. I can't imagine how bad things are if you're financially dependent on your own business right now...

But the order finally got here, and I'm really happy!

As usual, my first impression is that everything smells so wonderfully herbally and is packed up so nicely. Not too fanciful packaging, but enough to protect the products and look nice while doing it.

The culprit of the delay was the 8 x 100 gram cassia obovata which should last me a very, very long time. I think I usually just use a single 100 gram pack for each treatment for conveniences sake? 

I don't really have a set routine/schedule for my herbal haircare since I tend to just do it when I have time or feel like it. Maybe I can find some time around Christmas for some cassia mud... That would be nice!

Nightblooming had the option of adding gloves with the herbal haircare powders. I don't really need them since my cassia/henna mud is too weak to stain. But I added some as an afterthought, because why not? To my surprise they fit really well!
I have long slim hand, so any glove that fits me is very much welcome. I might have to ask Nightblooming what brand these are...

I got some Sarenrae Blonde Herbal Hair Color and Conditioner which will add a tiny bit of golden tones to hair.

It contains:
Cassia (Senna italica), Senna (Senna alexandrea), Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita), Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale), Horsetail (Shavegrass, Equisetum arvense), Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus), Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis), Aloe Leaf (Aloe Vera), Hibiscus Flowers (Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis), and Stinging Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)

Usually I avoid aloe vera like the plague because I'm painfully allergic to it when it is pressed with the skin. It's something that is never listed on ingredient lists much to my frustration, so I simply have to avoid it. I can't even have Mr Igor using products with aloe vera in it, because contact with his skin can be enough to trigger a reaction. But since Nightblooming herself confirmed in an interview that her aloe vera is pressed without skin, I can use this herbal mixture without risking red, irritated scalp and skin.

I also got some Rusalki Strawberry Blonde Herbal Henna Hair Color and Conditioner.

This one I will use in very small amount to get that "watercolour" effect of enhancing the coppery tones of my hair. Last time I did a herbal haircare treatment I used Fire Genasi, but I guess in the tiny amounts I use, it doesn't really matter so much which one I pick. I use something like 5 gram at the time, so "bright copper" or "strawberry blonde" doesn't really matter a lot. 

Some times I think of going a little more red, like, noticeably red. I think my most favourite hair colour is those really coppery strawberry blondes. But I just don't think I could ever, really commit to the upkeep needed to keep roots from showing. 

Rusalki Strawberry Blonde Herbal Henna Hair Color and Conditioner ingredients: 

Cassia (Senna italica), Henna (Lawsonia Inermis), Chamomile flowers (Matricaria recutita), Ginger Root (Zingiber officinale), Horsetail (Shavegrass, Equisetum arvense), Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus), Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), Marshmallow Root (Althaea officinalis), Aloe Leaf (Aloe Vera), Hibiscus Flowers (Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis), and Stinging Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)

The final herbal haircare mix I bought is the Eilistraee Gray, White, Colorless Herbal Hair Conditioner.

This is a colourless herbal conditioner like it says in the name. I've been using this occasionally and one of the things I like about it, is the nice scrub effect it has on the scalp if you massage the grains into the skin. Maybe it's the stinging nettles in it, but it's very refreshing.

Ingredient list for Eilistraee Gray, White, Colorless Herbal Hair Conditioner:
Certified Organic Zizyphus Spina Christi (Sedr), Aloe Leaf (Aloe Vera), Wheatgrass (Triticum Aestivum), and Stinging Nettle Leaf (Urtica dioica)

And finally the pure Cassia Obavata from Henna Sooq that held my order up. I like the pretty, resealable packaging, which is a really nice touch. 

Cassia is semi-permanent for strengthening the hair strand, so I use it as the basis for all my herbal hair care. For some, it will add golden tones to their hair. For me, it's not always it has the effect. It seems to depend on the other ingredients or products I add to it. 

Too much cassia in the mud will make my hair strangely crispy and crappy-feeling, so I always have to follow up with a regular conditioner. 

I also got some tea:

Miruvor Long Hair Herbal Tea which is fresh, sweet and herbal. It contains herbals and flowers that are supposed to help you grow stronger and thicker hair. I like the taste of this one. 

Blooming Grove Caduceus & Mollymauk Butterfly Herbal Tea the "magical" colour changing tea. I had a little trouble getting it to change from purple to blue last time I had it, but Nightblooming herself said the trick is to not brew it as thick as I did. I'm going to try that this time! It's a cool thing I would like to catch on video.

Both teas have instructions on the back, but I guess my error was incorrectly adding up the "dosage" from a single cup size to the teapot I used. 

I'll try to make the Blooming Grove Caduceus & Mollymauk Butterfly Herbal Tea a little thinner/weaker next time.

The Miruvor Long Hair Herbal Tea is delicious when it's stronger though. I prefer my teas "pure" without sugar or honey in it. 

Back in March, Nightblooming had a Iyarri chronicles art and hairstyle contest, and one of the prices were an exclusive pre-release sample sized Selkie shampoo bar and Selkie detangling conditioning bar. 

Guess who won one of the categories?

This girl based on this passage in the first book. 

So now I have an unopened super exclusive Nightblooming product that doesn't even exist in the Etsy store, that I have no clue how to use. lol. 

The Mourning's Dawn book came with a super cute metallic feather for book mark. I like that kind of immersive touches! It's such a cute, funny little bonus.

Melissa does have a way of creating cool videos and products that goes with her Iyarri Chronicles universe.

The previous book Heaven's Silhouette also came with a metallic feather book mark, so now I have two. I hope the last book in the trilogy also comes with a cute book mark, so I can have an entire set of three.

I liked this: A note thanking the customer for supporting small businesses. 

One of the lessons of 2020 really is how fragile the mom-and-pops businesses are when people have less money to spend, so this made me really happy. 

I try to be conscious about what I buy and why, and it really bothers me when people mindlessly spend money. Especially when they get lured in by a "green" sticker. 

On the other hand, I think people should really "vote" with their money if they have an opinion. For instance: The next gift I need to buy for a man, I will pick Dior Sauvage because they kept having Johnny Depp as their icon when so many other brands were busy dumping him after the accusations. Yet Amber Heard faced seemingly no consequences. I'm not okay with such double standards and sexism, so I will put my money where my mouth is. Same goes for buying local or supporting small businesses. 

Another immersive little fun thing: An oil sample from the Iyarri Chronicles universe. I picked Sofiel, because I was curious what "Otherworldly mist and spellbinding flowers" is in a scent. 

It has Ylang Ylang Essential Oil, Tangerine Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Camelina Oil. I really like ylang ylang, tangerine and lavender scents, so this seemed like the best choice for me. Although I thought tangerine might clash with lavender, it actually works really well. 

I'm not sure how I would use this though. Maybe I will mix this in some hair oil so my hair smells nice?

The book is super pretty! Just like the first one. 

Did anyone else see the hilarious misprint with the backwards, upside down book that Melissa posted on her Instagram? 

I'm happy I have some time off today so I can just lay on the couch and read this today.

So, here is something really funny: My Mourning's Dawn copy is signed as "101/500" and that number seemed really, really familiar to me. So I checked the "Heaven's silhouette" copy, and yes. Indeed. Melissa did make sure that both copies are the same print number! That is an impressive attention to detail! 

My little Mourning's Dawn "collection" with the feather bookmark and oil.

So pretty. The books truly look great on our book shelves! It's so much cooler when they were made by someone I know and I have bought so many hair products from over the years. 

And now for a cup of  Miruvor long hair herbal tea to go with my newest book...