NightBlooming Red Herbal Dyes Strand Tested on Medium Blonde Hair

The center strand is a control lock of medium blonde, the end of which is dipped in a blend of all the colors.  Color Swatches top to bottom: Enyo War Goddess Ruby Red, Kitsune Fox Fire Red, Fire Genasi Bright Copper, and Rusalki Strawberry Blonde

One of our lovely customers was so kind as to allow us to use her photos of her strand tests in exchange for some of her favorite herbal hair color.  We're excited to show these to you and hope it illuminates the possibilities with some of our beautiful hair colors.

You can see how these line up with our color charts, and although we always, always, A L W A Y S recommend strand testing on hair from your brush before committing to henna, should show you some of this in action!

Before we get to the pictures, here are each of the colors tested:

Rusalki Strawberry Blonde

10g Sample Packet

100g Full Size

Fire Genasi Copper 

10g Sample Packet

100g Full Size

Kitsune FoxFire 

10g Sample Pack

100g Full Pack

Enyo War Goddess Ruby Red

10g Sample Pack

100g Full Pack

Strand Tests on Medium Blonde Hair

Here you can see our color blends (bottom) compared to different types of 100% henna (top row), an uncolored control lock (center), and then our red blends (bottom).  Bottom row left to right: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde, Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess.

With Flash. Left to right: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde, Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess.

Indirect Sunlight 1. Left to right: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde, Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess.

Indirect Sunlight 2. Left to right: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde, Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess.

Indirect Sunlight 3: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde, Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess.

Backlit by sunlight: Left to right: Enyo War Goddess, Kitsune FoxFire, Fire Genasi, Rusalki Strawberry Blonde.

Direct sunlight. Left to right: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde,  Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess.

Direct sunlight. Left to right: Rusalki Strawberry Blonde,  Fire Genasi Copper, Kitsune FoxFire, and Enyo War Goddess

Control Vs Yemini Henna

100g Full Packs

Another set of tests were comparing the medium blonde control and our 100% Pure Yemini Henna.  You can see the amazing dye saturation this gives with just one application!

Control (left) and Enyo War Goddess Ruby Red Hair Color (right) in direct sunlight

Selkie Herbal Detangler now in the store for general sale!

At long last, after a crazy and successful Etsy Fund Campaign to fill a sea of bottles, Selkie Herbal Detangler is available in the store!  You've also been so very patient (okay, that's kind of a lie, isn't it?) and I'm so excited to have this for you!

There's three sizes:

The bottles are made of amber glass, making it durable as well as blocking UV rays that would harm the herbal infusion, oils, and essential oils within.

1 oz Sample Bottle

For purchase here, this is a perfect sample for trying out Selkie.  It's also a handy little bottle to tuck in your purse, gym bag, travel suitcase, or diaper bag!  Refill it over and over with our awesome soft refill pouch.

8 oz Full-Sized Bottle

For purchase here, this is a great size to keep in the bathroom.  It's big enough to hold quite a lot of Selkie, but still small enough to fit comfortably in your hand.  Refill it over and over with our awesome soft refill pouch.

8 oz Soft Refill Pouch

For purchase here, this is a great way to make the most out of your amber glass Selkie bottles.  It also weighs nearly half of what the 8 oz glass bottle does, so you save on shipping costs too.  Have your own mister bottle?  Awesome, you can load it right up with this refill.  If you want a Selkie label for your own bottle, just leave a note in the Message to Seller in checkout and we'll include one for free!

Directions

Yes, that's actually my hair in the sun after a good session with Selkie!  You'll love the softness, shine, and of course, lack of tangles!  Also, I discovered how hard is is to take a picture of your own hair while kneeling in a bunch of flowers.

Shake well. Mist Selkie onto either damp or dry hair. Gently detangle first with the fingers, then with a wide-toothed comb, starting at the ends of the hair.

Ingredients

Every ingredient in Selkie is vegan, hand-blended, and certified organic. So what’s in it?

Distilled water, Marshmallow root, slippery elm & fenugreek seed herbal infusion, Aloe vera gel, Apple cider vinegar, Argan Oil, Borage Oil, Camelina Oil, Vitamin E Oil, and the essential oils of Catnip, Cedarwood, Lavender, Lime, Petitgrain, and Sage

• Distilled water– Ensures that Selkie has no mineral buildup and allows for a pH neutral start.
• Marshmallow root, slippery elm & fenugreek seed herbal infusion– These three ingredients give Selkie its slip by virtue of their mucilaginous compounds. They also naturally soften hair, provide natural plant protein, add shine, and sooth an itchy or dry scalp. 
• Aloe vera gel– While well-known for its benefits to skin, this third mucilaginous ingredient provides deep moisturizing effects to the hair and scalp as well. In addition it helps restore pH levels and has both emollient and moisturizing properties, meaning that it smooths the cuticle and attracts and seals in moisture.
• Apple cider vinegar– The mildly acidic nature of this helps balance pH of hair and also helps to remove buildup. ACV encourages the cuticle of the hair to lay closed, making hair shine and tangle less. 
• Argan Oil– Sometimes called “Miracle Oil,” argan oil is extracted from kernels of Argan fruit by crushing. It is swiftly taking the place of other natural oils for hair protection and treatment. Argan oil contains tocopherols (vitamin E), phenols, carotenes, squalene, and fatty acids, making it both light and great for brittle hair.
• Borage Oil– Sometimes known as starflower, borage grows wildly in many parts of the world. Borage oil is extracted from the seeds of the plant, and its essential ingredient has been found to be gamma linolenic acid, commonly known as GLA, which is an essential fatty acid that provides a replenishing effect on the skin and hair, and is able to restore moisture and elasticity where it had previously been lost. 
• Camelina Oil– Known as the “gold of pleasure” to Europeans not long ago. Rich in natural antioxidants, Omega-3 fatty acids, tocopherols, and high in vitamin E content, Camelina oil is truly under appreciated. 
• Vitamin E Oil– Our natural Vitamin E oil is obtained by vacuum distillation of vegetable fats derived from non-GMO soy sources. It prevents rancidity and it acts as an anti-oxidant. This particular Vitamin E oil has been verified and tested GMO-free from crop to finished material. 
• Catnip Essential Oil– A stimulant, catnip can increase blood flow to the scalp, encouraging growth. It’s astringent properties help tighten muscles and skin, helping to reduce shedding in some cases. Catnip is also reputed to assist in reducing split ends. 
• Cedarwood Essential Oil– Excellent for both hair and skin care. It balances oily skin, soothes and helps to heal skin rashes, and reduces oil in hair and skin. 
• Lavender Essential Oil– Enhances hair growth by stimulating the scalp. The name “lavender” is derived from the Latin lavare, meaning, “to wash” and was known as one of the seven polyvalents (effective against many toxins). 
• Lime Essential Oil– A bright scent, lime is antiviral, astringent, and bactericidal. It is at once a cleansing and moisturizing oil, helping with dandruff and scalp buildup. 
• Petitgrain Essential Oil– Made from the leaves and twigs of this amazing tree, it is antiseptic, antispasmodic, a natural deodorant, and nervine. Use in a hair oil will leave hair and scalp fragrant (petitgrain has woody, citrus and floral notes all in one!), while soothing and preventing bacterial and fungal growth.
• Sage Essential Oil– A scalp soother and astringent, the herb is of ancient repute, valued as a culinary and medicinal plant – called herba sacra, ‘sacred herb’, by the Romans.

Ethics

The only animal Selkie was ever tested on was me.

Enjoy Selkie, and I can't wait to hear what you think about it!

Selkie Campaign Orders Shipped and Refill Packs

First thing's first; all Etsy Fund Campaign orders have been shipped!  That was 86 packages going out in two weeks on top of our normal day to day orders.  I'll be getting my lovely postal worker a giftcard for Christmas!  If you haven't received a shipping notice, please let me know.  There were a handful of orders that weren't processed because between the time a pledge was made and the card was charged at the end of the campaign, something was not working (like the expiration date on the card had passed).  Etsy has reached out to these people, but please let me know if they haven't contacted you or if you'd like to arrange for your order yet. 

At the outset of the Selkie campaign one of the things I had promised was that if the campaign did well, we'd look past just Selkie in the 1 ounce and 8 ounce sizes to soft refill pouches.  We smashed past our goal, hitting 250% of what we hoped for, and so I set out to make Selkie refill pouches a reality.

The lovely and amazing HennaSooq helped me get the spout pouches and I had high hopes that the vacuum sealer I used for veggies would work on them.  Well, it did.  For exactly one pouch and then the ancient thing broke. 

I ordered this pronto because I'm starting to fear angry mobs if I don't get Selkie up in the shop in a hurry:

And it works like a dream!  I've made up and labeled several refill pouches.  The only thing left is to take product pictures, edit those, and get the listings up.  I'm hoping tomorrow or Thursday at dead latest.  

The best part is that the refill pouches (which hold 8 ounces of Selkie, and so will refill the big bottle once or the little bottle eight times) weigh HALF of what the glass 8 oz Selkie bottle does!  That makes shipping costs so much more reasonable, while also reducing waste and making that amber bottle go as far as possible. It also means that if you already have a favorite mister, or you're across the pond and don't want to pay to ship a big heavy glass bottle, you can get a refill pack and use a bottle of your choice.  If you'd like a Selkie label to go on your bottle, just let me know and I'll happily include one for free.

But my heat sealer came with an unexpected surprise: the packaging.  It's a thing of wonder and too good not to share.  The font seems to beg for an '80s synth track, the star bullets, the lens flare on the handle (which is not reflective in the least in person), the sentence structure.  Beholed my IMPULSE SEALER for when you NEED to seal something RIGHT NOW! (I'm sure some chastity belt company was very sad that this name was already taken.)

See the green tub behind the sealer?  That's my shipping tote with the orders going out first thing in the morning.  They're all packaged, labeled, have postage, and are all ready to go.

So, bear with me just a little longer.  I promise I'm working my tail off to get Selkie up as soon as I possibly can :)

Signature Oil Subscription

Our Signature Oil Subscription is an exciting way to experience a new, high-quality oil and essential oil blend a month, delivered right to your door. Sign up, and every month you'll get the latest Custom Oil Blend of the Month shipped right to you. All future shipping charges are already included in the price.

The subscription will start with the current Oil of the Month shipped right away, with each successive oil shipped at the beginning or the month.

The longer your subscription, the more you save! 

• 3 months and save 10%
•  6 months and save 15%
•  12 months and save 20%

Sadly, because of the high costs of international shipping, the Signature Oil Subscription program is only available to customers inside the US. 

For international customers, you can select as many past oils as you would like and have them sent together to combine shipping:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/250753117

Retiring Oil of the Month Sale

Now that we've built up two season's worth of Oil of the Month blends, we'll be closing out some of the newer ones.  We mix up a small amount of these at a time, and you can pick up these blends at a 20% discount as they shift off their own listings.  This is only until their limited quantity runs out and then they will return to their normal cost on a per-blend basis.

- Sun Soother
- Evening Star
- Summer's Warmth

Past Oil Blends of the Month

If you ever want an Oil of the Month that was offered in the past, you can find them in these listings for 1/2 ounce sizes as well as 4 ounce sizes.  As new blends come up, they will immediately be added to the dropdown on the menu.  Select whichever blend you'd like and add it to the cart.  In the listing below you'll find links to the blog posts discussing each oil blend if you need a refresher.

Hinoki Hair Growth hasn't been discounted and removed from the general sale page yet as so many people love this one in particular that we're going to keep an eye on its sales.  If they stay strong, we'll consider making it a permanent addition to the general offerings in the store. 

Oil of the Month Club

We've got a plan in the works to allow you to purchase either 6 or 12 months of our Oil of the Month!  Purchase one and new oils will magically arrive at your door. We're working out the details, but look to see more on this soon!

16 New Essential Oils for Custom Blends

In making new oil blends of the month, we've picked up a whole bunch of essential oils and are happy to open these up to our wonderful customers for use in either our 1/2 oz or 4 oz custom blends.  So many lovely scents and powerful enhancing properties! As always, if you need help with a custom blend, just ask.


• Valerian Essential Oil- A warm-woody, balsamic, musky scented oil, it is widely known to encourage rest and ease tension.

• Ho Wood Essential Oil- A bright, warm, slightly woody scented oil with a few floral notes, it is an antibacterial, sedating oil.  Used to relax the scalp and promote a hygienic scalp environment. 

• Patchouli Essential Oil- An oil with a earthy, smoky, spicy, and musky scent, it is an astringent, fungicide, antiseptic and deodorant, promoting a healthy scalp free of irritations and imperfections. 

• Orange (Bitter) Essential Oil- Fresh, dry bitter citrus, with woody undertones make up the scent of this oil. A cholagogue, it promotes healthy oil production from the scalp and helps prevent clogged scalp pores. 

• Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil- A heavy, sweet citrus oil.  The essential oil is extracted from the ripened and dried fruits of the Litsea Cubeba tree. Like most citrus oils, its scent is immediately uplifting and rejuvenating, its astringent prperties help to cleans scalp pores, while its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action minimizes and heals existing flare-ups.

• Lemon Balm Essential Oil- A light, fresh, green citrus scent, this oil is calming and uplifting all at once.   is famous particularly for its soothing, memory boosting and antidepressant powers, as well as its antibacterial properties.

• Tumeric Essential Oil- With a fresh, spicy-woody scent, it has a long history as a medicine, spice, and coloring agent. Tumeric has been known to help restore hair loss in those who have lost their hair as a result of  B-vitamin deficiency.

 • Vetiver Essential Oil- An oil with a sweet, heavy, earthy and woody aroma, it is a cicatrisant which speeds up new tissue growth and can speed up the disappearance of scars or other marks from the skin.  An anti-inflammatory, vulenerary, and antiseptic, it promotes scalp health.  Is aroma has long been lauded for being relaxing and soothing.

 • Geranium Essential Oil- A heavy, sweet floral, geranium has always been known as a powerful wound healer and has been used in both medicine and aromatics. It sooths breakouts on the scalp while promoting healthy scalp skin and renewed 
circulation.

 • Basil Essential Oil- A fresh, warm, spicy, herbaceous aroma, basil is a sacred plant in India, and used in ayurvedic medicine. Helps to restore luster to dull-looking skin in hair, it also is used to treat acne and other skin infections. 

 • Cajeput Essential Oil- Strong, slightly sweet, camphoraceous, medicinal smell, it is known for producing a sensatino of warmth, which may aid with hair growth. It can help chronic acne and psorasis. It is commonly used to treat various bacterial and fungal scalp infections, and to moisturise dry hair and scalp. Cajeput Essential Oil is also used as a ‘terp’ in henna to create rich tones for body art and hair. Cajeput creates the sensation of warmth.

• Ravensara Essential Oil- A slightly spicy, camphory, woody herbaceous essential oil with an awakening aroma.  Ravensara is fantastic for healing  bacterial scalp infections and helps clear skin blemishes. 

• Sweet Marjoram Essential Oil- A warm and spicy aroma, with a hint of nutmeg, this is a scalp-soothing oil.  It can also help with headaches and in aiding relaxation.  

• Copaiba Essential Oil- Mild, sweet, woody, slightly balsamic oil, it is often used to invigorate the scalp and heal problem areas. It is a powerful anti-fungal and also helps to reduce headaches and migraines. 

• Lemongrass Essential Oil- A heavy, lemony, green scent, this oil is widely used as an addition to bug repellents, and for its lemony aroma. Citral is known for its antimicrobial effects, and can help kill or suppress the growth of bacteria and fungi. It's said that lemongrass oil's quality is generally determined by its citral content. For those that suffer from hair loss, oily hair, and other scalp conditions, lemongrass oil may be beneficial, as it can help strengthen hair follicles.  

• Mugwort Essential Oil- Mugwort has a herbaceous, camphorous, sage-like scent that was used by shamans in many traditions for invoking dreams. A stimulant, it aids in scalp circulation, increasing blood to hair follicles. 

13,000 Sales!

This is a huge milestone for us!  That is so, so many boxes sent on their way to you. As a thank you for your amazing support, please take 13% off any order over $13 through 10-13!

Discount Code:

13000

Selkie Shipping Starts Next Week!

We made three big batches of Selkie last night.  The entire kitchen smelled divine!  The first batch is also bottled, labeled, and ready to go.  We'll start packing orders on Sunday, and will continue to to filter out the Selkie orders with our day to day packing. 

Keep in mind that orders ship on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only!

There's one tiiiiiiiiiiiiiny hangup where the earliest orders aren't allowing me to generate shipping labels through Etsy.  Etsy labels are much, much faster for me to process as I talk about here, and I've already contacted Etsy to see what they can do to re-enable labels on these orders.  Worst-case I do them the old way, but it'll be slower.  I'll keep everyone posted :)