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The Book Corner Vol. 1 – What I read all this year?

Swathy · July 24, 2015 · Leave a Comment

Last year, I did book reviews for almost all books I realized that I am not much adept at reviewing a book, its not my forte! So, this time, I decided to keep the reviews only to a paragraph and do a round-up of the books I have read so far. So, yes, this year has been rich on psychological thrillers with the ones with wrecked marriage and psychopathic couples on the top of the list.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Who has not heard about this book? I have read it too late and I have not yet seen the movie but when I caught up with its first look on the television, I think Rosamund Pike nailed the character of Amy and I know you must be lost if you have not read the book or watched the movie so I would just leave you with – there is a reason you have heard about the book so much and all around!

The Silent Wife by A.S.A.Harrison

I have this habit of finding out similar books in a particular genre which I happen to like and this book is one which comes after Gone Girl. I do not really remember being impressed with the book at all and you can really skip it. Btw, this is again about a disintegrated marriage and lady who is living in denial.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Well, it is all following the cult and I am not sure if I really like it but I think its ending is very satisfying unlike Gone Girl. So, yes, you can try it. It definitely engages you while you are reading it but it would nt stay with you after finishing it!

How to use Henna and Indigo to naturally darken brown Hair?

Nayantara Karnik · July 22, 2015 · 48 Comments

Since I hit my 30s, I’ve been noticing greys creeping up one by one. Maybe not 50 shades, but enough to be noticeable! Sadly, most of them turn up around the crown of my head and end up being very visible. Ever since I decided to grow out my hair, I’ve been trying to take care of it better and part of that was to stop using chemical dyes on it.

I just got tired of the whole cycle of getting damaged and split ends, cutting it then wondering why I wasn’t able to grow it out. So around 3-4 years ago I decided to start using henna. My henna of choice is the one by Shahnaz Hussain, and I’ve been happy with it. I actually like the smell and love the way it conditions my hair.

But, from 8-10 greys or so, I now have loads more…sigh, the perils of ageing!! And, I really detest those bright orangey-red threads running though my hair. I literally had nightmares of my whole head turning a ghastly orange. After the usual internet research, I found there were 2 options to naturally colour hair dark-brown to black, though it doesn’t seem to be used commonly in India. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

Both these methods involve the use of indigo, and as fate would have it, when I happened to step into the local organic store a few days later, I spotted it on the shelf, so picked up a pack. This is the one that I’m using, and it’s available on flipkart and amazon, probably other sites too. Since then I’ve used it twice, and I did get better results the 2nd time I used it. Just like plain henna, it builds up colour with each use.

By the way this is the same indigo used to dye denim, and it can’t be used on it’s own, it’s always used in combination with henna. So, if you would like to know how to use it, read on ladies (and gents)!

So, the thing about the indigo molecule is that it literally needs the henna to hold onto the hair shaft and they are used together either as a 1-step or 2-step process. In a 2-step process, you get a deep blue-black colour, which I understand colours even lighter toned hair and the 1-step gives you a deep auburn to dark-brown shade.

My Hair Diary – June 2015

Swathy · July 20, 2015 · 8 Comments

Bahubali

I know you might have read tons and tons about the movie by now but it is just too good to pass on without me mentioning about it. I have to say that I am in love with the movie. It is so larger-than-life and it is not the story but the portrayal of the characters. Finally, an Indian movie on par with Troy and Gladiator and what not! And, yes, I know many of its scenes are inspired from the above movies but who cares! They are damn good inspirations and the inspired is equally a masterpiece.

A special mention about Ramya Krishnan. She is magnificent, especially in the scene where she kills a man and then calms down her crying toddler and goes on to feed two of her sons. It is amazing!

And, even if you are a North Indian and can NOT relate to South Indian movies (trust me when I say I know what I am talking about), I would strongly urge you to go and WATCH it. You do NOT want to miss the treat and yes, this is just the half. The second part of releasing next year! And, this makes me happy that I have finally started watching telugu movies 🙂

And, yes, do not forget to share your opinions about the movie if you have watched it already 🙂

How is my Cysteine Treatment doing?

So, last month I shared with you that I had got cysteine infusion done on an impulse. And, now it has been over a month since the treatment. So, let us see how is my hair doing after a month.

Though it is too early for me to make a statement on whether this treatment does what it claims or not, I can safely say that my hair is extremely soft and tangles less and obviously is frizz-free so easy to manage.