Forum Activity for @aya-heartright

Cob/earth house and Permaculture. Any experience?

Alternative Lifestyles and Subcultures

Any one have any experience with building cob houses or starting a permaculture setup from scratch?

My husband and I inherited 18 acres of land in NE ohio and want to farm on it. Ya know, the whole off-the-grid dream, but beyond watching a few documentaries we are kind of at a loss. Got Gaia's Garden and the new Sepp Holzer book out of the library and downloaded Permaculture 2 and The Cobb Builders Handbook.

We are expecting to take until spring toresearchand save up money to build. I'm guessing the house is probably going to cost 3-8k depending on how much technology I want to put in it. Then I am praying that we could get it done in the late spring to early fall season before it starts to frost too bad. Is this realistic? So far it's just my husband and I unless somehow I can swindle people to help

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

updated by @aya-heartright: 01/13/15 09:34:37PM

What are your reasons for Dreading?

Alternative Lifestyles and Subcultures

After a drunken nervous breakdown, being taken to a hospital with a psych floor to try to get admitted for 72 hr evaluation, stockpiling sedatives and sleeping pills to commit suicide and a general realization that I was barking batshit crazy I needed a change.

My heart goes out to you, sister,I've been here too, well... Minus the sleeping pills route of attempted suicide. I know how hard it can be to be on so many psych meds you can't think, andsubsequentlyjust going off of them and having to learn that all over again. Lovin' you!

What are your reasons for Dreading?

Alternative Lifestyles and Subcultures

Eh. I started my dreads because I hated my hair/hated so much about my life and I wanted to get away. I figured dreading my hair would help travelling be easier. I never ended up travelling, and I ended up taking out that set and starting over TNR because I (still) hated my hair and wanted it to be thicker.

Then when people started asking I personified the ideal of dreads for spiritual growth because I thought that's what they should be. I fought with myself to love my loopies, and go completely natural and felt guilty every time i wanted to palm roll or do anything to change them. It seemed kind of counter productive to the idea of "letting go."

Now I have some wool dreadies sewn in. I've crocheted some extensions of my husband's hair and am going to crochet in some purple dreads too. If I've learned anything over the past year is that I'm not perfect. My dreads taught me to not take things so seriously, even dreadlocks.

In short (ironic for me to say after writing all that, eh?) I don't really know the REAL reason I started my dreads. Maybe to start a journey, but isn't life all a journey anyways?

how often do you wash in the summer?

Dread Maintenance

True. I forgot that my dreads will dry super fast in the heat. Right now they take about half a day to dry.

SE This is VERY true. Thankfully I eat about 50-70% raw in the summer, pretty much raw till dinner and then I make something light for the husband and myself. I smell so much worse in the winter with my crap rice amd bean diet than in the summer when produce is cheap.

how often do you wash in the summer?

Dread Maintenance

Summer is here or, at least, right around the corner. I'm wondering how often you wash your dreads in the summer? Do you only shower when you are washing them or do you just shower cap on off days?

Usually I shower and wash my dreads twice a week but with the heat and getting sweaty I am wondering if I should more often. But at the same time my dreads hit the 6 month mark and are starting to look/feel fine without washing longer. When they were younger I would be counting down the days till my next wash, or washing every other day.... now I don't even notice a difference with them if i go 4 days without washing.

updated by @aya-heartright: 01/13/15 09:27:09PM

Coconut Oil, Palm Rolling, and loose hairs/ends.

Dread Maintenance

i don't know about coconut oil. Listen to everyone else on that one lol. I'm guessing its the bee's knees (lol) once your dreads are mature but to use sparingly prior to that point.

As far as palm rolling and bands go I would NOT use bands! When i did it did nothing but get my loose hairs wrapped all around them and it was very painful to get the out. Try making loose wraps with thread, that works better for me and its cuter too.

Palm rolling I have a love hair relationship with. I have only done it a handful of times but each time I have seen a difference. This might be because I only do it when my dreads aare wet, and it is less rolling as much as pressing down the loops together and rolling back and forth a few times. I haven't seen any difference on non super loopy dreads though. I'm sure putting a wrap or a bead will do exactly the same thing too.. if not a better job. I just prefer to do it because I don't like beads much, and it helps my stubborn ones dry faster since I'm squeezing water out.

updated by @aya-heartright: 07/23/15 04:45:24AM

Dread frustration.

Dread Maintenance

I tnred in November so they are a bit over 5 months.

Dread frustration.

Dread Maintenance

I've had short halr since 2006 and I just don't want it to be short anymore.

Dread frustration.

Dread Maintenance

Ok. I need some support since I've been frustrated with my dreads for probably the last 2 months. The shrinking and loops are just getting to me. I have one section of my hair that isn't dreaded at all and the hair is about down to my boobs, another 2 section that is half dreaded that goes to my collar bone, and the rest ranges from like 2 inches to chin length.

I did tnr but for the last like 2ish (maybe even 3) I wish that I had backcombed. I logically know that if i backcombed they would probalby be the same length, if not shorter, and that they probably would end up with just as many crazy loops... but i see all these people pictures of people who backcombed and they look better, and I see people who come into my work that have backcombed dreads and they look really nice, even at 3 months (this one girl came in) and she didn't use wax.

I might just be going through another stage. But I'm seriously considering spending the 10 hours to comb out my dreads to spend another 12 hours to backcomb them.

updated by @aya-heartright: 01/13/15 09:24:31PM

How do I find a spot in a rideshare? I would need a ride from ohio =/