Fingers Crossed...

So remember this glancing post about my Thailand trip back in March? I never really got to follow up and post more pictures here, though I did post a few on our Facebook page.

Anyway, since I left, I've felt a very strong pull to return as soon as I could. There's just something magical about Thailand and her people and I haven't been able to shake this yearning to return. Stat. My visit made me realise that Buddhism as a way of life was something I wanted to explore further.

So, realising that I actually had a window of opportunity to return and learn ways to deepen my practice, I finalised my booking back to Thailand in December. I'll be attending a retreat and then spending a few days in Bangkok revisiting my favourite temples and going to new sites I missed the first time around. I'm so excited I'm bursting at the seams. This is going to be an adventure folks! Just me, my backpack (note to self: must buy one) and my Frommers guide.

When I told my friends, while they were all supportive, I have a suspicious feeling that there's a bet amongst them to see how long I can last. Because the thought of Sharonn going on a retreat as in - sleeping on the floor in a hut, waking up at 4 a.m., meditating, chanting, studying, cleaning and taking my last meal of the day at 11 a.m. is something I just don't do. Especially the not eating after 11 a.m. I'm just having my second breakfast at this time! Heck I don't even go camping. "Sharonn doesn't camp," is what I always say. Anyway, I'm eager to push myself and see what I'm capable off. This is such a huge departure from what I would normally do, that yes, I can't fault my friends for placing bets on my latest adventure. As a matter of fact, I'd like to join in :)

Well, that's all I wanted to say. The title of my post is Fingers Crossed because I know life has a way of throwing curve balls and I may have to cancel my trip if something beyond my control comes up. That's why, they offer trip insurance...which I immediately added to my cart.

With that, I leave you pics of my favourite sites in Bangkok...

Pics of the Grand Palace

Homes along the Chao Phraya River

Spirit house - every home and business has at least one

Have I told you how excited I am to be going back? I cannot wait! Keeping my fingers crossed...

Making Green Tea w Envy Hair Conditioning Treatment

Starring:

Green Tea Extract
Banana Extract
Argan Oil
Olive Oil
Avocado Oil
Panthenol

Between its recent feature in the magazine known as the authority on hairstyles, 101 Hairstyles and our current 30% off sale, we've been consumed by everything Green Tea with Envy. So, I decided that the next time I made a batch, I would document the process to give you a peek at how we make this fabulous hair conditioner.

We make everything in small batches to ensure freshness so this batch was made earlier this week and will be depleted by Monday at the latest.

Mise en place

A French term that chefs now use to mean "everything in place." In my case, I am measuring out my oil phase so I have all the ingredients I need for this part of the process within my reach. See that scale? It's a highly sensitive scale that can measure up to 1/10 of a gram and I am in love with it. On top of the fact that, this scale cost me a couple of hundred dollars and my work would come to a standstill if anything happened to it.



Oil phase

There are two parts to making Green Tea with Envy. The water phase, which contains the extracts, water (of course), panthenol and other water soluble ingredients, and the oil phase. This is the oil phase in one pot, ready to be heated. It contains the oils, butters, waxes, emulsifiers and conditioning agents.

Putting it all together aka as Emulsification

In a separate pot, we're heating the water phase and holding it at a steady temperature for at least 20 minutes. When both phases are ready to be incorporated, we caaaarefully pour the water phase into the pot containing the oils. Like so...

Whipping It Good

Once the conditioner has cooled down, we incorporate the preservative and whip it to give it that nice, fluffy, spreadable texture. Without the whipping Green Tea with Envy would be a horribly thick and unspreadable paste that would require a lot of time and patience to work through your hair. Now it's starting to look like the Green Tea with Envy you know and love right?

Tah Dah!

And here we have a gallon batch ready to go. See all the paperwork tacked up on my board behind me? Those are my orders that I need to complete in 2 days. Yikes! Pardon the hair folks...I barely remembered to take off my bonnet and coat for this picture.

You Love It! You Really, Really Love It!

Green Tea with Envy was featured in the Summer issue of 101 Hairstyles and we couldn't be more proud. Work it, work it.

And while we never turn down a good press opportunity, nothing beats hearing from our customers about how much they love this conditioner. Since the launch of Green Tea with Envy, I've seen a steady increase of e-mails coming in singing its praises. I've heard from customers with curly, straight (as one customer put it - painfully straight), fluffy (yes, someone actually used the descriptor fluffy), coloured, damaged and uh-oh really damaged hair and there's a common strand running through all your feedback. That no matter what hair type, hair style or hair condition you have, Green Tea with Envy has improved the strength, health and general appearance of your locks. And that, my friends, is music to my ears. What's more, for those of you with damaged hair, continuous use of Green Tea with Envy has restored health, softness, shine and bounce to your locks. Yessss!!!

The fact that this one conditioner has such wide appeal and broad application is truly great. It conditions without weighing hair down, restores shine to dry, damaged hair, tames frizz and improves hair's overall health. I for one can't live without it...and I know a few of you who feel the same way.

Back To Work to Make More

Whew! This is the most I've written in a while and I quite enjoyed it. Thank you for reading and keep the feedback coming.

We love hearing from you.