Saving Money With Natural Hair!~

In case you didn't know, I've been natural for 4 years (Did the big chop on July 24 of 2011.) And if you're a natural yourself you probably realize how expensive having natural hair can be. However, the strange thing is: the longer my hair has gotten the more I've realized how cheap it can also be. When I first went natural, like many people, I wanted to try all the fancy products. As we learn more about ingredients we often turn to all natural products. Many of them can be very pricey. Still, I didn't mind purchasing them. Since February of this year I've been attempting to save money for my 6 month trip to Mexico (thats for another blog.) It is because of this that I learned that my hair doesn't really need all of those expensive/fancy products. So, the things I've discovered it does need are very few and very cheap. Starting with conditioner: I've discovered that I can use basically any conditioner on my hair and it works. So I went back to a conditioner that I was very fond of at the beginning of my natural hair journey: VO5! Yes, the cheapest conditioner you can possibly buy ($0.88 at BigLots.) This is a great thing for naturals, because you know how much conditioner many of us can run through in a heartbeat. Now, on to shampoo: For a time I was an avid buyer of Shea Moisture's shampoos. And don't get me wrong they are lovely and such. However, they don't last at all. They don't supply nearly enough product for a person, such as myself, who shampoos their hair once every week to two weeks (I often alternate between co-washing and shampooing.) So, I began to use castile soap. If you've never used it before, you should definitely look into it. What it basically is, is an all around cleaner. Depending on the ingredients you mix in with it, you can use it for anything. I often just add oil and water to mine. I pour the mixture into an applicator bottle I got a t Sally's, shake it up, and proceed from there. However, if I run out of castile soap, there's another option. I've found that I can use any shampoo the same way I use castile soap (add a little water and oil to it until it meets the right consistency for your hair type.) Still I much prefer using castile soap, because it is a purer component. It also tends to have less suds. One always has to be careful when watering down a sulfate shampoo because you must get the proportions right each time. If not, you'll end up with a shampoo mix that is too harsh for your hair. And that my friends, is a whole 'nother headache. When it comes to styling products though, I simply bite the bullet. One could always mix one's own products. However, I feel as if that's more expensive than say buying a batch of Shea Moisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl Enhancing Smoothie. Not to mention, It would probably be more time consuming. The sad thing is, The Curl Enhancing Smoothie doesn't last me as long as it used to when my hair was shorter. I mean, back then it seemed like it lasted me months. Now I buy it and I get about a month and a half. For some people, I'm betting that's plenty long enough, but I guess I'm just spoiled. I need to find a styling product that is both cheap enough and big enough to fulfill my needs. Or just bite the bullet and order some whipped shea butter or something. In the area of oils: I know that oils can be expensive as well; but I think this is only if you make it expensive. For instance, some people feel it's necessary to have an entire spice cabinet of different oils. I on the other hand buy one kind in a large container and use it until it's gone. I prefer olive oil(because you can often find it cheap) and coconut oil(because of all the beneficial qualities - such as its protein content and antibacterial characteristics.) Sure, I want to try those other types of oils just as much as the next person; but I see no need to have all of them at the same time. Anyhow, that is how I've been saving money with natural hair. Everyday has still been just as good of a hair-day, even without the costly products. I'm not saying that what I do will be right for everyone. And if you have the money to spend on said products, then go for it and I envy you lol. To me those things are luxury.

Click Here to Read My Poems

http://www.poemhunter.com/nika-mcguin

Time has really flown since I started writing. I now have 40+ poems on PoemHunter.com!~

What ho mine readers! Its been a while since my last blog. Things got rather steep near the end of last year. I just wasn't in the mood for it. Actually I dove into poetry. I'm thinking I will make a segment here on poetry as well. In the mean time you can find my poetry on PoemHunter.com under the name: Nika McGuin.

Anyhow on to archaic matters. I'm taking a class on Shakespeare this year so there will be loads of juicy archaic goodness to speak of. Right now I am reading Henry IV.  The semester has only just started so I've only read three acts of it. Still it has been good. Here are a few things that stuck with me.

Knave:
actually i first heard this word when watching Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. My favorite character was the Knave of Hearts. So i had to research what Knave was. in his case it was the obsolete way of saying Jack of Hearts(though it might be a pun upon the second meaning as well since he was a thief). However, in Henry IV Knave refers to a dishonest or unscrupulous man.
Originally, it meant boy, or servant. According to google:
 Old English cnafa ‘boy, servant’; related to German Knabe ‘boy.’
What made this word stand out to me especially was in Act II, Scene I, I believe. Gadshill yells to the chamberlain "Farewell, you muddy knave!" At that, I just cracked up laughing for some reason and fell in love with the word even more.
Also ironically the Knave of Hearts in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland was evil, and thus a dishonest man.

Tim Burton's version of the Knave of Hearts

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland's Knave of Hearts

(he was a very lovable character, not so much evil as perhaps a thief with a ton of debts)

Damnable:
If for no reason other than having an archaic way to tell someone "Damn You.." (aka Thou art damnable.) I like this word lol.
As for where this shows up in Henry IV: it is when falstaff tells Hal "O, thou hast damnable iteration, and art indeed able to corrupt a saint." (iteration is a synonym to utterance, if you were wondering.)

"A plague upon it" :
I just love how they kept throwing this phrase around. Or sometimes it was altered a bit. Such as when Falstaff said "A plague on all cowards," when he was actually the aforementioned coward. For the characters themselves though, wishing a plague on something must have been one of the strongest ways of ill-wishing something - especially being that the plague was around and deadly in those days.

'Sblood:
Basically another way of saying "Damn It!" It refers to the words "Christ's Blood," just without the "Christ." This also appears rather frequently in Henry IV. I'd never heard of it before when I was researching. I guess the best words are the ones that find you instead.

I know the word is so tiny here, but it does say 'Sblood.

Forswear:
Means to give up something, or go without something. It could also mean to denounce something. I'm not sure why this one stuck out to me; probably because it doesnt look like what it means. For some reason I like words like that. However it could also mean to swear falsely, aka lie. Strange fact: in Old English it was "forswerian" - sounds like Spanish in all honesty.

Anon, Anon Sir:
How could this one not stick with me? If you've ever read or watched Henry IV then you know what I mean. The scene where Hal and Poins are playing a prank on the bartender, Francis, was too funny to forget. Anyhow, anon means soon. Francis didn't know much english, so when someone called for him he would keep shouting: Anon, Anon Sir! Which means "give me a minute, I'll be there soon Sir" in a nutshell.

Popinjay:
Its basically another way of calling someone uppity. Or as I have heard people say "bougie" aka, "bourgeouis." These are all the same meaning. Again, it seems that the laughable parts of Henry IV are the most memorable for me. When Hotspur called the carrier a popinjay, I just burst out laughing because it sounded so funny. By the way popinjay is also archaic for parrot. How ironic :3

Archaic Words About "Not So Happy" States of Being:

Forworn - Not to be confused with forewarn, which means to warn someone of danger. Forworn means completely worn out, tired, exhausted. The first known use was in 1508.

Troublous - adj. a synonym to worrying, disturbing, perturbing, upseting....in a nutshell troubling. It was first used in the 15th century. Its middle english derived from the old french word "Troubleus."

 ex: We lived in such troublous times, didn't we Gregory?

Boreism - Though some people may think they made this up, it actually exists. The term boreism can be defined as the action or condition of being weary, dull or tedious due to doing or having something repetitively. It is derived from the word bore which means monotony or tediousness.

Or...put simply the state of boredom. The reason I like this word so much is because it sounds like an illness.

ex: Jeff got a job as a teacher a year ago; he now suffers from chronic boreism. lol

Dolorific - adj. Causing pain or grief. Now, the reason I liked this word is because I can tell its Spanish based. The Spanish word "Dolor" means pain. So, this is a simple mash-up of Spanish and English. Hence, I love it<3 ...Alas there are no pictures about it, nary one picture. So...I made one lol.

Kippage - (Noun) A confused and/or irritated state. Origin: the french word équipage, which means to be in a "sorry plight."

Plight - Kippage reminded me lol. This is more of a true archaic word I think, because most of us know what it means, but we dont use it much. A plight is a dangerous, difficult, unlucky, or unhappy situation.

(mean, but so funny lol)

Orey-Eyed - It basically means angry. It is how you describe someone who's anger shows in their eyes. I suppose it could be a replacement for "wild-eyed" or saying "his eyes were filled with rage." The origin is unknown, but my guess is that "Orey" might refer to ore. For instance, calling someone orey-eyed might have meant they had a hard cold glare.

(this picture is pretty common in reference to "orey-eyed." the word "Oghamist" is a bit vague. As far as I know Ogham is the early medieval Irish alphabet.After a bit more research I learned that he is one of the monsters from the game "Dark Age of Camelot." Apparently he is some sort of giant.)

Imbroglio - This sounds more like "Imbrol-yo." It's an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation. This word is really suited to Drama Plots. Also, an imbroglio may refer to a scandal of some sort. However, its specific archaic meaning is: A confused heap. Either way they relate in my opinion. Origin: mid 18th cent.: Italian, from imbrogliare ‘confuse’; related to embroil. In a nutshell it may be a confusing(imbrogliare) argument or conflict(embroil.) Another simple way to define it: A misunderstanding. 

Cagamosis - An unhappy marriage. A fancy word for a miserable situation. My sympathies to anyone who feels trapped in one of these(Note that you aren't bound and gagged; if its bad, leave!)

Bonus Word!~

Caitiff - (sounds like kay-tiff [tiff as in Tiffany]) It refers to a contemptible or cowardly person. Origin: Middle English (denoting a captive or prisoner): from Old French caitif ‘captive,’ based on Latin captivus ‘(person) taken captive’....how it came to mean "lowly coward" is unknown.

ex: Those caitiff cops are always eating doughnuts instead of chasing criminals.

(cute isn't it? lol)

Words usable in common Speech:
So today I was looking for words I could work into common dialog, even if I had to end up explaining them later. Here's a bit of what I found:

Eke - the archaic meaning is also. but it also means manage to support oneself or make a living with difficulty.

"they eked out their livelihoods from the soil"make an amount or supply of something last longer by using or consuming it frugally. "the remains of yesterday's stew could be eked out to make another meal" 

(taken from google). Gotta love when a word has more than one meaning :3

(Usually I try to find an image that uses the word properly or is funny but there's pretty much nothing on eke except the definition or the other meaning of eke. Even finding this pic was hard. That said, I'll still use it :D)

Erewhile - means in the past, a while ago, before...etc. this could be thrown into modern conversation easily. "Erewhile, there were no shower curtains here."

(might I add that I have only the faintest clue of what Keats is saying here)

Fain - its sort of like "i would love to" or "i would be delighted"....  It has to be accompanied by was, would, were..etc. "I would fain some ice cream right now."

Nary - not or never. it could be substitute for "not even a ..."
"there was nary a complaint from him."

Nowise - in no way/not at all."I am nowise shorter than her."

Quoth - said. its past tense of quethen: to say. Its only used in first or third person.
"He quoth, that she quoth, that she was hungry."

Soothly/in sooth - means truly or in truth. You may have heard the word "Soothsayer" which means fortune teller. Anyhow I can see myself saying "in sooth" alot.

BONUS WORD!: Sweven - it sounds like "sway van." It means dream or vision.

Archaic words about Food! :D

Obligurate - to spend time feasting. This one is a bit vague. It could mean "to eat often" or "to eat slow"/"waste time eating." Who knows? Personally I am a slow eater, even if I try to rush through it.

How cute >.<

(a baby sloth)

Crapulent - that stuffy feeling you get after eating alot or drinking alot. "I'm always left feeling extremely crapulent after eating out at Chinese buffets."

Petecure - cook a small amount. I'm guessing the "pete" is from the french word "petit." And maybe "cure" comes from procure (which means to attain something with great care or through great difficulty.)

epicure - cook a massive amount

I had to find a vegetarian feast all the giant chickens and ribs were creeping me out and most pics were giant sloppy looking hamburgers e.e (don't get me wrong, I love a veggie burger)

Gorge - To eat greedily. It just sounds nice~ though i doubt it looks nice, thus i didn't post a picture of someone shoving food into their face :3

Ingustable - inedible. So the next time your aunt offers to make her special macaroni and cheese for you just shake your head and say "My apologies dear aunt, but your mac&soup is dreadfully ingustable."

there were tons of pictures of moldy bread but eh....I prefer to keep it simple for this word.

Well-Corned - Hyped up on alcohol. I really like this one xD its funny! Anyhow the "corned" part refers to Corn Whiskey. "After about 4 drinks, I was very well-corned!"

I think the first mention i heard of corn whiskey was while reading "Of Mice and Men" in high-school.

interesting flashback lol

Gulchin - someone who is small in size but greedy. Gulch means to gulp, so it is probably derived from that. This sounds like me lol. (I'm 4'8" btw)

My cousin used to always call me "little mismatched leprechaun" so this image is perfect lol.

(not that I was mismatched, idk where she got it from)

Beef-Witted - made stupid by eating too much beef. As a veganish vegetarian I am biased to this one, love it lol. Will i go around calling people Beef-Witted? eh..it depends :3 (I doubt it)

Groak - I like this one alot. It seems like something we should have never stopped using, because we have all had someone do this to us. Groaking is to stare at someone's food longingly as they're eating. or just to stare at food longingly. I will definitely be putting this one to use :D

This pic was so perfect!!~

killed two birds with one stone and I wasn't even trying :3

So this time I want to list a couple of exclamations or old dusty curse words that don't even sound like curse words anymore...etc.


Blimey - It's still in use by the British but its considered archaic or at least unusual for Americans. It stems from the phrase "God Blind Me." eek...who would want to say such a thing? I'm sure people who use it don't wish to be blind. Anyhow, its just like Damn, gosh, sheesh, jeez...yeah all that stuff.

Golly - its a euphemism of "God" but isn't always funny? I like this one for sarcasm.

Oh, Dear - I think i use this one without even thinking, along with words like dearest and darling....usually I can only get by with them if its sarcastic though lol.

Woe Is Me - I use this one alot too, it basically means poor me.

Side Note: it seems alot of old exclamations are still current.

Avast! - this is so cool to me because my virus protection is Avast and i didn't even know it meant halt/stop. I can see myself using this in the future. Me likey :3

Ahoy/Oy - used to get someones attention. Its like "Hey you!"

Voila - again, old but still in use. It means something like "there it is" or "like magic" Basically stolen French. Still, I love using this one :3

Cretin - used to call someone stupid. It's derived from human being i latin "Christanus" to christian in swiss-french "christin" to "cretin." pretty surprising evolution. Its interesting because, i could have sworn I've heard my mom use this word lol. Idk who she was calling a Cretin but i remember it being funny.

Alas - when something is unfortunate, weary, or pitiful. I always thought Alas was a shorter form of "At Last" but i guess it isn't. "Alas, my funds are few." (btw alas means wings in Spanish no connection but I just thought about it.)

Dimwit - another one that is used to call someone stupid. The interesting thing is, even though this one is super old, it is used more now than it was in the past.

Ignoramus - we all probably know this one. Its an ignorant or stupid person. The word is derived from latin and originally meant "ignore" or "we do not know." What i like about this word is that everyone knows it but they will still be impressed if you use it :3 awesome~

Dolt - you can see my trend here...but can you ever have enough ways to call someone stupid? Its fun right? lol anyway this one has been used relitively consistently throughout time. its meaning is derived from the words "Dull" and/or "Dulled." "Dulled" makes the most sense. If dulled is pronounced as "dult" its easy to see the transition to "Dolt."

Forsooth! - means Indeed, it's used to express surprise or indignation. Theres alot of memes about this one :3 I'm glad to see some archaic words being dusted off and put to use. Its mostly used for humor or to express the irony of a situation.