Surely ya must be livin’ under a barnacle-encrusted rock if ya haven’t noticed pirate-fever a-sweepin’ the globe, so together let our compasses point to the thing we all want the most… no, not a chest o’ purloined jewels, ye lily-livered landlubbers... PIRATE HAIR! The ladies of Knotty have been swooning over the darlin’ Captain Jack, so JUST in case he come sailing into the port o’ Vancouver one day, our own KnottyNessa has been hard at work creating looverly Pirate Princess hair for fellow cabin-girl, KnottyEmma.

Here’s what ye need to make yeer OWN rascally pirate-hair…

	Ye guessed it - DREADS! Not all the hair has to be locked - just a few scattered ones here and there adds an I’m-far-too-busy-sailing-to-comb-my-hair touch. Our own Knotty Boy lock-wizards can add single dreadlock extensions for as little as $10 each, and in any colour of the rainbow. These also add volume, texture and life to flat or fine hair. Yar.
	Braids – Skinny, little braids add mess and texture. Include a wee snickle of yarn or ribbon in the braid for DIY non-permanent colour, if ye like.
	Beads - Off ye go a-lootin’ an’ plunderin’ for brightly coloured wooden beads (now available for $.50 ea / 3 for $1.25), shiny silver wreckin’ balls and ivory-colored bone pipes, long and cold as a skeleton’s fingeer.     For scurvy pirates of the Orient, these striking new hand-painted wooden beads in bright Asian patterns are perfect for your wind-whipped locks, and are a black-heartied bargain at $.50 ea / 3 for $1.25! Available in Chinese Red & Lacquer Black.
	A piratey Dreadband or Wrap – Havin’ the sea breezes blowin’ hair all o’r yer face is certainly going to obscure yer treasure-map readin’. AHOY, ye bilge-drinkin’ tar-merchants! What’s that on the horizon?

Shiver me timbers! Fix yer gaze upon these AMAZIN’ new Super-Stretch DoubleWraps – large enough t’ tame the very thickest mane o’ locks in the land.

X marks the spot on this here veritable (buried) treasure at $15 each, and they be available in the wildest variety of colours: Blue/Grey/Green mix, Purpley mix, Black/White/Red mix, Rainbow mix and Blue/Orange/Yellow mix - or ‘Ernie Shirt’ as we o’ the Knotty crew like t’ call it. (Arrrr, by th’ by, that Ernie is better known on the Seven Seas as Ol’ Barmy Black-Eye, so don’ let that cock-eyed grin be foolin’ ye, ‘e’s crazy as a salted herrin’.

Careful ye don’t taste the wrath o’ his ruby-studded pegleg, me hearties! Ha, ha, ha!)

Ye kin also neatly sweep back ‘em unruly ropes with one of ar Recycled T-Shirt Dreadbands – darn near perfec’ fer this exact porpus, and the Crocheted Dreadband 2-for-1 Sale also be on ‘til the end o’ Summer - hook one for yerse’f now before the offer ends.

Or cast yer eyes upon the astoundin’ly versatile All-in-One Dread Wrap, now in Deep Purple, thanks to ya scurvy knaves!

Despite the fact that it has been rainin' cats and scur'y bilge-rats here in Vancou'er for months now, we’re sure some o' you elsewheres in the world be enjoyin' a Summer. Arrr.

Here be some handy little hints for dreadlock ‘n’ scalp care while exposed to the sun while travellin’ from sea to rollin’ sea:

* raunchy pirate brogue on pause for now… more later*

 

	SUNSCREEN Can you see any spots of scalp visible between your locks? If you can, then that rascally Mr. Sun’s going to be smiling down on them, too. Better apply a dob of sunscreen to any exposed parts, otherwise you could end up with yer scalp crispy as a blackened snail. Gar! *Sorry, sorry! It just slipped out...*
	COVER UP Wearing a hat or wrap is also a good way to protect your head from the sun. Again, the Knotty Boy All-in-One Dread Wraps are made o’ 100% buttery-soft cotton so they’re cool and breathable, plus thar be a multitude of different ways to wear ‘em as tops, skirts and bikini cover-ups if ya happen t’ be a saucy pirate wench! *ok NOT talking like a pirate is proving to be harder than we thought… yarr.*
	WATCH OUT FOR DRYNESS Sea water may be great for tightening up those locks, but combined with the summer sun, it can be very drying. Make sure you rinse really well with clean water after every salty dip. Keep an eye out for breakage and brittleness (as this is NOT good), and if your locks are well-formed and mature, try a delicious-smelling squirt of our Knotty Boy Dreadlock Conditioning Sprays available in refreshing Green Tea, tropical-beach-party CocoKnotty, or heady Purple Haze Lavender scents.
	WASHING LOCKS Take along a few of the Knotty Boy All-Purpose Shampoo Bars if you’re going camping this summer - it’s all the soap you’ll need out there! A delicious ‘Fresh-Cut Grass’ bar recently accompanied a Knotty staff member on a camping trip (along with 2 toddlers and a baby) and it was used with great results from ketchup-sticky hair to marshmallowy faces, sandy bodies, dirty dishes and the list went on. You name it and it’s Knotty-Soap-Washable! These mild All-Purpose Bars are super long-lasting, 100% natural and completely eco-friendly, so feel free to wash with abandon in the lake of your choice, then pop it in our handy travel soap box for no-leak transport. (Yep, a soap box containing a very soggy bar was tested by chucking down the DreadQuarters’ stairs a few times – sturdy as ever and also a very fetching shade of sunshine-yellow.) Dirt-cheap at $8ea, 3 for $22 or 3 + travel box for $24   Stop the Press! This just in! The Knotty Boy All Purpose Shampoo Wonder-Bar also works like a dream for removing marker from 3 year olds like Emma’s naughty little Braeden, who likes to color purple, black and green tattoos all over themselves ‘just like Mommy and Daddy’. Hurrah!
	BEWARE THE GREEN FURRIES The down-side to frequent dreadlock-washings is that mold and mildew can creep in when they get wet repeatedly without drying all the way through. This can ALSO happen if you apply Knotty Boy Dread Wax while your hair is still wet (as the wax is water-repellant and will trap the moisture inside!) or put your locks up into a wrap or hat while they are still damp. Sit in the sun until they are bone-dry all the way through, or use a blow-dryer to dry locks thoroughly between waxings and wettings.
	HOT PRICKLY SCALP / SKIN / NEW TATTOOS? For instant relief, try a refreshing squirt of our Knotty Boy Peppermint Cooling Moisture Spray. It’s also wonderfully cooling on sun-burned skin (we know this because KnottyEmma’s man recently burned himself to a crisp and has reported that frequent liberal spritzes of the Cooling Spray really helped relieve the pain). The tattooed members of the Knotty Lock Shop staff also highly recommend the Cooling Spray to clients for soothing itchy new tattoos, too, and it’s a great natural antibacterial spray, to boot.

Speaking of all things lake-and-fishy-friendly, we are thrilled to announce that we have completely made the switch to eco-friendly packing materials!

From Nov ’05 – Feb. ’07, through our Eco-Friendly Packaging/Child Sponsorship Fundraiser, your $1 donations made when filling our your order forms online allowed us to both sponsor a total of five more underprivileged kids around the world, AS WELL as send out your order in eco-friendly packing materials. But now, even MORE exciting is this little fact: As of June 2007, our genius Warehouse Manager, Michael, found a source of eco-friendly packing materials that is the same price as what we were paying for the nasty land-filler packaging. Et voila, we are now packing ALL orders we send out in eco-friendly packaging, at no extra cost to you. Can you even stand it? Our ‘environmental footprint’ just got even smaller now that we are no longer sending out ANY individual orders packed in Styrofoam or plastic bubble-mailers, trading those for new fiber-filled mailers and cardboard boxes with the corn-starch packing bits that fizzle up in water. Wahoo!

* Almost forgot to turn the obnoxious pirate brogue back on again! Gar!*

Alas, ye landlubbers, this seaweed-strewn eZine must be drawin’ t’a close. Don’t ye ferget to fill out our mar’elous new Knotty Boy Five-Second-Surveys if ye haven’t already, so when next we swing across ta drop onta a Spanish galleon with our cutlasses in our teeth, we’ll know jest what kind o’ new Knotty products to pillage and new booty t’ split up with yars. Get ready for us ta shock ya t’ the very boney with all our loot!

Fare thee well until next eZine, Knotty rapscallions! Shiver me timbers, with a yo-ho-ho & a bottle of rum let’s haul anchor and… awaaaaaay!


The Knotty Crew