Mention your current prescriptions, especially any blood-thinners, antibiotics, or bone and heart medications. Depending on your medical regimen, you may not want to take castor oil for your constipation. If you haven't had a bowel movement for 7 days, you need to see your doctor even if you're treating constipation. You may have a more serious condition, or constipation could cause serious complications. Note that your doctor may recommend a special procedure, depending on your symptoms. Your doctor may do an X-ray, colonoscopy, or other procedure, depending on what they think is causing your constipation. You may be able to use castor oil without experiencing side effects, however, it's possible that you will notice some abdominal pain, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, or fatigue. Fortunately, these symptoms usually fade quickly once the castor oil is out of your system. If you experience any bad abdominal cramps, bloating, vomiting, or dizziness, stop using castor oil immediately and contact a healthcare professional.

Summary: Ask your doctor if castor oil will interfere with any of your medications. See your doctor if your constipation lasts longer than a week. Call your doctor if you have side effects like vomiting, cramps, and diarrhea.

Before you can soften the shank, the reinforced sole of the pointe shoe, you'll need to figure out where your natural arch breaks. The break is where the heel becomes the arch. Bend your foot to see where your arch naturally breaks. You can mark the point on both your foot and the shoe with a marker. Avoid arbitrarily bending the shank of your pointe shoe, since this may not correspond to the natural break in your arch. After you've identified your natural break and marked it in your shoe, pry up the shank and bend it back and forth gently at the marked position. This will make the shank more pliable when you rise up on pointe. Remove the small nail that fastens the shank to your shoe. Put on the shoe and extend your foot from flat to demi pointe to begin molding the break. This will help you know the exact shape of your foot in your shoe. Remove the shoe and gently mold the area of the shank where your natural arch breaks. Work the area with your hands, following your mark and the shape your foot has made. Molding the shoe where your arch naturally breaks will make rising in your shoes more comfortable and increase the life of your shoes. You don't need to add heat to help with shaping the shank. Since you previously wore your shoe to begin molding the break, the heat from your foot will have been enough. There's no designated left or right ballet shoe- your own feet will determine this as they break in the shoe. Label each shoe to make sure you're consistently putting on your shoes until they are broken in enough to identify by sight.

Summary: Identify the natural break in your arch. Bend the shank at the natural break in your arch. Wear the shoe to mold the break. Mold the shoe with your hands.

Metal will make back combing easier. Look for metal combs at your local beauty supply store or online. In a pinch, you can try using a plastic comb but it may take more time and effort to backcomb with it. Another option is to use a crochet hook to backcomb your hair. Get a crochet hook made of metal with a capped end so it is not too sharp. Look for the smallest sized crochet hook you can find. You can buy crochet hooks at your local craft store or online. Use a duckbill clip to separate the hair that you do not want to backcomb. Hold 1 of your dreads between your fingers so it is taut, but still a little loose. Then, comb your hair towards your scalp in the opposite direction of the hair's growth, working from the root to the tip. As you comb, you should your hair should appear puffy and raised. Try to get as close as you can to the root and work your way to the tip, combing up as much hair as you can. If you are using a crochet hook, run the hook back and forth through your dread from the root to the tip. This will backcomb it. Once you have backcombed your dreads, use your fingers to carefully twist the backcombed hair together from the root to the tip. Twist the hair 1 to 2 times in a clockwise direction. Make sure you twist all of the backcombed hair so it forms a locked dread. You can backcomb and twist the same dread a few times to help it lock. Get in the habit of backcombing and twisting your dreads while you are watching television, listening to music, or talking to friends. Do this at least once a day so your dreads stay locked.

Summary: Get a metal comb. Use a crochet hook. Backcomb your dreads. Twist your dreads with your fingers. Backcomb and twist your dreads at least once a day.

You are likely to get many questions about your deceased loved one, so make sure that the story is believable. Get your facts straightened out, stay focused, and think about how you're going to speak about the death. Telling your boss that your close relative or spouse has died could lead to problems if the person texts your or shows up at your job! By choosing a distant relative you barely know, there's little chance for a slip up. Choose a great-grandmother instead of your mother, or your cousin instead of your sister. Whether you send an email, call in or talk to your boss face to face, there will be a different set of clues that tell them you're lying. Your voice, facial expression or demeanor could all be tips that the story is fake. Because they'll only have your voice as a clue to whether you're lying, rather than your eye contact or facial expressions, this may be the best option. Say: "I've had a death in the family and you will need some time off." Answer any questions your boss may have and keep it short. Stay consistent with the story you made up. Try to sound sad, and if you want, sniff and cough often to make it sound as though you've been crying. It may help story come across as more sincere and it might fit with your story better if the fake death happens during work. It's morally questionable to lie to your boss, especially to their face, but if you stay relaxed you can avoid being caught. Tell your boss about the situation, and ask for time off. Maintain eye contact with your boss, and think about how they may perceive your body language. Steady eye contact and relaxed, but slouched posture will help your boss think that you're both telling the truth and genuinely sad. Make yourself cry if you think it is appropriate. Think of a truly sad thought or stare at a bright light until your eyes begin to water before you meet with your supervisor. If you send an email, there'll be practically no way for your boss to know if you're lying or not. Emailing isn't an acceptable method for skipping work at many companies, but if it's alright, write a short, succinct email about the death and that you need a few days off. Many employers will be more than happy to let you take time off for a death, but others may be more skeptical. If they ask for proof, be prepared to back it up with some falsified evidence, but be very careful as you'll only make the lie more offensive if you're caught. Find an obituary in a local paper that matches the story you told. You'll be moving even further in a morally wrong direction, but if an obituary seems close enough, you can turn that in to your boss as is. It's also possible to photoshop an obituary by taking the existing text and adding the right name in the same font. For a really gutsy move, fake a death certificate. Death certificates are available online, and need only to have their information changed in Photoshop or Paint. Be aware that this could lead to serious repercussions if you're caught, and could be illegal depending on where you live! Once your boss is satisfied with the information you've given, work with them to determine which days you'll take off, including a day for the funeral.
Summary: Plan your story before speaking with anyone. Consider choosing a distant relative. Decide how to tell the story. Call in to work. Tell your boss in person. Write an email. Be prepared to show proof. Schedule your day off!