No More Shampoo

I haven't washed my hair with shampoo since Tuesday! I know, I know, it sounds insane.

Carissa has already called me a hippee no less than 12 times in the past 2 days. But, with Ginger on the same plan with me, I'm not gonna use shampoo and conditioner anymore!

So, here's how it works: Supposedly shampoo leaves a lot of residue in your hair. Also, washing with soaps everyday increases the oil production in your hair. At this point, I have to wash my hair everyday or else it's really oily. Apparently that's just because the more I wash it, the more oil it makes...kinda annoying! I've spent a long time looking for the best shampoo. I'm currently at the point where I'm using stuff like Bumble & Bumble and Frederic Fekkai. Which, I'm sure you know, is EXPENSIVE! And still, my hair will feel great for a while, but then go back to being dry/oily/unruly.

Also, I tend to be very consumeristic and I decided that I NEED the latest and greatest and when I get said thing, it'll change my life! It's ridiculous, I know, but still...that's the way I think!
Not using normal shampoo and conditioner anymore will help me with that, and also be a lot cheaper.

And, I am also somewhat concerned with all the chemicals that are in EVERYTHING these days. Food, cleaners, beauty products, soaps, etc. I'm not saying that I'm insisting they will cause cancer or anything, it just seems like something that's worth taking note of. We do have a lot more disease now than we used to, and I think simplifying parts of my life will be a good idea.

So, back to my original point. What Ginger and I are doing is using Baking Soda to "wash" our hair. You get it out, mix it with a little water, and scrub away! Apparently this will get the dirt out of the hair, but leave the natural oils in. The problem with this initially is that you will still have shampoo residue and a confused oil production system for a week or so. So, I currently have pretty funky hair and have been putting it up in a ponytail everyday, which I hate. But, I am assured that after a while, this will go away and I'll have the most healthy hair ever. So, we'll see!

The next step, my conditioner if you will, is a Vinegar Rinse. I did it the first time with plain Apple Cider Vinegar and smelled like a salad gone bad all day, so I changed it up a bit the second time. Apparently you can infuse vinegar with herbs pretty easily, so I went to the Cupboard (organic grocery store in Denton) and got herbs by bulk. It was the most fun I've had in a while! They cost about $1 an ounce, and since they are dried, they don't weigh much! I ended up spending about 50 cents on each bag of herbs. I got Nettle, Eucalyptus, Spearmint, Lemongrass, Chamomile, and Jasmine. At home I also have Vanilla Beans and Rosemary. So, yesterday afternoon, I put herbs in a jar (whichever ones I wanted), boiled vinegar, and put it over the herbs. I'm supposed to let it sit for a couple of days and then strain the herbs! The first one I made was Jasmine, Chamomile and Vanilla. You store it in the frig for up to 6 months, and enjoy!

For using the Vinegar, you put about 1-2 tablespoons of it in a cup of water and pour or squirt over your hair. You can leave it in or rinse it out, either way you really don't smell like it after you fix your hair. Vinegar helps close the shaft in your hair and make it more silky/shiny and also de-tangles as well. So far, it's made my hair feel great!

I also ordered a Shampoo Bar from Praireland Herbs. It's all natural and will take the place of the Baking Soda when it gets here. I'm very excited to try it!! I also ordered their all natural deodorant, so we'll see how that goes!

My plan is to replace most things I can with natural products. I think the less and less I can rely on stuff like lotion, makeup, lip gloss, shampoo, conditioner, etc., the better off I'll be! So, here's my list of things I'm going natural on:

1. Toothpaste- I already use Tom's and it's EXCELLENT! My teeth feel better than any other toothpaste I've ever used.
2. Laundry soap- I use 7th Generation
3. Dish Soap- 7th Generation again
4. All-Purpose Cleaner- 7th Generation
5. Deodorant- Praireland Herbs when I get it
6. Shampoo/Conditioner- baking soda/vinegar/Praireland Herbs Shampoo Bar
7. Soap- Praireland Herbs shower gel/shampoo bar
8. Body Scrub- make my own
9. Bathroom Cleaner/Disinfectant- Peroxide
10. Misc. Cleaner- Baking Soda/Vinegar
11. Roach repellent/trap- Concoction Ginger is making
12. Medicine-Try herbs/food mixtures first

That's just a list of a few things. I'm going to go through the house and replace cleaners and get rid of beauty products I don't need anymore. I've also got all sorts of random recipes and ideas collected for all of the above that I intend to type up and compile into a book of sorts. I always see ideas and natural recipes, but can't remember them when I need them, so I think if I had them all in one place, that would make things a lot easier.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my weekend of simplifying my life and watching the Texas Tech vs. Kansas State football game. GO RAIDERS!