Friday, September 30, 2011

Shampoo Free Hair

If you have wavy or curly hair, if your hair is thick, and especially if your hair is prone to frizzing, then you (like me) have probably tried a lot of different products and shampoos. My hair is curly in parts, wavy in others, super thick, and frizzy as heck when I don't "deal with it."  I spend a lot of money on various leave ins and conditioners to keep it tame and beautiful.  What if my hair would just take care of itself, while at the same time saving me money, removing harmful chemicals from my beauty routine, and helping the environment? That is some of the thinking behind the "no-poo" movement (terrible name, great idea) and it is really catching on.


I have never been a spend-a-lot-of-time-getting-ready kind of girl.  My haircare routine usually consists of shampoo, conditioner, some leave in conditioner/de-frizzer and  a quick brush. That's it.  Since I don't blow dry or straighten (except for very special dates) I can go a pretty long time before I need a haircut (usually about every 6 months).  However, I hate the way the products build up and make my hair dull, and I hate the way they stop working after a while. So I am going to give this no shampoo thing a try. Here is what I am doing:

1 TBS baking soda mixed with 1 cup water
2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with 1 cup water


I bottled the mixtures and used about a quarter of each bottle in the shower this morning. I used the BS mixture like shampoo, and the ACV mixture like conditioner.  I finished with a cold rinse.

Day 1:
I washed my hair with the baking soda mixture.  It felt weird, and I am not sure whether or not my hair is any cleaner.  After I "washed" it my hands felt covered in grease.  The vinegar rinse was similarly unsatisfying.  Once my hair dried it was a little greasy, a little frizzy, and puffy as heck. Seriously, my hair was huge.  It was also a full shade blonder (I guess all of that build-up really darkens blond hair) and really curly.  Really curly.  On the bright side, I washed my face with the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) for the second time today. It feels so smooth.

Day 2:
Usually the day after I wash my hair is my best hair day.  Everything is smooth but not frizzy yet.  Today was not one of those days.  My hair is gross.  Not just oily but kind of gunky feeling.  I have been keeping it in french braids so I don't have to touch it.  It is still really blonde, though. Almost like I got highlights. I am going to try the whole process again tomorrow and see if it helps. Also, I decided to add a pinch of dried peppermint to each bottle to stimulate the scalp and make everything smell nice.

Day 3:
My hair feels disgusting. I got up and bs washed it in the shower, and my hair felt even grosser.  Plus, my hands were coated in grease. I broke down and used a little watered down shampoo between the bs and the acv.  I think I might buy some all natural shampoo and try that first.

Day 5:
I am going to stick this out for at least a month before I quit (my husband is less than thrilled - he keeps asking me what is so awesome about having disgusting hippy hair).  I didn't wash my hair yesterday, and today I am doing the bs/acv wash again.

Day 6:
I washed my hair yesterday with the BS/ACV mixtures.  When I got out of the shower I put a little tiny bit of olive oil on the ends of my hair,  then I just brushed it and let it dry.  Today it feels reasonably clean.  My hair is also shiny and very curly.  I am going to stick with this for a while and see how it goes. I will check back in  a month or so from now and let you know how it turns out.

Click here to see more of my eco-friendly alternatives.

Keywords: Apple Cider Vinegar rinse, ACV rinse, Baking Soda wash, BS wash, alternative hair care, natural hair products, eco-friendly haircare, poo-free, no shampoo,  frizzy hair solutions

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Reclaimed Slate Blackboard Countertops

We are remodeling our kitchen. When I say we, I really mean that my husband and I are doing it ourselves (with a little help from his father).  We don't really have any experience with this kind of thing, so of course we immediately complicated everything by deciding to use recycled, older materials.  We really like the solid stone look,  but we didn't even really have the funds for tile let alone granite. Plus, we wanted something that would fit the character of the 1940s house we are restoring a little better.  So, we purchased two slate blackboards which had been removed from a school near our home with the intention of cutting them down. The boards are 3/8ths inch Vermont black slate in pretty good condition. Here are some pictures to help you visualize what I am talking about:  HG Bathroom, Modern Kitchen, Eco-Home

Once we got the cabinets all set and secured, we measured out how big the counters would be (taking into account that our house is old and therefore not exactly square).  Then we cut out half inch ply-wood and quarter inch cement board to fit those measurements. We secured these two layers (ply-wood on bottom) to the cabinets with screws. 

Then we cut the slate to fit.  This is trickier than it sounds.  You need a wax pencil to mark the slate because you will need to cut it with either a wet saw (easier but you have to own/rent it) or with a special blade rated for slate on your circular saw and keep a hose trickling over the blade the whole time you cut. This second option is messy, tricky, and a two person job.  

Glue or mortar the slate to the other layers smooth side up.  Before you do this, decide how you are going to finish the edges.  If you want to put more slate or tile over the edges, fine.  But if you want a metal edging like we used you need to put in on when you do this step. 

Finish with mineral oil (you can buy it at most drug stores by the laxatives).   Rub the mineral oil in (really rub it in hard), let it set for a little while, and then rub off the excess.  Voila!

There is a surprising lack of information about all the nitty-gritty of actually making a counter top like this online.  We kind of made it up as we went. Although there is a pretty good e-how article to get you started. If you have any questions, please ask! Or share your own experiences.  


Click here to see more of my eco-friendly alternatives.



Keywords:  old blackboards, slate chalkboards, reclaimed, salvaged, DIY counter tops, slate counter tops, re-purposing old slate

Monday, September 26, 2011

Online Calorie Manager

I was always very active growing up and throughout school, so watching my calories only recently became important to me.  But fear not, it has caught up with me in a big way.  Between eating like I was still swimming for three hours every day and trying to fatten up my perpetually skinny husband (all while working sitting down for most of the day) I ballooned up to way bigger than I ever thought I could be.  I would of course notice that I was getting bigger, but I would write it off as inevitable.  Sometimes I would try to "eat better" for a few days, but it was always a nebulous concept at best.  I didn't know what I was doing, and it would peter out within a week without any noticeable success.


One day, shortly after a beach trip, I saw some pictures of myself on Facebook.  I went in, as had become my habit, to untag the ones that were unprofessional or unflattering.   I realized that I had untagged all of the pictures from the trip because I looked so fat in all of them. Every picture.  Then I hopped on the scale and in front of the mirror, and did some honest self assessment.  I was fat.  Actually, according to my BMI I was obese.  So I cried a little, and started looking into how to fix this.  For real this time.

I came across a site called Livestrong. They have forums and groups and articles, but most importantly for me they bought a program called MyPlate.  MyPlate lets you set your own calorie goals, track what you are eating, and gives you hard data about exactly how much you are consuming. I have learned so much about myself and my eating habits from actually tracking everything I eat. You can also track exercise, and calories burned are added to your eat-able total for the day.   The data base is cool because you don't have to know how many calories are in everything you eat.  Just start to type in something (like spaghetti) and pick the option that seems closest. Or make a new entry.  Plus, its working.  I have lost 22 lbs since the end of April.  I look better, I feel better, it is amazing.

Livestrong isn't the only option.  SparkPeople has a similar model (I think their exercise data base is supposed to be bigger, but their food database is smaller).  These two programs are free, but there are lots of pay versions as well.  Many of the pay versions offer extras and more customization.  The point is just that if you are struggling with weight loss (like I was for such a long time) maybe an online calorie counter would help.

Keywords: weight loss, online calorie counter, calorie counting, meal planning, social media, Livestrong, SparkPeople

Saturday, September 24, 2011

The Oil Cleansing Method

While reading through some blogs the other day, I stumbled upon the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM) for washing your face.  OCM replaces face wash (and all of the associated face cleaning products) with a simple oil mixture.  A friend of mine had recently done absolutely amazing things to her hair with olive oil, so I was immediately intrigued.

 As I am sure is the case with many of you, money is tight at our house right now. Facial soaps and lotions and toners and creams are expensive, and my skin is pretty sensitive. Plus, everything except the gentlest products send my skin into fits of redness, peeling, or acne.   So I thought, why not give this a try.  Personally, I mixed the following in a little travel soap bottle I bought at the drug store:

1 TBSP Castor Oil
4 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I massaged it into my face for two minutes or so.   Then I covered my face in a hot washcloth until it cooled twice, and finally gently wiped the oil away with the washcloth and hot water. Simple.

When trying to find your own perfect ratio of castor oil to olive oil,  remember that oilier skin needs more castor oil, and dry skin needs more olive oil (I use olive oil, but other people have had success with almond oil, sunflower oil, or other similar oils).

Day 1:
After my first washing, my skin feels pretty good.  It feels smooth and clean, but not too dry (except my forehead, which I am about to dab a little extra oil on). I am waiting for the horrible eruption of all of the gunk that has been trapped deep down in my pores.  I will let you know what happens.

Day 2:
No horrible eruption yet.  I took a shower today (and started my BS and ACV hair care routine) and washed my face again.  My skin feels so soft. I am not sure that it looks any better yet, but it certainly feels way better than my face lotions (which I have stopped using) ever did.   By the end of day two I did notice that my face is a little dry.  I think I will up the olive oil to castor oil ratio (maybe 5 to 1 instead of 4 to 1).

Day 3:
My face feels great today. No new outbreaks, and I swear that some of the old ones are clearing up.  My skin feels soft and clean. I thought about not washing my face today, but by the time I was getting ready for bed everything was a little too greasy to just leave.  Apparently it often takes about a week for all the purging to start, and then another week to get past it.  I will update you in a month or so.

Many other bloggers have covered this topic. To get some other perspectives, more info, or just some other people's experiences, start looking  here or here.  Click here to see more of my eco-friendly alternatives.

Keywords: Oil-Cleansing Method,  OCM, natural face cleansing routine, organic face-wash, olive oil, castor oil, skin problems, facial lotion alternative, eco-friendly skin care