Goodbye Shampoo: Day 1

I tried to give up shampoo once before, but I didn't last very long. I have since realized that there are several different ways to kick the shampoo habit.. so, here we go with another experiment!

Yesterday, I washed my hair with what seems to be the most popular "no-poo"method which is made up of a baking soda wash and an apple cider vinegar rinse.

I mixed up a tbsp of baking soda with 8oz of water in a bottle with a pointed tip (from my stash of haircoloring supplies) and applied the mixture to my scalp.. and then SCRUBBED it in as best as I could. After rinsing, I put a tbsp of apple cider vinegar in to the bottle and filled the rest up with water. I then applied the ACV rinse to the ends of my hair (trying to avoid my scalp if at all possible) and let it sit for 5 minutes before I rinsed it out.

I normally have to apply some sort of cream, oil or serum to my hair to tame the frizz and the curls but last night I didn't add anything to it, and my curls are nice and defined today.. and it's surprisingly not greasy but this is only day one..

I've heard mixed reviews about the method however.. and last time I tried to make the switch, it just got too greasy and it wasn't fun anymore (I'm a wimp). I also saw another option on pinterest last week.. and I really want to try it as well: coconut milk + liquid castille soap

I don't really enjoy the baking soda process, and I already have some Dr. Bronner's soap at home. So, maybe I'll try this next. It may be an easier/gentler transition than just relying on baking soda anyway..

...does coconut milk have to be refrigerated?

I do miss my conditioner. We'll see how it goes.

Day ONE: check.

Eggshells: for your face?

I did it. I ground my eggshells into powder Monday night.. it wasn't the easiest task, but I think I came up with something fine enough to work...

Here is what happened.

I started with 16-20 eggshells, I'm not sure how many I had exactly, and let them dry out for a few days before doing anything with them.

In retrospect, I think I would have gone in and removed the little thin liner inside the eggshells and washed them a little more thoroughly. I might even pop them in the oven and let them bake up a bit if I try this again in the future. But, this time, I just rinsed them and let them dry.

Then. I crushed them. With whatever I had on hand. I actually don't remember.

Then time got away from me and I let them sit in that little bag for about a week or so. This may have been a bad idea. And this may have been when it developed a strange.. odor.... it's really not that pleasant.

Next time, I'll do everything at the same time, and make sure everything is dried and aired out before I begin the process.

Next.. I put the shells in my handy dandy magic bullet..

But the result still wasn't fine enough. I don't really think face powder should pulverize your face.. right?

So, I tried my aunt's mortar and pestle..

That helped a little, but it was not at all practical. She mentioned she had an old coffee grinder that she used to grind up spices.. So. I popped everything in there, ground it all up.

After that final process, I poured everything through a sieve (which is where much of the little "liner" bits were separated as well as any remaining grainy pieces) and had a pretty fine powder.

It's still not what you'd find in a store, and when I put it on this morning, a lot of the little grainy bits were visible and fell onto my clothes. I'm not sure how to get it finer than it is.

I will say that it's been about 8 hours and my skin is not shiny.. but I never much paid attention to the longevity of my store bought powder, so that may not be saying much.

The jury is still out. I'm going to experiment with it a little more.. and see how things go :)

New Things

Over the past few months, I've been trying to be more aware of the products I purchase. The quality of them, the impact their production had on the environment, and their chemical properties (ie. is this SAFE for me??)

Slowly, I've been upgrading.. (It can be more expensive, unfortunately.) Sometimes that means buying different products, and sometimes it's meant trying to make my own...

I'm still itching to make a cheek/lip stain from beets (as seen here) and sunscreen (which I can't find at the moment) as well as that face powder from egg shells I mentioned last week..

but yesterday, I needed mascara.

 I ended up at Mother's, because I knew they'd have an eco-friendly collection *wink* and I ended up with Lavera Bio-Organic Long Lash Mascara in black. And, already I give it 5 stars. I still don't know if it's worth the extra cost (this one was $19), but I figure it's the closest thing to my eyes... we'll see.

On another note.. I also bought a Diva Cup. I've read about them off and on for awhile now also.. and they had them at the market (how convenient). SO.. it may be TMI, but I'm going to see how it goes.. wish me luck!

homegirl's going natural.

Lately I've been reading a lot about natural deodorants, and seeing a lot of other bloggers (ahem* Kathleen and Lindsey) jumping on the bandwagon. In doing some research, I found several recipes that were all some sort of mixture of baking soda, cornstarch/arrowroot powder as a thickening agent, coconut oil and other various essential oils.

So... last night, after watching this video and feeling capable and inspired, I set out to make some of my own. But I didn't want to buy all of these ingredients and have the leftovers to to waste, so I started researching other things I could make with coconut oil, and decided to try my hand at a homemade toothpaste (recipe via passionate homemaking) and lotion.

RECIPES:

First up: DEODORANT

original recipe

I wanted to half the recipe that I found online, to sample it before I made a large batch, but either the house I live in is too warm, or I mis-measured and used too much coconut oil to begin with.

The recipe ended up being something like this:

4 large tbsp coconut oil (probably more like 6 actual tbsp)
1/2 cup arrowroot powder
1/2 cup baking soda
15 drops tea tree oil
10 drops grapefruit oil

Mix everything together until it's blended and store in an airtight container. No need to refrigerate.

Next in line: TOOTHPASTE

recipes from here (Toothsoap, apparently, Recipe #1) and here

I sort of blended the recipes, and maybe shouldn't have.. I also cut it in half, because it's just for me and I was trying it out.

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp dr bronners peppermint soap
1 tbsp baking soda
5 drops peppermint oil

Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Lastly: LOTION

This one was really too easy.. I didn't even take photos. I just eyeballed everything, but I think the recipe ended up being something similar to this:

5 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp jojoba oil
1/2 tbsp tea tree oil

Mix everything together and store in a small squeeze bottle.

RESULTS:

DEODORANT: I love it. I love love love it. I used some last night and again this morning and while it doesn't protect against wetness I love the consistency and the way it feels on my skin. Next time I may add some shea butter, but honestly I don't know if I need it.. I feel good about the product because I know it's all natural and safe for me and though it hasn't been 24 hours yet, I still feel confident that it's something I want to transition into using. YAY.

TOOTHPASTE: It doesn't exactly give me the "minty fresh feeling" that I'm used to.. I also wonder if my teeth are really getting clean? How do you tell? Perhaps if I find some sort of natural mouthwash (maybe Gorgeously Green's version?) to add to the routine; it may help. But for now, it's not bad.. I am going to use it for a few days and see how it goes. I also wonder if I put in too much baking soda. I may add a little more coconut oil so it's not so abrasive?

LOTION: So easy, so simple, so nourishing.. but SO OILY (it is solely comprised of oil, after all). I used this on my arms and legs last night and it's definitely more of a deep moisturizing product as opposed to an every day lotion. I like it, and I'll use it, but it's not something you throw in your bag and take with you. I had to give my skin time to absorb the oils and made sure not to use too much. Overall, I do like it, it's just not what I expected.

All in all, I'm really glad I made the effort to make these at home.. and I want to start making more beauty products instead of buying them.

Next on the list? I want to see if I can kick the shampoo and conditioner.. I've tried it once without much success... hmmmmmmm....