I went hiking Sunday to Buffalo Mountain. My goodness gracious it was lovely. The weather was sooo warm, it was around 80. Because the leaves haven't come out on all the trees yet, I was in the sunshine almost the whole time. It was a beautiful day. And, I got to start working on those Chaco tan lines. :)
This stuff works so much better for me than the aerosol store bought kind. And it's tons cheaper and way safer. On EWG's database, an overwhelming majority of dry shampoos are rated at a 5 or above. Not good. Anyway, it's super easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients already!
Hey friends! Have you heard of #100happydays? It's a gratitude challenge of sorts. For 100 days, you post a picture on social media (or if you to keep it private) of something that made you happy that day. You can get the full details here. And above are some of the lovely reasons for trying the challenge. :) And did you see the last little part at the end? "Even when the challenge is over the collected 100 happy moments can always remind you about the beauty of your life. For that, you can receive a little 100 page book with your 100 happy days at the finish line of the challenge!" Exciting!! Please join me in doing the 100 Happy Days challenge! You can sign up here. I'm posting mine on Instagram, so follow me and join along! On February 20, 2014 I went no poo. You went what!? No poo (despite what you might think the name means) basically just means giving up traditional commercial shampoos (and conditioners). Instead of using Garnier, Dove, or Herbal Essences, I make my own shampoo and conditioner. It's really not hard at all and quite cheap. But WHYYYY? I have a few reasons for switching to no-poo and just transitioning to a chemical-free life in general.
Okay, so now back to how-to go no-poo. The standards for no poo are baking soda as shampoo and vinegar as conditioner. However, alternatives include castile soap, lemon juice, honey, and more. Also, if you still just want the comfort of store-bought products, you can go low-poo and use some safe & healthy alternatives. Look on EWG for some options or just ask in the comments below! :) My Shampoo: For shampoo, I just use the basic mixture:
My Conditioner: My conditioner recipe is a little extra so I'll put the basic recipe and my own concoction. Basic:
In addition to this conditioner, it is also absolutely necessary to deep condition your hair once a week! I don't care what type of hair you have, DO IT! I use honey as my deep conditioner. I slather my hair (minus the roots) in honey and leave it on for 15-20 minutes then rinse it off. For my first few months, I skipped this step...and boy oh boy did my hair get dry! Without silicones coating my hair, its true texture was visible and yeah...it needed moisture bad. The Transition Period Now here's the not so fun part...the transition period. Because most commercial products are trying to regulate your body for you...it takes some time to transition. Your hair and scalp have to get used to moisturizing themselves with your body's own healthy natural oil production. Usually this means way too much oil production at first until your hair & scalp self-regulate. This transition period can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. For me, I think it took about 3 weeks...because I forgot to clarify There are some things you can do to shorten the transition time though before you switch to no-poo.
I've been doing this for months, and although it takes some trial and error and customizing recipes to your own needs, it's worth it! If you have any questions, ask below in the comments! I'm happy to help! And expect more posts! :) Buffalo Mountain feels like home. Everyday I see it and it just fills me with love for God's creation. It's the mountain I know best and where I've hiked the most. I just want to get back on it. There's just this sense of rightness and safety that it gives. Like I said...home. |