No Poo

Sample conversation:

"Hello"

"Hello"

"Do you like my hat?"

"I do not like your hat."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

--Sorry, got sidetracked by Go, Dog, Go...

To the real sample conversation:

Random person: "Your hair looks great. What shampoo do you use?"

Me: "I don't use shampoo or conditioner."

Random person: "You don't use shampoo? Seriously? Eww."

That is the reaction I normally get from people when they find out I use the no poo method. No poo means "no shampoo." It's not that I don't shower or clean myself up, I am a very clean person. No poo is a natural hair cleansing method. And I must say, it works wonders too!

The science behind it: Modern shampoo strips hair of its natural oils. The more you strip your hair, the more oil it will produce to compensate. Hence, oily hair. You'd think that not shampooing your hair would leave you with an oil slick, but that is not the case. No poo uses natural products to cleanse, but maintain your hairs natural pH balance. The end result is naturally beautiful hair.

My no poo method:

(Remember this is what I do; if it doesn't work for you, please do not yell at me)

It is a basic 1 Tbs. to 1 Cup recipe

What you'll need: (The picture to the right is my actual bathroom counter and what I use.)

1 Tbs. Baking Soda

1 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar

Water

2 Cups, bottles, or other liquid containing devices

Put 1 Tbs. baking soda in your liquid containing device and fill the rest of the cup (1 cup) with water.

Put 1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar in your liquid containing device and fill the rest of the cup (1 cup) with water.

Pour the baking soda mix over your hair (this is done in the shower) and work it into your scalp and the rest of your hair. I concentrate on the center of my part and the front part because that is where I get the oiliest.

Let it sit for a minute and then rinse thoroughly.

Pour the ACV mix over your hair and let it sit for a minute.

Rinse thoroughly.

That is it. Simple huh?

I brush my hair when I get out of the shower and let it air-dry. If you play with your hair, it will get dirty quicker from the oils and gunk on your hands.

I usually do this routine once or twice a week. You can just rinse with water during your in-between showers, but I keep mine dry pretty often too.

Here is why more people don't do it: There is a detox period. Your hair has to rebalance to get back to its natural state. Mine was only about 2 weeks, but some people have a 6 week period. Honestly, I barely even noticed during my detox period. Grizzly didn't even notice I was doing something different at that point. The easiest way to deal with the detox is just replace your shampoo routine with the BS and ACV routine. Then go an extra day between, then 2 extra days, etc.

There are a lot of ways to personalize your no poo routine too. You can add extra BS for oily hair, extra ACV for dry hair, honey for dry hair, all sorts of essential oils, etc. I have several recipes I'll be trying in the coming weeks, so check back to see how they turn out. Overall the basic version works really well for me!

*Note: Grizzly LOVES it because it is CHEAP my hair appears to grow stronger, thus longer quicker.

**Extra note: I do have a liter of Biolage shampoo and a liter of Biolage conditioner in my bathtub right now that I used prior to switching and kept "in case of hair emergency," but have not needed it at all.

Supervillians Are Among Us!

Our economy is terrible, that is no secret. The environment is in major trouble. The world is pretty much falling apart, and we can't stop it. I do believe we can slow it down though. My mom and I have talked about this many times. We both agree that many people have developed a sense of entitlement. "I deserve that new car," "I earned that giant house," "I need that vacation in the Bahamas," etc.

Honestly in the world today, I am happy that I have a roof over my head and food on the table. I am fine with the fact that I had to shop the sales for that food and cook it from scratch. It is better for us anyway!

I am not trying to convert the masses, I just want to make sure everyone who wants to be is educated about the options. I don't hide that I prefer to do things in a more natural way. Yes I am the weird hippie mom! I am THAT mom who packs organic granola and flaxseed cookies for snacks, and tries to make everything before considering buying it (tries is the operative word here). Luckily many of those natural ways are also much cheaper. Cheaper + better for me + better for the environment = All winners!

A couple of examples here: OCM, no poo, natural homemade cleansers, cloth diapers, mama cloth, glass, family cloth, gardening, and so many more! I realize that not all of these are for everyone, and I was skeptical about a lot of the natural alternatives, but they are definitely worth looking into.

I am convinced that I could take a normal person, teach them a few natural alternatives, and cut a huge chunk out of their budget! Grizzly and I are probably saving $200-$300 a month by using our "hippie" methods.

Do people just not realize there are other options?

Do they not want to stray from the norm?

Are they secretly living as supervillians who want to throw away money and destroy the planet?

(That last one is a joke, well, mostly)

(Hehehe, supervillian --->)

The point is, there are natural alternatives to almost everything we do or use. I think it's worthwhile to consider them.

I will get down off my soapbox now. Carry on...

Operation: Princess

Operation: Princess made some progress this week. Not as much as I'd like, for health reasons, but progress none the less.

My mom and I wandered up to one of our favorite craft stores and found plenty of treasures! I was looking at fabric, as usual, while she made some fabulous paper finds. Remember the princess fabric? She found the matching paper! It is perfect! I had no idea that there was matching paper. I have so many ideas for this pack. Most of them involve my moms cricut machine. If you don't know what that is, it is awesome! It cuts out shapes for you. I realize that doesn't sound overly exciting, but there are some really cute shapes. They look clean and detailed too. She happens to have a princess cartridge for it. I am envisioning a sign that reads "Faerie Tale Theatre." Maybe some decoupage in there too!

She also found some adorable stamps: a castle and a crown. I don't know what to do with these yet, but the ideas will come. I am sure these will get plenty of use over the years.

I mistakenly did not get enough fabric to do a large wetbag out of my first batch, so I corrected that mistake.

Hopefully I am feeling up to working on it tomorrow. I would love to do more painting, but we'll have to wait and see.

Cloth Diapers: $100 Challenge

I am so excited! My husband doesn't understand how I can be jumping-out-of-my-skin-excited about diapers. Let alone diapers that I am not even going to use! Let me explain...

Some time ago, I was looking at cloth diapers. I was checking prices on prefolds, because you can never have enough. Seriously, they have so many uses. More about that later. I was looking at different options, when the thought that started all of this occurred to me, "I wonder how cheap I could cloth diaper a child?" It is nice to have a variety, but what if someone needed the most inexpensive option?

Then I thought, "I bet I could diaper a child for $100, birth to potty training." I took this as a challenge. The search was on. I started finding more and more options, and I started realizing that I could realistically do it. There are tons of options for making diapers out of old clothes, towels, sheets, etc. But so many people in my generation do not know how to sew or don't have access to a sewing machine, so I stuck with commercially available items that anyone could buy.

I am so excited about this because I truly believe it can help people. Whether you use cloth for financial, health, or environmental reasons, it is a great thing! We have so many low income families in my community, all over the country really. If people knew they could save thousands of dollars, I have to think they would do it. Added bonus: it is so much better for the baby and the environment!

Onto the challenge. I searched every store, every resource I knew. And. I. Did. It...

Here is how...

Note: I used mostly prefolds because they are cheap, easy to use, and last through many sizes. I have also used each of the other diapers listed (with the exception of Econobums covers, which will be here this week).

In the cart cart above, there are:

24 one size prefolds

7 one size covers

1 wetbag

Total: $96.75

This is enough to wash every other day, and should last from birth to potty training. This option even includes a wetbag. You could easily get by with this option and nothing else. Some will argue that "one size" won't fit newborns, but you can make them work if needed. Many One Size diapers fit my daughter at about 8 lbs.

Next option...

In this cart are:

2 one size pocket diapers

9 infant prefolds

12 premium prefolds

4 small covers

4 size 2 covers

Total: $128.50

Some of these are gently used, but I have had great luck with this company. This option would actually be done better if you purchased the small diapers, then sold those to buy the larger diapers. You do not need them all at once.

Next...

12 One Size Pocket Diapers

Total: $24.00

As you can see, this is a receipt not a cart. This one is elusive, so I used an example that I personally purchased. It is only available a couple times a year, but is well worth it. 12 One Size diapers for $24.00. You are reading that correctly. Pocket diapers are very easy too, similar to disposables. You can see I purchased 6 refresher kits with them, but I didn't even need them. These do not come with inserts, but you can stuff them with old towels if you need to (it works!).

Next...

24 Pocket Diapers

Total: $108.00

This is, again, enough diapers to wash every other day. These are also very easy to use. They use snaps, but go on like a disposables.

You can of course mix and match these options. Sunbaby has a $60.00 option for 12 diapers, and you could get 4 of the Econobum sets (12 prefolds and 4 covers) all for $107.80

If you use cloth wipes, that will save even more. Baby washcloths are an easy option. You can also cut up flannel ($2.49 per yard at Joann's right now), even old shirts. If you use these wipe options, you can easily cloth diaper a child for $100... Total, not a month!

I am taking brochures about this experiment to my local help center, baby closet, etc. Like I said, I genuinely believe this can help people. If this helps even one person, the time and energy I spend on this is well worth it...

*All items were found at Cottonbabies, Jillian's Drawers, and Sunbaby. There are many SWAP boards out there with inexpensive choices too; Diaperswappers and BBC CD SWAP are two that I have had great experiences with.

**New update here.