Hallo!
No soap:
For the past 45 days I've stopped using soap (except on my hands). For a year I haven't used shampoo or any un-natural chemicals on my hair so I thought "why am I using soap on my body?". During the year I've mainly been using soap on my feet, privates and bum, armpits and hands - and simply washing the rest of my body with water and a sponge.
(7 months update: I love being no-soap! My showers are shorter and fresher and I feel more free. It's been 7 months now since I last used soap, except on my hands. I have a delightful natural, clean scent. My husband doesn't use soap either and I find that he smells better and better as time goes by. Today I found that he smelt so fresh and just really delicious! Humans have a natural scent just like all other animals. And just like all other animals, we like and even enjoy the scent of our own species. It can take a while for the natural scent to come back after years of chemical mixing, but eventually it comes back, and is so worth it!! I still wash my hands with soap because they come into contact with a lot of dirt and germs, and it seems to have been proven that using soap on hands helps in decreasing or avoiding a lot of contamination. But the un-exposed body parts do NOT need soap washing.)
Research:
Before doing this, I did some research on not using soap and how to wash the private area naturally. I found out that the body does not need to be washed with soap (except the hands as there is some research which suggests that since humans use soap on their hands, a lot of disease has been avoided). The body creates its own oil that is needed to keep the body clean and protected, but when we use soap we strip it all off and leave the body vulnerable, so it gets dirty, dry or greasy and even stinky. Another point is that apparently by stopping soap, the body is less smelly because it regulates itself better. Some soaps are really damaging and even create imbalances in the body's hormones - which is very unhealthy! The private area also (which is what I was more worried about washing properly) doesn't need soap. Apparently a lot of people tend to know this - but I didn't - you should only use water on your privates! And that includes the bumbum too. (I've heard that coconut oil or white vinegar are good ways to kill any fungus or smells and is a good idea to use after menstruating for example or if -God forbid- you have an infection down there.)
Water showers:
I have several showers a day to wash myself completely with water only. Each shower takes about 4 minutes so I'm not wasting too much water. I also wash my privates every time I go to the toilet (in this way) to make sure I stay clean at all times (this is necessary in my life to be able to carry on with my daily religious rituals). During my shower I clean every orifice very well because this is where infections and dirt get into the body = ears, nose, mouth, navel, vagina and anus (and eyes, but I don't wash inside my eyes). As well as the orifices, it's important to wash all the hairy parts of the body by giving a good scrub with your hand or sponge. The armpits are the ones I wash the most thoroughly until any smell goes (but luckily I haven't been smelling lately). And finally the feet. I wash in between my toes and the whole foot. It's also good to wash feet during the day whenever they are dirty or damp or any 'not normal' situation. For my religious rituals, I need to clean my feet several times a day, also if you're a bare-foot person then you'll need to wash your feet a lot. The main thing is to wash them before getting into bed so that you sleep clean. I've had to use soap in between my toes twice because it got itchy and I thought it was because I didn't use soap, but it turned out to be just my toe nails getting long and digging into the toes around! So I can go no-soap, worry-free again even on my toes.
Dry skin brushing:
In my shower I do not use a sponge or brush, I only use my hands and the shower water. BUT before every shower I've also started Dry Skin Brushing. This is to stimulate the lymphatic system and to revitalise my body as well as getting rid of dead skin cells. I find that it also leaves my skin clean and soft, which means it doesn't require scrubbing in the shower.
Deodorant (natural):
I haven't used any deodorant since transitioning to no-soap, but I've read that some people go really stinky for the first few days so they went for a natural or homemade deodorant to help during that time. I have noticed that I smell nicer, I really like my natural smell and no one around has noticed any change. Even my husband hasn't noticed any difference. No smell is a great smell! Because my sweat used to be quite smelly... This is also affected by clothes. If you wear synthetic fabrics then this will make your sweat smell. If you wear natural fabrics then your sweat will not be affected by it. If you do want to use deodorant you can make a lovely homemade one or I would recommend using Alum rock (yes Alum come from aluminium but check the ingredients because sometimes it's made of the bad type and sometimes it's made of the good type). The easy and lovely homemade one requires 1, 2 or 3 ingredients, depending on how intricate you want to be :)
Natural Deo:
option 1: Rub some coconut oil on your armpits
option 2: Rub some baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) on your armpits
option 3: Mix baking soda and coconut oil in a little tub and apply it to your armpits
option 4: Mix baking soda, coconut oil and a few drops of essential oils for a delightful scent (I use lavender and it smells so lovely) mix it in a little tub and apply it with your fingers.
So, how to be a no-soap person? It helps to use the Dry Skin Brushing technique and why not try a natural deodorant to add a little scent.
Have you ever thought of going no-soap? What do you think about it?
Love J xx
PS it's been around 3 years now since I used soap on my body and I wouldn't go back. It seems silly and wasteful. I still use soap on my hands and occasionally on my face if I've been in a polluted environment. The doedorant I use every single day is the coconut oil and baking soda mix.
Thursday, 18 December 2014
Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Oral hygiene update (oil pulling and tongue scraping)
Hi everybody!
Peace be with you all!
I've been away for almost 3 months, living on an eco-farm in central France! It was so super! During this time away I've had time to learn, re-learn and practice some new, green, cool stuff. They used Ayurvedic medicine to treat and prevent illnesses there and they were vegetarian too.
I had already read about oil pulling a while ago and just couldn't get down to doing it but it was recommended for me because it doesn't only serve as a great mouth wash and teeth whitener but also to clear out the sinuses and so many other ills! I always have sinus issues and other respiratory infections. So I decided to give it a go. When oil pulling, we should try to do it everyday for a month minimum before deciding whether or not it works for us. SO here I go, on an oil-pulling month!
The oil I use is roasted sesame oil, and I put some black seeds in the bottle, because black seeds are great for teeth health (and overall health).
The next thing I added to my routine is tongue scraping. Funnily enough I bought a pack of 6 tongue scrapers off ebay months and months ago but only used one very un-frequently. Now, I read that it's a very ancient Ayurvedic practice which, like oil pulling, helps for over all internal cleansing.
So, now, thanks to all the research I've done and thanks to other awesome bloggers and youtubers out there I've managed to transform my oral hygiene routine to this:
-Oil pulling for 15 minutes
-tongue scraping
-teeth brushing (baking soda and water)
-tongue scraping again
-water mouth wash for 1 or 2 minutes
This routine is the first thing I do when I wake up. Oil pulling must be done before eating and drinking anything in the morning because it gets rid of all the bacteria build up from the night. Our mouths are full of toxins and bacteria that have come out of all our organs and tissues through out the night and risen up to our mouths to get out of our bodies, but if we drink or eat when we wake up we just take it all back into our bodies! So we must get rid of it all first and oil pulling is just great for that!
where I got a lot of info from:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NehqUEFLFc8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRXUWEDMAz4
I will be doing this daily, morning routine for at least a month and see if it helps my health.
peace out!
Peace be with you all!
I've been away for almost 3 months, living on an eco-farm in central France! It was so super! During this time away I've had time to learn, re-learn and practice some new, green, cool stuff. They used Ayurvedic medicine to treat and prevent illnesses there and they were vegetarian too.
I had already read about oil pulling a while ago and just couldn't get down to doing it but it was recommended for me because it doesn't only serve as a great mouth wash and teeth whitener but also to clear out the sinuses and so many other ills! I always have sinus issues and other respiratory infections. So I decided to give it a go. When oil pulling, we should try to do it everyday for a month minimum before deciding whether or not it works for us. SO here I go, on an oil-pulling month!
The oil I use is roasted sesame oil, and I put some black seeds in the bottle, because black seeds are great for teeth health (and overall health).
The next thing I added to my routine is tongue scraping. Funnily enough I bought a pack of 6 tongue scrapers off ebay months and months ago but only used one very un-frequently. Now, I read that it's a very ancient Ayurvedic practice which, like oil pulling, helps for over all internal cleansing.
So, now, thanks to all the research I've done and thanks to other awesome bloggers and youtubers out there I've managed to transform my oral hygiene routine to this:
-Oil pulling for 15 minutes
-tongue scraping
-teeth brushing (baking soda and water)
-tongue scraping again
-water mouth wash for 1 or 2 minutes
This routine is the first thing I do when I wake up. Oil pulling must be done before eating and drinking anything in the morning because it gets rid of all the bacteria build up from the night. Our mouths are full of toxins and bacteria that have come out of all our organs and tissues through out the night and risen up to our mouths to get out of our bodies, but if we drink or eat when we wake up we just take it all back into our bodies! So we must get rid of it all first and oil pulling is just great for that!
where I got a lot of info from:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NehqUEFLFc8
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRXUWEDMAz4
I will be doing this daily, morning routine for at least a month and see if it helps my health.
peace out!
Wednesday, 17 September 2014
8 month update NO-POO / SHAMPHREE
Hi everyone!
8 months no shampoo ey! Awesome.
My hair is still normal, looks good and feels good. Others say my hair is thicker, healthier and slightly blonder. I guess because I see my hair everyday I can't really tell the difference and I've never really had any hair problems so there was nothing specific for me to observe. Nonetheless I'm very happy with my hair experience. I have found a routine -which is still the same since being 4 or 5 months into it- although it varies now and then when I go a few extra days without washing it or if it desperately needs a wash - like after going to the sea.
Swimming in the sea: My hair was covered all day with a bandanna style scarf which means no wind or sand got to it. But I did put my head under water so my hair was definitely in contact with natural, salty, sea water and a bit of sun (when cotton is wet, the sun gets through). I washed my hair with shikakai and water, and conditioned it with lemon-water in the evening and it was amazing. The sea water really did something lovely to it ;-) it felt so clean.
I've noticed that the shikakai and lemon routine is great but after 5 or 6 weeks it really needs a baking-soda wash, still followed by lemon-water. The shikakai is such a light cleansing that eventually I found it needs something stronger to get rid of a certain waxyness which builds up. But as I said it's only after 5 or 6 weeks. Also I often went a whole week without washing at all if it didn't look or feel like it needed it.
I do not know, at this point, if I will ever be able to go without anything at all and rely only on water but I haven't lost hope in the idea. I'm planning on cutting down on shikakai as much as possible and doing WO as much as I can without my hair looking or feeling dirty.
For now I've basically been washing only when it needs it, which can be once or twice a week.
Thanks for reading and please leave comments or questions and I will get back to you!
Hope your journey is also going well =)
Love
Joanna
PS: I've had a minor set back this week because I got head-lice from my nephew... eek... (Read my post on how to get rid of nits on a no-poo hair-diet) I applied a lot of coconut and tea tree oil on my hair and scalp to get rid of them which means that my hair was extremely oily. It worked wonders on the nits and was so beneficial for my hair, My hair was so beautiful and luscious and soft and shiny after about a week or a week and a half. After this I went just over a week doing WO twice and without using any shikakai or anything else either..
Peace
Check out my 1 YEAR UPDATE !!
8 months no shampoo ey! Awesome.
My hair is still normal, looks good and feels good. Others say my hair is thicker, healthier and slightly blonder. I guess because I see my hair everyday I can't really tell the difference and I've never really had any hair problems so there was nothing specific for me to observe. Nonetheless I'm very happy with my hair experience. I have found a routine -which is still the same since being 4 or 5 months into it- although it varies now and then when I go a few extra days without washing it or if it desperately needs a wash - like after going to the sea.
Swimming in the sea: My hair was covered all day with a bandanna style scarf which means no wind or sand got to it. But I did put my head under water so my hair was definitely in contact with natural, salty, sea water and a bit of sun (when cotton is wet, the sun gets through). I washed my hair with shikakai and water, and conditioned it with lemon-water in the evening and it was amazing. The sea water really did something lovely to it ;-) it felt so clean.
I've noticed that the shikakai and lemon routine is great but after 5 or 6 weeks it really needs a baking-soda wash, still followed by lemon-water. The shikakai is such a light cleansing that eventually I found it needs something stronger to get rid of a certain waxyness which builds up. But as I said it's only after 5 or 6 weeks. Also I often went a whole week without washing at all if it didn't look or feel like it needed it.
I do not know, at this point, if I will ever be able to go without anything at all and rely only on water but I haven't lost hope in the idea. I'm planning on cutting down on shikakai as much as possible and doing WO as much as I can without my hair looking or feeling dirty.
For now I've basically been washing only when it needs it, which can be once or twice a week.
Thanks for reading and please leave comments or questions and I will get back to you!
Hope your journey is also going well =)
Love
Joanna
PS: I've had a minor set back this week because I got head-lice from my nephew... eek... (Read my post on how to get rid of nits on a no-poo hair-diet) I applied a lot of coconut and tea tree oil on my hair and scalp to get rid of them which means that my hair was extremely oily. It worked wonders on the nits and was so beneficial for my hair, My hair was so beautiful and luscious and soft and shiny after about a week or a week and a half. After this I went just over a week doing WO twice and without using any shikakai or anything else either..
Peace
Check out my 1 YEAR UPDATE !!
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
NITS - NO POO _ getting rid of nits and lice without chemicals! (+ bonus non violent info)
Hi everyone!
I've got nits and lice!! EEuww! I spent the summer with my nephew, who caught nits and I caught them off him!
NITS PREFER 'CLEAN' HAIR THAN 'DIRTY' HAIR!! Lice can't grip onto hair that is oily.
Nits on adult heads?!
This is very rare, but it does happen; usually parents or people involved in childcare. On adults they can take up to 30 days to hatch, so you could be carrying around a bunch a eggs ready to emerge and itch your head up big time!! My head got itchier and itchier for about 2 weeks and suddenly I found a louse in my shower! This was a week and a half after I'd left my family. I emailed my mum to ask if she knew about any nits around the family and she replied that she, my sister and my nephew all had nits! So we must have all caught them of my nephew who tends to hang around his friends who are school children...
What's the next step? Do I have to use chemicals?
So I found a louse and can see some nits (eggs) in my hair! WHAT TO DO? All I can remember as a kid is that I had LOADS of nits and my mum would use a dreadful, stenchy chemical that seamed to kill everything in my hair and destroy part of head with it too! But knowing what I know now about chemicals and being no-poo for nearly 8 months I could not bare the thought of using such chemicals on my head. So I started searching for natural options and found that apparently the best way is to use Coconut Oil and Tea Tree Oil (make sure both oils are 100% natural and are the pure ingredients, you don't want to use creams or oil blends...)
Natural Recipe for Nit Remedy
Mix 3 tablespoons of pure coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon of pure tea tree oil. Rub it all over your scalp and hair, then cover it in a scarf. I also wore a hoody on top in case any would slide through the edges of my scarf... I didn't want to drop them off where ever I went!
Leave the oil-remedy and head scarf on your head over-night or at least 8 hours (some can hold their breath for up to 8 hours!). With a nit comb, comb out the dead bodies and rinse the comb well between each finding. Then when you think you're done, wash your hair, using your normal routine (add a couple drops of tea tree oil into your shampoo or washing mix). Your hair will remain oily for up to a few days but that is a good thing. It will prevent any live ones to latch onto your hair and they will die quickly. I prepared a mix in a spray bottle, to spray my hair everyday for the next week or so. It's made up of 10 drops of tea tree oil and 1 cup of water.
This worked for me, my head continued to be itchy for up to 3 or 4 days after all the lice were dead because they bite a bit and I had an allergic reaction to their saliva which is common. So don't freak out if you're their dead and don't understand why you're still scratching!
With my no-poo or shamphree hair routine, my hair stayed oily for 9 days. I washed it every 2 days with shikakai and lemon, and also baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The ACV helped to maintain my hair moist because although it was oily from the coconut oil, my hair felt a bit like hay underneath it all. I usually wash my hair once or twice a week but because of the coconut oil I needed to wash it more just to get rid of the oilyness. Now that all the oil is washed out, my hair is left so gorgeous, luscious, soft and so smooth. Great! (Y)
How to catch nits
Nits and lice do not fly or jump, you cannot catch them from a pillow and if they've been off a human head they'll die within 24 hours. The only way you catch them is if they crawl from another head onto your head so that is usually whilst hugging or carrying an infested child or being in other very close contact with an infested head.
How to get rid of nits fully / What nits hate
Wash the T-shirts, jumpers, hats and scarves you've been wearing the past couple days, as well as bedding and your coat. If your nits were on anything else, they've probably died by now and fallen off somewhere. Nits hate oily environments (so rub that oil in deep and all over!), they hate freezing environments (If your afraid your coat might be infested but it's too big for your washing machine then put it in a freezer!), they also hate heat! So if you use curling irons, flat irons or hair dryers then by all means, use them today! I don't ever use heat on my hair but I actually considered it today... I resisted though.
Prevention
Tea tree oil is also the best prevention from nits and lice because they hate it so much! If heads in your local area are infested and you want to prevent your kids from catching them then put a few drops into your normal hair-washing routine and that of your kids so that all of you are protected. Lice will not approach a head that smells of tea tree oil.
Spiritual and non-violence view of killing nits
So while I was preparing to kill all these tiny beings on my head I was getting second thoughts. Do I really need to kill them? Is there a way to get rid of nits without killing them? and blablabla... Well I thought about it longer.
1) If there was a way to remove them without killing them - they would die afterwards because they can only survive on a human head.
2) Removing them alive and placing them on someone else's head - completely adverse to non-violence because you would be putting another person through the itchy ordeal and they would most probably end up killing them anyway.
3) The only pure non-violent way to deal with nits and lice would be to keep them on your head, but living far away from other humans in order to not transfer them to anyone. And you would not be allowed to scratch your head because it would hurt them and you. So this would be a truly most difficult task and test from God!
4) So I have to kill them? Yes. But there are different ways to kill a being. You can kill out of revenge, out of anger, out of God-consciousness etc.
So I decided that there was no other alternative but to kill them. These are parasites that were created solely to live off human blood and on their heads no less! So it is part of them and it is who they are to hurt us, but it is not who we are to hurt them back! Do not kill them out of revenge for biting your scalp, and do not hurt or kill them out of spite or anger. I must remember why I am killing them, and it is only because I am too weak to carry them on me because of the pain and itchiness. So I surrender to God Almighty and I kill these tiny beings out of love for them and love for my head and love for my sanity! I pray that being killed by a God-consciousness person will free them from this pitiful existence that they are in and that they can move onto a higher form of life now. Amen!
I hope you get rid of your nits and that everything is well for you!
Lots of peace and love
I've got nits and lice!! EEuww! I spent the summer with my nephew, who caught nits and I caught them off him!
NITS PREFER 'CLEAN' HAIR THAN 'DIRTY' HAIR!! Lice can't grip onto hair that is oily.
Nits on adult heads?!
This is very rare, but it does happen; usually parents or people involved in childcare. On adults they can take up to 30 days to hatch, so you could be carrying around a bunch a eggs ready to emerge and itch your head up big time!! My head got itchier and itchier for about 2 weeks and suddenly I found a louse in my shower! This was a week and a half after I'd left my family. I emailed my mum to ask if she knew about any nits around the family and she replied that she, my sister and my nephew all had nits! So we must have all caught them of my nephew who tends to hang around his friends who are school children...
What's the next step? Do I have to use chemicals?
So I found a louse and can see some nits (eggs) in my hair! WHAT TO DO? All I can remember as a kid is that I had LOADS of nits and my mum would use a dreadful, stenchy chemical that seamed to kill everything in my hair and destroy part of head with it too! But knowing what I know now about chemicals and being no-poo for nearly 8 months I could not bare the thought of using such chemicals on my head. So I started searching for natural options and found that apparently the best way is to use Coconut Oil and Tea Tree Oil (make sure both oils are 100% natural and are the pure ingredients, you don't want to use creams or oil blends...)
Natural Recipe for Nit Remedy
Mix 3 tablespoons of pure coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon of pure tea tree oil. Rub it all over your scalp and hair, then cover it in a scarf. I also wore a hoody on top in case any would slide through the edges of my scarf... I didn't want to drop them off where ever I went!
Leave the oil-remedy and head scarf on your head over-night or at least 8 hours (some can hold their breath for up to 8 hours!). With a nit comb, comb out the dead bodies and rinse the comb well between each finding. Then when you think you're done, wash your hair, using your normal routine (add a couple drops of tea tree oil into your shampoo or washing mix). Your hair will remain oily for up to a few days but that is a good thing. It will prevent any live ones to latch onto your hair and they will die quickly. I prepared a mix in a spray bottle, to spray my hair everyday for the next week or so. It's made up of 10 drops of tea tree oil and 1 cup of water.
This worked for me, my head continued to be itchy for up to 3 or 4 days after all the lice were dead because they bite a bit and I had an allergic reaction to their saliva which is common. So don't freak out if you're their dead and don't understand why you're still scratching!
With my no-poo or shamphree hair routine, my hair stayed oily for 9 days. I washed it every 2 days with shikakai and lemon, and also baking soda and apple cider vinegar. The ACV helped to maintain my hair moist because although it was oily from the coconut oil, my hair felt a bit like hay underneath it all. I usually wash my hair once or twice a week but because of the coconut oil I needed to wash it more just to get rid of the oilyness. Now that all the oil is washed out, my hair is left so gorgeous, luscious, soft and so smooth. Great! (Y)
How to catch nits
Nits and lice do not fly or jump, you cannot catch them from a pillow and if they've been off a human head they'll die within 24 hours. The only way you catch them is if they crawl from another head onto your head so that is usually whilst hugging or carrying an infested child or being in other very close contact with an infested head.
How to get rid of nits fully / What nits hate
Wash the T-shirts, jumpers, hats and scarves you've been wearing the past couple days, as well as bedding and your coat. If your nits were on anything else, they've probably died by now and fallen off somewhere. Nits hate oily environments (so rub that oil in deep and all over!), they hate freezing environments (If your afraid your coat might be infested but it's too big for your washing machine then put it in a freezer!), they also hate heat! So if you use curling irons, flat irons or hair dryers then by all means, use them today! I don't ever use heat on my hair but I actually considered it today... I resisted though.
Prevention
Tea tree oil is also the best prevention from nits and lice because they hate it so much! If heads in your local area are infested and you want to prevent your kids from catching them then put a few drops into your normal hair-washing routine and that of your kids so that all of you are protected. Lice will not approach a head that smells of tea tree oil.
Spiritual and non-violence view of killing nits
So while I was preparing to kill all these tiny beings on my head I was getting second thoughts. Do I really need to kill them? Is there a way to get rid of nits without killing them? and blablabla... Well I thought about it longer.
1) If there was a way to remove them without killing them - they would die afterwards because they can only survive on a human head.
2) Removing them alive and placing them on someone else's head - completely adverse to non-violence because you would be putting another person through the itchy ordeal and they would most probably end up killing them anyway.
3) The only pure non-violent way to deal with nits and lice would be to keep them on your head, but living far away from other humans in order to not transfer them to anyone. And you would not be allowed to scratch your head because it would hurt them and you. So this would be a truly most difficult task and test from God!
4) So I have to kill them? Yes. But there are different ways to kill a being. You can kill out of revenge, out of anger, out of God-consciousness etc.
So I decided that there was no other alternative but to kill them. These are parasites that were created solely to live off human blood and on their heads no less! So it is part of them and it is who they are to hurt us, but it is not who we are to hurt them back! Do not kill them out of revenge for biting your scalp, and do not hurt or kill them out of spite or anger. I must remember why I am killing them, and it is only because I am too weak to carry them on me because of the pain and itchiness. So I surrender to God Almighty and I kill these tiny beings out of love for them and love for my head and love for my sanity! I pray that being killed by a God-consciousness person will free them from this pitiful existence that they are in and that they can move onto a higher form of life now. Amen!
I hope you get rid of your nits and that everything is well for you!
Lots of peace and love
Friday, 4 July 2014
5 MONTHS SHAMPHREE - NO POO
5 months and 10 days to be precise!
Hi everybody, almost a month and a half and no posts! So here's for this month's recap of my hair routine: what worked and what didn't and all the blablabla =D
So let's start back from the begining. The first week of the 5th month I carried on using the shikakai powder mix (2 heaped teaspoons in 1 cup of water, mixed in a squeezy bottle) followed by the lemon mix (juice of half a lemon in 1 cup and 1/2 of water in a spray bottle) as a conditioner.
At first I used this routine twice a week; monday morning and thursday night (about 3 and 1/2 days apart). I did this for about 2 weeks (including the first week of last month). My hair was cleaner than usual so I went on to doing only 1 shikakai-lemon wash the next week and without the WO in between either and then I neither washed nor wet my hair at all for the next 10 days. After which my hair was too oily for just the shikakai (plus I had run out). So I did a baking soda and lemon wash. My hair was splendid after that and didn't require a wash or wet for a week. By then I had also ran out of baking soda so the only hair-washing 'product' I had was a bit of clay left from my initial routine. So I used it. I did a clay wash and then I WO for the rest of the time until now.
So a clearer recap of my ideas: I am going to carry on WO until it needs a stronger wash. The Shikakai and lemon routine is wonderful; in the case that my hair needs a stronger wash than WO, I will use the shikakai powder and lemon-water mix. After a few weeks or a month, if my hair looks like it needs it then I will do a baking soda and lemon wash. Then return to WO or shikakai ect.
Well that is pretty much it for this month. I'm 3 weeks away from 6 months! woo! cool! ;P
Let me know about your journey, take care!
Peace
Check out my 8 months update!
Hi everybody, almost a month and a half and no posts! So here's for this month's recap of my hair routine: what worked and what didn't and all the blablabla =D
So let's start back from the begining. The first week of the 5th month I carried on using the shikakai powder mix (2 heaped teaspoons in 1 cup of water, mixed in a squeezy bottle) followed by the lemon mix (juice of half a lemon in 1 cup and 1/2 of water in a spray bottle) as a conditioner.
At first I used this routine twice a week; monday morning and thursday night (about 3 and 1/2 days apart). I did this for about 2 weeks (including the first week of last month). My hair was cleaner than usual so I went on to doing only 1 shikakai-lemon wash the next week and without the WO in between either and then I neither washed nor wet my hair at all for the next 10 days. After which my hair was too oily for just the shikakai (plus I had run out). So I did a baking soda and lemon wash. My hair was splendid after that and didn't require a wash or wet for a week. By then I had also ran out of baking soda so the only hair-washing 'product' I had was a bit of clay left from my initial routine. So I used it. I did a clay wash and then I WO for the rest of the time until now.
So a clearer recap of my ideas: I am going to carry on WO until it needs a stronger wash. The Shikakai and lemon routine is wonderful; in the case that my hair needs a stronger wash than WO, I will use the shikakai powder and lemon-water mix. After a few weeks or a month, if my hair looks like it needs it then I will do a baking soda and lemon wash. Then return to WO or shikakai ect.
Well that is pretty much it for this month. I'm 3 weeks away from 6 months! woo! cool! ;P
Let me know about your journey, take care!
Peace
Check out my 8 months update!
Friday, 30 May 2014
I don't use Toothpaste! Then what do I use?
Hey everybody!
Now this is quite a common theme: toothpaste. A lot of green people use alternatives to traditional toothpaste because of fluoride and other ingredients. Again in this post I'm not going to go into all the detail of why not to use toothpaste because there are so many other websites and blogs and books about that. But I'm here to let you know what I do about it and I hope I'll be able to inspire you by showing you how easy it is to let go of toothpaste once you've made the decision that it's just not for you!
Here are 5 wonderful alternatives for you to read about and experiment with!
Alternative 1: nothing! that's right, no toothpaste at all. But keep brushing! Never stop brushing - no toothpaste doesn't mean no oral cleaning routine! Use your normal tooth brush and brush your teeth several times a day, but with nothing on it, just water (morning, evening + every time you eat).
I call this Empty Brushing.
I did this for a while and still do it a lot but I've added a few steps to my routine. One reason I started doing it was because I just don't like toothpaste; it tastes too strong and is so messy! So I would sometimes go days without brushing! Until I decided I just wouldn't use toothpaste anymore, so I started brushing my teeth with just water. After a while I wondered if it was unhealthy to do this so I did some research on it. I found out that when brushing your teeth, the brushing is what's cleaning your teeth not the toothpaste! So give it a try and see what you think for yourself. Another great benefit is that because it's so quick and easy, you can just brush so many times a day and it's no hassle. You can also carry a toothbrush with you wherever you go and give your teeth a quick brush when you find a tap.
EXTRAS: 1 If you eat onions and garlic and processed food and other stinky foods then your breath will get stinky with the brushing alone technique. Baking soda is great for getting rid of smells. So if you go for the empty brushing alternative, make sure to make a baking soda mouth wash to use once a day, morning is better - kills dirt and smells accumulated during the night. Swish it around every where - spit - and rinse your mouth out with water!
2 Make a mouthwash out of 1 cup of water and 3 or 4 drops of peppermint essential oil. This peppermint mouth wash can be used once or twice a day, morning: kills dirt and smells accumulated during the night, and evening: after brushing to have a fresh minty smell before bed. Swish it around every where for 5 minutes- spit - and rinse your mouth out with water! (I use this homemade mouthwash in my routine)
Alternative 2: This time you can try combining alternative 1 with extra 1: brush your teeth with a normal toothbrush dipped in a cup of baking soda and water mix.
Alternative 3: This is what I use now; Home made toothpaste. This is so simple and effective: baking soda and coconut oil! That's it! How easy is that, ey? Use the same amount of baking soda to coconut ratio in teaspoons (ie: 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 4 teaspoons of liquid coconut oil - mix it all up in a little glass jar to keep on the bathroom shelf) then put some on your normal toothbrush and get brushing, same as you would with a store bought toothpaste.
EXTRAS: 1 Rinse your mouth out really well after with water because it does not taste nice; very salty and bitter! You can do this 2 or 3 times daily like any other toothpaste, but you could also do empty brushing after meals to keep your mouth and teeth extra clean.
2 Rinse your mouth with the peppermint mouthwash, to get a fresh minty smell. Swish around for 5 minutes, spit and rinse with water. (1 cup of water and 3 to 4 drops of essential oil.)
Alternative 4: What I like to use sometimes also is a Siwak or Miswak: It is from a root or branch, depending on what the shop is selling. It's 100% natural and cleans your mouth very well. You use it like a toothbrush but use only water with it. It doesn't make teeth white but it does get rid of smells and bacteria. I will dedicate a whole post to it. This is porbably the most natural and green alternative for brushing teeth as well as the cheapest - 1 stalk cost about 40p (british pennies)!! And last weeks to months (depending on how often you use it and how well you look after it).
EXTRAS: You could still empty brush now and then and use a homemade mouthwash (baking soda or peppermint).
Alternative 5: I have never used this technique but have heard that it works wonders and is really healthy for many, many reasons: you could do more research about it if you are interested! This is Oil Pulling. Basically you put oil in your mouth (I heard coconut is a good one for this too) and swish and swoosh for 20 minutes! Then spit out and rinse with water (make sure to spit it into the bin and not down the drain - also do NOT swallow the oil or the water rinse after it! Because it is full of bacteria.) This is a technique reserved for the people who are not lazy and who have time to do it as well as patience! Good luck. Although it is really effective according to research.
As I mentioned before, what I do is: Brush my teeth with my homemade toothpaste morning and evening followed by 5 minutes of swishing and swooshing the peppermint mouthwash. Sometimes I empty brush throughout the day. Empty brushing is great because it's so quick and easy and not messy at all.
There you have it folks! Enjoy your new oral cleansing routine and let us know what you go for. Any tips?
CHECK OUT MY UPDATE HERE where I talk about my new routine, including oil pulling and tongue scraping!
Peace out!
:-D
Now this is quite a common theme: toothpaste. A lot of green people use alternatives to traditional toothpaste because of fluoride and other ingredients. Again in this post I'm not going to go into all the detail of why not to use toothpaste because there are so many other websites and blogs and books about that. But I'm here to let you know what I do about it and I hope I'll be able to inspire you by showing you how easy it is to let go of toothpaste once you've made the decision that it's just not for you!
Here are 5 wonderful alternatives for you to read about and experiment with!
Alternative 1: nothing! that's right, no toothpaste at all. But keep brushing! Never stop brushing - no toothpaste doesn't mean no oral cleaning routine! Use your normal tooth brush and brush your teeth several times a day, but with nothing on it, just water (morning, evening + every time you eat).
I call this Empty Brushing.
I did this for a while and still do it a lot but I've added a few steps to my routine. One reason I started doing it was because I just don't like toothpaste; it tastes too strong and is so messy! So I would sometimes go days without brushing! Until I decided I just wouldn't use toothpaste anymore, so I started brushing my teeth with just water. After a while I wondered if it was unhealthy to do this so I did some research on it. I found out that when brushing your teeth, the brushing is what's cleaning your teeth not the toothpaste! So give it a try and see what you think for yourself. Another great benefit is that because it's so quick and easy, you can just brush so many times a day and it's no hassle. You can also carry a toothbrush with you wherever you go and give your teeth a quick brush when you find a tap.
EXTRAS: 1 If you eat onions and garlic and processed food and other stinky foods then your breath will get stinky with the brushing alone technique. Baking soda is great for getting rid of smells. So if you go for the empty brushing alternative, make sure to make a baking soda mouth wash to use once a day, morning is better - kills dirt and smells accumulated during the night. Swish it around every where - spit - and rinse your mouth out with water!
2 Make a mouthwash out of 1 cup of water and 3 or 4 drops of peppermint essential oil. This peppermint mouth wash can be used once or twice a day, morning: kills dirt and smells accumulated during the night, and evening: after brushing to have a fresh minty smell before bed. Swish it around every where for 5 minutes- spit - and rinse your mouth out with water! (I use this homemade mouthwash in my routine)
Alternative 2: This time you can try combining alternative 1 with extra 1: brush your teeth with a normal toothbrush dipped in a cup of baking soda and water mix.
Alternative 3: This is what I use now; Home made toothpaste. This is so simple and effective: baking soda and coconut oil! That's it! How easy is that, ey? Use the same amount of baking soda to coconut ratio in teaspoons (ie: 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 4 teaspoons of liquid coconut oil - mix it all up in a little glass jar to keep on the bathroom shelf) then put some on your normal toothbrush and get brushing, same as you would with a store bought toothpaste.
EXTRAS: 1 Rinse your mouth out really well after with water because it does not taste nice; very salty and bitter! You can do this 2 or 3 times daily like any other toothpaste, but you could also do empty brushing after meals to keep your mouth and teeth extra clean.
2 Rinse your mouth with the peppermint mouthwash, to get a fresh minty smell. Swish around for 5 minutes, spit and rinse with water. (1 cup of water and 3 to 4 drops of essential oil.)
Alternative 4: What I like to use sometimes also is a Siwak or Miswak: It is from a root or branch, depending on what the shop is selling. It's 100% natural and cleans your mouth very well. You use it like a toothbrush but use only water with it. It doesn't make teeth white but it does get rid of smells and bacteria. I will dedicate a whole post to it. This is porbably the most natural and green alternative for brushing teeth as well as the cheapest - 1 stalk cost about 40p (british pennies)!! And last weeks to months (depending on how often you use it and how well you look after it).
EXTRAS: You could still empty brush now and then and use a homemade mouthwash (baking soda or peppermint).
Alternative 5: I have never used this technique but have heard that it works wonders and is really healthy for many, many reasons: you could do more research about it if you are interested! This is Oil Pulling. Basically you put oil in your mouth (I heard coconut is a good one for this too) and swish and swoosh for 20 minutes! Then spit out and rinse with water (make sure to spit it into the bin and not down the drain - also do NOT swallow the oil or the water rinse after it! Because it is full of bacteria.) This is a technique reserved for the people who are not lazy and who have time to do it as well as patience! Good luck. Although it is really effective according to research.
As I mentioned before, what I do is: Brush my teeth with my homemade toothpaste morning and evening followed by 5 minutes of swishing and swooshing the peppermint mouthwash. Sometimes I empty brush throughout the day. Empty brushing is great because it's so quick and easy and not messy at all.
There you have it folks! Enjoy your new oral cleansing routine and let us know what you go for. Any tips?
CHECK OUT MY UPDATE HERE where I talk about my new routine, including oil pulling and tongue scraping!
Peace out!
:-D
HAIR DYING INFORMATION for No-poo / Shamphree
Hi everybody! Greetings of peace and love!
As I mentioned in my previous post (4 months shamphree update) my hair got lighter because of all the lemon juice I have been using over the course of my shamphree experimenting. The lemon serves as a conditioner to make my hair soft and smooth: easy to brush.
Before going no-poo, I used to dye my hair about once a year and the last colour I had done was red. BRIGHT RED! It was lovely, I really liked it. But after about 6 months I was really bored of it so I un-died it with a store-bought product meant for it; a dye stripper. I used it and not only did it just make my hair orange, it also made it so STINKY! After dealing with the stench (by drenching it in oil and washing out many times) I got used to the weird colour and actually started liking it. It was no longer called weird orange but light copper ;-)
Only when I went no-poo it just got lighter and lighter and became blond - but only the died part! So I had 10 to 15 cm of brown hair from the roots down and the rest of the length was blondy-ginger... I really wanted my natural colour back so I tried shikakai powder and coffee but those don't dye hair they just help to bring out natural darks. Only my natural colour was buried very deep under the blond and the dye stripper and the red, chemical dye... So! what to do...
Well I didn't want to use a chemical full product on my no-poo hair because I thought it would throw my hair off track completely as I don't want to be using chemicals on my hair anymore!
I couldn't find any useful help online as to how to dye no-poo hair. All the info I could find was how to go no-poo on already dyed hair (which FYI is exactly the same as going no-poo on natural un-dyed hair, except that the dye will get lighter with the use of either lemon or ACV)
I went to a natural whole foods shop and bought a 'natural' hair dye. Of course it's not in fact completely natural but it has no amonia, no parabens and none of the crap that I am mainly trying to keep away from (at least I hope). It's called NaturTint. Heard of it? Please let me know what you know of it if you have!!!
So I dyed it, pretty simple, it's the same as any other DIY hair dye. It cost about £10.49 but it was reduced to £7.49 that day (yepee) so it turned out to be about the same price as a usual one too. I chose the colour that was the closest to my natural colour because I only dyed the part that went blond and I did not dye my roots.
Afterwards I rinsed it out really well, until the water ran clear. I did NOT use the shampoo and care cream that came in the box - I chucked those out - Instead though I made a paste out of baking soda, lemon and shikakai powder I also added a few drops of water. So after rinsing the dye out of my hair very well, I massaged the paste into my hair and scalp and washed like you would with any shampoo but I left it in for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then I rinsed it all out and my hair was very clean but EXTREMELY DRY! So once it dried I covered the dyed part of my hair in coconut oil (avoiding my roots!) I kept the oil in my hair for about 8 hours then rinsed it out with water only. Although still very oily, I could tell that my hair was dry and brittle underneath so I smothered it in coconut oil again. I left it in for 15 hours then did a baking soda wash followed by a lemon-water conditioner and washed it all out. Then I towel dried it as much as I could and let it air dry for the rest. When it was almost fully dry I took a really little bit of coconut oil into my hands and made sure it was all liquid with the heat of my hands and then I stroked my hands through my hair. This was so that it would dry with a bit of oil on it to make it softer and shinier. Wash it through one last time, the next day but just with a lemon-water mix.
Step-by-step (this took me 4 days, so make sure you have time!)
1) Do the DIY 'natural' hair dye -as stated on the information leaflet that came with the dye you bought.
2) Rinse out thoroughly.
3) DO NOT USE THE SHAMPOO AND HAIR CARE THAT CAME WITH THE DYE
4) Make a paste out of your usual shamphree washing style (paste out of baking soda and lemon for example) and put it all over your hair - leave in for 10 to 15 minutes.
5) Rinse out the paste.
6) Towel dry or air dry as usual.
7) If your hair feels dry or brittle, cover it in coconut oil to moisturise it and leave in for 8 to 10 hours.
8) Rinse out with water only (as hot as you can take it, so the oil can drip off, then rinse with cool water to close follicles)
9) If hair is still dry and brittle, then cover in coconut oil again and leave in for 15 to 20 hours.
10) Rinse out and do a baking soda wash followed by your conditioner (ACV or lemon water)
11) Towel or air dry as usual.
If your hair still feels brittle then go to step 12 but if your hair is back to normal then you can stop right there, and you're done :-)
12) Just before fully dry, comb your hair and stroke a teeny-weeny, little bit of coconut oil through your hair length and ends - not on the roots. This is to add soft and shine.
--Because of the coconut oil, your hair might still look wet when it's dry, but it won't look oily or greasy, it'll have the sort of wet beachy look. It looks best in a high pony tail or half pony tail (or covered).
13) The next day, wash it with lemon water (juice of half a lemon and a cup of water, in a squirt bottle and squirt it all over your hair, leave in during the time of your shower (about 10 mins) and rinse out with warm water at the end) Dry as usual.
14) HOPEFULLY your hair will be just lovely!
Those long hours were either in the night or when I went to work with a head scarf, so that the oily coconut hair was not on display! ;-)
Please comment if you try this to let me know how it went for you, or if you tried a different way to successfully dye your hair. I really want to know!
So there it is, hope this helped!
Peace!
As I mentioned in my previous post (4 months shamphree update) my hair got lighter because of all the lemon juice I have been using over the course of my shamphree experimenting. The lemon serves as a conditioner to make my hair soft and smooth: easy to brush.
Before going no-poo, I used to dye my hair about once a year and the last colour I had done was red. BRIGHT RED! It was lovely, I really liked it. But after about 6 months I was really bored of it so I un-died it with a store-bought product meant for it; a dye stripper. I used it and not only did it just make my hair orange, it also made it so STINKY! After dealing with the stench (by drenching it in oil and washing out many times) I got used to the weird colour and actually started liking it. It was no longer called weird orange but light copper ;-)
Only when I went no-poo it just got lighter and lighter and became blond - but only the died part! So I had 10 to 15 cm of brown hair from the roots down and the rest of the length was blondy-ginger... I really wanted my natural colour back so I tried shikakai powder and coffee but those don't dye hair they just help to bring out natural darks. Only my natural colour was buried very deep under the blond and the dye stripper and the red, chemical dye... So! what to do...
Well I didn't want to use a chemical full product on my no-poo hair because I thought it would throw my hair off track completely as I don't want to be using chemicals on my hair anymore!
I couldn't find any useful help online as to how to dye no-poo hair. All the info I could find was how to go no-poo on already dyed hair (which FYI is exactly the same as going no-poo on natural un-dyed hair, except that the dye will get lighter with the use of either lemon or ACV)
I went to a natural whole foods shop and bought a 'natural' hair dye. Of course it's not in fact completely natural but it has no amonia, no parabens and none of the crap that I am mainly trying to keep away from (at least I hope). It's called NaturTint. Heard of it? Please let me know what you know of it if you have!!!
So I dyed it, pretty simple, it's the same as any other DIY hair dye. It cost about £10.49 but it was reduced to £7.49 that day (yepee) so it turned out to be about the same price as a usual one too. I chose the colour that was the closest to my natural colour because I only dyed the part that went blond and I did not dye my roots.
Afterwards I rinsed it out really well, until the water ran clear. I did NOT use the shampoo and care cream that came in the box - I chucked those out - Instead though I made a paste out of baking soda, lemon and shikakai powder I also added a few drops of water. So after rinsing the dye out of my hair very well, I massaged the paste into my hair and scalp and washed like you would with any shampoo but I left it in for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then I rinsed it all out and my hair was very clean but EXTREMELY DRY! So once it dried I covered the dyed part of my hair in coconut oil (avoiding my roots!) I kept the oil in my hair for about 8 hours then rinsed it out with water only. Although still very oily, I could tell that my hair was dry and brittle underneath so I smothered it in coconut oil again. I left it in for 15 hours then did a baking soda wash followed by a lemon-water conditioner and washed it all out. Then I towel dried it as much as I could and let it air dry for the rest. When it was almost fully dry I took a really little bit of coconut oil into my hands and made sure it was all liquid with the heat of my hands and then I stroked my hands through my hair. This was so that it would dry with a bit of oil on it to make it softer and shinier. Wash it through one last time, the next day but just with a lemon-water mix.
Step-by-step (this took me 4 days, so make sure you have time!)
1) Do the DIY 'natural' hair dye -as stated on the information leaflet that came with the dye you bought.
2) Rinse out thoroughly.
3) DO NOT USE THE SHAMPOO AND HAIR CARE THAT CAME WITH THE DYE
4) Make a paste out of your usual shamphree washing style (paste out of baking soda and lemon for example) and put it all over your hair - leave in for 10 to 15 minutes.
5) Rinse out the paste.
6) Towel dry or air dry as usual.
7) If your hair feels dry or brittle, cover it in coconut oil to moisturise it and leave in for 8 to 10 hours.
8) Rinse out with water only (as hot as you can take it, so the oil can drip off, then rinse with cool water to close follicles)
9) If hair is still dry and brittle, then cover in coconut oil again and leave in for 15 to 20 hours.
10) Rinse out and do a baking soda wash followed by your conditioner (ACV or lemon water)
11) Towel or air dry as usual.
If your hair still feels brittle then go to step 12 but if your hair is back to normal then you can stop right there, and you're done :-)
12) Just before fully dry, comb your hair and stroke a teeny-weeny, little bit of coconut oil through your hair length and ends - not on the roots. This is to add soft and shine.
--Because of the coconut oil, your hair might still look wet when it's dry, but it won't look oily or greasy, it'll have the sort of wet beachy look. It looks best in a high pony tail or half pony tail (or covered).
13) The next day, wash it with lemon water (juice of half a lemon and a cup of water, in a squirt bottle and squirt it all over your hair, leave in during the time of your shower (about 10 mins) and rinse out with warm water at the end) Dry as usual.
14) HOPEFULLY your hair will be just lovely!
Those long hours were either in the night or when I went to work with a head scarf, so that the oily coconut hair was not on display! ;-)
Please comment if you try this to let me know how it went for you, or if you tried a different way to successfully dye your hair. I really want to know!
So there it is, hope this helped!
Peace!
Saturday, 24 May 2014
UPDATE FOR NO-POO / SHAMPHREE (4 months)
Hi everybody!
So I'm doing another update only one month since the last update because I've tried several things out this month that I wanted to talk about before I forgot about them.
Firstly, the first week of the 4th month I tried washing with sea salt and water instead of baking soda and water. Reason: I realised that baking soda is a type of salt and that to be more natural and eco (logic and nomic) I should try using sea salt. I researched it and found that some natural shampoos use sea salt as their main ingredient. I was also thinking about people with dread locks, originally in Jamaica, didn't wash their hair, but probably still swam in the ocean and had their hair exposed to sea salt which probably helped in keeping their hair clean. This is just some theory I came up with but found no proof for it anywhere.
Some say that sea salt is too harsh and is bad for the hair whilst others argue that it is the mix of sea salt + other minerals in sea water + sand + wind which creates a dreadful combination for hair health. Some others still, say they love beach hair! So... what to do... Well my research found that if you boil your home water with a good amount of sea salt, cool it down and then use it on your hair, it will have the same effect as using baking soda. Personal experience: It didn't work. My hair was the same as when I do a WO.
Secondly, the day after trying the sea salt - and it not working - I washed by hair with baking soda. Then I did WO for a week.
Friday: Baking soda wash.
Monday: Water Only
Thursday: Water only
Saturday: Shikakai (check next section)
This was fine. The reason I didn't wash my hair with anything else is because it didn't seem to require anything else. I could have (and should have) continued, but I got tempted by a new product I discovered: shikakai - see next section. This tells me that I should now leave a greater interval between washes and I can do more WO which was my objective from the start.
Thirdly, Shikakai powder. This powder is from a ground fruit found on a shrub in Asia. Shikakai literally means 'hair fruit' and has been used for centuries to wash hair. It is a natural soap. I used it once (on a Saturday) and loved the smell and the feel. On the same day I was researching how to naturally die my hair brown. The reason is that since I've been using lemon on my hair for 4 months, it has bleached it and my hair is much lighter than it was naturally, so I decided to try to get my colour back. I found that coffee can be mixed in to what you use to wash your hair to strengthen natural browns. It won't dye the hair, but if you have natural brownish hair then it will help to make it more vibrant and bring the brown out more. So the next day; Sunday, I washed my hair again with Shikakai and coffee this time. -It did not make my hair any darker - and after a couple days of reflection I decided that I didn't really care that much about the colour of my hair. Of course after washing it two days in a row, I didn't do a WO on the following Monday and waited until Thursday. My hair was oily by then so I did another shikakai wash.
I like the Shikakai powder because it's easy to mix, I've used it similarly to baking soda, in a squeezy bottle to aim better. (2 teaspoons of 100% natural shikakai powder, in 1 cup of water), this time I also used the lemon-water mix afterwards to make my hair softer. Other reasons why I like shikakai are that it is a very soft cleanser, it gets rid of less oil than the baking soda does and helps to spread the rest. It's less harsh on the hair and more natural too. I find the smell very delicious also; it has an earthy, chocolaty smell. Sweet and bitter at the same time. I really advise trying this one out, but it might only clean your hair if you've been no-poo for at least a couple months, because as I mentioned before it is a very mild cleanser.
Another great thing about shikakai, is that because it is such a soft cleanser, it helps to ween off and leave more interval days between washing, because it is not as harsh as the baking soda, which still requires 1 to 2 washes weekly.
So that's it for now. I'm going to continue using Shikakai powder for a while and also try to do more WO. I repeat that using the lemon mix after the Shikakai wash is very beneficial in helping to clean and soften the hair.
Thanks for reading, you're welcome to leave comments on the post or feedback on anything you've tried.
have a good weekend!
<3
CHECK OUT MY 5 MONTHS UPDATE!!
So I'm doing another update only one month since the last update because I've tried several things out this month that I wanted to talk about before I forgot about them.
Firstly, the first week of the 4th month I tried washing with sea salt and water instead of baking soda and water. Reason: I realised that baking soda is a type of salt and that to be more natural and eco (logic and nomic) I should try using sea salt. I researched it and found that some natural shampoos use sea salt as their main ingredient. I was also thinking about people with dread locks, originally in Jamaica, didn't wash their hair, but probably still swam in the ocean and had their hair exposed to sea salt which probably helped in keeping their hair clean. This is just some theory I came up with but found no proof for it anywhere.
Some say that sea salt is too harsh and is bad for the hair whilst others argue that it is the mix of sea salt + other minerals in sea water + sand + wind which creates a dreadful combination for hair health. Some others still, say they love beach hair! So... what to do... Well my research found that if you boil your home water with a good amount of sea salt, cool it down and then use it on your hair, it will have the same effect as using baking soda. Personal experience: It didn't work. My hair was the same as when I do a WO.
Secondly, the day after trying the sea salt - and it not working - I washed by hair with baking soda. Then I did WO for a week.
Friday: Baking soda wash.
Monday: Water Only
Thursday: Water only
Saturday: Shikakai (check next section)
This was fine. The reason I didn't wash my hair with anything else is because it didn't seem to require anything else. I could have (and should have) continued, but I got tempted by a new product I discovered: shikakai - see next section. This tells me that I should now leave a greater interval between washes and I can do more WO which was my objective from the start.
Thirdly, Shikakai powder. This powder is from a ground fruit found on a shrub in Asia. Shikakai literally means 'hair fruit' and has been used for centuries to wash hair. It is a natural soap. I used it once (on a Saturday) and loved the smell and the feel. On the same day I was researching how to naturally die my hair brown. The reason is that since I've been using lemon on my hair for 4 months, it has bleached it and my hair is much lighter than it was naturally, so I decided to try to get my colour back. I found that coffee can be mixed in to what you use to wash your hair to strengthen natural browns. It won't dye the hair, but if you have natural brownish hair then it will help to make it more vibrant and bring the brown out more. So the next day; Sunday, I washed my hair again with Shikakai and coffee this time. -It did not make my hair any darker - and after a couple days of reflection I decided that I didn't really care that much about the colour of my hair. Of course after washing it two days in a row, I didn't do a WO on the following Monday and waited until Thursday. My hair was oily by then so I did another shikakai wash.
I like the Shikakai powder because it's easy to mix, I've used it similarly to baking soda, in a squeezy bottle to aim better. (2 teaspoons of 100% natural shikakai powder, in 1 cup of water), this time I also used the lemon-water mix afterwards to make my hair softer. Other reasons why I like shikakai are that it is a very soft cleanser, it gets rid of less oil than the baking soda does and helps to spread the rest. It's less harsh on the hair and more natural too. I find the smell very delicious also; it has an earthy, chocolaty smell. Sweet and bitter at the same time. I really advise trying this one out, but it might only clean your hair if you've been no-poo for at least a couple months, because as I mentioned before it is a very mild cleanser.
Another great thing about shikakai, is that because it is such a soft cleanser, it helps to ween off and leave more interval days between washing, because it is not as harsh as the baking soda, which still requires 1 to 2 washes weekly.
So that's it for now. I'm going to continue using Shikakai powder for a while and also try to do more WO. I repeat that using the lemon mix after the Shikakai wash is very beneficial in helping to clean and soften the hair.
Thanks for reading, you're welcome to leave comments on the post or feedback on anything you've tried.
have a good weekend!
<3
CHECK OUT MY 5 MONTHS UPDATE!!
Thursday, 24 April 2014
UPDATE FOR NO-POO / SHAMPHREE (3 months / 90 days)
Hi guys!
24th April:
So I haven't used any shampoo for 3 months today! I am very happy about this change in my life for several reasons; it makes me more natural and green, saves water and saves the planet from the chemicals I was using when shampooing and conditioning. It also saves us money on shampoo, conditioner and water. I wash my hair far less than I used to, and this has had an impact on the amount I shower too. It was a step that allowed me to discover other green ways I could be more natural. My hair looks great and appears to grow faster. I feel healthier.
My experience: Bentonite clay, which I started using to wash my hair once a week originally, gives the best result when using 2 tablespoons of it and mixed with the juice from 1 lemon, left on for 20 minutes then rinsed off thoroughly, towel dry your hair and brush once it's dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum).
Baking soda / bicarbonate of soda works best when using 2 heaped teaspoons, mixed with the juice of 1 lemon and 2 cups of water, left on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse off thoroughly, towel dry and brush or comb once it's dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum). OR use 2 heaped teaspoons of the soda, mixed with 2 cups of water, leave on for 20 minutes, rinse off thoroughly and follow with a lemon mixture: juice from 1 lemon mixed with 1 cup of water, leave on for 10 minutes then rinse off thoroughly. Towel dry and brush or comb once the hair is dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum). Using the soda and lemon separately is more effective.
You can also use lemon only if your hair isn't too dirty/oily. Juice of 1 lemon mixed with 2 cups of water, left on the hair for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse, towel dry and brush/comb (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum).
You can also do WO (water only). Brush your hair under hot water to spread the oils down the length of your hair, then massage your scalp under the hot water and rub your lengths. Repeat the same procedure under warm to cold water. Towel dry then brush or comb once your hair dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum).
My hair-washing routine:
Monday: In the early afternoon I have a shower and do my hair. I do a WO to freshen up my hair and get rid of some oil and wash out dust and sweat. If my hair is too oily (or if I added oil to it: if my hair was getting dry) then I will do a lemon only wash.
Tuesday: Nothing
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday or Friday: Either Thursday night or Friday early morning I have my ritual shower which includes hair washing. Here I will do either the clay or soda wash. Lately I have noticed that I prefer the soda wash. I don't always use the lemon but my hair looks and feels much, much better if I do use lemon; the lemon works almost as a conditioner: it adds shine and softness. Either way I described works great; it's faster to mix the lemon in with the soda but more effective using them separately.
Saturday: Nothing
Sunday: Nothing
--------------------
I chose Monday afternoon to go with the Thurs/Fri wash because it leaves exactly 3 and 1/2 days in between each wash. I don't need to wash any more than twice a week and sometimes I leave it out extra day because it can wait. On days when I go running, I will shower (including my neck and forehead) but not wash my hair. I leave my hair untied for the sweat to dry after my shower. It doesn't get oily any quicker.
We are Thursday night, I washed my hair a couple hours ago and it is so soft and clean. My hair never smells of anything so if you want a scent you'll have to find that else where. It smells a bit lemony after I do a lemon-only wash but it's not very strong.
A couple weeks ago I drenched my hair in Argan oil, for no other reason than the fact that I just wanted to... My mum got me a bottle and I just felt like spraying my hair with it. I left it in for a whole day and then lemon washed it because it was Monday, but my hair stayed quite thick and slightly oily for the whole week. So I wasn't so sure anymore whether it was a good idea, but now that it's all out, it has left my hair SO soft. So you can try it too and maybe do it on a week when no one will see it OR double/tripple soda wash your hair. I didn't want to wash my hair any extra because I don't want to take it off it's course too much. The only direction I am willing to change the routine is towards washing less.
My objective is still to go WO but I haven't set myself any dates because the reason I wash my hair when washing-day comes is because it still needs it.
So that's it for now =D
Check out my 4 months update!
Thanks for reading.
Peace
<3
24th April:
So I haven't used any shampoo for 3 months today! I am very happy about this change in my life for several reasons; it makes me more natural and green, saves water and saves the planet from the chemicals I was using when shampooing and conditioning. It also saves us money on shampoo, conditioner and water. I wash my hair far less than I used to, and this has had an impact on the amount I shower too. It was a step that allowed me to discover other green ways I could be more natural. My hair looks great and appears to grow faster. I feel healthier.
My experience: Bentonite clay, which I started using to wash my hair once a week originally, gives the best result when using 2 tablespoons of it and mixed with the juice from 1 lemon, left on for 20 minutes then rinsed off thoroughly, towel dry your hair and brush once it's dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum).
Baking soda / bicarbonate of soda works best when using 2 heaped teaspoons, mixed with the juice of 1 lemon and 2 cups of water, left on for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse off thoroughly, towel dry and brush or comb once it's dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum). OR use 2 heaped teaspoons of the soda, mixed with 2 cups of water, leave on for 20 minutes, rinse off thoroughly and follow with a lemon mixture: juice from 1 lemon mixed with 1 cup of water, leave on for 10 minutes then rinse off thoroughly. Towel dry and brush or comb once the hair is dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum). Using the soda and lemon separately is more effective.
You can also use lemon only if your hair isn't too dirty/oily. Juice of 1 lemon mixed with 2 cups of water, left on the hair for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse, towel dry and brush/comb (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum).
You can also do WO (water only). Brush your hair under hot water to spread the oils down the length of your hair, then massage your scalp under the hot water and rub your lengths. Repeat the same procedure under warm to cold water. Towel dry then brush or comb once your hair dry (you should also start the process by brushing your hair under the water first to spread your natural oils/sebum).
My hair-washing routine:
Monday: In the early afternoon I have a shower and do my hair. I do a WO to freshen up my hair and get rid of some oil and wash out dust and sweat. If my hair is too oily (or if I added oil to it: if my hair was getting dry) then I will do a lemon only wash.
Tuesday: Nothing
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday or Friday: Either Thursday night or Friday early morning I have my ritual shower which includes hair washing. Here I will do either the clay or soda wash. Lately I have noticed that I prefer the soda wash. I don't always use the lemon but my hair looks and feels much, much better if I do use lemon; the lemon works almost as a conditioner: it adds shine and softness. Either way I described works great; it's faster to mix the lemon in with the soda but more effective using them separately.
Saturday: Nothing
Sunday: Nothing
--------------------
I chose Monday afternoon to go with the Thurs/Fri wash because it leaves exactly 3 and 1/2 days in between each wash. I don't need to wash any more than twice a week and sometimes I leave it out extra day because it can wait. On days when I go running, I will shower (including my neck and forehead) but not wash my hair. I leave my hair untied for the sweat to dry after my shower. It doesn't get oily any quicker.
We are Thursday night, I washed my hair a couple hours ago and it is so soft and clean. My hair never smells of anything so if you want a scent you'll have to find that else where. It smells a bit lemony after I do a lemon-only wash but it's not very strong.
A couple weeks ago I drenched my hair in Argan oil, for no other reason than the fact that I just wanted to... My mum got me a bottle and I just felt like spraying my hair with it. I left it in for a whole day and then lemon washed it because it was Monday, but my hair stayed quite thick and slightly oily for the whole week. So I wasn't so sure anymore whether it was a good idea, but now that it's all out, it has left my hair SO soft. So you can try it too and maybe do it on a week when no one will see it OR double/tripple soda wash your hair. I didn't want to wash my hair any extra because I don't want to take it off it's course too much. The only direction I am willing to change the routine is towards washing less.
My objective is still to go WO but I haven't set myself any dates because the reason I wash my hair when washing-day comes is because it still needs it.
So that's it for now =D
Check out my 4 months update!
Thanks for reading.
Peace
<3
Monday, 14 April 2014
Easy alternatives for green body hygiene
Face: Natural facial oils; if you don't strip your face by using soaps on it, your natural oils will always keep your face hydrated and beautiful. No dry face and no over-oiliness. I wash my face with soap maybe once a week to make sure it's not dirty and if it's dry afterwards, I use a natural moisturiser made with cocoa butter or shea butter. The other days I only rinse with water and dry with a towl, my face feels fresh and has a nice texture. You won't need to use any creams and hopefully your face won't age so fast either.
UPDATE: I've stopped using soap on my face completely, but I use coconut oil on my face every now and then to moisturise and clean it, works really well.
Hair: Refer back to my No-poo and Shamphree posts. You can wash your hair with all sorts of natural products to avoid shampoo and harmful products from hurting you and the environment. You can use clays, salts, lemons... Also try using just water if you are already no-poo. I wash my hair once a week with salts or clays and then half way through the week I do a water wash, to spread oils and to give my head a clean. I wear a scarf over my hair when I am out, therefore my hair does not get dirty from pollution and other street dirt. My hair doesn't get dirty so I only have to wash it when it is too oily. Check out my updates to see what I change in my routine, what homemade products I make and how I use them.
Toothpaste: Miswak or Siwak is a great alternative to many harmful toothpastes. Or go for a more natural toothpaste and do some research online (or even make your own toothpaste: find a recipe in my oral hygiene section and the update). You can also use your toothbrush without paste. Your brush does most or all of the work anyway, just make sure to get everywhere and to clean your tongue too.
Deodorant: I used to use Alum rock. It's a natural anti-bacteria rock. Just wet the rock and rub it on your armpits. It means you will still sweat but because the rock's attributes is to kill the bacteria, it means there is no smell! You really do need to sweat, so don't force it to stay inside your body because it will contaminate you. I used it after each shower and I didn't smell. Alum contains aluminium but you can get alum made of the good type and the bad type, so make sure you get the right one. If you want to avoid it all together then there are some lovely homemade recipes, and this is the one I make: coconut oil, baking soda and a few drops of lavender essential oil, smells really great! (Although I hardly use it: since I stopped using soap, I've also stopped smelling! check out my post on no-soap)
Body-wash: Try using an all natural soap, made of vegetable oils if you want to avoid animal products like me, so read the label! Also try to wash with just water if you're not too dirty, or simply shower less. Your skin doesn't need to be washed every day so give it a rest now and then. When you don't strip all your sweat and natural oils you don't need to use moisturisers and other creams. If you want to try using less or no soap then get a body sponge or rose scrub to srcub your dead skin cells and dirt off your body or try the dry body brushing technique before your shower (I describe how to do this in the No Soap post). The important parts to scrub are your hands, feet, arm pits and privates (front and back), the rest of your body will get clean with just water. Update for body-wash: No soap at all!
Cleaning privates: If you wash yourself after every toilet use, the way I describe it in my no toilet paper post, then you can get by not using soap at all, because let's face it they're the really filthy parts because of what we use them for! (But please have a shower after each sexual encounter. Read my celibate marriage post for more info on sex) I write more about how to wash the private parts in my no-soap post.
Feminine hygiene: Refer back to my feminine hygiene post and the super update on how to make awesome cloth pads!
Nails: Cutting finger and toes nails often is recommended to stay clean. Keep them short, because short = clean and clean = healthy and healthy does = pretty.
Long, fake, over-decorated nails are just creepy and dirty... (well that's my opinion) because they can so easily accumulate dirt and spread/create infections.
Feet: Be barefoot as much as you can because it's best for them and the rest of your body. Do more research on the subject and clean your feet before bed, because a clean bed means you stay clean for longer.
Conclusion: Being green-clean means you don't actually do that much cleaning but if you use all these little cleaning methods then it means you don't have to do all the big ones, such as: soap showers and hair wash every day and what not. Some of these require some time for your body to become natural again, such as going without shampoo (check out my no-poo journey post).
UPDATE: I've stopped using soap on my face completely, but I use coconut oil on my face every now and then to moisturise and clean it, works really well.
Hair: Refer back to my No-poo and Shamphree posts. You can wash your hair with all sorts of natural products to avoid shampoo and harmful products from hurting you and the environment. You can use clays, salts, lemons... Also try using just water if you are already no-poo. I wash my hair once a week with salts or clays and then half way through the week I do a water wash, to spread oils and to give my head a clean. I wear a scarf over my hair when I am out, therefore my hair does not get dirty from pollution and other street dirt. My hair doesn't get dirty so I only have to wash it when it is too oily. Check out my updates to see what I change in my routine, what homemade products I make and how I use them.
Toothpaste: Miswak or Siwak is a great alternative to many harmful toothpastes. Or go for a more natural toothpaste and do some research online (or even make your own toothpaste: find a recipe in my oral hygiene section and the update). You can also use your toothbrush without paste. Your brush does most or all of the work anyway, just make sure to get everywhere and to clean your tongue too.
Deodorant: I used to use Alum rock. It's a natural anti-bacteria rock. Just wet the rock and rub it on your armpits. It means you will still sweat but because the rock's attributes is to kill the bacteria, it means there is no smell! You really do need to sweat, so don't force it to stay inside your body because it will contaminate you. I used it after each shower and I didn't smell. Alum contains aluminium but you can get alum made of the good type and the bad type, so make sure you get the right one. If you want to avoid it all together then there are some lovely homemade recipes, and this is the one I make: coconut oil, baking soda and a few drops of lavender essential oil, smells really great! (Although I hardly use it: since I stopped using soap, I've also stopped smelling! check out my post on no-soap)
Body-wash: Try using an all natural soap, made of vegetable oils if you want to avoid animal products like me, so read the label! Also try to wash with just water if you're not too dirty, or simply shower less. Your skin doesn't need to be washed every day so give it a rest now and then. When you don't strip all your sweat and natural oils you don't need to use moisturisers and other creams. If you want to try using less or no soap then get a body sponge or rose scrub to srcub your dead skin cells and dirt off your body or try the dry body brushing technique before your shower (I describe how to do this in the No Soap post). The important parts to scrub are your hands, feet, arm pits and privates (front and back), the rest of your body will get clean with just water. Update for body-wash: No soap at all!
Cleaning privates: If you wash yourself after every toilet use, the way I describe it in my no toilet paper post, then you can get by not using soap at all, because let's face it they're the really filthy parts because of what we use them for! (But please have a shower after each sexual encounter. Read my celibate marriage post for more info on sex) I write more about how to wash the private parts in my no-soap post.
Feminine hygiene: Refer back to my feminine hygiene post and the super update on how to make awesome cloth pads!
Nails: Cutting finger and toes nails often is recommended to stay clean. Keep them short, because short = clean and clean = healthy and healthy does = pretty.
Long, fake, over-decorated nails are just creepy and dirty... (well that's my opinion) because they can so easily accumulate dirt and spread/create infections.
Feet: Be barefoot as much as you can because it's best for them and the rest of your body. Do more research on the subject and clean your feet before bed, because a clean bed means you stay clean for longer.
Conclusion: Being green-clean means you don't actually do that much cleaning but if you use all these little cleaning methods then it means you don't have to do all the big ones, such as: soap showers and hair wash every day and what not. Some of these require some time for your body to become natural again, such as going without shampoo (check out my no-poo journey post).
Monday, 10 February 2014
Introduction to the blog
Hello and welcome to my blog. This is my first and only blog, and this is my first post.
On this blog I will post about how I try to be a natural and green woman.
This is the introduction to my blog and here are some of the aspects of my life that will or could be discussed:
I am vegetarian,
- gluten intolerant
- Religious and have a routine of prayers and rituals (daily, monthly and yearly)
- a mother's help and look after children
- sleep early and get up early
- do not use shampoo or toothpaste
- believe in the unschooling method and do not agree with the modern education and child rearing 'systems'
- make my own clothes
- use green methods when it comes to feminine hygiene
and generally try to be as healthy and mindful as possible.
There are other ways too, in which I try to live naturally and spiritually, and I will be blogging about my ways, my experiences and I hope I will learn more from others posting on the blog too.
You can read all my posts by clicking on a post title on the right-hand side of the blog page under the Month titles OR you can find all the posts organized in sections such as "Green body hygiene" or "spiritual life" on the different pages of the blog. So whatever is easiest for you. When I read other people's blogs, I find it easier to look on the different pages to find a post I'm interested in.
I hope you enjoy this blog and please leave any feedback or tips of your own so we can all share and learn from each other as much as we can.
Thanks for being here!
Peace be with you!
Love
:-)
On this blog I will post about how I try to be a natural and green woman.
This is the introduction to my blog and here are some of the aspects of my life that will or could be discussed:
I am vegetarian,
- gluten intolerant
- Religious and have a routine of prayers and rituals (daily, monthly and yearly)
- a mother's help and look after children
- sleep early and get up early
- do not use shampoo or toothpaste
- believe in the unschooling method and do not agree with the modern education and child rearing 'systems'
- make my own clothes
- use green methods when it comes to feminine hygiene
and generally try to be as healthy and mindful as possible.
There are other ways too, in which I try to live naturally and spiritually, and I will be blogging about my ways, my experiences and I hope I will learn more from others posting on the blog too.
You can read all my posts by clicking on a post title on the right-hand side of the blog page under the Month titles OR you can find all the posts organized in sections such as "Green body hygiene" or "spiritual life" on the different pages of the blog. So whatever is easiest for you. When I read other people's blogs, I find it easier to look on the different pages to find a post I'm interested in.
I hope you enjoy this blog and please leave any feedback or tips of your own so we can all share and learn from each other as much as we can.
Thanks for being here!
Peace be with you!
Love
:-)
Sunday, 9 February 2014
Feminine Hygiene! Go with the (societal) flow or look for an alternative?
How to go green and natural when it comes to feminine hygiene!
This post shows how to make very simplistic home-made menstrual pads. If you want a more absorbent, no spill, highly effective menstrual pad, which is still easy to make but takes more time, effort and materials... but worth it, then go HERE :)
REASON
So after deciding to go "no toilet paper", I decided to go without pads or tampons. The reason? Same one. Pollution. Pads, tampons, and nappies are major contributors to world pollution, it's crazy! Imagine how many are used every single day, by every single woman in the world... and so imagine in a year? a lifetime? Well to top this, did you know that once it's been created there's no going back! Every single one of these pads and tampons will exist for ever! (almost) So I was like "say what? I ain't using those no more!".
So after lots of research, I realised there are lots of alternatives to those and there is quite some choice to suit every woman, so I would suggest you shop around online and see what you like, maybe try out several options before sticking to one. Up to you. There are cups, reusable pads, natural tampons made of natural sponge... all sorts really.
Now I don't like spending money on something I can make myself so I'll tell you what I use during that time of the month.
HOME-MADE MENSTRUAL PAD (VERY EASY)
I bought a few flannels (small square towels) which I fold in 3, to make it thicker and place in my underwear. The flannel/towel material is very absorbent so it works very well. I bought pink and purple ones so that the blood stains don't look to nasty! When I need to change the towel, I wash it by hand (with water and detergent) and put it to dry either on the radiator in the winter or air-dry in the summer, and put a clean one in my knickers, then do that again and again till the end of my menstruation week. At the end of the week I machine wash them. (You can make loads if you want so you can machine wash them directly. I only made 3 so that's why I wash them by hand... I wouldn't have time to wait to fill of load of washing between each pad change!) In the night I place an orange towel in my bed in case of overflow because these flannels don't have extra absorbent chemicals that store-bought pads have - which is one reason I stopped using them. Those pads are so absorbent that they suck the blood out of you which means you end up having a heavier period than you would have naturally! Why do they even make stuff like that? It's like 'they' want women to suffer even more than we already do! Seriously if you haven't already then you need to do some research!
Another even cheaper way is to cut 20x20cm squares out of an old towel and do the same process. Using a white towel won't look too good but if you do your own laundry then it doesn't matter so much.
If this doesn't work for you and you want something more sophisticated then read THIS post, about how to make a menstrual pad with a sewing machine and make it look cool and really waterproof and absorbent.
Peace out! :-)
This post shows how to make very simplistic home-made menstrual pads. If you want a more absorbent, no spill, highly effective menstrual pad, which is still easy to make but takes more time, effort and materials... but worth it, then go HERE :)
REASON
So after deciding to go "no toilet paper", I decided to go without pads or tampons. The reason? Same one. Pollution. Pads, tampons, and nappies are major contributors to world pollution, it's crazy! Imagine how many are used every single day, by every single woman in the world... and so imagine in a year? a lifetime? Well to top this, did you know that once it's been created there's no going back! Every single one of these pads and tampons will exist for ever! (almost) So I was like "say what? I ain't using those no more!".
So after lots of research, I realised there are lots of alternatives to those and there is quite some choice to suit every woman, so I would suggest you shop around online and see what you like, maybe try out several options before sticking to one. Up to you. There are cups, reusable pads, natural tampons made of natural sponge... all sorts really.
Now I don't like spending money on something I can make myself so I'll tell you what I use during that time of the month.
HOME-MADE MENSTRUAL PAD (VERY EASY)
I bought a few flannels (small square towels) which I fold in 3, to make it thicker and place in my underwear. The flannel/towel material is very absorbent so it works very well. I bought pink and purple ones so that the blood stains don't look to nasty! When I need to change the towel, I wash it by hand (with water and detergent) and put it to dry either on the radiator in the winter or air-dry in the summer, and put a clean one in my knickers, then do that again and again till the end of my menstruation week. At the end of the week I machine wash them. (You can make loads if you want so you can machine wash them directly. I only made 3 so that's why I wash them by hand... I wouldn't have time to wait to fill of load of washing between each pad change!) In the night I place an orange towel in my bed in case of overflow because these flannels don't have extra absorbent chemicals that store-bought pads have - which is one reason I stopped using them. Those pads are so absorbent that they suck the blood out of you which means you end up having a heavier period than you would have naturally! Why do they even make stuff like that? It's like 'they' want women to suffer even more than we already do! Seriously if you haven't already then you need to do some research!
Another even cheaper way is to cut 20x20cm squares out of an old towel and do the same process. Using a white towel won't look too good but if you do your own laundry then it doesn't matter so much.
If this doesn't work for you and you want something more sophisticated then read THIS post, about how to make a menstrual pad with a sewing machine and make it look cool and really waterproof and absorbent.
Peace out! :-)
Thursday, 30 January 2014
No toilet paper! That's right, I don't use toilet paper!
Hallo!
How? (the reasons are later, keep reading)
When I became religious, years ago, I learned a whole new way of washing myself after going to the toilet.
To be ritually pure, one must not have any "pee or poo" remains on oneself or on one's clothes, and there is a washing technique which makes this eco-possible: water and left hand (plus a towel).
At first I was like "er... what?" But I tried it, and never went back to my old ways!
So you fill a little jug or bottle with water from your tap, and you put it next to you while you do your business, then you hold the jug in your right hand and start pouring on your privates (whilst still sitting), from the front or the back, I guess which ever is easiest for you. Then with your left hand you wash yourself (some also use soap but you don't have to do that every time; water is enough). What most people do, (including me before) is then wipe with toilet paper because you're all wet down there. then of course, wash your hands, with soap (EVERY time! Needless to say...)
Why and what's the "eco" twist?
So I did this for a couple years I guess, until I realized I was using so much toilet paper to dry myself and felt really guilty because that's REALLY bad for the environment, and plus toilet paper can get expensive! So I thought "OK girl, you have to find a solution!" And I decided I would do the same whole process (because I can't not wash myself anymore, I find disgusting to just wipe and carry on my day, knowing I'm not clean) but dry myself with a little towel or flannel afterwards instead of toilet paper. When I'm done I hang it on the radiator to dry and I usually use the same towel for a week or two because your just wiping off water so it's not too dirty...
Genius right!? Well that's what I think anyway.
Extra info
Another thing... When you use this method, the toilet seat can get wet if you're not careful, this is where toilet paper is also useful but wasted, cos it's easy to just grab another piece of paper, wipe the seat, and flush... So the solution to this is to have a flannel that is used ONLY for the seat. Keep it on top of the toilet or stored near by somewhere where it can't be confused with a hand towel for example. Then when you're done on the toilet, grab it, wipe the seat and put it back (it's just water, and usually only a few drops, so the towel shouldn't be very wet.) Don't forget to wash it now and then though!
Save on the flush too
One last great environmental benefit is that if you have only done a number 1 then you don't even need to flush because there's nothing in the loo (if you drink enough water that is, otherwise it'll be smelly and yellow...)
So here we are... The solution to no toilet paper (and saving on the flush!). Anyone else do this? Anyone ever thought of it? Anyone wondering how they can eliminate toilet paper? Anyone think this is weird or disgusting?
That's it.
How? (the reasons are later, keep reading)
When I became religious, years ago, I learned a whole new way of washing myself after going to the toilet.
To be ritually pure, one must not have any "pee or poo" remains on oneself or on one's clothes, and there is a washing technique which makes this eco-possible: water and left hand (plus a towel).
At first I was like "er... what?" But I tried it, and never went back to my old ways!
So you fill a little jug or bottle with water from your tap, and you put it next to you while you do your business, then you hold the jug in your right hand and start pouring on your privates (whilst still sitting), from the front or the back, I guess which ever is easiest for you. Then with your left hand you wash yourself (some also use soap but you don't have to do that every time; water is enough). What most people do, (including me before) is then wipe with toilet paper because you're all wet down there. then of course, wash your hands, with soap (EVERY time! Needless to say...)
Why and what's the "eco" twist?
So I did this for a couple years I guess, until I realized I was using so much toilet paper to dry myself and felt really guilty because that's REALLY bad for the environment, and plus toilet paper can get expensive! So I thought "OK girl, you have to find a solution!" And I decided I would do the same whole process (because I can't not wash myself anymore, I find disgusting to just wipe and carry on my day, knowing I'm not clean) but dry myself with a little towel or flannel afterwards instead of toilet paper. When I'm done I hang it on the radiator to dry and I usually use the same towel for a week or two because your just wiping off water so it's not too dirty...
Genius right!? Well that's what I think anyway.
Extra info
Another thing... When you use this method, the toilet seat can get wet if you're not careful, this is where toilet paper is also useful but wasted, cos it's easy to just grab another piece of paper, wipe the seat, and flush... So the solution to this is to have a flannel that is used ONLY for the seat. Keep it on top of the toilet or stored near by somewhere where it can't be confused with a hand towel for example. Then when you're done on the toilet, grab it, wipe the seat and put it back (it's just water, and usually only a few drops, so the towel shouldn't be very wet.) Don't forget to wash it now and then though!
Save on the flush too
One last great environmental benefit is that if you have only done a number 1 then you don't even need to flush because there's nothing in the loo (if you drink enough water that is, otherwise it'll be smelly and yellow...)
So here we are... The solution to no toilet paper (and saving on the flush!). Anyone else do this? Anyone ever thought of it? Anyone wondering how they can eliminate toilet paper? Anyone think this is weird or disgusting?
That's it.
Wednesday, 29 January 2014
ShamPHree: My journey to "no-poo" or NO SHAMPOO (my first 6 weeks: detailed 42 days)
A few weeks ago I read that shampoo isn't necessary in A
Good Life by Leo Hickman (great book!). I showed my husband the page
and he read it. We discussed it and I decided to do more research about the
topic. Last Friday (5 days ago) I washed my hair as usual and then read some
more articles online about not using any shampoo. That day I decided I would
give it a go. Here I will talk about the process and journey and I hope you
will be inspired or share your own no-shampoo experience if you are a
'no-poo-er'. By the way I don't like the term "no-poo"... but it works
'cos shampoo is a bit pooey. I prefer the term ShamPHree... It's smart and witty ;-)
To find more information on the no-poo way and to know reasons why
people do it, you can google it; many others have spoken and written about it.
[Blue highlights show when I washed my hair with soda. It's to make it easier to visualise on which days I did it.]
[Blue highlights show when I washed my hair with soda. It's to make it easier to visualise on which days I did it.]
So here goes:
Day 0, Friday
24th January: washed my hair using 'normal' shampoo and conditioner.
Day 1,
Saturday 25th January: Hair is normal, looking lovely ;-)
Day 2, Sunday
26th January: I would be washing my hair today because I used to wash it every
2 days. (On an average day i do my ritual ablutions before each prayer, which
involves wetting the front of the hair, and therefore it gets greasy every
other day. This week I am menstruating which means my rituals are different and
do not involve this hair-wetting business... conclusion: my hair isn't greasy
yet) So I wake up Sunday with hair still looking good.
Day 3, Monday
27th January: I wake up and think "Gosh I can't believe my hair STILL
isn't greasy" well it wasn't looking lovely anymore but it was O.K... A few
hours later and my hair is getting greasier and greasier... Monday late
afternoon = Hair unbearably greasy! But I think to myself "I don't want to
do the soda wash yet, I want to leave it as long as possible..." So I
decided to rinse it thoroughly with water. I massaged my scalp thoroughly and
rinsed all my hair. It was so greasy by now that it felt waterproof!!
Afterwards I towel-dried it A LOT. I was basically trying to scrape the rest of
the grease off with the towel! haha... it kind of worked. But a few hours later
the greasy feeling was just not nice, so I prepared the recommended baking soda
wash (called bicarbonate of soda here in England by the way) to wash my hair with. I mixed 1 tablespoon of baking
powder (because it's all I had at home) in a glass of warm water, poured it
gently over my head, massaged my scalp, poured some more... did the same again
until the glass was empty and then rubbed it down my hair, rinsed very, very
well... lightly towel dried and then let it dry naturally (my hair is thick
anyway so I can never fully dry it just with the towel, I always let it dry
naturally). So then? Well the grease was gone, and I felt good again! Thank
God! - It wasn't as nice as it would be with shampoo and conditioner but it
certainly was better than having it all greasy... I went to sleep with my hair
still slightly wet.
Day 4, Tuesday
28th January: Woke up
with CRAZY hair! So thick, fluffy and BIG! A teeny bit waxy but mostly just
massive and all over the place! So I combed it and made a quick hairstyle with
clips in the front and the rest of the hair down. I could have done anything I
wanted with it; it was very flexible and would stay in any shape I wanted it
to. Now I’m thinking “Ok what a difference! Not sure yet how, but this is
already a big change!” In my “olden days” I would be washing it tomorrow… let’s
see how long it’ll be before I need to use the soda again. Then I read online
that if you use too much baking soda, your hair can get BIG, so next time I
think I’ll use less. Also I used baking powder instead of baking soda… So as
the day goes on I notice that my hair is getting more and more waxy, but I want
to wait at least until tomorrow before deciding what the next move will be.
It didn't look bad though. Hubby and I were washing up and he
stopped, looked at me, touched my hair, smiled, and said “this is cool,
we’re doing the right thing here.” (Yes he is also doing this and washed his
hair with baking powder today for the first time. His hair was really greasy
but he waited till today, and it took all the grease out.)
Day 5,
Wednesday 29th January:
First thing I do when I wake up is touch my hair, expecting it to feel REALLY
waxy! But guess what? It feels normal! I touch it up all over and notice it is
a teeny, weeny bit waxy but mostly feels like normal clean hair. When I looked
at it, it looked very normal, I tied it up and went on with my day. I brushed
it a couple times during the day with a normal hair brush, to get the grease
off my scalp and onto my hair. Today we bought bicarbonate of soda (baking
soda) so that we can do the “real thing”. So now it’s Wednesday night, about to
go to bed and I’m out babysitting almost all day tomorrow (I wear a headscarf,
therefore I’m not afraid of people seeing my hair if it’s greasy…) I don’t know
yet if I’ll need to wash it with soda or if my adapting period is already over.
I heard it can take up to 6 weeks, and it’s been just 6 days… we’ll see. Either
way, I will at least wait till tomorrow night. Good night...
Day 6,
Thursday 30th January: Ok so today is the day I was expecting to definitely
soda my hair... But I tied my hair up this morning, wrapped it up and went out.
When I came home and took a look, I decided I would wait some more because it's
not very greasy yet. So I brushed it and tied it back up again. I don't think
it'll be long before my hair has adapted because at this rate I'll probably be
soda washing once a week maximum, then slowly hoping to make it once every two
weeks... and then eventually not using the soda anymore?
Day 7, Friday 31st January: So it's been a week! This morning my hair looked greasy and felt it too, so I had a soda wash (1 tablespoon of real baking soda, diluted in a bit more than 2 cups of water and a few drops of patchouli essential oil.) My hair was still slightly waxy but the grease was gone, and I guess I don't want all the grease to be stripped anyway, so it was fine, plus it smelled lovely ('cos of the patchouli). I was outdoors all day though, so I had it tied up. When I came home and had my shower I also wet my hair and massaged it with hot water, then I prepared a lime and water mix in a spray bottle (a tiny bit of lime with about a cup of water, there was enough lime to taste though) after the water massage, I sprayed my hair and brushed it through, then washed it out, then sprayed all over and massaged, then washed it out again and then just washed it through with hot water for ages and then brushed it loads too. I towel dried it, it dries so much faster than it used too, but had to let it air dry for a while anyway. I heard online that if your hairbrush has white residue on it it's because your hair still hasn't got rid of all the old 'gunk' from shampoo habit, and I have a lot of that in my hair brush so I think the reason why my hair is a bit waxy is just because it still has a lot of old shampoo residue. But my hair looks lovely and is only waxy to touch. I'm happy with how it's all going, praise God =)
Day 8, Saturday 1st February: My hair looks very nice but still feels waxy. This evening I'm going swimming which means chlorine. I looked online and my conclusion is that it's not too bad... I will rinse my hair thoroughly over and over again until I'm convinced that I've gotten rid of (most of) the chlorine. Chlorine is alkaline like baking soda, so I will skip that bit and spray my lime and water spray all over my hair (which is acidic, and should therefore restore the PH balance.) On a side note, I'm hoping that the chlorine will rid all the waxiness off my hair. I will also brush my hair a lot. I hope my hair will be fine. Chlorine isn't dirty it's just strong.
Back from swimming. I did what I said I would do. My hair is less waxy but still is a bit. In the past, I dyed my hair a lot and I used to wash every 2 days so there's a lot of gunk to get rid of, but surprisingly there isn't actually that much left, thank God. This waxiness feels almost like a natural protective layer, and my hair dries so much quicker... but maybe I'm overly positive about it and it's just old product residue =) overall I'm happy about my hair because the reason I was doing it was for the environment and a little bit for my health but also simply trying to be more natural... but on top of that my hair looks really good :-) and although it feels a bit waxy, it's not visible; It just looks clean.
Day 9, Sunday
2nd February: Hello. My hair is much less waxy than the previous days. I can
tell that it's revealing some dry hair. I don't want to put any oil on just yet
because of the wax remains. What I'm planning is: the day after tomorrow I will
do a bicarbonate of soda wash and lemon-water spray, and when the waxy feel is
fully gone I will spray some oil on my hair to avoid it getting to dry. I've
put some nice oil into a little spray bottle to make it easier to aim and to
make sure I'm not soaking my hair in oil but only lightly spraying it. The oil
I'll be using is an Argan and Rose oil mix. Well we'll see what I end up doing
but that's my plan for now.
Day 10, Monday 3rd February: Aloha! 10 days, wow! So... Yesterday and today I haven't done anything to or with my hair. Last time I touched my hair was after swimming on Saturday. So from Saturday night to tomorrow: Tuesday, I'm not doing anything except form brushing a couple times a day. Today my hair is even less waxy so I think that stage will be over soon but as I mentioned before, it's revealing dry hair... I'll get back to you tomorrow night with info on what I decided to do.
Day 11, Tuesday 4th February: Hallo! Around noon today I wet my hair and massaged my scalp, and brushed and brushed... After my shower I sprayed my hair in oil (argan and rose) it wasn't drenched but the oil was all over, I rubbed it into my hair for a while. 5 hours later, I went into the shower and did a whole treatment. I first rinsed the oil out with hot water (as hot as I could take it) and brushed it. Then I poured the soda mix on my hair (2 heaped teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda and 1 and a half cups of water) I left it in for 5 to 10 minutes and brushed it, then rinsed, and brushed. Then I sprayed my hair with my lemon and water mix, brushed and left it in for 5 to 10 minutes too, then rinsed with cold-ish water (as cool as I could take it) to close the follicles, then brushed and brushed.
So I don't know if the oil was magic or if it was just the right time or if everything just synched... but Praise the Lord! My hair is so 'normal' now (how it used to be after shampoo and conditioner); no grease (I can smell the wonderful oil but there is zero oily-ness), no 'gunk' (my hair has zero waxy feel!! finally! =) ) and neither is it dry!!
I'm so happy because I was getting quite obsessed with my hair for
the first time in my life and I was not enjoying all this material attachment!
haha, so I'm glad that's over and God willing I can just go back to no hassle
hair by maybe giving it a good wash like today once a week, until I can go
without all together! Amen to that! <3
Day 12, Wednesday 5th February: Hey there. 2nd day hair, the way it would be with shampoo and conditioner so it's lovely. I always like 2nd day hair, it looks good and it feels light... maybe I should stop touching and stroking it all day... it might get greasy quick errr.
Day 13, Thursday 6th February: This morning my hair was still looking and feeling good. I went out all day babysitting and when I came home my hair looked quite flat and a bit oily on the top. I'm back on my ritual prayers which involve wetting the front of the hair 3 times a day so this might have added to it. I don't want to wash my hair yet but tomorrow morning I shall probably do a water wash.
Day 14, Friday 7th February: This morning my hair looked oily on the top but my whole hair was still soft and lovely to touch that I decided to wait it out a bit longer. So I brushed it throughout the day to get the oil down my the hair. I can tell the difference with how my hair used to be before shamphree because it's oily now, not greasy (just natural oil, instead of oil + gunk) by the evening it looked very oily so I decided to wash it through with water. Scalp massage and brushing under hot, running water. Then lemon spray, scalp massage and brush. Left it in for 5 minutes. Sprayed more lemon mix then brushed and rinsed thoroughly under hot, running water. Ended with a cold-ish rinse to close the follicles. And more brushing... This got rid of the oily look without stripping it =D
Day 15, Saturday 8th February: Hair is still clean, looking normal. Brushed it a few times but that's all for today.
By the way, my husband went back to using shampoo a few days ago,
(but the one we had at home was with no silicone and no perfume), also I bought
him a Dead Sea Black Mud shampoo today. He used it and his hair looks really
good. This should help with washing less often and maybe he'll try no-poo again
later on.
Day 16, Sunday
9th February: This morning my hair was a bit oily, it wasn't oily enough to
force me to do something to it, but I felt like having clean hair so I did. I
washed it through with hot water during my shower, massaged my scalp and
brushed it; to detach the oil from my roots and spread it all over my hair.
I wondered if my lemon and water spray might be a placebo (maybe I
expected it to have a cleaning or conditioning effect and therefore I saw it
happening on my hair when maybe my hair would be the same without it) so! I
diluted it even more (I could still taste the lemon because it's strong but i
added a lot of water) So I sprayed my hair with it, brushed, left it in for a
bit... then brushed some more under hot water and massaged my scalp... and
rinsed it out. Now I want to wait and see if my hair is as nice as when I used
the stronger lemon spray (it removed the excess oil whilst leaving my hair
naturally conditioned.)
-> Ok so now is the end of the day and my hair is oily... might
not be enough evidence just yet but it seems like the lemon juice does have a
real effect on washing the hair and removing excess oil. I guess I'll do it
again tomorrow but with the original lemon mix (1 tablespoon of fresh
lemon/lime juice and 1 cup of water, in a spray bottle)
Day 17, Monday
10th February: I re-made the original lemon spray and sprayed my hair in the
usual way (including water wash, brushing, and massaging...) Although less
oily, it is still very oily so I don't think the lemon has anything to do with
it. I think it's just time to do another soda wash (it's been 6 days now). I
can't see it but hubby says I have a bit of dandruff. So before I wash it next I will spray my
hair with oil (Argan and Rose) and leave it in all day, then wash it with
baking soda, followed by lemon spray. It should bring it back to normal God
willing.
It's interesting to see that I first washed my hair with soda 3 days after washing it with shampoo, then 4 days after that, then again 4 days after that and tomorrow will make a huge 7 day gap since the last time I washed my hair with soda. I'm glad to see the progress =)
Day 18; Tuesday 11th February: Well I had planned to spray my hair in oil this morning (because under the apparent natural oil I detected dryness), go out all day with my hair covered and soda wash it when I got home. BUT when I got up this morning my hair was a bit less oily than last night (is my hair taking the sebum back in or something? to wash and condition it naturally?) so I went out without oiling it (just brushed it). When I got home my hair was still the same. My aim is to not have to wash it with anything but water eventually, so if it's going to wash itself naturally then good :-) I don't want to interfere... I can still detect a slight dryness so I'll see how it is tomorrow.
All I did today was brush it this morning and this afternoon, nothing else.
Day 19; Wednesday 12th February: Last soda wash was 8 days ago. My hair is getting less oily by itself. Today all I've done is brush it (but my brush is starting to get some white residue again, so I guess my hair hasn't fully got rid of all the 'gunk')
Day 20; Thursday 13th February: Wow 20 days - cool. This morning my hair looked and felt the same as last night= oily on top, soft in the middle and dry underneath... weird? It's ok, my hair is allowed to take it's time to settle. It's been 9 days since the last wash so I can't expect it to be beautiful right now! I bought some bentonite clay which I will use tomorrow morning. According to my research, it can dry out the hair a bit too much so in order for my hair not to be dry, I've sprayed it up with my Argan and Rose oil mix, rubbed it and brushed it into my hair. I'm keeping it in over night with a bandana ontop and in the morning I'll do a clay wash.
Day 21; Friday 14th February: 3 weeks now, since I last used shampoo, and 10th day since last wash.
I woke up with my oily hair (Argan and Rose from last night) And went to wash it.
I mixed 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of bentonite clay with water to make an 'egg yoke' consistency. I soaked my hair in hot water, massaged and brushed. Then I dipped the ends in my bowl of clay and rubbed it into my hair, then I put the rest on the top of my head and rubbed it in all over. Once that was done I left it in for just over 5 minutes and rinsed. Brushed. Sprayed with lemon water, left in for 5 minutes, brushed and rinsed out. I ended with a cold-ish water rinse, and brushed. Towel dried just a bit then let it air dry. My hair is now clean, smells good (of the oil) and just looks and feels normal :) there's just a small patch on the right side of my head that is still a bit oily, I guess I missed it... But everywhere else looks great. I just clipped my front hair to the side (on the right) and there you go, nothing to see but clean, beautiful hair! =D
[my dad said my hair was really soft - so I told him I hadn't used shampoo in 3 weeks and he was quite surprised! he knows friends who've been no-poo for decades so I didn't have to explain too much, thank God. But at least it's not a delusion; my hair IS soft and pretty]
Day 22; Saturday 15th February: Hair was soft and lovely all day. Brushed before sleep.
Day 23; Sunday 16th February: Hair is soft, still looking nice. Brushed a few times today.
Day 24; Monday 17th February: Hair was really soft all day but looking oily. Tonight I washed it with the clay, this time leaving it in for almost 10 minutes and then sprayed it with the lemon mix and left it in for a couple minutes. I brushed my hair through a lot as well. One thing: I started by rinsing my hair under hot water and my hair felt clean when I did that, as if my natural oils mixing with hot water did the same effect as shampoo and conditioner. I'm going away for 10 days but when I return I want to try to wash my hair just with water... God willing =)
Day 25; Tuesday 18th February: Today I brushed my hair a few times.
Saw my sister, asked her to inspect my hair and tell me anything, she said it was really soft and kept touching it, so then I told her what I've been doing, and she had never heard of that! So she was very surprised that it's possible! But hey, luckily I waited until almost a month (if she'd seen the waxyness at the begining, she might not have said the same!) So yes, I think if you're gonna tell anyone then wait for your hair to be ready! Until 4 days ago, only my husband knew.
Day 26; Wednesday 19th February: Today my hair is still so soft, all I did was brush it a few times.
Day 27; Thursday 20th February: Hair is still really soft, wonderful to touch but started looking oily in the afternoon and VERY oily in the evening.
Day 28; Friday 21st February: Hair was oily at waking (but less than last night) so I decided to wash it but I forgot to mix my clay before my shower, so I ended up using just water. I used hot water, under which I massaged my scalp very well and for a long time to break down all the oil, then brushed it under the water. A few minutes later I repeated the process under cold-ish water to close the follicles, then brushed again. My hair was much less oily but not stripped. My hair is not as soft and lovely as when I used the clay, it feels just slightly waxy, so I think I'll wash it with clay soon enough, but it's nice to know that with a water cleansing my hair can last a few more days without washing.
Day 29; Saturday 22nd February: 4 weeks and my hair is almost there. I noticed some white build-up in my hair brush which tells me I still have some gunk; hence yesterday's waxyness after the water wash. Today my hair was less waxy than yesterday. I brushed it a lot throughout the day and that's when I saw the gunk build-up. Tonight I had another hot water wash but it didn't do much so I need to do another gunk-absorbing clay wash. The bentonite clay is known for absorbing all the dirt it comes into contact with, plus it leaves the hair soft and beautiful. It's very good when you need to get rid of hair gunk -> I might need to do it a few more times... My research did state up to 6 weeks for hair to become accustomed to no-poo. So for the next couple weeks I need to focus my hair routine on gunk-removal.
Day 30; Sunday 23rd February: Ok so a month has gone by. My hair today was getting less waxy. Brushed it a few times, that's all.
Day 31; Monday 24th February: Today my hair was much less waxy and some oil was starting to appear on the top. It seems that the oil gets rid of the waxyness: nice! I wanted to wait longer to see if the oil would wash my hair but I was having guests over... so I washed it with the clay mix then the lemon-water mix... but my hair seems still slightly waxy... (I didn't have a lot of time so I think I didn't leave it in long enough and maybe didn't use enough either).
Day 32; Tuesday 25th February: Today I brushed my hair several times. It is loosing a bit of that waxyness from yesterday. There wasn't too much waxyness and today it's barely. I had my hair down all day and no-one mentioned anything until my brother came over - he never notices hair, make up and what not - and he actually said "Nice hairstyle!" - all I did was wear my hair normally, down, with absolutly nothing done to it except brushed! My hair has a pretty and natural look to it, I think that's just it. This no-poo has landed me compliments that I never got before! So ye! I'm glad =) Praise Almighty <3
Day 33; Wednesday 26th February: Hair is loosing it's waxyness and starting to feel a bit oily again with some undercover dryness. But still not too noticeable apart by myself.
Day 34; Thursday 27th February: Hair was soft today, getting oily on top. Took a shower= drenched hair in hot water, massaged scalp, brushed. Powerfully lemonised hair, massage, left for 10 Minutes them re-lemonised and left for another 5-10 minutes. Then brushed and rinsed thoroughly under warm water. Brushed. Towel dried. After this my hair looks clean but still feels a bit waxy and oily. Either transition period isn't over yet or it's just normal, my hair will still get dirty; the aim is to wash it with just water, I'm not assuming my hair will just never get dirty, waxy or oily ever again. Not sure yet what I'll do next.
Day 35; Friday 28th February: Hair is soft but doesn't look good enough to wear down, not sure if its waxy or a bit oily... Solution: half or full ponytail. Brushed a few times today.
Day 36; Saturday 1st March: Hair is very soft and starting to get oily. I massaged my scalp whilst dry a lot today, and rubbed the natural oils down my hair, also brushed it several times. As I noticed before, the oils get rid of the waxy feel.
Day 37; Sunday 2nd March: Hair is oily, soft, silky and smooth. No waxyness at all; the oil has removed it. It is too oily to wear down for this society but personally I would consider my hair to look good as it is. Today I brushed it and rubbed it downwards and tried - and achieved - to spread as much oil as I could down and through my hair. I will continue this tomorrow if I have time. It is not an uncomfortable oilyness but I imagine that it might become soon.
Next step is too wait and see: 1) if it gets more oily over the next few days then I will do a water rinse and massage, which I'm hoping - with the water and oil mix - will "wash" my hair, or 2) maybe the oil will lessen over the next few days, and wash my hair naturally that way.
Day 38; Monday 3rd March: Hair very soft and oily. Feels less oily than yesterday. Brushed a few times, mainly kept it up.
Day 39; Tuesday 4th March: Well for the past week I've been massaging my scalp up-side-down to get rid of any dust and dirt that could be in my hair and brushing it a lot to keep it all alive and healthy. I haven't wet my hair in 5 days and haven't washed it for 8 days (and even then it wasn't a wash that left my hair feeling washed like it had before) Since I washed it, it went through being waxy, then oily (which removed the waxyness), and now the oil is also going away. My hair is looking and feeling less oily as the days go by. So I'm still waiting before doing anything else than the brushing and dry scalp'n'hand treatment. I want to see if the natural oils will go away by themselves eventually leaving my hair naturally clean (?) In 3 days it will be the end of the first 6 weeks... Will my hair be ready for only water washes or not?
And by the way if you're wondering: my hair doesn't smell of anything. Hair just smells of hair. I haven't come across natural hair that smells bad. I think it can only smell bad if we use products that have stinky chemicals or that have gone off. So that can't happen when we don't use any!
Day 40; Wednesday 5th March: Well I went against my word, and wet my hair today. I just wanted to feel the warm water on my head again... Desires always get in the way. I'm hoping it was a good idea though! All I did was refresh my hair and scalp under the warm water. Scrubbed and rubbed but no brushing or clay or lemon... just a scrub under warm water. I then towel dried as much as I could and now I'm letting it air dry.
Ok so my hair dried and looked good... Until I combed it! Then it became a bit waxy. I decided to cane-row it which involves a lot of hair-touching, it became quite greasy at the roots whilst I was doing that. But now that it's all finished, it looks great and doesn't feel waxy or greasy. If I can keep these plaits in for a few days, I'm hoping it will prolong the time before my next wash.
First water-wash of the many to come, I think it's a good idea to not brush when hair is wet and to wait until it's fully dry to brush or comb.
Day 41; Thursday 6th March: Did nothing to my hair, still got cane-rows.
Day 42; Friday 7th March: 6 weeks now! Love the no-poo! Not sure if my hair is fully over the transition but I love being natural and free from the addiction of washing hair! hehehe
Still got cane-rows, did nothing extra.
END OF POST!
Check out my 3 months update! or 1 whole year later!
Peace!
It's interesting to see that I first washed my hair with soda 3 days after washing it with shampoo, then 4 days after that, then again 4 days after that and tomorrow will make a huge 7 day gap since the last time I washed my hair with soda. I'm glad to see the progress =)
Day 18; Tuesday 11th February: Well I had planned to spray my hair in oil this morning (because under the apparent natural oil I detected dryness), go out all day with my hair covered and soda wash it when I got home. BUT when I got up this morning my hair was a bit less oily than last night (is my hair taking the sebum back in or something? to wash and condition it naturally?) so I went out without oiling it (just brushed it). When I got home my hair was still the same. My aim is to not have to wash it with anything but water eventually, so if it's going to wash itself naturally then good :-) I don't want to interfere... I can still detect a slight dryness so I'll see how it is tomorrow.
All I did today was brush it this morning and this afternoon, nothing else.
Day 19; Wednesday 12th February: Last soda wash was 8 days ago. My hair is getting less oily by itself. Today all I've done is brush it (but my brush is starting to get some white residue again, so I guess my hair hasn't fully got rid of all the 'gunk')
Day 20; Thursday 13th February: Wow 20 days - cool. This morning my hair looked and felt the same as last night= oily on top, soft in the middle and dry underneath... weird? It's ok, my hair is allowed to take it's time to settle. It's been 9 days since the last wash so I can't expect it to be beautiful right now! I bought some bentonite clay which I will use tomorrow morning. According to my research, it can dry out the hair a bit too much so in order for my hair not to be dry, I've sprayed it up with my Argan and Rose oil mix, rubbed it and brushed it into my hair. I'm keeping it in over night with a bandana ontop and in the morning I'll do a clay wash.
Day 21; Friday 14th February: 3 weeks now, since I last used shampoo, and 10th day since last wash.
I woke up with my oily hair (Argan and Rose from last night) And went to wash it.
I mixed 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of bentonite clay with water to make an 'egg yoke' consistency. I soaked my hair in hot water, massaged and brushed. Then I dipped the ends in my bowl of clay and rubbed it into my hair, then I put the rest on the top of my head and rubbed it in all over. Once that was done I left it in for just over 5 minutes and rinsed. Brushed. Sprayed with lemon water, left in for 5 minutes, brushed and rinsed out. I ended with a cold-ish water rinse, and brushed. Towel dried just a bit then let it air dry. My hair is now clean, smells good (of the oil) and just looks and feels normal :) there's just a small patch on the right side of my head that is still a bit oily, I guess I missed it... But everywhere else looks great. I just clipped my front hair to the side (on the right) and there you go, nothing to see but clean, beautiful hair! =D
[my dad said my hair was really soft - so I told him I hadn't used shampoo in 3 weeks and he was quite surprised! he knows friends who've been no-poo for decades so I didn't have to explain too much, thank God. But at least it's not a delusion; my hair IS soft and pretty]
Day 22; Saturday 15th February: Hair was soft and lovely all day. Brushed before sleep.
Day 23; Sunday 16th February: Hair is soft, still looking nice. Brushed a few times today.
Day 24; Monday 17th February: Hair was really soft all day but looking oily. Tonight I washed it with the clay, this time leaving it in for almost 10 minutes and then sprayed it with the lemon mix and left it in for a couple minutes. I brushed my hair through a lot as well. One thing: I started by rinsing my hair under hot water and my hair felt clean when I did that, as if my natural oils mixing with hot water did the same effect as shampoo and conditioner. I'm going away for 10 days but when I return I want to try to wash my hair just with water... God willing =)
Day 25; Tuesday 18th February: Today I brushed my hair a few times.
Saw my sister, asked her to inspect my hair and tell me anything, she said it was really soft and kept touching it, so then I told her what I've been doing, and she had never heard of that! So she was very surprised that it's possible! But hey, luckily I waited until almost a month (if she'd seen the waxyness at the begining, she might not have said the same!) So yes, I think if you're gonna tell anyone then wait for your hair to be ready! Until 4 days ago, only my husband knew.
Day 26; Wednesday 19th February: Today my hair is still so soft, all I did was brush it a few times.
Day 27; Thursday 20th February: Hair is still really soft, wonderful to touch but started looking oily in the afternoon and VERY oily in the evening.
Day 28; Friday 21st February: Hair was oily at waking (but less than last night) so I decided to wash it but I forgot to mix my clay before my shower, so I ended up using just water. I used hot water, under which I massaged my scalp very well and for a long time to break down all the oil, then brushed it under the water. A few minutes later I repeated the process under cold-ish water to close the follicles, then brushed again. My hair was much less oily but not stripped. My hair is not as soft and lovely as when I used the clay, it feels just slightly waxy, so I think I'll wash it with clay soon enough, but it's nice to know that with a water cleansing my hair can last a few more days without washing.
Day 29; Saturday 22nd February: 4 weeks and my hair is almost there. I noticed some white build-up in my hair brush which tells me I still have some gunk; hence yesterday's waxyness after the water wash. Today my hair was less waxy than yesterday. I brushed it a lot throughout the day and that's when I saw the gunk build-up. Tonight I had another hot water wash but it didn't do much so I need to do another gunk-absorbing clay wash. The bentonite clay is known for absorbing all the dirt it comes into contact with, plus it leaves the hair soft and beautiful. It's very good when you need to get rid of hair gunk -> I might need to do it a few more times... My research did state up to 6 weeks for hair to become accustomed to no-poo. So for the next couple weeks I need to focus my hair routine on gunk-removal.
Day 30; Sunday 23rd February: Ok so a month has gone by. My hair today was getting less waxy. Brushed it a few times, that's all.
Day 31; Monday 24th February: Today my hair was much less waxy and some oil was starting to appear on the top. It seems that the oil gets rid of the waxyness: nice! I wanted to wait longer to see if the oil would wash my hair but I was having guests over... so I washed it with the clay mix then the lemon-water mix... but my hair seems still slightly waxy... (I didn't have a lot of time so I think I didn't leave it in long enough and maybe didn't use enough either).
Day 32; Tuesday 25th February: Today I brushed my hair several times. It is loosing a bit of that waxyness from yesterday. There wasn't too much waxyness and today it's barely. I had my hair down all day and no-one mentioned anything until my brother came over - he never notices hair, make up and what not - and he actually said "Nice hairstyle!" - all I did was wear my hair normally, down, with absolutly nothing done to it except brushed! My hair has a pretty and natural look to it, I think that's just it. This no-poo has landed me compliments that I never got before! So ye! I'm glad =) Praise Almighty <3
Day 33; Wednesday 26th February: Hair is loosing it's waxyness and starting to feel a bit oily again with some undercover dryness. But still not too noticeable apart by myself.
Day 34; Thursday 27th February: Hair was soft today, getting oily on top. Took a shower= drenched hair in hot water, massaged scalp, brushed. Powerfully lemonised hair, massage, left for 10 Minutes them re-lemonised and left for another 5-10 minutes. Then brushed and rinsed thoroughly under warm water. Brushed. Towel dried. After this my hair looks clean but still feels a bit waxy and oily. Either transition period isn't over yet or it's just normal, my hair will still get dirty; the aim is to wash it with just water, I'm not assuming my hair will just never get dirty, waxy or oily ever again. Not sure yet what I'll do next.
Day 35; Friday 28th February: Hair is soft but doesn't look good enough to wear down, not sure if its waxy or a bit oily... Solution: half or full ponytail. Brushed a few times today.
Day 36; Saturday 1st March: Hair is very soft and starting to get oily. I massaged my scalp whilst dry a lot today, and rubbed the natural oils down my hair, also brushed it several times. As I noticed before, the oils get rid of the waxy feel.
Day 37; Sunday 2nd March: Hair is oily, soft, silky and smooth. No waxyness at all; the oil has removed it. It is too oily to wear down for this society but personally I would consider my hair to look good as it is. Today I brushed it and rubbed it downwards and tried - and achieved - to spread as much oil as I could down and through my hair. I will continue this tomorrow if I have time. It is not an uncomfortable oilyness but I imagine that it might become soon.
Next step is too wait and see: 1) if it gets more oily over the next few days then I will do a water rinse and massage, which I'm hoping - with the water and oil mix - will "wash" my hair, or 2) maybe the oil will lessen over the next few days, and wash my hair naturally that way.
Day 38; Monday 3rd March: Hair very soft and oily. Feels less oily than yesterday. Brushed a few times, mainly kept it up.
Day 39; Tuesday 4th March: Well for the past week I've been massaging my scalp up-side-down to get rid of any dust and dirt that could be in my hair and brushing it a lot to keep it all alive and healthy. I haven't wet my hair in 5 days and haven't washed it for 8 days (and even then it wasn't a wash that left my hair feeling washed like it had before) Since I washed it, it went through being waxy, then oily (which removed the waxyness), and now the oil is also going away. My hair is looking and feeling less oily as the days go by. So I'm still waiting before doing anything else than the brushing and dry scalp'n'hand treatment. I want to see if the natural oils will go away by themselves eventually leaving my hair naturally clean (?) In 3 days it will be the end of the first 6 weeks... Will my hair be ready for only water washes or not?
And by the way if you're wondering: my hair doesn't smell of anything. Hair just smells of hair. I haven't come across natural hair that smells bad. I think it can only smell bad if we use products that have stinky chemicals or that have gone off. So that can't happen when we don't use any!
Day 40; Wednesday 5th March: Well I went against my word, and wet my hair today. I just wanted to feel the warm water on my head again... Desires always get in the way. I'm hoping it was a good idea though! All I did was refresh my hair and scalp under the warm water. Scrubbed and rubbed but no brushing or clay or lemon... just a scrub under warm water. I then towel dried as much as I could and now I'm letting it air dry.
Ok so my hair dried and looked good... Until I combed it! Then it became a bit waxy. I decided to cane-row it which involves a lot of hair-touching, it became quite greasy at the roots whilst I was doing that. But now that it's all finished, it looks great and doesn't feel waxy or greasy. If I can keep these plaits in for a few days, I'm hoping it will prolong the time before my next wash.
First water-wash of the many to come, I think it's a good idea to not brush when hair is wet and to wait until it's fully dry to brush or comb.
Day 41; Thursday 6th March: Did nothing to my hair, still got cane-rows.
Day 42; Friday 7th March: 6 weeks now! Love the no-poo! Not sure if my hair is fully over the transition but I love being natural and free from the addiction of washing hair! hehehe
Still got cane-rows, did nothing extra.
END OF POST!
Check out my 3 months update! or 1 whole year later!
Peace!
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