I remember a couple of years ago, I could go to the drug store and buy something I allegedly needed at least twice a week. Today I was in a drug store and bought socks and a baby toothbrush, and wandered around looking for something else I needed. Couldn't find a thing. (The baby keeps hiding her toothbrush!)
First, my tweeps, Amber and Amber, inspired me to stop using shampoo. I have been using a water and baking soda solution to wash and apple cider vinegar to condition my hair for a couple of months and I love it. I had a link with some great #nopoo troubleshooting tips but I can't find it; this page has some helpful ideas but is less comprehensive than the page I misplaced. Both Ambers have good info on how to wash and condition your hair this way. Each head is different: you'll need to experiment a bit to get it right for you.
A lot of the #nopoo people go on about how their hair is nicer without shampoo. I'm not sure if my hair is softer or nicer: it might be, but it might be that I want it to be. What is indisputable, and DH even commented on before I told him I'd stopped using shampoo, is my horrendous dandruff has totally gone away. I used to be very uncomfortable about the snowfall from my shoulders, and it especially made me crazy when I was wearing black, which I do a lot. A couple of weeks into the #nopoo experiment and it's gone. Not a flake. Awesome.
I've also stopped using antiperspirant. Instead, I'm using a paste of baking soda and coconut oil. I'm a bit meh about this, as it doesn't have the redeeming quality of no dandruff. Of course, I don't have armpit dander that I am aware of... It's more of a 12 - 15 hour thing. After 24 hours of BS/CO, I'm a bit stinky. But I'm using less plastic and putting less chemicals on my body and into the environment, so a wee bit of stinky isn't the end of the world.
Finally, I've also dropped facial wash. I'm using honey to wash my face. No really. Amber also inspired me to try this, and I totally dig it. We are calling it #honeyface. As noted in yesterday's post on the post-partum body, I have adult acne going on again, but I did when using expensive product on my face, so it's just fine. I miss using retinol on my face: it was awesome for the pimples, but apparently it can cause birth defects. Since our method of birth control is a bit sketchy, I'm not seeking out more retinol for the moment.
After washing my face with honey, my face feels clean but not tight and thirsty as it often does after commercial cleansers.
So here's my question: the other big chemical stuff I'm using is to clean my teeth: what are you crunchy people using instead of mainstream toothpaste/mouthwash/floss? I assume these products are also chemical laden and problematic and that I just haven't read about why yet. There is certainly a lot of packaging involved. I have used a BS/peroxide combo to clean my teeth from time to time but it tastes seriously nasty. Any recommendations out there?
Also, any questions from would be nopoo-ers or honeyface-ers?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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1 comment:
You are far greener than I will ever be, but I do agree with the idea that more people should go shampoo-less. Or at least severely cut back on the shampoo. Shampoos are really harsh on your hair, so you should be a) washing your hair only 1-3 times a week (depending on oily-ness), and b) using sulfate-free shampoos, whether that shampoo is something that actually comes in a bottle (like L'Oreal's EverPure line or Deva's No- or Lo-poos, or is that particular mix of apple cider vinegar and BS that you're recommending Carolyn).
Regardless, I'm glad to see you're still blogging on occassion. Give E a big SMOOSH! for me...
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