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

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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).