An Anniversary of Sorts

I have been waiting for this landmark moment for a long time and it's finally arrived: I've not used any commercially made hair products on my hair for an entire year! No shampoo, no conditioner, no hairspray, no gel, mousse, smoothing serum, hot oil treatment, no nothing has touched my hair. I made it and I'm so proud of myself. And the icing on that cake is that I don't miss it. So sweet. So what exactly have I been doing instead? Well here it is, today I'm posting my hair-washing routine.

Where did I get this routine? From lots and lots of internet research. Many websites and even some You-Tube videos. I ended up going with a baking soda scrub and an acid rinse, those acids being apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. I needed a routine that was a simple, quick, and as natural as it gets and once I got accustomed to the concept, it is all of those things. One of the better sites I ran across explains how it all works very well, so credit where that's due: Simplemom.net.

(Disclaimer: Everyone's hair is different so what works for my hair (medium length blond hair, formerly fine, flat, and straight, yet frizzy, now thicker, fuller and wavy) may need to be tweaked for yours: more or less baking soda or vinegar to water ratios. Also, when going off shampoo, it's helpful to wean off slowly so your scalp doesn't over-react and go into grease overload to compensate for the oil stripping the shampoo is no longer providing. Your scalp will balance out so try shampooing every other day, for a while, followed by every third day, etc. until you are ready to make the jump.) 

What works for me, proportion-wise, is I use 1 teaspoon baking soda in a 4 ounce squeezey bottle and fill it to the top. Shake it up so the the baking soda dissolves. I squeeze it near the roots, massage my scalp and let it rest for a couple minutes before rinsing it out. To get fancy, you can add 1-2 drops of an essential oil to the baking soda for fragrance. I've been using rosemary or peppermint.

For conditioning, I use 1-2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar in 1 cup of water. Also a drizzle of honey for extra moisturizing. I pour it over my head, saturating the hair and let that sit 1-2 minutes before rinsing it out. It's a bit fragrant at first, but the odor disappears completely when dry. I found the vinegar made my hair a little deeper/redder after a while so I eventually started alternating with the juice of 1/2 a lemon which lightens it up.

I wash my hair like this every 2-3 days. The other days I just scrub my scalp to loosen up any grime. I keep a cute little basket in the bathroom with my stuff, pre-measure the ingredients into the containers and add warm shower water to the bottles when I'm ready for them.

And since I've made it a year now, I've started getting fancy and experimenting with herbal hair rinses which I'll pour over my hair after my shower, not rinsing it out. I'd heard great things (online, at least) about them so I brewed up a few different batches and use a cup's worth poured over my hair for a few weeks to see how I like it. I'd tried yarrow and oregano and wasn't blown away. That is, until I tried lemon verbena (which I just happen to grow in my garden for up until this point no other reason than the fact that I adore the scent). The lemon verbena is fabulous. I also want to try chamomile (waiting for it to flower) and sage.

And that's it. I comb it out, let it air-dry and go. I have a great lady that cuts my hair and she works with my hair to shape it into a nice, care-free style that I don't have to blow-dry and style and fight with.

Just Couchy.

So it's been a while and I am not the blogger I thought I would be. First I had to finish this really good book, which led to to another really good book...then I found Pinterest.....add some holidays, birthdays, etc... Ta-dah!! So whatever. Every day is a new one. I can pick this up. (Patting self on back)

But in the meantime we bought a new couch! Our old couch was over 10 years old and the cushions were really flat so Hubby thought he could get some new cushions. Except we went on a holiday weekend and there were huge sale signs hanging on the windows of the store. Hubby left the cushions in the car. Fortunately I know how he operates and had already taken measurements of the space for “just in case”.

Three days later it arrived. So did four straight days of “hangover” headaches. There was no actual alcohol involved, that’s just how I describe that kind of low, nagging headache I get when environmental things mess with my head. Aspirin generally does not help. Sometimes, but not always. I used to get them quite frequently in the last few years but after I put together this whole Chemical Sensitivity thing and cleaned up the perfumes, scented hygiene products and cleaning supplies, I hadn’t had any in quite a while! Fortunately the weather was nice and I could leave the windows open most days and the New Couch Smell slowly disappeared.

Then I decided to take a nap on it.... I knew what I was getting myself into but one does have to get on with sitting on your new couch when you get one. It is the only couch in the house after all and now the only seating in the entire living room. Sitting on a chair in the dining room to watch the tv in the living room is a drag. It wasn’t that bad. I just got one itchy hive on my left forearm. After another week and a half and some more exposure I got hives two more times. Again, only one and on the left forearm. They only lasted 30-45 minutes so not horrible, more just a warning that my body is not happy with the situation. 

I’ve had no more problems with the couch since then. Yeah! Hopefully the initiation is over as we’ll be keeping this couch for a while. And next time, because there will be a next time as I’m still relatively young, maybe I’ll plan on being out of town the week it’s delivered and be sure the house has a chance to air out before my return.