Granola experiments
Sometimes I think I am trying my hardest to turn into a homesteader wife, you know, one who lives in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Today was the most gorgeous day in the history of the universe. Not too hot or humid, not too cold, just a slight bit of a breeze. Just the right conditions for... line-drying your clothes! I tried this today for the first time, shunting four loads of laundry from the dryer to my backyard. Technically, I lack a clothes-drying line, so I improvised, laying blankets and quilts over patio furniture; drying two loads of clothes and towels on an indoor drying rack placed on the sunniest side of the house. I couldn't believe how quick that sun and wind sucked the water out of everything, and made all my laundry smell as though it had been kissed by angels. And it all pleases my inner miser when I save money by not running the dryer. I'm definitely doing that again.
In a much crunchier experiment, I am also trying out a no-'poo lifestyle. And I'm not talking about what Jake is trying to live up to. I was inspired by an article in a alternative Indianapolis magazine about people who stop shampooing their hair, mostly in an effort to stick it to the man while standing up for the environment, all with the pleasant side-effect of healthier hair. This is me! I thought. Dirty Claire is vindicated!
Actually, it wasn't me and my habit of bathing every other day. It's not that you don't clean your hair at all, but rather do so in a gentler way. Instead of using shampoo, you use baking soda to clean your hair. Instead of using conditioner, you use apple cider vinegar. The idea is that you still wash your hair, except that, over time, your hair's natural oils give you shine and body where they couldn't before, because they were being stripped away by the detergents in shampoo. This is what I was motivated by; my hair has always been frizzy at the top, but otherwise flat, lifeless, and greasy. What did I have to lose?
I last shampooed my hair Tuesday night, 6 days ago. I've washed it three times with baking soda and vinegar; today I skipped the vinegar. There is supposed to be a "transitional period" at about 1-2 weeks where your hair's oils struggle to find the right balance. Daddy commented today that I was looking a little greasy. But I am still encouraged because it is just so easy, and because I can't believe how unusually soft and full my hair already is, fun to touch even in between washings.
Helpful sites I found to get started included babyslime and Green Parenting.
Today was the most gorgeous day in the history of the universe. Not too hot or humid, not too cold, just a slight bit of a breeze. Just the right conditions for... line-drying your clothes! I tried this today for the first time, shunting four loads of laundry from the dryer to my backyard. Technically, I lack a clothes-drying line, so I improvised, laying blankets and quilts over patio furniture; drying two loads of clothes and towels on an indoor drying rack placed on the sunniest side of the house. I couldn't believe how quick that sun and wind sucked the water out of everything, and made all my laundry smell as though it had been kissed by angels. And it all pleases my inner miser when I save money by not running the dryer. I'm definitely doing that again.
In a much crunchier experiment, I am also trying out a no-'poo lifestyle. And I'm not talking about what Jake is trying to live up to. I was inspired by an article in a alternative Indianapolis magazine about people who stop shampooing their hair, mostly in an effort to stick it to the man while standing up for the environment, all with the pleasant side-effect of healthier hair. This is me! I thought. Dirty Claire is vindicated!
Actually, it wasn't me and my habit of bathing every other day. It's not that you don't clean your hair at all, but rather do so in a gentler way. Instead of using shampoo, you use baking soda to clean your hair. Instead of using conditioner, you use apple cider vinegar. The idea is that you still wash your hair, except that, over time, your hair's natural oils give you shine and body where they couldn't before, because they were being stripped away by the detergents in shampoo. This is what I was motivated by; my hair has always been frizzy at the top, but otherwise flat, lifeless, and greasy. What did I have to lose?
I last shampooed my hair Tuesday night, 6 days ago. I've washed it three times with baking soda and vinegar; today I skipped the vinegar. There is supposed to be a "transitional period" at about 1-2 weeks where your hair's oils struggle to find the right balance. Daddy commented today that I was looking a little greasy. But I am still encouraged because it is just so easy, and because I can't believe how unusually soft and full my hair already is, fun to touch even in between washings.
Helpful sites I found to get started included babyslime and Green Parenting.
posted by Claire at 12:05 AM
3 Comments:
Interesting. I'll be looking forward to reading how this turns out.
How crunchy of you... I am glad that I took the time to go to the babyslime link since I was imagining you combing dry baking soda through your hair followed up by a straight vinegar rinse! Claire as a salad (-: Keep us posted on this- once way back in the 60's, I spilled some Halo brand shampoo on the floor carpet of my 64 Ford Falcon and it totally removed the color-what was that doing to my hair!! I then changed to the crunchy shampoo of the bygone days- Herbal Essence. This will mean something to your more "mature" readers, hee,hee
Yvette, you are one cool grandma! I ALWAYS enjoy your comments.
I'm on day 8 of no-poo now, and my hair is starting to get naturally oiled up. It feels heavy, but it doesn't look bad at all -- in fact, it looks and feels like I have a buttload of product in my hair! But it definitely feels unusual. I'm sticking with it, though!
Post a Comment
<< Home