Um... Don't Judge Me...

But... I've decided to stop shampooing my hair, and I took flowers from a senior center.

I can explain.

I've been engaged in an ongoing battle with shampoo. In my quest to reduce my contribution to cruelty, I've decided to only use products that don't test on animals and are earth friendly. (I do a pretty good job, but I'm not perfect, so you don't need to snoop in my medicine cabinet!) Shampoo has been a major problem. I bought some natural stuff and hated it. I bought some other stuff (don't actually remember) and didn't like it. In Peru hair issues went from bad to worse. I could not get the shampoo to rinse out of my hair. I blamed the cold water, but Shauna didn't really have any problems. Seriously, when you go a few weeks with shampoo (and various other detergents I tried) just building in your hair, you get pigtails like these. It's not pretty. But we came back and things were a little bit better. My current shampoo, Trader Joe's, I super hate. My roommate lets me use her shampoo on occasion (it's Clairol, so it's cheating). But really, same problem. I cannot get shampoo to wash completely out of my hair. I am always left with this weird shampooy matted mess in the back. But not anymore.

I'm engaging in an experiment. No more shampoo. Instead... baking soda. Last night I was reading all about the evils of shampoo and the glory of baking soda (and vinegar) over here, that I first read about here. Basically, shampoo is harmful for your hair because it strips out the oils. You need conditioner to return the oils, but it doesn't do such a hot job of it. But... washing your hair with a mix of baking soda and water, and giving a periodic rinse with apple cider vinegar, restores your hair to its pre-shampoo state. I'm going to give it a month (less if this experiment goes awry).

I did it this morning and really liked the results. I didn't have the sticky shampooy mess I usually have in the back, and my hair felt really clean. (It doesn't smell like vinegar, I swear). I will let you know how the experiment goes. (Molly, you should try it too! Your hair would be perfect!)

If you feel brave...

To Wash:
mix 1 tablespoon baking soda per 1 cup of warm water

Vinegar Rinse:
mix 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar per 1 cup of cool water

Now the flowers.

I was at the senior center today to finish up some paperwook for job #2. All the seniors were exiting the building with these lovely dahlias. In making conversation with the attendant at the front desk, I commented on how pretty the flowers looked. She told me the farmers market donates all the left over flowers from the weekend to the senior center. I must have shown the correct level of enthusiasm because she then invited me to help myself! I admit, I felt a little weird taking flowers from a senior center while the Luepke Center Singers rehearsed The Sound of Music just over my shoulder... but, well, they are really pretty.