1 Year in Poo Free Update

It's hard to believe it's been a year since I started on my poo free journey. If you've been following then you know I am now cowashing, but I still consider myself poo free as well. I decided to compare apples to apples today to see the real difference in my hair. So here we go.
Difference in air drying.

Before

After


This is the biggest difference in my opinion and how I normally wear my hair now. Just for fun I decided to use a hair drying today for the first time in a really long time to compare the blown dry results and here's what I have.

Before

Today



My hair feels healthier, it's easier to manage and I really just love it now. I'm not sure if you can tell in the pictures but my color is richer, and my hair is so much softer.

For those who did not follow. I did a baking soda and vinegar rinse all through my 7 week transition. After six months I started conditioning daily  or (cowashing) with a product called Shae Moisture conditioner and I use their "shampoo" about once a week. I put shampoo in quotes because if you haven't gone poo free you and you use this shampoo it could take a while to get good results. This shampoo doesn't lather and contains no sulfates or paragons. I'm not sure why they don't just call it poo free on the label.

So here we are, a year later and I still can't imagine going back. I'd love to hear your poo free story too, if you have one.

My Goal, My Blog

When I started this blog back in August, I was just coming off of shampoo. It was and still is my main goal to  limit my dependence on large commercial products and decrease my spending at national big box retailers. This all started in May of last year. If I have one regret, it's that I didn't track my savings because the amount of money I estimate that I am saving now almost trumps the original goal. So this is going to be a HUGE post. I'm going to go through everything I no longer buy, or buy less of and tell you how I did it. Target misses me dearly, but I don't miss them like I thought I would. You know, flea markets have much cooler furniture or less money. Just a thought.
So here is my list followed by a break down. I no longer buy (or on a regular basis)

Shampoo
Conditioner
Deodorant
Body Scrub
Facial Cleansers
Body/ hand lotion
Facial toner
Hair products (palmade, hair spray, gels and such)
Makeup remover
Shaving Cream
Glass Cleaner
All purpose Cleaner
Bathroom Cleaner  (except toilet bowl cleaner)
Furniture Polish
Laundry Detergent
Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheets

This is where I am after 9 months. Can you imagine how much money I am saving not purchasing those items anymore? I am still purchasing something, but the items are much less expensive, I can find them at my local employee owned grocery store and I don't buy them very often. So here it is.....the break down.


Shampoo, Conditioner, Shaving Cream, and Hair Products
If you have read this blog before then you probably know I have sworn off traditional shampoo and lived to tell the tale. I went "Poo Free" Last May at the start of my journey to hippydom. I now use organic poo free shampoo and conditioners, but I only wash my hair once a week now. This is one of the few things I still have to go to Target for. I use Shae Moisture brand shampoo and conditioner. They have a very short ingredients list, and at about $9.00 per bottle with limited use, it's quite a bit less than I used to spend on my

Rusk brand shampoo and conditioner. What is even better is that my hair is now so awesome, I don't need any product in it ever. So these two products have eliminated my need for salon shampoo and all hair products. I even use the conditioner to shave with, and now I don't buy shaving cream any more. See how this works? Pretty awesome aye?










Deodorant
I went deodorant free back in May also. I tried a few different things but what I ended up sticking with was a deodorant stone, like this one. Available at my grocery store, it was about $10.00 if I remember right. The thing is, it can last for years. They are made from mineral salt. They go on clear, no stickiness or residue, they

give you 24 hour protection, and they are completely natural. Just be sure of a few things if you go this route. Make sure it is not a synthetically made stone. It should be clear and colorless not white and opaque. The synthetic ones don't work as well and can hardly be called "natural" when you get down to it. The second thing is that there is an adjustment period. For a few weeks, I had my stinky moments. A pack of baby wipes in you purse can be helpful until that passes.




Body Scrub
I make my own. Here is the LINK to the recipe. It's made with coffee, raw sugar, and olive oil. The coffee and sugar are bother great exfoliaters and the olive oil makes your skin soft. Coffee is also great, because caffeine is known to reduce puffiness in the skin and smooth out cellulite. Buying a large container of coffee and raw sugar lasts forever and is much less expensive and more effective than that pricey St Ive's body scrub I was buying for years.

Facial Cleansers, Toner, Hand and Body Lotion, and Makeup Remover
My new nightly ritual for my face is this. I remove my makeup with olive oil, then I splash my face with warm water and rub it with raw honey, then rinse. I pat my face dry and apply coconut oil before bed. I no longer need toner or facial cleansers. The olive oil removes my makeup and tightens the skin around my eyes. The honey is an antibacterial that reduces swelling, redness, and acne. I use the coconut oil as a moisturizer. I also use the coconut oil in place of hand and body lotion. Now you may go to the store to look at these items and think, "This stuff is expensive" But keep in mind, some of these things are replacing more than one product and a little goes a long way. To learn more about the honey I use, you can click HERE to go to the blog post.
All Purpose Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner, and Glass Cleaner
I have a confession. I used to think that people who made their own cleaners had dirtier houses. I know it sounds awful but I have since seen the error of my ways. 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water cleans all my surfaces and makes my windows and mirrors shine like I have never seen before. No streaks, not ever. People complain about the smell of vinegar and it did take me about 2 weeks to get used to it, but keep in mind it dries odorless. Do you know how much a gallon of vinegar costs at my grocery store? A little over a dollar. Do you know how much I used to spend buying Windex? Let's just say way more than a dollar. For my bathtub and kitchen sink, I use baking soda. You can sprinkle it on and let it sit for a few minutes. It will soak up every little bit of soap scum and if you have a really tough job, add a little vinegar to it and get a fizz going. Really there is nothing better than hearing your husband yell "This is awesome!" while he is scrubbing your tub.

Furniture Polish
My daughter loves to eat oranges. When she has one (if I need any) I put the peels in a mason jar and fill it with vinegar. I let it sit on my windowsill for 2 weeks. Then I put it in a spray bottle with some water and about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. (maybe a half cup of water this isn't really scientific) This is my furniture polish and it makes my dinning room table look amazing.

Laundry Detergent
This is a big one people. The recipe I use lasts or like 6 months, and I promise you, the clothes really do get clean. I used to cloth diaper and I used this recipe on them without incident.
4 bars of soap grated (I use Dr Bonners but you can use Fels-Naptha)
1 box borax (4 lbs)
1 box of baking soda (4 lbs)
1 box of Arm and Hammer washing soda (3 lbs)
1 box of OxiClean (7 lbs)
In the parentheses I put how big the boxes are. If you find one a little over or under it's not that big of a deal
Mix all that together in a huge garbage bag. I leave mine in my basement and fill a large Mason Jar for my laundry room. You won't have to worry about detergent for months and months and all the ingredients probably cost you less than one box of your regular detergent. Now I know there are some pretty big named companies in that list, but they are getting a lot less of my money now.

Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheets
I use dryer balls, but here are a couple other alternatives.
You can use a cap full of vinegar in the rinse cycle to soften the clothes, or you can get some sheets of cheese cloth. Soak them in your favorite softener and wring them out. Hang them to dry and use them as dryer sheets. One sheet should be good or up to ten loads. You will still be buying softener but you will be buying far less.

I hope this information is helpful to you and that you can find a few ways to cut down your own dependence on large manufacturers, or just save a buck or two.

New hair update

So it has been almost 8 months since I started my "no poo" journey. My hair just keeps getting better. Maybe you read my update recently when I decided to let my hair air dry and it wasn't too bad, well now it's better than not too bad. I'm on day two of no heat on my hair and I am loving it.

This no poo thing is the best thing I have ever done for my hair. If you missed my original post about going poo free click HERE

Now I'm cowashing and the details for that are HERE

I imagine now that I am ditching the hair dryer, my hair will just get better and better. Who knew that all my problems were shampoo. I had always thought I just inherited bad hair.

My new skin care ritual

I've always been blessed with great skin. I've never really had a major acne issue, I stopped smoking 5 years ago and I think that warded off any premature wrinkling. With all that in mind, it's very sensitive. I've always slathered it in SPH 50 even when I wasn't planning extended time in the sun.
Recently, in the last 3 years or so, I've started to get some redness. I was afraid it might be rosacea. Some days are worse than others, and if I get any sun at all it looks like my face is on fire. Also suddenly I'm starting to get a little cystic acne.
I've always used either Nuetragena or Clean and Clear facial scrub but in the spirit of wanting to decrease my dependency on large corporations and big box retailers, I tried something new.

Honey. Raw, organic honey. I've heard awesome stuff about manuka honey, but I'm just using regular honey.

I already had some of this really raw honey from a cupcake recipe last summer. I hadn't used it since, so waste not want not.
I also bought some organic, cold pressed, coconut oil from Trader Joe's.

Every night for the last 7 or 8 nights I have done the following

1. I remove my eye makeup with olive oil.
2. with clean hands I splash my face with lukewarm water
3. I massage the honey in a circular movement all around my face using my fingertips to avoid spreading bacteria
4. Rinse my face and pat it dry.
5. Apply  small amount of coconut oil all over my face including lips and eyelashes.

When I wake up in the morning, my skin looks like porcelain. No redness at all and greatly reduces the inflammation of acne. I love love love this new routine and my skin does too.

Another Poo Free Update; The Air Dry Test

I know it may sound silly to some, but it has been a life long dream of mine to have air dry hair. You know the kind. When I was in high school I would see those girls with their air dry hair. They show up for school, their hair still wet, and by lunch time it was this wavy, shiny, moving sea of beauty. Well, that's how it appeared to me anyway. I've written about it before, my longing for hair that needs no heat or round brush to be presentable.
As happy as I have been with my new low maintenance hair, I have still not been able to bid my hair dryer fair well  While it's true that a brush and even hair product is no longer something that I require on a daily basis, I still stand every morning for 10 to 15 minutes, bending at the waist, hanging my head upside down, scrunching with one hand, and holding my defuser in the other. The idea that I would ever have air dry hair seemed out of reach.
Then I wondered, what does my hair look like now when it's air dried? It's been months since I've tried. So here I sit, damp hair, typing away in hopes that when it comes time to take my daughter to school today, I won't be embarrassed to do so.

So what was the verdict?
It seems as though my hair looks just fine air dried. I will admit to brushing it which made my waves kind of weird, but it's a learn as you go process. So here it is, 9 months no poo and now I am an air dry girl.

And for perspective and or comedy, let's take a look again at the air dry transition.

What I started with 9 months ago air dry

5 weeks no poo air dry

3 months no poo air dry

today

I am a happy girl with healthy hair, and who knew about the color? I mean I had no idea my hair color would change so much. If you haven't been keeping up, I do want to say that I'm no longer using baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Here is the LINK where I discuss my current hair routine. 

Until next time.........

Winter Skin and Foot Repair!

Yikes it's dry around here. I use this scrub all year round but I wanted to wait until I had to make it again so I could get some pictures for you guys and post about it. This is my coffee scrub. I use it about once a week on my whole body and daily on my feet. Coffee has some great benefits. Number one it smells great. The caffeine is supposed to reduce puffiness in skin and also reduce cellulite  one more time REDUCE CELLULITE  The next great thing is also it's downfall, coffee stains. One your skin it's very subtle and gives you a wonderful little glow. The issue is if you use it every day and then go to a wedding in the 9 degree heat it will leave a ring on your new Calvin Klein dress reminiscent of a spray tan. So here's what you need.

1 cup ground coffee
2/3 cup raw sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
(optional 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder)









In a air tight container mix ingredients together. You can add chocolate if the smell of coffee isn't something you like. the chocolate will over power the coffee smell, but it makes an even bigger mess and can come off on your towels and clothes if you are sweaty.

Mix together with a fork until oil is distributed  It will look a bit like wet sand. then close it up and shake it really well

This is is. You can use this all over your body, but make sure to rinse the shower well when you are done or again, it will start to stain. You will notice a difference in you dry cracked feet after the first time you use it. At least I do. 

Enjoy!

Another Big Hair Transformation

Now on the cusp of my 6 month "No Poo" anniversary I have gone through yet another major hair transformation that I wanted to share with you guys. I recently decided to move away from my BS and ACV wash because my hair was starting to feel more dry and less manageable that it had since. I've always said that you have to find the routine that is right for you and I also wanted to help bring back those curls that I was starting to see at the beginning of my poo free transformation. So I decided to try something new and so far, I'm pretty happy with it.
Now I haven't broken my vow of never using shampoo again, but I will say that I set out in search of something store bought this time. I've been making a lot stuff at home these days and I wasn't ready to embark on yet another homemade product just yet. I have a coconut allergy so I was concerned about most "poo free" hair washes, but I found one that was shea butter based.

Now before you say "Wait that's shampoo!" 

I assure you it really isn't. There are no sulfates or parabens, and really the list of ingredients is all natural, some organic and no chemicals at all. So while it says shampoo on it, I would call it "poo free" shampoo. I found the wash and conditioner at Meijer for 8.99 each, and I also saw that the Target near my house carries this brand although their prices were higher. 

Armed with my new amazing smelling, all natural products I embarked on a myriad of new hair rituals, so here we go.

I am still only washing my hair once per week. However I am using the conditioner every day. This is working for my hair really well. The conditioner I bought can be washed out or left in and I leave it in about twice a week.

Same as before I wash my hair, then condition and put it up in some clips, when I'm done with my shower I rinse my hair.

If you have curly or wavy hair like me, and you want to encourage the curl, you can comb your hair in the shower after you put the conditioner in it. This is the only time I comb my hair and I do it a few times a week. If you don't have curly hair you probably need to use a comb or brush more often.

Next super important thing, and you won't believe how super important it is, I no longer towel dry my hair EVER. Instead, when I step out of the shower I wrap my hair in an old cotton t-shirt. This makes my hair super soft and if you have curls, it doesn't crush them. It seems like such a silly thing but you have to try this, it really does make a difference.

That's that. I've been doing these things for about 3

 weeks now and well, I'll just show you the difference.

My regular poo free hair

My new poo free hair

I still haven't colored it at all and I'm noticing continuing color change. It seems my hair is becoming redder the longer I am poo free, and I feel like it is becoming closer to the color it was when I was much younger. It's very soft now and not dry at all. My husband has been telling me how cute my hair is, so that's an added bonus too.

How are you doing on your poo free journey, if you have started one?