No Poo, No Joke

No poo (shampoo that is) is something I have wanted to try for a while now. The idea behind it is that (much like breastfeeding) the oil on our scalp is supply and demand. Every time we wash our hair with shampoo, we strip away the protective oils. In turn, our scalp (not wanting to be unprotected) makes more. After continuous cycles of this, our scalp makes more and more oil. Thus making our hair greasy.  The more we wash, the more we need to wash. To add to this problem, most shampoos are full of yucky chemicals that we should not even want near us, let alone seeping into out bodies via out scalp.

The solution: No Poo!

There is a lot of info out there. From what I understand, It works best to slowly wean yourself off shampoo. Start by using conditioner only (CO), from there merging into water only (WO), with an occasional baking soda (BS) scrub and vinegar (vin) rinse. Other treatments are also discussed for troubleshooting, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

Day 1-5~
For the past couple of months, I have been down to shampooing and conditioning once or twice a week.

The next step would be to CO.

Day 6~
I have jumped the gun with a BS scrub and a vinegar rinse. So I have decided not to go back. I used a Tb of BS mixed with little water and massage it into my scalp, then rinsed well. My hair felt waxy on top and was just weird. Next, I washed the bottom of my hair in vinegar, then rinsed it all again (some vinegar did get on my roots too). Better, but still weird. I brushed it and scrunched it, but it still didn't feel right. However,when Bunny and I took our bath, that contained Epsom salts and lavender oil, I layed my head back in the water for a sec. When I got out, I brushed and scrunched it a bit. Now it feels soft and supple... I like it... So far, so good.

The plan is to WO for the next few days and throw in the BS and vin when I need it (hopefully no more than twice a week).

Day 7~
WO. So far, so good.

Day 8~
AM~ I woke this morning and found my hair looking pretty good for having just rolled out of bed. It is not as curly as I would like, but that often happens after sleeping on it all night. Otherwise, it is soft, bouncy, and not greasy at all. I have to go to a meeting today at 3:00pm, so I will WO, brush, and scrunch before I go.
PM~ I WO my hair before leaving the house. I even added a little (like half of a pea sized amount) of almond oil, just to tame the frizz. It worked wonderfully and my hair was great all evening. I rinsed it out in the tub and brushed it again. Now it is soft and wavy. So far, so good.

Day 9~
WO today. I also brushed in a few drops of lavender oil to tame the frizz. It works great, and smells great. My hair is soft and silky. So far, so good.

Day 10~
WO and lav oil again. So far, so good.

Seems like I will only have to BS and vin about once a week (if that). My hair is not greasy like I thought it would be. It actually seems softer and just better overall. I think that the Epsom salts and lavender oil help. I thought it would take weeks, even a couple of months, to get to this point in the process. I guess it is because I was down to not much "poo" to begin with. I love my hair. I love the fact that I do not have to slather it in chemicals to get it the way I like it. I have also stopped using "poo" on Bunny. Now just to get The Hubs on board. I think I will be able to convince him. I have my ways (wink).

Sharing with:

Eco-Kids Tuesday

An Enchanted Childhood~ Daycare: January 24th-28th

We have been asked many times to write up our "lesson plans" so others could use them.  Honestly, we just spend a little time thinking about how we want the "school year" to look and go from there.  We wing-it a lot, doing impromptu things that add to our plans.  I am always amazed that anyone would think what we do is worthy of writing down for others to read, but here it goes!

This year, we are doing "Childhood Classics"--reading great children's books--you know, the kind every child should get to know, and then doing little activities to go with it.

A fun activity we did this week was bubble painting!  You mix dish liquid, water, and paint and blow bubbles into the mixture letting it overflow the cup and spill onto the paper.  Then you allow the bubbles to pop on their own, creating cool designs.

We read a great book, The Long Night Moon, about the names the Native Americans gave the various full moons.  January's moon was called the Stormy Moon.  The children made their own "stormy moon" using blue and white glitter paint.

Tuesday--we were not feeling too creative due to colds and such, so we decided to use the solar system stickers I had bought a while back.. on black paper.  Looked good and led to a long discussion.  First we talked about the planets and looked at a map of the solar system.   That led to a discussion of Neil Armstrong and his famous moon walk in 1969.  We watched the video of him stepping out onto the moon and planting the American flag.  That led to putting a flag sticker on our paper.  While playing with playdoh the children made "moons" and used the golf tees to be the flag.  Next thing we knew the farm animals were astronauts and the "cow jumped over the moon".  So a totally noncreative day led to a lot of education going on!!

The following days we reviewed the moon phases in two very fun ways.  We made a mobile--

And we baked moon cookies, painted with a homemade, edible paint--

Shared with: The NightTime Sky (Discover and Explore)

A Meeting of The Minds

Before~
Today, I am going to meet some midwives. No, I am not pregnant. But my sister, Meagan, is. Meagan, if you recall, has a three year old boy, Monkey, and an eight month girl, Birdie. She is now 13 wks. pregnant with her third baby (Surprise!) She is very interested in having a home birth (copy cat, tehehe). I am also planning on having a home birth with my next one. We were invited by Ashley, a friend who is training to be a midwife, to attend a midwife meeting. All three of us (Mama is coming too) jumped at the chance to get to know our possible, future midwife/midwives.

I am really excited and kinda nervous. I am naturally shy, so I will have to fight that back in order to connect with the midwives. The good news is that I have met one of them before at a midwife info booth. I really liked her then, and I hope to get to know her better. Also, Meagan is the pregnant one and she is... Umm.. Not shy at all. So hopefully, I will be able to let her ask all the questions and listen to the answers. However, I do know that I need to step out of my shell and participate in the group of people. So I will do my best.

After~
I went, I met, I conquered my shyness and talked to people. I did not hide behind my sister or Mama, and I did participate. I went in with the mind set of not being committed to using the midwife that I had already met. Then I saw my Ruth again and I can't help but love her. She is kinda different, but then again so am I. At least at this point, she fits. Also, a girl that I took karate class with seven years ago was there. Turns out that she is in midwifery school and has two children, both homebirths (one was attended by my Ruth, the other was unassisted because she was stuck in a snowstorm). Isn't it funny how things come full circle. I was able to get to know Ashley better, as well as meet most of the people there. I really enjoyed going. I had a lot of questions answered. Overall, it went really well.

More than anything, it made me realize that there ARE others like me, who want birth to be the way it should be. I DO have options and there IS a better way. Homebirth is not a fantasy thing that is unattainable. It is a real possibility and, for me, even a probability.

{These Moments}

cause one just isn't enough.  A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama. Photos - no words - capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moments' in the comments for all to find and see. 

An Enchanted Childhood~ Daycare: January 17th-21st

We have been asked many times to write up our "lesson plans" so others could use them.  Honestly, we just spend a little time thinking about how we want the "school year" to look and go from there.  We wing-it a lot, doing impromptu things that add to our plans.  I am always amazed that anyone would think what we do is worthy of writing down for others to read, but here it goes!

This year, we are doing "Childhood Classics"--reading great children's books--you know, the kind every child should get to know, and then doing little activities to go with it.


We have continued enjoying books related to Goodnight Moon.  We re-read it and then read The Runaway Bunny, by the same author.  The children had so much fun picking out the similarities in the two books... in Goodnight Moon, there is a painting on the wall of a page from The Runaway Bunny.  The bunny from Goodnight Moon is the bunny in The Runaway Bunny when he dresses as a boy....  After reading The Runaway Bunny, we recited Hey Diddle, Diddle and I See the Moon, and then made handprint bunnies!

Mid-week, we looked at the "three little bears sitting in chairs" in Goodnight Moon and then read The Three Bears.  I was shocked by how the children sat totally still, captivated by this ageless classic.  After reading it, we painted bear masks.

Friday, we read another related book, My World, and then reread all our books (due to much begging on the children's part).  We spread the Margaret Wise Brown books out on the floor and the children compared the similar items--the bunny, the pictures on the walls... they were very excited to realize that all the books were related.

{These Moments}

{these moments} - A Friday ritual inspired by SouleMama. Photos - no words - capturing moments from the week. Simple, special, extraordinary moments. Moments I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moments' in the comments for all to find and see. 

 

 

 

Curly Girly

A couple of months ago, I was rocking Bunny to sleep.

I looked down at her and suddenly realized that she had her first curl!

I was so excited.

Since then, my curly girl's hair has grown...

She now has a whole mop of curls and waves.

Today, for the first time ever, we tried pigtails

I think it was a success!

She didn't even yank them out!

I love my curly girly!

And I love pigtails!

Back To Basics ~ Homemade Happiness

Babyfood~



Making homemade, organic, chunky applesauce,

cooked, "Clean 15", sweet potatoes,

and organic, whole wheat, ABC pasta is easy and fulfilling.

(physically for baby and emotionally for the mama... or the nana!)

Shared with:

Eco-Kids Tuesday