Wednesday, January 7, 2009

finally, a post

now that the holidays are over, agrippa is healing from surgery, and stomach bug and the cold, kinda, and both are back in "school" ive got time to sit and think about posting.

the number one resolution husband and i made was to save roughly 23% of our income. so this year will be all about being uber-fucking-thrifty.

my first thrifty tip is going "no 'poo." holy cow, people. ive been intrigued by it for a while but now i am a true believer. i was going to try it once what we've got ran out our current stuff, but screw that. it's going on freecycle.

for the record, i usually only take a shower 3 times a week, my hair gets pretty grungy and my scalp flakes during the dry months. ive also have really thick hair. i had been using tresseme's hair repair shampoo with extra murm in it to help "damaged" hair and the "dry" formula for conditioner. my hair would always feel blah out of the shower and would puff up into that 'i air dried my hair' poof and then would deflate the next day. it's also that length where it's sitting right on my shoulders and would tangle at the drop of a hat. i was constantly running my fingers through it and pulling out snarl after snarl of hair.

this time i did 2 tablespoons of baking soda (in a little bowl) i made a thin paste and focused around my forehead, temple and back of ears and what i had left over went on the crown of my head and worked down from there on my scalp. after rinsing, my hair felt a kinda brittle and 'stripped.' it was still tangley and i wasnt sure what to think. then i did a rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar. it went soft and smooth and it even made my face feel nice when some dripped down my temples. and it sure tastes better than soap suds. combing was a breeze. my hair dried with a lot less poof and hasnt tangled near as much for the rest of the day. there is a very very very faint smell of vinegar but that's it. my scalp is still a bit flakey but not near as much.

im hoping the boys might like this better than shampooing, too. i lurve the way the burt's bees shampoo smells, but it's "no tears" isnt really true and both of them hate me washing their hair.

i havent done the complete break down of costs but stuff ive read online puts it at pennies a wash. we really dont spend a lot of hair products anyway but if it saves us 50bucks, that's a start. which reminds me, i have to get my hair cut, and ive got a coupon. woot!

more info on no 'poo
there is tons and tons of info over there. it's kinda like clothe diapering. it seems really overwhelming at first, but it's ridiculously simple once you get through it.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Tried no shampoo in college - it seemed like a lot of work for poor results. I think people with fine, wavy, and/or curly hair worked better. Thick coarse hair just seems to need shampoo and good conditioner. (like the stuff from BODY TIME). Just remember feeling "dirty" all the time. For me there is nothing like a freshly washed head of hair. Think there are better and easier ways to save money. Bottle of good shampoo - add a little water each time you use it - and - it can last a long time. Few kids like to have hair washed until they can doo it themselves and vinegar would sting like hell.

Louise use to filter rain water in the spring and summer to wash hair.

Snowed and Snowed and Snowed last night and today - wish you were here - just "Warm" enough to play outside all day - haven't seen any kids - probably all inside playing virtual snow games - seems like a damn shame