just took a green quiz...

...which I got from Hippy Habibi's blog.

I'm not pleased. I only scored a 25.

*scowl face* I'm such a perfectionist about some things, but I'm trying not to beat myself up too much. Some "green" things you just can't do when you don't own your residence, or have to "answer" to a home owners association.

I promise, Mother Earth! I'll do better when I own my own home, with a yard and a garden and stuff!

So...how'd you do? Take it here.

ETA: I don't know why my links aren't showing up. Click on "Hippy Habibi's blog" to vist HER blog. Click on the word "here" to get to the green quiz.

ETA2: The links show up on this computer (my home laptop). At work, where I originally created this post, the links didn't show up. Strange.

Yup, another hair post.

Yesterday (Tuesday) things seemed pretty good in the hair department. Washed with BS and rinsed with ACV, and the hair dried fine and all was well.

Today...oh dear.

I decided to just wash with BS and NOT rinse with ACV. It's almost 10 and my hair feels like it did back when I first started and was using BOTH products daily. I don't know if this is more adjustment or if I need to really use both products every day. The hair felt clean after washing with BS this morning, so I decided not to rinse with ACV.

We'll see how I look tonight. I do have baby powder for the greasies, if need be. I also have static!!! It's very odd. LOL

This blog might just turn into a hair blog...

Hahaha!

Just some quick updates, it's a busy Monday morning at work.

Saturday
No washing, the hair looked pretty clean from Friday. I did brush with my boar's bristle brush, which helped move the oils down the hair shaft. Everything looked pretty good, and I kept it pulled back with a headband.

Sunday
Washed with BS/water and rinsed with ACV. Let it air dry, without ANY product...and then promptly ran off to Mass (as in church, not the state). Holy mother! By the time it dried, it was POUFY. And a tiny bit frizzy, but that could be chalked up to the rainy weather.

Today
When I woke up, the pouffiness (sp?) was gone, but it was sticking out in funny ways. Yay having wavy hair. So I rinsed with plenty of water, and added teensy amount of conditioner (Tresemme something or other) to the lower parts of my hair. Blew it dry w/out product--looks shiny and bouncy, w00t!

Some interesting observations:
1) When I let it air-dry on Sunday, it dried SUPER fast.

2) It took longer to blow dry this AM. I don't know if it was b/c I added conditioner today or I kept it wrapped in a towel until I was ready to blow dry (no air really got to the hair) and it's still kinda damp. Could be the weather, who knows.

Another hair update

Sorry if this is too much for y'all...

Here's a play by play of the last few days.

Wednesday
I did a TON of research during the workday on no 'poo, whooops. Pretty much got sucked into a group on livejournal, just reading and reading. I also got my hair cut. When I got to the salon, L (stylist) commented on how straight and soft my hair was. I told her "this is w/out any product." She was amazed! I also said something like "oh I know it probably looks a little greasy, I did wash it this AM." But she didn't think it looked bad at all. I didn't tell her about my "new regime" until she was done washing my hair. She got mad at me, and told me she would have done whatever I wanted (water only, conditioner only, etc). LOL So I confessed all about my plans and she was intrigued. Apparently she hadn't heard about this before... She cut my hair, then styled it w/out any product. Just a blow dryer and a flat iron. The hair was super bouncy with lots of volume. Smelled REALLY good--mint and lavender shampoo.

BTW, Illinigirl--she asked me if my hair smelled badly! LOL

Thursday
Woke up, hair still smelled great but was much flatter, so I pinned back the sides with bobby pins and went to work. The greasies started to come out, but they were probably similar to earlier in the week. I also discovered that my old scabs/flakes were coming back...so it's definitely something in shampoo!

I rescued an empty dish soap bottle from a garbage death and recycled it into a shampoo bottle, by adding my BS/water mixture to it. I needed something to really reach the roots, since I had read on Weds that if you get the BS/water closer to your roots, it'll help tame the greasies better. Also read that you shouldn't get the ACV too close to your roots b/c it'll bring the greasies back out. ACV = only for the non-roots! Since the soap bottle's top allowed things to be squirted from it, I figured it would do the trick.

I also discovered that I do have boar bristle brush, which is perfect for distributing oils down the hair's shaft...so I brushed it up before bed.

Friday
Wow, my hair looks awesome. Not really sure why....

This morning I rinsed with pretty hot water (not scalding) and scrubbed my scalp with just my fingertips. Then applied BS/water to the roots/scalp and scrubbed that in. Rinsed with warm water. Then kind of just patted (and poured) the ACV/water into the rest of my hair--if i had finer hair, I think I could use a spray bottle to cover it. Rinsed that with cooler water. Let the hair air dry for a bit, then blew it dry. I can still smell the shampoo (yes, from WEDNESDAY) a bit, which is all right by me. My hair doesn't seem greasy at all, actually it looks like what would be "normal" hair for me. I wonder what's going on....

More hair...

So it's Wednesday and I guess I've been no 'poo for almost a week now.

Haircut tonight--I'm nervous about my salon's stuff messing up my hair, but oh well.

Roots are still a bit greasy, which everyone says is normal, but it's really not THAT bad. I kind of like having limper hair. If you've met me, you know how "big" my hair can get!

Still no smell, thank God.

I did more research last night about all of this ACV and BS stuff, and I used a different mixture this morning--1 tbs BS dissolved in 1 cup water (I tripled the recipe just to make sure I had enough and I had too much). For the ACV, I did 1 tbs in 1 cup of water as well.

I think I need to work on WHERE I put the products. Try to aim the BS on my roots only (I know, easier said than done) and try to get the ACV only on my non-root hair (like the "ponytail" if you will). They say that the BS will help cut the greasies, while the ACV will cause more. But, you need the BS to clean your roots, and you need the ACV to moisturize the rest of your hair. What a process!

Although, I might have to use a bit more of everything on Friday when I next wash my hair. I never wash it the day after I have it done. I like to keep my $43 cut/blow dry as long as possible!

Hair Update

This morning, I washed my hair again with baking soda and conditioned with an apple cider vinegar/water mixture.

Right away, I could tell that it didn't feel as clean as it did on Sunday night. I don't know if that's because it wasn't as dirty (which is a backwards way of thinking) or if I needed to use something different. I blew it dry (something I rarely do) because I didn't want any surprises during the day. It felt a bit greasy, but didn't look too bad...I don't know.

Right now, my hair looks like it does after I go get my hair cut and my stylist puts a ton of stuff in it and flat irons it and all that jazz. Kinda dirty looking, but really good at the same time? LOL

I have ZERO product in, which I'm pretty pleased about. I did sprinkle some face powder in my hair while I was doing my makeup, just to absorb any oil that might come out, and brushed that in.

I just can't believe how straight it is without me putting a ton of crap in it...and it's not frizzy, either. I have one admission: I used this triangle attachment thingy that came with my blow dryer. I'd never used it before. It's not a diffuser--I have one of those, too. It redirects the hot air, and aims it better. I don't know what it's called though. That might have helped in taming the frizz, but oh well.

I'm actually getting my hair cut tomorrow and I'm scared my "progress" with the BS and ACV will be thwarted by the salon stuff. We'll see.

I am also thinking about using a bit more ACV in the mixture, in the hopes of cutting back on the greasies. I know there is an adjustment period, so I just have to bite the bullet and wait for my hair to regulate.

Now to comment on yesterday's comments:

I've never used salon products, except when I'm at the salon. I guess it's the cheapskate in me, plus, I don't have a ton of $ to throw around. So I wouldn't really know if there was a true difference?

The vinegar wasn't too bad, but if you have an aversion to it, I don't blame you for not wanting to use it! Plus, ACV has a slight apple smell, so it's better than straight white vinegar.

I'm happy to say that my hair doesn't smell, thank GOD. I was worried that it would have, as Illini Girl called it "that icky dirty hair smell." I knew EXACTLY what you were talking about ;-) It doesn't really have a smell, maybe a bit from the powder that I put in it (but that isn't a bad smell), but nothing like that icky nasty smell.

I'll keep trying...even though my husband thinks I'm nuts for putting acid in my hair. The former chem major in him keeps saying "there's a reason why shampoo is a BASE, honey." I actually have to go buy more ACV today.

Another green post--a hair experiment

Over the past few months, I've been reading about all types of "green" beauty stuff, natural beauty stuff, etc.

I'd been really curious about the "no 'poo" movement, for awhile. Especially because I have very thick, wavy hair, that sometimes wants to be curly...but of course, not every day. [The Curly Girl website is really into "no 'poo" as well.] Last week, there was an article/segment on NPR about how shampoo might not be that great, maybe your hair doesn't need it, the body will produce its own oils, etc. [I'm probably paraphrasing it now.] The comments were actually more interesting and informative than the segment itself, haha, and gave some great tips about how to use natural/household products to get cleaner hair.

So this weekend, I tried it. Not really planning to, it just sort of happened.

Friday--I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner in the morning.

Saturday--While showering after a workout and errands and stuff (so mid-afternoon), I decided to just rinse my hair super well. By the time my hair dried, it looked a little greasy, but I had it pulled back with a headband, so it didn't look too badly. [See what I meant about "it just sort of happened?"]

Sunday--I didn't wash it until late at night, and after another workout and cleaning my car. So it was pretty greasy by that point! By then I figured that I should try the baking soda and apple cider vinegar tips, as I didn't think that just water would help my hair!

I took baking soda and water, made a paste, sort of distributed it through my hair, making sure it got on my scalp, scrubbed really well, and rinsed a lot. Then I poured into my clean hair a mix of 1 part apple cider vinegar and 10 parts water. [I used a 1/3 cup for my "part."] Then rinsed that out with clean water. The hair felt super clean, but not slippery weird, like after you use conditioner. Just normal.

I went to bed with it slightly damp (remember: thick hair, takes FOREVER to dry) and woke up hoping not to find a crazy mess. My hair didn't look too bad--didn't look dirty/greasy at all. The waves were pretty manageable, and I ended up brushing it back and using a headband, since some of the waves looked a little weird. It's now mid-day and looking at it, it still looks pretty clean! My head doesn't itch either, the way it did when I used shampoo (a dandruff-preventing one, at that!).

The only "product" I used this AM was some hair spray to keep the shorter pieces back in the headband. It'll be interesting to see how this works when I wash my hair in the morning and have to go to work with a wet or damp head, which means I'll need some product in it...

One more thing, because I'm sure you're wondering...no my head doesn't smell like vinegar! I asked DH immediately after I showered and he was like "Oh my God, get out of here!" LOL Later on, he couldn't smell it at all. Good!

If this works, I'll be pretty pumped because it's cheap (baking soda is less than a dollar and you only use a few tablespoons, ACV is a bit more but again, you don't use much) and it's not a bunch of chemicals being poured onto my head.

Oh, about that picture--that is NOT my house, or my stuff. [Duh, if you know me, I mostly use STORE BRANDS!] Via the magic of Google Images, I typed in "baking soda vinegar" and that's the eleventh image that popped up. How wonderful!

Going/getting green

Ooooh look, a GREEN post on St. Patrick's Day! Just a coincidence, I swear.

So many people are working on going green, living more simply, etc. That's great. There are some things that I'd love to do that aren't super practical right now, just due to where we're currently living. I thought I'd post about what I do and what I'd like to do in the future...

What I do now:

1. Most food scraps are sent through the garbage disposal.

Believe it or not, this IS a green thing. Better for the food waste to be sent to the sewage treatment plant than to just sit in a plastic trash bag.

2. Recycle newspapers/fliers, magazines, bottles, cans, and some plastics.

My town is weird about which plastics are OK, which sucks, but I do what I can. I even put the magazines in our complex's laundry room in case someone else would like to read them.

3. Reuse plastic bags from the grocery store.

I know you're probably thinking, "Get the reusable bags!!!!" And I would, except DH does the shopping...and he's a guy, so he'd probably forget the "green" bags at home, in the car, or leave them IN the grocery cart at the store...lol. The plastic bags are great for cleaning out the litter box or for wrapping meat/chicken up to freeze (over the store wrappings, people!). I also use them to line the little trash cans in our bedroom and bathroom.

4. Take my lunch/snacks to work and school in plastic containers.

Sure, they can be bulky and I often look like I'm bringing in enough food for a week, but I don't use any foil, plastic wrap, baggies, etc. I'm always on the look out for new containers that I can rescue from the garbage--deli containers, takeout containers, etc. DH thinks I'm nuts, but I don't care.

5. Make rags out of old clothes.

Old t-shirts are SUPER soft and make great rags for cleaning. Then you just toss 'em in the washing machine. It's harder to get DH to make this transition, but hey, if he cleans, great!

6. Hang up some clothes to dry (no dryer).

This wasn't really meant to be green, this was more or less me trying to save my clothing. I'm always the unfortunate victim of shrunken clothing, so to save money (for new clothes) and my sanity, I started hanging up my clothes to dry years ago. But it also helps cut back on power and laundry money!

I'm sure I have more things that I do, and I just can't think of them right now.


Here's what I'd LOVE to do:

1. Use a clothesline!!!!

I grew up with one, I used one at my last apartment, but this complex that DH and I live at now doesn't allow them. Boo. I miss that fresh-air-on-your-clothes-and-sheets smell.

2. Make my own laundry detergent!

I've seen many people (including Michelle Duggar, who I secretly envy) do it. It's not hard, but we do have to transport our laundry to a common laundry room--I'm envisioning the detergent going everywhere! Storage is also an issue in our place. Where to store those gallons of product?

3. Have a garden.

Last year, DH and I had tomatoes (I think I posted the issues we had with them on here) but I'd love to get more things in the ground. As I posted a few weeks ago, I'll probably be planting things at my parents' house this year.

4. Use less paper towels and napkins.

I'd love for us to use cloth napkins at dinner (not to be snooty fancy) but it's hard when you don't have a washer/dryer IN your place and have to really plan out when you're going to do your laundry. Using cloth napkins wouldn't be too bad if we could just do a load of laundry every few days, right after dinner or whatever.

5. Start a compost pile!!!

Kinda hard to do while living in an apartment, lol. I haaaaaaate throwing away food scraps. And it would go hand in hand with the garden.

So those are my green accomplishments and goals. What are yours?