Shampoo Free. Seriously.

If you follow me on Twitter or read my blog, you may think that I am consumed by my pregnancy. Not so. (Okay, mostly so. Let’s not address my complete and utter inability to focus on anything work-related. Ask me my opinion about a project that’s happening in September and I’ll probably stare at you with glazed over eyes. I’m busy Googling birth stories, thinking about maternity leave, and wondering what taking care of a newborn will be like. Sorry, boss.)

I’ve done lots of non-baby or pregnancy related things this summer. I had a tire blow out on the highway. We went camping. I worked a lot. We redecorated our apartment and I love it. We went across the state to visit with Mike’s niece and nephews. I created a new budgeting system. We saw my extended family a lot. My commute became really freaking long. My sister moved back across the country and asked me to be her maid of honor (yay!). I continued to take on blog design work and have new hopes and ideas for how to grow my little business. And I stopped using shampoo nearly four weeks ago.

Let’s talk for a minute about that last one. First, I promise you I’m not a scuzzball. See?

So maybe I haven’t used shampoo or conditioner from a bottle, but I have used baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and water to keep my hair clean.

Why?

I ran out of conditioner and was trying to figure out if there was a plastic-free option for conditioner when I stumbled across this great post (the whole website is fabulous, by the way). Intrigued by the idea that baking soda and apple cider vinegar could get my hair clean, I figured I’d give it a shot. If it worked, I’d be saving tons of money, not using any chemicals, and reducing my waste. If my hair became greasy, tangled, or dirty – I’d just wash it. No commitment, nothing to lose.

That was on July 22nd. I haven’t touched my (giant!) bottle of shampoo since.

How?

Tsh recommends a mixing a tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water for the shampoo part. (I have thicker, wavy hair, so I increased the baking soda.) I keep the mixture in a plastic squeeze bottle that used to hold chocolate syrup. Just squirt and rub into your scalp, massaging as you go. The baking soda acts as a clarifier on your scalp and removes dirt and oil.

For the conditioner, mix a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar per cup of water. I keep this mixture in an old conditioner bottle and apply mostly to ends of my hair. I have even stored it in a cup and dipped the ends of my hair in the cup to really make sure they get good and conditioned. I have pretty dry hair, so I make sure and apply lots of it and leave it in for a few minutes while I finish showering.

Since my hair is typically pretty dry, I sometimes use a teensy bit of coconut oil (we’re talking a dab on my finger) and rub it through my hair to get rid of flyaways and such. It’s sort of like this stuff, minus the cost.

What are the results?

My hair is soft, clean, and manageable. I don’t have to choose between chemically-laden, but cheap or expensive, natural shampoo. My new ‘shampoo’ and ‘conditioner’ cost me very little and create hardly any waste.

I am going to continue on my happy shampoo-less existence until a problem arises.

Wanna try?

I've told a few friends what I've been doing, and one of them tried it out as well. Here's what she said:  "Also, Teej and I have been 'poo free for a week now! Just baking soda and apple cider vinegar! I LOVE the vinegar as conditioner... I think it works WAY better than store bought conditioner."


Check out this post for more details, ideas, and links to other blogs. And let me know how it goes!

Oh, Religion.

I grew up in a religious (Catholic) family - we went to church every Sunday, participated in all of the sacraments, and were very involved in our faith and church. When I was in high school, I became quite religious myself - leading retreats for other high schoolers, reading my Bible, praying, and being a leader in our church youth group. I was always pegged as a "good little Christian girl" by my classmates. (Which was quite annoying as a 17-year-old, but in retrospect, was probably a good thing. Because they typecast me, I stayed out of trouble. No one was going to ask the Good Little Christian Girl to do Naughty Things.)

As a freshman in college, a coworker and I got into a conversation about religion, and he remarked, "Most wars are started by religion; religion does more harm than good."

My 18-year-old self was scandalized. Religion? Bad? He's obviously a heathen.

This conversation was followed by four transformative years of college (see: recap here). I've come a long way since my simplistic understanding of the ways that religion contributes both positively and negatively to our world. As I’ve become more balanced in my own personal faith journey, I’ve been able to see that there are, in fact, many negative effects of religion. Individuals (including the 18-year-old me) can become judgmental and divisive in the name of religion. Instead of being a tool to create a more loving, caring world - we can use religion to justify violence and hate.

In my opinion, the purpose of religion should be to inspire individuals to create a better world through bettering themselves; to become kinder, gentler, more open, and more generous individuals. Religion and spirituality should call us outward towards others, not just inward.

I think religion makes the world a better place when this happens. And it so often does.

Religiously-affiliated colleges and high schools more often educate about social justice and include service in their curriculum. Religious charities feed the hungry, care for the sick and orphaned, and advocate for the poor. I’ve met some of the most amazing religious sisters (nuns) dedicate their lives to working for peace and justice. They inspire me and make me proud to consider myself a part of their religion.

Plus, Jesus was all about loving your neighbor, not getting hung up on specific rules, and nonviolence. He was a pretty radical guy.

That’s not to say that the teachings of religions aren’t ever hurtful or harmful. I’ve personally struggled with this; it can be so heartbreaking. I’ve seen discrimination in this country that has angered and frustrated me. Someday, I’ll write a post about living in a country of Muslims during 9/11 and coming back to my own country, surprised and saddened to find resentment and unfounded beliefs about Islam running rampant.

I am, In fact, an unlikely defendant of religion. Even as I write this, I'm torn to be defending something that has hurt so many. But I'm writing about it, because I think when it's done well, religion can contribute to a better world.

But today, I want to talk about how you think religion has both helped or harmed our cities, our countries, and our world.

Me? I don’t think you need religion or faith to be a good person, but I think that religion has the potential to make the world a better place.

Over or Under is No Longer a Debate: More Toilet Talk

A bit TMI, perhaps...but I just gotta tell you about our toilet paper habits.













As a part of our get-rid-of-paper-products kick, and inspired by Crunchy's challenge, I took the plunge and decided to try using cloth wipes instead of recycled TP. (Don't say I didn't I warn you it was TMI!)

Now, before you get totally grossed out, let me explain that 1) I just tried it with #1 at first; 2) If you've used cloth diapers, it's really not a big leap; and 3) It's perfectly possible to do this for even the most squeamish among us.

With virtually every drastic change I've made, I've completely balked at the idea at first, then slowly but surely accepted the idea (usually falling in love with it after a few weeks). I've been using cloth TP for about two months now. Here are some of the benefits:

• It's waaay cheaper to cut up an old t-shirt than to spring for the comfy (or recycled) stuff
• The comfort factor -- imagine a soft flannel cloth or t-shirt instead of scratchy paper...you cannot even imagine!
  
• Reducing waste and paper usage -- there's no packaging, there's no waste (minus a small amount of detergent and water to wash the cloths)
  
• Less chemicals -- making toilet paper is a chemical, water, and energy intensive process, so cloth saves on all of that!

Here's how I do it:

- Cut up old t-shirts into squares about 4" by 4"
- Put stack of cloths on back of toilet and use as needed :)
- Use a mesh lingerie bag to put the used cloths in
- Throw the bag in the laundry when I do a load
- Ta-da! It's super easy, makes you feel good, saves some money, and is good for the planet (kinda our theme 'round here)

Give it a try!

PS: Is anyone else looking forward to Thanksgiving and a few days off as much as I am!?

Cauliflower, Sweet and Sour, Half An Hour*

This may not be a popular way to reduce our consumption and waste, but it’s time to talk about it.

Eat less meat.

Wait! Don’t go! I promise it’s not that bad. You can totally eat delicious food without eating meat every meal. We are both vegetarians, but anyone who chooses to eat less meat really helps.

Here’s my story (it’s not easy to relate to. I’ve never liked meat. Talk to Mike, re: Trying to eat less meat when you love it): Meat was gross to me unless it was super thin lunch meat or salami and pepperoni. My dad told me I couldn’t be a vegetarian in high school because I wouldn’t get enough protein. So I’d eat two bites of meat when we had it for dinner. But my family isn’t big on meat; our entire family of seven would have two or three chicken breasts for dinner. No joke. Though my mom did like to sneak tofu into everything from milkshakes to lasagna to pancakes. The idea of meat was kind of gross to me, something that was confirmed the first time I tried to cook chicken (the tendons! Oh the tendons! or whatever those stringy things are!) The turning point from disliking meat to really avoiding it came when I mentioned to my dad that I didn’t like meat because it “feels like I’m chewing on flesh.” To which he responded, “Well…You are.”

So I avoided meat my first year and a half of college, when I started researching vegetarianism. I never wanted to “declare” myself one simply because I didn’t want to cause problems. I’m indecisive, noncommittal, and a people pleaser. You make waves when you tell people you’re a vegetarian. People get really defensive. They don’t understand how you can LIVE without MEAT!? Your grandma claims she doesn’t know what to cook for you without meat.

I couldn’t ignore the evidence; a healthy vegetarian diet had health benefits, was better for the environment, and was nicer for animals. (Let’s get this clear – I’m not an animal rights activist. At ALL. PETA is too crazy for me. But factory farms are nasty, nasty, NASTY! Research them.)

So about two and a half years ago, I took the plunge. Let’s talk about how eating less meat (I’m not trying to make everyone vegetarians, don’t worry) can help the environment:

• No deforestation for cattle to graze.
• Animal waste is a huge source of greenhouse gases (there’s more poop than we know what to do with!)
• Meat is inefficient – it takes tons more energy to get one pound of meat than one pound of grain.
• Meat and Poverty: Just a quick note – meat production uses about 44% of the world’s grain production. While people are going hungry, we’re using grains to feed our meat. Make sense?

Try eating one or two meals a week without meat – any little bit helps.

Meals without meat aren’t deprivation. We’re not fancy around here, mostly because I don’t get home until 8pm and our oven is the size of a breadbox. We eat lots of beans, whole wheat tortillas, some cheese, almonds, whole wheat pasta with homemade pesto or spaghetti sauce, pizza, cous cous with beans and veggies, smoothies, veggie burger stir fry, Indian food, salads, veggie corn dogs…I’m getting hungry!



*My apologies if VeggieTales annoys the beejeezus out of you. :)

Simple Enough.

We started doing something with our toilet that may gross you out. I promise you, it's really not that bad.

If it's yellow - let it mellow.

If it's brown, flush it down.

Seriously. It's so simple and doesn't bother either of us. (However, if it's been sitting for a few hours, we definitely flush it. We want to save water, but not completely sacrifice our noses.) We save TONS of water and now when I go to my parents house, it feels weird to constantly flush after myself.

Wow. I can't believe I just wrote publicly about our toilet usage.

potty humor :)