Recently I became part of the No-Poo movement, encouraged by my husbands success with it. No, we did not stop voiding waste, thank you very much- we stopped using shampoo. Inspired by an article in Foam, a favorite surfer/beach girl magazine of mine, Ken first took the plunge and began washing his hair with a simple solution of baking soda and water instead, and using diluted apple cider vinegar to condition. In just a few weeks, his long term problem with a dry, itchy scalp was gone. Now, I was skeptical, as I have long, wild, wavy hair, ( aka frizzy/fro-tastic), so I was leery to get on board. However, I have been Poo-free for almost 2 months now, and am NEVER going back. I do use a very hydrating conditioner on my hair once or twice a week, but other than that, I am strictly using baking soda and cider, and my hair has never been healthier or softer. Inspired by this revelation, I made my pal Kerri's recipe for a homemade face mask, and loved it so much that I have slightly modified it to make an everyday facewash that is amazing. My skin is super clear and soft, and looks better than it has since pre-puberty. Seriously, I LOVE this facewash, and you can make it with stuff you already have in your kitchen. Below is the recipe for the facewash, as well as directions of how to get started with the No-Poo movement yourself. With the money I've saved on no longer buying shampoo or facewash, I've been able to upgrade to a better quality moisturizer, and buy more of what I really love: MAKEUP!
Lauren's DIY Facewash ( Gentle enough to use everyday, but not great for removing eye makeup-for that I recommend almond oil or coconut oil on a cotton pad)
Squeeze the juice from one entire orange and one half of a lemon into a bowl. Add a bit of fresh grated ginger, and grate some lemon and orange zest from the rinds of both. Then add baking soda until the mixture is the consistency of wet beach sand. Put in a small sealed tupperware, and voila! You are done! So easy. I keep mine in the shower- refrigerating is not necessary. It will last you about a month, and will keep fresh that entire time.
For the baking soda shampoo, take an old shampoo bottle with a wide opening, and mix equal parts water and baking soda. You will need to shake it before each use, as the baking soda settles at the bottom.
For the cider conditioner, mix one part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts water in an old shampoo bottle. Your hair WILL NOT smell like vinegar after- it goes away right away when you rinse it out.
If you have long or very think hair, I would really recommend still using a conditioner once or twice a week on the ends-I only put in on my hair from my ear bottoms down.
