Going Green(ish)

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I’m not a tree hugger.  I don’t spend my days worrying about the ozone layer or the rain forests.  I’ve thought about recycling, but I live in a small town and I don’t want to drive 40 minutes to do it.  When I was a kid, I went through a “save the environment” phase and my friend and I used to spend our summers picking up trash in and around the Green River in Washington.  (Yes, this is the same Green River that the Green River Killer dumped his bodies at, and no he wasn’t caught yet.  Thank God we didn’t find any bodies.)  I’m not saying these things aren’t important, I just don’t think about it very much. 

Earlier this week, I found a blog that was talking about no-poo.  (That means not using shampoo.)  I had never heard of this before and I was a little bit intrigued by it.  The blogger claimed (and several other sites I looked at after) that after about two weeks of greasiness, your hair would look better than ever.  Of course, they said it was better for the environment, but the part that interested me was the fact that you would have gorgeous hair and that you wouldn’t be putting all those chemicals on your head.  (Plus, I figured that, if I didn’t have to buy shampoo, conditioner, or hair products, I would save a ton of money.)  I decided to try it.

Before you decide I’m completely nasty, let me tell you that you wash your hair with baking soda and use a vinegar rinse (and it doesn’t smell once it dries).  I was prepared for a little bit of greasiness until my scalp got used to it, but I wasn’t prepared for what it did to my hair.  I have extremely thick, course hair.  I do my very best to smooth and flatten it, but it’s not easy.  Some people have thick hair, but the strands are fine – not me.  My hair has been compared to horsehair before.  (Very flattering.)  After using the baking soda and vinegar, my hair felt so dry and brittle and awful.  I thought maybe it would be better when it dried.  It wasn’t.  It felt even thicker than usual.  It was so thick and course, that I could hardly even pull it up in a ponytail.  I suffered through it, thinking it might be better on day two.

During this experiment, I was cruising the internet, looking for other natural hair ideas.  I saw lots of articles talking about how bad soap and shampoo and stuff like that is for you.  It talked about all the horrible things in it.  That made me feel like it was worth it to keep trying.  Then I started seeing things about the chemicals in the carpet, and mattresses, and furniture, and kids sleepwear, and cleaners, and cosmetics.  It freaked me out a little bit.  Then it disgusted me.  I can’t get rid of all these things, so I just gave up.  I washed my hair and it was the most wonderful feeling.  My hair is soft(ish) again!  I heart shampoo! 

So, I will keep using natural bug repellent on Shiloh (Tiffany thinks I’m crazy, but I really hate all the chemicals in bug spray.), and I will pretend I never read how harmful everything else in the ENTIRE world is for us.  I will enjoy washing my hair and using all my other harmful cosmetics and lotions.  I did discover that vinagar and water make a good all-around cleaner and I tried it in the bathroom and it actually works!  So, maybe we’ll breathe a few less chemicals by using that as a cleaner now (and I’ll save a little bit of money on cleaning products).

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Tags: hair, hairstyles, healthy living, living green, no-poo, shampoo, the environment