i don't wash my face

Let me clarify: I don't wash my face with face wash.  For almost 9 (yes, nine) months now I have used nothing by coconut oil on my face to get my grease, grime, and makeup off.  It sounds nasty, but it works.  My face has never felt smoother or softer, and I have not had one breakout since starting this routine.

Coconut oil is a miracle supplement to the normal routine of washing my face.  I have incredibly dry skin (like, so dry I could peel flakes off in the middle of a hurricane on South Beach in Miami), and nothing I have ever tried could prevent the inevitable peeling I would experience every morning.  No matter what kind of wash or what kind of lotion I was using (I was so desperate at one point that I was trying baby oil - talk about nasty), my face was dry.

Enter: coconut oil, the love of my life (sorry, Robert).  This stuff is so incredible that I want to shout it from the rooftops and sing my love every time I get caught at a red light with my windows down.  Believe it or not, coconut oil is actually an antibacterial, so my face is actually clean after I put it on.  Whereas before, I only washed my face two or three times a week (it was so miserable, so don't judge me), I can now wash it every night, and my skin really does thank me for it!

Since coconut oil comes in a solid state (you can find it in the baking aisle at most grocery stores - and you really should try to get unrefined and organic; here is a link to a product on Amazon), you'll need to run it under hot water to melt it into a liquid.  Make sure you have a cloth handy, because rinsing your face with just water is not going to get the grime off (and I find it most unpleasant to try to scrub a mixture of oil and water with just my hands).  I like to apply the oil and let it sit on my face for a few minutes to absorb into my skin.  Then, I'll take my cloth, wet it, and wipe the oil off.  This is the fun part, because you'll see all of the dirt and grime that has been collected on your face come off onto the cloth!  Once you've wiped down your whole face, you're done!  And the best part: there will still be a slight layer of oil to moisturize your face!  I seriously can't get over how amazing this product is!

Aside from the sheer bliss I get every time I use it, coconut oil is really easy to use as a face wash, and it's also environmentally friendly (just think about some of the chemicals that we put on our face when we use commercial face washes - yuck!).  Coconut oil is also fairly inexpensive, will last a long time, and can even be found on the shelves at Walmart.  I'm not sure how this would work on oily skin, but I'm at least 90% positive that if you have dry skin, you will seriously become a coconut oil addict after giving this a try.

Happy face-washing!

my decision to give up shampooing

Yes, you read the title right. I have decided to give up shampoo and conditioner. Now, before you judge me, I have a perfectly good explanation as to why I have decided this (and you can read about that here).  You might say I'm crazy, and I agree with you, but I am really anticipating what my hair could look like if this all plays out right.

I have done my research, and according to my sources, the process of transforming my hair from a mop head to a crown of beauty is simply to give up my beloved shampoo and conditioner and go for something a little less glamorous - baking soda and apple cider vinegar!
 

These ladies didn't use shampoo, and check out how fabulous their hair is.

Think about it, is shampoo really that necessary?  What did women do before modern shampoo was invented in the 1930's?   They washed their hair once a week, or even once a month, with soap, that's what!  Shampoo as we know it is actually designed to make us wash more often by stripping our hair of all oils so that our scalp has to overcompensate and produce more oil, resulting in greasy hair.  So we shampoo again to get rid of the grease, and the cycle continues - pretty sneaky of shampoo companies, right?  If Victorians can have thick, shiny locks with no shampoo, what's the point in me using it?

Before the crazy history teacher in me comes out full-force, I'm going to change the topic and focus on the supplies needed for ditching the 'poo.  On a side note, I really hate calling it "'poo", but I've jumped on the bandwagon and followed what the rest of the internet is calling it.  Ugh.

Supplies Needed:

• Baking Soda
• Apple Cider Vinegar ("ACV")
• Spray Bottle
• Squeeze Bottle
• Essential Oil (Optional)
• Wet Hairbrush (Optional)
 

Put one tablespoon of baking soda in your squeeze bottle and mix it with one cup of warm water.  Shake it until the baking soda has dissolved.  

Add two tablespoons of ACV into the spray bottle and mix it with one cup of water, then shake.

Once you are in the shower, rinse your hair completely with just water.  Add the baking soda mixture to your scalp only.  It's really important to not put this on your ends, as it will dry them out.  You'll want to massage the baking soda mixture into your scalp, helping it to break up all the "gunk" that's been left on from products, pollution, etc.  The mixture should feel a little slimy and gritty, and it won't lather, which it weird because I love a good lather, but you will get used to it.

After you completely rinse the baking soda out of your hair, it's time to add the ACV.  I recommend only putting it on your ends, because it could end up making your scalp really greasy if not.  The ACV will moisturize your hair and restore your scalp's pH, which is very important if you want a healthy scalp.  I like to comb the ACV through my hair with a wet hairbrush (you can find one on Amazon).  These things are man's most amazing invention, and I highly suggest investing in one.  I leave my ACV on while I do my other shower things and then rinse it out.

I take my showers at night and let my hair air-dry.  I put lavender on my pillow every night, so I wake up with my hair smelling like lavender, plus a get a nice, peaceful sleep.  If you'd rather, you can put a few drops of essential oil in your hands and run it through your hair to add smell and shine.

I've read that using heat and a few products with this method are not going to mess it up, though I probably won't use any - mostly because I never used any to begin with.  I've only been no 'pooing for a eight days now, but I've been experiencing dry and brittle hair with greasy roots.  I'm not worried though, because this is to be expected.  For the first few weeks, it takes the hair some time to adjust and stop producing so much oil/get used to not having waxy conditioners.  After the first week, I am starting to develop habits and adjust my method so that it works best for my hair.  My friends and family all think I'm completely insane, but I am so excited to see how this is going to work out for me.

Supposedly once your hair has adjusted to no 'poo, you can go a week, maybe even two, in between washes.  Right now I'm going three days, which is one day more than I usually go with shampoo, but I'm hoping to increase that to four or five starting this week.  The great thing about going no 'poo is that there really isn't any right or wrong way to do it.  It's all based on your hair and what you feel comfortable doing.  So now that I've started, I'm definitely going to keep going and see how long this works - hopefully I'll be able to go months, even years, without ever missing my shampoo.  We'll see!

 Good luck ditching the suds!