Why I Stopped Using Shampoo, Why I Started Again, and What I've Learned Along The Way

I know a lot of people who are interested in living a more natural life, getting away from unnecessary chemicals and skin irritants. They've told me about their own health concerns and their relation to commercial products they were using.  In general, the idea of using fewer products is attractive to many of us who are a) exhausted with trying to keep up with current beauty standards and routines, and/or b) alarmed or concerned by the way these products are affecting us.

So, while I've told you all about my olive oil skin care (and received overwhelmingly positive feedback), I've also been eager to share my shampoo-free experience for some time now.  Honestly, I was hoping it would work beautifully and I'd have another naturally effective, safe and frugal practice to recommend to you.  Alas, at least for me, it was not to be.

But, while the no-shampoo thing didn't quite work out for me, I discovered a lot of really legitimate problems with popular commercial hair products.  Based on what I've learned, I'll never, ever go back to Pantene, Herbal Essences or even my beloved Redken leave-in conditioner.  And, my husband and my future kids will never use them, either. They all contain the same garbage, and it all screws up your scalp and hair (to say nothing of the water and sewage systems and the damage done to the environment).  Which, as I'll get into in my next post, is really the least of our concerns.

the best potato soup you might ever eat

I've made potato soups before that have ended up more like soggy mashed potatoes.  But this time I got it right!  Justin said this soup was one of the best meals I've made...so hooray!  The secret is knowing when to stop boiling the potatoes.  It's also best to add the liquid ingredients shortly before serving it -- don't simmer for long -- because the potatoes are like sponges and sop up anything they're offered.

As for the taste - oh the taste - parsnips are the secret ingredient.  If you haven't used them before, you can get them at Hy-Vee or Open Harvest, and they look like fat white waxy carrots. :)  Peel them lengthwise as you would a carrot or potato.

yogurt - you can make it yourself!

While I try to buy healthy and unprocessed food, I've found that some of it tends to be more expensive than fatty garbage premade food.  This is a serious problem with our food system and I won't go into it here, but it's made me look for ways to get super-healthy things to eat without spending a fortune on simple natural/organic choices.  The idea is to avoid prepackaged 'health' food (very cleverly marketed to, and priced for, extremely busy health nuts with plenty of money) and make it yourself.  There are tons of things I've found out that I can make myself, with the ingredients being as healthy as I like.  Without all the extra preservatives/sodium/MSG/fat/sugar/high fructose corn syrup.  It takes extra time to make things from scratch, and I do have that kind of time right now, but I know lots of others don't, and some do, and I probably won't forever so I'm doing the learning part now so it will be just part of life later on. :)

Just to get you inspired, here are some things I've made instead of bought...
food: bread, granola, veggie/chicken broth, croutons, salad dressing/teriyaki sauce, pitas, green leafy mixes (instead of getting them in the bag), cream cheese, pesto,
other: shampoo, conditioner, all of my face washing stuff, body scrub, air freshener/shower spray, household cleaning products, shaving 'gel' (hint: it's only one ingredient...with the initials E.V.O.O.)

Stuff I plan to try sometime...
hand lotion, ricotta cheese, red wine vinegar, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, bagels, flour and butter, infused olive oils, sprouts, hummus

Yogurt is another thing I've tried and you can make yourself.  (By the way, I'm no expert...try googling yogurt-making for more ideas and tricks.)  The benefits of making your own yogurt are: it's tastier, it's healthier, and it's cheaper.  Drawbacks: it takes time, and it may need tweaking to get your 'recipe' right.