Cloth diapers - The Saga Continues

Hello Cloth Diapers!

I did a post a while back about cloth diapers and the learning curve. Well......We're back to that. Because I've been one frustrated momma again!

After all that time, research, sweat, and tears, those stinkin' microfiber diapers stopped absorbing again! After a frustrated growl and very loud WHAT NOW!!! I went back to the inter-webz to look at what might be causing all the seepage. I couldn't find anything that would help. SO I start seriously scrutinizing my already nit-picked over diaper routine.

I found something....something so common place as to seem insignificant that I had never even thought to consider it.

Dryer balls.....(and yes I took this opportunity to say balls as a curse word)

Wool dryer balls, lovingly wound, felted, and gifted by my mother-in-law, and very happily received by me.

Those innocuous, common place, helpful little balls were completely derailing my attempts to successfully use my cloth diapers!

You see, sheep naturally produce this stuff called lanolin. It helps them shed water, and helps keep their wool from felting. I have a strong sensitivity to this stuff, but the dryer balls weren't putting enough onto my clothes to have a reaction so I never thought about it. But apparently there was enough of a coating coming off those balls to repel the liquid the diapers were meant to absorb.

I stopped using the dryer balls with the diapers, and washed and dried like I was prepping them for the first time. AHHH much better!

But then I noticed they still had a faint smell after being washed. I had remembered some detergents used Epsom salts to act as a water softener, and surfactant, so I added that to my diaper detergent concoction. Now the recipe reads as follows:

1 part baking soda
1 part washing soda
1 part oxy
1 part Epsom salts

Use: 1 scoop per load (scoop came from old oxy container that I store diaper detergent in)

I also started washing the diapers differently after reading even more about how H.E. washers work

Rinse and spin on warm
Wash once on warm with cold rinse
Wash again on warm with cold rinse
Rinse and spin on cold
Rinse and spin on cold

Yes that makes three rinse cycles after all is said and done. I did try to add extra rinse at the end of the wash cycle but it just didn't seem to work as well for whatever reason.

Little A's bum is happier, I'm happier, and we are loving life. Now pardon me while I stop her from pulling all the laundry out of the hamper......again.

Making the switch, for good!

SO a while ago I posted that I was switching to baking soda and vinegar for my hair care routine and I would post back about how it works. I wanted to wait a few months because my hair has a tendency to react wonderfully to new stuff, then all of a sudden freak out a few months later. So far

I'M LOVING IT!

Not only is it cheaper, it's actually easier as i no longer have to fight with a farting bottle to get enough conditioner, my shower is less cluttered (or it will be once I take the unused bottles out) and I have noticed the two times I've used store bought shampoo and conditioner since switching, I've had a migraine the next day. Possible trigger? Who knows, but just not using it again sounds good to me.

So here is what I do:

I pre measure two tablespoons each baking soda and apple cider vinegar while the water is warming up. Then while in the shower I mix the baking soda with about 2 cups of water in a tupperware cup (because I'm clumsy and baking soda water is surprisingly slippery and that does not mix well with a Mason jar) and dump it on my head while rubbing it in. It was weird at first, not feeling any lather, and it didn't really FEEL clean like I was used to. I do not work the baking soda into the ends, they get clean just by it running over them. Then rinse the cup and hair well

Then I  mix the ACV and water in the cup, and let my ends soak in it for a minute, while I switch that shower head to a massaging spray and let my back relax. Hey why shouldn't a momma take a chance to relax? Just don't relax too much and forget that cup isn't holding a heavenly momma friendly drink! Don't ask why you need that warning......

Any-who, then I pour the remaining ACV water over the rest of my hair and let it soak while I go about other normal showerly duties like wiping down the shower walls (hey I'm a multi-tasker!) then rinse like normal.

Once my hair is dry some time the next day, I rub a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends and brush thoroughly. Brushing I have found is the secret to this. The more I brush my hair the happier it is. I picked up this random brush at the grocery store because it combined two of my favorite types of brushes in one. It has the longer wider spaced de-tangling bristles and packed around those are little boar bristles to distribute the oil/shine.  If I brush my hair twice a day, it stays nice longer, and the oil travels down my hair keeping it healthy, shiny, less tangled, and less frizzy!

All in all, it's cheaper, healthier for me and the environment, more convenient, and makes my hair feel amazing!

This is definitely something that gets the #LissaSmiles