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

Birthday's, Hair, and Welcome Home

Hi all, I know I haven't been blogging like I would like to, but life has been VERY full. My little girl is almost a year old now (OMG I can't believe it!) and I am full swing planning a very cute lady bug birthday party for her. I'm planning on getting lots of pictures of everything and sharing them later.

Also planning a 60th party for my mom, but not sure what I'm doing with that yet. More to come.

A very dear friend of ours is home from serving overseas in Kuwait and Afghanistan. I know I'm not the only one, but I missed him. A LOT. I'm so happy and relieved he's home. I'm the type of person that if I let myself think about something like someone I love being over there, in some of the places he was, it would consume me, and I'd be a mess of nothing resembeling a productive person. So now that he's home, I've been able to let myself think about it, and cry for his safety, and celebrate his return. There are no words to accurately express how I feel, and how all those who have people they care for deployed to dangerous areas. I'm just glad it's done, and proud of him for doing it.

Now on to the topic that spurred me to even write in here again. My hair. Deep Breath, it's ok, you can do this.....

I'm experimenting.

Those of you that know me, (and my hair, because let's face it, it's an entity in and of it's own right) that is HUGE. My hair is the kind of hair that everyone says they wish they had. Long, thick, wavy/curly, and typically pretty. However what most people don't know, is that it is a monster. It eats hair ties for fun, and has been known to take bites out of combs, brushes, and hair sticks too. My friend K normally trims my hair for me. It bites her. It fights back. It does not listen.

I have tried so many different things to keep my hair from being a monster, but short of sending it to boot camp (which I doubt would even work if it were possible) I've yet to get it to be truly wonderful and  something I'm happy with. The frizz, the knots and tangles that never go away, the flyaways, and always the fighting.

I keep my hair long. It's just easier to manage for me and I like how it looks on me much more than short hair. I put it in a bun with a single hair stick to avoid all the broken and short hairs stickingg out eeverywhere. I have dropped down to washing it only every few days and using minimal products, and I haven't used a blow dryer on my hair in more years than I can remember. All this has added up to the best hair I've had yet, but it's still not quite where I want it to be.

So I'm trying to switch to the baking soda and apple cider vinegar method of cleaning and conditioning my hair. ACV is amazing stuff, and I love it. I clean nearly everything with vinegar and baking  soda.  So why not my hair too?

Time to take to the internet and search. I looked through dozens of articles on 'No Poo' and natural hair remedies. I don't know that I could do the no shampoo thing. That would just be too weird after years of lathering my locks. But switching out my usual product for baking soda and acv, that seemed mmore palatable (even if it does remind me of a salad bar).

So after reading a post on TreeHugger I decided to give her method a try.  So tonight I  tried  it.  The oddest part, was the lack of that lather that I've always looked for to tell me my hair was getting clean. I felt a difference between when I started  and when the baking soda rinse started to work.. My hair felt and sounded squeaky clean. Then the ACV rinse. That one I wasn't too sure about. Myhair felt  greasy after rinsing. But I resisted the urge  to grab my shampoo  and  'fix' it. Once my hair got to more damp than wet, I rubbed a dime size drop of warm coconut oil on the ends.  Brushed and brushed to distribute the  the oil, and waited. And waited. And waited. Did I mention I have thick hair? It takes hours to dry. Finally the top of my hair was dry. It felt amazing! It was silky smooth, and light without being fluffy/frizzy. I'm looking forward to seeing how the ends look tomorrow after drying the rest of the way.