crunchy bits

Our modern lifestyle seems dependent on thousands of chemicals. I had never been very conscious of this fact before I had children, but like many others, parenthood caused me to take a second look at the choices we were making and the consequences thereof. First we focused on food and environmental toxins in our home. We bought organic food when possible, and joined a local food coop since buying in bulk helped offset the slightly higher price of better food choices.

For household products, I switched from grabbing familiar brands off the shelf to reading labels. We ended up using primarily vinegar and baking soda for most day to day cleaning, with Bon Ami and Citra-Solv for tougher jobs. The versatility of vinegar never ceases to amaze me, and the baking soda acts as a mild abrasive, or, in concert with the vinegar, a fantastic de-greaser.

One of the later changes we made was in the area of body care. Labels of many of the organic soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, etc  are still full of ingredients I know nothing about. The Environmental Working Group has developed an excellent set of resources including Skin Deep (cosmetic safety database), Sunscreen Safety, the Shopper’s Guide to Pesticide in Produce and more. Using these tools as a starting point to investigate the safety of the products we were buying, I kept running into chemicals of questionable safety. Luke was using the T-Gel dandruff shampoo that is made from coal tar, an ingredient that is linked to a host of health problems.Since our skin is our largest organ, and it allows many chemicals in, it is important to choose wisely what we put on our skin.

Inspired by Sabrina, I had already stopped using shampoo for myself and the kids a few years ago. So one day when Luke was out of shampoo, I suggested that he give our technique a whirl. For months now,  he has been very happily using baking soda and vinegar for his hair with nary a dandruff flake in sight. Goodbye carcinogenic coal tar, hello effective, safe (and cheap) alternative!  I buy the gallon jug of cider vinegar, and the big box of baking soda to help keep costs even lower.

I remember the days of poking around online for more information about not using shampoo. I found mixed reviews, and it seems that many factors come into play. So I’m just going to share our experience, which has been an overwhelmingly positive one.

I was never in a pattern of washing and conditioning my hair on a daily basis. When I was getting my hair done for a prom ages ago, my hairdresser told me not to wash my hair for a day or two before I came in for my “up-do”.  She talked about how shampooing strips the natural oils from our hair, and that those oils help immensely with styling, curling, and overall hair health. She recommended only shampooing a couple times a week, just rinsing my hair with water the rest of the time. This, combined with the difficulty I had finding time for a loooooong hot shower where I could wash and condition my hair, meant that I was only doing so about once or twice a week at the time I stopped using shampoo altogether. If you are shampooing on a daily basis, your body is likely producing more oil than mine was when I started, and thus your transition might be more intense or longer.

I put a bottle of apple cider vinegar into the shower. We already had an old set of measuring cups in there for the kids to play with in their bath, so I fill the cup measure about 1/4 to 1/3 full with vinegar, and fill it the rest of the way with warm water from the shower. (By no means do you need to use actual measuring cups to dilute the vinegar. Any old jar will do.) I pour this on my head and massage it for a little bit, leaving the vinegar in while I wash the rest of me. At the end of the shower, I rinse it out with comfortably hot water. My hair might carry a slight scent of vinegar while it is still wet, but not by the time it dries.

During the first few weeks or month of this process, I found that my body hadn’t adjusted yet. I was producing too much oil and looking slightly Snape-ish so I would add baking soda to the process once a week or so when I felt like my hair was getting greasy. I wet my hair, put about a tablespoon or so of baking soda in my palm and got it wet enough to make a loose paste. I worked this paste into my hair near the scalp, and then poured the diluted vinegar over it. Remember those fun science experiments you do as a kid that combine baking soda and vinegar? Well, I had a volcano on my head! I massaged my volcano, and once it stopped foaming and fizzing, I carried on with the rest of my shower, and rinsed it off again at the end with hot water. As my body adjusted to to the experience, I stretched out the time between volcanos until I am now at the point where I use just a little baking soda every other month or so. In fact, I usually just rinse my hair with water now most days, using vinegar only once or twice a week.

My hair has never been better — it’s now wavier and full of body than it has ever been and feels softer and cleaner too!  Luke is very happy to be dandruff free after a lifetime of special shampoos. The kids’ hair seems easier to brush, and I love that they don’t reek of chemical scents. I love that we use food to clean ourselves. If it’s safe to go inside, I assume it’s safe enough to put on the outside. In fact, in the past year I have started putting a tiny bit of baking soda in my hand, moistening it and spreading this in my arm pits as deodorant. It allows my body to perspire, but stops stinky odors for a day or so depending on the season. Many of the chemicals in commercial deodorants are linked to health problems and again, it just doesn’t seem worth the risk when I’ve found an alternative that works for me.

Have you ever tried not using shampoo? Do you know anyone who does? What do you use as deodorant? Have you used the EWG resources and made changes accordingly? Let us know!