go green

Unfortunately, it was after I took a shower and attempted to comb through impossibly tangly hair that had been “conditioned” with mossy Jungle solid conditioner. Still hate the smell but yesterday got smart (and not green) by putting in my most favoritest hair serum to combat the scent. It worked.. hair smelled almost yummy. I love that serum. Also, did my hair get lighter? Grrr…

But I digress… today, I was cursing the non-creaminess of my conditioner again when I remembered that in the pantry I have some coconut oil. It is the consistency of shortening. It is soft and oily. What if I mixed some of that in with my conditioner – or at least put some on my tangly ends. What if?

This is my plan tomorrow. Unfortunately, coconut oil doesn’t smell very coconutty, so I won’t get that nice scent. Am hoping for some manageability and shine. Really, is that too much to ask for?

OK, so yesterday and today were totally off the drugstore products, and I have mostly love for my new natural things, one is iffy.

I absolutely love my solid shampoo, it has a very subtle scent but a great lather. Thumbs up. I also love love my buttercream soap and body butter. You guys should feel my skin. Really. It is that good. OK, you can stop touching me now, that tickles.

My oil cleansing is back on track, thanks to Ex-G. Here is an interesting fact: castor oil seems to remove freckles and moles. I had a small mole to the side of my left eyebrow. Gone. Also, my freckles have faded nearly completely. Not sure if they will come back when I get into the sun, but as of this moment, they are noticeably fewer. Crazy.

I am not sold yet on my solid conditioner. It doesn’t seem to leave my hair shiny, and the texture if off (due no doubt to no silicone in the product). But perhaps worst of all is the scent. Mossy or something. I should have known by the name of the product – Jungle. I thought it would be cool because it had avocado it in. Not enough. I just have to come to terms with knowing that the Bohemian fragrance doesn’t suit me. Need to look for something else.

oooooo luscious LUSH….

Went today and bought an entire line of natural body care products. I plan to go through everything in my bathroom and get rid of the packaged, synthetic things I just don’t need or want. This will amount to hundreds of items, seriously. I might donate to my sister, as she doesn’t often get to indulge whereas I have certainly over-indulged (not proud of this).

But, on to the girly stuff… my haul was:

Solid shampoo: Ultimate Shine
Solid conditioner: Jungle
Buttercream soap: Lemslip
Body Butter (exfoliating): Buffer (no need for lotions with the Buttercream soap and follow on body butter – woo!)
Bubble Bar: Bathos
Bath Melt: Dreamtime

Free gifts:
Bubble bar: Karma
Bubble bar: Creamy candy
Shampoo: Big
Lotion: Vanilla Creme

I barely resisted the gorgeous looking facial concoctions they had, restraint! Also, I couldn’t find the solid shampoo for brunettes, so I will have to look at the Retro section of the website.

I have been a victim of both marketing and convenience for nearly all of my life. My mother raised us kids on packaged foods.. six of us (in six years)...who can blame her for needing convenience?

Over the past couple of days, I have indulged in some wonderful, back-to-the-basics activities that leave me feeling a little healthful and soulful..

Facials: indulged in two this week (so much less expensive than going to the spa twice per year).

Avocado/banana facial
Honey facial

Ooooo lala, the skin is so soft and glowy.

I also bought some oils to begin cleaning and moisturizing my face with. I will give this some time and play around with ratios. I hope I can find something that will bring my skin to the next level.

Chicken stock. Yep. I made it. For the first time, I not only didn’t buy Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup in a can, or Swanson’s chicken broth; after roasting a whole chicken for dinner, with the remainders I boiled my own chicken bones (glamorous, yes?) and created a stock, to which I added some spices, carrots and celery, etc.. I will make the soup tomorrow with leftover chicken, more veggies and whole wheat orzo. Am I a freak for thinking this is so cool? Yeah, but who gives a damn. I can make real chicken soup, finally.

to do this that are manageable for me. I don’t have a hybrid car and one is not in my future; however – I am thinking about some of the following:

- Biking to work
- Home-made soaps, lotions, facial cleansers and other toiletries
- Growing my own food (yes, this is just a garden; herbs (and more?) in the winter in my sunroom
- Composting (special challenge with winter composting)
- Not wasting food: freezing, using remnants, etc..

I just found a great site that is giving me more ideas on how to do more green things. It is really appealing to me!