My Journey to No Poo!

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Photo credit: mollypop’s via flickr

It all began one morning when I finally ran out of shampoo.

(Ha! Ha! You were thinking potty poo! Gross. LOL!).

I figured that moment was as good as any to take the next plunge in this mission to green our beauty routine. I’ve already taken a few steps in knocking out the chemicals… such as making my own deodorant, switching to all natural perfumes, and making my own body oil to name a few.

At first, I used up a sample bottle of Aveda shampoo. Then I started using an old Burt’s Bee’s shampoo bar I had from one of their sampler packages.. This all began just before Thanksgiving sometime.

With the economy like it is and the holiday’s quickly approaching I pretty much set the “transition period” aside and went for it! I began using the shampoo bar and almost immediately noticed the effects of not having a lather. My hair instantly felt dry and yuck!

I also decided not to condition my hair as often. It was a little rough to brush my hair but I managed. Then after a couple days I put in a few dabs of coconut oil before washing with the shampoo bar and it seemed to help.

After about a month of using the shampoo bar my hair began to oil up and began to get heavy feeling. I could brush it but there was definitely a greasy feeling and look to it. Most days I found myself pulling my hair back or tying it up.

I even sponged curled it one evening for a girls night and boy did the curls hold up well. I think the oily factor shaped the curls nicely but that’s not my point. Even though it was greasy and oily you couldn’t tell. I was the only one who knew…at least I hope so, anyway.

The shampoo bar finally had it’s last shower the other day, so, it was time to go from “Lo Poo” to “No Poo”

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Homemade Underarm Goodness

I highly recommend making your own deodorant- it will be gratifying.

It has been a goal of mine to stop buying mainstream deodorants for AWHILE now. In case you didn’t know, deodorant’s on the market today are known to be harmful and cause certain cancers due to the toxic ingredients being used to make them.  (Ugh!)

After learning about chemical exposure from deodorants (what isn’t toxic anymore) I turned to natural alternatives such as, Tom’s of Maine, Alba, Miessence etc. I’ve pretty much tried them all but those name brands are just a few that kept creeping back onto my dresser.

Eventually, I found that Miessence worked the best and had ZERO toxic exposure. It’s my favorite alternative, for sure. My least favorite part though is having to order it and pay extra for shipping.

Granted, the product is outstanding but my pocketbook is not! I have yet to find any place in my town to carry the Miessence line (but even then $$). I thought what would my grandparents have done?

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Our trip to the Ananda Marga Organic Peach Farm

On Sunday, the hub Baby C and I drove out to the Ananda Marga Organic Farm in Lake Hughes, Ca. Which is not a far drive from our home whatsoever! The Ananda Marga Organic Farm was part of our local farmer’s market. Last weekend was the final market until next June.

I really liked the opportunity of having fresh locally grown produce at my disposal on Saturday mornings. This was the first year our town did anything like this and I thought it was successful. It was nice chatting with the farmer’s and their wives and getting to know the person who is growing the very food on your plate. It’s actually quite interesting to have a conversation with some of farmers. Especially, the ones who are growing their produce organically.

I’m sad the market was over but happy  I was able to meet and greet the local farmers each Saturday! After doing my normal chitchatting I found out the Ananda Marga Farm is open year round to visitors. I had no idea! Finding this out made my entire year. I’ve known about the farm for quite some time but did not know you could buy produce from them directly. I thought you had to be part of the CSA.

Which was definitely one of our goals this year- to get on board with Community Supported Agriculture through Abundant Harvest Organics. I’m still working on it though and visiting the Ananda Marga Farm has given me some inspiration to get something started ASAP. I haven’t really found anyone receptive enough to take on half of the load with us- but still working to find others interested in sharing a box. Keep your fingers crossed for us because it’s the next best thing to growing your own!

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Pure & Heavenly: Earth Mama Angel Baby

Back when I was pregnant with Tristan I had heard of a company named Earth Mama Angel Baby but had never seen it (I live in a small town) until I started looking online for greener baby products. Before conceiving, I’d heard startling information about baby washes containing harmful ingredients. It made me realize, I needed to start doing my research and find natural baby products that did not contain toxic chemicals like phthalates, 1,4-Dioxane, formaldehyde,” etc.

Recently, I was actually able to sample Earth Mama Angel Baby products through swag and for this review. I received a sample of their Bath Blossoms, Bottom Balm and Baby Lotion. I so was excited when I saw EMAB inside my swag bag from The Smart Mama’s book release. I’d always wanted to try their products but just never had the opportunity. Quite honestly, I was going with my easiest most available option…. Burt’s Bees, California Baby and Little Twig. Depending on where we did shopping is what we’d end up with. I’d known about the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database and have looked up a few things in the past. It never really dawned on me to look up the baby products. I thought I was in the clear. Boy, was I wrong!!!

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