Hippie Friend!

So this is my new nickname given to me by my bestest girlfriend I like it and in fact I have been making many positive changes getting back to the days when things were simple!!My friends and family can tell you two things about me. I am simple and I don't like change! Change is hard for me. Like really hard! I had my first panic attack my 11th grade year because I was doing so much and applying for college and taking all the test. I was a hot mess! 12th grade wasn't much better! I look back and have no idea how I survived. I just kept busy. It has always been my cure all. The busier I am the less time I have to think about things. FULL FORCE AHEAD! It was a great plan and then I had kids! Sure your going 90 miles an hour all day long but its different because with kids your going for them. Your running their race so to say! Well, lately as I reflect on having all the kids in school this coming year, I've had to dig deep to find who I am and what I want. In the process of all this we had a pretty drastic move. Going from a 1,300 sq ft home to less than 700 sq ft! With this I have had to discover new ways to plan and organize. I've even had to learn to cook again. Why? Well our stove didn't make it. In many ways I find this rather disturbing but it has actually led to more fresh fruits, grilled meats, and rotisserie meals. Fresh cucumbers and carrots have become a favorite snack. It has led to using my microwave more which I dislike greatly and I miss baking! Okay, I'm getting off track. Back to being a Hippie Friend! Over the years, I have went through many little adventures on living greener. This move has reinforced this even more. We now recycle more and living in town give us more options for eating healthy. I love Publix! I just have to say that! Soon I'll be swarming our farmers markets and local farms! I am excited. I'm just waiting for things to level off. Anyone that has moved knows that no matter how much you save on rent the first few months are going to cost more when you add in start up fees! I think we are finally getting past that part but knowing me I am always looking at ways to save a buck and make things healthier. Usually its in phases though which is what I am working on. I started a Bible study by Lysa Terkserst called Unglued. Going through a bible is a great way for me to get close to God but also look deep inside myself( something that I don't do often). The biggest deal about this though is that it is a home bible study that I joined. Only knowing 1 or 2 other people going this is a big step out of my comfort zone. It made me realize that I have lived in a bubble for way to long and that in fact I simply don't know how to socialize anymore! How sad is that. 32 years old and I sat by the one lady I knew and said very few words and the words I did say came from a very hard beating chest that I am sure I sounded like a nervous school girl on a first date. In fact I can't tell you what I said because my head was so clouded with fear! Look at me again I am getting off track. If you made it this far your probably wondering why my best friend called me a Hippie. Well she knows me so well and she heard all the talk and read the post about my clothe diapering, she questioned my sanity when I told her that I made my own laundry detergent and I don't know what she thought was going on when I told her I was using vinegar to clean my house. After all this what made her think I had really fallen off my rocker and gone off the deep end? I told her I stopped washing my hair. Yes, you read that right! I am on day 10 without using any kind of actual shampoo or conditioner. Why, you ask? Well here I was fed up with my hair, standing in shower looking at my arsenal of different shampoos and conditioners and I asked myself why? Why do I spend all this money and hate the way my hair is. Now, I do love my hair itself but I hate that it never does anything. It won't curl, hold a wave, or even straiten with a gloss. My hair is STRAIGHT, FLAT, and very long! I started growing it out last year for Locks of Love. It's finally gotten long enough that I feel I can cut it without going bald. I was thinking of ways to make it healthier before I make the cut and was contemplating a hot oil treatment or something when I can across No poo and Low poo washing methods. I was intrigued! n a given week, I go 3 or 4 days in-between washes so on day 4 I decided to just rinse and do some more research. Then I found many blogs saying that I needed to strip my hair. I choose the cheapest and on hand method. Baking soda paste. I hopped in the shower on day 5 and stripped my hair. I'll be honest with you. I did not like it! My hair felt like sandpaper. I was questioning ever doing and thinking how in the world I was going to get these tangles out! I brought with me the most common method of no poo conditioner. Apple Cider vinegar mixed with water. So here I am in the shower with sandpaper hair tangled in a ball rinsing all the baking soda out. MORE TANGLES, Oh God help me, what have I done??!?? Well here goes. The vinegar goes in and is rinsed out and I literally FELT the tangles just rinse away. What? Are you kidding me? Did that seriously just work? For years I have spent mucho moolah on pricey name brand deep treatment conditioner and I just rinsed the biggest rats nest out with Apple Cider vinegar?!? YES, I did! I really did! That was 4 days ago and my hair is just now getting greasy and I could probably put it up in a ball and be good. I may decide to wash with baking soda tonight but I may not. I'm going to try and wait until tomorrow so I can "wash" Friday before I go and get the chop! I have seen pictures of ladies with beautiful hair after going No poo for months. One lady even showed a picture of her granny from the 30s and how there was not shampoo then and that in fact all they used, if lucky was Castile soap. Good point. I never thought about that! So welcome to my newest adventure. Please tell me if my hair stinks. Though I have been assured through many blogs that this should not happen! Seriously though, I trust you! Please bare with the oily,dry mess for a few months. Noone will notice the pony or bun since its usually my choice hairdo. I'll try to post pictures soon of my various stages.