hair care experiment #1

this is part one of my chronicles of using organic/homemade hair care products (more on experiment 1 later).

as many of you may know, i've developed an allergy to coconut. for those of you who didn't know, now you do! while it seems simple to avoid it, there is far more uses for that tree nut than for food ingredients. the use that has been causing me quite a bit of grief is hair care ingredients!!


i know, it seems weird, but next time you're showering or putting on a product check out the ingredients list. don't see 'coconut' listed? that's because the chemicals used in hair products are coconut derived, meaning that they don't have to list it as containing coconut, even though it does! the ingredients 'cocomide DEA', 'cocomide MEA', 'cocamidopropyl betaine', and 30+ more are ALL coconut products and are used in 99.9% of hair and beauty products. mostly due to their lathering properties. (for complete list visit this blog)

now, i don't get violently ill if i use/eat something with coconut in it. instead, i develop body covering hives, chills, nausea and a generally sick feeling. nothing horrible, but not very attractive when you go on a date and have giant red splotches all over your face, neck and entire body (yes this has happened). so, like anyone else i hit up Google and read every ingredient label at every store to try and find some coconut-free products.

and i couldn't.


i honestly did start crying a little in the Target shampoo aisle (may or may not have been hormones). i couldn't find one shampoo that didn't contain those products. women will understand how much of a crisis this was:) nevertheless, i continued to Google endlessly and found some homemade shampoo recipes that sounded...rather sketchy. instead i went to the local Lush store and bought myself a shampoo bar that was organic and contained NO coconut!!!

Lush's Ultimate Shine Bar

the only problem with the bar was that it stripped my hair of everything, and i mean everything! although because it worked i have been using it diligently for the last 6 months and avoided a crisis of not being able to get clean.

until i was fed up with dry, tangled and horribly unhealthy hair. while the bar cleans very well, it cleans too much to use consistently. so i went back to those at home recipes that i had earlier found, thinking maybe they would be a good alternative. and yes they are!!


Experiment 1: Baking Soda & Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar


Mix baking soda with a little bit of water until it forms a paste.  Work into hair roots and allow to set for one minute.  Massage into scalp & rinse thoroughly.


After baking soda has been rinsed, mix apple cider vinegar with approx. 8 oz of water and pour over ends of hair, avoiding roots.  Let sit for one-two minutes and rinse.


this is the most popular recipe i have seen out there, and more than just allergy stricken people are using it. a big trend has been to go 'no poo' to keep hair shiny and healthy, and this simple recipe was reported to be a great way to get your hair clean and shiny without chemicals and products.

i tried this last night and WOW!!! while pouring salad dressing over my hair was possibly the weirdest shower moment of my life, i can honestly say that it did a world of good! my hair is clean, shiny & not stripped of moisture.  blow dried straight in short time and held that style overnight!

while i don't intend to use this wash every night, it will be a great change up from the shampoo bar to allow my hair to get back some moisture and repair a bit from the harshness of the actual shampoo.

i highly recommend :)

2011; a year in review

i can’t believe i’m finally able to say this, but i am truly proud of this past year.

here are the highlights from my perspective (no particular order):

1. i'm graduating college a year early
it's taken a lot of work to get to this point. i've added an entire year of classes to another year, and while it's an insane amount of work at times, the end result will be very much worth it.  i'm going to apply for graduation in the next month or so, and begin job searching once that is approved!  i always wanted to go through college at an accelerated rate, and finding out that i could easily do it was such a relief. i'm ready to take on the 'real world'.

2. ryan and i
this won't be a long annoying post about how much i love my boyfriend (although yes i do), i don't need to bother everyone with that.  what i will share is how happy i am to be with someone who has loved me for who i am and treats me so well.  having ryan's support this year has helped more than i can say, just knowing that someone is cheering me on through the bad and the good is so comforting.  i can't wait to see what this next year will bring for us.

3. i've come a long way with recovery
2010 was absolute hell for me with my PTSD, and while the beginning of 2011 wasn't the greatest, in the past 6-7 months i've been coming along so quickly.  things aren't 100 percent yet, but the difference between how i am now and how i was is like night and day.  i'm sleeping now, i'm eating well, and overall my perspective on life has become more optimistic.  i know this will be something that will effect me throughout my life, but i can't complain about how things are now.  i'm so excited to continue to do well.

4. i joined the knitting club
and it's been amazing!  i've never been one to have many girl friends, and in general i have difficulties getting along with the immaturity you see in so many girls my age. but this group of girls is wonderful!  i look forward to our few hours every week and really enjoy getting to know everyone and sharing in many laughs together.  if i'm in Columbus after graduation, i hope they will still let me attend!!

5. i've been healthy
for the first 6 months of 2011 i was pretty ill.  i was constantly developing severe hives and felt horrible most of the time.  but once we found out and began avoiding the two foods that i had developed an allergy to, i felt better than i ever have!  without all the processed and carb laden foods in me i've had more energy than i did in the past and have just felt...better!  living a healthy lifestyle can do wonders for your body, i encourage everyone else to do the same.

i’m sure there is much more, but that is what comes to mind right now while i’m reflecting on the past year. there is plenty i wish could have gone better, and things i did not like, but this year has had no major problems. i wasn’t being abused, bullied, or hurt in anyway. and it has been wonderful to have the time to repair myself and be able to move forward with my life.

2012, bring it on :)