Becoming a 'Poo-Free' Zone

It's been a rather hectic few days recently with getting ready for the move back to England. I have turned out my room so many times to try and get rid of as much stuff as possible and yet it still doesn't seem to fit in my room... My excuse is that the room is too small, not that I have too much stuff!

As I've mentioned before, I gave up shampoo several months ago, starting on the first day of lent. I'm not going to lie, it hasn't been easy. But I think I'm past the worst bit now, so it can only get better from here. The first few weeks were really rather grim. My hair began to hang in clumps and the only thing I could do was scrape it back in a ponytail and smile lots, in an attempt to draw attention to my face, not my hair! I'm not entirely sure how well it worked, but I like to think I was vaguely successful...

Speaking from experience, and I'm going to be honest here, it's character building. You get to a stage where there's no longer any point in worrying about what your hair looks like, because it's really not going to make any difference. It certainly teaches you to stop worrying about how you like, and start focusing on more important things, of which there are many!

So I though that just in case anyone was planning on taking the plunge and going 'poo'-free, just like I did, or even just wondered how on earth this whole thing works, that I would write a post with the best tips and tricks I've discovered so far. Here is a little lesson (gift!) on how to dump the poo...

The first thing you have to know, before anything else, is how to cope with grease! It's inevitable in the beginning so getting over the 'I have to wash NOW' stage is crucial. The best tip I read online is 'Ponytails are your friend.' At first I thought this was slightly odd, but its very true. Don't be afraid to just tie your hair back. This is also advantageous in keeping hair and oil off your face, which could irritate your delicate skin! Tying my hair up in the morning and putting in some cute earrings is the main thing that has got me through this far. Feel free to experiment with plaits etc, and it may work out for you, but also don't be surprised if it doesn't!

Next, how to wash your hair! How I have been doing it so far is with Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda for the dear Americans) and Apple Cider Vinegar, both of which you can pick up in your local grocery store. To start, add the BofS to some water and apply it to your hair. I won't give direction on how much BofS, bcause it changes every time for me, but generally keep adding until it stops dissolving. I also use a spray bottle to be more accurate with application. I find it best, if you separate the hair into sections and work through each carefully. Start at the scalp and massage through the hair, then grab a really fine-toothed comb (I found a white nit-comb) and comb through each section, spreading the BofS to the end of the hair and moving the grease and dirt. Be sure to massage round the scalp as this helps break down the oil and dead skin cells and stimulate the blood flow, which is rumoured to make your hair grow faster. I'm undecided on the validity of that statement!

After the BofS, rinse it out as much as possible, but don't worry about being majorly thorough. For the Apple cider vinegar, its handy if you have an old shampoo or conditioner bottle to use. Once again, I'm not all that accurate with how much vinegar I use. Normally about an inch in the bottom and then dilute it, filling to the top of the bottle, but this obviously depends on the size of the bottle. I often add a couple of drops of an Essential Oil like lavender, Ylang Ylang, or Tea Tree, so you don't end up stinking of vinegar. Pour it through your hair, making sure the whole thing is covered. Massage and leave for a couple of minutes then rinse thoroughly. Seriously, make sure you do rinse really thoroughly as on more than one occasion, I have managed to leave some in and it isn't nice. It can leave a clump of grossness in the back of your hair and absolutely STINK. It's really not worth it, for a couple of minutes of thorough rinsing.

I've tried to make this as easy and honest as I can. I haven't been legalistic with this, and normally I wash my hair about once every week. Over time I hope to stop using the BofS and vinegar, but I doubt that's going to happen particularly soon. My hair hasnt fully adjusted to the lack of shampoo yet, so until that happens, I'm sticking the the BofS and vinegar!

I am aware that I'm not particularly great at writing on here, but I'm planning on being much better once I'm settled in the new house! I also plan on putting more pictures up here of the things I've got up to. I have many creative projects already planned for once I get to the new house, quilt and bunting making being just a couple of examples.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer, and I leave you with a few pictures from my holiday...

The Happy Family

A bit of a squish in the Cable Car!

The Valley where we stayed in Austria

A new friend in the Cable Car

Road Block!

An evening in Prague

On the bridge in Prague

Neuschwanstein Fairytale Castle

Me and My baby brother

Swan Lake...

Thanks for reading,

God Bless,

Eve xx