Crunchy Hippie Post! Shampoo Alternatives!

I've posted before about how I mostly make my own household cleaners, and I try to make most of my food from scratch.  I generally also buy natural personal products.  I try very hard to be sure that my cosmetics, soaps, haircare, etc, are not tested on animals and don't contain carcinogens or teratogens.  I read the crunchy hippie blogs with a skeptical eye, but I do try out many of the all natural, do-it-yourself ideas to keep from buying so much packaged, chemically, expensive stuff.

Sooo, this weekend I tried the thing that I've been putting off for a while: "No-Poo."  I refuse to use that term again, because calling shampoo alternatives "no poos" makes them sound like anti-diarrheals.  In any case, I don't have the kind of life or job where I can take 6-8 weeks to allow my scalp to readjust to not washing at all, and I love the feel of clean, scented hair, so going cold-turkey was not an option.  Accordingly, a Shampoo Alternative.  I tried Baking Soda.  And is it any surprise that this handy substance that I use to clean and deoderize my house and brush my teeth and deodorize my laundry has yet another use?  I guess not.

It seemed totally counterintuitive to condition my hair with apple cider vinegar, though, which is the next step.  I mean, yes, baking soda to clean things.  I'm with you.  But vinegar is the opposite of the substance I normally use to condition.  Conditioner is creamy and oil-based and ... not vinegar.  But, what the heck, thought I.  If it's awful I'll just take another shower and use my regular shampoo and conditioner.

I mixed a tablespoon or so of baking soda with about a cup of hot water and put it in a spray bottle.  Then I mixed a few tablespoons of vinegar with hot water and put it in an old conditioner bottle.  I sprayed my wet hair at the roots with the baking soda stuff and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing.  Then I awkwardly squirted the diluted vinegar on the ends of my hair and gradually more toward the scalp, without soaking too much near the scalp because I have oily hair.  Then I rinsed it.

And... voila!  I am convinced.  This works as well as shampoo and conditioner.  My hair looks and feels great.  Another crunchy hippie win.  I can cross shampoo and conditioner off my shopping list permanently.

Homemade Tortillas and "refried" Pinto Beans

I've posted before about how wonderfully transformative it can be to make the food you eat instead of buy it.  I realize that time is precious, and that not everyone has the wonderful resource of time that I have, but I luxuriate in the wonderful privilege of being able to craft my food.  For example, tonight, I ate tortillas, pinto beans, and a small dollop of salsa and greek yogurt for dinner.  And it was heavenly.  It was fantastic.  I cannot emphasize how wonderfully simple, nourishing and delicious it was.  I made the tortillas this afternoon,  watching each one puff up and blister on the skillet, and slow-cooked the pintos in vegetable broth with garlic, cumin and chiles until they were soft and could be smashed together for a wonderfully textured "refried" feel without adding more fat.

Oooh, yum.