Shampoo-less and Proud

I haven't used shampoo for 4 years. I’d like to keep this a secret from TODAY's Kathie Lee and Hoda, however. If they find out they might laugh and ridicule me like they lambasted Jacquelyn Byers.

Jacquelyn has written about her decision to stop using shampoo on her blog Little Owl Crunchy Momma. The media picked up on  her chemical avoidance, including NBC's TODAY show. Before you continue, view this 2 minute conversation on TODAY's Health Page.

(*Kathie Lee and Hoda's exchange is the second video on the page. The clip starts at 6:40 mins.)

I understand that Kathie Lee and Hoda are personalities,and are encouraged by their producers to engage in negative chatter, but the segment saddens me for a number of reasons.

1. Jacquelyn is a real person with real feelings. She is doing her best to raise her kids in a chemically crazed culture. She's even trying to help others do the same. Kathie and Hoda, even if you don't understand her perspective, must you demean a young mom in this way?

2. Their conversation perpetuates the belief that chemicals have no consequences. We've been told we need to use multiple personal care products every day. Our generation represents a giant experiment when it comes to the use of chemicals on our bodies,and ills like endocrine disruption. Skin flora erosion and cancer are now linked to petroleum based substances such as DEA, 1-4-dioxane, and toulene.

3. I relate to Kathie Lee and Hoda. I might not have said it, but I thought people like Jacquelyn (and now me) were crazy. I dismissed them. I viewed them with disdain. Only my family's health crisis led me to re-evaluate my presumptive conclusions. Watching Kathie Lee and Hoda reminds me that I can be, and have been, insensitive and oblivious to the feelings of others.

4. Most women in the world can't afford perfume and personal care products. The average American woman uses 12 different products every day according to the Environmental Working Group. The average teenage girl uses 17. While affordable to most in America, women around the globe are too busy struggling to survive and care for their children.

The one person I don't feel sad for is Jacquelyn. While I'm sorry she had to endure this type of treatment, I'm confident she is ahead of the game. Thinking outside of the box for herself and her family will yield great benefits. I hope her blog grows by leaps and bounds because of this publicity.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep washing my hair with mud. I say mud because I use rhassoul clay and that's what it feels like when I mix it with water. But again, please don’t mention this to Kathie Lee or Hoda. Oh, and between you and me, my hair has never felt better, and no one has complained of any odor.

See more about rhassoul clay in this post, and more about natural shampoo alternatives here.

This post shared at Wellness Wednesday. Natural Living Monday Simply Natural Saturdays, Simple Saturdays

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Shampoo: Making the Switch to Delicate

Our hair is made up of fiber, much like wool that comes from sheep or Kashmir goats. With at least 100,000 hair fibers on our head, it makes sense to treat our hair much like we would a cashmere sweater. Most commercial shampoos contain chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate, which strip much-needed moisture and amino acids. Why not switch from the "heavy-duty cycle" to "delicate" and try these natural alternatives?

1. Castile Bar Soap.
   
   Shampoo can be as simple as an all-natural, fragrance-free soap. Either grate the bar and make liquid soap, or moisten it and use the resulting lather to cleanse your hair. A little goes a long way! momsAWARE offers a chemical-free, all-natural coconut castile bar soap, available at our Online Store.
   
   Be sure to use a pH-restoring conditioner such as apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, or coffee grounds to bring the hair back to its natural pH level of approximately 5.6.
   
   Greta Breedlove, author of The Herbal Home Spa, offers these suggestions for shampooing your hair:
   
   
   • Wet hair thoroughly and use a small amount of shampoo, a dollop about the size of a quarter.
   • Put the shampoo on your hands. Rub together to form lather before applying to your hair.
   • Use your fingertips, not your fingernails, to massage the shampoo into your scalp.
   • Rinse hair thoroughly, then shampoo again.
   • Rinse again thoroughly, using the coolest water possible for the shiniest hair.
   • Pat hair dry; avoid rubbing.
   • Gently comb hair. (Consider a natural bamboo comb.)
2. Birch Shampoo.
   
   Adapted from the book Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond.
   
   Birch was a major ingredient of nineteenth-century shampoos. Birch contains betulin, which is beneficial for hair loss. (See momsAWARE's article Five Ways to Stimulate Hair Growth for more help on hair loss.)
   
   The following recipe uses a birch herbal infusion. To make an herbal infusion, pour 2 c. boiling water over 2 tbsp. birch bark or birch leaves. (Herb sources include Starwest Botanicals and Mountain Rose Herbs.)
   
   
   • 1 c. birch water (directions above)
   • 4 oz. raw apple cider vinegar
   • 1 oz. liquid castile soap
   • 1 tsp. vegetable glycerin
   Combine ingredients in glass jar. Shake well. This formula can be stored at room temperature for up to 6 months.
   
   Note: The high salicylic acid content of birch makes it beneficial for dandruff. Add tea tree oil to the above recipe for added benefit.
3. Egg and Lemon Shampoo.
   
   Adapted from the book Green Beauty Recipes by Julie Gabriel.
   • 1 egg yolk
   • 1/2 oz. olive oil
   • 1/2 oz. liquid castile soap
   • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
   • 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
   Combine egg yolk with olive oil. Add remaining ingredients and stir slowly. Wet your hair and massage well. Leave on for 30 seconds or more. Rinse with lukewarm water. For oily hair, use even less or no oil.
4. Rhassoul Clay.
   
   Rhassoul clay has been used for hundreds of years for skin and hair care. This shampoo method involves some trial and error, but may be worth it for those who desire a thorough cleansing of the scalp and hair.
   
   To create your clay shampoo:
   
   Combine 2 tbsp. rhassoul clay with 1/2 c. filtered water. Allow this to hydrate for several minutes until the mixture reaches a spreadable consistency. Add more warm water if needed. This should keep at room temperature for 1-2 weeks, or longer in the refrigerator.
   
   Directions for shampooing:
   
   Apply liquid paste to hair and scalp. Comb through to distribute clay mixture. Rinse thoroughly. Comb through again and rinse one more time. If desired, use a natural conditioner like those described in the momsAWARE article All-Natural Hair Conditioner.
   
   For more information, see momsAWARE's helpful article on Rhassoul Clay.
   
   
   

Transitioning from harsh chemicals to natural alternatives is a process requiring trial and error to determine the best method for your hair. It may take several weeks to strip the hair of the product buildup. Continue to condition your hair with pH-restoring conditioners. If needed, alternate between natural and synthetic options to ease the transition. Gradually introduce more natural options and reduce your synthetic use. Before you know it you'll be enjoying the "delicate cycle" with all of its natural benefits!

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