Green Hair

No, no, no... not GREEN hair but "green" hair, as in going green.
So, if you are anything like me you have heard of several friend who have either heard of, or actually tried for themselves, going "poo free." Frankly, I love that feeling of thick lather in my hair, and running down my back far too much to have seriously considered ditching my shampoo in an effort to be green. Those other option worked so well I thought about it, for about a second and half though. Then I moved on with life, going 'poo free was NOT on this girls to do list.

A few weeks ago things changed. I was 16 weeks pregnant and trying to figure out ways to cut our budget down since I had been told that I will not be allowed to work anymore. Oh my, we were suddenly a one income house. Eeep! My hair has been fair oilier since I became pregnant. But, as I didn't have a job to be to everyday, I figured there was no better time to try to cut out the expense of my shampoo and conditioner.

I collected what I needed for the trial run. The list was short: baking soda, vinegar, a large cup and a spoon. Sound more like a science product that hair care? Yeah, I thought so too. I was unconvinced that this would do me any good. But, I had to try at this point, my partner was watching to see how this worked. So, I soaked my hair in warm water. Then I mixed a little over a tablespoon of baking soda and water in the cup. This was then poured over my hair and left to sit for a couple of minutes. I rubbed the solution into my scalp before rinsing. It felt a little soapy but no lather. Then I rinsed it well with more warm water. My hair felt tangled to me and I was supposed to pour vinegar over it? All I could thing about was how much that was going to hurt to brush out. So, I mixed my vinegar solution to the same strength, a little over a table spoon to a full cup of water. I poured that over my hair and QUICKLY rinsed it away. I am not a fan of the way vinegar smells and was afraid I was going to stink, thought I was calmly assuring my boyfriend that vinegar is odorless when dried.
 
A few minutes later I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror, holding a hair brush and DREADING having to put it to my head. Hesitantly I tried to brush through what looked like a snarled mess, and the brush slid right through. It didn't catch, it didn't pull. To brush my hair after my normal shampoo and conditioner I would need detangler since I have thick curly hair. I was shocked. Since my hair was still wet, I assumed it would look oily when it dried, after all if this was such a wonder cure to awful hair, wouldn't everyone know about it? So, I braided my wet hair and went to bed. My partner even commented about how good my hair smelled and that it didn't smell like vinegar at all, we were both surprised. The next morning, not only was my hair not oily but it wasn't frizzy either.

I had my boyfriend pick up condiment bottles for me the next day. I mixed up my baking soda "shampoo" bottle and my vinegar "conditioner" bottle. For the last two and a half weeks I have been 'poo free and my hair is just getting better and better. This is not because I am pregnant, because up until I went 'poo free I was ready to CHOP OFF my "pregnant" hair which had become unmanageable. I can now blow dry my hair and walk away without the extra 30-50 minutes spent with my flat iron. I've NEVER been able to skip the flat iron before.

So here's the deal, if you are very interested in Going Green, or living on a tight budget, or you have hair that is hard to deal with, or frizzy hair, or dry hair, or you just like a good science experiment you should try this. If you give it two weeks the worst thing that can happen is that you miss the lather of your shampoo, the best case is that you realize that you can save money, the planet and time spent on styling better hair.

All you need is two bottles I like the picnic style condiment bottles with the narrow spout though old shampoo or conditioner bottles would work too. Then mix your solution in each about 1 tablespoon of baking soda (for shampoo) or 1 tablespoon of vinegar (for conditioner) per eight ounces of water. I used 24 ounce bottles and a bottle of baking soda solution lasts me about 2 weeks and the vinegar solution loos like it will last me about twice as long. Make sure that you use baking soda first and always follow it up with vinegar which balances the ph of your hair. If you really don't like vinegar for your acid, I have heard of people switching it out for lemon juice.

If you decide to try this let me know how it goes! I know I was impressed. :)

Brown paper packages wrapped up with string!!!

Okay, so maybe it's a little less glamorous than all of that but I am expecting two packages to be delivered today. I'm so excited!!! They have all of the Melaleuca products I ordered for my demo kit and switching over my home! There is laudry brightener (think clorox 2) which may not seem like a big deal but I can't wait to see it work. There is also all sorts of cleaning stuff and new food stuff to try and an anti-aging product to try. (I know it is an odd additction to have at 26 but I LOVE anti-aging products and my mama says this stuff is AWESOME!) There is so much coming in and I just can't wait to open the boxes and look at EVERYTHING! I AM SO EXCITED!!!


Okay... deep breath. Every time the dogs have barked or growled all day I have jumped and ran to the door. No postal guy has been there with my boxes yet.


So, it's back to business building I suppose. Though my day is actually winding down. I'm so excited about this stuff that I need to remember to relax when I talk about it. I get so excited that I talk fast and get over exuberant. I think it scares people a little, but I really think this is just that cool.


So, here some healthy idea's for your family for today:
To get moving:
-Take those beautiful doggies out in the world for a walk! It's spring and everyone does well with a little fresh air! It's beautiful in Bellingham today. No pets? No problem! There is so much to look at with all of the trees budding and early flower coming up that you are sure to enjoy it anyway.
To eat:
-Here is something new to try if you haven't yet, Polenta. It's amazing and a great alternative to pasta, especially in those wheat free households out there. Last night we made a HUGE batch. It was wonderful. One serving has 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, and 8% of your daily iron. You can buy it pre-made and just slice it and cook it that way. (This is what our family usually does.) The other day though I saw a good sized bag of dry polenta for only $2.50, so I decided to make it myself. It was easy to cook and it was so smooth it was almost creamy. They tell you to pour it into a bowl to set it, but I tried muffin tins. It worked out perfectly! It makes portion control easy and they look beautiful when turned.
-Serve it with your favorite pasta sauce on top and a little shredded parmesean for a fabulous simple dinner. I like to serve it with a chunky sauce, so I used jarred organic pasta sauce, then add two small cans of mushrooms (with the water they are packed in for flavor), a can of black olives sliced, turkey italian sausage, and of course (after all this is my family) lots of extra garlic.
To keep it Green:
-Donate old cell phones. There is mercury in electronics that is causing damage to our planet when we throw them out. If you hold on to them because you know not to throw them out they end up cluttering the back of sock drawers or closet shelves or kitchen counters for ages. You can donate cell phones to several different charities. There are some who provide old cell phones to soldiers as a means to communicate with families, this is awesome! There is another organization (the one I am going to talk more about today) that give cell phones to people who may need to contact 911 quickly. This could be domestic violence victims or others who need to be able to get ahold of 911 easily. You can keep your planet cleaner, you house un-cluttered, and your community safer. It sounds like a win-win-win to me! This organization is  http://www.911cellphonebank.org/ you can also call and schedule a pick up and the will come get the phone from you. The number for that is 866-290-7864.  
Hope one or more of these quick tips sparked your interest today!
(still no package and it's 5pm)

Power of the Positive!

Positive pregnancy test that is... I got a positive pregnancy test on Friday, which was April fools day of course. I had to wait to tell most people until yesterday because I didn't want anyone one to think it was an April fools joke. I'm really excited to finally be a mom and still a little unsure if I can trust this to "stick." I have a long history of early miscarriages. I know that most people who have suffered with the repeated loss of pregnancies choose not to share their pregnancy until after the first trimester when the risk of losing the baby drops dramatically. I am though, going to treat this like it is forever everyday that I have. I love feeling supported and loved by my friends and family. It means a lot to me also that if something were to happen this time or any time in the future, that my friends will know why I am sad. Again, I am hoping with all I'm worth that this ends in a beautiful baby on or at least near December 12th this year. So, I'm taking extra good care of myself with healthy snacks, plenty of fluids, lots of rest, a little light excercise, and of course the best prenatal vitamin available.


Now... on to being green. I am going to keep this brief today since I've already run on a bit about the exciting news in  my life and I'm quite sleepy after a day out in the frest air.
Today, the change that I made for my world today was to "go local." While I know that this isn't quite the same as "going green" it is important that we support our local communities and the small businesses that (hopefully) flourish there. When buying perishable food items this often means fresher and less preserved food. In my home one of us has a gluten intolerence so we tried Bellingham Flatbread, they make an amazing gluten free flat bread. I'm quite picky about my breads and this was just plain amazing! I'm glad my room mate found this yummy locally made snack.


For myself, I made an effort to get out in the direct sunlight while I was doing some light yard work. This did two good things for me. In the pacific northwest we suffer an amazing rate of vitamin D deficiency and one way to help with that is to get out and get a little sun on a daily basis. I also got some light excercise. On top of all that I got to help a friend with her yard a little and hopefully make her day a little brighter.


I would love to hear what some of you have done this week to be a little healthier or happier... please share with me!   :)

Ah... The power of the clean slate!

Hello World!


I'm the Green Eyed Girl and I'm out to change the world... one little bity choice at a time. I know we can do it! I know a lot of people would love to in theory but then they forget to make little changes. So here, on this blog I would love to share a few small ideas that will help you change your life and your world for the better with just a little bit of effort or a little extra thought.


Some people may even be overwhelmed by the idea of having to "Go Green." It might be expensive. It might be a lot of work. The truth is that if you were to change EVERYTHING you do and the way you do it right now, it would be both of those things. But, what if every person out there made one small change today for the planet such as taking a reusable cup to the coffee shop or switching reusable totes out for plastic bags on their weekly shopping trip. One small change would make a BIG difference! The same goes for our health and wellness. What if you decided today that you would buy organic spinach instead of regular tonight for your dinner? You would eliminate as many as 48 pesticides from the meal you are sharing with your family. What if you decided to go with a friend or your family for a nice stroll? If you walk at a nice easy pace (really slow for most people but I figured I'd make this easy) for a half an hour today you would burn and average of about 150 calories. It doesn't sound like much does it? The thing I found most amazing about this though is that if you take that same walk five days a week for a year you will burn an average of 10 pounds. Plus, the time spent walkind and chatting with the people you care about will help you stay connected and build deeper relationships. Sound like a good trade off? I think so.