(if you missed the first two blogs about the whole no ‘poo shenanigans you can read them here and here.)

so, here’s the long and short of the baking soda/apple cider vinegar regime:

*it made my hair maybe a little shinier
*maybe a little darker
*maybe a little softer
*it was easy {for me} mainly b/c i don’t do anything to it. i air dry it and pull it back. batabing, bataboom. if you work outside the house or have interest in having stylish, fancy hair then you may decide having dry-ish, crunchy-ish, lack-luster locks is a total and epic fail. and waste of time.
*i did see a decrease in the amount of grease as the weeks went on
*i did see the dry-ish feeling lesson as the days went on and more grease (oh yeah, be jealous) made its way down the hair
*i for sure miss the smell of yummy shampoo and conditioner. and the squeaky clean feeling you get with that last rinse. although my hair doesn’t smell badly there’s no way it’s appealing

here are some photos from today. just outta da shewer and after being air dried. (sorry I didn’t snap a pic of it dried with a round brush on saturday…)

i’ve decided to keep up the no ‘poo until my appointment for a cut and highlight on february 23rd. (figure i’ll keep it as healthy as possible before bleaching and drying the hell out of it, right?) i’ll leave it up to the professional as to what she thinks of it’s effects (or not). i’ll do an update post then. you know, when it’s actually brushed and blow dried and fancy.

until then i say, meh.
not great, not awful. just meh.

and if you’re doing it i want to hear what your thoughts are! pa-lease!

peace, love and hair grease,
-H

wait for it.

wait for it.

waiiiiit for ittttt….

today has been the best day yet!

truly, i have lots of people asking me how i’ve gone this long. that they’ve made it two or three or five days and then just freaked out and couldn’t handle even one more second sans ‘poo.

maybe i’m just a dirtball? in fact, i know i am. who am i kidding.

people, i spend my days in yoga pants and hoodies wiping poopy bums. not washing my hair with shampoo for two weeks is nada big thang. trust me.

so here’s what the past week looked like…

i washed with the baking soda/water mixture three times. (if you’re just tuning in, read Crunchy Betty’s blog to see details on going ‘No ‘Poo.) on monday i washed and then actually dried with a round brush before i went for dinner with some friends. it was a little stiff, not too soft or silky or shiny but not greasy or awful.
and because i had blowed it out i got away with not washing at all (even wetting) until thursday.

i washed again on saturday before going out (again. wow, BIG week for this girl here folks) with a friend for her birthday.
i lightly blow dried (without any combing) because it’s about -12 degrees here right now.

then i braided some pieces back and put it up. not greasy at all and actually maybe a little shiny?
not too shabby (from the dimly lit restaurant & iphone photo…)

tonight i took these photos. after the braids came out and it was in a pony tail all day.
not greasy at all. pretty soft. the softest it’s been so far, actually. sorry, couldn’t help the cousin it pose.

or as it turns out, the fishy lips… (three and four year old people)

oh yes, and re-commence hoodie wearing.

here are a couple things that have worked well this week:

- using all (or nearly all) of the water/baking soda mixture for each washing helps to make it feel, well, washed.
the first week i made up a big batch like 4 cups water, 4 TBLS baking soda and used about 1/3 of a cup each washing.
this week i used nearly 1 full cup per washing and i feel like it helped to really clean and de-grease.
(i am still dipping the ends of my hair into the apple cider vinegar/water mixture after each baking soda wash, fyi)

- not brushing. running my fingers through my hair to break it up a little but not combing or brushing it. i felt like this helped to keep it less dry and frizzy.

week two is finito. easily conquered even with two (record breaking) nights out on the town where i did opt to ditch the sweats and apply some mascara (i know, BIG stuff people) and rock the no ‘poo’d dew.

if you’re on-board and somewhere between day 2 and 10, keep it up! i (semi) promise it will get better.

if you’re reading this and no ‘pooing i want to hear about your experience! drop a comment and let us know how it’s been for you.

onward and upward to the third and (maybe, maybe not?) final no’poo week.

-h

When my sister and her bf visited for Christmas she told me about Crunchy Betty and her blog about no ‘poo.

Weird, crazy greasy hair that you throw into a pony for a few weeks and wash intermittently with water and baking soda? All to make way for amazingly healthy, vibrant and shiny locks in just three weeks? Sign me on up sista.

Last Monday I washed and dried my hair with [yes] ‘poo. On Tuesday this is what it looked like.

Not crazy unhealthy. In fact, it’s come a long way in the past year from the double pregnancy horrendous ness that it was ( weirdly dry and frizzy and growth stunted.)

But yeah, it’s brassy and let’s face it, could be a lot healthier. Plus, who wouldn’t want to say, I’m going no ‘poo to any and everyone they come across?

On Thursday I no ‘poo’d with water and baking soda (1 part baking soda 4 parts water – rubbed into scalp and “lathered” {insert snicker here} throughout. I dipped the tips into a mixture of water and apple cider vinegar (2 tbls apple cider vinegar with 2 c water). Don’t ask questions. It’s Crunchy Betty were talking about.

Stored for use down the road.

Side note: H found these in our bathroom today and giggled something about salad dressing in the bathroom being silly…

I let my hair air dry and threw it back to meet a girlfriend for dinner. Definitely no great smell…but no bad one either. And little to no grease. I can do this!

Fast forward to Saturday, no ‘poo wash day número dos. Same baking soda water/ vinegar water wash. Let it air dry without brushing. Suspicious of dreadlocks but negative! Just my natural curls…and a few more of them. Nothing impressive but nothing awful either. I even attended a superhero birthday party with my hair down. Woohoo!

Today is Sunday, no wash, no smell, nothing special but…ok. Note: it was up all day and taken down for this photo…thus the up all day funk thang.

Honestly it feels healthier and darker and maybe shinier? Could just be the grease talking?

So, so far so good. Totally do-able. Although I must say that I am typically a 2-3 times per week ‘poo’er. So my hair might not have as much adjustment as the daily ‘poo’er…

My plan is to wash with no ‘poo wash every 2-3 days for the next two weeks.

You can expect a report this time next week on week 2. I know. You’re at the edge of your seat.

If you want to go ‘no ‘poo with me leave me a comment with your plans – and we can compare

I can hardly wait

- H

yesterday i posted a photo on my facebook page of the cookies i had baked. and a few of my friends asked for the recipe. since the [highly awesome] recipe came from my sister katie i had to ask her first. here was her response:

Not a secret at all! And I like that you call them “Auntie Katie’s Cookies” instead of “Katie’s Ugly Fat Girl Cookies” which is what my roommate Norah named them because she claimed I was turning her into an ugly fat girl by making them so often in college.

fact: they are not low in fat, sugar or calories. truth: they are freakishly delicious.

just make them in moderation or incorporate a little extra exercise into your week and you’ll be just fine.

fyi, before i made auntie katie’s cookies i had never (i mean never) baked a cookie that was edible. seriously.
it’s actually a joke in our family. which, thank you very much, i do not particularly appreciate…

BUT the good news is, i have found ONE recipe that i can do! they are not quite as good as when auntie katie makes them herself…but they are good.

ok, cut to the chase already. i hear ya.

crinkled, batter stained, scribbled. the best kind of recipe.

here’s what you’ll need:

2 1/4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter melted (note, i use salted often and only add 1/2 the salt in the recipe)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate bits (i use a 1.5 cups b/c we like them a little less chocolaty)

here’s what you do:

-sift together flour, baking soda & salt in bowl
-cream together melted butter, brown sugar & white sugar in large bowl
-beat in vanilla, whole egg & egg yolk until light & creamy (totally ok to beat with wisk)
-add sifted ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until incorporated
-stir in chocolate bits

drop on parchment paper lined cookie sheet (or greased) in heaping 2″ spoonfuls.
bake at 325 degrees for 15-17 minutes.
**NOTE** they will not actually be brown on the top when you take them out – we like them soft and chewy!

let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

thank you katie for your awesome baking skills. i adore you, always.

- H

it was awesome. SO dang awesome.

when she told me about their plan i asked her to make a Shine On sign – because obviously you cant have a joy mob without one – and she did! and her photo made the Denver Post!

inspired by the horrific tradgedy in newtown – hoping to remind the world of the goodness that abounds.

i’m thinking we all could use a little Joy Mob, no?

merry day after christmas, folks.

find a way to spread some shine today.
- h

two nights ago i was sitting next to it and literally had to stop, think, listen [really, reeeallly hard] to figure out if the noise i was hearing was rain/hail or the needles plummeting from my tree.

truth be told, still not too sure about the outcome there.

so this morning i awoke, strolled into the living room looked at the brown, bare, flat-out see-through tree and the rippling waves of needles beneath it.

three days until christmas. surely, we could keep vacuuming, keep watering, avoid any wind, breath, person walking past. just get to tuesday morning, brush off the presents, pick needles out of our toes, pj’s, hair, pancakes and then toss er to the curb.

and if it had been any other week in any other year the answer would have been, absolutely.

but today, i looked over at the sad, lifeless, opposite of shiny and cheerful and all things magical tree and i started taking the ornaments off. one by one down they came. followed by the lights.
i called the tree farm we purchased it from, explained that i just needed something alive and beautiful in my living room. right now.
they were gracious and told me to pack it up, bring it back and pick a new one.

pack it up? bring it back? seriously?

can’t i just send you an instagram of it’s decaying self? oh wait. you’re 87 and own a tree farm. scratch that.

yep, we’ll be there soon. thank you so very much.

when justin got out of the shower and realized that he was going to be hauling the very tree he just wrangled from a forest out of our house and onto a vehicle he wasn’t very happy. he didn’t believe me, i think. until i was yelling at him that, fine! if you can’t do it graciously then i’ll do it myself!. because i just can not handle a dying tree in my living room. i need something alive. i need something green goddammit.

and then it hit me, with the familiar lump and the tears. there has been too much dying, too much sadness, too much bleak and bare and sad. we are moving forward with baby steps. impaling our feet on tree needles along the way is out of the question.

schlepping away.

h and i pulled into the tree farm with a dead tree hanging out of our minivan. we smiled and said merry christmas to the wide-eyed, curious onlookers.
we graciously accepted the new, live, ferociously green tree and tried like hell not to interfere with the 87 year old’s knots and ‘securing’.

we drove 17 mph 12 miles home with our hazards on and the back hatch fully open [he was sure that it was best that way] with a big ‘ol healthy as hell tree hanging out and calling to the world, SHINE ON.

and you know what i tend to say to that, don’t mind if i do.

after our tree morning H and i had a girls’ day. we played babies and we got manicures – her very first real one.

and when she said, mama let’s get sparkly ones! i couldn’t have agreed more.

merry christmas. happy magical, shimmering baby steps into 2013.

peace, love and lots of shine,

-h

needle-free.

alive and glowing.

like millions of us today, i hugged them harder, whispered an extra i love you so much, then turned before the bulging tears in my eyes cascaded down my cheeks.

like millions of us my heart has been burdened with an extra weight – with 28 extra weights – since last friday’s shooting in newtown, ct.

i have cried. and sobbed. whispered and screamed no. no. no. NO.

i can’t stop thinking about the christmas gifts for 20 little angels that will go unopened this year.

i can’t stop thinking about the last few moments of those precious little lives. it is so unspeakable. so horrid. so heinous.

my children are safe. they are alive. they are smiling, bouncing, singing beauties. i am not a parent of one of the 20 angels from newtown, but like you, my heart is broken. shattered.

i went to church yesterday knowing in my gut, in my heart, that the spiritual community there is what i needed. knowing that it would be hard. it would be so hard to go there at that level with so many others.

after singing the first hymn, the lady next to me tore her tissue stash in half and handed a piece to me. we smiled at each other, tears streaming, breath hitched and hands trembling.

we are all broken. but we are broken together. and after yesterday i am for the first time since friday hopeful. hopeful for baby steps.

i have read and re-read the sermon and especially the ‘first requirement’ as rev. josh pawelek spoke (and wrote) about:

Requirement #1. In the wake of tragic violence, after your time of despair, seek to ground yourself. Start breathing again. Be intentional about it. Breathe deeply, slowly, fully. Fill your lungs with oxygen and remind yourself it comes from green plants and algae. Remind yourself this air you breathe is evidence of your connection to the whole of life. Not separation, but connection. Breathe in, and as you breathe, relax, rest, be still, be quiet, be calm. Breathe in, and as you breathe, reflect, concentrate, contemplate, focus, pray. Then, still breathing, when you feel ready, start to move. Slowy at first. Gently at first: bend, bow, stretch, lengthen, extend, reach. Keep breathing. And then, when you feel ready: walk, roll, run, dance. Then, still breathing, as you feel ready, begin to create. Creative acts are so essential to moving out of despair and finding our ground. Write, compose, sing, speak, play, act, sculpt, craft, paint, draw. Feel yourself slowly coming back to yourself.
If you can, go outside. Touch the ground, the soil, the earth—the beautiful, dark brown earth. Work in the dark, brown earth. Play in the dark, brown earth. Tend it, till it, turn it, plant seeds, nurture what comes forth. Let the dirt get on your hands, under your fingernails, between your toes. Feel yourself coming back to life. Listen for the still small voice. Hear your own truths, your convictions emerging once again. They are there. They’ve never actually left.

today, instead of grocery shopping or cleaning the house while my kids are at school i am breathing. slowly. purposefully.

i am feeling my feet on the ground.

i am praying.

photo cred: http://simplykierste.com

today i am not ready to sing. nor to dance.

but i know that day will come. and with it some peace, some confidence in the world we live. some hope for much needed help and change for this country and the society we have become.

baby steps, my friends.

holding you, us all, in my heart as i go.

-hannah