Natural products

Over the last month…well, actually since we’ve been back from Oz…I’ve been using bicarb and vinegar to wash my hair and bicarb, cornstarch and coconut oil as a deodorant.

It has been an interesting journey into using natural products.

The deodorant recipe I got from my friend in Australia…but found that after I did the fast, my body seemed to change and the deodorant didn’t work. It reminded me a little of when I gave birth…because my hormones were all over the place as I breastfed I found that my underarm smell was very strong.

So I decided to experiment and put more bicarb into the mix…slowly increasing the doses. But I woke one morning with an itch under my arms…so I stopped. I left everything off for a few days so the area could heal and then resumed my normal deodorant.

For the last two weeks I have been alternating between the two. I really like the idea of having the coconut oil because it makes my underarms really beautiful and smooth…but I do smell like a coconut biscuit…hehe.

I know quite a few women who use the bicarb hair wash and because they seemed happy with it I thought I’d bite the bullet and give it a try.

I basically fill a small bottle of water with 6 teaspoons of bicarb and shake it. I wet my hair as if I was about to shampoo, squeeze out excess water and then run the bicarb mix through my hair, making sure all parts of my scalp are covered and then put my hair up in a towel for about 5 minutes before rinsing off. I then do the same with the vinegar. I’ve decreased the amount of Apple Cider vinegar to water so that I don’t smell like a chip shop. I’ve also put a vanilla and cinnamon pod in the bottle that steeps until the next time I use it.

It works really well…I don’t have to scrub or anything. I did, last week, use my normal herbal shampoo and my hair felt less silky afterward, so it gave me an idea of which regime my hair prefers.

Because my hair is not full of junk and hasn’t been for years…I think the change over for me has been smooth. One thing I did notice is that my hair doesn’t fluff up after washing…you know get into that fly away state. It simply folds itself into waves that are totally natural.

I’m still working on the deodorant thing though.

I’ve made my own organic face and body lotions and cleansers for about 20 years. I don’t think I’ve done too badly not using any commercial products…I’m still looking okay despite not having chemicals to keep me eternally youthful.

But you know…if you’d asked me to do any of this hair and deodorant stuff a few months ago…I’d have shrugged and turned away. Shows you…when your body is ready to change, it will do so without much effort.

Woohoo…sunshiny day once again…fab…time for some upbeat music from one of our many favourites…