I have sweaty pits. I do. It's been a chronic problem for me. No commercial antiperspirant ever really combatted the sweat problem except for that time I got semi addicted to Certain Dri. My body loves chemicals and obeyed Certain Dri like a beast. Unfortunately, the price I paid for dry armpits was a chemical burn. Like any addict I denied the problem until it became extremely painful for me to even put my arms down AT ALL. I finally decided to quit using and in a defiant act threw my Certain Dri away forever. The sweat came back ten-fold.
Around this time I decided to start reading labels and living a more granola life. I bought some all-natural deodorant at Sprouts, first Toms then Kiss My Face Liquid Rock. Now, I realize these are just deodorants and not antiperspirants so I wasn't expecting much but even at that I was discouraged by their ineffectiveness. My sweat problem even seemed to get worse with the use of these products and I had to reapply at least three times a day to have any security in the odor department.
During my "make your own facewash" experiment I google-stumbled across some DIY deodorant recipes. They were all basically the same three ingredients- coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch. The coconut oil is your base, the baking soda acts as an odor-fighter, and the cornstarch functions as an antiperspirant. I had all these ingredients on hand so I gave it a go. Yall, I knew I had crossed a serious granola line with this one, so I had my fingers crossed.
I'm in love.
I have now gone through an entire calendar year using my homemade deodorant and I love it. It goes on easily and is pretty effective. I do have to apply it twice a day usually, but that's not odd for me with conventional deodorant anyway. My deodorant sits in a little baby food jar in my bathroom and I apply it with my fingers. It's not a cure-all for heavy sweaters, but it works just as well (if not slightly better than) as any deodorant/antiperspirant on the market, without all the bad-for-you junk.
You should know that I can't smell. I have a hard time distinguishing smells and I can't smell most things unless they are right up on my nose. I put it out to my friends to let me know if I smell bad and I haven't had a complaint, so either my friends are jerks or smell hasn't been an issue.
Below are two links for DIY deodorant. I use the recipe from In Sonnet's Kitchen (the first link). In fact, it's time to go make some more, so happy fall and get in the kitchen and rub some oil on your pits!
http://www.fortheloveoffoodblog.com/diy-deodorant/
http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/12/diy-coconut-oil-deodorant.html
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Second-Hand Stoked
I've made a bold new granola decision, folks: I am never buying new clothes ever again (sans underwear and socks, of course). A few months ago I watched a series of Ted Talks on Netflix about fashion and one of the talks was from a lady who made the resolution to never buy new clothes again but to remain fashionable. To prove her point, she only packed 7 days worth of undies for the Ted conference and went to local thrift shops to assemble her wardrobe for the time she'd be there. And, of course, she looked hip and cool- like the version of myself I see in my head every morning when I wake up, before the disappointing reality hits when I actually try to dress myself.
Now, this kind of bold move is appealing to me for several reasons. For starters, it's cheaper. Am I the only one who goes shopping and gets sticker shock because I'm still expecting the price tags of the 1990s? I mean, jeans for $60.00? Get outta here! On top of saving money I will also be saving the planet, which is like the number one commandment for granola people. I'll be a walking billboard for recycling. Plus, I'm really going to stick it to the man by not participating in our consumeristic culture. My altruistic, humanitarian side is pumped because this is a way to effortlessly give back to the community by supporting organizations like Christian Community Action. Non-profit agencies like this one use the money made in their thrift shops to fund community projects and help needy people. This is great, because I like to make socially conscious purchases without having to buy an overpriced clothing item, like a pair of shoes, that happens to fall apart within a few months of buying it.
But let's get real here. My number one reason for making this switch is because I HATE CLOTHES. I want to be cute and hip and I have so many friend that dress nicely and have no idea that every time we get together I am secretly taking notes on what they wear so that I can try to dress myself cuter the next time I go out. Sadly, I have no eye for fashion, hate spending money on clothes, feel incredibly uncomfortable in anything other than ratty jeans and an old t-shirt, and have anxiety any time I have to get dressed up. With my new granola-style at least I have an out. If I look out of whack people will just politely smile while thinking, "poor girl, must have been a bad week at the garage sale."
Speaking of garage sales yall, I hit the jackpot several months ago at this little Indian lady's house. She was definitely in her 70's and I definitely bought a ton of her old clothes. One item in particular hid in my closet for a long time before I finally garnered enough courage to try to make it work as a cute "tunic" of sorts. When I walked out in my ensemble my brother, who was hanging out with us, told me I looked like a Power Ranger. My sweet, loving husband told my son I was wearing a costume. The rest of the day Will asked me repeatedly when we would get to go to the costume party.
They're wrong, right? I added a stylish belt and I think overall this turned out to be a pretty hip outfit. And notice the "rustic" side braid that took me about five attempts to make it look effortless. I think there's hope for me buying used clothes. Maybe I can avoid a stereotypical "granola" look and gain some fashion confidence at the same time.
**Cute, hip friends, if you are getting rid of anything because you feel like it's out of style or whatever, just send it my way.
Now, this kind of bold move is appealing to me for several reasons. For starters, it's cheaper. Am I the only one who goes shopping and gets sticker shock because I'm still expecting the price tags of the 1990s? I mean, jeans for $60.00? Get outta here! On top of saving money I will also be saving the planet, which is like the number one commandment for granola people. I'll be a walking billboard for recycling. Plus, I'm really going to stick it to the man by not participating in our consumeristic culture. My altruistic, humanitarian side is pumped because this is a way to effortlessly give back to the community by supporting organizations like Christian Community Action. Non-profit agencies like this one use the money made in their thrift shops to fund community projects and help needy people. This is great, because I like to make socially conscious purchases without having to buy an overpriced clothing item, like a pair of shoes, that happens to fall apart within a few months of buying it.
But let's get real here. My number one reason for making this switch is because I HATE CLOTHES. I want to be cute and hip and I have so many friend that dress nicely and have no idea that every time we get together I am secretly taking notes on what they wear so that I can try to dress myself cuter the next time I go out. Sadly, I have no eye for fashion, hate spending money on clothes, feel incredibly uncomfortable in anything other than ratty jeans and an old t-shirt, and have anxiety any time I have to get dressed up. With my new granola-style at least I have an out. If I look out of whack people will just politely smile while thinking, "poor girl, must have been a bad week at the garage sale."
Speaking of garage sales yall, I hit the jackpot several months ago at this little Indian lady's house. She was definitely in her 70's and I definitely bought a ton of her old clothes. One item in particular hid in my closet for a long time before I finally garnered enough courage to try to make it work as a cute "tunic" of sorts. When I walked out in my ensemble my brother, who was hanging out with us, told me I looked like a Power Ranger. My sweet, loving husband told my son I was wearing a costume. The rest of the day Will asked me repeatedly when we would get to go to the costume party.
They're wrong, right? I added a stylish belt and I think overall this turned out to be a pretty hip outfit. And notice the "rustic" side braid that took me about five attempts to make it look effortless. I think there's hope for me buying used clothes. Maybe I can avoid a stereotypical "granola" look and gain some fashion confidence at the same time.
**Cute, hip friends, if you are getting rid of anything because you feel like it's out of style or whatever, just send it my way.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Face It
Let's talk about my face. Specifically, let's talk about the fact that I still have problems with acne and I am 28 years old. Please, older and wiser woman, don't tell me about how you struggle too and it's one of life's great lies that acne goes away after high school. That's not encouraging; that's completely demoralizing.
There were two brief times in life when I had this all under control. The first was shortly after I was married when I bought a very special cream that I was supposed to use sparingly every night. It was powerful stuff, man. My face was clear, which was great, but my brand new, just-got-married, expensive-gift-from-somebody-special bed set had bleach spots all over it. I was so mad that I promptly threw the stuff out and vowed never to use it again.
The second period of clear skin was when I was using the best face wash I have ever used. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power Wash left my skin feeling as chemically clean as it has ever felt. I loved the way this stuff made my skin feel tight and literally squeaky clean. Every last layer of oil-laiden skin cells was stripped away twice a day. And I was loving life.
But then I started my granola plunge and unfortunately stumbled across THIS website. Basically it's a database of all the skin care products out there and how much cancer they'll give you, or something like that. With great trepidation I searched my miracle Power Wash and found out that I was putting a lot of really bad things on my skin every day. This lead me to look at the ingredient list on the tube and read the directions for the wash (I mean, I didn't read them before because how complicated is it to wash your face) which explicitly say to reduce your exposure to sun during the use of the face wash. What? The long and short of it is that chemicals in most commercial face washes strip your skin and leave you extra vulnerable to the sun's rays, which can increase your chance of getting skin cancer. Ugh.
The more I thought about it the more concerned I became with what I daily put on my skin. I mean, I take great care to make sure I use non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner and yet I was throwing the equivalent of Scrubbing Bubbles on my face daily. That doesn't make a lick of sense. So I googled "all natural face wash" and this is where things really went south.
Olive Oil, nature's best kept skin care secret. The internet witch doctors all basically pointed me in the same direction: mix up some olive oil and some castor oil and apply it to your face every night, then throw a steamy towel on your face and let your pores have a spa day. And you guys, I was LOVING IT. I mean, rubbing grease all over your face feels good, people. I may or may not have rubbed popcorn butter all over my face one time at the movies when I was in middle school, so I may or may not have known how much I'd like rubbing olive oil all over my face. PLUS, it was cost effective since it doubles as makeup remove and you only have to use a tiny drop. This was working. My skin was feeling silky smooth and it was glowing.
Fast forward a month or two and I notice my scalp is itchy all the time. Then horror of horrors I get a bad case of dandruff out of no where! I couldn't get rid of it and was starting to WebMD all these horrible skin conditions I could have. Then one day, as I am reading a parenting magazine I see a tiny little footnote of a PSA listing things you shouldn't use to cure your baby's cradle cap. Olive oil actually feeds the yeast/fungus that causes cradle cap, worsening rather than curing the symptoms. So my totally hippie, all-natural, cancer-free facewash was giving me some wicked dandruff and thus, I had to jump ship.
I'm still at a loss of what to do. I bought some Alba Botanica brand acne wash because I love their sunscreen, but it ain't workin. Am I doomed to a life of bad skin, or is there actually a good all-natural, eco-friendly face wash out there for me?
There were two brief times in life when I had this all under control. The first was shortly after I was married when I bought a very special cream that I was supposed to use sparingly every night. It was powerful stuff, man. My face was clear, which was great, but my brand new, just-got-married, expensive-gift-from-somebody-special bed set had bleach spots all over it. I was so mad that I promptly threw the stuff out and vowed never to use it again.
The second period of clear skin was when I was using the best face wash I have ever used. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Stress Control Power Wash left my skin feeling as chemically clean as it has ever felt. I loved the way this stuff made my skin feel tight and literally squeaky clean. Every last layer of oil-laiden skin cells was stripped away twice a day. And I was loving life.
But then I started my granola plunge and unfortunately stumbled across THIS website. Basically it's a database of all the skin care products out there and how much cancer they'll give you, or something like that. With great trepidation I searched my miracle Power Wash and found out that I was putting a lot of really bad things on my skin every day. This lead me to look at the ingredient list on the tube and read the directions for the wash (I mean, I didn't read them before because how complicated is it to wash your face) which explicitly say to reduce your exposure to sun during the use of the face wash. What? The long and short of it is that chemicals in most commercial face washes strip your skin and leave you extra vulnerable to the sun's rays, which can increase your chance of getting skin cancer. Ugh.
The more I thought about it the more concerned I became with what I daily put on my skin. I mean, I take great care to make sure I use non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner and yet I was throwing the equivalent of Scrubbing Bubbles on my face daily. That doesn't make a lick of sense. So I googled "all natural face wash" and this is where things really went south.
Olive Oil, nature's best kept skin care secret. The internet witch doctors all basically pointed me in the same direction: mix up some olive oil and some castor oil and apply it to your face every night, then throw a steamy towel on your face and let your pores have a spa day. And you guys, I was LOVING IT. I mean, rubbing grease all over your face feels good, people. I may or may not have rubbed popcorn butter all over my face one time at the movies when I was in middle school, so I may or may not have known how much I'd like rubbing olive oil all over my face. PLUS, it was cost effective since it doubles as makeup remove and you only have to use a tiny drop. This was working. My skin was feeling silky smooth and it was glowing.
Fast forward a month or two and I notice my scalp is itchy all the time. Then horror of horrors I get a bad case of dandruff out of no where! I couldn't get rid of it and was starting to WebMD all these horrible skin conditions I could have. Then one day, as I am reading a parenting magazine I see a tiny little footnote of a PSA listing things you shouldn't use to cure your baby's cradle cap. Olive oil actually feeds the yeast/fungus that causes cradle cap, worsening rather than curing the symptoms. So my totally hippie, all-natural, cancer-free facewash was giving me some wicked dandruff and thus, I had to jump ship.
I'm still at a loss of what to do. I bought some Alba Botanica brand acne wash because I love their sunscreen, but it ain't workin. Am I doomed to a life of bad skin, or is there actually a good all-natural, eco-friendly face wash out there for me?
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