No 'Poo!

So I've been reading lots of blog posts and watching lots of youtube videos about ditching shampoo and using baking soda and apple cider vinegar instead. I was hooked when I saw Faye's post about it and how gorgeous her curls looked afterwards. So today I decided to try it and here's what happened!

As you can see, I've been spending my snow day watching Parks & Rec on Netflix. :)

It looks almost exactly the same, haha! I didn't notice a whole lot of difference in how my hair looked, but I did notice a difference in how it felt. Before trying the baking soda mixture, I was using a sulfate free shampoo and conditioner, specifically Alba Botanica. I like it, especially the way it smells (mango, mmm), but the shampoo does not lather AT ALL. Most sulfate free shampoos don't, because the sulfates are the lathering agents in your commercial shampoo (*note: L'Oreal's EverPure shampoos are sulfate free but lather like a regular shampoo. They are GREAT!). It would get so annoying trying to wash my hair with the shampoo because I felt like I had to use a whole handful just to cover my scalp. And my hair just seemed to get tangled up in my fingers when I tried to scrub it into my scalp.

The baking soda was a little different. It didn't lather, but it also didn't tangle while I was massaging my scalp with it. It made it a lot easier to move it around my head and make sure I was getting every inch. When I rinsed it out though, it did start to get a little tangled and had that "squeaky clean" feeling, which isn't necessarily bad. I followed the baking soda mixture with the apple cider vinegar mixture, but only to the ends of my hair. Next time I may try it all over my hair. It did make my hair soft, but again I had some issues with it being tangled. I start my styling process in the shower by flipping my hair over my head and scrunching after my conditioner is washed out, and this baking soda/apple cider vinegar routine made that a little difficult due to the tangles.

Now that my hair is dry, there's honestly not that much difference compared to the shampoo I was using before. It feels soft, it's not frizzy, and my curls look generally the same. Knowing what I know about shampoos (they strip your hair of it's natural oils and make you dependent on all kinds of hair products that aren't good for you - basically it's all just a marketing scheme!), I'm gonna continue with the baking soda and apple cider vinegar mixtures, at least for a little while. I'll never use a shampoo with sulfates in it ever again, but I like the no 'poo method because it's way cheaper than buying shampoo and conditioner! In a couple months I'll post an update on what my hair is doing and what I'm using, but in the meantime if you have any questions or advice you want to share then send me a comment!

Tuesdays are the hardest.

I don't know what it is about Tuesdays that makes me such a grouch. I don't know if the kids tend to act up more on Tuesdays, or if that's when I start to lose my weekend high, but I consistently lose my patience more often on Tuesdays than any other day. I find myself giving into my flesh more quickly and regretting more actions and word choices. I guess I'm trying to blame it on the day of the week, when really it's my ugly sin nature breaking free and demanding attention (not unlike the 2 year olds I spend all my time with).

Tuesdays I just need an extra measure of grace, from Jesus and from myself. I am learning how to pick myself up after a mistake, brush off the dust and give myself a hug, then move on to the rest of the day. I'm learning that I don't have to stay angry at myself, that the rest of my day can be redeemed and my soul can be back at peace. And I'm realizing that the days I want to hide my face out of fear and shame are the days I need to run to the Father, cling to his goodness and grace, and receive his love even though I don't feel worthy of it. These are the days that my need for a Savior become apparent, and oh how glad am I that I have them! How thankful I am for that reminder that it is not by any good works that I achieve my righteousness, but only through my faith in Christ's completed sacrifice. His blood is precious to me and these are the days I experience it more fully.

Tuesdays can be really hard for me, but they're also good for me. It seems like that's the way God works in a lot of things.

What do you do when you feel like you have nothing to offer?

From Food Addiction to Freedom

From Food Addiction to Freedom

I just wanted to quickly share this post from Prodigal Magazine. We are now 21 days into Lent and I have to say, giving up junk food and sweets has been really easy. Like, suspiciously easy. And I think it's because I have this fail-safe defense against them. It's really easy to say no to something when you can also add, "I gave up that for Lent. I promised Jesus I wouldn't have that. I'm sacrificing." But what happens when Lent is over? What happens when I have to just say no, without any qualifiers? I don't know, but it makes me a little bit nervous.