You want me to put WHAT in my hair?!

Today I thought I would write about my recent homemade toiletry escapades. I’m not sure what if I just slept on it funny or what, but I woke up with killer neck and shoulder pain on Saturday. It was bad enough that I decided I should probably not exercise until it started felling better, so I figured what better time to try out some homemade shampoo and acne remedies!

     I am kind of “overprotective” of my hair because I consider it my best physical feature, aside from my eyes. Because of this, I have been leery of trying any homemade shampoo. (Maybe I need to trust myself more. J ) Anyways, my husband found a recipe that simply consists of water and baking soda. It was the most basic one on the page he found it on, which also includes recipes for ones catered to different hair types. This one is supposed to strip all of the build up in your hair that store bought shampoos and conditioners can leave. I know I have a problem with this plus I do a lot of baking so baking soda is plentiful in this house!

    What is my opinion/experience with it so far? Well, I’m not enjoying it, to be honest. It makes my hair look greasy even though it doesn’t FEEL greasy. I know. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? However, my husband informs me, it is supposed to be like this for the first week or two while it’s getting rid of all the extra “crud” in your hair. * cue eye rolling * We will see! I am going to stick with it for at least two weeks because I will admit that I usually don’t wash my hair every day. I haven’t for a long time. If it doesn’t stop looking greasy after this, I hate to say that I’m going back to my good ole Pantene. (I also figured this was a perfect time to try it out before I go back to work. I don’t want to be the new girl with skanky looking hair! hee hee)

    One other thing I don’t like about it is that it doesn’t lather. I’m so used to being programmed to expect shampoo to lather, that that aspect of it is taking some getting used to as well! I also tried some homemade conditioner, but I’m not going to get into that. I still need to find a better mix. I let my husband convince me to try putting coconut oil in it and that just made it even greasier looking! * cue the eye rolling again * (In case you’re wondering, I put both in the cheap ketchup and mustard containers you can find at Walmart.)

    I also got a wild hair up my bum the other night while baby and hubby were both napping (I seriously never take naps) and decided to try oatmeal “paste” on my face. I read somewhere online that the oatmeal is supposed to suck out the extra oil in your face. I’ve had problems with acne since I was a teenager and too much oil is definitely my problem! I must admit, it definitely felt and looked funny sloughing barely wet oatmeal all over my face! I’ve also not been washing my face with store bought face washes since I tried the oatmeal, just scrubbing it with a wet cloth in the shower. Over the years I have had several people swear that their face breaks out less when they don’t wash it with face wash. So far my husband and I have both seen a difference, believe it or not! To be honest, I have had a few new zits pop up on my chin, but I think that’s the preparations of Aunt Flo’s impending visit. :/

    Today I tried several drops of tea tree oil on a wet cloth to wash my face with like an astringent. (That stuff is like miracle juice and it’s good for just about anything as far as I can tell!) It pretty much burned like an astringent and smelled just as strongly. I might have also put a few too many drops on the cloth. A little goes a long way with that stuff, but I figured hey, my face feels pretty gross so the more the better. :D My face feels nice and clean now, though!

    Sorry you have to look at my ugly mug, but the ridiculousness of the oatmeal was just too good to pass up! If you have any questions about anything I mentioned here, feel free to ask!