No Poo Update.

Now Playing: 'Dick Turpin: Highwayman' by Horrible Histories

No-poo is still going good. Random hair moulting thing is gradually going away. Shampoo free for about...hmm...three months.

ROSEMARY ACID:

...is amazing. Everyone should try it. It gets better as it gets older. When I started running out I put in a few stalks of rosemary (and thyme, which I had picked for a roast) and topped it up with some fresh ACV. I'm hoping that the old rosemary will just disintigrate and I won't have to worry about it, but, ya'know...biology was never really my strong point.

TEANESS:

I stopped using basil because my supply kind of died on me ;P. Plain tea brewed for at least half an hour works just fine.

OIL:

I've given up on coconut oil. My sister, who has drier hair and uses normal shampoo, uses the coconut oil as a hair mask, but rubbing vegetable fat in my hair clearly doesn't do much other than make me into a female Snape. I add a couple of drops of argan oil to both the shampoo and the rinse, which makes my hair really soft but not greasy.

OATS:

I used to use half rolled oats, half oat bran, and then I tried putting rolled oats in the blender. Didn't really work. Now I just use oatbran, which is much less troublesome. Incidentally, I make actual porridge (as in, a stirrabout you can actually eat) by cooking 1 roughly chopped apple until soft, and then adding equal quantities (about 1/4 cup) of rolled oats, oat bran, water and milk. Yummy.

BABY POWDER:

I am amazingly impressed on how well the recipes below have handled my hair, which can be lovely and fluffy and soft in the morning and slicker than an oil rig by the afternoon. A trick for this is applying baby powder with a fluffy brush on dry hair (at night, to avoid a granny look). This is a time-tested trick for day-old hair, but also works really well to keep hair clean even if you spend all day playing with it (like I do :P)

TIMESAVER (aka should have thought of this before...):

When I previously said that applesauce is easy to wash out, I was using a brand that was pureed to oblivion. Now I'm using a slightly grainier applesauce, so when I use the applesauce or oats recipe I use a comb under running water to get the little bits out.

FACE PAMPER:

No-poo face wash :P For all face types, but will help with dryness, acne, oil balancing, acne scars. Removes makeup. I previously tried using tea (green and black) but it stains a lot.)

1 teaspoon each of:
Oat bran
Applesauce
Rosemary acid
Honey
Raw Sugar

Plus:
3 drops argan oil
3 drops tea tree oil
Pinch of cinnamon

Almost the same gel consistency of store-bought scrubs, but eco friendly. The synthetic beads of commercial face scrubs are known as 'mermaid tears' and cause great damage to our waterways. Sugar, on the other hand, is completely water soluble.

Current recipes (they keep changing!)

Rinse/Detangler:

2 black teabags
3 drops argan oil
3 drops tea tree oil
1/4 cup rosemary acid

 Steep teabags for at least 1/2 an hour. Add oils and acid.

Honey/Sugar Scrub (my favourite):

2 tbsp rosemary acid
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 tbsp raw honey
3 drops tea tree oil
3 drops argan oil
Witch hazel

Oat Shampoo:

4 tbsp oat bran
2 tbsp rosemary acid
1 tsp cinnamon
3 drops tea tree oil
3 drops argan oil
Witch hazel

Stir with hot water to achieve desired consistency. This is a BITCH to wash out, but worth it. Hair feels kind of manky when damp, but dries fine.

Applesauce Shampoo:

4tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp rosemary acid
1 tsp cinnamon
3 drops tea tree oil
3 drops argan oil
Witch hazel

Make your own or make sure it's at least 90% apples. (the cheapest is from Holland, for some bizarre reason)