As part of my desire to live a more sustainable lifestyle, I've decided to trial something I've heard about ages ago and just stumbled across again recently.
So what is this experiment you ask?
Simply no shampoo and no conditioner to wash my hair for a month. Instead I'll be using a solution of 1 tbsp bicarb soda to 1 cup of warm water followed by a rinse of 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to 1 cup of warm water.
Sounds a bit extreme, doesn't it? Very hippy-comune-ish, yes?
Well, I'll see. Plenty of people swear by it, not just for the environmental benefits but also because they've found that their hair is in much better condition since making the switch. I'm mainly doing it for the benefit to the environment, but if I happen to get better hair out of it, that'd be a nice bonus. And frankly my hair has been in pretty awful condition recently (using regular shampoo and conditioner) - either greasy or dry and frizzy - so it probably can't get much worse, right?
- The benefits -
1. No plastic
Instead of buying shampoo and conditioner in plastic containers, I'll be buying bi-carb soda (compostable cardboard box) and apple cider vinegar (glass bottle). If you didn't already know that glass can be recycled hundreds of times whereas plastic is typically downcycled once only, go watch the excellent movie Bag it!. Seriously go watch it, even if you do know that.
2. Less total packaging waste (in theory)
In theory the containers of bi-carb and vinegar should last me a lot longer than shampoo and conditioner normally does, which means less packaging bought in total.
I say "in theory" because I don't actually know how much I'll be going through (apparently you may need more than 1 cup for long hair, but you may not). Also I can't remember how often I used to have to buy shampoo and conditioner. Perhaps I'll ask mum how long it takes her to go through them for comparison purposes.
3. No chemicals being washed down the drain and into our waterways.
Shampoo and conditioner typically contain a lot of chemicals which are not particularly good for us or the environment (particularly SLS and SLFS - sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate - the ingredients that create the lather). Okay so they're probably not completely terrible for you and the environment, but still it'd be better to avoid them. For more information about what's so bad about shampoo go to this great post by Livejournal user babyslime.
4. Save money
A box of bicarb and a bottle of apple cider vinegar cost about half as much as a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. And as mentioned above should last me longer.
5. No chemicals on my body
See 3. I haven't noticed any sensitivity to the ingredients of shampoos and conditioners but still.
6. Better hair (supposedly)
I've only just started so I can't comment on this one but heaps of people say their hair is better after switching. I'll let you know.
Apparently you (and your hair) don't end up smelling like vinegar either.
- Day 1 -
I washed with the bicarb and water solution today. Didn't rinse with the vinegar solution, because we didn't go to the shop until after I'd washed my hair. My hair was particularly manky/greasy before washing because I hadn't washed it for longer than usual, and I'd rinsed in water only yesterday - as per the recommendation to give your hair a little break between regular shampoo and this routine.
So far I can report that the top front part of my hair seems to be at least as good as washing with regular shampoo and conditioner. The bottom half of my hair feels a bit greasy still, and the back (around the nape of my neck) feels very greasy. I don't know if I didn't distribute the solution through my hair very well, or if this just part of the adaption process.
Apparently some people's hair takes a few weeks to adapt, others notice an improvement straight away.
I plan to continue this for a month and see how it goes. I intend to report back regularly, but I often intend to write more in my blog than I normally do. But if it does work for me, you can bet I'll be telling people about it somehow...
For more infomation on the why and how of going shampoo free, these are the two main websites I got my information from: (they're also linked in the text above)
http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/06/no-more-poo/
http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html
Thursday 29 December 2011
Tuesday 15 November 2011
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Bag it!
So as per usual I haven't updated in ages. And I haven't done any of the many blog posts I intended to write about either. Oh well...
Today I just wanted to write a short post about the documentary I saw last night.
Did you know that in some parts of our oceans there is 40x more plastic than plankton(aka food)?
That's just one fascinating (and scary fact) that I learnt from the movie "Bag it! Is your life too plastic?". It was an excellent documentary. I think everyone (and I mean everyone!) should see this movie. It takes a serious issue, addresses it in a way that is both very compelling but also light-hearted and accessible to a general audience. It will change the way you think about plastic (in a good way).
So yes, highly recommended. Check it out.
In fact I'm so impressed with it I plan to order my own copy - so if you want to see it, let me know - I may be organising screenings.
Today I just wanted to write a short post about the documentary I saw last night.
Did you know that in some parts of our oceans there is 40x more plastic than plankton(aka food)?
That's just one fascinating (and scary fact) that I learnt from the movie "Bag it! Is your life too plastic?". It was an excellent documentary. I think everyone (and I mean everyone!) should see this movie. It takes a serious issue, addresses it in a way that is both very compelling but also light-hearted and accessible to a general audience. It will change the way you think about plastic (in a good way).
So yes, highly recommended. Check it out.
In fact I'm so impressed with it I plan to order my own copy - so if you want to see it, let me know - I may be organising screenings.
Wednesday 6 July 2011
Things and yummy things
It's been an age since I've written in this blog - getting on close to a year. And quite a lot of things have changed in my life since then (mostly for the better, although one area of my life is less than ideal). But I don't think I'll go into any details now. That's a story (or two) another time. For today I have a comment on wool crafts and a recipe for you.
----
For some reason the cold weather has prompted me to pick up wool crafts again. It's a little odd because I've hardly done anything for the past few years and suddenly I'm finishing off projects from years ago and starting new ones. Mostly crochet - I've mucked around with a few knitting items, but haven't started knitting anything in earnest. So far I've finished off a hat for my dad and a scarf I started years ago, and crocheted 4 granny squares for Sarah London's Crochet a Rainbow project (where she collect granny squares from people and sews them into blankets for victims of natural disasters). I'm also re-making the first crochet hat I made which I lost 2 years ago. Luckily I had enough wool left.
I took some photos of my dad's hat so I'll (hopefully) upload them later. I'm tossing with the idea of creating a craft blog or photo album, but probably won't get around to it.
----
And finally a recipe!
My aunt gave me the recipe for her divine Thai Red Curry Salmon several years ago. I can't believe it took me until recently to actually make it myself. And now i've made it twice in the space of about a month. It is seriously heaven. And it's not even too hot - in fact if you do what I do and only use 2.5 tbsp of the curry paste, it has barely any heat at all - just this delicious full of flavour sauce.
Poached Tasmanian Salmon in a Red Thai Curry
Ingredients: -
350gm Tasmanian salmon (cut into 2cm cubes)
2 medium Brown Onions (halved and sliced)
3 Cloves of garlic (crushed/finely chopped)
1 piece Ginger (chopped small or large, depending if you want to be able to pick out the pieces later or eat them)
4 tablespoons Red Thai Curry paste*
400ml Coconut cream
4 tablespoons Fish Sauce
2-3 tablespoon Palm sugar
1 Bunch Thai basil (or normal basil)
1 Lime
Method:
Heat the wok and sauté the sliced onion, garlic and ginger.
Add the red curry paste and fry until fragrant.
Add the coconut cream, lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce, (also throw in the lime skins) and simmer for 1 minute.
Adjust the seasoning to suit your own taste.
Just before serving place the salmon into the curry and poach gently for 5 minutes only.
Finish by adding the torn Thai basil leaves and some roughly chopped coriander if you want.
The important thing is to make sure that you don't poach the salmon for too long as otherwise it will fall apart. The aim is to get the right balance between the sweet (sugar), sour (lime) and salty (fish sauce) flavours. It is the quickest and easiest dish to prepare. You can prepare the sauce in advance and throw in the fish and herbs at the last minute to avoid reheating. If you are unable to get Thai Basil, then ordinary basil will do.
*My aunt says she uses Valcom red curry paste but I couldn't find that the day I bought the ingredients so I've been using Spencers red curry paste instead.
Yum!
----
For some reason the cold weather has prompted me to pick up wool crafts again. It's a little odd because I've hardly done anything for the past few years and suddenly I'm finishing off projects from years ago and starting new ones. Mostly crochet - I've mucked around with a few knitting items, but haven't started knitting anything in earnest. So far I've finished off a hat for my dad and a scarf I started years ago, and crocheted 4 granny squares for Sarah London's Crochet a Rainbow project (where she collect granny squares from people and sews them into blankets for victims of natural disasters). I'm also re-making the first crochet hat I made which I lost 2 years ago. Luckily I had enough wool left.
I took some photos of my dad's hat so I'll (hopefully) upload them later. I'm tossing with the idea of creating a craft blog or photo album, but probably won't get around to it.
----
And finally a recipe!
My aunt gave me the recipe for her divine Thai Red Curry Salmon several years ago. I can't believe it took me until recently to actually make it myself. And now i've made it twice in the space of about a month. It is seriously heaven. And it's not even too hot - in fact if you do what I do and only use 2.5 tbsp of the curry paste, it has barely any heat at all - just this delicious full of flavour sauce.
Poached Tasmanian Salmon in a Red Thai Curry
Ingredients: -
350gm Tasmanian salmon (cut into 2cm cubes)
2 medium Brown Onions (halved and sliced)
3 Cloves of garlic (crushed/finely chopped)
1 piece Ginger (chopped small or large, depending if you want to be able to pick out the pieces later or eat them)
4 tablespoons Red Thai Curry paste*
400ml Coconut cream
4 tablespoons Fish Sauce
2-3 tablespoon Palm sugar
1 Bunch Thai basil (or normal basil)
1 Lime
Method:
Heat the wok and sauté the sliced onion, garlic and ginger.
Add the red curry paste and fry until fragrant.
Add the coconut cream, lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce, (also throw in the lime skins) and simmer for 1 minute.
Adjust the seasoning to suit your own taste.
Just before serving place the salmon into the curry and poach gently for 5 minutes only.
Finish by adding the torn Thai basil leaves and some roughly chopped coriander if you want.
The important thing is to make sure that you don't poach the salmon for too long as otherwise it will fall apart. The aim is to get the right balance between the sweet (sugar), sour (lime) and salty (fish sauce) flavours. It is the quickest and easiest dish to prepare. You can prepare the sauce in advance and throw in the fish and herbs at the last minute to avoid reheating. If you are unable to get Thai Basil, then ordinary basil will do.
*My aunt says she uses Valcom red curry paste but I couldn't find that the day I bought the ingredients so I've been using Spencers red curry paste instead.
Yum!
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