No Poo Week Four and Beyond

No poo week 6

I am wrapping up the series on the baking soda and vinegar hair washing method. The end result: happiness and money saving. I have figured out that my hair only needs a vinegar rinse once a week, more than that makes it too conditioned aka greasy. I can wash every other day and smell clean too. :) I can honestly say that if you stick with it you'll be happy that you did. I hate posting all kinds of photos of myself but as you can see my hair looks nice, not greasy, heavy or dry. I wish I could have taken better photos but I only have a few seconds to snap my iPhone here and there!

If you're new and curious about this method here are the previous posts on washing with only baking soda and vinegar: Week One, Weeks Two and Three

Finger Foods for Babies Under One Year

We have decided to delay the introduction of grains for our precious Goosey until she is about 18 months. This is the official recomendation of the Weston A. Price Foundation and is based on the research that babies do not have the necessary amalyse to digest grains until that time.

Happy baby

Truly, grains are hard to digest and I want her to get all of the nutrients possible and reduce her chances of developing gut permiability issues later on in life. I hope that delaying grains can help with that. So, as we were getting closer and closer to the finger food stage I began to ask myself, "what am I going to feed her instead of puffs and organic cheerios?" Learning to pick up small pieces of food and chew them is important developmentally, and it keeps babies busy! Thankfully, there are many easy options. Before I knew better I would feed my twins canisters of organic puffs like they were going out of style just to keep them occupied while I tried to eat.

Cubed grass-fed butter

Around 9 months Goosey started picking up and sucking down little chunks of butter. Most of it made it on her face but she did get some in her belly. Grass-fed butter is NUTRIENT DENSE goodness!

First among these is vitamin A which is needed for the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands, both of which play a role in maintaining the proper functioning of the heart and cardiovascular system. Abnormalities of the heart and larger blood vessels occur in babies born to vitamin A deficient mothers. Butter is America's best and most easily absorbed source of vitamin A.

Butter contains lecithin, a substance that assists in the proper assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol and other fat constituents.

Butter also contains a number of anti-oxidants that protect against the kind of free radical damage that weakens the arteries. Vitamin A and vitamin E found in butter both play a strong anti-oxidant role. Butter is a very rich source of selenium, a vital anti-oxidant--containing more per gram than herring or wheat germ. (Weston A. Price Foundation)

Butter is also a source of vitamin D and K necessary for proper growth and facial development. I want my baby to get the most bang for her buck, and butter packs the nutrients she needs.

Roast Organic Chicken

This one is easy too, I just served the baby tiny chunks of soft dark meat from our roast. She gummed them up.

Under one year breast milk

still meets most nutritional needs.

Baked Organic Sweet Potato

Buy a few organic sweet potatoes or yams, bake them for an hour or so at 375. Once cool cut them in to little slices and then cubes. They are soft, easily digested and safe for her. I like to put a potato in the oven for her at breakfast and feed it to her as a snack over the next few days. In fact, as I write this she is sitting next to me picking up her little pieces of golden sweet potato, happy as a clam! I especially like feeding her sweet potato because I can keep it whole in the fridge, pull it out and cut it up and move on. This is our version of convenience food. It would work at a restaurant too, just pull out your potato and cube it!

Boiled Pastured Egg Yolks

Yet another convenience food in our home, eggs can be boiled, set aside in the fridge and retrieved at a convenient time. I like the yolks for Goosey to be soft but still hold firm... So I put the eggs in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Then I turn off the heat and let them sit for about 5 minutes, drain and save for later! When serving the baby I make tiny chunks and sprinkle a touch of Celtic sea salt. Yes, I do. Salt is a necessary nutrient and the eggs taste better with it. We buy pastured eggs from a local farm and the yolks are a vibrant yellow-orange color. A great source of nutrition for myself and my littles. We avoid introducing the whites until closer to one year.

A great additional resource on foods for growing a healthy baby can be found here.


What finger foods do you enjoy making for your babies? I so love this stage of introducing good foods to my little gourmands. Did I mention that compared to pre-packed baby junk this food is all much cheaper, organic, and REAL!?

No Poo Method Weeks Two and Three

Hey Friends! I'm sorry that I'm a week behind on updating about my no shampoo journey. Something about Christmas, preparing traditional foods and oh yes, four children, have been taking up a lot of my time! That said, I think the honeymoon is over for me and the baking soda/vinegar.

Week Two

Real life blogging photo

In week two my hair started to adjust in some unexpected ways. I noticed dandruff! I've never in my life had dandruff unless you count the times I used "big sexy hair" spray. Haha. Now, I don't wash my hair every day, even if I wanted to, which I don't, I have no time for it. I think I noticed the dandruff on day two, washed it that night and it cleared up the next day. I also noticed that the baking soda has a bit of a drying effect whereas the vinegar tends to add shine... or a greasy look. This method is going to take a bit of intuition and grace to get it just right. I find my hair is feeling a bit chalky at the roots, even though it looks good.

At the end of week one I also started a rosemary infusion of vinegar for my hair. It should be ready by week four. Rosemary is generally good for hair and I like the smell of it. Salad head here I come!

Week Three

Various tinctures infusing

By week three I was starting to get a bit of my groove back. I like to go three days between washing my hair, at least when using conventional products, and thats not advisable with this no poo method. Right now my hair is fluctuating between feeling pretty good, pretty gunky, or pretty greasy. I've done a bit of reading and I think hardwater may be to blame. Last night I used only vinegar to rinse it and the result isn't great. I think I look fine, I mean I can pull off the slightly greasy hippie mom look, but it's not ideal. I'm going to try a bit of troubleshooting by using distilled water to wash my hair over the next few days. But I realize that this isn't practical. I may have to look into other natural and inexpensive hair care routines. I'm not willing to give up on no-poo yet though!

Considering...

Another thing that I've been pondering is what is my hair actually supposed to feel and look like? Grass fed beef is natural and tastes pretty different from corn fed, the same is true for raw milk and fermented foods. They're all natural, the way things ought to be, and sometimes take a while to get used to. What is my hair supposed to feel like? Obviously walking around as cavewoman-mom with dreads isn't a good option. I wonder what the balance is.

Tips

Use essential oils as fragrance.

My hair has always smelled like something. Most shampoos and conditioners contain perfumes; it's a little weird having unscented hair. I don't believe it smells bad, and none of my friends or husband have complained, but I like having scented hair. To remedy this I've started taking an essential oil bottle and just brushing it against my hair and through it before I go out. Don't actually drip it anywhere, just brush it through your hair. My favorite oils are orange and lavender depending on my mood. I find orange invigorating and lavender grounding.


Try vinegar and baking soda separately.

When your hair is looking dry, try just vinegar, or vinegar infused with your favorite herbs. Conversely, try just baking soda when it's looking too oily. There seems to be a tenuous balance.

Don't go back to shampoo yet!

Using conventional shampoo even once will strip your hair of its natural oils and you'll be back at day one! Stick it out a little longer.

Your feedback

How is your natural haircare journey going? I love reading your thoughts!

Until next time may grace and peace be yours in abundance!



And part of Thank Your Body Thursday

Photo Friday

This post was supposed to post a long time ago on an actual Friday!

Heirloom Lettuce Seed

From our garden this fall.

Free eBooks Today!

Hey friends! Today I found a bunch of great eBooks for free today only, over at Just Eating Real Food's facebook page that I have to share with you guys.

  Best Chicken Breeds: 12 Types of Hens that Lay Lots of Eggs, Make Good Pets, and Fit in Small Yards (36-page Booklet).

"No Poo Method" Week One

You're doing what?

I've started the no poo method and no, this has nothing to do with the toilet! Instead of washing my hair with traditional shampoo and conditioner I'll be using only vinegar and baking soda for three weeks. I've given friends and family fair warning that I may look and smell a little off over the next month.

Nourishing and Simple Bone Broth

Best crockpot ever. Circa 1979.

Many of the recipes that I share require homemade bone broth. This is not something that can be substituted with anything from a can or tetra pack. Real bone broth is a beautiful thing. It's packed with bioavailable minerals for strong bones, teeth and nails. Broth is also healing to the gut lining and because of the collagen and gelatin it supports your joints and reduces the appearance of cellulite! I am not making this stuff up. Bone broth is amazing. I have been experiencing it's benefits for months.