I remember when I was back in 5th or 6th grade and my neighbor taught me how to fix my bangs. The higher they were, the better. I remember my mom making me wear a bandana when I would spray gobs of hair spray on my hair to hold those bangs in place. My husband still laughs at those pictures! We knew the products we were using on our hair weren’t good for our health, but we didn’t have a lot of alternatives. Today there are many products out there that are more natural, but I don’t know if they would hold my bangs up. Thankfully that style is gone!! Today I only use two products, and they are a shampoo bar and a natural hair spray (at least as natural as I can find).
Up until the last few years, I had always used liquid shampoo and conditioner. As I was getting the toxins out of my life, I noticed that my “natural” shampoo had several ingredients that were harmful to our health. I did some research and learned that all liquid shampoos had to contain toxic preservatives or harmful mold, bacteria, or fungi would grow in them. I noticed that they also contained several other ingredients that I didn’t want in my hair. I learned about how shampoo bars didn’t need preservatives and decided to start experimenting. I now believe that shampoo bars are a convenient, economical, and ecologically friendly method of hair-washing, but it took me a while to get a recipe I liked, and some time to adjust. To be honest I had a love-hate relationship with them for a while.
This week I suggest giving shampoo bars a try. Simply look for shampoo bars that contain basic oils and lye (used in all soap/shampoo bars), and watch out for colorants, preservatives, and fragrances. I’m not planning to share what hair spray I use, because I could do better and I rarely use it. Maybe you have something you could suggest? Some tips I have found helpful for healthy hair are most importantly following a nourishing traditional diet, then always using a wide come to gently comb wet hair, and brushing dry hair several time to incorporate the natural oils before bed and washing. Have you ever tried a shampoo bar? What were your thoughts?
Our family has learned to slow down, make careful observations of what heals/damages, get rid of the distractions, take a little more time preparing our food, and most importantly to seek the Lord’s wisdom. It’s a daily struggle and it never goes perfectly, but we just keep trying to do the best we can. If you are working toward a more traditional, clean, whole foods diet, and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were get your fats right, we had several weeks about seasonings and herbs, some important discussion about natural sweeteners, talked about Forgiveness, hopefully we got our eggs right, learned about the benefits of pastured, clean meats, considered getting mercury removed, we got the toxins out of our mouth and skin, and this week we will focus on the hair. Join us next Tuesday for Get Your . . . Right.