the perils of natural deodorant

i'll just come out and say it, natural deodorants suck!

they're a pain in the ass to apply. they don't stop you from sweating like regular old deodorant because of the whole antiperspirant/aluminum thing, and they make you smell like a hippie -- who usually don't smell too bad *wink*. but smelling like patchouli or the Earth or whatever isn't what i want to smell like when i'm sweating.

i understand that people choose to wear natural deodorants, and i understand the health benefits from that choice because i am someone who wears natural deodorants due to fact that i can't handle the aluminum in deodorants/antiperspirants. and it sucks! have i stressed how much i think this sucks? my armpit swells up like a balloon and becomes very tender. it's just uncomfortable.

i know what you're all thinking, natural deodorant can't be that bad? if i weren't lazy, i guess it wouldn't be. sadly i am lazy, and i hate applying natural deodorants. the ones that work well usually consist of some block-o-something that you rub into your armpit and then topped of with a powder that you sprinkle on. ugh, the powder. that's what drives me crazy the most if i were to pinpoint my frustrations with going the natural route. i usually end up getting that shit all over my bra or the floor or on my pants/legs -- anywhere but my actual armpit. our bathroom is covered in a light dusting of powders due to my deodorants and the boy's Gold Bond that he applies EVERYWHERE.

i'm at a point where i am okay with the whole sweating thing. it's something we do. it took me a long time to except the fact that people sweat. having grown up in the North, i always felt that sweating was a sign of weakness. you didn't want to sweat, and we very rarely did. but now that i am living in the South, i've realized that that's just my bullshit thinking and we all sweat. i do think it's funny when my family from the North visits during the summer months, and they just can't handle the sweat. i'm like, "get over it y'all."

i've been dying to try some recipes that i've come across online (Pintrest) for some homemade natural deodorant, but i just don't have the time or patience for that. the best natural deodorant that i've used and am using now is by Lush. it's a good product by a good company, so no complaints here -- well i have some issues with the price, but that's because i am cheap as fuck, but i'll get over it.

i use the Aromaco Deodorant Bar -- and yes it smells like patchouli so hello hippie pits -- and then i sprinkle the Greeench Deodorant Powder up in there. i usually like the Coconut Deodorant Powder, but when i went into the store, they were all out of the Coconut so they steered me to the Greeench. i think i would go back to the Coconut again because i like the beachy smell better, but they both do the job.

anyone go the natural route?

i've done the Tom's of Maine deodorant and wasn't a fan. i've also used Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Roll On, and it's okay. if i'm in a pinch, i'll buy the Kiss My Face deodorant, but it doesn't do so well when i stress sweat. for now i'll be using my Lush deodorant even thought it's a pain in the ass. xoxo.

adult troublesome pain-in-the-butt ACNE

let's talk about acne -- i don't really want to talk about acne, but someone's got to have the adult acne problems in this relationship and that person is me. ugh.

boy, do i hate acne. for as long as i can remember, i've been plagued with acne. i had it in high school and well into my twenties. however, the closer i got to my thirties, the more my skin started to mellow out. i thought to myself that i did it, i defeated the evil that is acne. i waltzed into my thirties with just a blemish here or there, nothing too big that could freak me out. then, all of a sudden, this past year my acne has come back full force -- not as bad as when i had it in high school, but bad enough to curse the gods. curses!

i was told promised while in my teens that my skin would get better and by the time i was well into adulthood i would no longer have acne. but they all lied, every single one of them.

now i am trying to revamp my skin care regimen, and it's quite difficult. there are so many products out there these days that i don't know where to begin -- i am totally lost. i am that person you see at Target just staring at all that face products not moving or making a sound. it's pathetic. and i am on a limited budget, so that throws a wrench into this depressing process. i don't have hundreds to spend on facial products y'all, i am poor!

so where to begin? i have no clue. there is way too much out there.

i am in my thirties. i have acne. and to top it off, i now have wrinkles to deal with. WRINKLES! where did they come from? this getting old thing is no bueno.

the list of products:

• i had been using Cetaphil for years until recently. it had worked just fine. i liked it. it was gentle and it did a decent job cleaning my face. but then the acne came back.
• Neutrogena. i could keep this business afloat with the amount of facial products i've purchased from them. i'm using the Oil-Free Acne Stress Control wash and the Fresh Foaming Cleanser right now. both are okay, but haven't hit me in that sweet spot. then of course there is the Oil-Free Moisture, which i've been using for a very long time. 
• i've added Aveeno's Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer because of the salicylic acid, which is what i need to fight acne i hear.  
• at night i've added a night creme by Neutrogena as well, because i've got to start fighting the wrinkles too now.

nothing seems to be really working, at least not yet. i guess i should give this crap a chance to work, right? i'm super close to just throwing in the towel and just getting Proactiv, people seem to be pleased with that stuff. and with all of my years of battling acne, i've never tried the stuff. what works for y'all?

now i just have to remember to wash my face at night before bed. that would probably help me out tremendously. i just have to get my lazy butt out of bed -- because i crawled into bed at around 7:30pm to "watch" TV or "read" a book (which really means to fall asleep then). we'll see what i can accomplish.  

no (sham) 'Poo: an update

i know y'all have been waiting on pins and needles for my update on being a stinky, lazy pseudo-hippie. it's been about two months since i started my no shampoo (or also know as no 'poo) experiment. if you're unfamiliar with this way of personal hygiene philosophy, basically it's giving up shampoo. hence, no 'poo. you can check out my original post here.

so, i'm two months in. how do i, or more fittingly how does my hair feel? drum roll please...

about the same.

i know what y'all are thinking. i was thinking the same thing. i was expecting some big difference. that my hair would have a completely different personality. i would be like, "my hair is like the cool girls' hair. i know how they feel now. i'm so cool, and my hair is so cool." i was expecting my life to change dramatically.

okay, so i lied slightly. i have noticed that my hair doesn't shed as much as it used to--well actually, hardly at all--which i will check off in the pros column for no 'poo. before my hair would come out in chunks. it was disgusting. when i would take a shower where i would shampoo and condition my hair, there would be a small animal hanging out in the drain. then i would leave said animal in the drain for the boy to take care of. i am awesome. now, post-wash, only a few strands will be hanging out in the drain. i don't know if this is directly related to going without shampoo, but i'm connecting the dots. (i haven't done any research on the subject, so i'm just assuming a correlation exists between the two.)

i was really worried at the beginning of this experiment that my hair would smell. before, going no 'poo, i would wash my hair about once a week with shampoo. and by the end of the week, right before i would shampoo, i would notice my hair smelling. gross, right? so before i began my experiment i told myself that i would not continue this no 'poo thing if my hair started to smell rank. but as the weeks went by, my hair didn't smell. or course using shampoo makes your hair smell wonderful right after you wash, like flowers or whatever fragrance is in the shampoo. but using no 'poo really leaves my hair smelling neutral. i was actually really surprised. i am thinking that i might get a natural oil that i can put into my apple cider mix to give my hair a little bit of a scent.

one thing that i have found odd (and not too sure about when it comes to no 'poo) is that when i brush my hair it leaves behind some weird stuff in my hair brush. at first i wasn't sure where this crap in my brush was coming from. it is kind of like a weird dandruff. so i thought it was the boy, because he has dandruff and i don't. but then i noticed that it was from me. i really have no idea what this crap is or how to even describe it. so needless to say i was worried that i was going to have dandruff, but i don't. and then i started to wonder if i am getting all the baking soda out of my hair while i'm washing it, but i am. honestly, its not affecting anything. i don't have dandruff and i don't notice a paste on my scalp. i am kind of interested in what the barber will say when i go and get my hair cut here soon. if it's any thing to worry about, i hope they will know what it is.

so the big question is, am i going to continue with no 'poo? yes!

i want to give the no 'poo method more time to see where it will take my hair.
i still need to get my hair cut. it's been about year since it's seen any scissors, and i want to get rid of my dead ends and the remnants of when i went through my short lived hair coloring phase.
i really do need to "wash" my hair more often. i usually no 'poo my hair about once every 2 weeks, but i want to get it to where i "wash" it every few days.

do i think this method is for everyone? no.

i really think you have to have a certain disposition to go without shampoo.
when people at work ask me about my progress and then ask me if i think they should do it, i am inclined to say "no." i really think this is not for everyone. the first few weeks to months are hard. your hair will be greasy and unmanageable, and most people will give up. but if you can make it through a few weeks of greasy, icky hair and really believe that this can help your hair, then i think yes you can go no 'poo.        

no (sham) 'Poo?

i am going to try something new--a little experiment, if you will.

i am going no 'poo! no shampoo that is.

actually i'm going to try it and see what happens because, if my hair gets nasty and stinky, i will end it. period. this reminds me of my misguided foray into the natural deodorant world. oh boy, was that a mess! ick. it started out with good intentions, but testing the different natural deodorants make you realize how stinky one can be and that we/i sweat a lot. (also, natural deodorants are expensive and a pain in the ass, and we can't forget how lazy i am, and sometimes using natural deodorants consists of multiple steps. boo.) after a few years of having sweaty armpits and smelling not so pleasant with certain deodorants, i was sick of being self-conscious all the time. give me my Dove deodorant/antiperspirant, and send me on my way. yes i know that natural deodorants are just that, deodorants and not antiperspirants, hence my sweating. but like i said, i was tired of being self-conscious.

let's move on.

so a little back story.

i hate my hair. partly because i've never been properly introduced to it. i've had it for 33-ish years and we are still strangers. i would go so far as to say that my hair actually hates me. at times, i think its trying to kill me. i always thought i had thick hair. but recently a hair dresser informed me that i have thin hair, i just have a lot of it. a lot. that is why i shed all the time. who knew? not me. and my hair frizzes. sometimes it curls, but mainly it frizzes. ugh. 

i'm pretty cheap when it comes to my hair. i don't use products and only blow dry it every once in a while. and i don't shampoo my hair often, usually once a week. so when i came across a blog post on another blog where the blogger has decided to go no 'poo, i was very interested. because i never new there was a no 'poo movement. it sounds easy and doable, so i'm giving it a go.

i know there is a breaking-in period for my hair to normalize. i've read it could take up to two months. i know i shouldn't have a problem, mainly because i am used to not washing my hair. god, i'm gross, right? i would go weeks at a time between shampoos so i know what to expect. i think some people would have a hard time with this breaking in period. like i said, i'm gross.

no 'poo recipe:

• dissolve 1 tablespoon of baking soda in just enough water to make a paste. apply this to your roots only and work it in. let sit for a minute. then rinse.
• add 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar into a cup of water. apply the mix over the ends of your hair. let it sit for a minute. then rinse.

if you find your hair to be frizzy, use less baking soda.
if you find your hair to be greasy, use less apple cider vinegar.

here are a couple of links to some ladies who have tried or are trying the no 'Poo way. i've used their info as my guide.
the crunchy wife
my little celebration
oh dear drea
wikipedia

i'll keep y'all posted as i go and give updates. i think this will be okay and a step in the right direction with taming and getting to know my hair. xoxo.