No Poo & Castor Oil Experiment

[PrairieGirl]

While reading some frugal & simple living books, I took a look around my house and realized that I have way too many bottles full of harmful chemicals kicking around. What scared me the most, though, was the amount of chemicals that I had concentrated in a very small room in my house - the bathroom. And what freaked me out the most? The amount of chemicals in make up, skin care, hair care, toothpaste, etc. Its scary.

Some background on me:

Skin:
I have acne; its not too bad but its a constant stream of spots. I used to use Poractive but the cost was getting expensive ($50 every 3 months) and who knew what was in there. Yes it worked but at what cost to me?

Hair:
I color my hair; its long, down to around my the middle of my back. I dont really style it and dont use styling products. As nature intended, thats how it hangs.

So I did a bit of research on line to find alternatives to the mainstream products for skin & hair care and this is what I found:

Skin:
The Oil-Cleansing Method

The basic concept of this skin care and cleansing method is that the oil used to massage your skin will dissolve the oil that has hardened with impurities and found itself stuck in your pores. The steam will open your pores, allowing the oil to be easily removed. Should you need it, the smallest drop of the same oil formula patted over damp skin will provide the necessary lubrication to keep your skin from over-compensating in oil production.

Sounds a bit hokey-pokey but trying it cant hurt

Hair:
No 'Poo Method

You’re thinking you could never do without shampoo, that your hair would be a big oily mess — but it’s quite the opposite. It's a supply and demand relationship, much like nursing a baby. The more your baby wants to nurse, the more milk your body produces. If you suddenly stopped nursing your baby there would be a lot of excess milk, engorgement, etc., for a while until your body returned to a state of balance.

The oily secretions of our body are very much the same. The more we strip away the natural oils, the more demand we are creating and the more oils our bodies will make. So if you stop using the surfactants cold turkey, your body will still be overproducing oil and there will be a lot of oil until your body reaches a balance again.

I hate "adjusting periods"

Anywho - here's how its going so far:

Skin:
I've been doing the castor oil/sunflower oil treatment for 1 full day + this morning. Thus far, my skin feels fabulously soft and doesnt really look oily or anything (which actually surprised me). I thought applying oil to my skin would result in more oil (despite the numerous claims I read) and happily, I havent noticed an increase in spots . I read somewhere it should take a little over a week to start noticing visible improvments so I'm keeping a rather open mind. Also, this method is supposed to help with wrinkles....

Hair:
I've been doing the no 'poo for about 3 weeks now. I've rinsed it out with some apple cider vinegar a few times, and used the baking soda a few times as well. My hair is a bit oily looking but its 'adjusting' so I have to give it some time . I hear it takes about 6 weeks for your hair/scalp to 'balance' out so again, a bit of patience is needed on my part

I'm sure y'all will be on the edge of your seats for the next few weeks to hear how this is working out ( ) but I'll update this thread with my thoughts on my lil' experiemnt.

I'm envisioning hotness....

[joyofsix]

I do both of these. I use olive oil on my face and no-poo. Baking soda rinse weekly and a nice scrub with brown sugar and conditoner weekly. I ended up at this point because I have excessively curly hair. Works for me, though I'm doubting the hotness, LOL.

[MoonMommy]

Oh cool. I have been wondering about alternatives to shampoo.

[batbor]

I know what you mean. Usually my face is super clear but occassionally I'll break out and want to die. I also have oily skin. The biggest thing is make sure you wash your face every morning and night.

But here is my secret trick...

When your skin is clear (it will irritate your skin if you have a breakout), gently rub sugar mixed with a little water all over your face in a circular motion. Then rinse it off. Not only will this make your skin smooth, soft, and glowing, it gets rid of dead skin that clogs your pores. I read this in a magazine and tried it and I've noticed a huge improvement in how often I break out.