My "No Poo" Journey

My “No Poo” Journey

I’ve told some of you, and my Twitter followers, that I have started the “No Poo” journey.  What is that?  Well, basically, I gave up my shampoo and conditioner… cold turkey, and I’ve replaced it with baking soda and vinegar.  Yep, you read that right.  I’ve been considering this switch for a little while, but I was trying to decide when would be a good time (since there IS a transition/detox period).  Well, I can’t say I picked the “perfect” time to start, because I’m constantly having things come up (meetings, live events for work, etc.).  I’m at the beginning of week 3.  Two whole weeks of no shampoo or conditioner.  And I will NOT lie to you… I have daydreamed about the rich, lathery (is that a word?) goodness of shampoo.  I even dreamt that I accidently used shampoo!  Haha.  Talk about weird!

Ok… so let’s start at the beginning.

May 20^th was my first day.  I had bought a condiment bottle for my baking soda mixture, and a spray bottle for the vinegar mixture.  I mixed my ingredients the night before so they would be ready to roll when I showered the next day.

I used 1 tablespoon per cup of water… although, I put 2 tablespoons in my bottle, and my bottle doesn’t quite hold 2 cups of water—so my first batch may have been too much baking soda.  In my spray bottle, I mixed 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar with a cup of water. 

Day 1 – I used the baking soda on my scalp, and massaged in with my finger tips, trying to get my entire scalp clean.  Rinsed thoroughly. I then sprayed the bottom half of my hair with the vinegar mixture, and rinsed well.  I did notice a bit of trouble with tangles, but nothing too major.  I blow dried and straightened my hair and it looked great!

Day 2—I just rinsed with hot water… blow dried and straightened.  It looked ok.

Day 3—I used the “conditioner” of vinegar.  I dried and straightened my hair, but wound up pulling up the front half because I was feeling a little greasy!

Day 4—I used the baking soda and vinegar (still the original batch, because I didn’t use all of it the first day).  Hair looked ok.

Day 5—I didn’t even wet my hair this day.  I straighten it a little in the morning.  By the time I got home from work, I was feeling pretty oily, and I was about to go to dinner with my parents.  I used some cocoa powder on my roots (You can use cornstarch, but on my dark hair, it makes me look like I’m really going grey!  The cocoa powder works pretty well, and smells good too). 

Day 6 – Just used the vinegar rinse.  I did dry my hair, but wound up putting it up before leaving the house.  Not too oily, but didn’t look great…

Day 7 – Washed with baking soda and vinegar.  Hair looked ok.  Feels very different!

Day 8 – No wash or rinse, just straightened! Easy enough, not too greasy.

Day 9 – Rinsed with water… pulled up… didn’t even dry it.

Day 10 – Baking soda and vinegar.  Hair look alright.

Day 11 – Rinsed with water, dried and straightened.  Looked a little oily.

Day 12 – Vinegar rinse… wound up using cocoa powder after drying and straightening.  Then pulled up the front part to try to cover some of the oiliness!

Day 13 – Washed with baking soda and vinegar… dried and straightened.  Hair looked ok until I got out in the humidity.  Got a little out of place and crazy some.  Also… I was around smokers, so my hair smelled terrible.  I made the mistake of redoing the baking soda and vinegar that night. 

Day 14 – Didn’t wash or rinse, just straightened.  Didn’t look too bad.

TODAY – Didn’t wash or rinse… just pulled my hair up.  My hair is oily, and my scalp has that “itch” to it.  It makes me feel like it’s dirty… but I’m trying to deal with it because I know my hair has to adjust… this is part of the process!

Ok… Hopefully I got all of the above info right.  I kept notes on my iPad about the first week, then the past week I haven’t really kept notes, so I tried to do all that from memory.

Some challenges I’ve dealt with:

-Static.  I read on one website that this meant I was using too much baking soda.  I’ll have to cut back and see how that does.  I do use a good bit of the bottle because I try to make sure to saturate my scalp, and massage my entire scalp to remove the oil/build-up.

-Oil/Grease.  This is, like I said, my hair’s response.  My scalp is trying to adjust.  I’ve been doing a lot of pulling my hair up, and using the cocoa powder to help.  I’m trying to stay at every third day (the longer I can go between, hopefully the shorter the transition). 

-Dryness.  I forgot to mention… Day thirteen, I tried using apple cider vinegar instead (one site I read that white vinegar was better for oily hair, while ACV was better for dry hair).  I think the ACV helped.  Oh… and one day I tried a tiny bit of coconut oil on the ends… and it wound up making it too oily!  I’ve been reading up on some conditioning masks that I can do… so maybe that will help.

I do have to say though… overall, I’m really liking the results.  My hair feels softer, less frizzy (I haven’t used ANY product on my hair since starting this!), more manageable.  And it definitely saves time on days I don’t have to even rinse it! 

I’m also excited because I’m saving money (baking soda and vinegar are CHEAP and you don’t use them up very quickly!).  I’m also not coating my hair in chemicals!  It’s amazing the difference I’ve seen in such a short time.  Yes, I am dealing with oily bouts, but I have to keep reminding myself that my body is just adjusting.

No poo isn’t for everyone… but I think it’s going to be good for me.

Another bonus—it supposedly helps with hair growth (I am desperately trying to grow my hair long enough that I can donate it… but still have some length when I chop it off!). 

It is definitely a journey.  It takes time and patience.  I am only 2 weeks into it… and yeah, I do think about lathering up with shampoo, but I am determined to stick with this! 

And just so you know…No, my hair does not stink.  The vinegar smell goes away completely when my hair is dry!  I am also considering buying a natural bristle brush, which they say is good for helping to distribute the natural oil throughout the hair.

I am posting the link to the site I used as my inspiration to start this journey.  I will continue to update you on my progress and answer any questions you might have!  I will also probably do more research when I have questions.  In the past two weeks I have read countless articles about the No Poo Movement… Mostly to encourage myself to keep at it! 

Websites:
http://coderedhat.com/no-poo-method/
http://ashleysgreenlife.blogspot.com/2012/12/how-to-wash-your-hair-with-no-poo.html
http://www.pistachioproject.com/2012/08/no-poo-faq.html

These sites go a bit in-depth on the reasons why it's good for your hair and such.  I didn't take the time to do all that... just wanted to give you my results/trials!

Have you ever gone “No Poo”?  Are you thinking about it?  I’d love to hear your stories/tips! 

I'll try getting some pictures added when I get them uploaded to my computer!  Thanks for reading!

Contradictory... maybe, but have to be honest!

Ok... So I have posted about a BB Cream before.  And let me be honest... at that point, I really thought I liked that BB Cream.  It was cool, had the beads that helped it adjust to my skin... yadda yadda.

Then...

I got the opportunity to try Garnier Oil-Free BB Cream, thanks to BzzAgent (most of you have heard me talk/write about BzzAgent before-- it's Word of Mouth Marketing. I get a free or discounted product to try... and then I get to do what I love most-- TALK about the product).



I was really excited when I found out that I got into the Garnier Oil-Free BB Cream campaign.  I had been using that previous BB Cream, but was still having to use bronzer to get the coverage/color I wanted.  When my cute package taped up with the BzzAgent bee tape, I was SO excited!

When I finally got to try out the product, I have to say, I was immediately impressed.  It goes on very smoothly, and covers very well (I'll show you some pictures in a minute... patience!).  I have acne prone skin.  I have oily skin... I deal with a lot of issues when it comes to my face, so I've been looking for a product that will help!  Now, I am NOT saying this product cleared up any of my issues, but it does a great job at helping to minimize the appearance of the problem while it's occurring!  It covers the redness, the uneven skin.  It doesn't cake up on the peeling, dry, crusty skin that occurs when acne is healing... It matched my skin tone so well that I didn't even feel the need to add any bronzer.

After wearing it all day... I was happy to look in a mirror and not feel the need to grab some tissue or powder to sop up the oil.  This is a major accomplishment.  I HATED feeling oily/greasy  throughout the day.  And now, with this BB Cream, I don't have to worry about it.

Another thing I really liked about Garnier's BB Cream is the fact that it has sunscreen!  This is such a great thing. We've all heard the importance of wearing sunscreen to help prevent skin cancer and aging.  But I HATE having to put on moisturizer/sunscreen and THEN put on foundation.  Thank goodness this already has that built in!

Another great thing... it's long lasting, and doesn't seem to rub off easy.  I like this.  I like not feeling like my makeup has melted away!  I stay covered ALL day long!  Always a great thing.


So now it's time for the big reveal.  And I have to preface this with a few facts:

1.  It takes a LOT of courage for me to put up makeup-less pictures.
2.  The lighting in the pictures makes it a bit difficult to see the great results.
3.  Again... I'm scared to death to post these terrible pictures to the internet... but I'm doing this for YOU!

Here goes:

Before- front

Before- Right side

Before- Left Side

After- Front

After- Right Side

After- Left Side

Another shot from the front, different angle/light.

Ok... So like I said, the lighting doesn't do this product justice.  But look closely.  The before pictures have some redness and bumps... the after pictures- my skin looks smoother, not oily, less red, but at the same time, it still looks natural.

So, what do you think?  Have you  tried a BB Cream?  What was your experience?

Let me know what you think!

And a big thank you to BzzAgent for continuing to let me try out some amazing products and give my honest feedback.

Please note that all content is my own, and I received this product to try for free from BzzAgent!

L'Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream

L’Oreal Paris Magic BB Cream

I’m excited to share with you my experience with L’Oreal Paris 

Magic BB Cream! I received this free to try from SheSpeaks. I’d been hearing about BB Creams here and there, but hadn’t really done much investigating on what they were and what they do. When I got this opportunity from SheSpeaks though, I was really excited to give this a try. I love trying new products, and I love make-up, so it was perfect for me! So what is this Magic BB Cream? It’s a skin care product that has 4 beautifying actions in 1. It hydrates, primes, perfects and corrects. L’Oreal’s BB Cream has beautifying beads, along with lotion with antioxidants. I was really excited to give it a try… but freaked out a little when I squeezed the tube for the first time… Those “beads” are in a very white liquid! Now, I did receive the light version of this, but I immediately thought, there’s no way this is going to work on my skin! I was definitely skeptical. The first day, I applied it as I would my foundation, over my moisturizer. I took a before and after picture for you… and also a “finished” look (meaning all of my make-up had been applied). The lighting in the bathroom isn't really great... and it was EARLY in the morning... Can you tell I'm making excuses for how rough I look?!

Before

After

Finished Product

See how white it looks?!

  I didn’t notice a HUGE difference on the first day, but I was surprised at how the BB cream matched my skin (remember, I told you it was WHITE with the colored beads?!). I also really liked the fact that it wasn’t cakey, too heavy, etc. like some make up products. The only issue I had with it in the first few days was my skin became way too greasy looking throughout the day. Then I stopped using my moisturizer (because that is part of what the BB cream does anyway), and it definitely made a difference. Now I will say, if you like a lot of coverage, you may want to use this product as a primer. I personally have always overdone my coverage, but I’m really beginning to like the lighter, more natural look. I do add a little bronzer on top most days, just to add a little more color to my face. I’ve been using the product for a couple of weeks, and I really like the results. I’m not going to sit here and say that my skin is flawless and perfect, or that I had really dramatic results, because what product can truly do THAT much?! But I feel more confident with the BB cream, because it gives me a more natural look! I also like that it hydrates and smoothes out the appearance of my skin (I do battle with acne… but that’s another story for another day!). You can pick this product up at places like Wal-Mart, CVS, Wal-Greens, etc. It’s not too expensive and is a great product!


Thanks to SheSpeaks and L'Oreal for providing me with a complimentary BB cream. All photos and opinions are my own.

Whitening...Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips

Back in November, I was invited to take part in the Influenster VoxBox for Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips! Now, I've explained a little about Influenster in one of my previous posts... but let me explain a little more. Influenster gives it's members opportunities to try products and give honest reviews (this is dependent on a lot of different criteria, see the website for more on that ). There are also places on the website to do reviews of other products you've tried.

Anyway, I was really excited to try out the whitestrips! I'll show you a before and after picture. The pictures were on my cell, and aren't really clear, so you may not notice a huge difference, if any (I was also in different lighting...).

This is before...

This is after.

Like I said, you probably can't tell a lot of difference, if any. In a way, I almost feel the second is worse. But keep in mind the lighting, angles and the cell!

Now for my honest opinion on the Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips: I honestly had pretty good results, even after a couple of days! My teeth were not really bad to begin with, but I did start to see a difference, and so did my husband!

Now, I failed to put these things on EVERY day for 20 days straight. I used them a couple of days, but then on mornings I was in a rush, I wouldn't. I kept telling myself, "I'll do it tonight". So I'd skip a few day in between. Not a big deal, I still saw results.

There are a few cons to using these: first of all, they aren't the easiest to attach to your teeth. Granted, they stay put once they are on, but I looked hilarious trying to stretch my lips out to get them in place. Also, be VERY careful about putting them on your gums. I had MAJOR sensitivity. I even had a few times where my teeth would just hurt. I wasn't a huge fan of that. And there was one day (only one though) where I must have either done it too soon after brushing my teeth, or my teeth were too wet, because the bottom strip did not want to attach. It was sliding around. I finally just wrapped it over my teeth and it stayed well enough I guess.

Overall, I enjoyed getting to try the whitestrips. Because my teeth weren't super yellow to begin with, I didn't see HUGE results, but I did notice a difference. For instance... this picture:

It was taken after 3-4 days of starting the whitestrips. When I uploaded it to Facebook, I thought, "Wow, my teeth look really white!"

I really think that these would be beneficial for someone who has more stains than me. The cons I mentioned above aren't permanent... And it's a much more affordable option than going to a professional for whitening!

As Crest says "If you're not whitening, you're yellowing!" For more information about Crest 3D White, visit their page:

I'd say give these a try if you're really wanting to see some improvement in a short amount of time, then use a whitening tooth paste to maintain.

These opinions are ALL 100% my own. I received the product from Influenster for free.

Coffee shop style... my way!

What comes to mind when you think of Salted Caramel? What about Pumpkin Pie? Well, for me... I'm thinking about ALL the different things I could really add delicious flavor to. I had the wonderful opportunity to try Torani syrup in Salted Caramel and Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie.

I haven't yet tried the Pumpkin Pie... and that's really because I'm not a HUGE fan of pumpkin flavored things... but I'm still going to look at some recipes. I know a lot of people love Pumpkin spiced lattes/coffees/etc. So I WILL try it. I'm just living in my comfort zone... SALTED CARAMEL!

And this is where the coffee shop style comes in. I couldn't wait to try out this flavor. I love caramel! I immediately thought of one thing: Salted caramel hot chocolate! I am not a huge coffee drinker, but I LOVE some hot chocolate. So one cold Saturday morning, I heated up the milk (if you do instant hot chocolate, use milk! It makes it MUCH creamier and delicious), added the hot chocolate packet (store brand, with marshmallows), poured in the Torani Salted Caramel syrup, topped it with whipped cream... and fell in LOVE! I swear it tasted like some fancy drink you'd pay like $4 for at coffee shop. But this, it was coffee shop style, my way, and on my budget. I can enjoy this delicious treat as often as I want, without breaking the bank!

I have also added the Salted Caramel syrup to coffee. Now, I require lots of cream and sugar in my coffee... and adding in the Salted Caramel made my normal coffee even better. My husband has also used it in his coffee some too. I love the smooth, sweet caramel flavor!

I am really interested in trying these syrups out in some recipes... and with the holidays here, I have plenty of opportunities! I'll keep you posted. As for now, I'm hosting a Mary Kay sale tomorrow, and we'll be serving some crockpot hot chocolate, and yes, I will have my Torani syrups on hand for my guests to try! I know they'll love it as much as I do!



*This post is sponsored by SheSpeaks and Torani. I received these products to test for free. All opinions, however, are 100% my own!*

Influenster

I'm sure many of you know that I love to try new things. I love being able to have a say in new products, and to give my opinion on things!

I'm a part of this AWESOME website Influenster, and they've just revamped their site. It's easy to use, and a great place to learn about a lot of awesome products! You can also earn opportunities to try products! I recently have gotten to try Crest 3D White Whitestrips. For free!

You can go on there and find info about products, and also share your own expertise! The new setup is really great. If you're not a member already, head to www.influenster.com to check it out!

If you have any questions, please ask. Influenster is definitely one of my new favorite sites, and I'm excited to be a part of their community!

It's been a while...

It's been quite a while since I've posted. I kept saying I was going to, but a lot of things got in the way.

A lot has changed since the last time I wrote!

Back in February, I was offered a job-- in radio! Finally, back in my field. My husband and I had been talking about it for quite a while as we waited to hear back about the job... It was going to be a big change for us, why? Because it's in Georgia-- 5 1/2 hours from the wonderful island we called home.

I wanted the job, badly. I had prayed about it and thought about it constantly... so when the call came in February, I was so excited... and scared. Moving to Georgia wasn't so bad, I would be closer to my family, and my wonderful sister had a house we could move into. Everything had fallen into place. Neither of us were having any luck finding decent jobs in Florida, my sister had the house, I got the job offer... It was like God was saying, here it is-- take it!

I was in shock after the phone call. I was like, did that really just happen? And then panic sunk in-- I had TWO WEEKS to get my whole house packed up and moved. Talk about a stressful two weeks. I had NEVER had to pack a whole house before (I'd only packed my room up before).

We arrived safely in Georgia on February 15th. And since then... time has FLOWN by. I've now been at my new job for 3 months! I can't believe it. We're still in my sister's house, although we're hoping to find our own place by August. My Cody-dog has settled in nicely, and gotten over the anxiety he had when we first arrived. Louis has a job, and even though he's not always crazy about it-- we're finally making some money! It's definitely been a God-thing. This whole experience has been an eye-opening one. Louis and I have had the joy of going through this journey together. It hasn't always been the greatest, but we're learning and growing together and accomplishing things.

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary earlier this month. Again, time has FLOWN! I can't believe a year has passed. It's amazing to look back and see what the year has brought us. So much has happened. There has been laughter and there has been tears. There have been good times and bad times (yes, even newlyweds have the occasional argument). It's been an incredible journey, and I'm glad we're in it together.

So back to my job... I've settled into my new role, although I was a bit overwhelmed at first. I am the Program Director for three radio stations out of Newnan- Fox Sports 1400 AM, Magic 98.1 FM and 720 AM- the Voice. I've already learned a lot in my 3 months here. I love being back in radio. I've been told that it gets in your blood-- and I do believe that to be true. It's a passion. I have my days of doubt where I think, "What the heck were they thinking when they hired me to do this job?" and I have tons of questions and still feel like I'm walking blindly into things... but overall, I'm really happy with my job. I get to do what I love. I get to voice and produce things, I get to interact with listeners, and then of course, I have my "program director" duties. It's a new adventure each day as I learn my job.

Overall, life is going great. I do miss the beach with every ounce of my being. I honestly hope that in a few years I will have gained enough experience that I can find a job somewhere near a beach. But for now, mid-west Georgia is where we call "home". And that's ok with me... because it's just another page in our book. It's just another day, another stepping stone in this journey of life. And that, my friends, makes for a beautiful thing.

Have a wonderful day! I know this blog isn't THAT exciting, but I was trying my best to squeeze in an update... without going into EVERY little detail! I hope to write more soon! Until then!

-B