Tea Tree Oil Zit Zapper

As great as coconut oil is for oh so many things, it's not perfect. For people with oil/acne prone skin, it can mean a nasty break out. After I used coconut oil to remove my eye makeup (and carelessly getting some on my cheek) I woke up to this bad boy:

Yikes! I used to be uber self-conscious about my enormous pores, but I don't even think about them anymore. I wouldn't mind finding a natural way to shrink them a bit... but that's another post for another day.

Forget the big pores. This angry zit is all I can see when I look in the mirror! So I applied a few drops of tea tree oil via Q-tip and this evil monster healed pretty quickly with no squeezing/picking/drying out/flaking. Day two was hard only because I REALLY wanted to pop this guy, but I refrained.

And today, day 3, I'm much more comfortable with this... and thrilled I didn't follow the same pattern of destroying my skin with drying agents and picking and squeezing.

Kinda just looks like one of my freckles! I can't believe how well tea tree oil worked to hasten the healing of this enormous zit!!

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle Conditioner: A Review

Man I love Trader Joe's.

This conditioner is 3 bucks. It smells fabulous, it is organic, cruelty free, and it makes my hair soft. My scalp loves it.

The "tingle" is very mild, so don't expect to feel like you're washing your hair with Listerine. The peppermint, tea tree, and eucalyptus ingredients make for a really pleasant fresh fragrance that guys won't think is too girly and girls won't find too masculine.

I use it as part of my curly girl method routine in conjunction with Shea Moisture Restorartive conditioner (as a leave in). The one thing I learned about adopting this no poo/ curly girl lifestyle is that you really have to experiment to figure out what works for you. Be patient and talk to your girlfriends. If you can find a hair twin, use her wisdom!!

I feel like Trader Joe's Tea Tree Tingle is one of those products that will work great for a variety of hair types... and the price is right.

TWO THUMBS UP!!

Coconut Oil Eye Makeup Remover

I'm  a total coconut oil junkie.

I just discovered how fantastic it works to remove eye makeup and I'm just that much more obsessed! I luuuuuurv makeup. Thick winged eyeliner, smokey eyes, fun colors... I dig the dramatic eye. That said, I'm always struggling to remove all the war paint without tugging and stretching the delicate skin around the eyes. I've tried dozens of makeup removers and so called gentle cleansers. Owwwww they make my eyelids sting! I swear I have it all off and the next morning I look like a raccoon. ugh.

But not anymore!! With a tiny dab of coconut oil I barely have to wipe my eyes and bam... the makeup is gone baby gone. Simple. Organic. Safe. Cruelty free. Cheap. Already had it in my cabinet.

This was 3 swipes with a cotton ball and some coconut oil:

YESSIIIIRRR

*** Just be careful if you have oily/acne prone skin. If I'm not careful to keep the coconut oil just around my eye area, I will break out in a gnarly under-the-skin zit.

Buycott App

I'm befuddled.

How is a crunchy girl supposed to navigate the murky waters of marketing and hype?

Most of my life I naively thought animal testing wasn't even happening anymore. I thought it was this archaic bonehead idea. So, so wrong.

I also can't keep straight fair trade, GMO's, organic, sweatshop labor, fluoride, MSG, Toxins, sustainability, etc etc etc etc....

If label reading has given you the kind of headache brought on by exasperation, then join me on Buycott. Its' free.

With this handy little app you can explore every cause near and dear to your heart and even some you've never heard of. Create your profile, then scan a product's barcode and voila! You are an informed consumer. 

Coconut Oil Hair Mask

You can't log onto Pinterest without seeing the gazillion amazing uses for coconut oil. Weeeellll... I'm a total CO junkie, so I kinda buy into it all. Like the Dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding & his Windex.

Total cure-all.

My mask is simple: Coconut oil, Lavender, and Tea Tree Oils

If you don't do your research, you can end up with a mess. Here are some tips that I think a lot of the DIY hair mask posts are missing:

1. Use organic (duh)
2. Don't nuke it! Your body heat will be enough to melt it, so just use your hands.
3. Apply to dry hair (refer to oil vs water)
4. Cover your head to trap some heat. This will open your hair shaft and your hair will drink up the goodness!
5. To rinse out, DON'T GET YOUR HAIR WET before applying your cleansing conditioner (or shampoo if you aren't on the bandwagon yet). 
6. Also, don't use cool water because the coconut oil will become solid in a hurry.
7. Use warm water and cleanse, hydrate, and style as usual.
8. I do this weekly, but just experiment & see what works for you!

Grapeseed Oil for Your Face

I have oily skin.

Like, super oily. When I worked at a spa the estheticians used to gather around and inspect my skin under a magnifyer ooooing and aaaahing over how "tough" and oily my face was. I knew better than to get offended, because, they assured me this meant wrinkles weren't going to be a problem for me any time soon.

Luckily acne hasn't been an issue since my teenage years, but blackheads on my nose and a shiny face are my deal. This was all under control when I worked at the spa and got discounted high end skincare, but these days I don't have that luxury.

Soooo I'm still working on the whole blackhead issue, but my shiny face is just as matte as I want it!

The trick is my moisturizer. It's an oil, and some people bake with it. You guessed it...Grapeseed Oil!

I originally bought it for my hair but only use it for an occasional deep conditioning treatment. I kept reading about how great it was for skin and so I decided to test it out. Very few moisturizers have ever worked well for me.... Lord help me I was using leftover Oil of Olay I grabbed from the guest bathroom at my parents' house (times are tough)!

So I trashed that poison ... it literally stung my eyelids when I put it on... uhhh.. that can't be good.

So the past few days I've tried Grapeseed Oil and I loooooooove it! Two thumbs up. Not greasy. Not runny. No breakouts, no clogged pores. Simple, one ingredient moisturizer. I think I paid around $7 for 16 fl oz.

The Curly Girl Method: Advice to Newbies from a Newbie

Curly hair is a science. Don't believe me? Ask any curly girl to show you her arsenal of hair care potions and products.

I'm no expert in the curly girl world. I am an expert in how to fight and destroy your curls with chemicals and heat to achieve a fleeting moment of sleek straight hair.

I'm moving into my 5th month of no shampoo, no curling irons, no flat irons, no chemical laden products, so I have a bit of knowledge to share about how to start the process. I've listed a few very important things to keep in mind .... because reading the gazillion forums/posts/articles can be a tad overwhelming.

*this book is a great place to start!

Curly Girl basics are cleanse, hydrate,  & style.

This means you cleanse first with no sulfates <--- curly enemy #1
Some people use a "low poo" or fancy sulfate free gentle shampoo, but I just use conditioner.
Next, you hydrate. Again, I use a conditioner. Some people use a leave-in instead, some in addition to... it's all a ton of trial and error. Unfortunately there is no simple step by step miracle, but even the worst results are better than going back to destructive chemical abuse!
Finally, it's time to style. Gel, cream, whatever... again, you just have to experiment.

Forget about suds, squeaky clean, and obsessing about rinsing out all your conditioner.

Suds are for dishes. Squeaky clean is just weird... why should my hair make noises? Don't fret if you don't get all your conditioner out. In fact, most curly girls I know either leave it in completely or barely rinse it out. Once your scalp adjusts to the no poo thing, your thirsty curls will never betray you by becoming greasy with conditioner.... it just doesn't happen. It's possible that your curls could get limp, but that typically means the product isn't for you. 

 

What works for one curly girl will not necessarily work for you, even if you seem to have the same hair type. 

I have type 2c hair (find out your type here  so you know what the heck everyone is talking about with this type stuff). That said, I can tell you it's not 2c all over and not even every day. It's currently pretty short- growing out an asymmetrical pixie- so I'm going off of memory and old photos where I was on vacation and didn't have access to my curl fighting weapons. A product or routine that works great for one 2c probably won't work that well for me. I have a different background... consider the variables: hard water, type/frequency of coloring, humidity, porosity.

 

Speaking of porosity, it matters!

Determine your porosity here. Porosity describes how well your hair holds/absorbs moisture, so knowing your porosity can help you decide what products/routines will work for you. I have low porosity, which means I should stay away from protein rich products and use a bit of heat with deep moisturizing treatments.

 

No sulfates, ever.

Become a label reader. My solution? Check out the brands dedicated curly girls like DevaCurl and Shea Moisture.

 

Apply product to soaking wet hair.

This one was hard for me to get used to. My hair holds water for days, so adding gel to soaking wet hair just seemed ridiculous. BUT... I have to admit it prevents friz like you wouldn't believe.

 

No towel dried hair, please.

Don't reach for the towel! Instead, use an old T-shirt (don't buy a special curly hair towel for $12... that's just silly). 

 

Hands off! 

Don't touch your hair while it's drying. Just leave it alone. This one is tough for me too, but makes a huge difference. 

Shea Baby!

So I haven't used shampoo in 14 weeks.

There are a gazillion blogs/posts out there about how to go no-poo, shamphree, and some other catchy names for ditching this stuff we have convinced ourselves is totally necessary.... but I have come to the conclusion that no matter how you dress it up, there is no easy transition. HOWEVER it is well worth that awkward phase, so I urge you to grab a hat and commit to getting healthier hair.

At first, your hair is just yuck. Ya nasty (Raven voice).

No way around it. BUT your scalp gets over it and before you know it, you are so proud of your crunchy progress and you love the looks you get when you tell people you don't wash your hair. (OK, maybe that's just me.)

Obviously it's different for everyone, because hair is unique. Sometimes you find a more knowledgeable hair twin and you learn all kinds of info. I just recently found out about words like porosity and botticelli.

I am still learning.... but alas, I'll share my hair journey on another day. What I want to tell you today is that I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Shea Moisture products.

I use the curl enhancing smoothie and raw shea butter restorative conditioner just to name a few. This company is organic, cruelty free, and affordable! I love that Walgreens and Target carry the Shea Moisture Line because it means I don't have to go all thew way across town to the hippie grocery stores (wow that sounded lazy). If I'm traveling and I need some product, I'm not sent into a panic because I can't get my hands on any.

In addition to hair care, they have soaps, body washes, manscaping products, and stuff for babies and kids. They've recently expanded to makeup and I'm so very excited! Imagine being able to get cruelty free organic makeup at your drug store. I guess in some parts of the country this isn't a big deal but for the South East it's damn near impossible to get quality organic anything at your local drug store.

No Poo Bandwagon

All aboard!!

I have wild, wild hair. I've battled it my entire life. As a kid, I sat on the corner of my Mom's bed and she battled it/me on a daily basis. Back then it was straight, but always long, thick, and unruly. As I hit puberty, I was horrified to notice the curls. I wanted stick straight hair with a mini fringe of bangs like the girls in Teen Magazine. Where were these curls in the 80s when people paid to get bad perms? UGHHH

I have dyed my hair every color imaginable. I have had ultra short sleek bobs, long wavy layers, ombre mid length curls, stacked bobs, pixies, and everything between. From bleach blonde to jet black to peak-a-boo pink highlights, I was never afraid to try a new look because I was sure it couldn't be any more of a disaster than my natural hair. I also had the extra fun "go gray at 23" thing going on, so my hair budget has been out of control my entire adult life.

A few months ago, I decided my bank account put the breaks on my fabulous visits to a great stylist. She was amazing... and affordable. But I still couldn't afford her. I loved my blonde asymmetrical pixie, but the upkeep was too much. What's a girl to do?

Get back to her crunchy roots. Literally.

I stopped dying my hair for the time being, I threw out my curling irons and my trusty flat iron and all products that weren't sulfate & paraben free (which was all of them). Since I stopped seeing my beloved stylist I started growing out my asymmetrical pixie by default... ugh I really didn't think that through before taking the no poo plunge... but hey, at least when it grows out it will be healthy hair! 

Here it is... my stylist was a miracle worker. I loved it (not sure why I look so pissed).  But it was a struggle to blow dry, flat iron, and curl.... all that effort and it was only a few inches long. Something not quite right about all that fuss.  Maybe that explains the sour look. Anyhoooo...

Truthfully, my hair felt extremely dry and humidity was more of an enemy than ever. My young nieces remarked at how my hair "felt like straw." Out of the mouths of babes. Hmmph.

Maybe it was the bleach, the crazy amounts of heat daily, and all the wacky chemicals. Just maybe.

As I started to do some research, I realized women everywhere were sick of being told they needed to wash their hair. The little old ladies I take care of in the hospital? They go to the salon once every two weeks for a wash & style. This is a generation thing, girls... these ladies are older than shampoo. Shampoo is HARSH. It is also totally unnecessary. Google pictures of women in the early 1900s before shampoo was even a thing. Hair looks pretty fab, if you ask me.

Won't my hair feel disgusting? What about the dirt and oil?

OK, so for the first month I used 1 Tbsp baking soda to 1 cup water twice a week. Massaged it into my scalp and I really felt like it removed build up. I missed the bubbles and fragrance at first, but that didn't last. In my opinion, baking soda is kinda harsh and since my hair is curly, I decided to switch to cowashing (fancy word for using 2 conditioners and no shampoo).

This is after a month of baking soda and bye bye blonde.

It's been 14 weeks, and I'm thrilled with the results. No heat, no parabens, no sulfates, no shampoo. Just organic conditioner and products.

It's not as curly as it used to be, but I think that has more to do with the fact that my hair tends to be curlier when it's longer. The point is, for the first time in my life it's NOT FRIZZY!!!!!! Miracles do happen. I'm on this No Poo Bandwagon for good.

Let's Talk Arm Pits...

Who doesn't love a good arm pit discussion?

OK so I have always been reluctant to switch to a "natural deodorant" because in my experience rubbing dirt in my pits would have probably been more effective.

I sweat. I'm not one of those girls who has to be on the tread mill for 20 minutes before the sweating starts. I sweat if it's a little warm and I have clothes on.

So needless to say when I get nervous, drink to much coffee, exercise, or any combination of  the above, I sweat and I just have to live with that. For me the idea of a natural deodorant working was just laughable. For most of my adult life I was looking for some kind of miracle prescription stuff to keep me from sweating through my clothes all the time. Sexy, I know.

However, my crunchy heart wouldn't let me go that far. I hated thinking about all the chemicals I was shoving under my arms on a daily basis just asking my lymph nodes to get poisoned.

I am aware that the evidence for a link between deodorant and cancer is shaky, but I'm not going to wait around for these researchers to get it together. Doctors used to be in smoking commercials, let's not forget. It took an embarrassingly long time for published studies to definitively link smoking to tons of awful health problems. Regardless of whether traditional deodorants cause cancer, I know they always stop working. I end up with yellow stains from the chemicals and I smell like sweaty flowers.

I've asked my crunchy friends to recommend a natural deodorant because I've struck out again and again. Turns out most of them are dealing with the same issue. So I decided it was officially my mission to find a safe deodorant that actually worked.

I'm happy to report I have found my miracle arm pit saver. Drum roooollllll.....

I mean, the name of this stuff is Perfect Pits. Found it on etsy at Hippie Chick Herbals. I ordered lavender, and I gotta say that after a few intense clinical rotations in critical care units and state mental hospitals, some big exams and presentations, and even working out.... my arm pits smell like a spa.

I still sweat, but I always did no matter what I used. This time I don't have weird stains or funky deodorant balls... does anyone else get those? I can't be the only one. Anyway sweating is toxin elimination, so I am fine with it. I'm also very excited to smell good when I do it.