Losing the Shampoo: Why You Shouldn't Be Scared

If you've never heard of the "No 'Poo" movement, chances are you don't hang around too many beauty blogs. As squeamish as the name itself may make you, you'll probably be even more revolted by the real meaning behind it.  It took me a long time to warm up to the idea, but once I did, my first thought was that it was totally revolutionary. My second was the realization that it was absolutely the opposite- which is why, after the 'gross' factor, it makes so much sense.

As far as I have found, the movement's roots (pardon the pun) can be traced back to the book  Curly Girl by Lorraine Massey. The "No 'Poo" concept itself is quite simple: ditch the store bought shampoo and use only conditioner or natural concoctions to wash your hair. As disgusting as this may sound, it actually has a solid scientific foundation. Shampoos rely on nasty ingredients like Sodium Laurel Sulfate-- which is actually a detergent-- to clean your hair.  By definition, detergents are used with water to clean away oil and grease particles. While this sounds great in theory, it isn't just the dirt that's being washed down the drain. The natural oils in your hair, which are necessary for its health and luster, are washed away too. This hardly leaves for glamorous tresses: really, have you ever tried shampooing without conditioning afterwards? 

So (if you've made it this far) we've established we don't want those nasty ingredients in our hair. How do we stay clean?!?  There are actually a surprising number of answers to this conundrum, but before we get to that, there are a few things you should know about going shampoo-free:

1) You WILL go through a transition period. This means that, for a span of a few weeks to a few months, your hair will be more oily and greasy than you have ever seen it before. The duration of this period differs for everyone: my boyfriend's hair adjusted to the B.S. method in a matter of days, while the same method took my long hair a month to fully adjust to. This transition is completely normal. Your body is used to producing oils at a high rate to compensate for your frequent shampooing.  As long as you stay away from the bottle, your scalp will slowly adjust and begin producing those oils at a much slower rate. My recommendation? Invest in hair bands and cute ribbons to tie your hair up with (braids are especially good at hiding greasy-looking hair).

2) You WILL be tempted to go back to shampoo once, only to immediately regret doing so. This says nothing of your strength of character. Just know that once you step out of the shower and feel your hair post-breakdown, you will be so disgusted that it will only strengthen your resolve to go 'poo-free. Really, quitters never win.

3) You WILL save money. A lot of money. And even more than a lot of money if you go with the W/O or sebum methods.

4) Once you have adjusted, you WILL wash your hair substantially less than ever before.  As much as I  love saving money, this was THE selling point for me. I used to have to wash my hair daily if I wanted to avoid a greasy, waxy look. Now I'm washing my hair every three days or so, though I can go substantially longer without it being noticeable. In fact, my hair looks better five days after a wash (it was an experiment...) as it used to look after twelve hours. If you adhere to the rules (which we will get to in the next post), this will never cause your hair to be dirty or smelly.


Sold yet? Of course not, but for all of the benefits, you'd be crazy not to at least try it. I'm hardly an eco-freak, but when something is so good for your body, the earth, and your wallet... it's really a no-brainer.

Review: Wet N Wild Liquid Eyeliner (Black)

In my arsenal of makeup, black eyeliner is my weapon of choice. My eyes are the feature I know I should be playing up: the more striking they look, the less my baby-fat cheeks and big nose get noticed as my primary features. With my dark hair and brown eyes, I am one of those rare people who benefit from the black eyeliner look (I recommend a soft black or deep brown to most people--more on that another time). While pencil liner is easy to apply and easy to remove, nothing is as gorgeous, as striking, or as precise as liquid eyeliner. Yes, liquid eyeliner is my weapon of choice, but it's also most likely to backfire; using tips like Little Miss Makeup's can help draw the perfect shape, but you've still got to find the right product. After all, the wrong liquid eyeliner can fade quickly, smudge easily, and have an awful applicator... and those are the problems you run into within the first five minutes. A liquid eyeliner that avoids fading and smudging all day? There aren't many, and believe me, price is no indicator.

Of course, in my younger days, I thought price was an indicator, which is why I was so hesitant to purchase Wet 'n' Wild Liquid Eyeliner in Black for just $2.99 at CVS at full price. I should note that I had tried the H2O Proof version before and hated it-- it was difficult to apply, had a weird consistency, and hardly lived up to its name. Alas, I had read good things about the regular liner, so I was sucked back into the Wet 'n' Wild drugstore-price vortex. And I am so glad I was.

Never again.

The eyeliner is super easy to apply: one dip of the brush is sufficient for seamless lines on both your upper and lower lid. The brush itself is durable and precise, leaving lines about 1-1.5 mm wide depending on the angle and pressure you utilize. After about fifteen seconds, the eyeliner is dry enough for your lids to bat against the skin above your eye without leaving reside behind. (Am I the only one with that problem?) The liquid's smooth application leaves the final product looking both striking and professional. It easily lasts eight hours without smudging... at least for gals with oily skin like me. Of course, it isn't rub-proof, but are there really many eyeliners that are?

So, let's go to the summary, shall we?
Pros: Smooth application, deep color, durable brush, and a little bit goes a long way
Cons: Few color options, H2O liquid liner is awful.
Price: $2.99 at drugstore.com
Bottom line: As an eyeliner aficionado, I truly believe you can't find any better for the price! 

How Not to Do Homemade Beauty: Waxing

One of the big reasons I started blogging was because I spent so much time researching natural and homemade beauty solutions that it only made sense to condense and share it with others. I've tried a lot of things: olive oil on my hair and skin, going shampoo-free, and utilizing baking soda as an OTC skin care solution. These things were easy to do while I was away at school: they require minimum preparation, materials, and clean up (really, most natural beauty solutions do). One thing I was waiting to get home to try is homemade wax for leg hair removal... and while I'm glad I waited to do it until I came home, I'm annoyed with myself for choosing to try it in the first place!

Yes, natural beauty can be messy. So can natural eating. But, usually, it's worth it. I'm a big proponent of that concept of "don't put anything on your body that you wouldn't put into your mouth." While I don't always follow it (makeup and sunscreen are my exceptions) I have made a major effort to try. For hair removal, I cut out shaving cream (tough but worthwhile) and forced my skin to adapt to water and Gillette Razor Blades alone. While it gets the job done, the idea of waxing has always been a seductive one for me; the fact that waxing lasts longer than shaving is especially alluring for ladies with dark body hair. So, with no obligations to fill my day, I decided to attempt a homemade wax using the following recipe that I found here.

I want to stress that I am not insulting the recipe or methods of the authors. The good thing about homemade beauty advice is that bloggers are typically not sharing recipes for personal gain. There are usually pictures and testimonials in the comments section that can help you decide whether or not to do it. Of course, being so excited about the DIY project, I neglected to read that no one in the comments had actually tried it themselves, and that even the author did not testify to doing so. This, obviously, was an enormous mistake.

To make a long story short, I started by slightly burning my finger in the hot wax (my fault), made a mess of my bathroom while fruitlessly trying to spread the wax (price of doing business), and managed to achieve only minimal results despite trying both suggested methods to the best of my ability. Honestly, I lost more of my nail polish as the wax hardened to my fingertips than I lost leg hair. After practically peeling my fingernails off, I got to spend another thirty minutes cleaning the wax out of the container and off the spoon I had attempted to spread the wax with. Yes, it was an unmitigated disaster, but it was also a learning process.

The moral of the story is this: consult multiple blogs that contain testimonials before you try any potentially messy or dangerous homemade beauty products/projects. YouTube videos are best for any marginally complicated processes. Yes, the waxing worked to a certain extent for me, but now I realize that no matter how good I got at it, the results for this particular recipe wouldn't be worth my effort. It's not as if I won't try it again... I'm thinking of using a recipe like this, which includes intricate step-by-step directions vital for success. I'll let you know how it goes, but you should consider looking for a few more reviews before you try it for yourself... trust me.

Covergirl Outlast Lipstain: Review

It should come as no surprise that, when I'm not concocting my own, I generally buy my cosmetics at the drugstore. Obviously, this is often a hit-or-miss scenario: sometimes you get exactly what you pay for with cheap makeup. There are times, however, when you come across something so good that you swear you'd keep using it if you won the lottery tomorrow.

For me, this product is Outlast All-Day Lipcolor by Covergirl. When my mother decided I should start wearing makeup, I remember this being the first product she gave me. The few times I've veered away, I've regretted it. When Covergirl claims it will last up to sixteen hours, they mean it. It withstands kisses, lip-biting, water bottles, intense exercise, and even coffee cups (though admittedly, a small amount comes off on my Starbucks lid). My adoration of Outlast All-Day Lipcolor prompted me to see what else Covergirl has to offer with their Outlast Collection.

Given my love affair with the All-Day Lipcolor, the idea of a lip stain from the same company obviously drew me in. According to Covergirl's website, "The water-based colorants of Outlast Lipstain give lips a beautiful, lightweight flush of color that won't come off, lasting for hours without the heavy look or feel of an ordinary lipstick. Its pen-like precision applicator makes it easy to define your lips — just draw on color without any hassle!" I admit that I still haven't perfected the  on-the-run application of lipstick, so for busy days the product seemed promising.

Before I even bought the product, I noticed the lack of color selections. Now, I realize All-Day Lipcolor has left me spoilt for choice (41 shades are available on Covergirl's site), so I shrugged off my disappointment and picked up the pretty "Wild Berry Wink". The color went on beautifully-- it definitely lives up to its namesake as a stain-- and the pen's design left for easy application. Strange as it sounds, it reminded me of an extremely effective highlighter with a soft, rounded tip. Like a highlighter, the product should only be applied to dry surfaces; even slightly wet lips will block color absorption. 

As far as lip color products go, Outlast Lip Stain stays on for a comparably long time. As far as something with the word "stain" in it goes, however, I expected the color to last longer. While it held up well against the dreaded coffee cup, the color faded after about four hours. Just a touch of moisture leaves it to virtually disappear, and as you go through your day, exposure to moisture is completely unavoidable. Obviously, most lipsticks aren't marketed as waterproof, yet even these manage to hold their own better than this supposed "lip stain". 

While I'm certainly not knocking the product-- I still use it for quick outings-- it will hardly hold a permanent place in my makeup bag. Admittedly, this is the first lip stain I've tried, so I can't compare it to others-- but I can only hope they prove to outlast Outlast.

Pros:

• Easy to apply with great precision
• Rich color that maintains the texture of your lips

Cons:

• Lacks any sort of moisture-resistance
• Wears off after a few hours

Price: 6/10 ($7.84 at Target)

Durability: 3/10

Appearance: 7/10

EWG Score: 7 (In Scarlet Pucker)

Overall: 5/10

Baking Soda: The Best OTC Skin Care

If you've never been afflicted with acne, thank your lucky stars. Not only is it terribly frustrating to deal with all the misconceptions (I've met people in college who believe acne is caused by bad hygiene), the physical and emotional scars stay with you even longer than the bumps and redness. While it may sound dramatic, I can assure you that anyone with moderate to severe acne will tell you the same.  I personally have struggled with continuous acne and subsequent scarring since I was fifteen years old. It seemed there was nothing I could to cure it. Whether I was working out four hours a day in the pool during swim season or spending that time life guarding in the sun, it was there. Whether I was eating for wellness, weight loss, or to deal with my emotions, it was there. Stressed or relaxed, the acne never disappeared. I tried every combination of over-the-counter products and looked up every skin care ritual there was in hopes of helping myself. And, of course, I visited more than one doctor; I tried almost everything but Accutane, and the only thing that worked in the slightest was amoxicillin (for which it took three years to get prescribed). Even that did little good, and really, I didn't want to be taking it everyday for the rest of my life even if it did work.

Thankfully, almost six years later, my acne is beginning to clear up (for now). I'm well aware that a lot of this has to do with my body chemistry, but I'm definitely sure that changing my skin care regiment didn't hurt my progression. I had always believed that, besides prescription face wash, there was nothing more important than to wash your face with OTC products. My boyfriend, who washes his face in the shower with bar soap or only hot water, was convinced I was wrong. Now, obviously, acne is mostly correlated to your genetic makeup (check out this study for more information), so it was easy for me to brush off the advice of a guy whose entire family has super-clear skin. But in my quest to live a little more naturally (and a lot more cheaply), I finally decided to test out that theory.

What I want to share is something that worked for me while I transitioned off amoxicillin and continues to work for me today. I think it's worth trying for people with skin types that range from acne-free to moderately affected by acne, especially those who are currently using OTC products. I want to stress that I truly believe some people-- including members of my family-- need to use prescription face wash in addition to oral medication to keep their skin under control. If you have severe acne, a dermatologist is always the best way to go.

For the last month, I have been washing my face exclusively with baking soda and water. I've raved about baking soda before, but I truly believe this is the #1 greatest unconventional use of the product. Using it as a face wash is so simple: you just splash water on your face, pour about a teaspoon of baking soda into your hand, and (lightly) massage onto your face before rinsing! Not only does it work wonderfully as a cleanser, it doubles as a light exfoliator that does wonders for acne scars. It's also a lot cheaper than any other face wash you'll find out there.

Of course, it's not the perfect treatment-- there are some things to be aware of. The exfoliating nature of the product means that your skin will be left slightly red after use, with acne scars looking more visible than usual. This is especially true in the first few weeks of using the product, as your skin isn't used to it. Be sure to start slowly (once a day or every other day) so as not to irritate your skin. You can decide whether once or twice a day is best for your daily routine when you've completely adjusted. In addition, the alkaline nature of baking soda requires a toner be used to maintain your skin's proper pH. I love using the same apple cider vinegar/water mix I use in my hair to do the job! I've found that the smell is unnoticeable after a few minutes, but if you're convinced you smell like vinegar (or if your skin is super sensitive), just remove the toner with water after a few minutes. It's still way cheaper and easier than your normal skin care routine probably is! At night, I like to follow up with olive oil as a moisturizer, but during the day I use a store-bought moisturizer with SPF 15.

My skin's never been better since I began this regimen, and I didn't start it myself until I read a lot of positive experiences online. There are obviously no quick fixes, and I have indeed found OTC products that have some effectiveness in cleansing and exfoliating skin. In my experience, none of these OTC products have been any more useful than baking soda, and none have been comparable in price or purity. Obviously I think it's worth trying yourself; if you do, let me know how it went!

SparkPeople: The Best Free Tool for Weight and Wellness Management

I am the sort of person absolutely loath to discuss my attempts at weight loss or wellness with others. It seems as though each time I have to announce my intentions, people are either immediately willing to offer advice (despite being often ill-informed themselves) or to disparage themselves ("I should be working out/dieting/etc. too... oh well"). I don't know about you, but neither of these make me feel any better. Perhaps worst of all is the common gem "you don't need to (insert wellness action here)". While it's said to boost your spirits, it ultimately serves to undermine your resolve or question your support system.

The truth is, almost every last one of us could do with adjusting our dietary plans to better meet our body's needs. Despite this post's title, weight has very little to do with wellness: it's just a number whose value is unique to every individual. However, the loss or gain of weight can be very important in the short term (vacations/weddings/general vanity) or the long term (avoiding diabetes, heart disease, etc). There are literally dozens of diet plans and paid programs that can support you in your weight loss goals, but a major problem still exists: most of us don't find it financially viable to continue these programs for wellness after we reach the "magic number". 


Here's where the most practical and extensive FREE product I have ever found on the internet comes into play. SparkPeople offers "nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources", as well as a supportive community active in blogging, forums, and non-weight related goal setting. Their success is astonishing, with almost 18.5 MILLION pounds lost as a community. 


So, what does it fail to offer that paid programs do? That's a good question-- and I can't seem to find a concrete answer. SparkPeople offers free diet plans with customization based on caloric needs, vegetarianism, lactose intolerance, and other food allergies. You needn't follow their suggestions to use their daily nutrition tracker, which boasts a huge database with complete nutritional facts for thousands of foods. SparkPeople allows you to track your weight, cardio, and water consumption goals each day. It even offers the option of adding non-health related goals to track (example: spend five minutes talking to a family member each day). There is even a selection of workout videos available for free! What I love most about SparkPeople, though, is its points system. It encourages you to go on daily, read health articles, and try Spark Recipes that are available online, creating a healthy reward system that ultimately makes you feel even better about losing weight or staying well.


While you can find health and wellness tips on hundreds of internet blogs (including this one), a site like SparkPeople hires only professionals to write their articles about fitness, health, and wellness. There are even specialized programs and affiliate sites for diabetics, teenagers, and pregnant women. Best of all, you can participate and communicate as anonymously or openly as you would like, which makes the process far less intimidating or frustrating than it can be with friends or loved ones. While not everyone is working toward a weight goal, everyone can use a helping hand when it comes to keeping wellness in check. Why not check it out and see how it works for you?