No more trials of deodorant

I've finally moved past my many trials of deodorant testing (and used up the last of the cornstarch and baking soda mix).

Just baking soda works well, but is a bit scratchy.  The powder also ends up on the floor, sheets, etc.  It was still worth the trouble to avoid the store-bought deodorant.

Mixing the baking soda with cornstarch made it feel softer and smoother, but the powder is still messy.  It was still worth it.

I found coconut oil on sale at my favorite store - Sprouts.  I got a couple containers just for this purpose.  Now I know it's a healthy oil for eating, but when I bought it a couple months ago, I had the purpose of making deodorant in mind.

This is the recipe (and baby steps I copied in my own personal experiment) at kitchenstewardship.com

I shoved it into a deodorant container.  This works well, but is a bit more solid than I anticipated at the really cold winter temperatures in Colorado.  To put this in perspective, I drop my heat down to 57 while we're sleeping since we're sleeping, bundled in warm blankets and fuzzy pjs.  The warmth of Phoenix is a bit too warm to keep it in a deodorant container because it turns into a liquid.  This is not just a little mushy, but complete oily liquid.  I decided to go with a small container with a lid to store mine in, just in case it gets warm and I am unaware.  I love it.  It feels more like normal deodorant.  It's not scratchy.  It doesn't leave little bits of white powder on things.  It feels nice, soft and moisturizing.  I smell better too.  Fabulous stuff this homemade deodorant is!

Egg Wash

I tried an egg wash Wednesday.  And I'm not talking about giving the pie crust or the top of my bread an egg wash to make them shiny.

I washed my hair with an egg yolk.  Some women with beautiful, long hair swear by it.  My father-in-law's fiancée said she washed with eggs as a little girl.  I was skeptical, but since Jim was out of town, I decided to try it.  I mixed an egg yolk with a little warm water, dumped it on my head and scrubbed.  It smelled like uncooked egg, which I don't like.  I rinsed with warm water.  I rinsed some more.  I could still smell egg.  I rinsed some more.  Then I thought it must be my imagination.  It kind of smelled like wet dog, but I cleaned a house with 3 dogs today.  I washed my body really well with Dove to get rid of the dog smell, rinsed my hair some more, then continued with my usual hair care.  I did my regular vinegar rinse and then used Suave Naturals Coconut, which I think smells yummy.  I rinsed really well after both of these steps.  I still smelled the yolk/wet dog smell.  I figured it must be my little prep bowl.  I washed that out, and rinsed my hair some more.  I figured any lingering smell must be in the room.

I got out of the shower and dried my hair.  The ends still feel like straw, but maybe a tiny bit better.  I didn't have as many flyaways (from all the breakage) as I do with baking soda (which is still less than with shampoo).  I almost put some olive oil in while wet to moisturize the ends, but decided not to ruin my egg wash experiment.

All was fine till I got to the girls' school to pick them up (about an hour later).  I smelled the yucky smell again.  I hoped it was my imagination and asked all three kids to smell my hair.  They all said, "ew."  I kept my hair up for a couple days so I wouldn't catch a whiff anymore.  When it was completely dry it wasn't bad unless you stuck your nose in it, but I don't want to get intimate with my husband and have a stinky head.

Since my hair doesn't love the egg wash much better than the baking soda, why waste an egg AND smell horrible.  I think I'll try something else next time.  Maybe I'll stick to my baking soda wash and just put a little EVOO on the ends afterwards when its dry.  My hair is nearing my lower back, and hasn't had a trim in a year.  I used harsh shampoos until this spring, so I hope my hair will someday recover without too much chopping.  Jim loves long hair and I have been told by many I look best with long hair.

Maybe someday I'll post some pictures of me after my first Locks of Love donation and you can vote on which looks best.

homemade deodorant part 2

I've been using a mixture of baking soda and corn starch for deodorant.  Just like when I used only baking soda, I've been wetting my pits, then rewetting my fingers and dipping them in my powder, then rubbing on my armpits again.  It feels smoother with the cornstarch, but I think just baking soda is more effective at controlling smells.  Sometimes just baking soda stings (especially if I have to reapply the same day I shaved them).  I've only had a couple days where I felt like I smelled (not just my old sweaty shirt smells).  I was surprised that on days when I started to smell, I could rinse, rub with baking soda, and rinse again, then reapply my "deodorant" and not be smelly anymore.  That wasn't an option when using regular deodorant/antiperspirant.  I think I like this natural stuff much better.  I used to have to scratch off the deodorant with my nails and use a couple soaps to get all the residue off.  The cleaning is much easier when using baking soda (with or without cornstarch).  I am hoping to try the third step of my deodorant trials - adding in coconut oil - next week.  I'll try it for a couple weeks unless I hate it and update you either way.

Coupons

I went to Safeway last week and saved a ton of money.  This is by far the best shopping trip I've ever had.  I recently attended a class in Highlands Ranch put on my Jennie from www.bargainblessings.com  I subscribe to www.thegrocerygame.com and usually come home with only things from Teri's list.  I save about 65% with the grocery game and only get 1 Sunday paper at that time (although I'm considering getting two, so I can get more of the super great deals).

I used a couple e-coupons, some paper coupons (from the Sunday paper) and some printable coupons (printed off my printer).  Jennie at Bargain Blessings shows a few super deals each week and hunts down rare coupons found on facebook and other websites to save more than anyone else I've found online.  The grocery game has unadvertised sales, so there are many more items to shop for each week.  The grocery game has a fee, but I save much more than I spend, and her site is so easy to use.  Bargain Blessings is free, but not as extensive.  Jennie gets free stuff all the time (lots of one item, too because she uses multiple coupons).

Couponing takes a lot of time and effort.  Couponing is an amazing way to save money.  I've got a great "stockpile" now (several packs of toilet paper fill the cupboard under one bathroom sink, drawers of free toothbrushes and toothpaste, super cheap razors, free cough drops, etc).  I occasionally get great deals on organic foods, cheap soaps, and convenience foods.  If it's free, I almost always get it (except when it's full of fake sugar, then I leave my coupons in the store near the item for someone who might eat that nasty stuff).

Here's what I bought.

12 cans of Campbells Soup
2 boxes of crackers (I had a free coupon for the crackers from Nabisco for being on a survey panel Kraft First Taste, I think)
1 half-gallon of buttermilk (half off cuz it was going to expire in a few days)

Everything was on sale.  When you use a free coupon for something, they give you the regular price as the price of the coupon, even though it's on sale, so I made money on the Stix.

Yes, you read this right.  I paid $2.41 for all of this.  94% savings off the regular price for all of these items.  How crazy is that?  This is typical of a Bargain Blessings trip.  There aren't a lot of items (obviously this won't feed my family of 5), but it's great for stocking up on frequently used items instead of paying full price for anything.  I might have been able to buy 2 cans of soup for $2.41 if it was regular price.  I couldn't have gotten a box of crackers or the buttermilk for $2.41.

I made 6 batches of buttermilk pancakes (we usually eat 3 batches at a time).  I also made homemade buttermilk biscuits and a buttermilk spice cake.  That used up the buttermilk before it expired.  I also found out you can freeze buttermilk, so the next time I found it on clearance, I poured it into some Ball canning jars, left 1/2 inch headspace, screwed on a white plastic freezer canning lid and put it in the freezer for the next time I need a cup of buttermilk.  It's rare that I need it, but occasionally I need some and hate to pay full price for anything!

Check out the websites above if you're interested in saving crazy amounts of money.  Bargain Blessings will work well in the Denver metro area, but she may know of a blogger close to your area that could help you at your particular stores.  Grocery Game is available in almost all areas and you can try it for free for 4 weeks.  I save about $200 each month on my food budget.  Before couponing I used to always try to shop for "deals," and bought cheap stuff so I figure I was already saving a bunch on my own, but save $200 more than I did doing it on my own.  If you are just buying whatever's on your list each week you would probably save much more.  You also have to rethink how you cook and shop.  You have to stock up on great deals when you see them and some weeks there really aren't many good deals.  Good luck and I hope you find a way to save some money!

Anti-perspirant warning

I kept seeing posts about using some deodorant crystal stick that's all natural and supposed to be great.  I bought one.  It was ok, but I felt sticky and damp.  I don't think I smelled great, either.  I tried this before going the baking soda route.  It wasn't for me.  Supposedly the stick lasts at least a year, and it was only $6.  Not as cheap as baking soda, but I didn't know about baking soda then.

One day I thought I'd try them both at once.  DON'T DO IT!!!  Something happens chemically.  There was a burning sensation and I smelled something like ammonia almost immediately.  I washed off very quickly.  I hate ammonia, and certainly don't want to smell like it or having it burn my pits!

I knew not to mix cleansers, but....

Just a warning to anyone who may want to mix something.

I'll be trying baking soda with corn starch this week and I'll let you know how it goes.  I'm certain there's no strange chemical reaction with those two.  :)

Anti-perspirant

While researching the no-poo movement, I came across a few sites that talked about not using anti-perspirant.  Some avoid it because of the aluminum (in the active ingredient), since that may be linked to alzheimer's disease. Others just want to be all natural, and others don't like other ingredients, or artificially stopping the healthy sweating process.

In 5th grade, I think, my mom told me I really needed to use deodorant.  She bought me deodorant, and I still smelled.  I quickly upgraded to anti-perspirant, and things were better.  I still smell sometimes.  Most of my shirts are ruined from stinky stains.  I hate it.  I've tried several brands, even the clinical ones and a super strong one my dad used that the doctor recommended.  Apparently I get my stinky sweaty pits from him.  Nothing works great on me.

That's why I was extremely skeptical about no antiperspirant.  I was certain that I'd stink worse than ever.  The site that impressed me was at Kitchen Stewardship.  She talked about the step by step process that she used to figure out what works best for her.  Since I'm allergic or sensitive to so many things, I figured a step by step approach would be best.  So far I haven't moved past step 1.  I dampen my fingers and armpits with a little water, then rub on some baking soda (which I already have in my bathroom for my hair washing).  That's it.  I did it for a few days when I knew I'd be home in case I smelled really bad.  I don't!  Once in a while I smell a little sweaty, but better than I usually did after a day with anti-perspirant on.  I think I actually sweat less now, too.  I'm a little damp when working hard or in the heat, but don't notice trickles of moisture dripping down.  The only time I really notice that I smell bad is when I'm damp and my shirt is one of my old stinky ones.  But those stink already.  So, I smell my pits, and they're fine; it really is just my shirt.  I'm looking for some cheap Ts on clearance that aren't so low cut that someone can see everything when I bend over.  So far I've replaced 4.  I'm also making some shirts for myself.  Well, I bought fabric and patterns anyway!

I'll probably try adding some corn starch to make sure I don't react to that, then I bought some coconut oil and I'll eventually move on to actual deodorant-looking stuff that I can shove into some old containers.  I'm so happy with just using baking soda, that I may just chuck the stuff in the containers even though they're not gone, and I hate to waste things!

I'll keep you updated on my no anti-perspirant trials as I find out new things and see how they work on me and my girls (who will have to try this stuff out too!)

No-Poo Update 1

I'd been trying to go longer in between my natural washings to see what my hair really needs.  I was going 2-3 days easily, sometimes 4 before really needing to do my baking soda wash and vinegar rinse.  A couple weeks ago, I noticed all of a sudden every day didn't seem often enough!  My hair was greasy.  I put a little extra baking soda into my cup of warm water, and massaged it in longer.  It made my hair tolerable every day, but not great.  One day I was so greasy, I decided to just dry wash with just straight baking soda, then do a normal baking soda wash in the shower.  I also started only using my vinegar rinse on the ends, thinking maybe it made the top too shiny or something.  Either the dry baking soda on my scalp or the lack of vinegar screwed up something new on my scalp.  With shampoo, I've had itchy scalp and flakiness (the dermatologist said it was a type of eczema).  That started up, but not the itching.  Who wants flakes and greasiness!  I started to freak out.  I've been no poo since the beginning of July exclusively (and a few months before that with a weekly breakdown of using shampoo).

I decided to go back to my original formula, and try to go as long as possible between baking soda washings and vinegar rinse (including my scalp).  After a week of craziness, I can now go 3-4 days without feeling greasy, and the flakiness is almost all better.  I read a few posts about a repeat transition time, so I assume that is what I had.  Contribute it to hormones, stress, natural changes in my body, who knows.  All I know is I'm happy with my hair again!  Yay for natural stuff, and I'm so glad I don't have to keep trying new things, or go back to shampoo.  I may even whip out an egg and try that once, just to see how it works.  It still sounds yucky, but maybe it will help with the static that's starting to happen since it's getting colder.  I wonder what will happen this winter!  I'm also going to watch for a huge container of apple cider vinegar (acv) since that's what is most recommended as the vinegar rinse, and my husband may prefer that scent.  I'll keep you updated!  Remember, transitions can apparently happen more than just at the beginning of your no-poo journey!