Friday, May 02, 2008

the pleasantries of grey

cell phone snap of georgian bay on a grey afternoon. but water, at the right angle, can reflect small amounts of light and so as i looked in, i felt brighter. this was a couple of days ago. the day after, new boots, and a hike with jp and her cousin (and per the dog of course) through the bush. it was full of trilliums and wild leeks. trilliums are our provincial wildflower so it feels proudly canadian to be hiking through a forest of saluting white blooms.

today and yesterday in the city again. it is grey here too and feels more insular than usual, but in a calm way, like the thick air is a blanket. got some stuff from noah's health food store - things tricky or impossible to find up north: vegan cream cheese, rice lasagna noodles, veg patte, jojoba oil, natural deodorant, and so on.

here i shall segue into a little blurb about my adventures in personal hygiene. feel free to skip it. last january i made a resolution to phase out enviro/self harming products full of chemicals - from home cleaning products to face washes and shampoos. a little more pricey, but felt better and greener. still couldn't understand a lot of the ingredients listed tho. then this january i switched to no 'poo (worst name) which is the term folks have been using for not using shampoo or conditioner. my hair was greasy and dull for the first month-ish of detox, but has been noticeably happier since. less oily, more body, less fuss, love it. every other week or so i wash my hair with a sprink of baking soda in water, and rinse with chai tea mixed with a little apple cider vinegar. apparently your head prefers to be acidic so the last step is essential. anyway, as a result of this success, i find myself shying away from a lot of products in general. my moisturizer has been used up so i've switched to plain jojoba oil. coconut oil replaces shaving creme and i think i'll try to concoct my own cleansers, scrubs and such. totally easy and cheap and why i've not thought to do it till now surprises me. think i'm entering a witchy phase of reading about essential oils, mixing herbs and eye of noot in the blender, riding a broom, etc.

1 comment:

Hit Pay Dirt said...

I was forced to limit my shampooing to once or twice a week years ago - all those hair products send my head into an irritated mess. I've been debating the no shampoo thing permanently though - last night I tried a clove and apple cider vinegar rinse and my hair looks and smells great. I didn't know our heads prefer a more acidic environment. Maybe this has been my problem all along! Thanks for the tip. :)

gillian