Hair tip

I like my hair. It's one of my better features. I even won the "best hair" award once. What's my secret? Good genes and apple cider vinegar.

I have very thick hair and every once in awhile it gets dull from all the hair products and shampoo/conditioner washes. What is a girl to do. Well, many years ago I read that apple cider vinegar is a wonderful product to use on your hair. It restores shine, bounce and volume. It also rinses away all the hair product residue. And it really, really, really works.

So, that is my hair secret. When I start getting that weighed down feeling, I wash my hair in apple cider vinegar. I've done it two ways. If you don't think you can stand the smell of the vinegar then spritz your hair all over with the vinegar, massage it into your scalp, let it sit for a few minutes and then wash your hair with your regular shampoo and condition. Your hair will smell faintly of vinegar, but it really won't be noticeable to anyone but you. If you are brave enough, then just spritz your hair with the vinegar, massage it into your scalp and then rinse it away. That's it. It is also the most amazing conditioner for even the longest, thickest hair. You will smell like vinegar while your hair is wet, but it quickly dissipates. Trust me, the results are worth it. My hair is so shiny and bouncy.

I've also read that people put essential oil into the vinegar, but I have not tried that and probably won't. I don't think that lavender and apple cider vinegar would be a happy marriage or peppermint and vinegar for that matter. But, hey if you want to try it, you should.

I keep a spray bottle ($1 at Walmart/Target) and fill it with apple cider vinegar and keep it in my shower.

This is a wonderful, cheap, natural alternative to the clarifying shampoos out there.

New Laundry Detergent

Awhile ago I gave you homemade recipes for laundry detergent and dish detergent. Both formulas used Borax, a substance which is found in many homemade cleaning recipes. Borax has had some bad press lately which leads me to believe it is not the best thing to use around the house. Read this entry here from Passionate Homemaking about Borax.

I decided awhile ago to quit using/making the homemade laundry detergents and dish detergents until I was able to find a recipe that was easy to make and store. Until that time, I have been using Charlie's Soap as my laundry detergent. I love this product. It makes my clothes smell "clean" without using any fragrances. It is non-toxic, biodegradable and hypoallergenic. It is gentle enough for babies' clothing and strong enough to wash cloth diapers! I know it might not work for everyone with super sensitive skin, but it works for us.

Soap nuts are another option which I have yet to try, but am very curious about. I have heard good things about these nuts. They are the dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry tree. How cool is that? A 100% natural option. Check out Passionate Homemaking's review here and here. My friend also tried these and liked them-- see her post here. I think once I run out of Charlie's Soap I will try this option.

I haven't discovered a great dish detergent product yet, so I don't have much to offer on that subject. However, if you are interested in making your own dish detergent, here is a recipe you can use (courtesy of Passionate Homemaking again). I haven't made that recipe yet, but hope to soon enough.

That's it for today.

Rose Hip Seed Oil

I'm on a never ending quest to find the miracle product to help with my acne and acne scars. Yeah, that thing that's supposed to leave when you get out of puberty. Yeah, that thing. It's been with me since I was 12. I'm nearly 30. Enough is enough!

No doctor has been able to tell me what is causing it and how to get rid of it. Oh, sure they prescribe pills and creams- some of which are so toxic that you can't even think about getting pregnant, because you might seriously screw up the baby. You know that's something I want to take (insert sarcastic snicker here).

So, in good conscience I had to stop using the "cream that can kill your baby" and try to find something else that would work. I still use coconut oil and it has been great, but it is not the miracle product I was hoping for. So what to do now.

During one of the"classes" I attended during our vacation I learned about a product that I never knew about-- Rose Hip Seed Oil. It apparently works wonders on wrinkles and scars. I saw some before and after pictures of both acne scars and wrinkles. I got excited. Maybe this is just the product I need.

I went to my local health food store, Harmony Farms, and bought some. Actually this is the exact product I bought. I just bought it a couple of weeks ago, so it hasn't had time to produce any drastic results. But I have faith that this will help with some of the scarring and keep away some future wrinkles.

I will report on the results as I use it for the next couple of months. I think this is a worthwhile product to research for scarring and wrinkles. It's a natural oil produced from the seeds of a rose bush and full of Vitamins A and C and essential fatty acids. Many beauty products use this oil, so why not go directly to the source without any of the other added ingredients.

Keeping my fingers crosses that this will prove to be beneficial.