Sweet Love and Ginger

Beauty

How I Spend my Me Time

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Recently Jenn of Hello Brio wrote a post called How I Spend My Me Time. There after it was picked up my a few other bloggers, and I thought it was a pretty solid idea. I have had a lot of me time lately since you know it’s hunting season, also known as leave your significant other for a stinky cabin in the woods season. Anywho, we are here to talk about me not him so let’s get down to business.
All the questions below were provided by Jenn, and my answers are listed below.
What do you watch or read during me-time?
It changes based on what I have/have not finished on Netflix. Right now I’m watching the Tudors. I also have been known to watch Bones, and random food/farming documentaries. I also have a deep love for magazines, I get quite a few each month so I spend some time flipping through those and my past collections for inspiration.
What do you wear during me-time?
Sweatpants, a t-shirt and slippers.
What are your me-time beauty products?
Ha! Me time is not about beautifying for me. If anything I like apricot scrub, and a good honey face mask. I love the way my skin feels after I put this face mask on. Instructions are below.Avocado & Honey Face Mask
1/2 an avocado, mashed
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Spread the mixture over face and neck and let set for 15-20 minutes then rinse off.  

Current favorite nail polish?
Eek I don’t paint my toe nails myself. I usually just wait until some event happens and get them done then leave that nail polish on until it chips off itself or the next big event. I also use pedicures for personal rewards, like lasting through a 2 week cleanse or finally putting up a certain weight at the gym.

 

What do you eat/drink during me-time?
Tea! I think this is a given with me. Right now monks blend is my absolute favorite. I find eating during my me time kind of a pain so I usually make my own ramen or go to the standard blue box mac and cheese. Also sushi, there’s a place I can get take out right down the road and it’s awesome.
Current favorite candle?
Right now because it’s the Christmas season I have a vanilla chai candle and a pine candle that I have been alternating.
Do you ever have outdoor me-time?
Yes! Brody loves his weekend long walks. I always consider outdoor runs me time, and in the summer sometimes I go kayaking or read in the back yard. I also consider gardening more me time than a chore because it helps me relax.
Would you ever go see a movie alone?
Probably not. I’m not really a fan of seeing movies in the theater, I much rather prefer the cheaper rental on my own TV with whatever food I want in whatever clothes I want. Besides theaters are always cold, and not everyone appreciates it when I take my shoes off, but let’s face it I’m going to do it anyway.
Favorite online shop?
I don’t shop online much, but right now it’s Modcloth, because it’s where I got my wedding dress, and I’m pretty in love with that.
Anything to add? What else do you do during me-time?

I usually spend my “me time” in the tub, or crafting. I’m a blend of introvert and extrovert so I need a lot of alone time in order to function like a normal human being. Even Chuck knows this, and has in the past pushed me into the bathroom with a glass of wine and a stack of magazines for a bath before I took his head off.

I also want to add that the little guy above is usually hanging around during my me time, and by hanging around I really mean asleep on me in some way shape or form.

No Poo – 6 Weeks in

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So I think that I finally have this thing figured out (read Day 1 and One Month In) .  The last couple weeks have been good. I wash may hair with 1 tbsp of baking soda in 1 cup of water. I then rinse it with a 50/50 apple cider vinegar mix. Once my hair is dry its pretty straw like so I have been adding coconut oil in from the bottom up. On day 2 it’s fine, and on day 3 its completely flat, so I give it a rinse with just plain water to bring the curls back for another couple days, then by day 5 or 6 its greasy and needs another wash.
My hair seems to have calmed itself down and settled into this new routine. My scalp on the other hand has been crying. I have cracked and bleeding skin all around my hair line. The itching is worse than I have ever experienced in my life. It is indescribable. It is unbearable.
Since I’m not about to give myself a moisturizing hair mask multiple times a week to counter act this problem I have decided to give this no-poo thing up. I simply just can’t swing it.
I think it’s a great concept and can totally work for someone without my dry skin problems, but it doesn’t work for me. I’m spending this week using Head & Shoulders, and hair masking it up like a boss in an attempt to repair the damage. My fingers are so crossed that this goes away soon.
As a side note it felt really good to have silky smooth, good smelling hair again. 6 weeks is a long time to go without pretty smelling hair.
btw this is me after  a day at work and a regular shampoo and conditioner

In the mean time (and once my scalp has healed) I’m going to try out a few sulfate free vegan alternatives. I’ll let you know how that goes as it happens. Wish meluck!

Have you tried this No-Poo experiment yet? I’m interested in
how it goes for different people.

Any tips for sulfate free vegan shampoos?PS: This counts as both an up and a down right? Since I’m happy and unhappy with the results? I’m counting it, and linking up with Chrystina today.

No Poo: One Month In

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I’m going to be totally honest. I HATE THIS!
The first few weeks were all about learning how much baking soda to use, and that you need to wash it all out. It takes a really long time for me to get all of the baking soda out of my hair, but after an evening spent near to tears on my bathroom floor, because I couldn’t run a brush through it to save my life I learned that it is worth the extra time. In case you are wondering the only way I was able to comb out the tangles was my slathering my hair with coconut oil, which meant I went to work the next day with the greasiest hair you have ever seen.
I think my hair is starting to adjust because this is the first time it didn’t become a complete grease ball the day after washing. I’m going to try to hold out for another couple weeks before I throw in the towel. You can read about why I started this experiment here. 
You see it’s not just the time it takes to do this new routine, mixing up the stuff before the shower, the extra time to really rub it in, and then the time to really make sure it’s all out. I mean that’s pretty bad on its own but the fact that my curls aren’t really looking that much better, and they don’t last as long as they used to is enough to say it’s not worth it. Then there is the smell. Chuck says that he doesn’t notice it, but I do. My hair smells dirty, like old stale laundry, and I’m not loving that, like at all.
The dry skin is another thing. I want to preface this by saying I have always had this problem, that dry skin is a constant plague, and that most normal shampoos will give me this problem, so severe dry skin like this is not necessarily a side effect of the no-poo experiment (though I usually only have these problems in the deepest winter months). The skin around my hair line, my forehead, behind my ears, and the base of my neck are all so dry that the skin there is cracking and bleeding. Seriously can you picture dry skin around the hair line and a greasy mess on top and the back of my head. It’s a good look I’ve got right now. This is something that can happen to me in the
winter even if I’m using something like Head & Shoulders, so I often do hair
masks and oil rubs that time of year to ease it a bit. The thing is that it’s
not winter, and I’m getting this, which makes me think that it will only get
worse that time of year.On a positive note this is my first weekend that is totally free. Meaning I actually have time to catch up on laundry, and vacuum for the first time in months. Literally months. I’m stoked for this. So this is my one and one down for the link up over on Chrystina Noel.

I’m still holding out a bit to see if this gets any easier, but in the mean time I’d love some recommendations for Vegan, sulfite/ate free shampoos or conditioners if you have any?!

No-poo Day 1

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Today marks the beginning of a new hair journey for me guys. I’m going to get on board this crazy no hair washing train that’s going around. A couple of my best friends are already doing it (and one for over a year) with some pretty amazing results, and it’s supposed to make my curly hair beautiful so why not?

 

I’m already half way there since I only really wash my hair once a week or so, more often if I have a particularly sweaty workout. I’m not really one to do much styling on a daily basis, and up until this past Wednesday I hadn’t had a hair cut since my birthday in February (yes that’s six months ago). I didn’t need one because my hair had been pretty healthy, but I thought that six months should be a good maximum for length between haircuts. You can read more about how I got my hair to be this long and this healthy here. It’s pretty simple really.
So this is my plan: I’m going to start off by washing my hair with baking soda and rinsing with apple cider vinegar when necessary (hopefully my current 1-2 times weekly). As for styling if it is actually required I’m going to use coconut oil, because you know it’s used for everything these days. I have been using this for the last few weeks instead of my usual products and I really like the results. It helps the curls stay silky without making them crunchy. I can run my fingers through the curls and they bounce right back like nothing happened. It’s great!Some things I am afraid of: I have A LOT of problems with dry skin (Gingers are meant to live in rainy places). I switched last year to an all organic soap (it is made in HI, however they started in VT and still have a small shop there so it’s local, double bonus) and so many of my problems just disappeared. I still have issues with the skin right around my hair line, you know forehead, behind my ears, and the base of my neck. It’s super embarrassing and I have been using head and shoulders to combat it, but it doesn’t always work. I am really hoping that switching to something more organic will fix this as well. But I suppose time will tell.

At the absolute minimum I am going to shoot for a month, but ideally I would like to give this change a solid 6 months before I decide if it’s a keeper.

Wish me luck!

I will let you know how this experiment goes in a few weeks. Any thoughts, comments, or info is greatly appreciated.

The Lazy Girls Guide to Getting Long Hair

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I have read hundreds of these kinds of posts, and articles in hopes and prayers that something will make my hair grow longer faster, and the fact of the matter is that your hair simply grows at one rate and there isn’t a whole lot you can do about it, some of us are lucky and it seems to be faster than others.
According to Sheldon Cooper it grows at 4.6 yoctometers per femtosecond, which is less than half an inch per month. I’m a nerd. Moving on.
The Lazy Girls Guide to Getting Long Hair

I get comments and compliments all the time on how fast my hair grows, how long it is and how amazingly still healthy it is at that length. Since I have chopped my hair off and donated it several times since the age of 12 I thought I would share my few secrets.

  • Don’t cut it. I have heard all kind of things about every 6-8 weeks, and getting the dead ends off and all that but the fact of the matter is the more you cut the slower the growth. Logic people! I only get my hair cut every 4-6 months or more. There have been times where it’s been almost a year. Basically I just watch the ends when they start to get bad it’s time to go.
  • Don’t style with heat. I know a lot of you are cringing right now, but heat damages hair, that’s a fact. The more you use heat the more damage, and breakage and therefore less growth. I only use heat once or twice a month, the rest of the time I just let it go naturally, occasionally adding some leave in moisturizer to help out the curls.
  • Don’t Wash it (that often). I only use shampoo on my hair 1-2 times a week, more if I have some hard workouts. I still wet my hair when I am in the shower, and sometimes use conditioner, or apple cider vinegar, to help the curls out, but that’s it. If I don’t wet my hair for a few days I use backing soda as a dry shampoo.  I love Katie’sPost on dry shampoos, there is so much to talk about there.
  • Take your vitamins. B vitamins are great for growing strong and healthy hair and nails. I take a basic multivitamin with iron, because I am a little anemic. I can totally feel the difference if I don’t take them for a few days, and also see the difference in the strength of my nails for sure.
  • Oil, egg or avocado scalp massages. I don’t know if these actually do anything for you, but I have issues with really dry skin, especially in the winter. I do these once a month in the winter time and they do wonders for my dry skin, they may do something for strengthening the hair at its root, or maybe they do nothing, but they do feel awfully nice. Here are the basics, you can find links all over the internet for hair masks with other ingredients.

Well now if I have not cemented in my hippy nature with this post I’m not sure what else will. Basically there’s only really two things here required of you, if you take the last point as anything worthwhile, and the rest is about being lazy, or hippi-esque. Call it what you will but this is my method and it works great for me. If you have anything else to add I’d love to hear it!