My first "ohhh wow" moment was when I borrowed a t-shirt from a friend. I immediately remarked, "Oh my gosh this t-shirt is so soft! Where did you get it?" She then told me that she orders all of her t-shirts from a website that uses 100% organic cotton. I threw that tidbit into the back of my mind because I fell so in love with the softness.
Not even moments later I walked into her kitchen to make my usual egg sandwich breakfast that I make several times a week. I grabbed an egg, noticing it was free-range - okay, that's cool, an egg is an egg. After I cracked the egg into the pan to let it cook I also searched out my bread choices. I grabbed a loaf that was purchased from a local farmer's market that was freshly made without all of the junk that comes in store-bought bread. I then reached into the fridge and pulled out a slice of 100% natural cheese. I thought, "Perfect!" since I've been trying to cut out a lot of preservatives from my diet due to a fitness/health standpoint. I slapped my sandwich together and took a bite and without even finishing my bite exclaimed, "Oh My Gosh this is sooo good! I make this all the time, but this just tastes amazing!" So far I was two for two on the whole organic stuff that morning.
I managed to make it through the next couple of weeks with my sub-par t-shirts and breakfast sandwiches, but all the while being kind of upset that my stuff was just not as good. I then was back at the same friend's house (as you can tell she knows what's up with this whole organic business!) and I showered there one morning, as I spend the night there just about every time I go over there. I went about the day, but to later go home and realize my hair felt the best that it ever has. Of course, knowing that it had to be that shampoo, I texted her asking what the name of the shampoo was and where she bought it (since it was not a bottle I had ever seen before). She told me where she purchased it, and then told me once again, that this too was 100% organic. Okay, so now I'm becoming a believer at this point.
As I was thinking about how awesome my hair felt, I realized the ends of my hair were looking awfully rough since it's been a year since I've had my hair cut (if you read my last blog it talks about my resistance to cutting it for whatever reason). I decided to give the whole olive oil treatment a shot. I'd read about it before, but always opted for some store-bought method instead. However, in my state of my wallet being broke and busted, I reached for the Extra Virigin Olive Oil, microwaved it for about 20 seconds, and spread it through my hair from about half-way down to the ends. It said to use a shower cap to pop over your hair for thirty minutes to allow your hair to really soak up the EVOO, but hello, I own nothing of the sort! Of course I grab the next best thing I can think of, and begin to saran wrap my head. And no, I did not take pictures, but let me assure you, I embodied sexiness! Well, maybe not, but nonetheless I let it go to work for about 45 minutes. I had to wash my hair twice to get it all out, but holy hair - it worked! Hello shine!
Now so far, this has all been great, but here is where it gets a little bit weird. A friend of mine posted on fb a few days ago about foregoing shampoo. Gross right? Instead, people who do this opt to wash their hair with baking soda and rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar. I read up on this before, but quickly dismissed it because quite honestly it sounds really gross to not use shampoo. Unfortunately, I have nothing but time, and after the amazement with the organic shampoo I thought, "what the heck - let's give it a shot!" So today I grabbed some baking soda and headed to the shower. I made some paste-like consistency of baking soda and water, massaged the stuff through my hair paying special attention to my scalp, then proceeded to shower, and then rinsed it out. Also while I was in the shower, I remembered that another friend had mentioned that she had been using baking soda as an exfoliater on her face so I figured since I already had the baking soda to go ahead and give that a try too. After my "baking soda shower", I got out, put in my leave-in conditioner through the bottom half of my hair, brushed through it, and clipped it up as usual while I did my makeup. First of all, let me say my face felt really soft, and this is coming from a girl who has tried a wide array of skin care products. My hair seemed to dry a little faster than usual, and this was great because it saved me some time. I then blew dry my hair, leaving the ends just a little bit damp. I tossed my hair into a regular ballerina style bun and got dressed. I drove ten minutes to my mom's house and took my hair down. Not only did my hair look and feel clean, I had amazing volume and even bouncy curls. This does not happen with my hair. I did not use any hairspray or anything. My mom even remarked at how great my hair looked. The picture below is of my hair hours later; not quite as curly, but still more body than what I normally have. I'm not sure if this is something I will stick to regularly, but it has definitely changed my perspective.
Who knew that olive oil and baking soda could make my hair look so good? And who knew how soft 100% organic cotton feels and how great organic food tastes? Perhaps I'm becoming a believer in all of this stuff, but I honestly had to see and try it to believe it. I'm sad of what I've been missing out on all these years. I'm interested in what other stuff is out there as well! Let me know if you have any other suggestions because I'm up for trying it all out! (Just don't even think about convincing me to give up meat...)
