#other.wise

Make your own shampoo and conditioner 

Why make your own?

I don’t know about you, but I have to use tons of conditioner in my hair in order to untangle curly knots! But as I’m trying to find a way of doing things more earth consciously (producing your own food, water, energy, no waste) I’m slowly phasing out each of my chemical products and replacing them with DIY biodegradable alternatives that make the water suitable for watering the plants. 

Firstly, let’s explain where commercial shampoo and conditioner comes from: most of the time, it is made by a mega-multi-national corporation (eg. Unilever) by mixing petroleum-based chemicals into plastic bottles derived from petroleum… a lot of fossil fuels have gone into the raw materials, manufacture and transport to get this stuff to you.

Another thing is that the chemicals in hair products (eg. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) are actually carcinogenic and harmful to our bodies (link)

If that’s not enough to motivate you, know that making your own can have major cost savings!

For 350ml shampoo and conditioner:

Shop bought (cheapest Palmolive brand) = R22

Biodegradable homemade version = R4

That’s over 80% cheaper! 

Having said that though, these watery products will run out much faster than the thick soapy/creamy concoction you can buy in stores...The next step is to brew your own apple cider vinegar (from apples and sugar in water) and then see how

DIY Shampoo

You will need:

An empty shampoo bottle to reuse forever

A small funnel (to minimize spilling)

Bicarbonate of soda

Water

Essential oils of your choice ( I used lemongrass because it’s cheap and smells super fresh)

The recipe it very easy and will depend on the volume of your bottle:

Add 1 part bicarbonate of soda (I used 100ml)

Add 3 parts water (300ml)

Add 5-15 drops of essential oils

DIY Conditioner

You will need:

An empty conditioner bottle to reuse forever

A small funnel (to minimize spilling)

Apple cider vinegar

Water

Essential oils of your choice (Thyme, rosemary, lavender etc.)

You can even infuse it with citrus peels, rosemary sprigs, chamomile tea…endless applications here really

Add 1 part apple cider vinegar (I used 100ml)

Add 4 parts water (400ml)

Add 5-15 drops of essential oils

Verdict

I’m currently in the process of weaning my hair off commercial hair products (washing it with the new recipes once a week, then twice a week and then every hair wash).

Week 2: so far and it’s looking good! It’s a bit strange at first: the shampoo is grainier than I’m usually used to but the conditioner is fantastic. With my curly hair I was very surprised that the conditioner does indeed work to get my hair knots out and there is no smell after my hair has dried (although its still quite a strong smell in the shower, so it wouldn’t hurt to add more delicious-smelling oils or alternatives)

Week 4: I’ve gotten compliments on my hair looking more curly from some of my super curly friends! It’s working!!!

Proof:

*Please excuse my weird/tired faces, these selfies are in the name of science! :P

The top 2 pictures show the results with chemical shampoo (I used Tresemme). You can observe large, thick and voluminous curls, which is good...although I do have more of a frizz halo sticking up around my hair. However, the next morning after sleeping, my hair was a much bigger mess with random strands of hair sticking out of my curls (exhibit A: fringe frizz, exhibit B: hair sticking up and straight/wavy).

Comparing to the natural hair results, you can see more defined curls (see fringe) and perhaps less volume. What you can’t see is my hair feeling softer and moisturised. The resulting bed-head from the next morning still has the defined curls (fringe without random out-sticking strands) and my curls being more compacted ringlets (see left side of my hair compared to chemical result).

These recipe still have room for improvement -like the shampoo is not the best at getting excess oil out of my hair - BUT it has stopped me having dandruff ^_^

I can’t claim that this recipe will work for everyone, but it’s definitely worth a try in order to think in terms of biodegradable water for reuse. Gotta love water (we need it!)

Additional resources:

http://livelovefruit.com/12-toxic-ingredients-to-avoid-in-shampoo/

http://lifelessplastic.blogspot.co.za/search/label/shampoo

http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/2015/02/diy-homemade-conditioner/

For more recipes:

Why make your own?

For your precious HEALTH!

Aluminium chloride (common in many antiperspirants) have been linked to cancer: 

A recent study, published by the International Journal of Cancer by researchers at the University of Geneva, found that: long-term exposure to aluminium chloride can trigger the development of ‘very aggressive’ tumours, which can spread to different parts of the body. It’s thought that the compounds may act on the body’s cells in the same way as oestrogen, a hormone that feeds breast tumours. 

Sceptics plead that this study is invalid as it was done on mice so therefore would not apply to humans...what a load of rubbish! 

As Chris Exley (a professor in bioinorganic chemistry at Keele University) said: “It’s nonsense to reject [this study] because the subjects were mice. Thousands of medical breakthroughs that have affected human health over the decades have been discovered first in animals. Back in 1921, Canadian physician Frederick Banting and medical student Charles H. Best first discovered insulin in the pancreases of dogs: no one dismissed their breakthrough because they used non-human subjects.”

The conclusion of the study was that aluminium can cause cancerous changes at a cellular level and instigate tumours which can spread beyond the breast. Some real scary stuff.

Still don’t believe me?

Other studies have shown that the aluminium levels are higher in the upper outer region of the breast (known as the upper outer quadrant) compared with inner regions — the upper outer quadrant is also where there is a higher incidence of breast tumours.

Le many experts: “blah this is simply a reflection of the fact that there is more breast tissue in the upper outer quarter. You’d expect more tumours there.”

The facts: the % of tumours in this area have risen from 30% of all tumours in the 1920-1930′s (before widespread use of underarm toiletries) to around 57% today.

It is suspected that other nasty chemicals in underarm products (like parabens) also mimic the female hormone oestrogen, which further fuels the growth of tumours. 

The prospect of cancer from antiperspirant does not seem worth the dry underarm experience...

You can save SO MUCH MONEY!

Shop bought  cheapest deo (eg. Axe): R15 /50 ml

Homemade deo: R7 /50ml

That’s 50% cheaper, and I find that a jar of the homemade stuff will last for at least a month

Make it biodegradable! 

This means that you have 1 less product that you use -everyday- that will not mess the environment up more (yay, go you!)

If you’re like “Nah, my wastewater is cleaned by x company so it doesn’t affect me”, it is tremendously difficult (read water and energy intensive) to remove toxic chemicals from our water...so your overall footprint is unchanged = bad for future generations.

A way better alternative (for those of you with gardens) is to reuse your biodegradable shower water to feed your plants. The ultimate dream is to have a greywater system that automatically waters your plants everytime you shower, like this:

Having said all of that, my homemade deo recipe might not suit everyone: we all different bodies with different body chemistries that will react differently to the same ingredients. Check out this site or this one for a review of various deo recipes (and possible reactions).

This here my recipe I have been using for 4 months now and I love it, it works so well it’s unbelievable and I love the fresh naturalness of the smell. A drawback of this homemade deo is that while it completely eliminates the smell, it does not keep you dry (you will still sweat). But this is a natural and very necessary cooling mechanism for your body, so embrace it rather than fighting it! 

How does it work?

The active ingredient is the bicarbonate of soda:  it is amphoteric; that is, it reacts with substances that have either strong acid or base pHs. Most things that we consider bad smelling are giving off a vapor of strongly acidic particles (sweat has a pH of 4-5.5, so it’s acidic too!)

Sodium bicarbonate powder, with its large surface area, will react with those acidic particles and neutralize them by making them less acidic.

The other ingredients are useful for other reasons:

 Coconut oil - has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties

Arrowroot powder - thickener and absorbant

Tea tree oil - antimicrobial properties

Essential oils - for super nice and natural-smelling yumminess

Recipe (to make approximately 50ml)

2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda 

3 tbsp Coconut oil (melted is easier for measuring and mixing)

1 tbsp arrowroot powder - I used Maizena corn flour because it’s what I have at home, but some people do experience itchiness with corn products, so rather use arrowroot in that case

2 drops Tea tree oil 

 3 drops lemongrass/orange/lavendar essential oil 

Tools

Empty glass jar or container (approx. 50ml)

Tablespoon

Funnel

Mixing stick/toothpick (or teaspoon, depending on the size of the container)

Method:

Simply combine ingredients with the funnel into the chosen container, and you can refrigerate the container so that it becomes a harder gel rather than an oily mixture. 

And there you go! I apply it  with my finger by sensually massaging a small amount under my arms...and it really does work! I’ve been using it for months now and really enjoying the way it smells and having the neutralest armpits ever yay!!

Links:

https://myplasticfreelife.com/2012/08/great-big-plastic-free-non-toxic-deodorant-review/

LET’S START LIVING ECO-CONSCIOUSLY 

Welcome fellow earthlings!

I am starting this co-blog to document the collective journey into learning how to hack the system (which is often geared to greed, resource depletion, toxic-additives and pollution) to find a better and more independent path…in order to reclaim our bodies, money and power!

This all comes at a price of course: you will need:

to consciously change your habits for the better

the motivation and the discipline to give up all your day-to-day conviences

This can, at first, seem overwhelming and time-consuming.

But this blog will show you how to make small changes in order to takes strides to a better future...

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step ~Lao Tzu

this means that you should commit to 1 new responsible habit at a time, and stick to it as much as possible. Eg. Seeing as composting your food scraps will reduce your home waste carbon fooprint by 50%, composting whenever you can is better than never composting this waste.

So please please get involved! Try them out, comment, ask questions and give feedback!

I am starting this blog to document my personal journey into learning how to hack the system (which is often geared to greed, resource depletion, toxic-additives and pollution) to find a better and more independent path...as a means of reclaiming our bodies, money and power!

This all comes at a price of course: you will need the motivation and the discipline to give up all your day-to-day conviences and to consciously change your habits for the better.

This can, at first, seem overwhelming and time-consuming.

But this blog will:

save you the time I’ve spent researching, experimenting and putting these tutorials together.

show my step-by-step approach to changing your lifestyle (as well as the many benefits) 

this means that you should commit to 1 new responsible habit at a time, and stick to it as much as possible. Eg. Seeing as composting your food scraps will reduce your home waste carbon fooprint by 50%, composting whenever you can is better than never composting this waste.

So please please get involved! Try them out, comment, ask questions and give feedback!