It’s been a while since my last How Hippie Will You Go post. Last time, I discussed my transition to homemade toothpaste, coconut oil deodorant, baking soda “shampoo”, oil cleansing and a menstrual cup.
More Hippie Changes
I’ve made a lot of changes in my skin care, too. I mustered up the courage to switch to homemade and holistic remedies for my acne and I have been blown away. I recently discussed The 7 Secrets that Cured My Acne without Chemicals.
Soap Free!
I haven’t even told my family this (they think I’m crazy enough already) but here I am putting it on the internet: I’ve given up bathing with soap. Yes, soap. That universal partner to the bathtub and shower.
Why would I do this act of insanity? It started by reading the last chapter in the GAPS book, where Dr. Natasha explains that bathing a baby with any kind of soap is actually detrimental because it washes away protective oils. Then, I got a comment from a reader who has been soap-free for a year and a half, and she loves it:
I also went soap free for the bath and shower after reading the GAPS book. I have not used soap in over a year and a half, including the stinky, sweaty summer months. I have to say that it is nice not having a ring around the tub after I soak. The water gets plenty dirty telling me that the dirt is/has washed off with just a wet washcloth, and my skin feels clean and soft after the bath. I used to notice a kind of dry film after using soaps, even all natural ones. I don’t use soap of any type on my skin, ALL parts and have to say that none of the usual stinky parts smell after a bath.
After a whole soap-free month, I happily report that I am not smelly nor dirty. Soap, it seems, is completely unnecessary. Additionally, I find my skin much more moisturized when I leave the shower–it no longer feels like my skin is shrinking as it dries. Plus, that “natural” body wash I used to use was rather pricey… soap-free means one less expense!
Sweet Orange and Jojoba Hair Oil
You may be familiar with the fact that I do not have a great relationship with my hair–or rather, my lack thereof. I’ve lost about half the hair on my head in the last few years due to medication side effects and my colitis. Now that I’m off meds and on GAPS, I’m waiting patiently for my hairline and thin patches to regrow.
In the meantime, I get by with a trusty loose bun (which does a good job of making things look fuller) and my Sweet Orange and Jojoba Hair Oil. My hair is naturally – yet undecidedly – wavy. In other words, it insists on splaying out from my scalp in nonuniform spirals. This hair oil doesn’t weight my fine hair down, but smooths the frizz and makes it oh-so-soft.
My recipe is super simple: I just fill up a little misting bottle with half water and half jojoba oil. I add a few drops of sweet orange essential oil and rosemary essential oil to make it smell good. Then, I shake it up very well and mist it on damp hair after washing.
This is awesome stuff. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the recipe… it works!
Tallow
After devouring Heather’s DIY Organic Beauty Recipes ebook (which is 20% off until Dec. 31st), I was intrigued with her suggestion to use rendered tallow as a moisturizer. Evidently, due to the fat composition of tallow, it “is uniquely compatible with the biology of our cells.”
The first time I tried tallow, I massaged it all over after a shower. Then my family asked me why I smelled like meat. Tallow does have a distinctive “meat” smell, so I mixed in some essential oils to mask the hippie fragrance. After some experimenting, I’ve found that I do not like using tallow on my face because it is slow to absorb. I’ve ended up using it on my elbows, knees and dry knuckles. At night, I pat a thin layer around my eyes for a chemical-free eye cream.
Fellow hippies, what do I do next?
So, my crunchy friends, what do I try next? I’m very open-minded about your suggestions, as long as you don’t tell me to sew re-usable toilet paper. What are the hippie changes you’ve made in your life?
photos: #1, #2, #3 from SXC
Shared at: Thank Your Body Thursday
Toothpaste… coconut oil, baking soda, Himalayan salt, spearmint EO, cloveEO, stevia
Interesting! I haven’t used clove essential oil in my homemade toothpaste before. I’ll give that a try, since I have some around!
if you are still using regular makeup, you may really like jane iredale. im very girly and love products and also have acne issues and LOVE their products. they are really gentle and don’t cause breakouts and are quite natural as far as makeup is concerned. almost all of them are gluten free too. probably not as natural as wearing NO makeup but that’s never going to happen for me
I am so with you… wearing no makeup will never happen for me, either! I’ve not used Jane Iredale, but I’ve heard great things about that brand and my mom loves it. And I’m glad to hear it works for you, because I have acne issues, too. My favorite natural makeup product right now is Everyday Minerals concealer (its a mineral powder).
Lauren, you are hillarious!!!! I was wondering if the tallow recipes from Heather’s book would make me smell like meat. I’m slowly switching to a more “natural” skincare routine.
I’m having so much fun as I switch to natural skincare! But there are a few bumps in the road… such as smelling like meat
Hi Lauren,
I too am in transition to hippier lifestyle. I guess you could say that I am chewy granola right now, on my way to crunchy.
In the past 10 years I have had issues with my hair. It’s naturally curly – being looser on top and tightly coiled on the bottom – so strange. I also developed this weird short halo of frizz mostly on the top. I have tried every homemade remedy and styling product published but think I have finally found my magic elixirs. I went no-poo several years ago. Basically just started washing with conditioner. That was pretty good but not great. Now I wash 1-2 times a week with baking soda and water and then with conditioner if needed the rest of the time. I don’t brush my hair except when it ‘s full of conditioner. This helps keep the curls from separating.
But the kicker is a homemade flax seed gel that I just made. I found the recipe on Naturallycurly.com. Basically you boil 2 cups water with 1/2c flax seed for about 3 min then strain into a bowl. For a little extra hold I added 1T arrowroot to the cold water. Then when it was strained and still warm I added 1T each olive oil and coconut oil. This stuff is great. It’s got a nice hold for my curls and isn’t heavy so I still retain nice body.
I also use coconut oil as a moisturizer after showering. It’s a medium chain triglyceride and is easily absorbed. I use Earth Paste for brushing my teeth and magnesium oil spray for a deodorant. I also garden & raise chickens. I have plans on buying a small farm and getting as self sustaining and natural as possible.
I am SO going to try that flax gel! Thanks for sharing it. And I also love coconut oil after the shower… plus, it smells better than tallow
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In my next phase in life, I hope to start a garden and raise chickens! My dream sounds similar to yours–to become as self-sustainable as possible. Good luck on your path to self-sufficiency and I hope it is filled with blessings!
“They think I’m crazy enough already”….I so relate to that!!
I am on my hippie path as well, and it all started with again another friend being diagnosed with breast cancer.
It scared me so that I decided I will do all I can to avoid it, beginning from what I buy and cook for my family and what we use on our bodies.
Well, the only detergent in our bathroom is the soap I make with olive oil .
I talked my DH into using oil for shaving and he’s super happy with it .
My make up remover is almond oil and water.
We use homemade deodorant, and toothpaste.
I threw away my make up products and all those harmful lotions (I kept one and use as shoe polish !) and buy the organic stuff.
My husband just thanked me the other day because he noticed the severe dermathitis on his fingertips is gone. It made me smile, for I know this is the right way, chemicals harm us badly.
Happy new Year and thank you for the nice posts.
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend’s diagnosis. The chemicals we put on our body certainly can lead to cancer, so you are taking the right steps to keep yourself and your family healthy! I’m intrigued by the almond oil/water makeup remover. I’ve never heard of using oil for shaving. Currently, I use a natural shaving cream for shaving my legs but now I’m going to look up using oil for leg shaving. Also, that is fantastic about your husband’s dermatitis clearing after these changes!!
I use coconut oil to shave. It works great and leaves your skin feeling sooooo smooth! I love it!
I love these ideas and I’m trying to transition away from chemicals too. In particular I think I’m going to stop using soap. What I’ve done so far is use apple cider vinegar as conditioner (I want to use baking soda shampoo but I find it really difficult to use on my long hair), coconut oil as hair product and body moisturizer, the oil method for facewashing, and soap nuts for washing my laundry. I am on the hunt for some good natural makeup… I’ll check out some of the products mentioned above!
In my next How Hippie post, I’m going to cover my favorite natural makeup products. I’ve found some great (an inexpensive) products!! Haven’t tried soap nuts before… thanks for the suggestion.
Beef tallow? No thank you! That is just too gross for this vegan. Coconut oil sounds promising though. do you think that no-soap will work in the hot Florida summers? Since I gave up conventional deodorant I more sensitive to my smells. been coating my underarms with a drop of essential oils everyday along with my vodka/essential oil spray. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
Whoa… I have a vegan reading my blog? I’m afraid you will be grossed out by most of my posts because I love me some grassfed animal products–for eating and skincare! But I also love slathering my body in coconut oil after a shower… plus, it smells better
Regarding the no-soap, I think it is a great route to go. I take a no-soap shower after my uber sweaty ballet classes and it works for me! Have you tried the homemade baking soda/coconut oil/essential oil deodorant? It works very well. I haven’t heard of the essential oils + vodka spray for underarms… that sounds interesting!
i will have to check that deodorant out. and no, i’m not grossed out by your blog. most of the recipes have been springboards for new ideas in my kitchen. most of the time i can sub veggie based gelatin, so its not really a problem. its refreshing to see someone looking outside the box.
as a suggestion for “how hippie will your go”, how about bringing back the hanky? since I came down with a cold (not fun) I’ve been using a handkerchief i found at a thrift store and hand washing it every night. it saves boxes of tissues and its a lot softer then most tissues anyways.
Oh, I’m so glad that you are able to adapt/tweak my recipes to fit your diet! That’s great that you have substitutes for the gelatin, too.
That is a great suggestion about the hanky! And such a coincidence, too, because my Grandma was cleaning out her basement and she gave my sister and I a box of her beautiful handkerchiefs from the 50′s. They are too pretty to blow my nose on, though! That is a great point about finding hankys at the thrift store.
I am genuinely curious… Do you just wash then with hot water? I’m thinking like after using the potty (I have a 4- and 2-yo, so we roll with “potty”
. Soap-free sounds very interesting, and I loved your post about 10 things with coconut oil, gonna try the shaving, toothpaste, and deodorant. 
Ha, ha– yes, it sounds totally gross but I only use hot water. And glad to hear you have some new uses for coconut oil!
I was wondering the same thing about hand washing!
If you have never tried Alima pure products before I implore you to! I use the oil method and putting mineral makeup ontop in the morning makes it last for hours! Befor my makeup would come off in a couple hours and is look terrible. But for me it’s the perfect combination! I also can’t say how much I love Alima’s products. You will be sure to find your perfect skin tone match! I’m like you. Even with blemish free skin I like to wear make up still. If you can give them a try! You won’t be disappointed!
Jess,
I too have been using Alima, and for quite a long time. I’m 49 and still hardly use any makeup, just finishing powder, blush and eye shadow. I really like Alima because they don’t make a lot of products and they use minimal ingredients. The make washes off with just a little warm water. They seem like a really good small company and I hope they stay that way.
I’ve always had oily skin to the point I’d use a paper towel at work mid afternoon and literally soak the towel with oil from my face. Yuck!! I’ve since switched to raw honey and it has completely balanced my skin, no more shine, no more oil! In the summer I don’t even need a moisturizer as the honey does it on it’s own! In the winter (I live in New England) I use coconut oil or a few other products I’ve found. I did try using baking soda with the honey at one point, and thought it was funny that it smelled(to me) like cookie dough! (Definitely made me want to bake something!)
Hi there,
Just to let you know that I recently featured your article in my new blog post on the top 9 recipes for shiny hair. You can find the link here: http://honesthealthblog.com/top-9-recipes-for-shiny-hair/
We found your recipe here and really liked it, but let me know if there is a problem!
If you like the post and think your fans and followers would too then it would be wonderful if you could share it!
Thanks for a fantastic recipe and again let me know if there are any problems!
Regards,