UPDATE: This post is from October 2012, just a few months after I began my journey towards a holistic lifestyle. You may be interested in reading a more recent post, 70 Ways to Be a Hippie, For the Crunchy-At-Heart.
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.
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, 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.
What’s 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?
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,
I make and sell tallow lotion http://healingthroughgaps.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html. And btw, it doesn’t smell like beef like you would think. I have very dry skin and have tried everything! And by far the best lotion has been tallow! It feeds my skin. Thanks for the great post!
Julie
I have a confession… I’m 23 and in my entire life I have only used soap a handful of times. I never liked the way it felt… that ‘shrinking’ feeling of my skin felt awful. I also have never used deodorant, but I’ve never smelled bad. I think since I’ve never forced my body to become dependent on either that my routine is just fine without! The human body is truly amazing if we just let it do its thing. 🙂 This blog makes me feel a little less weird about my hygiene decisions though, haha.
You mentioned that you use a body moisturizer that uses Emu oil. However, I can’t find it on your website. Could you tell me the recipe?
Thank you.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks for your great blog, love the tips & ideas! You mentioned you had lost almost half the hair on your head due to medication side effects & colitis. I too am experiencing hair loss due to nasty meds. I was wondering which med & what you did to help this before you discovered natural remedies. Thanks!
I used to put honey on my face for about six months, but I went out of habit due to buziness. I really miss doing that and am planning to go back. My face felt awesome, and although I still had acne throughout that period, it dramatically subdued from the usual ugly number of breakouts I had before honey. I miss the feeling of having it stick on my face as I type comments through like this, you know. And now that I read about your honey shampoo, I might as well just drown my head in a blob of honey and be happy! I’m planning on going back 🙂
this was great to read! I am in full hippie mode for my body needs… I have been washing my body for a year and a half with water only, and I have washed my hair with water and citric acid only with a microfiber washcloth for 4 months. I brush my teeth with coconut oil and peppermint EO, use a wet stick of salt as deodorant, moisturize with tallow balm, and sunscreen with zinc tallow balm. I also have been happy with trimming my arm pit hair short (it’s alway nice and soft, and barely noticeable) and haven’t shave my legs in six months. I’m hoping that my leg hair will eventually grow in more fine, and blond… I know that it is “scientific fact” that shaving doesn’t make hair grow in thicker, but I do believe that it does infact irritate the hair follicles and cause hair to grow in more coarse and dark for some women. I stopped shaving my upper thighs years ago, and what was once longe coarse dark hair, is now so soft and fine that you can hardly even see it… and believe me, my upper thighs never see the light of day!
I always feel so clean, and beautiful, and feminine!
I have been using coconut oil-bicarb type deodorants for 2 years now and find it works really well for both myself and my kids. I do really struggle with the greying of my clothes, they are really hard to clean as each shirt needs to be sprayed and each armpit individually rubbed to get it clean again. Please could you suggest how to combat this or another deodorant that works but doesn’t leave these marks.