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.

A few months ago, my sudden and fanatical interest in real food and natural living slightly perturbed my family. “Is that safe to eat?” my Dad asked with concern, when he saw my first jar of gingered carrots fermenting on the counter.

Now, my family is acclimated to my unorthodox eating habits and strange lifestyle changes. For example, nobody has even bothered ask me why I now have a step stool sitting next to my toilet.

I don’t shy away from poop discussions anymore. When I was first diagnosed with colitis, I was stuck in a hospital bed for two weeks straight. Each day the doctor would come in and say, “Hi, Lauren. How was your poop today?” He would proceed to extract from me a thoroughly detailed analysis of my bowel movements. Although I’m very glad not to have that discussion anymore, I can now talk about elimination without blushing and/or wincing.

I’m glad I’m not scared of poop talks anymore, because otherwise I would have skipped over this article!After reading it, I tucked a step stool next to my toilet as a makeshift Squatty Potty. And guess what? Squatting rocks!

Everybody knows that a good poop makes a good day. I am a squatting convert and ready to embrace more of a crunchy lifestyle!

My Hippie Transition

But my transition to “hippiness” is not stopping with squatting.

So far, my Hippie To Do List this month includes:

• Putting down my shampoo and conditioner bottles… for good
• Trying the oil cleansing method–I have high hopes it might help my acne and oily skin!
• Giving the cold shoulder to my (albeit aluminum free) deodorant in favor of this homemade version
• Using homemade toothpaste instead of my glycerine-laden natural brand of toothpaste
• Giving up tampons in lieu of the Diva Cup

What is the worst that can happen? For starters, I could turn into a greasy, smelly monster with bad breath and blood-stained panties. That sounds like an adventure.

And I love adventures!

I’m Not Perfect

There are still some things that I will be forever un-hippie about. For example, I’m still searching for suitable natural alternatives to some of my favorite cosmetics.

UPDATE: Here are my natural makeup recommendations for sensitive skin.

My question is: how hippie will you go? And what are the ungreen things that you will never give up?

I will be back with updates on my hippie progress, so keep your eyes peeled.