How To Tuesday - How to Make Your Own Shampoo

As mentioned in my post about making your own face wash, I'm a greasy gal. Probably most of that is because I've been using chemicals to strip my body of its natural oils, causing my body to double the production of those oils.

In other words, I do it to myself.

My hair is no greasy exception. With conventional shampoo, I have to wash it every day, and then it'll feel a tad  greasy by the end of the day. I rarely could make it two days without washing.

About three months ago, I stumbled upon a recipe to make your own chemical-free shampoo.


This rocks. Seriously.

It's cheap, easy, and decreases your waste while leaving your body to keeping your hair looking as fresh, shiny and natural as possible.

Who likes that frizzed out, over bleached look?

All you need is some baking soda and a spray bottle.

Here's how you do it:

1. Mix about 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 16 oz of water in the spray bottle. Mix it up. It should be paste-y.

2. Then spray the paste on your roots. Gently massage in the goodness. It's not going to lather, but you don't want it to because that destroys your natural oils.

3. Rinse!

So easy.

In the beginning your body will continue overproducing oils, but do not fear. It'll straighten itself out in a couple of weeks tops. After that its smooth sailing with beautifully shiny, natural hair and your wallet full of all the money you'll have saved on those expensive, boutique shampoos.

Happy all-natural-ing :)

How To - Make Your Own Natural Face Wash

I have a problem.

I've always had breakouts, even now that I'm (supposedly) a grown up and I don't really love the idea of spreading tons of chemicals all over my face, plus they've never really worked for me.

Don't get me wrong, no one ever called me Pizza Face in school, but once in college I had a pimple so big and so persistent it adopted its own name. To this day if I run into someone from my college days there's a 50% chance they'll ask me about their old friend Ruthie (the persistent zit). The other half of the time they don't even recognize me without my signature blemish.

So after spending an embarrassingly lot of money on face washes with ingredient lists longer even than my No Natural Ingredients Soda, I decided to try my own.

Here's the deal with washing your face:

1. Face washes you buy in stores work by stripping your face of its own, natural oils causing you to put on moisturizer to combat the tightness and dryness you'd otherwise feel. This also makes your body over produce oil to make up for what it's missing.

2. You get breakouts from dirt, hormones, bacteria, and variety of other foreign bodies that are absorbed by the oils in your skin. The oil sort of raps around these impurities causing breakouts.

3. Oil dissolves oil. We're talking ninja style. Hello oil, bye-bye breakouts.

I know you're thinking Whoa, Oil?! Yeah, oil.

Here's the recipe:

1 Part Olive Oil

1 Part Castor Oil

That's it. Tough, right?

Here's why it’s awesome:

1. Oil dissolves oil. I know I said already, but I just wanted to remind you. The castor oil is the tough cleanser and the olive oil the moisturizer.

2. It's cheap. I usually buy olive oil BOGO so I've always got a stock. You can find castor oil in the pharmacy section of your grocer near the laxatives. I think I paid about $5.

3. It leaves my face feeling so good. Seriously, my face used to feel oily by the time I get home from work at  Not any more. Even my hair is less greasy now that my body's not working overtime to make up for the oil conventional face wash takes away.

4. It only has two ingredients. Just 2. T-W-O. And you know exactly what they both are. It's crazy, I know.

Here's how to do it:

1. Combine the olive oil and castor oil. I but my homemade face wash in an empty, glass salad dressing bottle.

2. Barely moisten your hands. I do this for a little added lubrication.

3. Gently rub the oil mixture on your face. Get it everywhere. It may feel strange at first, but trust me, you'll love it. 

4. Rest a warm, damp washcloth on your face. You're opening your pores and allowing the oil to bring out the dirt.   You've got to leave it there for at least 60 seconds. Longer is better. Enjoy your facial.

5. Gently wipe off the face wash. Viola! You're clean and clear.

I've been doing this for two months and have not seen a break out since I started. It works really well and is super easy and cheap. Try it. Tell me what you think!