Candles, something I have always enjoyed since I was a child. I used to love Christmastime not only for the obvious reasons, but because Kristy would bring out the candles and light them almost every night.

Now that I am grown, however, I can light my own candles as often and whenever I want. I have made it a part of my nightly ritual to light my candles and just sit in their warm glow for a bit before snuffing them out.

I’m not sure just what is so alluring about candles, perhaps the scent? The small flame? Or just the thoughts that are connected to them?

Well whatever it is, I suppose it doesn’t matter much, I’m just glad I can enjoy them.

So, it’s been about 2 weeks since I started using baking soda to wash my hair and to be honest my hair looks great. Well, at least I love the results. Here are a few pics of me at this moment, after washing with baking soda!

In a few months or so I might do a whole before and after thing, but my hair doesn’t look THAT much better yet, cross your fingers!

Hey look it’s my camera~ <3

Well you have been blessed with my face and awesome hair. That should suit you for a lifetime.

My hair has actually felt softer and has been slightly shinier than before and I can feel good about not killing it with detergents! That’s always a plus I think.

I took some pictures, but unfortunately it looks less awesome than it really is! :c

My whole idea is an ocean/elements theme, I hope you like it!

So that’s what’s been going down in my room so far. I’m almost done, I hope to bring this project to a close by the end of the week or possibly sooner!

Last year, around this time I became a minimalist and took about two weeks to clean out everything from my room that I didn’t find necessary. Well now that THAT sort of clutter is gone, I find that it is now time to let go of even more.

This is what my room looked like an hour ago:

And this is what it looks like now:

I’ve always thought that it was a bad sign if you were getting emotional over a few pieces of paper, and at the drop of a hat I snuffed any flame that should have arisen to such an effect. I’ll keep updating how it goes because obviously my room is far from being done (look at that mess of posters and junk all over my bed!)

The only question is…

What to do with all of these thumbtacks!?

So after reading the crunchy betty blog for a while, I decided I wanted to give the no nonsense scrub a try. Well, I found out that while I DO have both almonds and oats, we do not own a food procesor. So after a couple of days of brainstorming I came across the PERFECT way to grind up oats and almonds to get the fluffy, grainy consistency that is necessary for the scrub. Here’s how.

Things you’ll need:

Almonds (1/2 cup)

Oats (1/2 cup) 

A pair of sharp scissors

A cheese grater 

two small dishes (soy sauce dishes work like a charm here)

Directions:

For the almonds:

1.) Snip the tip off of the almond until there is a flat-ish surface.

2.) Get dish ready

3.) Hold cheese grater above the dish and start grating the almond down as far as you can without cutting yourself.

4.) Chances are that hardly any of the fluff got into your dish, that’s alright, just sweep it in afterwards. 

**Tip: Cut up the rest of the end bits and add it to your dish

For the oats:

1.) Measure out 1/2 cup of oats and spread it out on a clean surface.

2.) Hold your hand over the oats so that it is just barely touching them

3.) Slid the scissors underneath your hand and into the oats and begin opening and closing the scissors slowly.
4.) Repeat until the desired effect is reached.

Note: This is very time consuming and can get tiresome, but the effects of the scrub are worth it, trust me.

Helpful links:

www.crunchybetty.com

 http://www.crunchybetty.com/no-nonsense-daily-scrub-for-any-skin-type

I will more than likely make a video on how to do this later.

Today I went to my local GNC and bought a nice jar of organic virgin coconut oil. Oh my god, this stuff is fantastic. Use it on your hair, use it on your lips, use it everywhere. This stuff is amazing, it smells great and ksdghsldg. I can’t even begin to comprehend how magical this stuff is.
Also, it is GREAT for those of us who have dandruff, because it pretty much gets rid of it in less than a week.

So yes, go out, buy some coconut oil, be amazed. 

That’s right, I’ve decided to take on the task of NOT using shampoo.

Ew…What is wrong with you? You’re going to smell nasty and your already extremely greasy hair will be even worse. What could POSSIBLY be possessing you to do such a thing?! What will people think?! 

Now, now skeptical alter-ego of mine, I assure you if this turns into a catastrophe I will go back to my tried-and-true shampooing ways. But as of right now I’m giving up on shampoo (AKA detergent for hair) and switching to a nice DIY home remedy that’s been getting a lot of hype as of late.

Andddd…You guessed it, from here on out I’ll be using Baking Soda (BS) and Vinegar rinses. (Because no one in the house uses Apple Cider Vinegar (the vinegar of choice for this kind of thing) I, unfortunately do not own any so I’ll be using White Vinegar in the meantime!) 

Why I’m making the switch:

 SHAMPOO IS A DETERGENT
That’s right, that really lovely smelling gooey stuff you slather on your hair day in and day out is the same exact stuff you use to wash your dishes. So just as dish detergent does, shampoo STRIPS away the grime and natural oils of your hair. Of course you don’t want your hair to be a grimy, oily mess, but shampoo actually causes your hair to produce MORE oil to compensate for the oils lost after shampooing. 

Shampoo has terrible, terrible chemicals (even the all-natural ones! ;-;) That while not deadly, still end up directly in your bloodstream and can lead to some trouble down the road.

Using Baking Soda to clean hair will lead to less frequent washes, little to no extra help from expensive products, and overall really rockin’ hair! When you stop striping your hair of it’s natural oils, it will have no need to create excess oils, meaning less grease, less washes, and happy you.

For the first couple of weeks it might be suckish seeing as your hair will be confused from not having it’s oils constantly washed away so in a type of protest it will generally produce tons of excess oil to makeup for ALL the oil you have gotten rid of throughout the years. Now if you’re younger, like me, hopefully it won’t be such a drastic transition period seeing as we haven’t been using shampoo for 50+ years like a lot of people. 

What exactly does Baking soda and vinegar do for your hair?

Baking Soda is gentle and is the weakest alkaline: Translation: IT WILL CLEAN YOUR HAIR BUT IT WON’T STRIP YOUR NATURAL OILS. (This is a good thing, I promise)

Vinegar is great for those of us who have dandruff, but it is also great for those of us who just want shinier, softer hair (c’mon who doesn’t want that?). Vinegar has been used for many, many years in hair treatments. It makes your hair softer, shinier, and more managable.

How often do you wash your hair with BS and WV?

Starting off I’m going to be washing my hair like normal, every morning or night. I’ll use the WV pretty sparingly because in excess it can cause your hair to look greasy.

After a while I’ve heard of people who can go for almost a full week without washing their hair! Don’t expect miracles people, I’m just saying. (But wouldn’t that be awesome?!)

Ok, you’ve ranted long enough, just tell me how to make the stuff already!

The general rule of thumb is 1/2 cup Baking soda to 1/2 cup water. If you have thicker hair you may need more BS, if you have thin or fine hair you may need less. Some people even like to just add a few drops of water to make a Baking Soda paste. Experiment. See what works for you; Play around.

The same goes for Vinegar, but what I did was I heated up a couple of bags of herbal tea, then added the vinegar so that it had less of a vinegar-y scent. Also, if you find your hair isn’t reacting well to the vinegar after a few weeks, try honey.

Now back to those crazy skeptical questions:

Nothing is really wrong with me. No, the vinegar actually doesn’t even smell like anything after my hair’s dry. As for the grease, eh, maybe just for a little bit. As for what people will think, I could care less because I’ll be the one with the last laugh when I’ve got ass-kickin’ hair!

So tell me, are YOU willing to go ‘poo free? E-mail me! thefrugalherbalist@hotmail.com

Drink Plenty of water. Water replenishes your body, flushes out toxins, and lubricates your joints. It also protects the skin, which is the body’s largest organ. Because of water’s cleansing properties, skin looks immediately younger, fresher, and cleaner after you get it in your system. Water also helps supress hunger, so those of us who are on a diet can really appreciate the all-encompasing benefits of this natural element.

So drink up my friends, and watch all your worries drift away~

Honey has a wonderful ability to absorb and retain moisture, which keeps the skin hydrated and looking beautiful. Nutmeg has anti-inflammatory qualities,which helps to get rid of the nasty redness that comes with acne. Combined, honey and nutmeg make a lovely (and gooey) paste that rids your face of acne scars overtime. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

-1 tablespoon of honey

-1 teaspoon of nutmeg

-1 small container (I use soy sauce dishes)

Directions:

1.) Add nutmeg to container

2.) Swirl honey over the nutmeg

3.) Stir 

4.) Store in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes so that it becomes firm.

Application Directions:

1.) Smooth over affected area

2.) Let it dry on your face

3.) Remove GENTLY with warm water and washcloth 

Apply daily for a week or two and watch your scars begin to fade!

Caution: Nutmeg can be pretty harsh on the skin, so I recommend NOT rubbing it into your face.

Rose water has been used for many, many years to help soften both skin and hair. Roses contain vitamins such as A,C,D, and E, all of which are essential to healthy skin and hair. Rosemary water has similar effects, and is just as fragrant as rose water, here’s how to make Rose/Rosemary water.

What you’ll need:

-1-2 Roses worth of rose petals.

-Rosemary Leaves

-1 small pot w/ lid

Directions:

1.) Place rose petals into small pot and fill pot with water (just enough so that it covers all the petals.)

2.)  Bring water to a boil (w/out the lid) Stir occasionally. 

3.) Add Rosemary leaves (as much as you like) 

4.) Put lid on the pot and allow water to simmer for 15-20 minutes, Stir occasionally

5.) Add 2-3 ice cubes to the pot and replace lid, allow to sit for 10 more minutes.

6.) Turn off the heat, stir

7.) Let the mixture sit for about half an hour or until lukewarm 

8.) Strain into a jar or a bottle. (I used a spritzer bottle and kept the remaining water in a jar.) 

Apply thoroughly  from roots to tips after shampooing, let hair air dry and witness how soft and shiny your hair has become.