Have you seen the ad of Tru Earth Laundry Eco-Strips?
After watching this video – you will know more than enough about Tru Earth laundry eco-strips and you will be sold. We definitely are!
Tag: all-natural
Biomethane and the environment- Why the car you drive matters
If you absolutely have to buy a new car, then please consider for the sake of our planet, investing in a biomethane gas vehicle!
What to know about a shampoo (bar)?
Nature lovers headache: who would have known that a transfer from your everyday shampoo to an all-organic shampoo bar can be such a hassle?
I must admit that honestly for the longest time, I really didn’t give much thought about what I was washing my hair with. If it was in a container, it promised many good things and it was meant for hair, I was okay using it! I mean, how wrong can one go with a shampoo anyway. Right? Shampoo bar-say what?
By now I have found the hard truth on my own and it is not pretty. Transitioning from consumer products to all-natural products may be a bit complicated. The new items may not give the wished results. It may even give worse!!
Let me share my painful path from using any shampoo to an all-natural shampoo bar.
Why did I decide to start using a shampoo bar?
Since the late spring of 2018, we have been trying not to bring plastic home. Though we were really committed to not buying plastic, we oftentimes still did. Mostly when buying groceries. Also, we weren’t really committed to the whole idea, ass we were thinking like a usual Aldi, Lidl, or any grocery store user. If it was not there to grab plastic-free, then it probably doesn’t exist.
We agreed to use up what we already had in plastic containers and plastic packaging. And then make a change gradually, when we run out of different items. It took us some time to get to change our plastic toothbrushes to bamboo ones. We just recently made the switch to a toothpowder, as we used up our last tube of organic toothpaste that we cheaply stocked up on when leaving Bulgaria in the summer of 2017. Unfortunately, we are still using plastic razors, given to us by friends, so…anyways, back to shampoo containers.
My first shampoo bar – let the…misery begin!
When the last non-fuzz shampoo bottle was finished, I asked for a shampoo bar as a present for my birthday. I was so excited, as I knew the bar will come in a tin box. Or at least in a cardboard box. Well, it didn’t! It came in a little plastic bag. Oh, well. At least I tried. I wish this could have been the least of my worries with this new shampoo bar!
I took my new bar out of the package (less plastic packing than an average shampoo container) and it really felt like something special. The bar consists of wheat proteins and yellow clay. I loved its shape and size – a perfect fit for my hand and easy to apply. It lathered very well and smelled fresh, not like the average shampoo. I was happy and satisfied when drying my hair.
After a few hours of drying, I felt that my hair felt dirty. It didn’t feel anything like before washing – it felt worse! I thought okay, this is my own fault, as I thought I didn’t rinse my hair properly. I have had this issue before in my younger years – too eager to get out of the shower. My hair is really thick and long, so probably I need more care when rinsing.
When my hair was completely dry, it all looked clean and felt nice. Except for the area near my neck, the nape, which seemed to have quite a big section of smelly sebum infused clumps of hair. Since most of the time I keep my hair in a ponytail anyway, it wasn’t a big problem for me to chew through.
Here we go again!
After a week (I wash my hair once a week), it was time to wash my hair again. I washed as before and rinsed. More thoroughly this time. No luck – still the same results as before! I continued like this for almost two months. Putting so much effort each time to rinsing thoroughly. I divided my hair into different parts to concentrate more on each section.
I forgot to research the hair washing problems with a shampoo bar before washing my hair. So I kind of got used to this. And also hoping that different times would give me different results. I also believed that this was some kind of transition period anyway. I started thinking that perhaps this particular bar is not meant for my hair type.
On one fine day, I remembered to research the problem. When I found out, what was the cause of it – I was blown away. This is a common issue and it takes just a few easy steps to solve this disaster. Thanks to Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve, it all made complete sense! I made the following discovery:
Commercial liquid shampoos and conditioners often contain synthetic silicones and silica that coat your hair, to make it “feel” nice, but leave a residue in your hair. Styling products and your own natural sweat and oil production can add to residue build up.
The detergent shampoos with loads of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) are very good at stripping EVERYTHING (even those natural oils we want) and ridding your hair of residue.
Clarifying your hair is a way to remove the build-up some products leave on your hair which can make your hair dull and lifeless. Regular household baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate aka Baking soda) is an easy clarifier to use.
Source: CVSAS
Baking soda to the rescue – once again!
My hair was emitting all the crap that I had been using for years. Once I realized this – it gave me back my hope! I didn’t blame myself anymore on the fact that I didn’t know how to wash my hair. Nor did I blame the soap. There were now solutions to try and I was ready to change the situation.
Hard water and/or residue from previous products can cause shampoo bar adjustment problems. To tackle both of these problems, baking soda rinse can make miracles.
My recommended rescue regimen for the first month, when transitioning to a bar shampoo:
- Make a simple baking soda clarifying hair rinse using:
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 – 2 cups warm water
- Make your hair wet under the shower and then add the above-mentioned rinse.
- Wash your hair with your shampoo bar – just circling the hair edges on the scalp and scattering the lather all over the head.
- Sprinkle a bit of baking soda on your fingers and massage it on the scalp. Do it in several areas of your head.
- Rinse your hair thoroughly and dry.
- Spray some ACV-water (3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and a half cup of water) mixture on damp my hair.
After a month I stopped doing everything else, I just continued using a bit of baking soda on my fingers and my scalp, while washing. I haven’t had any problems since. But I haven’t dared to stop using baking soda while washing altogether, as the experience was too painful to go through again.
Share your experiences and tips in the comments, please!
Some valuable links to help your transition to a shampoo bar smoother:
- What is an Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse and when to use it – Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse
- How to wash your hair the best using shampoo bar – hair washing techniques
and
Mattress odors “be gone” with these simple steps
We are happy owners of the old new bed. But there is a slight issue of odors, we have to tackle before our sleep can be safe and sound.
Baking soda – the household wonder helper
I have known that baking soda is good, but I never realized how good it is for the environment, my wallet and my everyday life!
Homemade laundry detergent, a bang for your money
Various experiments in the all-natural laundry detergent field. What works and what doesn’t. Mother Earth to rescue!
While there are of course many things to think of, when on such a new path, as we are in our new home and it all may be a bit overwhelming. The situations you have to tackle, just come living your everyday life. Like was I thinking of the laundry detergent as we got the keys of the apartment? No. But when the laundry basket was getting quite full for our large and energy-efficient washing machine.
Getting to know the world of all-natural cleaners
Now, when the laundry asked to be cleaned I was on research to find the best washing detergent for the laundry machine. My key wishes were that it had to be all-natural and can be self-made. I didn’t know that, when I opened the chest to this wonderful DIY home cleaning products, that it will be quite a ride.
Many people have been sharing their recipes, using many different ingredients resulting different looks of the detergents and therefore different results. No wonder that my own Word document of “The ultimate guide to homemade all-natural cleaning recipes” became a whopping 30 pages of research. I just kept finding new stuff, which I should consider and which would cover not only laundry but also cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, toilet and the rest of the house, including windows.
The road finding what really works the best was a bit bumpy in the beginning as there were tips to try and detergents to mix. Often times it didn’t give the needed results. But after a while, I found recipes, which worked for me and which I am happy to share with you as well.
Liquid laundry detergent – fail
I am not sure why I decided that the laundry detergent has to be liquid. Though I have been using a powder one all my life. Anyway, most likely it seemed the best and the easiest option to make. I used it a couple of times, but I wasn’t sure how long such liquid would last in a jar. Also how much to really use, as I didn’t use Borax in my recipe.
This is a tricky ingredient, as in many countries it is forbidden or just not available. I was trying to find new ones, which wouldn’t have any ingredients I had no way of getting my hands to, such as Borax, Dawn dish soap or any of Dr. Bronner’s products. These all are luckily available to those living in North America. The liquid detergent did do its job. But I think I just over-used it and it wasn’t so cost-saving, as it should have been.
I am not sharing any recipes, as it was still a lot of work and didn’t give the results. Also, this recipe created a little but took quite a lot of ingredients. Hence there is nothing to share, as this didn’t work out. So I realized, that the best would be powder, as there is nothing to go bad. The powder detergent can sit in a jar and is ready to use in an instant.
Dry laundry detergent – win
Finally, I came across this really simple laundry detergent recipe, which I have been using ever since.
Mix 2 cups of washing soda with the gratings from one 5-ounce/140 g bar of castile soap.
Use 1 tbsp for light loads; 2 tbsp for heavy loads.
I ended up using half of the recipe. Instead of castile soap, I used the Almawin curd soap, which I found for 0.90 cents from a health store. As I experimented later, any other soap will do. I used the kitchen grater to ground the soap. I mixed it with baking soda on a jar, which was home of pickles before.
Does it really work?
How do I know it really works? Unfortunately, I have no photos as proof, but I can tell a little story of a garment, which became clean after using this detergent.
In 2017 summer we worked literally as slaves for pennies at a hotel by the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Since the premises weren’t used for a few years it meant that after the renovations the place was really dirty. We had our own personal outfits we were wearing while working. The shorts I wore, were made of polyester and while wearing those I pushed, knelt, rubbed, sat and whatever there is to do when wearing pants.
I started noticing that the ends of the pants had some grey lines, which referred to heavy-duty wear and they didn’t fade or turned any lighter after many washes. When the whole nightmare was finally done and we were safely back at home and I was finally able to do a nice machine wash to all of our items I noticed for my sadness that the pants didn’t clean after all. I took it as a reality and understood that they have been just damaged until I washed them with my own made detergent described above and after the first wash – the lines were gone. I am a believer!
The best thing is yet to come – chestnuts!
I wasn’t done with it, as I knew that there had to be another way how to wash your laundry. Without spending any money at all. I remembered that somebody mentioned once, that you can use as a laundry detergent chestnuts. Cool! They are free when the season is in. Totally worthy of looking more into.
I found a few good pages, which were really helpful. One stood out though. The site described the whole process very thoroughly. Plus there were photos of every step on the way. So it was easy like bliss to follow.
Since it was October last year, when I found out that I can use chestnuts as laundry detergent, I went out to pick them. I followed the steps of the website to create a completely free all-natural product. I have been using chestnut laundry detergent for a year and I am very happy with the results. Especially with the savings 😉
Before I will write my own article about how to make chestnut laundry please read below a list of things…
…to keep in mind while using chestnut detergent
- Preparing chestnuts for the detergent is a bit of a job.
- Chestnuts need to be soaked overnight in a cup of hot water to make detergent for the next day. Takes a little planning.
- It is not a powerful stain remover. It doesn’t remove blood stains (they get lighter after few washes).
- Don’t stuff your machine too full, as it will leave some dark lines on your laundry. But this happens with commercial detergents as well.
- But it is environmentally friendly, totally free and all-natural!
Please read the ever so wonderful article by Wasteland Rebel. Believe me, it makes you want to go and collect those chestnuts now! It is not too late!
Also, please check our article on baking soda, which may come handy at home. Hint, it is also all-natural and very cheap.