Tuesday, May 7, 2013

It's been way too long

Well, I have fallen into the blogger trap of saying that I'll post all the time and now it's been a year since my last post. It probably would have been even longer except for one of my beautiful customers mentioned she had read my blogs and was wondering why I had quit. So here I am and boy do I have a lot to catch you up on.
Our family has literally doubled since October. We adopted two kittens in October because I was desperate for the Beauties to have a pet and decided to settle for cats. If you know anything about me its that I have never been a cat fan, never! I have completely fallen in love with these crazy cats. They adore the Beauties and even when my youngest picked up one by his ear, he didn't react, so they're also amazing with kids. Just this week they have found and brought to our attention two scorpions (life in the hill country) so they're officially a keeper. Then over Easter I finally convinced the "Beast" to let us have a puppy. After much searching we finally found two we thought would be best for us. Once we got there he was holding one who was snuggling and whimper sweetly on his neck and mine was acting very calm and affectionate, he decided that instead of trying to decide which to take home that we should just take both. Talk about shocked! Therefore, we are now a family of 4 with 4 furry family members; Daisy, Dixie, Puff and Cookie. 


Now onto more serious business. My last post was about how I don't use sulfates or silicones on my hair anymore and you're probably wondering if after a year I've kept up with it. Well, I have and it has turned into a domino effect and has caused some very big changes for me and my family. I won't be able to get into all of the changes on this one post but there will be more information to come.  After so many trials and errors I've finally found the right combo for cleaning and conditioning my hair. Dr. Bronner's is amazing! We use it for everything now; shampoo, body wash, shave soap, hand soap and laundry soap. We love the way it works for all of those things. For my shampoo I tried many different concoctions and this has been the easiest and the one that works best for my hair. It doesn't work for everyone and a lot of people don't like the way it makes their hair feel. It does make it feel...I guess dry is the best word to describe it but if you read the ingredients you're just cleansing your hair with oils. My hair does feel the same way when I wash it (dry) but once I use my conditioner all over it feels like plain clean hair. I also tried my different things for conditioner but have found that plain ole cheap Suave works fantastic plus it's super cheap and it has no silicones. Any that are listed are all water-soluble which means you don't need to use any oil striping sulfates to remove it. I also use hair styling products for curly hair that contain either no silicones or only water soluble silicons. If you have any questions on specifics feel free to ask :)
So, it started with toothpaste, moved to hair care and to facial and beauty care. Thus the domino effect. I am a very cheap person. I like things on sale, coupons and to save money any way possible. Maybe one day I'll write about how Dave Ramsey changed our lives (note to self to remember to do that so you can change your financial future).  That being said, a few months back I was scrolling through Pinterest and came across a pin on how to make your own facial powder. (http://mommyscience.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/homemade-face-powder/). Basically all you need is cornstarch and baby powder; I add just a touch of coco powder to add some color so it's not completely translucent and TADA!!  You can make amazing facial powder that literally cost pennies. I've been using it now for months and love it. Also, take a look at the ingredients listed on the incredibly expensive Bare Escentuals, cornstarch! 
I will seriously try to continue with the blogging. It really does help to know that some of you are actually reading this and want to read more, thank you!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

It all started with toothpaste....

It really did. Keith read somewhere one day in December last year that fluoride in toothpaste is actually a poison. And found out they used it in WWII I believe (don't quote me on which war, can't remember) anyway I didn't think much about it. I mean they sell it at HEB, how harmful could it really be? Well, it actually says that you can't swallow it and if you do you should contact poison control. So, we decide to switch to non-fluoride toothpaste and found that it was more expensive plus it still had stuff in it that we didn't really know what it was. I decided to look up homemade recipes for toothpaste since I'm really into "homemade" and found that they used to use just plain ole baking soda. Well, baking soda taste horrible by itself so I found a recipe of equal parts baking soda and coconut oil, plus stevia (if you like a sweeter toothpaste, which I do) and peppermint essential oil. I mixed it up and I'll admit, it took a little to get used to it but I really like it now and love the fact that I know what each ingredient is and it's okay if the girls get into.
Now, stay with me, we're about to get to the whole hair thing. Last year in March, right before I had Kayleigh, I chopped off my hair pretty short and decided after Kayleigh was born that I wasn't going to "cut" it (trim, yes, chop off again, no) again for a year. Well, growing your hair out is NOT easy as most of us know. I made it till about December and I was getting tired of washing, conditioning, blow drying, and straightening just to turn around and do it all again in a couple of days. So, since my hair is naturally wavy I would sometimes go all natural which still consisted of about the same process; wash, condition, air dry for 45 minutes then blow dry and scrunch, scrunch, scrunch. Which was a little easier but once I slept on it it was a pain in the butt to get it to look decent again even though I got a lot of compliments on it. So I decided to look on Pinterest for any curly hair tips and came across a girl who had tried the curly girl method. I read what she did and decided to do a 6 week trial period. I was growing it out anyway so what would it hurt? I didn't really care if I had bad hair days (there is a transition period where your hair's natural oils have to adjust), I was having those anyway. I tried it and it wasn't too bad. I have pretty dry hair to begin with. This is the blog http://www.andreasteed.com/node/1296 I read and decided to try out. It basically explains the curly girl method. This site also has info about curly girl and sulfates http://www.oneshetwoshe.com/2010/07/no-poo-your-hair-she-kate-p.html. While doing the curly girl method, I continued my search for other ways to treat my crazy hair and came across a ton of info which I will be sharing with you (this is the point after all). I read this ladies blog http://www.loving-it-raw.com/no-poo.html about going no-poo, which I had NO clue what that meant but it basically means you use baking soda and apple cider vinegar. So after trying the curly girl method for about 6 weeks, which was my goal, I decided I really didn't care for it. I felt like my hair was always greasy and it didn't allow me to have much volume which I wanted with my curly hair so my next trial was going to be the baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Boy was that an experience! The first time I tried it I think I used too much baking soda to water ratio and my hair was seriously fluffy. It was pretty funny. Then my "conditioner" was the apple cider vinegar rinse which smelled horrible! But I stuck with that for a while too. After all was said and done I did about a 4 month trial period on my hair trying to figure out what would work best so, if you saw me during that time and thought my hair looked horrible, that's why ;) Anyway, after reading the lady's no-poo blog I decided to do my own research about sulfates and found a wealth of information that was actually quite startling. I couldn't believe that sulfates, which are in almost every shampoo, are such a harsh chemical. This site http://killerstrands.blogspot.com/2008/01/sulfate-free-shampoo-list.html explained about sulfates and the bubbles and foaming we've all come to love. I must admit though, that through everything I'm still addicted to the bubbles. That was one of the biggest things I hated about the no-poo method, that and the smell of that vinegar. Here's another link to some very helpful info http://www.im-fabulous.com/Why-Sodium-LaurylLaureth-Sulfate-is-BAD-for-your-hair_b_17.html. After reading all of this info I also learned about dimethecone. The point of this blog is so you will understand that sulfates and dimethicones are evil and very bad for your hair but they are in EVERYTHING! This site had some info about silicones and dimethicones http://blackstrands.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/silicones-and-your-hair-the-good-and-the-bad/. Basically, you have your shampoo which is full of cheap and harmful sulfates (sulfates are connected to hair loss) and you've got your conditioner which is full of dimethicones. BUT lets say you decided to switch to sulfate free shampoo, well you can't do that unless you get rid of the dimethicones because the only way to get rid of dimethicones in your hair is to use sulfate, talk about an evil cycle. So, when you shampoo, the sulfate strips your hair of every natural oil it needs, then you replace it with the dimethicone which is basically a plastic coating, like armor-all, on your hair which allows no moisture to penetrate through, sounds lovely doesn't it. After reading all this, I was shocked but still not sure about making such a huge change. I mean, if I did that meant I would have to accept my hair in its natural form most of the time. This man's information though really helped, it was so informative http://blog.christopherdrummond.com/2008/06/dimethicone.html. After reading this and everything else, I made the switch and got rid of my shampoo and everything that had dimethicones in it. And you would not believe how much stuff that was! Next time you're doing you beauty regime in the morning, look at the ingredient list. You will continually find sulfate and dimethicones listed on almost everything. After reading about the dimethicone and how it was like plastic it was no wonder I had acne for so long. It was in my moisturizers, my make up, everything! Nothing like sealing your face with plastic that doesn't allow anything good in and nothing out; think about it, you face can't breathe! I was so upset that it had taken me this long to figure all this out.
My beauty regime has made a 360, as well as the girls and the beast ;) and it's really working well for us. I'm making my own lotions now, I've fallen madly in love with Dr. Bronner's which can be used on anything and everything. And you're probably wondering what I do with my hair now. Well, I made it the year without chopping it all off but a month later it came off quickly. I have found I hate long hair plus mine was froing out. So now it's short and so much easier. We use an organic shampoo and conditioner that works great for us (and I still get my beloved bubbles). I also use hair gel, mousse and hair spray, all of which are dimeithcone free. Here is a great list of which "cones" are good and which are bad http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=17410. Basically, what you want it a "cone" that is water soluble, meaning it will come out with water alone. I actually really love my hair now. I think it appreciates the switches I've made and is curlier than ever now!
I really hope this has been as informative and helpful for you as it was for me. I know it was really long but hey, there's a lot of info that needs to be said so that you can be informed. Any questions, feel free to ask :) In my next blog I'll probably share the recipes I've tried for homemade lotion bars and homemade sunscreen. My oldest has incredibly sensitive skin and eczema and the homemade lotion bars have worked wonderful and she rarely has any break outs. I haven't tried the homemade sunscreen yet but I'll let you know how it goes in the next blog!!

Friday, May 4, 2012

What took so long?

It's already been longer than I planned for my next blog. Apparently this really is harder to stick with than you think. I have so many different thoughts to blog about then like everyone else, life happens and I forget all about the blog.

Enough rambling. I think Keith and I have finally decided to make the ultimate life change of being healthier and more fit people.  It happened the other day when Keith heard about a vlog from a family calling themselves the "Tards". Evidently this is their last name and they're actually pretty popular. Anyway, the Dad on there (can't remember his name) decided to make a life change and lost a ton of weight and I think it has inspired Keith. And we all know when one is inspired the other follows. So, here's hoping this actually sticks :) and if I'm blogging about it that means I've got YOU that I'm answering to when I slip up or don't do what I'm suppose to. Plus, we really want to be the best for each other and our kids. They deserve us at our healthiest.

This all leads to another idea I've had. I think I'd like to do a 5K. On pinterest I saw a link that said couch to 5K http://pinterest.com/pin/216665432043062364/ and I'm intrigued. It looks easy enough and I'm wondering if I could convince hubby to do it with me. I'll let you know how that goes. Has anyone done the couch to 5K?

For all you Momma's out there, here's another pinterest link with a craft I did with the girls that I really didn't think would be as popular as it is. Who would have thought that two milk cartons could keep a 3 and 1 year old so entertained?  I thought it would be a little too much for Chloe but she loves it. And you probably have everything to make it. http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/general_content/free_resources/crafts/ed_ballcatcher.jsp

My plans for my next blog is going to be lots of info on sulfates and dimethicones. I've had lots of people asking me about it and what they should use and what to look for so I'll post the links to the info I've found and let you know what I'm using and what I do. Granted, my hair is naturally curly so my method would be different from someone with naturally straight hair but its still the info you need. Once you know what to look for and what it actually is you'll be amazed that these horrible products are in almost everything!

Ta ta for now!


My two tutu beauties :)


Saturday, April 21, 2012

The first blog

So, here is goes, my first blog. There are so many things I can't wait to write about and yet nothing is coming to me now. Could I already have writer's block? Or would that be blogger's block?
Anyway, I truly love the idea of starting a blog for the main reason that my children will one day be able to go back and read this like a diary of sorts. How amazing would it have been if our great grandparents would have had this technology way back when? Think of all the things we could have learned from them. All the stories we could have had richer details about. Like the wars and the way they had to do things. I know we have text books but this would have been their day to day accounts of life. I seriously think something like that would have amazing.
Some of the many things I plan on blogging about (other than my daily crazy life) are craft ideas and hair care and beauty tips (I am a hair stylist after all, it's kinda my duty).
Today we celebrated my baby's first birthday even though she won't "offically" be one till next Wednesday. It has been an incredible year and it's such a bittersweet moment. I'm sad to see it go since we don't plan on having anymore but it was so rough I'm kinda glad its over. She is seriously such a precious and loving baby and I can't wait to watch her grow into a full grown toddler. Having two girls is so amazing. Coming from being an only child it is so precious to see the relationship they have and to know that it will just continue to grow. It's such a beautiful thing to see the love they have for each, being a parent is such a precious gift. And now that I'm getting all mushy I'll sign out and see y'all later gators!
~Noel