Potions and Such

First off, I am apparently a dirty hippie.  You may be wondering how I reached an age before discovering this truth...Well, for one thing, my dad was an extremist dirty hippie in denial and compared to him ANYTHING was cleaner.  Secondly, I'm probably not the top expert on social norms and although I've lived with a number of families (DCF kid) I've never been very observant of hygiene rituals.  See, this whole post was to be about this fabulous blog called A Sonoma Garden I found that provides the SIMPLEST instructions ever for your necessary daily potions and such, like lotion.  Well as I was reading through the blog, I found that not shampooing your hair is actually a social movement.  Hmm....read through the comments section where people dutifully divulged their shower and shampoo frequencies.  And OH MY, I'm definitely a dirty hippie.  I like a good shower as much anyone.  Well, I probably like a shower better than most people as I spent the majority of my childhood without access to running water.  I know it doesn't seem possible in this day and age in America, but believe me it's true(told you he was a dirty hippie!).   But apparently "the masses" do something that I don't.  They use soap and wash their hair with shampoo on a daily basis.  I'm shocked.  First off, I shower when I'm dirty, cold, sick, or sad (showers are comforting).  This may occur once a week or as frequently as multiple times a day.  I rarely use soap on anything but my hands and feet (flip flop addict), and even then it's usually this bulk olive oil soap that I get from my local Middle East food store that seemingly has the power to clear up any dry/itchy skin issue you might have.

This is the scented version.  The unscented is more beige in color.  Look for the soap maker's mark!

Hair is also shampooed as needed, which is usually like twice a month (basically after I have used some hair gel/spray/etc), which isn't to say I don't do other things to my hair.  My mother used to spend hours brushing, rinsing, oiling it and anything else you can think of.  From time to time I use various things like olive oil, rosemary vinegar (home made), henna (but not long enough to dye it), etc.  I might try the baking soda water idea that she has listed on her blog, seems I might be able to get rid of the shampoo altogether.  If my skin is feeling particularly dry/rough, I run a hot bath and throw a few family size green tea bags in and soak.  You would not BELIEVE what that will do for your skin.  Also feel free to drop in some good smelling oil (Rose is my fav).  Now after hearing all this you may think that I LOOK like a dirty hippie.  Turns out, I'm actually your average vain girlie girl who wears make up and fusses over her hair color like nobody's business.

Rosemary Vinegar Hair Rinse
(For Shiny Hair)

Take a handful of fresh rosemary and put it in a wide mouth jar (old jam jars work just fine).  Pound the hell out of it with a wooden spoon, fill to the top with vinegar (I like white vinegar).  Sit it in the fridge for a few days, shaking whenever you think of it.  Then strain it and pour it over your hair.  I like to start with dry hair and let it sit while I'm in the tub scrubbing and whatnot (yes, I do scrub, though without soap).  Then rinse it out.  Use cold water to rinse it with if you want it extra shiny.