Day 25 of NO POO Method!!

Hello!!!  I am quite excited to share with you my experiences with over the last 25 days of my NO POO method way of washing mine and my daughters hair.  I would like to start by saying that we haven't cheated or given up!  There have been days when I wanted to as there have been many "bad hair" days but we are sticking to it!

My first week was good.  I didn't notice a difference in my hair at all.  It acted the same as if I had shampoo'd it.  I  was able to go 6 days without washing it again though which was interesting.  My showers weren't nearly as long...lol.  My daughter on the other hand was able to go 13 days without washing.  I wasn't sure if it was just me thinking her hair was still clean so I had a friend check it out to be sure I wasn't letting my kid walk around with gross hair!

By week 2, I only lasted about 4 days before I needed to wash.  I found that my scalp got a little oily.  I did some more reading up on this method to see if this was normal and it seems it was.  It was also recommended that you get a Boar Bristle Brush and to use that twice daily to help pull the natural oil from your scalp through to your ends.  I went hunting for a brush and finally found one.  This made a big difference in the look and feel of my hair.  You will have to brush your hair in sections as it doesn't go through all your hair like a normal plastic brush would.  As you are brushing you might find your hair to act as if it had static but after you are done you will find it's not at all dry.




Since then I have been lasting any where from 4 to 6 days.  I believe that I am still working through the "transition" stage a little as I am still experiencing those lovely "bad hair" days.  My ends that were a little split when I started this are looking much better (nope, didn't cut them) and my hair feels thicker.  As I mentioned in my first post, I have very thin, no body hair so to have it feel a little thicker is great!

My daughter also has long thin hair and since we started the no poo method with her she also has thicker feeling hair.  She's able to to go longer than me in between washes.  More like 7- 13 days but I attribute this to the fact that we almost never use any product in her hair and we have been using all natural shampoo's on her since she was born.

They say that to truly get the real effect of this change on your hair that you need to withstand all the transitions for approx. 3 months.  I haven't had any horrible days with this yet so a couple more months I suppose won't hurt!!  I wish I had taken before and after 90 day pictures but I didn't but I will post a picture at the end of the 90 days and will let you know if I will be continuing this method after.


I have found lots of tips and tricks like this as well.  Please feel free to comment below with your experiences and anything that you've tried with this that make a difference!  I would love to hear from others that are also taking on this journey!

I would also like to mention that I do braid my hair each night before bed (it's longer and helps to keep it from tangling) and I add just a slight touch of coconut oil to my ends as well.

Day 1 of NO POO Method!!

I have been going through quite the journey over the last few months.  If you have read my previous posts you know that I started working out with BodyRockTv 5-6 times a week, I drink a specific protein powder daily and now I am looking to make my hair look as good as my body is getting!

My sister started this "no poo" method about a month ago.  I have been waiting to try myself but wanted to see how she did with it first.  Her hair looks great (now that she's mostly through her transition period) and she's loving it.  Me being the skeptic that I am...I decided to try it on my daughter first and see how that goes.  She's 10 with long straight blonde hair.  I did the no poo wash on her for the first time on April 15th.  Everyday I kept checking to see if it was dirty, if it smelled bad, was it tangled or dry.  Believe it or not we lasted until yesterday, April 27th, before we no poo'd it again.  I cannot believe it!!!!!!!!!!!  Now with children, I am going to assume that because their hair isn't as abused as adult hair usually is and that we rarely use product in her hair that they won't experience the transition that I may.  Also thinking back, I have never used anything but all natural chemical free shampoo's and conditioners on her hair so that may be a factor as well.  Either way...almost 2 weeks without requiring a wash!!  WOW!!!!

After going through the method again last night, her hair was incredibly soft and shiny.  Amazing.  SOLD!!!!!!!  Today was the day for me to no poo my own hair.  I will share with you my journey on how often I require to wash and what I use etc.  How my hair reacts and will post pics in approx. 3 weeks. 

My hair is very fine, thin and straight.  Let the fun begin and we'll see how this goes!







Okay, so for those of you that don't know what a NO POO method is...(guess I should've explained this first), it's washing your hair with a mixture of baking soda and water as your shampoo and then a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water as your conditioner.  I have read up on different sites as to how much of each to mix and what other people have done and it seems to vary depending on their hair types etc.  I have started with 1 TBSP of baking soda in 1 cup of water.  (make sure your water is warm)  Wash this into your hair as you would shampoo.  Massage it in to the scalp and then rinse.  After that, in goes the mixture of 1 TBSP of Apple Cider Vinegar in 1 cup of water.  I put most of this into my ends and then some up on my head.  As with conditioner, let this sit for a few minutes before rinsing it out.  Now before you panic...this will STINK!!!!  But it's all good.  After rinsing it out the smell is gone!

Remember that my hair is fine and thin so if you try this and you find your hair to be really dry after..add more apple cider vinegar next time.  Most people on these sites say between 1 and 2 TBSP's.  This is also my day 1 so I may have to adjust as well.  Just letting you know what I did today and we'll go from there. 

What a great way to keep chemicals out of your hair/skin/scalp etc and will be cheaper in the long run not having to buy shampoo's and conditioners anymore!  They say that eventually you should only have to wash 2 to 3 times a month.  This is because your grease production will relax as you are no longer stripping it away with every shampoo.  Oh...before I forget, invest in a Boar Bristle Brush.  Brush your hair daily with this as it will help to evenly distribute any natural oils throughout your hair.  This keeps it healthy, shiny and moisturized!!

I would love to hear from anyone that has done this as well and for anyone that wants to join me on this journey!  Wish me luck and stay tuned!!!!!!!! 

In love and health,

Tamara

Exercise Challenge

Hello everyone!!

Today is Day 1 of a 21 day Boot Camp Challenge that I have signed up for.  I am sure you are wondering what that is.  I will go back in my history about 2 months and start from there.

I was starting to feel better and was starting to get more energy.  My sister had posted on facebook this Catching Fire 30 Day Challenge.  I didn't have a clue of what that was so I clicked on the link and found it to be a 30 day workout challenge.  I haven't worked out in probably 3 years.  I was at the time about 96 pounds (way under weight) and was a smoker.  This challenge sounded like just the thing to get me off of the couch. 

5 days into the challenge I ran out of cigarettes.  It was freezing cold outside and I wasn't in the mood to go to the store.  I did my 5 day challenge instead and after had my awesome protein shake!!  I felt great!  I didn't go to the store that day and in fact I haven't since!  It's been just over 2 months now of no cigarettes and working out 5 days a week. 

In the last 2 months I have gained 7 pounds and I feel so much better.  That first challenge was hard...really hard.  I pushed through it anyways and did what I could.  I am not advanced by any stretch of the imagination so modified the exercises where I needed to and went from there.  After I completed the 30 days I ran though it again.

To help gain the weight I needed I added a very healthy protein shake everyday.  http://avenaoriginals.com/featured/rp3


This is the protein I use.  Its raw and it's a pea protein instead of animal based.  There are 3 flavors to choose from.  I have used many different products over the years and this is the only one I have found that works for me.  I know I'm talking about gaining weight here but this program will do the exact opposite for those trying to lose weight.  I am gaining by adding muscle and protein and eating more raw foods.  You will lost weight doing the same thing. 

My shakes are made by mixing in my VitaMix (blender):

1 cup of almond/coconut/rice Milk
1 organic banana
1 tsp cacao powder
1 tblsp coconut oil
1 scoop of Avena RP3 protein powder
3 or 4 ice cubes

Voila!  A chocolate shake that tastes great!!

BodyRockTv has today started a new challenge.  It's a 21 day Boot Camp Challenge!  Yikes!  I did day 1 today and it's a tough one but I'm up for the challenge and would love to have some of you join me and discuss how you do.  You can sign up through Pinterest.  http://www.pinterest.com/bodyrocktv/bodyrock-boot-camp-21-day-challenge/

If you are interested in the protein powder let me know and we'll get you set up to get some! 

In love and health,

Tamara

Coming back from the #flu and how Young Living Oils helped!

I rarely get sick.  I don't worry about being around people that have a cold or walk around afraid of germs.  I just don't get ill. 

My daughter had a touch of the stomach flu last weekend.  It only lasted one day and after that she was good to go.  Well I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of days ago sicker than I remember being in I don't know how long.  This left me bed ridden for 2 days. 

I couldn't eat during this time which wasn't helping of course as I was getting weaker and weaker by the minute.  I didn't want to add dehydrated to the mix so made sure I was sipping water all day.  In my water was drops of lemon oil to help kill bacteria and to help boost my immune system.  It also made my water taste better as plain old water wasn't quenching my thirst at all. 

I have been using Young Living Oils for probably about 15 years or so.  I always have certain ones on hand that I will not be without.  I am so very thankful that I had them on hand for this wonderful bout of the flu.  Most of my friends that have had this were in bed for 1 to 2 weeks.  I was out of commission for 2 days.  I really had zero energy to take care of myself but I was able to do this to help pull me out of it. 

1. I drank plenty of water with lemon in it
2. To help ease my tummy I applied Peppermint Oil to my belly button every hour
3. To boost my immune system and help with a quick recovery I applied these oils to my feet every hour and then covered my feet with thick warm socks so that the oils would soak in : Thieves, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Valor and Peppermint
4. I diffused both Thieves and Purification in my room to help purify the air and then I was also breathing in the oils.  Double bonus!!

Today is much better.  I am still weak from not eating but am on the road to recovery and expect to be 100% by tomorrow.  I truly love my oils and wouldn't know what to do without them.  I really think that I will be dividing my topics into 2 blogs as I would love to share my stories with my oils and to get the word out as much as I can about them.  There is no other company in the world (in my opinion) that delivers the quality of oils that Young Living does. 

I would love to hear your stories or experiences using oils or if you have any questions I will do my best to answer them!!!!!!!!!!

In love and health,

Tamara

My Work from Home Quest

Day 2 of my attempt to write a blog!!  I have done a bit of reading on #blog writing.  What is recommended and what's not.  What catches attention etc.  One of the things that I found most common was to find something you are passionate about, a self named expert in and use that as your "niche" to write about.  Well I have an issue with that because I am passionate about many things!  How ever am I to choose which to write about?  Do I have several blogs on the go?  Ugh...too much to think about. 
What a dilemma!  I am passionate about my family, health, the truth, crochet, animals and the list goes on!  I love to read and when something catches my attention I tend to research a bit on what I just read.  I am not one to believe what mainstream media presents on most occasions therefore I will read up on my own. 
With all this said I think I will write when something comes to mind about whatever feels right for the day and see what happens from there!!!!  I hope to grab an audience that will enjoy reading my thoughts on different varied subjects and we can all learn and grow together!!!

My newest "passion" has been trying to find work that I can do from home or from anywhere for that matter.  After I was packaged out of work over 2 years ago I just knew that going back to the office was not something I wanted to do.  I was in sales and am not sure I wanted to go that direction either.  For the last month or so I have been looking all over the internet trying to find work from legitimate companies that offer decent pay for moms to stay at home.  This is no easy task and really is a full time job all by itself.  I am sharing this story with you so that you don't fall into the same trap that I did.

I had seen several get rich quick schemes on the internet promising all sorts of wealth.  I knew to stay away from these.  I did however find one that had very lengthy videos that didn't offer fortune without much work.  They did admit that you would have to work to accomplish your goals.  They did offer 24/7 support.  They offered to basically hold your hand and show you exactly what to do to make money online until you did.  I watched all the videos..which took about 3 days.  I seemed to somehow lose all my knowledge of internet scams and kept watching.  I was starting to believe that I could do this.  I could stay home.  I could continue to just be a mom and not have to worry about cash flow. 
They wanted $49 to join the program.  Somewhere in there I just felt that this was wrong so I went to close the program and it came back offering a discount and brought the price down to $19.  Well...lol I figured that $19 wasn't too bad if it ended up being a scam no big deal. 
I paid the $19 and was put through several more videos basically saying the same stuff I had already spent 3 days listening to.  I wanted to get to the part where I learned how to make money online! 
FINALLY after several more offers (where you pay several hundred dollars) that I turned down I was presented with my login page to access the system I purchased.  With that of course came an instructional video.  You have to follow each of the 7 start up steps in order and then you should be on your way.  Easy peesy!  Yah...no.  Each step required you to spend more money.  I did step one and then stopped.  This didn't feel right.  I wanted help.  I wanted to talk to someone.  So I left it.

I got a call a day or so later from this guy welcoming me to the program.  Perfect!  Someone to help me!!  Ya..no.  I spent that day on the phone with this guy and his "boss".  They had to interview me to see if I qualified for their scholarship program.  This program would provide me with all the funds I would require in order to successfully get this business up and running without having to pay for all the start up costs myself.  This of course already went against all the videos as they stated over and over again that no money would have to come out of my pocket after the initial purchase of the program.  I guess I passed all their little "tests" as I was eventually called by the big boss and final decision maker himself!  This is where it really got fun.  When they said no money would ever have to leave my pocket.....what they meant was no money out of your bank account.  They however just want your credit card information.  So it's not really YOUR money you are using.  It's someone else's.  WHAT?????????????  Lovely.  So what they were offering was $100,000 worth of scholarships to pay for my business start up and that money would be stretched over 24 months.  What they needed from me was $10, 495 as a down payment on that 100k in order to make it legal.  ????  He got very snippity with me when I was now backing off and very skeptical.  Throwing scare tactics at me etc.  I ended the call and haven't heard from anyone since.  Shocking. 

That's my experience in trying to find #workathome.  There aren't many companies allowing work from home that aren't outbound hunting type of sales for weird little business.  At the end of the day, these last 2 years have made it very clear to me that I just want to be at home taking care of the house and being a momma.  I am sure I am not alone in that.  I know of several MLM companies too so before any suggestion are made there, I already am a distributor for 2 companies that I believe in and use their products daily but have never made an income with it. 

In light and in love I hope you enjoyed reading my rant for the day and I hope to have veered anyone away from these so called making money online companies that just want to steal from you. 

First time for everything!!!

Welcome to my very first blog!!!

        I will take this time to introduce myself a little.  I am a married mom of 2.  (4 if you count my furry babies)  I have raised my son and am very proud to say that he is now out on his own making a life for himself.  My daughter is much younger and so is still home with us. 
        I have worked all my life from summer jobs to full time up until 2 years ago.  I was working for a large telecommunications company for almost 14 years when they packaged me out.  This was a devastating time for me and therefore I spent a very long time being completely lost.  With this sense of loss came anxiety, depression, weight loss and fatigue.  I am thinking that I will go further into my journey out of that on a later post as I would like to use this to help others that are in similar situations. 
        A little over a year ago I learned how to knit ruffle scarves and how to crochet using YouTube!!  Talk about an instant addiction!  I am always searching for fun new patterns to try out and I even sell some of my stuff!  My sister and I created a facebook site and together we show our items and offer custom made products!  What a fun and interesting journey that is!  We even entered a craft fair late Nov last year and it was a total success!!
       
         The part I miss most about not working is the people.  I enjoy discussing health topics.  I enjoy sharing research I have done on different ways to stay healthy.  I love to chat about crochet!!  This is where the idea to blog came in!  I read a ton on natural ways to stay fit and healthy.  I am a member of a couple different organizations that provide natural supplements and essential oils that I use on a daily basis.  I want to share my experiences with these items and hopefully help others to enjoy the benefits as well. 

          I am sure that I will learn as I go with this "blogging" thing as I don't have a clue of what I'm doing right now.  I welcome friendly comments and conversations and cannot wait to continue with sharing things I learn and with learning from you too!!

          My facebook site if you are interested in taking a peek is Sassy Crafty Sisters Crochet .  I do have an Etsy account as well with 2 original patterns posted My Etsy Shop.

Talk again soon!!!!!!!!!  In health and love,

Tamara