No Poo Continues :)

No Poo (shampoo) continues, but I have a confession:

I chopped 12+ inches off of my hair and donated it to locks of love. When I got my hair cut, the stylist lathered my hair in shampoo. It was the ultimate guilty pleasure. But again my hair became super dependent on the sulfates. So, I'm back to no 'poo, but I've changed the recipe.

I mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda with a splash of water to create a paste.

Wash & Rinse. To create that shampoo scent add any type of essential oils. I really like mint in mine because it makes me feel clean.

If you have wavy, curly, or hair that knots easily, rinse it with 1 cup vinegar/1 cup water mixture. My hair is still getting used to it because I have thick hair. But if you don't have ridiculous Greek genes like me, your hair should be up to par by a week. It's a win-win: no harsh chemicals in your body and no feeding the shampoo companies money.

On another very exciting beauty related note, I started making my own lotion. I have suffered with dry skin every season change. It makes me a little nervous to be putting something that is filled with toxins onto the largest organ, my skin. Here's all you need:

1 1/4 Cup Hot Water

1/4 cup emulsified wax (you can buy this online or at some craft stores)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

24-36 drops of any essential oil you wish. I used lavender for stress relief.

In a mason jar, I combined the wax and olive oil. Then, I popped it into the microwave for about a minute (the temperature should be around 155 degrees).

While the wax and olive oil sat in the microwave, I filled another mason jar with the water. Once the olive oil and wax mixture was done, I put the water in the microwave for a minute. The temperature on this should read roughly 120 degrees.

The final steps are adding the drops to your olive oil mixture. Then, pour the water in the mixture; it should turn into a milky white color.

To finish this off, I pour the mixture into the now empty mason jar and let it cool down.

I must admit, I approached this project with some apprehension. I know how to cook, but I don't know how to cook up lotion - or so I thought.

Anyway, back onto what I do best - cooking up FOOD

More soup, more soup, I say..

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been a soup making addict. I'm trying to come up with healthy version of each soup, so the recipe making is taking some time. I have mastered, thanks to Rachael Ray in part, a very light Cherry Tomato Ravioli Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon EVOO

2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes

2 Cloves Garlic

4 Cups Chicken Stock (use veggie Chicken Stock to make this Vegetarian)

1 LB Fresh Ravioli (I used store bought frozen, but you can use whatever is in your house)

2 Scallions

1 Cup Torn Basil Leaves

1. In a large, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid, or a Dutch oven, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Stir in the cherry tomatoes and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes burst and a thick sauce forms, 15 minutes. Feel free to mash the tomatoes up with a potato masher.

2. Add the chicken stock and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the ravioli and cook until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and scallions to wilt. The fun part about this is you can add whatever pasta you want. If you're a vegan and you don't want to have the dairy, add in plain pasta and thicken the broth up with a little bit of corn starch.

   
   

Hi, my name is Gabi and I'm a sulfate addict..

Well, hello hello...

I've started several new projects, most of which did not include updating my blog. This is all about to change because I have added several new components to my healthy living bag of tricks.

And so it goes....

It is important to understand food as your source of energy. Seeing your body as a temple that needs the most beneficial nutrients to be as beautiful and efficient is key to staying healthy. I believe a lot of people in the health food community believe this, but fall short of the bigger picture. You may began to ask yourself what I mean by this. Take, for example, your skin. It is the largest organ in our body, but we rub chemicals from soap, perfume, lotion, and many other things on it. After researching all of the harsh chemicals in these products I've decided two things:

1. I am no longer using shampoo (this journey has been hellish)
2. I'm making my own lotions

I currently use a half water/half vinegar rinse prior to washing my hair. Then, I use 1 tablespoon baking soda and 2 tablespoons of water to make a paste, which I use to wash my hair. I have hard water, which is a problem because hard water does not dissolve baking soda well; in fact, it has potential to create soap scum. That is why the vinegar rinse is important. As a general rule, a person should only wash his or her hair two to three times a week.

The verdict: I'm addicted to sulfates

Sulfates are synthetic detergents found in shampoos that make it foam and lather, like in the shampoo commercials. I love the lather and feeling of clean hair, so much so that when I think my hair is greasy, it puts me in a negative mood for the day. When I get home, I shower, lather, and feel like a million bucks. I am very particular about my hair being "clean," which is why this project is a nightmare.

So what's wrong with sulfates, you might ask..

According to David Steinman, from Healthy Living:

We have found very often the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate in a shampoo formulation is a "marker" for the use of other undesirable ingredients, including formaldehyde-containing preservatives (e.g., imidazolidinyl urea); possible cancer-causing wetting agents (e.g., cocamide DEA); and nitrosamine-forming agents (e.g., triethanolamine). Also, it should be mentioned that in Germany, where there is a concerted effort underway now to label cosmetics and personal care products as certified natural, formulations containing sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate cannot be so certified, reports Michael Wrightson, president of Logona Kosmetik.

Interestingly, sodium lauryl sulfate "is used around the world in clinical studies as a skin irritant," notes the journal. The publication expressed additional concerns:

• Carcinogenic nitrosamines can form in the manufacturing of sodium lauryl sulfate or by its inter-reaction with other nitrogen-bearing ingredients within a formulation utilizing this ingredient.
• Other studies have indicated that sodium lauryl sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain from skin contact. This poses the question whether it could be a serious potential health threat from its use in shampoos, cleansers, and toothpastes.
• Still other research has indicated sodium lauryl sulfate may be damaging to the immune system, especially within the skin. Skin layers may separate and inflame due to its protein denaturing properties.
• Although sodium lauryl sulfate is not carcinogenic in experimental studies, it has been shown that it causes severe epidermal changes in the area it is applied, indicating a need for tumor-enhancing assays.
• Additional studies have found that sodium lauryl sulfate is heavily deposited on the skin surface and in the hair follicles. Damage to the hair follicle could result from such deposition.

Well my - that's enough reason for me to stop using shampoo. So, I'm very sad that my hair no longer lathers like the moaning women and men in Herbal Essences commercials. In fact, I'm only at the beginning stages of this experiment and my hair feels greasy. It's not cringe worthy like, "oh-my-gosh that girl totally does not wash her hair." It's more mental, and me being particular.

But, shampoo is a product that has no real purpose other than to make shampoo companies money.

The sulfates lather your hair, but the synthetic detergents merely strip your hair of it's natural oils. In turn, your hair freaks out, and produces extra oils to compensate for the stripped ones. Alas, the cycle begins again. Interestingly enough, the "lather, rinse, repeat" ideology is only for the soap companies to make more money. The more shampoo you use, the more money they make. Since I've been participating in this useless pattern for 26 years, my hair is going to take time to adjust. From what I've read, it takes about 2 weeks for your hair to get accustomed to not being stripped, so I'm willing to deal with greasy hair if it means protecting my skin and body.

My lotion tangent will have to wait for another update because I'm still working on it :) (Cliff Hanger, dun dun dun)..

Anyway, onto FOOD! Since the weather is getting a bit colder, I've been on a soup making craze. Here is one of my absolute favorites:

Vegetarian Chicken Tortilla (12 Servings)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 green pepper
• 1 medium sized yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package of baby bella mushrooms
• 2.5 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers, drained
• 2 (14 ounce) cans vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 1 (14 ounce) can black beans
• 12 ounces tortilla chips
• 1 cup shredded reduced fat Cheddar cheese
• 1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the pepper, onion, garlic, mushrooms, cumin, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the tomatoes and chile peppers. Pour in the broth, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Mix corn and black beans into the soup, and continue cooking 5 minutes. Serve in bowls over equal amounts of tortilla chips. Top with cheese and avocado.

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving Calories: 315 | Total Fat: 16.2g | Cholesterol: 12mg

[Enjoy]