#2. i only shampoo (also with very cheap shampoo without parabens i personally use the tea tree stuff from tj's) once every two weeks

[anthonycrowley]

telling random people that they probably have to shampoo their hair less than they think is a thankless job that no one listens to me for but someone must be a prophet that walks the earth

[laraehrlich-blog]

Original content owned & copyrighted by Green Global Travel.

My journey into making natural travel toiletries and other personal care products began back in 2013 at a hostel in Puerto Viejo, ills of fluoride. With a mouth full of foamy chemicals that were no doubt killing me, I decided then and there that it was time to make a change. 

My wife Emma and I are always eager to join in on a good boycott or protest. We’ll gladly do without our favorite food brands or READ MORE:  to Avoid Products With Palm Oil 

Personal Care Products You Can Make at Home

To Make Natural Toothpaste

to Make Natural Deodorant

to Make Natural Shampoo

to Make Natural Hair Conditioner

to Make Natural Mouthwash

to Make Natural Body Wash

to Make Handmade Soap

to Make Natural Sunscreen

to Make Natural Lip Balm

to Make Natural Moisturizer

Personal Care Products you can make Aromatherapy image by Seksak Kerdkanno from Pixabay

Why Natural Travel Toiletries Are Better

There are many positive arguments to be made for natural personal care products, which tend to benefit both the user as well as the ecosystem around said user. Commercial travel toiletries, on the other hand, generally contain a cocktail of chemicals that aren’t good for the environment.

The sulfates and anti-bacterial elements of many deodorants and soaps aren’t biodegradable, so they tend to build up in water sources. Plastic microbeads, which are used in an ever-expanding array of personal hygiene products, are often found in marine animals’ stomachs.

Palm oil, a common ingredient in toiletries, causes the plastic pollution problem.

READ MORE: 15 Ways to Reduce Waste & Embrace Waste-Free Living

  To Make Natural Travel Toiletries

to make Natural Toothpaste image by Bruno Glätsch from Pixabay

1. to Make Natural Toothpaste

It can take a tremendous amount of time and money to maintain our teeth, and doing so begins with a mind-boggling selection of toothpastes. There’s teeth whitening, tartar control, sensitive teeth, and all sorts of other bells and whistles. It begs the question: Why do we complicate the simple act of brushing our teeth?

There are lots of options for ecologically concerned and health conscious consumers, including organic toothpaste, herbal toothpaste, fluoride-free toothpaste, and SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) free toothpaste. It begs the question: much unnecessary crap are they putting in corporate manufactured toothpastes?

A quality natural toothpaste is very inexpensive to make at home. The following formula has a refreshing flavor, whitens teeth, and eliminates plaque. This flouride-free toothpaste without SLS is easy to make yourself, and it only has three simple ingredients!

  DIY Natural Toothpaste Recipe

Ingredients: Baking Soda, Coconut Oil, Essential Oil

Melt ¼ cup of coconut oil in a glass jar.

Stir in 4 TBSP of fine baking soda and 15 drops of essential oil (peppermint, spearmint, or cinnamon, depending on the flavor you prefer).

Put it in a jar.

Important Note: Put a lid on the jar and label it somehow. The lid will prevent the baking soda from absorbing smells that occur naturally in the bathroom. And since many of these DIY concoctions use similar ingredients, labeling prevents putting DIY deodorant on your toothbrush (which would actually work fine, despite how gross it might sound).

READ MORE: Going Green- 60 Earth Day Tips for Every Day

“Take The Risk” by Kyle Jones is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

2. to Make Natural Deodorant

It’s become second-nature to swipe our underarms with deodorant in the morning, to ensure we won’t be a sweaty stink-hog during the day. Who knew we’ve been swabbing questionable deodorant ingredients onto our bodies all these years, and that the aluminum in deodorant is harmful to our health?!

Of course, these day more conscious, non toxic deodorant choices have become widely available. You can buy vegan deodorant,organic deodorant, chemical-free deodorant, and other types of healthy deodorant for men, women, and even children. Unfortunately, these products are not always effective.

But it’s really easy to make a chemical-free deodorant that works. It’s arguably the best natural deodorant you could ask for, and it’s incredibly cheap to create.

  DIY Natural Deodorant Recipe

Ingredients: Baking Soda, Coconut Oil, Essential Oil

Melt approx. 4 TBSP of coconut oil in a glass jar.

Stir in 4 TBSP of baking soda and your essential oil  of choice (Lemon and Lavender are good).

Put a labeled lid on the jar.

In truth, I don’t even bother with three ingredients anymore. I wet my hands, put my fingertips in baking soda, and rub it underneath my armpits. It works better than any deodorant stick or spray I ever used. If your body has a bad reaction to baking soda, try a splash of apple cider vinegar instead.

READ MORE: 40 Healing Vegetables (a.k.a. Nature’s Medicine)

to Make Natural Shampoo image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

3. to Make Natural Shampoo

By this point, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise to learn that most store-bought shampoo has some unsavory ingredients. There are parabens, phthatlates, sulfates, and methylisothiazolin to name a few.

More disturbingly, shampoo is often has the opposite effect as advertised! If you use a shampoo for dry hair or a shampoo for oily hair, they really just create dependency rather improving things. In other words, using these shampoos perpetuates our need to use them.

There are many brands of all natural shampoo that are better if you want to avoid chemicals. You can find organic shampoo, olive oil shampoo, sulfate free shampoo, and more at just about any supermarket or beauty supply store.

But the best natural shampoo can be homemade in less than a minute, and requires just two ingredients:

  DIY Shampoo Recipe

Ingredients: Baking Soda, Water

Add 1 TBSP of baking soda to 1 cup of water in a reusable shampoo bottle.

Shake this up.

My wife uses this natural shampoo twice a week. But I have a dry scalp, and the baking soda made it worse. So I just use the DIY conditioner recipe in the next section for my hair care regime. It’s the best shampoo for dry hair I’ve used, while Emma says this is the best shampoo for greasy hair she’s used.

READ MORE: to Save Water (15 Water Conservation Tips)

to make Natural Hair Conditioner Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

4. to Make Natural Hair Conditioner

If you’re ditching store-bought shampoo, you might as well concoct a homemade natural hair conditioner to go along with it.

This is an extremely easy conditioner to make, with just two ingredients. Yet this simple solution helps prevents dandruff, which I’d battled for years with medicated shampoos.

It’s truly the best hair conditioner I’ve ever used, because I can use it as both an organic shampoo and conditioner in one.

  DIY Conditioner Recipe

Ingredients: Apple Cider Vinegar, Water

Add ½ cup of apple cider and two cups of water to a repurposed bottle.

Shake it up.

After using this in the shower for the first year, I came up with a new method. I have the mixture in a spray bottle on the bathroom counter. I spritz my hair with it three or four times a week after a shower. In the shower, I use a scalp scrubber with just water. Your hair needs about a week or two to transition, but this does actually work!

READ MORE: Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Pouring Mouthwash by Colin Knowles via Flickr CC. 2.0

5. to Make Natural Mouthwash

Toothpaste is undoubtedly important for keeping your teeth clean and sparkly, but mouthwash is also a great tool for fresh breath and general oral health. 

Unfortunately, most commercial mouthwashes are full of chemicals, some of which can cause major health problems. Toxic ingredients include fluoride, chlorhexidine (increased blood pressure and heart problems), methyl salicylate (dilation of capillaries), triclosan (cancer, thyroid disorders), methylparaben (breast tumors in women), and more.

Fortunately homemade mouthwash is very easy to make, and DIY mouthwash has the same minty flavor and zesty feeling of the name brand stuff. Though the antimicrobial mouth rinse is antifungal, this natural mouthwash won’t come with a laundry list of unwanted side effects.

DIY Mouthwash Recipe

Ingredients: Whole Cloves, Essential Oil, Water

Boil some water and pour it into a repurposed 16-ounce bottle.

Add about 10 cloves to the bottle and 20 drops of essential oil (for a mint or cinnamon mouthwash)

Put the cap on, shake it up, and allow it to cool.

Tip: We use mouthwash to brush our teeth half the time. Baking soda can be abrasive, so we alternate between homemade toothpaste and DIY mouthwash to avoid enamel trouble. When we gave up using fluoride, a dentist friend said brushing with nothing works just as well. But fresh breath is nice, too.

READ MORE: to Make a DIY Rainwater Harvesting System

“2017.07.09 Workshop: to wASH?” by FotoMediamatic is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

6. to Make Natural Body Wash

Body wash and natural shower gel seem to have grown more popular than soap these days. 

In our eyes, the best body wash provides an extra oomph that benefits us in ways beyond mere cleanliness. For instance, lavender body wash has a calming effect, coconut oil body wash offers moisturizing, and organic body wash is simply better for the environment.

All natural body wash can be made in three simple steps from a variety of recipes. And of course making a homemade body wash allows you to improvise: You can add exfoliants like sand or coffee grounds, moisturizers like aloe, and whatever scent suits your fancy.

The following is a fantastically simple recipe for an essential oil body wash that will improve your memory, relieve stress, instill anti-aging properties, and boost the immune system. Of course, it also smells real purty, too!

  DIY Organic Body Wash

Ingredients: Rosemary Tea, Lavender Essential Oil, Liquid Castile Soap

Make a strong, organic rosemary tea: 1 TBSP dried rosemary to 1 cup of water.

Once the tea has cooled, add 25 drops of organic lavender essential oil to the tea.

Add 2 cups of unscented organic liquid castile soap.

In terms of aromatherapy, rosemary and lavender are powerful scents. Lavender is renowned for helping us relax, but also helps deter ticks and fleas. Smelling rosemary is very good for our brains. If these aren’t your favorite flavors, choose some scents that are!

READ MORE: Intro to Permaculture Gardening Design & Principles

“homemade soap – orange + anise” by bublaninapinka is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

7. to Make Handmade Soap

For those that still use soap, whether for washing dishes or washing hands, the easiest way to do it yourself is with soap making kits.

Making homemade soap from kits is a fun hobby (GGT founders Bret Love & Mary Gabbett have been doing it for years), and all natural soap makes a fantastic gift for friends and family. 

There are basically two kinds of handmade soap: natural bar soap and liquid castile soap. Of course there are loads of different varieties, including lemon soap (for cleaning), oatmeal soap (for exfoliation), peppermint soap (for energy), and olive oil soap (for moisturizing).

But, whatever natural soap we go for, it all boils down to a chemical reaction between fat and lye called saponification. With castile soap, the fat comes from vegetable oils (traditionally olive oil) and the lye is potassium hydroxide, not the sodium hydroxide used for solid soap.

Full disclosure: Making soap isn’t difficult, but it’s not something that we regularly do. Instead we buy organic castile soaps such as Dr. Bronner’s, which are safe to use. The process of soap-making is more involved than the other DIY projects on this list, and we just haven’t gotten around to including this as part of our routine.

READ MORE: The Best Gifts For Travelers (125+ Reviews)

to make Natural Sunscreen image by chezbeate from Pixabay

8. to Make Natural Sunscreen

Though we’ve been encouraged to use it religiously for decades now, the safety of sunscreen for our skin has turned out to be debatable.

Luckily, natural sunscreen (such as zinc oxide sunscreen) is effective without all the questionable chemicals, both in terms of health and the environment. It’s worth taking the time to find a non toxic sunscreen, especially if you’re into swimming or Scuba diving. There are plenty of eco friendly sunscreen choices.

Organic sunscreen can also be made at home with simple ingredients that provide natural SPF factors. Of course, the best natural sunscreen is to be sensible about your sun exposure, wearing protective clothing, and utilizing the shade. ever, there are times when a natural sunblock is just necessary.

This organic sun cream recipe has numerous variations, but centers on coconut oil, non-nano zinc oxide, and shea butter. Other oils can be added for extra SPF or skin care, and wax can be added for waterproofing. The process of making it is the same, just add extras during step two.

  DIY All Natural Zinc Sunscreen Recipe

Ingredients: Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Non-nano Zinc Oxide Powder

Melt half a cup of coconut oil and just under half a cup of shea butter in a double boiler.

With a protective mask over your nose, add in enough zinc oxide to fit the desired SPF. 1 ounce to this mixture would provide roughly 12-15 SPF.

Stir it well, store it in the fridge, and keep it out of the direct sun.

There are many other ingredients that can kick up your homemade sunscreen. For more sun protection, carrot seed oil and red raspberry leaf oil have high SPF factors. Add in a few drops or more. Vitamin E essential oil nourishes the skin, and a bit of beeswax will help to make it sweat- and water-resistant.

READ MORE: The Ultimate Beach Vacation Packing List

to make Natural Lip Balm

9. to Make Natural Lip Balm

Even natural lip balm has the reputation of being addictive. As with shampoos, some say even the best lip palm creates product dependence rather than solving the problem of chapped lips.

Many of the most popular lip care brands use ingredients that further dry out the lips while providing only temporary relief.

But, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, making homemade organic lip balm is completely doable, and only requires a couple of ingredients.

As with most natural skin care products, this DIY lip balm recipe is inexpensive. Plus, it repairs damaged lips rather than requiring you to continually apply more!

  DIY Lip Balm Recipe

Ingredients: Organic Cconut Oil, Organic Soy Wax

Melt roughly 1 TBSP of soy wax (or beeswax) with 1/4 cup of coconut oil.

Stir the mixture together and put it in a repurposed lip balm container.

For some folks, half the joy of a lip balm is a pleasing aroma. If you want a scented flavor, just add a few drops of nurturing essential oil, such as lavender or peppermint, to the mix. 

READ MORE: Bret & Mary, A Story About Love

to make Natural Moisturizer image by silviarita from Pixabay

10. to Make Natural Moisturizer

The last on today’s list of natural travel toiletries and personal care products is a homemade natural moisturizer. You can easily make it an organic moisturizer to boot.

Whether you want a natural face moisturizer or a natural body lotion, the necessary ingredients remain pretty much the same. It’s a moisturizer for sensitive skin, rather than one wrought with mysterious chemicals nobody can pronounce.

As you’ve probably realized by now, using natural ingredients for skin care is the way to go. The best moisturizer is organic skin care that we could eat, were we so inclined. Parabens, chemical fragrances, and so on simply aren’t necessary, and usually not advisable.

  DIY Moisturizer Recipe

Ingredients: Shea Butter,Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Put a ½ cup of shea butter in a bowl with 2 TBSP each of coconut oil and olive oil.

Melt the ingredients together in a double boiler (add any essential oils once melted).

Pour the mixture into a glass container.

Our personal experience with organic skin care and DIY personal care products in general is that our bodies need up to two weeks of detoxing and adjusting before things level out. After that, our body starts to be less demanding. For example, we only apply deodorant once or twice a week now because we just don’t stink like we used to.

READ MORE: Why I’d Prefer to Forget Visiting the Dead Sea, Jordan

The beauty of filling your travel toiletry bag with these homemade natural products is that we aren’t so worried about finding particular brands.

Each of these organic personal care products has a tiny ingredient list, with stuff that’s readily available just about anywhere we go. OurTSA-approved travel bottles become reusable, which helps both the planet and our wallets.

Personal hygiene products don’t have to come from commercial sources. They don’t require a chemistry degree to create, or bubbly test tube labs. The best skin care products can come from our own kitchens. And in most cases, it’s much better that they do. —Jonathon Engels; lead photo by shawncampbell via CC

  The post 10 Natural Travel Toiletries & Personal Care Products You Can Make at Home appeared first on Green Global Travel.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

How I Got the Best Curly Hair of My Life, Thanks to Instagram

http://fashion-trendin.com/how-i-got-the-best-curly-hair-of-my-life-thanks-to-instagram/

How I Got the Best Curly Hair of My Life, Thanks to Instagram

If you had told 13-year-old me that someday, in the faraway future, hundreds of people would generously teach me how to take care of my curly hair on an app called Instagram, I would have cried. Okay, I would have asked what an app is and then I would have cried.

I have only very recently (like, in the last year) started loving my hair in all its maximalist, effusive glory. I used to straighten it every week all the way through high school and college. Now, though, I’ve come to realize that much like bright colors and clashing patterns, frizz and curls better reflect how I feel on the inside than stick-straight strands do. My hair is as much an expression of my personal style as my rainbow sweater collection.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy, however. Sometimes it looks like this (please see left). I often think about what Shiona Turini said when she shared her hair routine on Man Repeller after switching from straightening it for years to finally wearing it natural: “I’m […] learning that no two hair days are the same. It has a mind of its own and it depends on so many variables. I can only embrace it.”

She hit the nail on the head. Curly hair is higher-maintenance than a teacup poodle. As much as I’ve come to enjoy mine, I do not enjoy the mental space it takes up in my effort to make it look its best — the product application, the air-drying, the spritzing, the oiling — and even then it often turns on me out of the blue, sticking out at a weird angle after a restless night’s sleep or becoming broom-like after too much contact with my beloved chartreuse mohair peacoat.

Exasperated after a recent bout of curly hair betrayals, I turned to my favorite therapist-cum-search-engine (Instagram!) for advice. I asked for three things: 1.) general curly hair tips, 2.) how to preserve my curls so they maintain their luster for multiple days after washing, and 3.) where to get a good curly haircut in New York.

Messages poured in from people with every curl type under the sun, some offering advice and others asking for me to share said advice. I was originally going to post the responses on my Instagram Stories, but I received so many requests I figured there was a real thirst for it — enough to merit a permanent post on the interwebs that could be easily referenced in a post-mohair pinch. Below, find the answers to my three queries as culled from Instagram, plus the routine I’ve adopted since, and please oh puhleeze deposit any additional curly hair secrets in the comments below if you have them.

General product recommendations:

“Camille Rose. All its products are great! But the Algae Renew Deep Conditioner is my holy grail. I have super duper curly hair and it helps my curls stay lush.”

“Shea Moisture!!!!! Truly revolutionary!!!! It isn’t high-end and it’s very affordable. But the same brand has a higher-end line called Madam C.J. Walker. Absolutely life-changing. Use the shampoos and the hair cream for after the shower to keep the integrity of your curls.”

“Shu Uemura Wonder Worker — best product I’ve used for a frizz-free air dry.”

“Philip Kingsley Elasticizer Pre Shampoo Treatment!! It is a pre-wash treatment but I leave it in overnight. It is the only thing that saves my curls from all the heat damage I do to it!”

“I use Curl Keeper. It’s a Canadian product line, so I’m not sure if you can order it to the states but nothing tames my curls quite like it!”

“I just started using L’Oreal EverCurl Sculpt and Hold Cream. It’s NOT CRUNCHY and makes my hair shiny with less frizz. I also love Paul Mitchell Skinny Serum and Davines Curl Building Serum.”

“Evo Liquid Rollers Curl Balm is a game-changing product!! My hair is just like yours and it supports the curls but is not crunchy one bit! So soft!”

“Lush’s Dirty Hair Styling Cream is really good for light definition and it smells like someone who believes in crystal magic in the best possible way.”

“AG Hair Recoil Curl Activator is gooooood! Recommended to me by another curly-haired babe and I was skeptical but now can’t live without it.”

“Davines Oi All In One Milk! Also Davines has a whole line ‘Love Curl‘ with an amazing curl refresher. Cruelty-free and paraben-free!”

“I use the Whipped Cream by Sebastian! It’s super lightweight so doesn’t make your hair greasy, but it’s enough to hold your curls in place for a week.”

“R&B Hair Moisturizer from Lush!!! I used to bleach my hair and it was the only thing that’s kept it alive and soft, especially in the winter.”

“The best conditioner I’ve ever used and have used for the last eight years (!!!) is the Moisture Repair Conditioner by Moroccan Oil — you don’t need much, just comb that sucker through with a wide-tooth comb in the shower and rinse with cold water. [You’ll have] the silkiest hair [right] out of the shower.”

“I really like Miss Jessie’s Pillow Soft Curls Styling Lotion! It’s good for definition that’s not crunchy and it smells like fresh laundry. A woman stopped me in a bar last weekend to tell me how wonderful my hair smells!”

“A product called Cantu has rocked my world. It’s only 7 bucks but don’t let that fool ya. My curls are feelin’ themselves.”

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Curl preservation tips:

“I started leaving coconut oil in my hair for a full day before my shampoo day, and it feels aaaaaamazing. Highly recommend.”

“I really like Living Proof No Frizz Leave-In conditioner. It really helps tame the post-shower frizz for close to a week.”

“Put lots of salt (sea salt or kosher) in a big bowl with warm water, whisk it together and after a shower dunk it over your head.”

“Moisturize in the morning and evening! Spritz with a bit of water, let that sink in and then smooth over with a tiny bit of your favorite moisturizing styler.”

“I change up my products so I don’t use the same thing all the time or my hair starts to get used to it and starts to frizz.”

“Use a glass spray bottle to spray day 2 or 3 (or 4 or 5) after washing, and just get your whole head damp and add a little of whatever your after-shower product is, it kind of brings curls back to life a little.”

“For third-day hair, I’ve used Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk and then I’ll spritz my curls with water and then spray in a little more Briogeo Leave-In Conditioning Spray.”

“I like to use a spray bottle with a little argan oil in it to spray over those curls that need help day 2 or 3 after washing.”

“Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Refresher Spray.”

“Bumble and bumble’s Bb. Curl (Style) Pre-Style/Re-Style Primer is CLUTCH for extending curls! You apply it before your other styling products and then just spray it on again to re-define and re-moisturize after a few days. If I need even more moisture I’ll spray Infusium 23 Moisture Replenisher (which is dirt cheap yay) and then the Bumble and bumble.”

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Where to get a good curly haircut in NYC:

“Fox & Jane on Grand St. — Kiki is a lifesaver.”

“Jennifer Luna at Fox & Jane is a curly-haired, curly hair genius and super bubbly and sweet.”

“Go to Angela at Whistle Salon!

“Chokmah Hair Lab”

“Bull in The Heather Salon”

“Stacy at Butterfly Studio on 23rd street. She’s amazing. A little pricey but worth it.”

“Coby at Little Axe in Williamsburg will change your life.”

“Brush on 19th St”

“Dante Pronio!!! The only haircut I haven’t cried after in my life. I have followed him to four different salons. He is at Sally Hershberger now. When my hair was short he cut it to visually compensate for my right shoulder which is a little higher than my left shoulder. He also does this cute dance when flicking cut pieces of hair to the group. I think he is totally unaware of it, which makes it even better.”

“Antonio at John Barrett is great with curls. He’s been my hair stylist for 16 years from Cleveland to NYC. He’s a hair genius and the nicest person IRL.”

“Chris Chase in Chelsea”

“Cindy at Linden Salon is a genius with curly hair — removing weight without length. She’s in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Worth a trip.”

“SELF Salon in Williamsburg. Go to one of their DevaChan-certified stylists.”

“Shuki Zikri”

“Girl, it’s Head Chop in Williamsburg. $100 for a cut and curl set. Ask for Martha Ellen — she’s a curl wizard AND she has a cute dog.”

“Molly at Sara June — she’s a curly-haired stylist.”

My new hair routine:

1. Wash in the shower once a week with DevaCurl Low Poo Shampoo

2. Condition with DevaCurl One Conditioner OR the Tony Moly Mayo Hair Mask and comb through with fingers

3. Scrunch in IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm while it’s still pretty wet

4. Tie up using the “plopping” method for about ~20 minutes (an Instagram recommendation — TYSM!)

5. Air dry

6. Spritz with water throughout the week and reapply IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm as-needed (also an Instagram recommendation, and probably the most impactful change in my routine in that I’m able to maintain the integrity of my curls for longer between washes)

Overall I couldn’t be more thrilled with the results of my Help Harling’s Curls social media campaign, the only downside being that I now have so many products and hair salons I want to try it will probably take me until age 175 to fully vet them all. That’s okay, though. If there’s one thing curly hair has taught me, it’s patience.

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Now it’s your turn! Deposit as much curl wisdom as your curly-scalped brain contains below.

Photos by Edith Young.; Illesteva sunglasses throughout.