Ok, so I got obsessed with finding natural beauty products last year. For the most part the project was a big success, but I have to admit, I also had some MASSIVE FAILS. I have to fill you in on all of that, so here goes…
Let's start with hair.
I'm still loving my henna hair color. See this post for the full dets. I've been using the henna approximately every 4 weeks since then to cover my roots. I've streamlined the process a bit. I don't leave it on all night any more, 4 to 6 hours will do. Plus I mix the orange and brown together now, instead of doing two separate steps. One cautionary note: I was chatting with a hair stylist, and she said that if you use henna then go back to regular color, you can end up with wacky results (like blue hair). So if you decide to try henna you need to be prepared to commit to it until it grows out because you can’t really remove it.
Let’s move along to MASSIVE FAIL #1.
I tried using baking soda as shampoo and apple cider vinegar as conditioner. I read promises of unbelievably shiny healthy beautiful hair. Unfortunately, my hair alternated between being so drowned-rat greasy that it never even completely dried, and being SUPER dry whith a white film and flakes (baking soda, I think?) Apparently, it takes a lot of time and effort (and nasty hair days) to perfect the process. I’m too impatient and too vain for that. I ended up finding this all-natural shampoo and conditioner. It’s not toxic, it smells nice, and makes my hair soft and shiny.
Skin:
One great trick that I'll continue to use is almond oil instead of body lotion. Use it in the shower before you dry off to moisturize your skin.
Another great find:
Ecco Bella all natural cosmetics and skin care products. They satisfied my non-toxic criteria, but are still luxurious and effective.
On to MASSIVE FAIL #2.
The oil cleansing method (OCM). Dets are here. It totally made me break out. But I continued to persist with it because it made my skin feel nice (even though I had teenager acne.) Then Cristin asked her dermatologist about it, and he pointed out that the olive oil may end up acting like a petri dish full of bacteria, since there are no preservatives in it. Yikes. Needless to say, I stopped smearing bacteria all over my face every day. I do still use olive oil to remove eye makeup, though.
So that wraps up the Natural Beauty Experiment. Overall, the experiment was worthwhile. I found out that I can use great all-natural products without going completely granola. I order products from a site called Well.ca… they offer free shipping in Canada! Yay!