Summer is quickly approaching, and with that comes long days outside, lounging at the beach, and the inevitable sunburn. Some people are just lucky and usually tan instead of burn, but if you're anything like me, my pasty white German skin soaks up those rays a little too fast. The beginning of summer is usually torture for my poor skin, as I'm an avid sun lover. Don't worry I ALWAYS put on my SPF, but sometimes I forget to reapply. But then there's days like this last Saturday, when I had no idea I'd actually be getting sun at all! Derik and I participated in a community garage sale and were able to get rid of a bunch of stuff we had laying around the house unused. The thing was, apparently we didn't get their early enough to set up, ... Read More
One Year of No-Poo
A year ago today I stopped using shampoo and conditioner cold turkey. To those of us that practice this method, we refer to it as 'no-poo.' I've only used shampoo and conditioner twice since my no-poo journey began, and that was during my summer vacation when I forgot to bring my BS and Vin mixtures with me. Now that it's been a year, I feel like I can give a somewhat proper review of the process, as well as shed some light on how I've gone so long with this method, and why I'm going to continue this process indefinitely (or as long as I see fit). First of all, as my other no-poo posts have been overtaken by the comment monsters (I have 2 jobs and can't just sit there and answer questions all day people! I need to hire someone), you ... Read More
A Post About My Hair
Hi, I'm Amanda and I've had the same hair since my sophomore year in college. To put a date on it, I guess that would make it almost 7 years (is that terrible?). I've never been much for change, and have always been somewhat of a 'plain jane' when it comes to hair, but hey-it works for me. After writing a few posts on here about my hair and the fact that I don't use shampoo, I've had (strangely enough) multiple people ask me how I style it. Here's the thing. I hate spending time on my hair. I make it a point to take less than 20 minutes on my locks each and every day. To me, styling my hair and putting on tons of makeup is just a waste of time. I have plenty of other important things to do then spend hours getting ready in the bathroom. ... Read More
Let’s Talk About ‘No Poo’ (FAQ 2)
I'm feverishly trying to catch up from my 9 day vacation away from my blog. I've waded through hundreds of emails, managed to catch up on sponsorship duties (thanks for being patient ladies), and am just now working on my blog comments. Thank you so much for hanging in there with me! I have a couple posts in which I receive at least 4-5 comments a day from, and those are my posts about 'No Poo'. It's a nightmare to me to even think about trying to answer all those comments from vacation! So I've decided to write yet another follow-up to my original post: I Don't Use Shampoo. It's been well over six months since I've stopped using shampoo and conditioner. If you are unfamiliar with the term 'no poo,' it basically means nixing shampoo ... Read More
‘No poo’ frequently asked questions
Most of you know that I've been without shampoo and conditioner since February. Yes, since February. My hair couldn't be better, and I'm now able to go one day short of a week with grease-free hair. I've written two previous posts about my no poo adventure, the introductory post here and the three month update here. My blog has been absolutely blowing up with readers from all over the web curious about nixing shampoo out of their lives all together. There have been quite a few questions published in my comment feed, and I've decided to use these questions to write a FAQ about no poo. Let's get this no poo party started! "How much of the mixtures do you use in a setting?" The baking soda/water mixture and the vinegar/water mixture should ... Read More
No gym membership required
A month ago I guest posted over LB in Wonderland. LB is such a sweet, fun, honest girl, and I had a blast writing for her. I never mentioned the post on my blog, so I thought I'd share it with you (I'm currently over my head with things to do...so this is pretty much a blogging cop-out) I rarely speak of my fitness regimen, but as of today I am proud to announce that since being in Korea I've lost a total of 15 inches in measurement throughout my body. Get this...I did it without stepping foot into a gym. I'd love to share my thoughts and how I did it with you. If you've already read this post...I'm sorry...just wait until Thursday (or Wednesday if i'm SUPER ambitious) I'm cooking up a GREAT post for ... Read More
I STILL Don’t Use Shampoo
It's official. I've been on the no poo method for a quarter of a year. For all of you who aren't sure what the heck no-poo is, it has nothing to do with going to the toilet. It's a term used when talking about not using any sort of shampoo on your hair. I know, now you're thinking, "Wait. What? You haven't used shampoo in THREE MONTHS?" Yes. It's true. And my hair looks and feels amazing. The picture above was taken last week, so as you can see I'm not a dirty grease-ball. So what is no-poo exactly? It's eliminating shampoo and conditioner out of the picture entirely, and substituting baking soda and vinegar in it's place. The baking soda acts as the cleaning agent in the hair washing process. You only use enough to cleanse your hair, so ... Read More
For every woman
I've always had a passion for people. I ended up getting one of my degrees in Sociology because I loved people so much. It's always fascinating to me to learn about someone's life, everyone has a different story, and a basis for why they are the way they are. I see most people a different way then most...which is crazy for me to say especially since I worked customer service for 6 years. I have helped the rudest of customers, had people call me names, throw food at me, and do anything short of spit in my face. I can't help but think...what made that person lash out the way they do? Family life? Work life? The way they grew up? I'm not here to talk about people in general, but more specifically women. It's no small secret women are ... Read More
DIY Lip Balm
My lovely friend first introduced me to the idea of making lip balm a few months ago. When she mentioned that the recipe was identical to Burt's Beeswax, and I was sold. We decided to save our lip balm making adventure for when we would meet up with another friend Sandra for her birthday. That 'meet up' happened this past weekend. After ordering all our ingredients off of Iherb.com, and the lip balm tubes off of ebay, we were set to go. Looking back at the process...I'll tell you, I've never had so much fun making something! It was a mix between a mad science project and an easy cooking recipe. What you need: 1/4 c. Beeswax 3/4 c. Coconut Oil 3 Tbsp. Shea Butter 1 Tbsp. Lanolin 15 drops of Rosemary Oil 30-40 drops of Peppermint ... Read More
