Secret Arsenal for My Hair

Anyone who has known me for any amount of time knows that some days a bad hair day can really throw me off.  I think as I have matured, I've gotten beyond that - sometimes.  But I still have a weird obsession with my hair.  And while it will never be a silky, long, curly mass of perfection, I have found a few things that I cannot live without and truly make a difference in my hair care. 

1. Water Softener for my Shower Head 
While mine isn't a Culligan - it looks very similar to the one pictured here.  I purchased mine at Menards for about $20 and filters are about $11 to replace.  I am hoping I can go about 3 months before I need to replace mine.

This has made a huge difference.  We live in the country and apparently have very hard water.  Before getting the filter, I found my hair getting progressively worse.  It never felt clean no matter what shampoo (or alternative cleaning agent) I used.  It always looked limp and flat but frizzy. It was the most frustrating experience.


2. Diluted Shampoo
I also did a lot of research about the no-poo method which uses Baking Soda diluted in water to wash your hair instead of shampoos that strip your hair.  Because the hard water was so awful, it didn't work for me.  And I haven't tried it again since I have the water softener.  But I started diluting my shampoo and it is AMAZING how wonderfully that works.

Here's what I do: I take a condiment bottle like picture to the right and put one squirt of shampoo in it.  Then I fill the rest with filtered water.  Every other morning I take the diluted shampoo and target my roots with the solution.  Scrub, scrub, scrub and rinse, rinse, rinse.  The diluted solution usually lasts me about two weeks.  Because I'm targeting my roots, I don't need a whole lot to clean my scalp and remove the grease.  Then I follow up with a 1/2 & 1/2 solution of conditioner and water.  It doesn't over strip my hair and I have been able to get away from the "greasies" and only wash my hair every other day because I still use some product in my hair.

Speaking of product, though.  I use a little gel on the ends before I blow dry and that is all!  No hair spray, no serums to keep fly-aways down.  I don't need that any more.  Because I'm not stripping all the moisture out of the hair, it doesn't get stat-icky like it used to!


3. A Great Haircut
Of course, where would we all be without a great hair cut.  I have found a gal here in Kearney that I just love.   A big part of why my hair lays the way it should is because I have a great hair cut.  It suits my personality, my hair type, and my hair texture.


Put these three things together and I truly can get from bed to the car in 20 minutes and look like I took the time and effort to get ready.  It took some trial and error over the past six months, but I finally feel like I have found my stride with my hair care.  And whether or not it is vain, we all want to look our best, and I feel that is what these three things have allowed me to do. 

Simplified Skin Care

I have never been one to use a whole arsenal of products for my skin.  In fact, over the years, I have become more and more basic in what I use.  Whether it was Mary Kay or Arbonne, I rarely used more than just a simple cleanser and moisturizer on my skin.  But recently, with the whole journey to simplifying my life even more, I began to do research about skin care.  


Here's what I've learned:
1.) Soap & cleansers strip your skin of the natural oils that you need.  That is why no matter how gentle, your skin will always have to produce more oil to replenish the way it was created to do.
2.) Olive Oil is a great alternative to cleansers and moisturizers. 
3.) It is a far more cost-effective product to use for my skin care.  

Yep - Olive Oil.  For the past two months I've been doing a modified version of the Oil Cleansing Method.  Basically, at night I pour a bit of Olive Oil into my hands, emulsify slightly with water, and massage into my face for as long as I like.  Usually about a minute.  Then I rinse with warm water and pat dry with a towel.




Here's what I've experienced:

1.) My skin has become more soft than I would have ever thought.

2.) I have not had a breakout in over six weeks.  In fact, even those stubborn little black heads have disappeared.  

3.) It is an amazing eye make up remover. 

4.) I have never, ever, once, had that oil slick feeling.  In fact, my face does not get oily and greasy by the end of the day like it used to when I used cleansers.  

So now my next step is to try Coconut Oil.  I have been looking for an alternative to eye cream. I am going to start using Coconut Oil for my skin in the evenings and on stubborn dry areas and see what happens.  I will report on that later!

Meal Planning In My Sleep

I have a friend who says that ideas just "pop" into her head all day long.  Personally, I cannot imagine what that is like.  However, being somewhat of a planner, the organizational gene kicks in at random times and I find myself organizing, planning, and MEAL planning at all different times of the day.

Meal planning wasn't a necessity for me until about two-and-a-half years ago.  As a single woman, I rarely planned meals or grocery shopped.  However, when I married and moved to a small town, I knew I had to make the most of my trips to the "big city" and cheaper groceries.  For me, a good week was about $75.  That would last Titus & I, and even the weekends we had the kids, until my next trip.

With our move to a bigger city that has a Super Center, and three - no four - grocery stores, I have honed my meal planning skills even more.  Simplicity has to be key, so I follow only three simple rules.  Now, I can usually get all the groceries we need, with maybe even a treat or two thrown in, for about $40 a week.

Disclaimers:

• We are extremely blessed to have beef in our freezer as our family raises their own.
• As a rule, we don't allow soda or junk food in our house, so that never makes it on the grocery bill.
• Lunch is covered for my husband at his school, and I usually eat leftovers or a frozen meal.

The Rules:

1. Shop my freezer and pantry first: I always look through my freezer and my pantry first to see what I already have on hand.  Since I buy things when they are on a good deal (see #2), often times I already have everything I need to make two or three meals for the week.

2. Shop the Deals: I look through the ads for the local stores, as well as the HyVee (50miles away) as Walmart will price match with any store within a 50 mile radius.  I have noticed that one store in town rotates between beef, pork, and chicken deals.  I usually snag the pork and chicken when on sale and stock up enough to last me until it cycles through again three weeks later. I also keep an eye out for "Reduced to Sell" and "Manager's Specials" in the meat department.  Many times I get things a couple days before their "sell by" date is up and put it in the freezer to use within a week or two.

3. Shop with a list: I use #1 & #2 in tandem with each other to create my shopping list.  And then I stick to it.  Like I said, usually I have everything I need already in my home for a couple of meals, so usually I am only shopping for a handful of items.  I don't stray from the list unless it is a really good deal, like a manager's special or reduced to sell deal that wasn't advertised and, by the very nature of the deal, will be no good in a few days. 

The Next Step:

I have not ventured too far into the world of coupons.  When I have looked at them, they typically are for foods that I don't normally buy.  We pretty much eat fresh, whole foods, with the exception of some staples such as soups, dressing, diced tomatoes, etc.  So, I guess that is one area I will have to check into and see if I can work it into my routine.