Thursday, June 30, 2011

Taking the Challenge


Okay. I started the first day of the official apply no yucky chemicals to my person challenge. I am in the middle of the several day process of crafting my "Meadow Magic" salve. I am making this batch to sell at the Farmer's Market and online. I am also using it to replace the mega chemical ingredient lotions and balms I have been using for decades. For 2 weeks minimum, I will be washing my hair with my friend Debbie's peppermint liquid goats milk soap and rinsing with my own recipe Kombucha rinse. (Trial run today, so far, so good!) For lip balm, hand creme, lotion and cracked heels, I will be using Meadow Magic.

After washing dishes this morning in SOAP, I applied Meadow Magic to my hands while they were still wet. This approximates lotion, as it increases the moisture content. I may experiment with a Meadow Magic lotion soon, but for now this is a low tech way of replacing my lotion. I have made Meadow Magic for years and know how healing and pleasant it is as a first aid ointment. Now I will see how it works in a more cosmetic way. I can say this though. This batch smells wonderful and it has no artificial fragrances. The herbs I use have been particularly fragrant and nice this year due to the cooler weather.

I am also totally switching to Debbie's liquid laundry soap for my clothes. I have found so far that my towels have lost that funny smell that makes you want to add more chemically smelling things to the rinse water to cover it. Between the clothesline, the natural soap and Kombucha rinse (it is acidic and dissolves the rough mineral deposits that hang on to bacteria which cause odors) my laundry is cleaner, softer and smells much better than before.

I have been working on removing the hazardous chemicals from my family's environment for a long time. Now we are on the home stretch. I will keep you posted on how the transition goes. The biggest obstacle for me and my daughters has been shampoo and conditioner. I will let you know if Debbie's theory holds true. She says that if we stop stripping our hair with detergents (you know, squeaky clean) that our oil glands won't feel compelled to pump lots of oil to replace what was stripped off, making our hair need less frequent washing and the same lack of stripping should make commercial conditioners unnecessary. We shall see. I have really loved my Herbal Essences!

Your not as squeaky, but still clean, Meadow Magic scented, friend.
Lawana

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the no chemical life, have fun! Debbie

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the Bath and Body Works you won at the shower!

Lawana said...

Those come under the heading that I referred to in my last "soap" post as those favorite items that I have difficulty giving up.