My hair secret for baby fresh hair.

I kissed my daughter's sweet head. There's nothing like the smell of a baby. But wait--she's 7! And she does truly have that sweet baby smell. Let me explain.

I'm about to reveal a big secret. I don't shampoo my hair. I found out that shampoo does more damage than good. Not only are most the chemicals toxic, but my hair is so much better when I skip the shampoo. It has more body and shine and doesn't need anything sprayed on it.

I know, you are remembering the last time you skipped washing your hair and it was not pretty. Do you know why? B/c your scalp is used to replacing the oils you strip off of it. Don't strip them off and your scalp will adjust. If you jump into this, you may have to go through a yucky transition time. I started it gradually and almost accidentally. I had a season of sickness that I wasn't showering as much b/c of low energy. So, my hair washing was spaced out. Then I tried just rinsing with water sometimes instead of shampoo. Eventually I just ditched the shampoo. Now I use a cup of water with a "swig" of raw apple cider vinegar (maybe a Tbs.?) as a rinse. I use plain water on my hair before and after. Not everyone uses the ACV but I have scalp issues if I don't. (If I could get my general health under control that would probably disappear too.) I can tell if I go too long without washing it, even if I'm "only" using water. It's not greasy, but it doesn't lay right.

So, I decided if it's good enough for me, why not try it on my kids. I don't give them daily baths anyway. And after a couple weeks, I noticed the baby fresh smell! WOW! Could I sue Johnson and Johnson for all the lost years?? Guess not, but I'm sold on the free shampoo--water! Think of all the money you can save on shampoo for a whole family for a year. Cool, huh?

By the way, if you want to search out more details on how people use vinegar and baking soda as they back off shampoo, you'll want to search for "no poo". Lovely phrase, huh. I also noticed my hair dries a lot faster after a shower. Less need for hair drying is healthy for your hair too! The only thing I need to figure out now, is how to find time to wash my hair when I don't get up before my kids.

Let me know if you try it. In fact, if your brave, you can share before and after pictures!

Making a New Year's Resolution to Get in Shape?

I love T-Tapp. It's one reason I hardly need a chiropractor anymore. They currently have the Basic Workout on VHS for only $15. So, for you penny-pinchers that have a VHS players, you can now try T-tapp with just a bit of Christmas money. Why T-tapp? Read this post. And notice that post was over a year old--and it's still my favorite!

Go to the store and click Super closeouts on the top left. I'd be happy to share how I do a modified Basic Workout if anyone is dealing with health problems similar to mine--just e-mail.

I wanted to share the link to the 12 days of Christmas you-tube that I posted last year, but it's changed. It was posted last year and got 8 million hits and so the group has gotten back together now and made an album. http://www.sncmusic.com/ is the group's site or you can still see the original video at: http://video.aol.com/video-detail/straight-no-chaser-12-days-of-christmas/4229357834 Merry Christmas!

May 2009 bring you good health and good cheer! God Bless You!

Hit the beach for fertility?

This report comes from Australia--at it actually is summer there. Vitamin D is important for health and this study now shows it affects fertility too. When NUTRITIONAL deficiencies were corrected half of the male fertility went away!! (apparently some of those with other "minor" treatments.) So, half of those guys could have saved a lot of money and possibly embarrassment by hanging out in the sun and/or eating a better diet. The most natural source of Vitamin D is sunlight. Second best is a high quality fish oil, like Carlson's , which comes in oil, flavored oil for kids, and tablets.

Apparently, the Vitamin D affects female fertility as well. Read more at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/22/2397775.htm?section=australia

Interestingly enough, I read some information from the Weston A Price foundation that most traditional cultures had males and females eat special foods shortly after they were married b/c they considered these food important to the health of future children. Some of us barely change our diets for pregnancy. I wish I'd thought more about it BEFORE I had my children. :)

Just makes you wonder how many diseases and problems are avoided altogether with a good diet. Well, I'm betting (with my organic grocery dollars) that it's a lot. :)

A "Normal" Breakfast

I just had to share about breakfast! Yum. Today we had whole-grain pancakes that taste almost like white flour pancakes (made in a blender with Sue Gregg's recipe.) But the really exciting part is that we got to have butter. Real butter! It is made from raw pasture-fed cow's milk and made by a little old lady and sold on her farm. We just found this source of butter, so I'm really excited. Normally we buy pastured organic butter at the store, but my family can't have it b/c of allergies, so I'm the only one to use it. But I think the raw butter they can have (I'll let you know if I'm wrong--they CAN have raw goat milk, so I'm hoping raw cow's milk is the same.)

And then to top it all off, real maple syrup--I wouldn't touch Aunt Jemima's syrup with chemical flavoring and corn syrup which doesn't taste great and is horrible for your health. So, yes, maple syrup is expensive, but it is our treat to replace soda, candy, etc, so I find it worth the cost! Maple syrup is always great for your health--how many sweeteners can claim that?????

Now I really like to add eggs to balance it out, but we didn't this morning--but with the new butter, it was quite satisfying!

A "Normal" Meal?

As I was eating dinner the other night I was considering how normal my meal seemed but how different it truly was. We had Hamburgers and Fries! YUM!

So, why is that different?

Well, let's start with the buns--I made them earlier in the week. First, we ground the whole wheat grain in our grain mill and then soaked it with raw Apple Cider Vinegar overnight for all our bread for the week. They next day, I made it using natural ingredients, such as honey for the sweetener. When I made the bread some of it I made into rolls and then squished them flat for hamburger buns! The fresh bread tastes so good!

And then there's the meat--it was actually ground venison! I can't really taste the difference on a hamburger. This is my low cost way of getting meat without hormones or antibiotics. Wild food is much better than something "caged" in a barn. And I get the extras from the hunter in my family--what a blessing!

Next there are the fries--they are store-bought--GASP! But there are sweet potato fries made with good oils (and I think they are organic--but I don't have the package any more!) I love to add Real Salt (that's a brand name) as I really enjoy my salt!

How about the toppings? Besides Organic green leaf lettuce, we have homemade ketchup (with organic tomato sauce, honey, tamari, raw apple cider vinegar, fresh minced garlic, and Real Salt) and Mayo (store-bought and made with grape seed oil.)

I guess that's about it for a "normal" meal at my house! It is possible to be healthy without giving up all your old favorites--if you are willing to invest a bit of time in the kitchen. And it's an investment that will pay great dividends!