I realized something when I was in the shower yesterday.
Even the Dr. Bronner’s bottle of castille soap says that if it clogs (and it does, frequently), you should stick something sharp in there to unclog it.
Raw milk separates, castille soap clogs, every batch of kombucha tastes different. But I’d rather drink wine than Diet Coke, rather eat homegrown vegetables than Pringles potato chips that all come out shaped exactly the same — and all taste the same because they all have the exact same mix of chemicals.
Living an artisanal slow life is not about being perfect. It’s about eating well. It’s about enjoying life.
Here’s the definition of artisan in the dictionary:
ar·ti·san \ˈär-tə-zən, -sən, chiefly British ˌär-tə-ˈzan\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French, from northern Italian dialect form of Tuscan artigiano, from arte art, from Latin art-, ars
Date: 15381 : a worker who practices a trade or handicraft : craftsperson 2 : one that produces something (as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods
The word artisan comes from art. Not science. While it’s fun to try to figure out why things work, if I had to choose, I would always opt for an artful life over a scientific one.
Meanwhile, my hair looks and feels fabulous today. I washed with the Terressentials plain clay wash yesterday. No grease whatsoever. (And thanks, Rachel for commenting about your hair. I’m going to try your homemade clay mixture.)
As far as my weight loss, thanks, everyone for reminding me that I have a lot to be grateful for. It takes a body a while to readjust after having a baby. I’m going to do what a couple of you suggested and start trying to get more exercise in every day. Won’t be hard, considering I have a lot of gardening to do. The weight will come off when it’s ready.
I’m going to go plan my garden now!
Yes, “variety is the spice of life” and “every day is a new challenge”. Great photo BTW. I like the crowns
Thanks, Bryan! Those are the little paper crowns you get from the “Christmas crackers”.
http://woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/crackers.html
We like our figgy pudding and we like our crackers and crowns at Christmas. (My sister and I both really want to move to Great Britain.)
Whoop - I should have commented on this entry. See comment re: weight stuff on original weight entry. I think that your body is stabilizing - and that’s a GOOD thing!
Re Soap: I tried to use the castile on my hair but it was too harsh. I also wanted to try terraessentials, but I’d emailed a question and they refused to answer my question about their use of aloe, so I decided not to try their product after all. I then came across Keys Island Soap, which is castile based and has some essential oils and only a touch of aloe. I use this for my face and hair now.
Sure, I didn’t make it myself, but they’ve managed to make a perfect product. The only drawback is the small bottles, but I’m hoping in time they will perfect that.
The company was also very responsive to my email about aloe. Anyway, you might want to give them a try. Just google “Keys Island Soap.”
I will check it out!
I was not able to use castille on my hair though — it made it very greasy.
What is wrong with aloe?
I have noticed that Terressentials is not too great about responding to emails. They responded to a couple of mine — but they never responded about some other issues I had.
I’m about to try to get pregnant, so I’m in an accelerated pre-conception phase (accelerated because of my age), and aloe is estrogenic. (Unfortunately, it’s the main ingredient in a lot of the Terressentials.)
The Keys Soap takes some getting used to (the pump is better for face-washing and the regular bottle for hair), but didn’t leave my hair greasy at all. In fact, I use a little of their Tortuga lotion (which I LOVE so much I could marry it) on my hair as a conditioner/smoother on the ends of my hair. (But just a tiny bit, if I get too much - whoops! Then it is greasy!)
Anyway, let us know what you think.
Also - one more rec since we’re on the topic: for shaving I’ve found that I love the Aubrey Rosa Maqueta (sp) Shower Wash, because after the shower, it’s like I have put lotion on my legs (something I never take the time to bother with).
So that’s my entire soap and shower line-up:
Keys Island Soap (both bottle types)
Aubrey Rosa Maqueta Shower Wash
Keys Tortuga Lotion
And at bedtime, for a moisturizer, I use Aubrey Herbessence make-up remover on clean skin. It’s amazing and calming.
P.S. I don’t like a lot of Aubrey products, but those two are awesome!
Argh! One more P.S. (LOL):
It’s taken me two years to come up with those products that actually work for me. I’ve used/tried everything: Suki, 100% Pure, Aubrey, Ultra Aesthetics, Kiss My Face (evil), Max Green Alchemy, Dr. Bronners, Dr. Haushka, etc. etc. etc.
I also have an awesome toothpaste if you’re interested.
Cool I am going to check out the Keys site… just pulled it up
Whys is Kiss My Face evil? Do you like Dr. Bronners?
Congrats on trying to conceive! That is exciting! Are you eating traditional foods?
What’s the toothpaste?
Here is why Kiss My Face is Evil:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/brand.php?brand_id=463
Do you use the skin deep database? If you’ve never used it before, I have to warn you, it’s overwhelming.
I’m okay with Dr. Bronner’s, but it’s a little harsh for me.
Re Traditional Foods, yes, that’s actually how I came across your site.
Toothpaste is (this sounds gross) Weleda Salt Toothpaste. I had dry mouth for years because of a medication I take, and this fixed the problem like nothing else. I LOVE it, but it too takes getting used to! No fluoride though, hooray!
I love your blog; I just found it. I’m wondering since it doesn’t seem like you’ve blogged about no-poo for a while…how is it going recently?
No I had to give it up after a few months. At the time I was working and had business meetings. I just couldn’t get my hair to stop being greasy. I’m sure it’s the hard water here in LA.