No Poo...first attempt

If you are following my new journey of "No Pooing" the link to my first entry is here

Tonight I took the plunge and gave the no poo a try. I mixed the baking soda and water before getting into the shower. It looked like cloudy water. I poured the freezing cold mixture over my head and started scrubbing. I was not overly impressed with the salty taste of baking soda entering my mouth. I have to admit...it was nasty.

Here is what I will do next time for the "cleaning" process.

I am going to used just enough water to make a paste next time. I think the paste will be so much easier to work with.

Conditioning....

This was not any better than the cleaning process. The vinegar smelled so bad. It was just so gross. I want to feel clean after my shower. Whatever, I sucked it up and kept moving it around my head.

Here is what I will do next time for the "conditioning" process

I am going to use way less vinegar. I will start with 2 tablespoons. I am also going to use apple cider vinegar because I think it will smell better. The last thing I will to do is add a couple drops of tea tree oil or coconut oil to the mix.

Results:

My hair feels so squeaky clean. It really does squeak. When I got out of the shower I was afraid to brush it because it felt icky. You know that feeling when you get out of the water at the beach? The salty, dry, icky feeling? Well, it's the same feeling. But...as soon as I combed my hair it was silky soft. My scalp was tingly and it felt really good. hmmm there might just be something to this "No Pooing"

No Poo

No, this is not a post about pooping. It's a post about not shampooing your hair. It's something that I ran across and was very intrigued by. I thought "hmmm, why not give it a try".

It's just another thing that would put me into the "crunchy" stereo type. But pfft I don't care. I want to try this. I want to know if it works. Now, I bet you want to know how it really does work. Well this is what I understand about it.

All you are going to need is vinegar, baking soda and water. Easy, right?

Time to clean that head of hair.

~ Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 cup of water. Apply it to your hair starting with the roots and working your way down to the ends of your hair. Once your hair begins to feel smooth you can go ahead and rinse it out.

Condition

~ I have read a bunch of different ratios for this. I am going to try 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of water. Start at your roots and work your way down. I guess you can add essential oils to the mix as well.

Style your hair as you normally would.

I read that your hair can go through a transition process and it can get nasty. I am telling y'all right now. If I hit that point I am going back to the curly girl method of washing my hair. The curly girl method is pretty similar except that you use store bought products that don't contain "cones" or "sulfates".

I am going to update after my first wash! eeek I can't wait to try this!

We have a winner!

I want to say thank you for everyone who participated in the giveaway. It was so much fun and I look forward to doing more in the future.

The winner is.....

Elly!!!

Congratulations! I can't wait to see what you pick out!

WAHM Wednesday!!! Giveaway today!

Name Art 4 Kids.

Are you looking for the finishing touch to your child's nursery or room? Are tired of bringing the same old gift to baby showers? Do you want something unique that will blow people away? If you answered yes to any of those questions this product is for you!

I was so excited when I got my Name Art in the mail. The packaging is outstanding. There was no way the precious works of art were going to get damaged or bent. The colors were bright, colorful, and uber cute. The art was everything I expected and more. The boys names turned out beautiful. I am so excited to find the perfect frame to put them in. The process of ordering the creations was easy. The hard part is going to be finding a frame that will do them justice. My goal next weekend is to continue the hunt! I looked this weekend and did not find a single thing. I am going to be patient...sigh...

Do you want to see the boys Name Art? okay here goes.

***Note , I edited the boys full names out of the pictures***

How cute are these? They are going to look adorable once I get them framed and in the rooms. I am going to update this entry as soon as I find the frames.

Maryanne, the owner of Name Art 4 Kids is a joy to work with. There are so many options for these cute creations. Maryanne always returned my emails in a timely manner and it was apparent that she really loves what she does.

Here is a small informational paragraph about Name Art 4 Kids:

Beautiful pieces of custom artwork that make the perfect addition to any baby or child's bedroom. Although there are other Name Art companies, there is nothing as unique as Name Art 4 Kids.

Originally hand painted, every letter is truly unique. Each Name Art is custom tailored to the child it’s being made for. From the themes included in the artwork to the personalization added below the artwork. My top priorities are making sure each customer absolutely LOVES their Name Art and keeping it affordable.

As for me, I’m a mom of one awesome 15 month old little guy. I consider myself a SAHM even though I’m very busy running Name Art 4 Kids. I honestly enjoy designing every single Name Art and I get such pleasure out of hearing from customers after they receive their artwork.

The details

Sizes are 11x14 or 8x10

Prices range from $23 to $17

Shipping & Handling is $3.50. Discounts available for multiples.

Name Arts fit into standard sized frames.

Turnaround time is two weeks or less.

Giveaway Time!

Here is how you can win your very own customized Name Art.

Remember I am not going to use your information for anything at all. This is just for fun.

LEAVE a comment for every entry!!!

Earn extra entries

• Post a link to my blog on your Facebook, blog, or Twitter and then come back here and post a comment with the link. (can be done once per day)
• Become a fan of Name Art 4 Kids on Facebook . Leave a comment saying you are a fan of Name Art 4 Kids
  
• Visit Name Art 4 Kids here. Leave a comment with your top 3 favorite Name Art 4 Kids letters.
• Follow me on Google. Leave a comment letting me know that you follow my blog
• Enter this giveaway in a giveaway linky on another blog. Be sure to leave me the url to the linky you posted the link to! (Can be done twice - Good for 2 extra entries each time)

**NOTE: Leave one comment for every entry. You must have a visible email address in your Blogger Profile, otherwise it needs to be listed on every entry!!**

Wow, y'all have a bunch of opportunities to enter to win one of these beautiful pieces of art. I am so excited to see who wins! Good Luck everyone.

This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Friday, May 21 at 10:00 pm CST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org and will be posted . Winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. Please contact Name Art 4 Kids upon winning nameart4kids@gmail.com
Special thanks to Greek Mama for allowing me to use her giveaway format and rules!

Cloth wipes

I feel like I have been explaining how to make my cloth wipes a lot lately. I thought I would add a tutorial because let's face it, some things are sooo much easier to understand when you can see it!

If you are not interested in making cloth wipes here is a link to my homemade

disposable wipes.

You are going to need a container for storage (some people use old wipes containers), wipes, baby wash, and coconut oil.

You know those thin receiving blankets that you got as gifts? The ones that are sitting on the shelf not getting any love? Well, it's time to put those blankets to work. I cut two blankets up into squares the size of my hand. I fold the wipe twice to make sure it will fit in my container. I did not sew the edges. The edges did fray the first 10 or so washes but nothing that I could not handle.

I have some wipes made from receiving blankets, a handful of store bought wipes, and a couple old baby wash cloths. What you see here will last one week.

Pour 2 cups of hot water into your storage container. While it's still hot add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Stir until the coconut oil melts.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of baby wash. I like California Baby because it does not contain harsh chemicals. I add around 1.5 tablespoons of wash. It's all about preference.

Split your wipes stash in half. Place the first half of the wipes to the solution and push them down. Once the wipes are wet pick up the wipes and add the second pile to the solution. Press those wipes down until they are wet. Place the first batch of wipes on top of the batch that is in the container. Push all of the wipes down. My wipes are not soaking wet at this point. They are damp and feel similar to the store bought disposable wipes. I think if you get these too wet they will mold. Keep that in mind. I have never had a mold problem *knock on wood*

I have some really exciting news. Starting next week I am going to feature a WAHM (Work At Home Mom) and her business. There will be a lot of giveaways so make sure to check it out. I am hoping to feature 2-3 WAHMs every month. It will be called WAHM Wednesday! Spread the word because it's going to be fun!

Cloth Diapers

Here is a great article on cloth diapering.

http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/category/cloth-diapering/

Prefolds, Flats, Fitteds, Covers

Pocket Diapers

All in One Diapers

Overnight Diapers