No, I'm not a Whack Job...

At the beginning of the year I spoke of a few intentions that I hoped would set me on a more productive, yet less stressful year. It has always been important to me to move towards a more mindful lifestyle which has included recycling, using my reusable shopping bags and reducing my dependance on material things (i.e. shopping).

I also mentioned that I wanted to simplify and save money. So, over the past month I have been using up half used bottles of shampoos and conditioners, as well as items in my pantry that I bought for some recipe or another but never used.  My hair hasn't fallen out and I've enjoyed some really great breakfasts following this rule.

But now, I've taken things one step further. Since it's always been a struggle to buy quality beauty products that are not only environmentally friendly, not tested on animals, work with my hair/skin type and are still affordable I decided to go back to basics. Yes, I am making some of my own products.

It actually started off when my friend and fellow blogger, Sheri, over at Motivation For Health and Fitness posted her sister-in-law's Esty shop on Facebook. That's where I picked up my Shampoo Bar and a body soap. I then went online and compiled a few recipes for a facial toner and hair rinse. After a week of using these items I am happy to report that my hair and skin look and feel great. I plan on updating my results later this year after I've had some time to really see how these work in the long run.

Shampoo Bar ~ JillsNaturalSoaps

via JillsNaturalSoaps

Homemade Hair Conditioner
1-4 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
1 cup water
Mix and apply to hair. Let sit for 1 minute and rinse. Vinegar smell disappears as hair dries.


Facial Cleanser
Cold-pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use sparingly)
Warm wash cloth
that's it...


Homemade Toner
1/2 ounce apple cider
3 ounces mineral water
5 plain (uncoated) aspirin, crushed

Mix all ingredients and use sparingly. Keeps for 1 month in refidgerator.

Reusable Shopping Bags
Most of you know I am a firm believer in reusable shopping bags. This is mainly because I'm lazy and always forget to take those pesky plastic bags back to the grocery store for recycling. After 2 years I've been able to train myself to have my shopping bags ready and available for 99% of my grocery store trips (I also take them to Target, Costco and pretty much anywhere I plan on making a purchase).

As an added benefit I noted this on my receipt after a recent trip to Raleys:

Using my bags is helping our public parks and wilderness programs...Win-Win!

In addition, I've been experimenting with homemade cleaning products via Elephant Journal and The Good Human. I'll let you know how that goes in a future post.

Mid-year footprint...

One of my goals for this year (and all future years) is to decrease my carbon footprint.   I started this year by digging out my Gaiam reusable water bottles and eliminating the need for countless plastic one-time-use bottle waters (I drink a LOT of water).  I already own a Pur Pitcher water filter system and our city water actually tests pretty decent.  Also, on top of being environmentally friendly, I am saving money to boot!

High quality, low cost, environmentally friendly!

During a recent grocery shopping escapade, I realized that I had a trunk full of plastic shopping bags.  I had previously been justifying using them because having 2 cats I was recycling these bags whenever I scooped the litter boxes.  BUT, the ends don't always justify the means...and having a huge stash of them in my trunk wasn't doing me, or the planet, any favors.

Source

I took ALL of my plastic bags to the grocery store and recycled them and then proceeded to use my miss-matched collection of reusable grocery bags at both Target and Safeway.  Even though some of my bags held competitor's names, they not only used my bags but I also got a 5 cent credit per bag!  Score!

One of the things that has bothered me regarding waste has been bagging my produce.  I have often resorted to putting loose produce in my cart, rather then adding to my bag collection, but it's kind of a pain in the a$$, especially when they are rolling all over the conveyor belt or off of the scale much to the cashier's chagrin.  Then I received an email notification from Care 2 Daily Deals...38% off of Reusable Recycled Produce Bags from Bag the Habit.  (Unfortunately, the sale is over but these are still a great deal...or just Google 'reusable produce bags' to find other brands.)

While this may not seem like a major movement, every small step in the right direction counts.  If we all made small moves to reduce our own carbon footprint it would certainly add up to something major.  There really is very little inconvenience in using your own canvas bags while grocery shopping and it will make you feel good to do it!!