Ditch the Soda

I would say the majority of the population in the United States drinks carbonated beverages.  I call it soda but you may call it pop, cokes, or cola regardless it's all the same type of drink.  These drinks are characterized by a high sugar content or fake sugar content, artificial colors, artificial flavors and signature CO2 fizziness.

So what's the harm, it's just a tasty beverage right?  I often hear from diet soda drinkers "Mine has no sugar in it so it must be healthier."  Quite the opposite is true in fact.  I'll add a short list below of all of the concerns related to soda consumption.

• Empty calories leading to excess calories.
• Not getting enough vitamins and minerals.
• Tooth decay.
• Diabetes.
• Bone density/ Bone thinning.
• Diet soda may not help you lose weight in fact it may help you gain it instead.
• Heart Disease
• Depression
• Addictive
• Artificial colors/flavors
• High Acid content

Soda can really be addictive and it can be difficult to stop. I used to drink several sodas per day without ever thinking of the consequences.  Then I started having acid reflux issues.  I knew that drinking soda exacerbated the issue.
 I vowed to stop drinking soda.  For the longest time I never had not even one for years, now I'm to the point I may have one if I'm out but I never keep it in the house.  I also found it's best to wean yourself off.  I changed what I was drinking and replaced soda with tea and juice.
Some people think that switching to diet soda is a quick fix but in fact it's just as bad.  While they may be short on calories it doesn't necessarily mean it's good for your or that you will lose weight from drinking it.  In fact, many people actually gain weight from drinking diet sodas. Diet sodas also have many of the same health risks as regular soda like tooth decay and bone thinning and it's also been linked to heart disease and depression in women.
Below are some great ways to wean yourself off soda:

1. Cut back.  Figure out how many sodas you drink a day and work on cutting one out per week until you are down to zero.  So if you start out drinking 5 sodas a day then for the first week cut it down to 4 then the next week down to 3 and so on.
2. Water it down.  Trick your brain by adding water to your soda so you are actually drinking 1/2 water and 1/2 soda.  This way you are still hydrating while cutting back.
3. Track your calories.  Figure out how many calories you are drinking.  Soda is full of empty calories.  For 120 calories you get virtually no nutrients, nothing that makes your body better.  Think about how many calories you can save by giving up soda which could in turn cause weight loss.
4. Drink Tea.  Make the switch to unsweetened tea or tea sweetened with a healthier sugar with a lower glycemic response. 
5. Drink More Water.  If you're craving a soda, drink water first.  The water will not only hydrate you better but may also stave off your craving for the sugary drink.

Sources:
http://greatideas.people.com/2015/03/05/how-to-break-your-soda-addiction/?xid=socialflow_facebook_peoplemag

Stop Washing Your Hair!

Stop washing your hair!

I know it sounds crazy, right? 
I thought it was crazy too until I tried it.  I have long curly/wavy hair that tends to get oily very easy.
The thought of not washing my hair and not using conditioner sounded absolutely crazy and I thought there was no possible way I could ever do it.

I used to be a person that washed their hair every day because if I didn't it would be an oily mess the next day.  I still really wanted to try this method I heard of called the "No Poo" method.  I know the name sounds crazy too and I don't completely understand why they choose it, lol.

The "No Poo" method basically means you cease using commercial shampoos and conditioners and opt for an alternative method.  The two most common methods are using water only or using baking soda to wash and vinegar to rinse your hair.

I was afraid to just jump into not washing my hair so I started by washing my hair every other day.  I did this for about 2 months and whenever I could I'd try to go a couple of days without washing my hair.

I finally got brave and jumped in.  I'm still in the process of getting my hair completely converted but I wanted to share now so I can keep you updated on the progress. I should have taken pictures at every stage but I didn't take one until today.

If you are unfamiliar with the "No Poo" method please see the links below for more information.

• http://www.nopoomethod.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_poo
• http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Go-No-Poo/
• http://www.treehugger.com/organic-beauty/no-shampoo-experiment-six-months-later.html

I also found a great group on Facebook for this No Poo Journey: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nopoo/?fref=nf

My Progress

• 1/5/15 - Regular wash/condition+ leave-in conditioner.
• Hair felt normal but scalp was dry.
• 1/6/15 - Nothing
• Itchy and dry scalp, minimal oil.
• 1/7/15 - Dry shampoo scalp using baby powder in my hair overnight in pony tail.
• Not oily but scalp was still dry.
• 1/8/15 - Nothing
• Little oily and itchy but front of scalp still dry.
• 1/9/15 - Baking Soda/ Regular conditioner
• Worked great for removing excess oil from scalp, front still dry but the regular conditioner made my hair oily.
• 1/10/15 - Nothing
• Hair is oily and itchy scalp, dry in front
• 1/11/15 - Baking Soda/ White Vinegar
• Removed excess oil from scalp, a little excess oil in length of hair but looked good. Scalp dry in front.
• 1/12/15 - Nothing
• A little oily around scalp but not itchy.
• 1/13/15 -Nothing

So sadly somehow my data from the 13th until a few days ago has all been lost.  I'm going to start from here and keep tracking.
I've moved to about 3-4 days between washing and to using baking soda/Apple cider vinegar.

• 1/26/15 - BS/ACV and Plopping (see video and picture below).
• 1/27/15 - Nothing
• 1/28/15 - Nothing
• 1/29/15 - Nothing
• 1/30/15 - BS/ACV and plopping
• 1/31/15 - Clarifying conditioner only.
• I accidentally got my hair wet in the shower and if I didn't add the conditioner I wouldn't have been able to get my hands through it.
• 2/1/15 - Nothing
• 2/2/15 - BS/ACV and plopping
• 2/3/15 - Nothing
• 2/4/15 - Nothing
• 2/5/15 - Baby Powder near the roots to soak up oil.
• 2/6/15 - Nothing
• 2/7/15 - Apple Cider Vinegar only and plopping.
• Looks kind of oily but really curly.
• 2/8/15 - Nothing
• 2/9/15 - Nothing
• 2/10/15 - Baking Soda/ACV - plopping
• 2/11/15 -  Braid at night, BBB, light misting
• 2/12/15 - Braid at night, BBB, light misting
• 2/13/15 - Nothing
• 2/14/15 - Nothing
• 2/15/15 - Nothing
• 2/16/15 - Very oily and not smelling very pretty
• 2/17/15 - Baking Soda and this Shea Butter Co-wash I found + plopping
• 2/18/15 - Nothing
• 2/19/15 - Nothing
• 2/20/15 - Shea Butter Co-wash only
• 2/21/15 - Nothing - hair's getting pretty oily and itchy
• 2/22/15 - My hair is really bad today.  I will be washing it.  I feel like trying something new.  The Baking soda was great for a while and is great to remove excess sebum from my hair but my scalp isn't getting any better.  It's actually maybe a little worse.
• I'm going to try rinsing with this tea that is hibiscus, black currants, and elderberries mixed with some honey.  It was good for drinking now let's see about hair :)   Maybe an ACV rinse after.  All I know is my hair is horrible right now.  I can't even go out in public it's so bad and itchy.   Today's wash may end up like a bad science experiment....(eyes bottle of aloe gel on desk....).
• So I washed gently with Baking Soda and then combined my tea with a little apple cider vinegar and used that as a rinse. Now I smell like a pixie stick!
• 2/23/15 - Nothing
• 2/24/15 - Cocoa powder
• 2/25/15 - Scritch and Preen and aloe on dry parts of scalp
• 2/26/15 - Nothing
• 2/27/15 - Nothing
• 2/28/15 - Nothing
• 3/1/15 - Baking Soda/ACV/Elderberry, Black Currant, Hibiscus Tea Rinse
• 3/2/15 - Nothing
• 3/3/15 - Nothing
• 3/4/15 - Nothing
• 3/5/15 - Nothing
• 3/6/15 - Baking Soda/ACV
• 3/7/15 - Nothing
• 3/8/15- Nothing
• 3/9/15- Nothing
• 3/10/15 - Nothing
• 3/11/15 - BS-Wash - Mask with banana, aloe vera, coconut milk and an egg, ACV - rinse
• 3/12/15  -  Nothing
• 3/13/15 - Nothing - Braided
• 3/14/15 - Added oil to ends
• 3/15/15 - Mask - banana, aloe vera, coconut milk, and egg - Rinse - ACV
• 3/16/15 - Nothing
• 3/17/15 - Added oil to ends
• 3/18/15 -  Nothing
• 3/19/15 - Nothing
• 3/20/15 - Nothing
• 3/21/15 - Nothing
• 3/22/15 - Water Only Wash - I preened and scratched really good before washing and sort of preened and detangled during the wash.  I was amazed because I'm sure I have hard water and sulfur in the water as well.
• 3/23/15 - Nothing - Preened and detangled by hand.
• 3/24/15 - Nothing - Preened and detangled by hand
• 3/25/15 - Nothing - Preened and detangled by hand
• 3/26/15 - Nothing - Brushed
• 3/27/15 - Nothing - Brushed

I'm going to start posting my hair diary in another article.  Click Here

**Keep coming back for more postings!


1/11/15 - Top

1/10/15 - Front

1/11/15 - BS/White Vinegar



Showing length so far

1/30/15  - BS/ACV+Plopping