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martinas6
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| Posted: Feb 16 2012 at 4:37pm | IP Logged
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Ok,
I have 5 daughters and the shampoo situation is making ME want to pull my hair out. We purchase the big bottles at Costco but it seems that the bigger they get, the more often they are shampooing and taking care of their hair. Do you think it would be cheaper to just make my own? How can I make it stretch? Also, 3 of my kids are teenagers and they like to use face wash like I do. I find it wasted though by the little kids. I just get the clean and clear type liquid soap from Target (it's the store brand) but it goes so quickly that I'm just thinking of using a bar of soap (caress?)and not buying it anymore. The more kids we have, I find myself trying to cut out buying one more thing that I can make myself. We are already making our own laundry soap and use vinegar by the gallons for everything from fabric softener to window cleaner. What are some things(toiletries, cleaning fluids?) that you make homemade instead of buying? Hope this makes sense, I have a case of pregnancy brain right now.
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Martina DeRose in IL
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JodieLyn
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for shampoo.. I think it lasts better in smaller containers.. get a couple and refill from the large container.. I think when they see a large container they use more  You can also dilute it some if you're careful not to make it too runny.
for face.. wash with water.. serious, soaps strip the oils from your face and then your skin makes more oils and/or you need a lotion.. and plain water works quite well most of the time.
My daughter and I are trying out coconut oil as a face moisturizer.. you have to be careful, it only takes a very small amount and the natural properties of the coconut oil help with any acne or such. And while coconut oil is expensive as a cooking oil.. it compares very favorably to good face lotions especially since you use such a tiny amount.
You can make homemade soap. It's really not that hard though you won't want to do it pregnant (fumes) and you won't want to do it with littles underfoot. But you can make high quality soap bars that are gentle to your skin for less than buying them, though you have to spend more money at once. You can also make shampoo bars but I haven't tried that and I'm not sure how it differs from regular soap.
On the other hand you might get some sort of lockable container to put the special face cleaners and such in the batheroom.. get something that will take a small padlock and you can get a combination lock so that you're not hunting for the key.
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martinas6
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Jodie, is there a particular brand of coconut oil you like? I can probably order some from Amazon. It's funny you mention the lock, my husband asked me the other day if I wanted him to install a locked box in their shower! I yelled "YES!" poor guy, I'm sure he thinks I've lost my mind. But you got me to thinking...I wonder if we could install one of the dispenser type boxes to the shower wall? Something along the lines like you'd see in a public shower? Like at a gym? Or a prison? I feel like we have to lock everything up...or nail it down with having so many! I'm off to check out liquid soap dispensers online to see if that will work. My husband always says "but I don't remember my mom having to resort to this or that when we were growing up" (i.e. locking the second fridge and freezer, labeling EVERYTHING so as to avoid fighting) I told him maybe this is like a new super human generation we're raising?!
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Martina DeRose in IL
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Betsy
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For a few years I went the "no poo" route to washing my hair. It work really well. I am not really sure why I went back to shampoo, I think I just needed a little change. However, I think I am going to go back to it when my current shampoo runs out! 
Baking Soda Shampoo
Another article about Baking Soda & Vinegar for hair
There are tons and tons of online articles about this, I just posted two. But, it could be a real cost saver in your family!
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Aagot
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I second "no poo"! It works great and makes my hair soft, and healthy. Now when I use shampoo my hair feels sticky even though I rinse a ton. There are many ways to do it I simply use a couple tablespoons of baking soda scrubed into wet hair and rinsed out, then about a half cup of apple cider vinegar diluted with about a half cup of water (just eye ball it), dip your ends in first and then pour over your head then rinse with water.
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CatholicMommy
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I love this thread! Lots of ideas going!
the vinegar rinse on the hair - I put it in a spray bottle and spray it on.
no shampoo can work, but you have to find what works for your hair. Too much vinegar can make it sticky too. Bleck.
Coconut oil - I just get ours from the local grocery store - about $5 for 32.5 ounces of it. I *love* the soap I make from it though. If you're looking for a good homemade moisturizing soap, you'll want a combination of almond oil and coconut oil with a touch of olive oil (let me know if you'd like me to look up the combination I use). But yes, lye is not a good idea while you're pregnant! But there are some alternatives....
I used to work as a nanny for a family that had one of those dispensers installed in their showers - they had two boys, but the boys would waste everything, so they had these things put in. They had 3 compartments (shampoo, conditioner, lotion).
And I'm right there with water-only on the face. My acne problem cleared up so fast when I stopped washing altogether (I'd already stopped wearing make-up and my face still hadn't cleared up). Turns out the daily rubbing with the soap made more oil; now I have a slight problem with dryness of all things! But that has taken 8 years to happen.
:)
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stefoodie
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I third "no poo"! :D 
though i like apple cider vinegar, or baking soda, or coconut oil once in a while.
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CrunchyMom
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stefoodie wrote:
I third "no poo"! :D
though i like apple cider vinegar, or baking soda, or coconut oil once in a while. |
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Fourth it! I use smelly conditioner occasionally since that's what I miss the most, but I really don't have to wash my hair very often at all now that it has adapted to the new routine and isn't being stripped of oils so regularly.
It makes me think of the "I just washed my hair and I can't do a thing with it." My hair is much nicer without styling products when the natural oils are allowed to do their job.
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Servant2theKing
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Save rain water for rinsing hair. My father's mother always collected rain water for her hair. It leaves your hair super soft!
My mother's mother used vinegar or lemon juice for rinsing hair. Both make hair shiny and soft, although lemon juice might be more drying if used too often. Love the idea of using a spray bottle CatholicMommy!
If your family isn't quite ready for the "no poo" concept, some bulk shampoos come with a squirt dispenser. I remember using much less shampoo when we had one. I like to remind myself of the old advertising jingle (for a men's hair product) "Just a little dab 'll do ya!"
If your girls are using more than a nickel or quarter size squirt of shampoo or conditioner, they're probably leaving lots of residual gunk in their hair. Maybe you could have them experiemnt with no or less shampoo, then rinsing wirh vinegar, lemon juice or rain water. Let us know the results, if they're game!
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mommy4ever
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Love this!! I have been finding 'nothing works' with my hair. I'm changing brands frequently, cheap, expensive doesn't matter. In fact I cut a whole bunch of hair off!
I'm going to get some bottles made up today and I have a long weekend to play with it and figure it out! Will give it a couple weeks and see. Like the 'cheap' factor :) If it can eliminate the need for conditioner and then the styling products, I'll be a lifer!
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martinas6
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By Golly, it worked! Ok, so I waited until after my morning workout (I sweat a ton!) to try the baking soda & vinegar rinse. (I followed the directions on the link above that Betsy posted.)It worked like a charm! I have short dark hair and it actually looks like it shines a bit more than usual. So when the teens walked in the room I told them what I did and they moaned "noooo! Mom, nooo!" because they KNOW what that means, I'm not buying shampoo anymore. Totally made my day. When my husband woke up I told him what I did and he snaiifed my hair and moaned that a) I smell like potato chips and b) "I can't believe that you washed your hair with baking soda! This from the girl who insisted that we buy 38.00 shampoo when we first got married!" (I was a hairdresser working in a high end salon when my husband met me...he was one of my customers and I convinced him to buy REALLY EXPENSIVE shampoo even though he hardly had any hair...he says I could have sold him a an expensive pile of dog poop from me when we first met) so...now I'd like to try making the recipe for moisturizing soap, Catholicmommy, could you post your formula? I'll wait until after I have the baby to try the lye recipe.
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Erin
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Okay, can you tell this Aussie gal what 'no poo' is?  
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CatholicMommy
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martinas6 wrote:
| so...now I'd like to try making the recipe for moisturizing soap, Catholicmommy, could you post your formula? I'll wait until after I have the baby to try the lye recipe. |
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My favorite combination (and these amounts can be adjusted) for a moisturizing soap is 60% coconut oil, 30% almond oil and 10% olive oil. What I end up doing is making soap that is 100% of these (since I use them for other things as well), then grating what I need to melt down and re-mix. Then I can save some for liquid soap and the rest for bars.
The coconut oil soap is HARD.
Almond oil makes it fairly hard but is moisturizing.
The olive oil makes it softer and slightly sudsy.
My second favorite is 80% coconut and 20% olive oil. This one is a simple combination and works *great* in the shower (where it will be exposed to more moisture). It's also even less expensive than above.
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Betsy
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Erin wrote:
| Okay, can you tell this Aussie gal what 'no poo' is? |
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No Shampoo!
I certainly don't know who coined the phrase, "No Poo" but it seems to be the most common way I have heard using baking soda to wash your hair refereed as.
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stefoodie
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We discovered "no 'poo" when our curly-haired daughter (20) read the book Curly Girl that I think was recommended somewhere here.
Her previously frustrating and unmanageable hair became luxuriously beautiful as the natural curls came out -- we realized after a couple of years that she didn't have frizzy, coarse, brittle hair after all! Her hair is very much like my grandmother's who used to use coconut oil in her hair as well (no shampoo back then).
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Donna Marie
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I do the no poo too...sounds funny to say, doesn't it?
Anyhoo...my curly hair comes out so much softer and nicer. Go easy with the rubbing of the baking soda...go slow and take your time with it...the results are better.
Occasionally I use a teeny tiny amount of coconut oil in my palm for the ends when I need it...
It does take a little while for your hair to adjust. I did start this on several separate occasions. Each time it took 2-3 weeks for it to come out the way I wanted...but the adjustment wasn't too bad. I did find it grew even better several weeks after that, if that kind of info helps you.
Also, to save money...you can make your own coconut oil, baking soda and (non gmo) cornstarch deodorant...
keep in mind if you have a stinkier kid, they might need more magnesium in their diet, not a stronger deodorant...
ok....time to stop tangenting...
ha ha!
like I ever stop...
 love you, Martina! Hope you and the little pea are doing well!!
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St. Ann
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stefoodie wrote:
We discovered "no 'poo" when our curly-haired daughter (20) read the book Curly Girl that I think was recommended somewhere here.
Her previously frustrating and unmanageable hair became luxuriously beautiful as the natural curls came out -- we realized after a couple of years that she didn't have frizzy, coarse, brittle hair after all! Her hair is very much like my grandmother's who used to use coconut oil in her hair as well (no shampoo back then). |
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It seems/looks like you "no-poo" gals all have thick and or curly hair. Would this no-poo work for fine, thin hair? Fine hair looks greasy fairly quick.
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Betsy
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St. Ann wrote:
stefoodie wrote:
We discovered "no 'poo" when our curly-haired daughter (20) read the book Curly Girl that I think was recommended somewhere here.
Her previously frustrating and unmanageable hair became luxuriously beautiful as the natural curls came out -- we realized after a couple of years that she didn't have frizzy, coarse, brittle hair after all! Her hair is very much like my grandmother's who used to use coconut oil in her hair as well (no shampoo back then). |
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It seems/looks like you "no-poo" gals all have thick and or curly hair. Would this no-poo work for fine, thin hair? Fine hair looks greasy fairly quick. |
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I have past my sholders, straight fine hair. It worked for me!
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CrunchyMom
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I don't even use baking soda. Just water and scrubbing. I use regular shampoo if I get paint in my hair or something. And my hair is fine and not curly, but I do have a lot of body in my hair. However, I have *more* body in my hair when I don't use shampoor
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martinas6
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[
love you, Martina! Hope you and the little pea are doing well!! [/QUOTE]
About 6 more weeks to go, it crunch time! I've started my freezer meals and my homebirth kit just arrived. Thanks for thinking of us. I tell ya, I can feel the prayers.
As for the "no poo", I ran out to Sally Beauty Supply and bought 2, 15 ounce applicator bottles to put the mixtures in. The nice thing about the bottle is that it has a pointed tip which allows me to apply the mixture right at the scalp where the oil buildup is. I think I paid less than 2.00 for the bottles? When I was suffering a few months ago from heartburn, I bought the baking soda in bulk (like a 16 lb bag!) from Sams club, bargain!
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