Because my soapbox rarely makes its way into hiding, or collects dust (and not because I am a clean freak), I am sure I must have shared my views about chemicals in shampoos - the sodium lauryl sulfates and parabens and other fancy schamncy names that basically translate to "cancer" and "environmental destruction". Jeff jokingly asks, "why worry NOW when we've had those lathery shampoos shinin' up our locks for forty years already?"
So what to do about it? After briefly considering shaving every hair off of every head in this household (cats included) as well as the alternative of simply not washing above the ears and forehead anymore, I knew there had to be another way. What did the pioneers do before Head and Shoulders? Oh wait, it was either water, ashes and lard, or simply little hygiene at all. So perhaps my friends, family, and hostesses would prefer something - anything - as opposed to "eau de armpits" and "sparkly dandruff powder puff shoulder pads"?
Combining two recipes (because I can never really follow recipes exactly as written) I came up with the following homemade shampoo: boil 6 cups of water and add to 1 TB of lemongrass tea (could use chamomile as suggested in original recipe), in tea basket or ball/spoon so you can easily remove the 'remnants'. Add 4 TB of baking soda (it will fizz up, so it could simultaneously provide a volcanic experiment for children and adults alike). Add in 2 sprigs of fresh lavender (or few drops of lavender essential oil or even dried lavender could be added initially to lemongrass tea basket). I left the concoction overnight and this morning, with playset pitcher, poured on and massaged on to hair and scalp.
Yes, being so used to lather, it WAS odd to have bubble-free hair cleanser. And sure, I had to deal with one friend's taunt of "you are such a HIPPIE", but today's shiny hair is surely worthy of one days testimony...
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