30 Days Of 'No-Poo'

A couple nights ago while winding my mind down I hit the hair and beauty section of Pinterest. I visit that section often to look at all the beautiful thin girls with long flowing hair ... usually to remove myself of how I want to look next July (more on that in a sec). I stumbled across a post about no-poo, after reading it and a few similar posts I have decided to try it for 30 days. Not sure what no-poo is? Well its basically going shampoo less. Instead of chemically induced hair care items you simply go back to basics and use good old baking soda and vinegar.

Here is how I feel about day 1: washing with baking soda was easy. I mixed one tablespoon baking soda with a cup of water, poured some on my wet hair, and scrubbed in my usual circular motion. After washing I followed with a vinegar rinse made of one cup water and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. My hair is shoulder length and usually out of control resulting in a daily pony tail. I noticed after my no-poo wash my hair dried in half the time it used to, it was very easy to run a brief through, and feels much lighter than usual. I will follow up with weekly posts to let you know how it goes ;)

Wondering what I want to look like in July? Well here we go. At my heaviest in 2009 I weighed almost 180lbs...which is a ridiculous amount for a person that is 5'2". Having a baby in the nicu through me into a depression that I never knew existed and I ate my feelings I felt worthless, unwanted, disgusting, and humiliated. It got so bad that I didn't want to leave my house. In 2011 when I got pregnant with Tanner I wanted that all to change. I went from 175 at my first appointment to 155 and back to 162 when I delivered an 8lb 2oz baby. At my six week check up I was down to 151 and thought I could keep it off. Well here I am in 2013 weighing in at 163lbs. I don't feel like I am an over eater any more, I'm more active than I have ever been, and my depression is 80% gone....but I don't feel good about the way I look. I still feel embarrassed and ashamed of myself. I find myself ignoring phone calls and not wanting to spend time with friends because of my weight. I'm also the largest woman in my blood related family which doesn't help. Constantly being around stick figures doesn't do much for a girls self esteem.

So I decided to change. Decided to put me first a little bit more than usual. I'm slowly getting into a routine and hoping to stay there. For my 30th birthday I want to weigh 30lbs less. I think it is a goal I can achieve if I try. I'm walking my dogs more, riding my bike further and pushing myself more, hiking, and even throwing in a little jog while I'm at it.

10/1 UPDATE
I went three days before washing my hair again. My hair did not get greasy or unmanageable in those three days and I probably could have went a few more. My hair feels lighter and healthier in only a few days. Can't wait to see what the next few weeks holds.