Pollywogs!

So things have changed a lot for me recently. In addition to the diet, I cut out a LOT of chemicals and products from my life. Instead of a veritable cocktail of chemicals, the only ‘wierd’ thing I currently use is “hair product”, and once it is used up I’m looking for something natural.

The main thing that changed was soap. Simple old soap. It is amazing how much shit can be in something as simple as soap. So, Kelley bought a lot of handmade soaps over Christmas for gifts and she kept a surprising pile for ourselves. I did some reading about how simple soap can be, and why regular soap (such as Ivory) can be drying. Apparently during the manufacture of normal soap they remove most of the glycerin out for other uses, or they just make a detergent/surfactant (which apparently is a much cheaper process). Why add moisture back in with all types of artificial chemicals when glycerin is an ideal moisturizer naturally occurring in real soap? I even use it for shaving, just like the originators of soap did in the Middle East over a thousand years ago. Anyway, I love the natural fragrances and how well it works. Instead of using a body soap, a face soap, and shampoo and conditioner, I just use all natural soap. If you’d shudder to think of paying ‘an arm and a leg’ for ‘fancy natural soap’, Kirk’s Castile soap is a very good, much less expensive alternative (I need to get me some hemp-scented soap (although I think to have enough ‘hemp’ scent it may end up being illegal heh)). I can’t, however, recommend Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil Soap, I don’t care for the aroma and I think it isn’t quite as gentle as handmade soap. If you feel wild and crazy, buy the good shit: Real. Simple. Soap., Chagrin Valley Soap, and Pretty Baby Herbal Soap Co. You DO smell the aroma before you even enter the shower! For hand soap we’ve refilled old hand-soap containers with a 50/50 mix of Dr. Bronner’s All-One Hemp Pure-Castile Soap (great stuff!!) and water.

Have you noticed a particular funk when I come around? I also decided that all of the weird chemicals in antiperspirant deodorants can’t be good, but I don’t have the massive sweaty man-balls of Matthew McConaughey and so needed something, so I looked around at Weis and Wegmans and found some natural deodorants. I use the term ‘natural’ hesitantly, as even the Tom’s of Maine offering has the first ingredient of propylene glycol (which I’m pretty sure they make from natural gas). So, the Tom’s of Main Natural Original unscented I think is ok. I wouldn’t use it in the middle of summer and expect it to last more than a few hours, but for the fall, winter and spring it is acceptable. Now, the J/A/S/O/N Deodorant Stick is actually quite good, and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it year round.

I’m still using chemically mouth care products. Crest Pro-Health Clean Cinnamon is my favorite, I love the sandpaper texture and flavor. Act Fluoride Cinnamon rinse is also an essential.

Finally, also vitally essential is the Queen Helene 100% Cocoa Butter. Makes my hands soft like a babies ass and stuff.

This all feels familiar, did I just post about this a few weeks ago or have I been intending to write about it for a while? Hopefully you don’t remember either…