Day 4? Hair? I think? Yes, that's right. Or Day 5. I think I washed it last Friday night, because we were hiking on Saturday. Anyway. I've done one round with the Yellow Bird Tea Tree and Eucalyptus Shampoo Bar and the Aspen Kay Lemongrass and Sweet Orange conditioner bar. Please note that these are NOT affiliate links. I don't belong to any affiliate programs, other than Bookshop, as noted in my sidebar. Just sharing so you'll know what products I'm talking about.
That said, I like these products so far. They're both "Curly-Girl Friendly," which means that they contain no sulfates (the shampoo bar) or silicones (the shampoo and conditioner) to strip your natural oils or coat your hair with buildup. The shampoo bar got my hair EXTREMELY squeaky-clean, even without sulfates, so much so that I'm pondering not using it that often, but trying to conditioner-wash every other wash. Currently I wash my hair twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays (roughly –– sometimes that's Tuesday night and/or Friday night), but here it is Tuesday, and my hair still feels very clean. I might try just the conditioner bar, which does provide a nice "slip" when you use a lot of water, tomorrow, and see what happens. My hair is so long right now that washing it is really a pain, but if I have to wash it again because the conditioner bar alone makes it feel greasy, then so be it. At any rate, both products came recommended as gentle for curly or wavy hair, and I'm pleased with their performance so far.
I'm especially pleased not to have more plastic bottles to deal with. A cruise through the grocery store yesterday reminded me just how ubiquitous plastic is in our lives –– it's virtually impossible to do any kind of conventional grocery shopping and not come home with a lot of single-use plastic, even when you take your own reusable bags and are consciously trying to avoid it. I had to quit a Catholic Zero-Waste Facebook group because it was giving me anxiety attacks, but in the main I am trying to find every plausible, sustainable way not to choose plastic and other petroleum products: not buying synthetic fabrics unless they're secondhand, for example; not buying plastic sandwich bags (I have reusable silicone containers to pack my husband's lunch in and use glass jars at home); now I'm trying to replace standard household and personal-care items with versions that don't come in single-use plastic packaging. These are all small things, but they're things I can do. I had my children read the papal encyclical Laudato Si as part of their high-school biology coursework; I do well to take it to heart myself, in terms of all these small habits that constitute my daily life. I don't delude myself that I'm going to save the world this way, but if I can set my soul on the path of loving God's creation as He loves it, and enacting that love in my small decisions, then that is something accomplished.
Wearing Camellia just as she comes again today. No plans to leave the house, just writing, reading (still working at Jacob's Room, trying to absorb its incredible density of detail), doing some cooking to have meat ready for use in various meals this week. It's hot out, so I'll probably just walk my stairs and do some laps around the house –– I've really fallen off my 10K steps lately. In fact, I should get up and do some of that now.
I'll leave you with some more Camellia views. Tomorrow I'll start doing some more consciously transitional dressing (I think), because it will be September, even though it'll also still be about 95F outside. But today, again, the thrifted Birk Floridas make a summery appearance.
LATER:
Wearing my apron to do some prep-cooking. I bought two packs of boneless chicken thighs which I want to cook ahead to use in lunches and dinners this week.
I love this cheap linen-blend Japanese-style apron (bought on Amazon) and wear it almost daily. A second apron is another acquisition I have in mind to prepare for my no-buy year, so that I can have one to wear while the other is in the wash. I'm really trying not to buy clothes out of our household budget right now (even though there's always a line item for them), but am waiting either to receive the second half of my publisher's advance for the poetry anthology –– that should be pending, but I'm starting to drum my fingers on the table a little –– or to pick up some more homeschool consulting. I do Charlotte-Mason-specific consultations, mostly helping people to use the Mater Amabilis curriculum, which we used and which I helped to write, during the course of my children's K-12 education at home. I also help with Charlotte Mason customized curriculum development, scheduling, and some aspects of dealing with executive-function issues (though I'd be quick to recommend an executive-function coach). My standard fee is $75 an hour, though I am happy to negotiate, as I would not want homeschooling support to be financially out of anyone's reach. I do regularly work pro bono. But when I can make some money, that's a good thing. I don't spend it all on clothes, but it's sure been nice to make some considered sartorial investments this year.