I'm Baaaack... With Homemade Shampoo!

Well, I've taken a blogging hiatus, but I'm back and sharing a recipe for homemade detangling shampoo! Yay!

Since Roo's hair is getting longer, I've discovered the need for detangler. In a big way. So I found a recipe for a homemade herbal leave-in detangler because she had developed a fear of baths, thanks to one eventful evening in the tub with Monkey. Baths became quite an ordeal, hair washing was torture. The detangler is amazing- it uses marshmallow root- and you can find the original recipe at Frugallysustainable.com.

But eventually, one does need to actually WASH the hair. So I searched for a detangling shampoo recipe, but came up emptyhanded. Well, fine then, I invented my own!

Essentially, I combined a variety of recipes for Castile soap shampoo with the recipe for detangler. Here it is!

5 c filtered water
1/2 c marshmallow root
1/4 c herbs of your choice
1 T baking soda
1/3 c Castile soap
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/8-1/4 tsp grapeseed oil
10 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)

Mmmkay. First of all, I know some of you are scratching your heads, wondering where to buy marshmallow root and xanthan gum. I found marshmallow at the local health food store where they sell herbs in bulk. But if you can't find it locally, it seems the fave online herb stores are mountainroseherbs.com and bulkherbstore.com.

The xanthan gum can be found at any grocery in the baking section, and it comes in handy little packets for around 50 cents.

Secondly: the herbs... I'll leave this up to your preferences, but since marshmallow does have a distinct (but not necessarily offensive) odor, you might want to go with something fragrant, like lavender or rose. I happened to have Snooze Tincture blend on hand, which contains lemon balm, chamomile, Passion flower, oatstraw, catnip, and hops and I thought that seems like a healthy blend for hair. I could be way off, but whatevs... Maybe I'll make another batch of lavender/rose for myself.

I used the baby mild (unscented) Dr Bronner's Castile soap (since it is for the BABY), but there are many different fragrances available.

SO. Begin by making your infusion. Bring the water and herbs + marshmallow root to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 4 cups (around 30 mins). The marshmallow will absorb the water like a sponge. Remove from heat. Strain through a sieve into a large measuring cup. Squeeeeeeze the herbs to extract as much of the marshmallow goodness as you can. See what I meant about the distinctive smell?

Next, add the baking soda. Then whisk in the xanthan gum, a 1/4 teaspoon at a time, until all the clumps have disappeared. Let the mixture cool a little and gently whisk in the Castile soap and grapeseed oil. I used grapeseed oil because it is very light and I didn't want the shampoo to be too heavy or greasy, or leave a coating on the hair.

After it has cooled a little more, add your essential oil(s) and..... Voilà!!! Pour into a bottle and save the rest for refills!

Now, don't expect this to lather like commercial shampoos. It is completely natural and you may experience a phase of greasiness while your hair adjusts to the change.

There are plenty of ways to change this to your specific hair and scalp needs. For instance, using lavender essential oil or adding oatmeal to your infusion will make a soothing shampoo; adding eucalyptus and/or tea tree oil combats dandruff (and repels lice!). If you have particularly dry hair, using jojoba oil instead of grapeseed can add a luxurious moisture to it. Research and experiment....and let me know!

Magic Vomit-Away Cleaners!

I am quite aware that the next thing I was supposed to post was the Guinness crock pot brisket. I'm totally gonna get to that. But we've been sick.

This family doesn't get colds. Oh no! Not a simple little case of the sniffles. When we get sick, we do it in an epic way. We get the plague. Bear, for instance, rarely gets a head cold. But she HAS had an intestinal parasite, mono (which caused hepatitis and jaundice), and has a tendency toward recurrent staph and MRSA. TMI? Sorry.

We have, as a family of five, had a horrendous vomiting virus. This comes immediately after both the older kids had a recent bout with strep. Roo came through that unscathed (and, honestly hasn't had more than a runny nose in her almost-eight months) but she caught this one in a big way.

I thought it was her new food of beans, which Wes totally thanked me for when he changed her diaper, but, no. Wes and I, as a couple, spent quality time together hanging out with the porcelain god, being truly sexy to one another. As a side note, it will be a LONG TIME before we eat Swiss steak again. The next morning, true to fashion, I spent no time alone in the bathroom, with my personal cheerleader, Monkey, right along side me as I was on all fours in the bathroom floor.

"Mommy? You doing?"
"I'm sick."
"You throw up?"
"Yes."
HEAVE
"Good JOB, Mommy!!"
HEAVE
"Good JOB!"
HEAVE
"Good JOB, Mommy!"
...continue in similar vein...

So, I was the idiot who got better when everyone else got sick. Wes has managed to conjure up an infected toe and knee, so he was useless. Therefore, I was one to be vomited upon, spit upon, peed upon... I truly believe that the difference between moms and other humans is the natural reaction to cup your hands and hold them in front of a child vomiting...or not. I do. FML.

Regardless, my carpet has absorbed a ridiculous amount of vomit in the past few days. Add that to the fact that our neurotic cat, Adso, has decided that the kids' bathroom is her own carpeted litter box, and it became necessary to CLEAN OUR CARPETS.

That was today's task. So my carpet cleaner came with a detergent, but I've found that most carpet detergents leave behind a film which actually ATTRACTS dirt. I guess, if you're a Dirt Devil CEO, that's a good thing. I'm not. I'm a mom. A rather lazy mom who despises the smell of cat piss, vomit, and the act of carpet cleaning. So I began my Pinterest search for a magic carpet cleaner machine solution that would solve all my problems. I got nada.

Bitches, I came up with my own.

The solution reservoir on my Dirt Devil holds *about* a gallon (??). So I used 2 cups of vinegar, 3/4 cup of peroxide, and a few drops of lavender essential oil (in a grapeseed carrier). I filled up the rest with hot (reeeeally hot) water. Before I began, I sprinkled the carpet with baking soda. I know baking soda is the miracle cure, but I didn't really want to make a science experiment volcano in the machine's reservoir.

That shit is awesome. I shall now commence to slap myself a high five. It's like liking your own Facebook status....

So after two hours of meticulous carpet cleaning, I could still, with my bloodhound nose (my kids will NEVER be able to smoke pot and get away with it) smell cat pee. I hate that damn hairless cat. I rue the day I rescued her.

So I had to make a carpet freshener. And, of course, I had to wait til the carpet was dry to apply it. That gave me time to play, AHEM, search diligently for a carpet freshener recipe on Pinterest. Good deal.

I mixed a cup of baking soda with the recommended 20 drops .... I lie. I overdo everything. I used more like thirty drops of lavender essential oil, which I happen to have on hand from News-Muz, and spent the next thirty minutes whisking the shit out of it. Poured that mess in a Parmesan cheese container and sprinkled it generously about the kids' bathroom.

Vacuum. Amen.

Omg.

Magic. Lavender. Awesomeness.

Again....

You're welcome.