TGIF on the Boulevard

Hi Neighbours,

I have a question for you. Is it easier to make a change in your lifestyle, when you and your family are out of public view or when everyone’s watching? IMHO, it’s easier when no one’s watching, in case your plans for a change fail, and when you don’t have to justify the change, until you’re sure that it’s working. Here, I learned from James Clear (Atomic Habits) — little changes that probably won’t be noticed by others, but which, over time (‘compounded’), can make a big change in your lifestyle.

Now’s your opportunity to try some changes, right? I have a few examples of some personal hygiene changes I made many years ago. First of all, as a young mother, and remembering my childhood, I took on the responsibility of cutting my kids’ hair. My kids didn’t know any better. It only took a few times for me to understand what was important — saving money and time.

Later, in 2007, I learned that the shampoos we use have many harmful chemicals in them, that are absorbed through our skin. I learned about ‘No poo’. Instead of shampoo, you could just use water and rinse with vinegar. Or you can use baking soda/soda bicarbonate, a.k.a. Arm & Hammer — 1 Tbsp in 300 mL of warm water — which I do. Look on Google or YouTube for information about ‘No Poo’.

At the same time, I learned that I didn’t need conditioner. I could rinse my hair with a solution of 2 Tbsp of vinegar, diluted 1:1 in water. I let the vinegar solution sit on my wet hair for a few minutes before rinsing it off. Washing my hair took much less time, and it didn’t need to be washed as often. Perhaps, I was one of the lucky ones who never got the ‘oily-hair look’ at the end of the day. But I’m suspicious that all the chemicals in shampoos & conditioners cause that to happen. I can testify, that my hair is long and healthy, after many years of No-poo-ing my hair, with a vinegar rinse.

Another small change was to stop using toothpaste. That happened when I discovered how sugar was added to toothpaste. I thought McDonald’s, adding sugar to hamburger buns, was bad enough! Chemicals + sugar? When all we need to do is scrub our teeth with a toothbrush. Do you know that hygienists use soda bicarbonate when they ‘polish’ your teeth, after ‘scaling’, and they charge about $40 for the ‘polishing’, which isn’t covered by dental insurance? That’s when I decided to put some soda bic in a shallow dish and gently touch my damp toothbrush to it. I call it ‘No-paste’. For healthy teeth all we really need is a healthy, plant-based diet with fresh fruit, raw veggies and nuts to chew on. And we certainly don’t need sugar!

Well, no one’s watching these days. Enjoy!

Fiona