Sunday, February 7, 2016

Minimalist Body Care


Whoo hoo-Down a total of seven pounds since the first of the year. A season of The Biggest Loser is on right now,where in the first weeks, each contestant is losing usually a minimum of seven pounds in a week, but I am quite happy in my progress. I've had some "girls power eating" moments, where cookies, chips, cheese dip, and diet coke make up the four food groups, but then I've been able to balance our that gluttony the next few days. Smaller portions, lots of water and tea, and trying to squeeze in moments of exercise where I can have been my strategies.  Nothing dramatic nothing restrictive. It will be a long haul to get to a healthy weight as according to the Body Mass Index Charts (BM), I have another 58 pounds to lose to be in normal range. I use the NIH calculator found here.

Since at a moderate, healthy, and hopefully achievable one-two pound weight loss a week it will take me until December to get there, i want to see  some more visible, and quick, tangible results to my focus on health this year. Not only have I let my weight go, I've also let my skincare routine really fall by the wayside. I've been trying to spend a touch more time each morning, but let's face it, I've been an in and out of the bathroom in under 10 minutes kind of gal my whole life, and it isn't going to change now. So change is going to have to happen in how and what I use with those 10 minutes, and giving myself perhaps one night a week an all out pamper. 

At the library the other day, I picked up a copy of a beautiful magazine called Willow and Sage. I think it comes out quarterly, but it is filled with ideas for make your own scrubs, lotions, and soaps. The pictures were gorgeous with fresh  herbs and small vials of essential oils laying next to gingham and burlap wrapped bars of soap, or vials of salt with jute twine and copper labels. The website even has a store where you can buy all the items you need to make your own. As lovely as all the items were, they were quite expensive, kind of defeating the purpose of trying to make your own products with simple ingredients. There were though many recipes on the pages with normal household ingredients and I gravitated to them. 

Not for breakfast today.
I've been perusing Pinterest boards looking for ideas for homemade face and body washes and scrubs. Just like in the kitchen, I've combined and matched ideas to my own supplies and preferences. This morning, after a very late night following a full day of chaperoning show choir, my body ached. My face also felt tired and weathered from being in and out of the cold. A simple body scrub with three parts oatmeal, blitzed quick in my coffee bean grinder, so I also got the essence of coffee and one part baking soda felt soothing on my skin in the shower this morning.  I used it on my face down to my feet. Later tonight, I'm going to mix an egg, some olive oil, and some honey together, and give my hair a deep condition, putting it up in a shower cap, while I lounge in a bathtub with salts and a dash of vanilla. I have a spoonful of the oatmeal blend left to put on my face and let sit as a mask while I soak. No Super Bowl party for me this year-just calm for myself. 


Any recommendations out there for your own routines?  Who else is trying to scrap chemical laden products in favor of simpler and more natural ingredients?  If anyone has found an idea for deodorant, I am all ears. 

13 comments:

  1. I'm so proud of you for losing weight. It's a hard fought battle. I seem to lose it in spurts. I hope that a spurt comes on soon. I have an underactive thyroid and I'm not on medication so its a bit harder. But I am still fighting the good fight.
    I use a lot of coconut oil and I too, am replacing a lot of the chemical crap with homemade beauty products. I am a bit greasy at bed time. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My daughter just bought some cocanut oil and has been experimenting. She struggles with acne even as an adult but both oral and topical haven't been much help. She uses as a wash and thinks she's seen some improvement.

      Delete
  2. Well done, Sam! It's all about small, sustainable changes - really dramatic and rapid weight loss is hard to maintain. I keep things very simple in terms of skincare, my very difficult skin can't cope with lots of products and changes. I have never found that expensive products promising the world ever deliver! xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ate some not so great things today so back at healthy tomorrow. I think the fewest ingredients the better-ibside and out of body.

      Delete
  3. Congrats on your progress! I'm also trying to ditch the chemicals for more natural products. Just made my own deodorant and toothpaste this morning, actually, haha. I used the recipes from Trash is for Tossers' YouTube account. They're super simple and use basic ingredients you'd normally have laying around in the kitchen. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will watch that video-thanks for the tip and commenting.

      Delete
  4. Well done for the weight loss. I made three batches of soap once with natural ingredients. The process was a bit scary from a chemical reaction point of view but they were lush. I've always meant to make more ....when I have the time x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad your efforts were worth it. I'm aitimidated by any chemical reactions-bad chemistru lab memories. Maybe that is what the Willow and Sage soap base takes care of. I would just add the fragrance and oils.

      Delete
    2. You got great result. Don't wait for fast result, you can't keep it for a long time. It's better to lose weight gradually. Breathing helps a lot to lose weight. It's really useful to walk everyday.

      Delete
  5. I got on the scale a few times since the New Year but am now afraid! I eat quite healthy, use my juicer for breakfast or lunch but have weak moments in the grocery store and buy pretzyls and ice cream. Waah! I have to say my skincare is good especially now that I'm retired and don't bother with makeup unless I'm going out. I am loving that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those foods that lure you in when trying to be good. Like tonight's leftover pizza. It was there, it was easy, and I'll be hungry again in a few hours because it was a white flour crust with mediocre toppings.

      Delete
  6. Hi well done with the weight loss. I've replaced all my chemical laden skin care products with coconut oil. It's a great cleanser and hair conditioner and I use it in cooking too. However (this may sound gross) I only wash my hair once a week and only use shampoo once a month just using water and a drop of conditioner the rest of the time. This from the girl who used to wash and style her hair every day lol. Hair is in better condition and it saves money too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My son said he rarely uses shampoo-worries it over dries his hair, and he has a great head of hair and is always clean and fresh. He swears the natural oils with water are enough to keep it clean. What he saves in shampoo though he spends twice in water-too many showers! I like my shampoo routine, but have backed off a little in the frequency-not having to shampoo daily anymore.

      Delete

Join the conversation. Your comments are welcome. Dissenting and different opinions are welcome as makes for good conversation. I moderate comments to be sure I read them all and stay ahead of the spam. Advertising products or services without permission will be deleted, as will anything that may be harmful to others-read promotion of debunked "experts" and conspiracies. If you're a blogger, feel free to include your blog URL.