8 February 2013
RANT -- just my thoughts on today's society in regards to the usage of chemical mixtures we call health and beauty products.
. . .
SO, I was the weird girl washing her bangs (fringe) in the girls’ bathroom sink at school yesterday morning.
Awesome intro, right? But I wasn't just washing my hair with anything--I was washing it with baking soda. Whoa! You weren't expecting that, were you?
Yes, BAKING SODA! I had French-braided my hair before I hopped on the school bus because I woke up late and already knew I wasn't washing my hair that morning. It wasn't really greasy at all but a braid was better than having flat hair. I’m trying out the “No Poo method” of washing my hair--so, eventually, I'll be able to wash it ONLY WATER. (Never have to buy shampoo again! HUGE $$$ saver) So I threw my little glass jar of baking soda in my bag and went to school.
After getting to the sinks and mirrors, I pulled out my jar and went to work. While the other girls were glued to the mirror and coating their lashes with globs of black waste, I was bent over the sink, wetting my bangs. I dipped my fingers in the jar and massaged the baking soda on my roots.
A girl to the right asked, “What’s that white stuff?”
“Baking soda!” I said
A girl to the left, “What’s it do?”
I paused for a second and thought: baking soda? What doesn't baking soda do, and how do you not know? It’s almost as universal as coconut oil... Or water!
“It’s... like soap--or shampoo--I guess,” I replied.
. . .
2013; The 21st century.
The age of “the future” with our electric cars and homogenized foods and our massive, mass-produced chickens that can grow full-size in 49 days.
In an age like this, it's probably not too far-fetched to think that teenagers are aware of the gunk that’s in the products they use. I mean--for Pete’s sake--today, one of the most important things in life is going to school and having an education!
Yet, an average high-schooler couldn't tell you the main purpose of using baking soda--besides in baking.
And, in addition to that, the fact that I was washing my hair with it was even stranger.
Because, GOLLY. Who on earth uses BAKING SODA to gentle cleanse their hair in a world where there are too many different types of shampoos & conditioners to name?
Me. Because I'm not your average American girl.
Paraben, sulfates, FD&C coloring agents, harsh perfumes; potential carcinogens... Hell, I can't pronounce half the ingredients on an ordinary shampoo bottle. Can you?
Why should we feel safe using things on our skin--that too easily absorbs them--when we can't even SAY the ingredients in them?
Because it’s become customary and normal to buy fancy products that serve a purpose as simple as getting the dirtiness out of your hair. It’s no big deal to go to the store and get soap to wash your hair.
But regular bottled shampoo doesn't just wash your hair; it pretty much strips it of its natural oils. Ever wonder why your hair is so incredibly greasy after a day without a good shampoo? It's because your hair’s been deprived of its oils, so when it realizes that, it overproduces oil to compensate for the lack of.
In my personal opinion, I think the traditional use of today’s bottled soaps is disgusting. I don't like knowing man-made chemicals are being absorbed into my bloodstream, so I choose to wash with natural, oil-based soaps and all etc.
I thought it was paradoxical when those girls asked about my baking soda. It's so normal to just strip your hair clean of everything, but when someone smart is seen cleaning their hair with simple baking soda, it's about as weird as seeing your mom hand you a plate of freshly-picked grass for dinner.
But I didn't mind their questions, I know it’s unusual.
That was my reality face-slap of the day before I rinsed, combed my bangs under the hand dryer, and left.
Please leave comments if you choose; I'd love to hear your thoughts!
The World and Soap Today • Opuss № I