Tag: Hygiene

Shampoos, hairbrushes and showers

Hello everyone!!

In this month’s post I will continue along the same lines as the previous one, talking about hair discoveries. Given my intention to reduce industrial cosmetics to the maximum or eliminate them completely (news about toxic ingredients in lipstick are nothing new) and my success in covering gray hair with henna, is no wonder I’m not satisfied with just using any supermarket shampoo/conditioner/mask products. Also, since I like to be as minimalist as possible, I have been searching for the simplest formula for months.

Well, I had heard about solid shampoos and about how convenient they are when travelling, but I had not tried them. For a long time I used the traditional yellow Johnson & Johnson (baby shampoo), because shampoos for babies’ ingredients contain less “shit” (although there have also been alarms for toxic ingredients in this type of shampoo). So, I started to look at solid shampoos and I think I have found the one that suits me very well, lasts a long time (another advantage of solid shampoos is that, since they are not diluted in water, they yield more) and it is decently priced for its duration. The shampoo I like is this one:

I also bought the container to put the donut-shape shampoo, and in the shower I simply leave it resting on the soap holder, because the hook that came with the shampoo doesn’t work. The ingredients of this shampoo are:

This shampoo also has versions for greasy, colored, children hair… but its composition does not vary much. I had tried another one that contained the typical caustic soda/sodium hydroxide that grandmothers’ shampoos/soaps used to have and that is still used a lot for homemade cosmetics today, but with that ingredient my hair looked too dull. As I dye my hair with henna, it is normal for my hair to get a little dull in the first wash after dyeing because there is still some mud residue, but by the second wash it is already perfect. And what I do after washing my hair and having it with a towel for 5 minutes is to spray it with white vinegar. Vinegar works as a conditioner for your hair (and for clothes in the washing machine, as well as cleaning the whole house along with baking soda). I use regular white vinegar because it is much cheaper than apple vinegar, and the effect is the same. Don’t worry about the smell because it goes away when your hair dries. And that is all, my friends! Henna, solid shampoo bar and vinegar, the 3 products I use for hair. Very cheap, ecological and non-toxic.

I am not going to dwell too much on the dangers of industrial shampoos, as there are already thousands of articles and blog entries that explain the harmfulness of parabens (endocrine disruptors), silicones (they damage hair) and sulfates (they cause dye to last less and they spoil hair). In addition to that, with industrial shampoos hair lasts clean much less time. The transition from industrial shampoos to natural shampoos can be a bit difficult (we seem to be doing better with industrial shampoos), but it takes a few washes. I do not usually use hair masks, but if I want to use it, I would simply put coconut oil before washing my hair and that’s it. And aloe vera gel works very well as hair gel, although I don’t use it either.

My hair is thick and strong, and although it may seem like an advantage, it is also complicated to deal with. Except when I straighten it, I do not brush my hair every day, only when I’m going to brush it (that is, every 4 or 5 days). And  I need a good detangling hairbrush, especially after applying henna. I have looked for hairbrushes that would help me detangle my hair easily, and the two best I have found are these:

The Tangle Teezer hairbrush detangles very well and is made of plastic, so it is easy to clean in the dishwasher. It detangles very well, you can use it also in the shower with your conditioner (or vinegar). I also bought the Mason Pearson hairbrush because I saw a Victoria’s Secret model recommending it 😊. It has surprised me because it is indeed very good. Since I already had the Tangle Teezer, I bought it in the bag version to carry in my bag (it’s cheaper that way) and I love it. I have it in blue and with nylon bristles (white ones, for thick hair). If your hair is medium (neither very thick nor very fine) there is a version with nylon and boar bristles, and if your hair is very fine with only boar bristles (the dark ones). I already had a boar bristle wood hairbrush, so I bought the nylon one.

For frizz (it happens in humid places and after drying my hair) I sometimes use a wooden comb. It is also good to roll your hair with a microfiber towel or a cotton shirt Anyway, the best thing for frizz is to iron your hair a little.

Finally, speaking of showering, I wanted to take the opportunity to point out that it is not necessary to lather the whole body every time we shower, and less with industrial soaps, because it causes too much dryness. I use the same soap for my body as for the face (Dr.Bronner’s) or a baby one (Mustela). I only use soap daily for my private parts armpits and feet. For the rest of the body, soaping it once a week is more than enough. This way the skin does not dry out so much and you do not need moisturizer after the shower. By the way, the best body creams, in my opinion, are coconut oil and shea butter.

Until next month!!

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Parasites

Hello!!!

Today’s post is about an issue that terrifies me since I was little and continues to worry me today: parasites inside the human body. I suppose everyone has been told as children that if you eat a lot of sweets you get “worms”. I never had it, I guess it really helped that I didn’t eat a lot of sweets as a child.

Now that I am an adult and I know more about life (hehehe) I already know that there are different types of parasites, and that they are usually acquired by eating raw-poorly cooked food, poorly disinfected vegetables or fruits, water in poor condition …

Another story that has always terrified me is that of the tapeworm. The idea that you can have a “worm” of a few meters inside your body, without knowing it, for years … bufff. I have heard many stories about this, sometimes from close people (I’m not sure if I believe them). From models who acquired the tapeworm “on purpose” to be able to eat a lot and be thin, to the grandmother whose tapeworm peeked through one nostril and got into the other nostril … Also the story of people who were put face down, with their mouth open and a bowl of water or milk, so that the tapeworm would come out to…The story of a woman who had a tapeworm inside her for 10 years and whose tapeworm came out one day while she was taking a shower…Or the story that says that if you open your mouth after eating cod, which is very salty, the tapewrom comes out to drink from the glass of water. Hahahaha they seem like camp horror (or laughter) stories!!

Tapeworm

But the fact is that it does exist, and if you have it, it is not that serious: you take a pill, it dies, and you will shi it tup. Among the tapeworm, amoebas, worms and others, I have been living in distress every time I went to the bathroom, in case they appeared, hahaha.

Another important fact is that in countries that are not as temperate as Europe, the United States or Japan (those that have seasons), that is, those countries that are rather tropical, the incidence of parasites (also transmitted by mosquitoes, although this is another issue ) is quite bigger. Not only because of the hotter climate (apparently the “bugs” die in cold weather) but because of their habit of eating in the street, in places with hygienic-sanitary measures that leave much to be desired.

When you are going to travel to one of these countries, at the vaccination center they recommend you to drink only bottled water (some exaggerated one that I know went to Ecuador and even washed her teeth with bottled water), not to eat on the street, and better not to eat fruits and vegetables (unless you eat disinfected and peeled fruit). I very much agree with these measures, and not only in tropical countries. In fact, when I eat out in Spain and Europe (although not in street stalls) I don’t usually order salads or fruits. Why? First, I don’t eat out every day, so since I am paying a plus I prefer something more substantial than a salad (I already eat vegetables every day at home). Later, because I don’t know how they disinfect raw foods, if they wash their hands before handling them, if they wear gloves… Since I heard the story of a “funny” man who worked at McDonalds and spit on hamburgers, well… That’s why I love places where they cook pizza or whatever in front of you.

And well, in tropical countries, if you live there or are there for a long time, you surely will end up eating somewhere where hygienic-sanitary measures are not what we are used to in Europe. You just have to go around the municipal markets, they have made me want to vomit seeing how they have raw meat lying there, without cold or any protection measure. But … it would be a shame to miss the local gastronomy for that. So, I sometimes eat in street stalls in these places, but trying to make sure it a trustworthy place, that both the product and the person cooking look good, and I do it very rarely. Another fact to take into account is that in these countries people are “dewormed” like dogs. Every six months or year they take a deworming pill, because they assume that they have caught something, or as a precaution. WTFFFF !!!

Typical Mexican street stall

Until next month!!

What is the bidet for?

Hello everyone !!! And welcome to this post-summer post in which I am going to talk about the bidet, that great unknown in much of the world.

According to Wikipedia (thanks, oh, great oracle) the word bidet comes from the French “bidet”, which would mean “little horse”, alluding to the posture used during its use. Well, I don’t know in France, but in French-speaking Belgium it is not very popular. And neither in the United States, Mexico (they who consider themselves so clean compared to Europeans, I don’t know why we have a reputation out there that we don’t shower) and the rest of Latin America (except Argentina, where the water from the bidet also comes out vertically). I have been to all these places and I have not found a bidet in hotels/hostels or in private homes. Wow, their presence is not something common as in Spain.

But the fact is that even in Spain the debate about what the bidet is for has reached my ears: that if it is useless, that if nobody uses it … Well, here I am to explain the two main uses of the bidet and why they are necessary in the bathroom.

A common Spanish bidet

Use # 1. Wash your ass and genitals (here following the eschatological line from months ago). In Spain a very uncomfortable question is to ask acquaintances if they use the bidet after going to the bathroom. Surprisingly, some consider the affirmative answer as obvious as if I had asked them if they wash their hands after using the bathroom (and I know that many do not, but nobody recognizes that), while others do not. Well, if you get shit stained on your arm, would you just wipe the shit with a toilet paper? Or would you rather wash your arm with soap and water? That is the use of the bidet. Very useful also for women when we are in our days. Add, also, that in some cultures (Arabic …) they do wash with water every time they go to the bathroom, but in a more rustic way (luckily we have the bidet).

Use # 2. Clean your feet. In summer, one can return from a walk “in the fresh air” at night, or in the morning after partying, and if we have worn sandals, feet are usually dirty. Are you going to go to bed like this? Are you going to shower at midnight just to wipe your feet? Here is the usefulness of the bidet.

And well, for use # 1, where there is no bidet purchase available, at least people can install a supersonic toilet, one of those from the Japanese, which not only have a bidet included but also they warm the chair in winter and make noise so that nothing is heard at the time of the “plof”.

Japanese super equipped toilet (I don’t see it useful to wash your feet)

*To buy the products I speak about (I only recommend products that I’ve tested):

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

*From the United States

*From Mexico

*From Spain