How to Make An Herbal Vinegar Hair Rinse

One of my most popular offerings is my natural shampoo bars. My customers love them because they are gentle, effective and don’t strip the oils from their hair, so no conditioner is required. But, depending on the hardness of their water, some of my customers find it helpful to do a vinegar rinse once per month to keep their hair its shiniest.

No matter what type of shampoo you use, vinegar rinses are helpful in restoring your hair’s pH balance. They are also great for oily hair, itchy scalp, dandruff, dull hair, and other scalp conditions. You can easily make your own vinegar rinse, and the addition of dried herbs allows you to customize it to the needs of your particular hair.

To make your own herbal vinegar rinse, mix 4 tablespoons of dried organic herbs with 8 ounces of organic apple cider vinegar.

For light hair, you can use a blend of 2 tablespoons organic rose petals and 2 tablespoons dried organic chamomile.

For dark hair, you can use a mixture of 2 tablespoons dried organic nettle and 2 tablespoons dried organic lavender.

Place your herbs and vinegar in a clean glass jar, cap tightly. Label the jar with your herbs and the date. Allow to infuse for 6 weeks in a cool dark place, shaking the jar daily.

After 6 weeks, strain out the herbs and pour your herbal vinegar into a sterilized glass jar with a plastic cap (vinegar can erode metal over time). The infused vinegar will keep for at least a year if stored properly in a cool and dry place.

To use, mix 1-4 tablespoons of your herbal vinegar with 1 cup of water. Pour this mixture over clean hair, working into scalp. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then rinse with clean water. Or, you can leave it in and allow hair to dry. Enjoy your happy, shiny hair!

This can also be used as a facial toner. Simply apply to clean skin with a cotton ball or cotton cosmetic pad. Because this formula is alcohol-free and non-drying, you don’t need to rinse it off.

 

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Movember

image copyright Movember.com

Movember is like a walkathon, but instead of walking, men grow our their facial hair to help raise money and awareness for prostate cancer. I first heard of Movember 2 years ago when a friend grew some gnarly facial hair throughout the month of November. Because he did it to raise awareness about a disease that had affected her father and taken the life of a family friend, she supported him. Still, she was incredibly happy when December 1st arrived and he reverted to his clean-shaven self.

According to the Movember website, “Via the moustache, Movember aims to fulfill its vision of having an everlasting impact on the face of men’s health by continuing to spark conversation and spread awareness of men’s health issues each year.” I was really happy to learn about this effort. Prostate cancer rates are on par with breast cancer rates (according to the American Cancer Society, in 2008 the incidence rate for breast cancer in women was 2,632,000 and prostate cancer was 2,355,000), yet the general public receives very little education about this disease. Men’s health issues, in general, are far behind women’s health issues in terms of awareness. Movember is a fun way to get the conversation going.

a satisfied MAN moustache pomade customer

Here’s how it works. On November 1st, participants can register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face. Throughout the month, these men grow their mustaches, or other facial hair, into whatever configuration they are able to. During this time, they seek sponsorship for their efforts. As the Movember website points out, “Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.” On November 30th, Mo Bros celebrate their month-long efforts by throwing a Movember party or attending one of the galas held around the world by Movember, for Movember.

Money raised during Movember is donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, LIVESTRONG and Movember’s awareness and education program. You can see a detailed accounting of their fund allocations on the Movember website. To find out more about how you can get involved, check out the Movember website.

In honor of Movember, Thrillist has created a wonderful Movember Grooming Guide that includes Herban Lifestyle’s MAN Grooming Set and The Modern Man, Portland, OR, our new brick and mortar friend!

nifty mustachioed pouch made with repurposed fabric by UnraveledRevelry

Meet The Modern Man, Our New Brick and Mortar Friend

image copyright The Modern Man

Portland is one of my favorite places in the world, and now I have yet another reason to visit. Last month, The Modern Man, Portland’s newest barbershop opened its doors. The Modern Man is a gathering spot with a delightfully retro feel. And I am thrilled that they have asked to carry my MAN grooming products, which I have to say, look right at home with their late 1800s/early 1900s decor.

They offer gentlemen’s hair cuts in every style you can imagine, classic hot towel shaves, beard trims and mustache trims. They also carry an assortment of men’s grooming products including cologne, aftershave, mustache wax, gels, pomades, shaving kits, shoe polish and more. And they sell a variety vintage oddities for that special guy on your gift list.

Another reason to love The Modern Man is their commitment to community. They offer free VIP service to any man who is out of work and/or homeless who needs some grooming for a job interview. Isn’t that the cat’s pajamas?

image copyright The Portland Mercury

To learn more about The Modern Man, and see the staff in action, check out this great video on Thrillist. There is also a wonderful article on The Modern Man in The Art of Manliness. Also, both The Modern Man and Herban Lifestyle are featured in Thrillist’s Movember Grooming Guide!

You can also check out their Facebook fan page to see more photos and hear the latest news. The Modern Man is located in Portland at 5018 NE 22nd Ave, Portland, OR 97211.

Discovering the Beauty of Natural Products

This post was written by Katie Peige, Herban Lifestyle’s sustainability intern

I recently started an internship with Herban Lifestyle. I got the position in part because of the knowledge about natural beauty I had gained from my experience at ecocentricity!, an eco-friendly gift shop in Phoenix, AZ that sells, among other things, bath and beauty products from locally-owned businesses. Last month, I returned to Phoenix to pay a visit to my Alma Mater for an Alumni reception and to visit my friends and “Phoenix Family” that I had left behind six months ago. I had only started interning a few weeks prior and was not only learning about the natural, organic, and fair trade ingredients found in Herban Lifestyle products, but found myself obsessively checking out labels on any bath products I came in contact with.

On my second day back in Arizona, I woke at 6:30 am to help my organic, natural, locavore and thoroughly earthy-crunchy former roommate sell locally-made tamales at the farmer’s market (something she does every morning). I had a wonderful time walking around the market sampling salsas, peanut brittle, chocolate, cupcakes, desserts, and of course tamales. I was also excited to see the natural beauty products there, since I am now an expert! I read many labels and was tickled to spot ingredients that I had just entered into the Skin Deep Database for Herban Lifestyle. There was a smorgasbord of soaps, lotion, lip balms, deodorants, shampoos, massage oils, and facial scrubs. Some were really creative, with exfoliants such as natural and plastic loofah embedded into the soap. This reminded me of the exfoliating properties of our Fuzzy Soaps, which have a built-in wool “washcloth” on the outside. I discovered lotion in solid form, that came in a tube like deodorant. I later found you can get solid perfumes in a tube, too. There were even cosmetics made out of goat’s milk, which was a new concept for me.

I collected these vendors’ cards and headed over to ecocentricity to tell my former boss about all the fun, local, bath and beauty products products that she could potentially carry. At the store, I saw a lot of new natural soap that comes in loaves so customers can purchase as much as they want and pay by the ounce. I also saw my old favorite lip butter, which comes in an array of natural flavors, and my mascara made from tea and blackberries.

In the store, there was a display calling attention to the Skin Deep Database, explaining that some products that are ranked highly toxic even though they claim they are “natural.”  I smiled when I recalled the time I had spent entering products from Herban Lifestyle’s new Naked Line into the database, all of which scored a 0 or 1 (on a scale of 0 to 10) for toxicity.

Entering products into the Skin Deep Database made me more aware of the importance of knowing what ingredients are in my personal care products. I have not used a lot of cosmetics in my life. so I feel good knowing I haven’t been smothering my face in toxins. But now I am working on replacing my soaps and shampoos that I had no idea were bad for me and the planet (I am really digging the Herban Lifestyle Deeply Herbal Shampoo Bar). That’s one more earthy-crunchy step I’m taking to reduce my ecological footprint, and reduce my exposure to environmental toxins.

Squidfire 2009 Spring Art Mart

image copyright Squidfire

Herban Lifestyle will be participating in Squidfire’s 2009 Spring Art Mart! We had a wonderful time vending at their Winter Art Mart, and are looking forward to another fabulous show. Here are the details:

Saturday, May 9, 11am-6pm
Mount Vernon Square (between Charles & Cathedral Streets)
Baltimore, MD 21201
Click here for map

The Art Mart will feature over 50 of the best local and regional crafters and artists as they display their handmade wares in the most beautiful park in the city.

In addition to visual treats, gustatory goodies will also be available:  there will be gourmet sandwiches from Puffs and Pastries, local ice cream by Sylvan Beach, and local, sustainable Blue Bird Artisinal Coffee Roaster will offer their heavenly beverages.

In addition, Tenpachi, a local hair salon will be providing FREE haircuts and makeovers AND Federal Hill Massage will be providing massages! It doesn’t get better than this!

The event goes on rain or shine. Please join us!

Natural Crunchy Hair Solutions

Image copyright iVillage

The last couple of hairstylists I’ve visited have said that my hair is coated with minerals, most likely due to hard water — water high in calcium, magnesium and/or iron. I had noticed that my hair had been feeling very “crunchy” and kept conditioning every day in order to try and soften the feel. Both stylists said that conditioner doesn’t help, that I actually need to strip the minerals from my hair. One of them suggested a Bumble & Bumble product that is specially designed to eliminate build-up, but it can only be used once a week. I was happy to see that the product does not contain parabens, but I wanted something more natural, gentle, that I could use more often as my hair seems to be getting crunchier.

I came across the following suggestions:
1) Baking soda rinse (add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to 1 cup warm water, pour this solution over hair and massage into hair for about 1 minute, rinse and shampoo as normal)
2) Aspirin rinse (crush several aspirins and follow directions for Baking Soda rinse)
3) Vinegar rinse (add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1 cup of water and pour over your hair as a final rinse after shampooing)

It seems that these treatments can strip the hair, so it is recommended that you follow with a conditioning treatment. I found an olive oil and egg treatment that looks interesting, along with several other natural hair care ideas.

In reading about high mineral content in water, I found that it can also dry out your skin, and because it makes it harder for soap to sud, leaves your laundry less clean. A commonly noted solution to this is to get a household water softening unit. I had noticed a “minerally” taste to our water, and had been considering a purifier. It seems like it’s definitely worth looking into a water softening/purifying system since it can address so many different issues.

Recommended Reading:
The Organic Consumers Association report on research linking parabens to breast cancer
Environmental Protection Agency’s list of non-toxic alternatives to household and personal care products

 

 

[NOTE: When I originally wrote this, I neglected to add another excellent source for finding non-toxic hair care and body care products, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database of Cosmetics] 

This article originally appeared in my other blog, Becoming Your StellarSelf.