Upon Request: Shampoo

I've been asked to share some of my beauty / body tips, which are not so much tips as they are ways of life. About three years ago, I gave up shampoo, conditioner, lotion, any washes/scrubs, makeup, tampons, perfumes, and a few other lady-type corporate scam chemical products. I was done leeching pharmaceuticals into my body via my scalp and skin, and decided to take full control of myself by simply stepping out of the cycle of beauty product consumerism. Unlike slow-food cooking or many other health-improvement activities (unfortunately), this way of life actually takes up less of my time and money, and is remarkably easy to adopt if you're ok with ordering a few ingredients online. It doesn't involve being greasy or smelly and, if you're ready to accept full-scale rejection of an entire industry, will make you feel pretty good psychologically, too.

Here's my solution for the shampoo / conditioner scam:

Shampoo
Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap
Herbal blend: peppermint, rosemary, nettle, lemongrass, chamomile

Make a strong tea with the herbs and regular tap water; let steep for 20 minutes, then strain. Add a few ounces of Castile soap to a jar or bottle, then top off with tea when cool. Soap will settle to the bottom, so give a quick shake before using the shower. A couple dashes will do -- amount of lather depends on water type (hard, soft, etc.).

Conditioner not necessary - as this blend does not strip your scalp of its natural oils, your body will take care of the rest. If you feel a little greasy still, use a dash of watered-down vinegar or lemon juice (or something else rather acidic) to get some of the excess grease out after you shampoo. (I still use vinegar depending on the weather - it's not as stinky as you think.) Castile soap is ideal because its biodegradable, and doesn't contain detergents (meaning it doesn't strip your hair of oils, only actual dirt). In a pinch I sometimes use the bar soap, which seems to work ok, too.

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Commercial shampoos will strip the oils out of your hair using harsh detergents, which then dry out your scalp and hair and make you feel convinced you need a conditioner to return to your "normal" moisture levels. Conditioners really just coat your hair in plastics and make your hair feel unnaturally "soft," which creates an unrealistic cycle of competition among women about who can have the "softest" hair. I found that once my scalp became naturally balanced, I produced enough oils to condition my hair just fine. Your body wouldn't produce its own oils if you didn't need them!

Please try this and give your scalp a few weeks to adjust -- it may at first react by producing either more or less oil than usual, or feel itchy, or weird. This detox period will pass, and you will discover -- probably for the first time -- what your hair actually feels like.

Man vs. Machine

In efforts to get into super-good shape for my upcoming trip to Yosemite, I've started walking across the Queensboro Bridge from Manhattan after my physical therapy sessions each week. (It's more cardio than it sounds like! 40 minutes of weight-training plus a four-mile walk.)

The bridge has some graffiti of unusual clarity, and I've started documenting them as I pass them by:

(not a real website) 

Queens Botanical Garden

I took advantage of the nice weather this weekend and went on a couple bikes rides: one through LIC and Williamsburg, which was pleasant; the other to the Queens Botanical Gardens, in Flushing, which was horrific. Keywords: Northern Boulevard, LIE, potholes. Both rides left my calves in a sorry state.

But once I got there, life slowed down and I was met by my friend Liz, and we explored the tiny gardens.  There's not actually much to see -- at least not compared to the Brooklyn or Bronx Botanical Gardens, which are lush and large -- but the atmosphere was pleasant and quiet. There were robins taking baths in a stream, and lots of new greenery. I calmed down.

New ferns! 

Oh, Coon 

We saw a HAWK! I think it was a Pied Goshawk. 

 Strange bulbous plant in the "Chinese Medicine" garden

Surreal tree in a circle

Not Grown-Up Yet

"You know you're an adult when you have separate toilet paper, paper towels, and napkins."

-CouchSurfer

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If you want to get really excited about something, watch this first:

Utahns

I went to far-flung Utah this weekend for a milestone event: a bridal shower. Remove any ideas of fluffy flowers and screaming and pink lace, because Kiersten is too cool and Utah is too beautiful to stand for any of that 1950s nonsense. Here's the bride-to-be's cute little face:

Aside from the party itself, we did lots of crunchy Utah things, like go for a walk in City Creek -- Brigham Young's original piece of property -- check out the public library, and go to a vinyasa yoga class.

Rooftop of the library - they have a beehive too! 

I got to meet Kiersten's family, including her sisters -- who are a lot like mine! -- and the various animals running underfoot.

The gorgeous Lil B 

The bridal party (minus one sister): me, Courtney (maid of honor), Kiersten, Chloe "Ole Chole", and Zoe.

Kiersten, Mike, and Grandma Cosette 

Mystery, the toothless teacup Chihuahua

The party itself was not without some pomp, but that was ok -- there was a gypsy jazz string quartet and some seriously fancy cakes.

Church of Latter-Day Saints - no one but Mormons can go inside!

 Inside the Mormon Visitor's Center - a huge Jesus surrounded by celestial bodies

Some very interesting interactive Visitor's Center stuff

As expected, the bridal shower allowed everyone some much-needed girl time which, after years of telling myself I don't need it, was incredibly refreshing. I'm learning that it's ok to admit to things like that -- to anything, really, that you might be trying to brush under the rug, unsuccessfully. As much as I love New York -- evangelically so -- I felt much more at ease, at home, and at peace in Utah, with my friends, than I have in a long time. 

WTFNYC

Don and I went on a search tonight for the Kabab Cafe, an Egyptian restaurant in Astoria famous for its offals (sweetbreads, organ meat, etc.) and northern Egyptian cuisine. We arrive at the address, 25-12 Steinway Street, and the shop looks closed: gate down, lights off. Don calls the phone number to the restaurant -- their kitchen is open until 10, and yes, the address is 25-12 Steinway Street. We look again. Nothing.

We get home (after eating at Jerusalem Nights, which was mostly empty except for a birthday party for a 10 year-old girl going on in the back) and look up the location again on Google maps. Plain as day, the storefront is easy to notice, well-labeled with its name in the window and everything. Did we fall into a Twilight Zone hole on Steinway?