Hair Raising

I'd like to share with you my experience of changing my hair washing routine to something a little less chemical-laden.


Way back in early August I decided that I would like to reduce my use of plastics in the bathroom and decided that I'd give solid shampoo a go. For my birthday I'd had a selection of goodies from the Ethical Superstore, one of which was this small Lamazuna shampoo bar. I found this bar worked quite well for my hair, but it did leave it quite frizzy, but it felt clean. it is quite pricey at £9.99 and I knew that it would be out of my budget to use this all the time.

At the end of August, I had attended a simple soap making course, which used melt and pour soaps and you added the essential oils and exfoliants. I thoroughly enjoyed this, but after a bit more reading I realised that the chemicals in these soaps are basically the same as the mass-produced ones and I became more interested in truly hand made soaps that are SLS free. I plan to do a course on making these at some point. This made me realise that I needed to buy a natural solid shampoo bar to use to wash my hair.

I tried the Friendly shampoo bar - It's a good price and I knew it would last. However, with just the first application, my hair felt claggy and looked awful. I had heard about transition periods for using this type of shampoo and thought that after a few washes it would be fine. It wasn't! Then I tried Alter/Native shampoo bar and conditioner bar. At first, this seemed much better. The conditioning bar left a silky smooth coating and my hands felt great after using it. However after just two uses, my hair felt clogged up and straw-like - my husband even commented on how awful it looked and I ended up wearing it up all the time. I heard I needed to rinse it out really well and used an apple cider vinegar rinse, but it didn't really help. After a couple of weeks of my hair feeling awful I was getting completely sick and tired.

I began to read more about the experiences of other people and how some found that the transition period could last up to 6 weeks and those with short hair had fewer issues - I considered cutting my hair. Further reading, however, shed more light on the issues I was having - it was all down to the hardness of the water.

I live in an area where the water is slightly hard. This can have a massive impact on the effectiveness of natural soaps. In a soft water area, the soap will lather easily and be washed away without leaving build-up on the hair. In a hard water area, the soap does not lather as well - this is masked in commercial products bu SLS which is a chemical that makes the product lather, but also strips the hair/ body of its natural oils - making you need to wash it more. Hard water areas typically have a build-up of limescale and soaps do not lather - or rinse out easily. So there was nothing wrong with either of the shampoo bars I used - it's down to the type of water.

Further reading led to hear about those who advocated the 'no-poo' method of washing hair. This seems a ridiculous term, but I liked the idea. Some used just water, others shampoo bars and others used just apple cider vinegar rinse. Some people also used Bicarbonate of soda. So before trying yet another solid shampoo that may or may not work in our area, I decided to go for the simple option and use what I already had in the kitchen.

I have settled on a Bicarbonate of Soda wash every now and again and apple cider vinegar rinses in between. I mix the bicarb with warm filtered water and apply to my hair. letting it sit for a few minutes before rinsing it out with clean water. The ACV rinse is simply 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water, also applied to the hair and then rinsed after a few minutes.

Initially, my hair became quite greasy within about 3 days, but after a couple of weeks, I could last a whole week without washing my hair - tying it up for the last couple of days. I even managed to continue the regime on my holiday in Spain. The water there was super hard and as it was warm I needed to wash my hair a bit more often. So I'm 4 weeks in. I'm not convinced it this will be a long term option for me but at the moment it's working and my hair is in good condition.

I'd love your advice if you've been on this journey and have any pearls of wisdom to share.

Sew Plastic Free

Since the Rana Plaza building collapsed in 2013, killing over 1000 workers. The fashion industry has become more aware of the poor working conditions in many areas of the world, just to keep us in 'Fast Fashion'. Slow fashion became a movement as well as the Who Made My Clothes campaign.

The big retailers have been forced to look at the conditions their clothes were made in as many of them were named and shamed in the months following the disaster. More recently we have become even more aware of issues affecting clothing production and waste. Companies are springing up all over who are trying to reduce the amount of cutting room waste going to landfill. Great examples are Zero Waste Daniel, Holly McQuillan and Tonle. ELUXE magazine has also identified a range of zero waste designers. These are all great ways to reduce the environmental impact and make fashion more sustainable. The creative Curator wrote a great post about this and you can read it here.

Holly McQuillan

Zero Waste Daniel

Tonle

Since the airing of Blue Planet a few months ago the world has certainly become aware of the issue with plastics finding their way into the world's oceans. Not just the obvious litter, but also the plastic micro fibres that are shed from our clothing during manufacture and regular washing. How will the fashion industry respond to this - Only time will tell.

Still from the Blue Planet

We can't bury our heads in the sand on this one. We need to reduce our manufacture and use of plastics, especially single-use plastics. But what about the things we use in home sewing? What can we do to make a difference - even a small one?

OK, so where are we using plastics in sewing? I thought this was quite a simple answer at first but then I really started to think about it.

From Plastic is Rubbish - a great source for plastic free living.

Fabrics
Yep - synthetics.
In Brief - We all know that there are issues in the manufacture of natural fabrics - pesticides and chemicals used in the large-scale manufacture of fabric and particularly dyes. However ultimately these fabrics will biodegrade over time and if you can find organic products  -  go for it. There are certainly more suppliers out there than there were a few years ago.
Then you've got the cellulose-based fabrics. Rayon, Viscose, Bamboo - all of which can be blended with other natural fibres or synthetics, and dependent on which will also biodegrade, although the process is more akin to the chemical process used in the production of true synthetics.
So Synthetics are made using completely chemical methods, Polyester - for example, is made from ethelyne which is derivative of petroleum. There are many variations of such fabrics, some that resemble natural fabrics such as silk and some that have their very own unique properties. Many of these fabrics have made their way into our lives and we hardly notice them. Synthetics have many useful properties and are used in performance wear, protective clothing etc. Until someone has found a way of getting rid of them they will forever exist, never biodegrading. The more we make the more there is. (My son wants to be a chemical engineer - maybe I can convince him that solving this issue would be a great thing to research).  You can read more on how different fabrics - and other things - are made at How Products are Made.

I must admit that I do prefer natural fibres - I tend to sweat a lot and polyester does not breath! I also find it smells like turps when it's being ironed! I normally avoid such fabrics but have found myself sewing them a few times over the last few years. I often do like the finished item and then feel guilty about making it! Am I alone in this one?

Plastic Spools

Notions & Supplies
Here's where it gets scary.
Polyester thread supplied on plastic cotton reels - do you recycle yours? Gutterman have started doing a wider range of high-quality cotton threads, but I think they still come on plastic spools.
Sewing machine needles supplied in plastic cases.
Plastic handled scissors - you can get metal ones.
Plastic zips - most dress zippers are plastic these days.
Plastic sewing machine feet - I know some machines have metal ones - my Bernina does.
plastic bobbins - again some are metal
Plastic sewing machines - given these are not single use, but if I'm listing stuff...
Plastic headed pins - I prefer glass, they don't melt if I accidentally iron them.
Various tapes, elastics and clips.
Can you think of more?

So what do we do about it?
Recycle as much packaging as you can - the stuff that you just can't get plastic free.
Buy natural where possible. You can buy cotton thread on wooden spools - go for organic if you can.
Use up your scraps rather than throwing away.
When you replace items go for environmentally friendly organic if you can. Check out Plastic is Rubbish to find where you can buy plastic free. This is a great website with lots of tips to get you started. Go explore.

Take the #Sew Plastic Free challenge in the month of June.

I know it's difficult to go completely plastic free, but what can you commit to for the month of June?
Could you sew only natural fibres? Maybe you could use alternatives to plastic zippers for your sewing projects? Could you replace plastic headed pins with metal or glass ones? Or search out ceramic or wooden buttons. One small thing at a time do check out Plastic is Rubbish if you are planning on signing up.

Sign up

Copy the pledge below and paste it into the comments section below,  include your details and your personal sew plastic-free challenge before 1st June 2018:

'I, (insert name and blog /Instagram handle if you have one), sign up to Sew Plastic Free. I endeavour to..........................................................................During June 2018' 
 


This post is a stream of conciousness, based on some reading and news I've seen over the past few months. I'm not an expert and I'm just trying to find my place in this issue. Please do email me with any corrections and I will edit.


'I, Claire of Ragbags and Gladrags/ @artcoopsville, sign up to Sew Plastic Free. I endeavour to find alternatives to plastic fastenings during June 2018'