Monday, February 2

the poo bar


well, that's a post title to make your eyes water (or your stomach turn).

Ive 'been there done that' soo many times over the years, trying to go 'no poo'. The first time would be, ohh god, nearly 20 years ago (@#%!) ...young feminist hits university, majors in third world political economy and womens studies, the intellect gets sharpened, the politics heightened and the legs grow a forest, the pits too. Permaculture gets explored, passive solar makes it into my vocab and i start saving seeds and homesteading in the back garden... so, ive been at it a while. But nothing to this day has made me give up 'the poo' long term. I just like that clean, stripped bare to the roots but silky kinda feeling. Im with Crunchy all the way; that chalky saline soloution and cold vinegar rinse just dont make me feel like getting out of bed in the morning and as for the thought of trying to put a comb through the resulting nest. Staus quo remains.

Cut too 2009 and many attempts at' no poo' later and the plastic bottles in the shower are really starting to piss me off; that shelf is the last frontier in this household. Now i know I could get a haircut and i think the day is getting closer but 'the problem' is a teenage girl in the house with hair dramas (well, make that daily crises); only a mercenary could remove the Pantene. We have tried many, M.A.N.Y herbal, biodynamic, vegan, paraben free, SLS free concoctions but nothing cuts it with the very picky and very vocal teen "im going to die if you dont buy the shampoo mum" or "that is social suicide dont you know and Im not willing to try it" and a mum with particular fussies about the feel. Until now.

Yesterday, I finally bit my eco-pride bullet and came home tentatively sporting a *hand over the mouth in hushed tones* Lush shampoo bar. Ive never been into a Lush store before; you can smell them a mile away and quite frankly, to my senses, they stink. But the shop in town was well ventilated with double doors in the wedge shaped shop and seemed quite approachable on the orrofice front and the enourmous wheels of earthy looking solids had my inner aesthete drooling. And I had a mission. No bottle!

The chunk looks soo at home, happy, sitting on the wooden shelf in the shower. The most incredible thing is, we all LOVE IT!!!!! Its soft, creamy, silky and probably non-biodegradable, but...no plastic bottles. Its given me the impetus to make my own. Anyone got a creamy olive oil recipe they swear by?

**Addendum: lush also do a solid conditioner which i will try out this week.

11 comments:

pipnvik said...

Congratulations on conquering your final fronteer.

Boldy going where no plastic bottle has ever been before...Pooh Bar.

Jen said...

I can roolly recommend this one...
http://www.beebeauty.com/12-shampoobar.html
Ill bring some over for you next time I come to Adders.

As for a 'poo bar recipe...my sister Cat has a few different concoctions brewing at one time of other. Ill email her for you.
J
x

Anonymous said...

Lush will probably get an upsurge in business now - I'll be going
in myself for a poo bar of my
own (once it get a bit cooler,
that is!).

Kale for Sale said...

We're nearly a year using the poo bar and love the reduction of plastic bottles. If only there were a conditioner bar we'd reduce further. Big congrats to the girls for trying the bar. I wouldn't have at that age; hooked as I was to my perfectly sprayed wings.

Kelly said...

LOL- thanks, as always, Phil.

Jen - i had a look at the website- they look lovely and thanks for the offer/s! ;-)

Barbara- i can only dream of being that powerful! mwahahaha. They have about 5 to choose from, and aconditioner! go to town, literally!

Kale- thats what im looking forward too, even though they get recycled, its just such as waste if you dcan find an alternative. Check etsy out for conditioner bars. There a few in the states that make them. As for the girls, B1 only tried coz we had emergency backup! lol

Jo said...

ahhhh! i went 'no poo' last year for a number of months and ended up with a birds nest on my head!... thought about dreds, but seriously those dreddy-babes seem to use more products that anyone *lol* ... these bars do look interesting, does the packaging tell you what nasties are in there? (just so I don't have to brave the stench of a Lush store myself)

and btw ~ great post!

Anonymous said...

What a great way to avoid poo bottles! No Lush here - but am going to try the bars recommended by Jen. They look good. Thanks!

Kelly said...

jo - its funny, once inside the store the smells dissipate. There is no packaginf for the chunks of poo bars, take your own bag if you dont want the paper they get wrapped in , but the signs in the shop have the ingredients. They do have sodium laurel sulpahte which isnt very biodegradable..so olive oil poo bars re a better option.

Littleecofootprints-you can mail order, but jens suggestion looks a more friendly option and locally owned.

Veggie Gnome said...

The things you learn in blog land! Thank you, Kel, for your post. As I am a mountain turtle I didn't even know about Lush. I don't know much anyway where shops and the big smoke, etc. is concerned! *LOL*

Gosh, that website is great! *Drool* Must switch my computer off. NOW! Dangerous. Please, somebody hide my credit card!

Lisa Barrett said...

There are so many reasons on the label not to get anything from there. However have you smelled the chocolate bar!!!

Kelly said...

hehe. no didnt smell the choc bar, was on a mission. *sigh8 i know, but if swapping one for another minus the bottle is where im at... atually, the conditioner looks fine, no nasties, and the only nastie in the poo bar is the SLS, same as the Pantene! The conditioner has squished figs, or is it lycees...

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