In the life of a Treekid

Hey guys!

One of my goals for the semester was to understand what is in my beauty products, and when possible try to make my own. What I am finding out is that making my own products would be fairly labor and time intensive (at least for a college student.)

BUT that finding better alternatives to products is fairly easy.

If started out on a gradual slope. Last semester I began using Suave with all natural Shea butter, by far not perfect but a small step forward.  Then, before the semester even started I started using Organix organic coconut milk shampoo and conditioner. It’s made out of egg whites and coconut milk mostly…and also very expensive for the quantity…so also not the best option for me, but so far I have loved how it has made my hair feel! I don’t want to go back to inorganic hair products.

I am realizing just how many chemicals are in the products I previously used. So my new challenge is to only use organic or all natural beauty and hygiene products for two weeks!

In order to do this I will be:

• Washing my hair with baking soda (after I finish my other organic shampoo) 1tbs baking soda per cup of water (this can be increased with hair thickness and length)
• Conditioning with Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. Also 1tbs per cup of water, only applied to hair below the scalp. Can also be increased for hair texture, thickness, and length. 
• Deep Conditioning with Organic Coconut Milk (most likely once a week) http://saisun.hubpages.com/hub/Going-Nuts-for-Coconut-Milk-Hair-Conditioner 
• Using a 100% vegetable soap (The Honey & Black Seed Soap pictured above)
• Tom’s Natural Toothpaste
• Tom’s Natural Deodorant (Not the best natural choice, It contains aluminum like most deodorants, which is not environmentally friendly and has been linked to breast cancer.) Hopefully, I will find a better alternative soon.
• Burt’s Bees Lip Balm and Lotion
• No Make-up!

Some of the other tree kids may be joining in on my escapes. 

It’s going to be quite the adventure. Feel free to ask questions about what I am doing and what you can do!

Treelove,

Kenze

Yesterday night marked the first debut of “treehouse sleeping mode.” What’s this you ask? Now that the weather is getting colder, treekids get into hibernation gear to hit the hay! Last night I slept in thick sweatpants, socks that went up to knees, a shirt and a fleece…and still around midnight I seriously contemplated getting out of my bed to find my skiing hat. So cold. However, curling up in a ball to preserve my own body heat under my wool comforter seemed like the better option. I fell asleep eventually, but brought up my complaint to my house mates at lunch today. Here’s some tips for staying warm treehouse-style at bedtime:

1) Drink hot tea before bed

2) Do some jumping jacks or a quick sprint around the house to get that body temperature up.

3) Crawl into bed with someone ( I seriously contemplated doing that to my roommate… didn’t think she’d notice…)

4) Elena’s idea: invest in a tree-dog or tree-cat (There are plenty stray cats that would love a warm bed as much as you’d love there body heat. Check around Louther Street. Also check for mangy patches…)

5) Elena’s idea: Start a small fire at the base of your bed, just enough to get feeling in those toes… plead innocent when DPS shows up later that night.

6) Prepare a turkey in the oven and then take it into bed with you. You get both the benefit of the heat from the turkey and the smell of turkey as you’re drifting off. Second Dinner anyone?

7) Elena’s idea: Grow a beard! If only, my face would be so much warmer!!

But in all seriousness, I still am glad that my house is dedicated to using less heating energy by keeping our thermostat down! A little chilliness is nothing compared to the reduction we make in our houses carbon footprint, and we get to practice our layering skills every night.

SOUP AND BREAD with President Durden and Ken Shutes

At the Treehouse, we mow our lawn with a push mower instead of a regular gas powered mower.  It’s actually kinda fun! 

The eco-olympic games have begun!  The house this week is split into two teams- Iceland and Switzerland (two of the most sustainable countries).  Everyone gains or loses points for what actions they’ve done throughout the week.  Some fun examples:

To gain a point:

• going 1 day without a shower
• spending 1 hour outside
• using cloth alternatives to tissues or paper napkins for 1 day
• using homemade/biodegradable toiletries for 1 day
• picking up 10 pieces of trash
• 1 day without meat
• 1 day without using individually packaged items

To lose a point:

• doing laundry
• using hair appliances, electric toothbrush, electric clippers
• riding in a car
• watching an hour of TV or playing video games
• eating tropical or out of season fruit
• acquiring plastic bags, bottles or cutlery
• leaving the ceiling fan, power strip, computer or lights on when not in the room

The losing team at the end of this week has to make the losing team food for a house dinner.  Let the games begin!