Have I mentioned that I’m utterly in love with fall? Only every. single. day.
Well, I am. I’m practically giddy with changing leaves, cool mornings and pumpkin patches. Even the rain is making me happy right now. It just feels so cozy. I know by the time February rolls around I’ll be singing a different song (one that uses the words “water-boarding”) but right now, I’m in seventh heaven.
I’ve been seeing a nutmeg, cinnamon and honey facial scrub popping up on pinterest quite a lot lately. Something weird to put on my face and yummy fall spices? I’m all over it.

Purported benefits: Nutmeg and honey are both anti-inflammatory, good for calming red skin and acne. Also both cinnamon and nutmeg are great exfoliants, helping to reduce blackheads.
Added bonus: Yummy.
Since Newt seems to be so fascinated with smearing mud on her face, I thought she might enjoy trying out this scrub with me.

I made it by mixing a couple of tablespoons of raw honey with a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg. It made a thick, sticky paste. Getting our fingertips slightly wet helped to thin it enough to slather it on our faces.

The original recipe suggested leaving the mixture on for 30 minutes, but my face started to feel a bit warm and itchy after only ten. Plus it was making me hungry.
Time to rinse.
We took turns splashing our faces with warm water, taking time to gently scrub.
Thankfully that slight itchy discomfort went right away. After toweling off, my skin felt soft and smooth. So did Newt’s but she’s only ten; her skin always feels that way.
I’m not sure it’s gentle enough to use often, but as an occasional scrub, I liked it.
When I asked Newt’s opinion, she said, “It was scrubby and it tasted good. I’d probably use it like every… two times every year.”
We may have to come up with another use for the leftovers. I’m thinking about putting it on toast.

Are you on Pinterest? Has it inspired you to try anything crazy new?

Read more about my sweet skincare:
Honey Challenge: Before
Honey Challenge: Update #1
Honey Challenge: Update #2

Disclaimer: This is a compensated post, sponsored by Bucks2Blog. All words and opinions are my own. I say what I like, yo.

Until about a week ago, I ‘pooed in the shower at least every other day. But now, I think I may have decided to stop ‘pooing altogether.
That’s right folk, I’m going no ‘poo. Wish me luck.
**By ‘poo, you go know I am referring to shampoo, right? Because if you didn’t, um… ew.**

I’ve been doing all kinds of weird crunchy things with my health and beauty routine lately: making homemade deodorant, washing my face with honey, making translucent powder from eggshells… It was only a matter of time before I started fiddling with my haircare products. I’m going to do a little experiment – no shampoo for an entire month.
I hear that we don’t really need shampoo to have clean, healthy hair. In fact, frequent shampooing may actually be counter productive. The theory is that shampoo is drying to your scalp. Your scalp gets grouchy about being stripped of it’s precious oils and responds by opening the oil floodgates. You respond by washing your hair more frequently – and so it goes.
It’s a vicious cycle, and one that reportedly takes a little bit of time to break. If you see me in person over the next month or so and my hair looks like… well, poo, please be kind. It takes courage to break the cycle.

In the last seven days I have not used shampoo at all, but I have washed my hair.
Here’s how:

Goodbye Shampoo, Hello Baking Soda (and apple cider vinegar)
To wash, add about 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1 cup of warm water and mix it well. (I use a pop-top sports bottle to ease application.) Squeeze it onto your hair in the shower and rub it in well, focusing on the scalp. Rinse very well. Hair will feel somewhat slippery.

If I remember my chemistry correctly, baking soda is alkaline. I understand that this can be drying to the hair. We need something to bring the PH back into balance and act as a conditioner. Apple cider vinegar to the rescue!
Mix 2-3 tablespoons of ACV in a cup of warm water. If you like, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Massage through hair, concentrating on the ends. Rinse well. Any lingering vinegar odor will disappear when hair dries.

So how’s it going?
Here’s my pre-no-’poo hair:

Sorry about the weird profile shot. I had Newt snap it for a project we were working on.

Here’s what my hair looks like after seven days without shampooing:

I have read that one of the no ‘poo adjustments some people go through is dry ends. I have not noticed that for my hair.
Another adjustment is excess oiliness. Yup, that’s me. Though it’s not as bad (yet) as I had anticipated.
I am used to shampooing my hair every other day. For this experiment, I’m trying to stretch things out and wash with baking soda every third day. I washed my hair today. It feels silky and smooth. Yesterday, it was pretty oily. I may have to go every other day for awhile. As my hair adjusts I may be able to cut back to once a week.
Other observations:
Cons- My hair is noticeably lighter. I have colored my hair darker in the past. Perhaps the baking soda is stripping it out? I don’t’ have plans to color my hair again soon, but I’ll have to keep this in mind if I do.
I did get one tiny pimple on my forehead at the hairline, but it cleared up quickly.
Pros- Holy shine, Batman! My hair is very shiny and bouncy. I also notice more body and even a few waves.
Less tangles. I’m not really prone to what my mother used to refer to as “rat’s nests” but my hair is quite long and does tangle a little. Especially if I have been outside in the wind. Today I spent all afternoon in a breezy pasture but was still able to run my fingers through my hair and easily pull out the few knots. It’s feels smooth, not dry.
So far, things are going better than I had expected.

Anyone interested in joining my no ‘poo experiment? Here are a more few articles you may be interested in:

MSNBC: Ditching shampoo a dirty little beauty secret
Lorraine Massey: 7 tips for going ‘no poo’ (especially good info for curls)
Simple Mom: How to Clean Your Hair Without Shampoo

Confidential aside to Walt: I’ve seen you looking at me with fear in your eyes. I hereby pledge to continue shaving my underarms every day and my legs at least three times a week, to shower every single day and to never use patchouli for any reason whatsoever.
And also to never go with a hippie to a second location. (10 nerd points if you recognize that quote.)

Do you no ‘poo? How’s it working out for you?

I have been washing my face with raw honey now for two whole weeks. Take a short stroll with me down memory lane, will you?
Here is my before picture:

Let’s review the issues, shall we:

• Uneven skin tone (redness)
• Larger than I’d like pores along bridge of nose
• Wrinkles and acne
• Poor lighting in my bathroom
• Inability to look you in the eye
• Creepy looking wet hair

Get ready to take a look at my after photo.
Are you as excited as I am?
Really? Nothing better to do today, huh?

It’s amazing, but honey* seems to have addressed all of my issues:

• Improved tone and coloring
• Reduced pores (and fewer blackheads)
• Wrinkles are still there, but I don’t mind them. The acne on the other hand? Going, going, gone! (Except for the rapidly fading red marks that were left behind.)
• Increased brain function (I had the idea to move to the other bathroom, where the lighting is better.)
• Greater confidence (in my ability to take a photo of myself – look out facebook!)
• Nicer looking, blow-dried and brushed hair.

Hurray for honey. I wish I could hug a bee.
Are you ready to give this honey thing a try? Here are some reasons why it works so well, courtesy of Crunchy Betty.

1. It is antibacterial and antimicrobial. It will get off any lingering nastiness that’s thinking about setting up camp on your face and creating pimples.
2. It is slightly drying which means it helps soak up any pimples or oiliness.
3. It is also incredibly moisturizing. Seems like a double standard, doesn’t it? But it’s true. Honey sinks into your skin and moisturizes like you wouldn’t believe. (Remember Cleopatra and her honey baths to look young?)
4. It imparts all kinds of beneficial enzymes that work at scrubbing your face for you, as well as perform a little anti-aging action.
5. It’s great for acne, aging skin, normal skin, dry skin … honey loves EVERY SKIN TYPE.
6. It is healing and helps repair acneic sores and scars.
7. It’s 100%, absolutely, positively natural, great for your skin, and such a SIMPLE addition to your routine!

One more reason, courtesy of me – I threw all of these in the garbage today:

They have been replaced with these:

The honey you already know about.
Edited to add: Ok, maybe you don’t all know. Sorry! Washing with honey is really easy. Just pull your hair back (hair gets sticky), wet your hands, pour on some honey, rub it together and smooth it on your face. If you have time, you can leave it on for awhile as a mask – if not, just rinse.
Wet hands make it go on really smooth, and it rinses both easily and cleanly. I had a friend over the other day and I made her wash her hands with it to prove how easy it is.
Raw honey is best, but I believe even regular honey will work. Raw means unpasteurized. This is good because the pasteurization process kills some of the beneficial parts of the honey. Your local grocery may carry raw honey (the label must say raw). If they have a natural foods aisle, that’d be good bet. Other than that, check health food stores or farmers markets. It is more expensive than regular honey, but far cheaper than most cleansers.
Check out these Crunchy Betty posts for more info:
Honey Challenge
Honey Guide
End edit.
I mix a pinch of baking soda in with my honey in the evenings – it’s exfoliating and it removes makeup (though I’m not wearing much these days). After rinsing, I follow with an apple cider vinegar toner (moisten the edge of my washcloth with water and add a few drops of ACV).
Maybe I should hug a bee, an apple, and a… baker? A, um… soda?

Other news
I spent Saturday on the golf course, helping Walt. He put on a charity tournament to benefit two of our local police departments. I pretended to know what was going on while I answered questions about shotguns starts and four person scrambles. All the while I was thinking, all I really know about golf is this: Try to get your ball past the windmill blades and into the clown’s mouth.
Two more things about the tournament:

1. I never drove a cart before today. Neither had Newt, but we both thought it was fun.  Anyone want to buy us one to play with?
2. Did you ever have a friend that was willing to put all of her plans on hold and come help you with something? Even when you didn’t ask? I have one of those. Thanks again, Michelle.

Earlier this week -
Me: Newt, you’re so smart. I’ve decided to keep you.
Newt: That’s good, since it’s too late to get your money back.
I love that kid.

I may or may not be hosting a fun little giveaway here tomorrow.
Is the air of mystery intriguing?

*The author denies making any claim on the effectiveness of honey on the following: bathroom lighting, photography skills, and/or the foresight to dry and brush one’s hair before engaging in portrait taking.