Wow! Has it really been two weeks since my last post? Yikes! Life gets busy when you have a toddler in the house!
In case you have not noticed yet, I changed the theme of my blog. What do you think? Much more simple and elegant, no? I like it!
Todays post is a little different than my regular posts. Instead of a recipe I am going to talk about a tip that has helped me save money and the environment at the same time. My decision to ditch the animal products and processed food in my diet was largely for environmental reasons and I strive to live eco-consciously in all areas of my life, not just in my diet. So when it comes to things like beauty products and house cleaners, I am always looking for ways to ditch the chemicals and highly processed ingredients and go au-naturel! However, as a stay-at-home-mom, I am on a tight budget and although I love that there are a tone of eco-friendly, natural products out there, I cannot afford most of them! So I will share with you some of my tips for being more eco-friendly and living a more natural life without spending tons of money!
Before I get to the details of my first tip I wanted to let you all know that I updated my about me page. I have decided to share my struggles with an eating disorder with you. It is something I have been wanting to do for awhile and only now have I finally found the courage. I am hoping to start posting much more on my blog related to eating disorders and recovery. I would like to share the knowledge and tools I have learned on my road to recovery!
And now onto the feature presentation!
Ditch the shaving cream! Yep! I have been shaving without shaving cream for awhile now and have never looked back. Shaving creams are loaded with ingredients like propylene glycol (also found in anti-freeze and brake fluid!), triethanolamine, and a whole bunch of other nasty chemicals I cannot pronounce. Who wants to put that stuff on your skin? Not me!
You can opt for a more natural shaving lotion or cream but why spend the money when you can have silky smooth shaved legs using products that you probably already have in your kitchen and/or bathroom?
Alternatives to shaving cream:
1. Plain ol’ water! This is how I shave my legs most of the time. I like to soak in the bath for awhile to get my skin and the hair on my legs nice and soft and then I just go at it. It is easy to spot areas you might have missed by just giving your leg a quick rub down to see if you can feel any rough spots. After my bath I make sure to moisturize my legs really well with my homemade white chocolate shea butter cream (recipe coming soon!)
2. Soap! It is slippery, it is slimy, it is foamy, it is the perfect alternative to shaving cream (make sure your soap is all natural with minimal ingredients! I will talk about my personal favorite in another post coming soon! ) I like to use soap when I am in a hurry because the razor just glides on my skin making it easy to shave in a pinch without worrying about cutting myself! As with water, make sure to lather up on the moisturizer post shave! Soap is also a good alternative for men because the face is a little too sensitive to shave with just water.
3. Coconut oil! It’s not just for your food! Coconut oil is great to use as a moisturizer, hair conditioner, and shaving cream! And the best part is the coconut oil leaves your skin silky smooth so you do not need to moisturize afterwards! I keep my coconut oil in the bathroom cabinet (Do not use the coconut oil in your kitchen that you use for cooking!) and when I want to use it for shaving I just put a small amount in a little dish and take it in the shower with me. I use this method only about once a month or so because it can be hard on your razor and I find that my legs do not need very much extra moisturizing. If you have sensitive skin this is probably a good option for you. I also like to take a tiny bit of the coconut oil and rub it in my hair. It leaves my hair very silky and shiny! This is probably the best option for men, especially since coconut oil is a great moisturizer for the face! Obviously if you are allergic to coconuts you probably want to avoid this option.
There are many other options out there including homemade shaving creams and such but the above three are my favorite! I hope they inspire you to ditch the shaving cream!
If you have already ditched the shaving cream, what is your favorite way to shave?
