Thursday, November 11, 2010

Days 8 & 9 of 28 Ways

Let's start with a funny.....

Idea # 8: Non-bathing.  Think of all the money you will save on bath products not to mention really sticking it to the man by "stinking it up" in capitalist paradises like shopping malls or even better, the workplace.  


I tried desperately to find a link to the article so you all could read for yourselves, but couldn't so I will try to summarize.  In the Oregonian the other day, there was an article about so-called "non-bathers."  Apparently it is a movement to return to the good old days when people reeked and had to slather themselves with perfumes to cover the nasty stench of sweat and filth.  The exception being that perfumes are toxic and pretty much taboo in the "natural" community (I personally decry perfume, but support bathing).  I do get that bathing daily is not always necessary in order to stay clean and it is a fact that daily hair-washing damages your hair and scalp.  But......the fact remains that we do live in a society that has certain social norms and expectations.  Yes, sometimes those norms have been discriminatory and in those cases it is important to fight the power and change the norm.  Non-bathing, however, can definitely go too far and I refuse to consider myself a hater because I would not want to spend the day working in a cubicle next to Stinky McStinker.  I can barely stand to ride in the car with myself after a workout....the smell of sweat is just plain icky.


Idea #9: Make your own cleaning products.  


This idea is one that we follow somewhat at our house.  No only does it keep you from supporting corporations that wish to chemicalize your home and body, it also saves money and is eco-friendly.  We have not yet ventured into home-made soap, shampoo, etc.  I may just give that a try at some point.  If you are considering going the "non-bathing" route due to the harmful chemicals in soaps, why not make your own.  That way the stink factor is under control and you can still call yourself eco-cool.

3 comments:

Kristen @ My Semi-Crunchy Life said...

My solution?? Just don't work out. Just kidding ;)

I was showering every other day on average. Now that we have new pipes I like my showers again! If I was exercising I'd want to shower daily.

We don't bathe the kids every day.

I want to start making our own cleaners. We buy all green cleaners, but I'd like to try making out own.

Amanda said...

Some days I do sponge baths. Seriously. If I'm in a hurry or just don't want to have a full shower, I wipe down the sweatiest parts with Cetaphil, wash it off with a wet cloth and dry. Then I put on something pretty smelling! This is usually to go run errands or go for a walk or something. You can also get spray shampoo, I know it goes against the eco-thing, but maybe there's something similar that's more eco- friendly out there.

I should look into making my own lotions or pretty smelling stuff, I love smelling nice, but not fake!

The Irreverent Mama said...

Not working out is a way around the need for daily showers. I don't bathe the kids daily either...they don't need it until puberty. Zoe showers with me every other evening and Li Li gets 2 baths a week. Non-bathing infants is a sound practice. Way different than a professional adult who only showers twice a week and works out regularly.