In the meantime, I started a new book, Green Barbarians by Ellen Sandbeck, and boy, is she making me think. One thing (among several) that she has made me want to change is using Trader Joe's TeaTree Tingle conditioner to wash my hair, because, as she writes:
"Tea tree oil... has been found to be a potent antimicrobial and antifungal... Using tea tree oil in everyday products such as shampoo, toothpaste and skin lotions is probaby overkill. Perhaps tea tree oil should be saved for special occasions such as tick, lice, flea and fungal infestations..."
Instead, she recommends the following hair wash, which she uses because, like me, she has thick, dry, very curly hair:
Add 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. vodka to an 8-oz squeeze bottle, and add enough water to fill the bottle. Shake well and apply to wash your hair.
She also recommends steeping a sprig of a pleasant-smelling herb in the vodka bottle for a week so the vodka will make your hair smell good. I think I will also add a squirt of castile soap to the mix, because I like a little lather when I wash.
Like me, Sandman also rinses with a vinegar/water mixture and gives a reason why this works so well to soothe the scalp and prevent dandruff: our skin is naturally acidic, and washing removes some of the natural acid. Using vinegar helps return your scalp to its natural acidity. (The same is true of washing my face with a mix of powdered milk and water, due to the lactic acid).
Once my current bottle of Tea Tree Tingle is used up, I'll try the olive oil/vodka wash and report on the results.
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