Community post
an Herbalist's Diary🫖
It has been quite a while since I last shared here. I have missed this quirky online space. The reason for my absence is ... probably quite obvious. I have been busy. Traveling, working, nurturing my off-line life. I got a new job in December. My house has been taking up more time than ever. I have been visiting family & friends.
 For a good three years I shared my life & art every week in this community and a few others too. But, something changed. I started to feel that I was sharing too much. And that I would rather share less, but put more intention into each and every digital offering. Finally, I do have something I think is worth sharing.
Nothing life-changing, nor ground-breaking. Just a little "slice of life" from your friendly herbalist of hive;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ws-RQl3wck
Replies (8)
If an apocalypse happens, you would be self sufficient because you can make shampoo?? I also used bar shampoos before created by one of my friends and it indeed made my hair so clean. I also feel guilty with the amount of plastic bottles we are using but unfortunately it is easier and more convenient to get those than the more environment-friendly ones. It's amazing how much you know about this. :D
Btw I have calendula tea sitting in the kitchen that I haven't used yet, and it always reminds me of you lol
Welcome back! It's so nice to see you posting again and watch your video. For someone who's only done a few such things in life, it's inspiring and interesting to watch as well. I'm not saying I'm going to follow your footsteps as getting healthy, unpolluted ingredients in a big city is not easy, but the knowledge I get from you is priceless.
Reducing use of plastic is what I'm working towards it too.
Well done, dearest @calendulacraft for keeping those herbs in the dark. It is so tempting to display them, but darkness helps preserve their potency, as they degrade quite quickly, especially with UV exposure. I also make my own shampoo and it took me at least two years (trial and error) until I formulated my own using 100% naturally derived ingredients, as most recipes contain a lot of processed ingredients, and some can cause undesirable side effects. Many organically labelled shampoos on the market are not chemical-free but rather made from naturally derived ingredients that have been chemically processed or modified. I used to include cocamidopropyl betaine, but because it is produced using intermediates such as amidoamine and DMAPA, some people experience irritation, especially if the raw material is not well purified. Instead, I now use cocoglucoside or decyl glucoside, which are generally considered milder and more naturally derived. Good luck with your crafting, and have a wonderful day. And I like your video. :)
God, I can't be bothered sharing anything at the moment .. I'm GLAD you've been busy with RL!
I literally think about a post-apocalypse world everyday. It always motivates me to learn new skills! I defiantly am still working on my solid shampoo recipe and from time to time buy ones in stores to get inspiration. I feel like they are much more gentle on my hair than the ones in bottles, plus shampoo bottles are rarely truly recyclable. Hopefully one day I will be able to make all the skin/hair care products I use but, until then there is a lot of experimentation and trying out other products. I do hope you enjoy your calendula tea!!
Thank you!! there are certainly many products I use that aren't totally natural. I have yet to find a recipe for conditioner that isn't made of oil, for example. Yogurt & henna work pretty well but, of course, I have to make the conditioner every time. I suppose this is the work of my life to find natural or semi-natural remedies for everything but, I will also try out a store bought option if it intrigues me.
That is all to say that I don't want anyone to feel bad for using products that come in a plastic bottle, I do both!
wow so interesting! when I was looking up the spelling of betaine in English I saw that some people find it irritating which surprised me. Personally I am SOOO sensitive to a lot of skincare products, pretty much anything that has an artificial scent will make me break out or have welts on my skin. So it is very interesting that cocamidopropyl betaine has that affect for some people. I am far from a recipe I am happy with. In fact this recipe is not the best shampoo I have ever made, but rather I wanted to share about how I am trying to use the ingredients I have in my apothecary already before going out to buy anything new.
and by the way, I would love to hear about your shampoo recipe, if you feel like sharing definitely tag me in the post!
It can be hard to balance a RL with work life and online life. I used to only really have an online life and a work life but over the past year it started to scare me how much of my social life occurs online. So I reeled it back a bit. But, I am the kind of person who doesn't feel truly fulfilled unless I am working on a video, or some sort of creative project to share with the world so.... slowly finding a balance between sharing, keeping up with my commitments, and spending way more time online than off. Thank you for taking the time to comment here :)