Soapnuts Revisited

Hi all,

The last time we spoke I was embarking on a WO journey, that lasted around 32 days before I finally crashed and washed with baking soda and rinsed with black tea. While that was all well and good I do tend to get a bit bored using that method, so I decided to retry soapnuts.
Now, last time I used soapnuts they really dried my hair out, so much so that there was an audible squeak if I rubbed my hair togehher, you can read about my experience with soapnuts here and also a little bit more about soapnuts here

So I decided to try them again but this time I added an aloe gel and water rinse afterwards to keep my hair moisturised. The results? Soft, silky, shiny hair.

Decide for yourself!

Soap nuts on hair Results

As promised here is my review of the soap nut liquid on my hair. You all saw the picture of my hair yesterday it was fairly gross after 12 days of not washing it and a month of no poo.

So what you do is take the soapnut liquid in the shower with you in a plastic bottle or container. Please don't use glass in the shower guys, safety first. Then just use in place of normal shampoo. Really work it into the roots and lengths and you will get a lovely squeaky clean feeling. I also followed up with a quick spritz Of ACV as I have heard soap nuts can make hair tangly. The acv did it's job so there were no tangles.

I then blow dried and straightened my hair. This is a must for me as I am currently only washing my hair every 10-13 days.

Here is the results

Grease be gone! It is so clean it's actually a little too clean tbh and feels slightly dry but I know my sebum will sort that out in a day or two. To those of you with dry hair you would probably need to use an oil such a coconut oil just for moisture as it really sucks the moisture right out.

I am very pleased with the results! What do you think? Have you tried soapnuts? Tell me about your SN experience in the comments.

The great Unwashed - 11 days

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted, I have been busy making my own soap, my own deodorant, cooking up batches of soapnuts and generally being a stay at home mum and human being. That being said I certainly feel more human... One month no poo!

It's been 11 days now since I last washed my hair. The last time I washed it I used BS AND ACV but tomorrow I will be using soapnut liquid so expect an update on that.

If I wasn't leaving the house tomorrow I wouldn't even bother washing it but mini me has his post op checkup and I would like to look clean as his surgeon is a bit yummy... Oops ;)

So yeah, here's the picture. 11 days Unwashed but a WO rinse yesterday. Looks  and feels OK just slightly clumpy and wet look but while up it looks totally normal.

Soapnuts

Upon my no poo journey I keep hearing one word crop up: soapnuts. So after a bit of Googling and talking to the lovely ladies on the no poo/low poo Facebook Group I decided to give them a go. Here is a little bit about them:

Soap nuts are a completely natural fruit that grows in India, they aren't really edible so the locals dry them out and use them for cleaning. Because they contain saponin, a sort of natural soap, they make a great great cleanser. They can be used for :

• Washing clothes
• Washing hair
• Dish washing 
• Washing body 
• Bubble bath 
• Nappy cleaner for reusable 
• Baby bath
• Household cleaner 
• Hand wash

And much more, they really are fabulous.
So here is what they look like:

 They are slightly sticky to touch which apparently is the saponin. Now, you can use these on their own as they are in a muslin wash bag. You need about 6 for a load and all you do is put them in the drum with your washing and away they go. If it's a cold wash though you do need to soak them first. The best thing? You can reuse a bag of soapnuts around 5 washes, or until they look pale. Once they look pale you can then make them into a liquid (how to underneath) and use to water plants/wash car. Then, when you are done, compost them or distribute the shells into your plants.

Here's the best bit, you can make these bad boys into a liquid to use all around the home, you can do freeze it into ice cubes trays and use in the washing machine too (use 2 per load into the drum) or you can store in an airtight container in fridge for about a week.

You use about 2 nuts per 1 cup water and all to you do is boil for around 30mins or until it's a nice amber colour. Some people suggest to boil until they are almost white to get the most saponin but be super careful because it boils up quickly and will froth over if not watched. Here is how it looks boiling:

Out of 6 shells I managed 48 ice cubes, a full jam jar plus 200ml left over for cleaning with. I am truly amazed at the power of these little nuts of joy. Have you tried soap nuts? What do you think?