Juju Thoughts & Organics

We are all one…understand the interconnection of all things…Chuang Tzu? or me? Well, this morning as I walked my li’l puddin’ Franny up the stairs to pre-school, we passed her little school chums: a butterfly…a princess… a dragon! Uh oh. Franny was sporting a boring striped tee and sequined denim…ON CARNIVAL DAY! Yikes! woops! I calmed her down when she realized my snafu, promised to bring back mermaid dress, cow costume, fairy wand and tiara and raced back home to get said items. Whew.

Zooming home, I tuned into an interview with a local advocate of old technology recycling, re-use and reduction. Thoughts of 2 broken printers, one old blue Mac, cameras, banged up vcr’s all stored in the basement came to mind. Resolution: must remember obscure-costume observant holidays for toddlers AND find responsible way to dispose of defunct, hazardous-waste-containing gadgets in home. With a little effort, I’ve found an organization in the Philadelphia area, that will pick up my parts to salvage, repair and refurbish in its efforts to provide computers to area non-profits and such. Marvelous!

Now, back to connecting the dots….my first client, a computer programmer, knows all about these programs - she excitedly filled me in on how she was involved, other organizations of interest, etc. Then she announced she was catching a flight tonight to, of all places, Rio! Makes you think.

I love to finish a great haircut!  For instance, giving a great look to the haircut…like adding texture to the perfect blowdry.  I’m noticing that we get intimidated and overwhelmed when styling our hair at home.  And that’s where products (organic only!) come into play.  For coarse or color-treated hair, we need to nourish our hair before we blowdry.  The entire Hamadi line and Miessence’s B-5 Hair Repair Leave-In Spray, are perfect for this.   When I’m blowdrying, I determine where to put the volume in and take the volume out, depending on a client’s face shape.  Now we got it, but something is missing - a finishing product to complete the desired look is ESSENTIAL.  For thick curly hair, I love Innersense’s Inner Reflection Finishing Polish (cruelty free of course!) to give shine and a light hold.  For textured, fine hair, Hamadi’s short hair pomade, Simply Organic’s Pomade or MGA’s scalp rescue vegan pomade.  Remember - Great Hair starts with a Great Hair Wash!  Simply Organic makes one for you - fine, dry, whatever!

As a sure and frightening recession looms in our immediate future (present!), and we tighten our Made in China belts and forego the $4 latte, a nagging thought is getting more nag-time. Are organics a necessity? A luxury? Hmmm. Lots of Nag-Time, because I just opened an all organic day spa - great idea…but now? Arggghhhh! Why does it always have to go back to my mother? I’m digressing, let me explain.

This is how we educate our clients at the salon…it goes something like this, “…this (certified organic shea butter) pomade should last you until your kids are in college!” or “think about what went into this product when you use it….no huge ads in Vogue, no GMOs, no chemical preservatives, no SLS, recycled packaging, soy ink, small batches, bio-dynamic harvesting! Amazingly pure, unadulterated organic herbs and essential oils” That’s what we tell them, because it’s the truth. And yes, organic shampoo (face wash, mascara, deoderant, styling gel, plastic-free hairspray) is worth the extra dollars and is a NECESSITY - provided you use it like my Mom would (back to her!)

Mom grew up during the Depression in Northern Minnesota - one room log cabin, 8 brothers and sisters, skied to school, her dad hunted for supper, the whole nine yards. Yep, she’s a Saver! The original Recycler! food scraps in mulch pile, tin foil washed and stored, never buys paper towels or paper napkins, leftovers kept in old Land o’Lakes butter tubs from god knows when - maddening. Dish soap, shampoo, perfume, cleaning products, salad dressing, lotions, cooking oil, chalk, pencils, everything used sparingly…..sparing….as if it was a luxury…..liquid gold….no matter that it cost $1.99, she used everything (and believe me, she hasn’t changed) economically, sparingly, cautiously and well, respectfully. She would never dream of dumping huge amounts of Tide into the laundry, which reminds me that we were forbidden to put anything in the hamper until it was filthy - because that would be a waste of water, detergent, blah blah nag nagnagnag! And she’s right.

My point: I guess I need more therapy. And, don’t avoid organic foods, beauty products, cleaning products, etc. in this woeful economy. Buy them with confidence and use them respectfully.