Are You Being Water Wise?

Here in southern California we’re facing some pretty serious water issues. The water supply is pretty low, and they’re talking about restrictions this summer. But since many people in the area have been working hard to conserve already there’s a bit of a challenge in making sure that they aren’t punishing people who have already cut back and just can’t cut back more.

But even if that isn’t a problem in your area just now, cutting back is a good idea. The website Be Water Wise was created by the Southern California Metropolitan Water District, and the stats are for this area, but some of the water saving advice is good anywhere.

These are some of my favorite tips and how we implement them:

1. Water the lawns less.

Our front lawn gets very little water. It’s kind of unattractive, but I’ve come to see really green lawns as a luxury we really can’t afford. I’d love to see native plants replace the front lawn.

Our back lawn gets somewhat more water for the simple reason that it’s a pleasant place for the children to play. That’s important too. But it is not the lush green of a heavily watered lawn. It gets just enough to keep going, and that’s it.

2. Shorter/combined showers, low flow showerheads.

Shorter and combined showers can save a lot of money. Combined showers can also cause water waste, so you do have to think about what it is you’re doing in there, if you get my drift. Two people in a shower can use less than two showering separately if they make that choice.

The fact that my 4 year old likes to come and play in the shower ensures that things move pretty quickly for my husband and I.

I also keep my showers shorter by thinking about how often my hair really needs washing. That’s a personal preference, but you may be surprised at how you can train your hair to need a different level of care. Make changes slowly and you may be able to decrease how often you wash your own.

Similarly, my kids still choose to bathe together. I keep expecting my daughter to get modest any time now, but so far that hasn’t happened. For now we just enjoy the fact that we have to run only one bath for the two older kids. We don’t run it deep most times, so it won’t be the worst thing when they choose to separate.

Low flow showerheads are also a great idea. I actually don’t know if the normal settings on our current shower head are low flow or not (I suspect not), but I do know that the mist setting is good enough for showering with for the most part.

3. Capture water that would otherwise be wasted.

We have a bit of an unusual situation in our home. The water comes into the house in such a way that the kitchen sink gets steaming hot water coming out at first during warm weather. I mean that literally. It’s painful to the touch.

Rather than waste that water when we need cold water, we catch it in an old gallon jug. It is then used for watering plants.

It’s not much water, but I figure the gallons add up.

I’m still working on convincing my husband to capture water from heating the shower. That’s a bit tougher, as it’s more inconvenient. Harder to get the water to plants, plus a bucket would be underfoot. But the amount of water would be more significant.

4. Generally avoid bad water habits.

Some of the water saving tips we read about I’ve never had to worry about because they describe habits I haven’t had.

I’ve never tended to run water while brushing my teeth, for example. Never done that, never seen the point.

Same for washing down walkways and driveways with water instead of a broom. Honestly I don’t clean them off often anyhow, but I just can’t see using water to do that. Sweeping isn’t that hard.

What are your favorite water saving habits?

Greener Hair Care

I have long hair. Really long, as in I can sit on the tips if I’m not careful. I’m also very aware of how much it can take to care for this kind of hair, and how damaging certain products can be, not just to my hair, but to the environment.

These are some tips I know work for me. They may not be for everyone, as different hair types will react differently. But the only way to find out is to experiment.

1. Wash hair less often.

I do not wash my hair every time I shower. I absolutely know that I can get away with washing it about twice a week. Possibly less, but my current routine allows me to wash my hair on mornings that I do not need to be rushing out the door to anything. That has pretty much kept me from trying to stretch it further.

With long hair, washing less often offers two advantages. The most obvious is that I use less water, as washing long hair takes time.

It’s also better for long hair, or at least mine, as the natural oils get stripped out less often.

2. Limit which parts of the hair get shampoo and conditioner.

I read about this a couple of years ago, and it really works for me. Shampoo is for the hair closest to the scalp, not the length of the hair. The length of the hair will be sufficiently cleaned as the shampoo rinses off the hair closer to the scalp.

On the other hand, the hair closer to the scalp has less need of conditioner. That is primarily for the length of the hair, which gets fewer of the natural oils produced in the scalp.

3. Use a boar bristle brush.

You may have read about how women used to brush their hair 100 strokes every day. Know what?

It works wonders if you do that with a boar bristle brush. I do have rather mixed feelings about them, as I’m not sure how the bristles are collected, but I must say they do a marvelous job.

I untangle my hair with a regular brush first. I’ve never had any luck detangling with boar bristle brushes. But once that’s done I go at it with the boar bristle. 100 strokes, all from scalp to the tips of the strands. I can feel the difference when I’m done.

The natural boar bristles collect the oils from near the scalp and spread it along the entire length of the hair. It’s amazingly good for it.

If you buy one, go for quality. No point to buying something you’d have to replace more often than necessary.

4. Jojoba oil or coconut oil for deep conditioning.

If I get too busy to use the boar bristle brush with any regularity, either jojoba oil or coconut oil can work wonders. They’re very light oils, so they won’t weigh hair down to heavily, at least for me.

Depending on my needs, I can apply it as soon as my hair is dry, or put in extra the night before or even just shortly before washing my hair to act as a deep conditioner.

It takes literally drops of jojoba oil. Coconut oil is often a solid, but it takes a very small amount. In either case, you warm it by rubbing it between your hands, then stroking your hands down the length of your hair. I do several strokes, the first ones just of the last few inches, then covering more of the length as I go.

5. Rare use of styling products.

I hardly ever use any hair styling products. Not even hair spray. I use the length of my hair, elastic bands and hair sticks to create a nice variety of hair styles, and for the most part I really don’t need to spray or smear  any chemicals in to keep it in place. This is no doubt a part of why I can get away with washing it less. Nothing added to make it sticky.

Except maybe sticky-fingered hugs from my kids, that is. But we won’t go there right now.

Things I’d like to try

I’m on a tight budget, so I haven’t tried all the green hair care solutions I’d like to. Some are cheap enough, but remembering to do them with 3 kids underfoot, one a young baby, isn’t easy. But in the near future I intend to try:

1. Baking soda and vinegar rinse.

I’ve heard a lot about this, and I really want to give it a try. Hair is washed with baking soda, then rinsed with vinegar. I see a lot of people specify apple cider vinegar, but I don’t know if that matters or if plain white vinegar is good enough. It’s something I just need to research a bit more.

2. Greener shampoos and conditioners.

Most of the ones I’ve seen cost a bit more than I’m willing to budget on shampoo and conditioner just now. I don’t buy the exceedingly cheap stuff now, but what I use is still rather typical stuff you can get at any Target that has been available for years and years. I’m not that loyal to a particular brand or anything either.

But I really want to start working through some of the brands I see listed as better on Skin Deep. Much better all the way around, potentially, for me and the environment. I like that.

What about you? Any products you particularly like? Anything you do with your routine to keep things greener.

Teens Gone Green?

My kids are quite a bit too young for this one, but there’s a book about to come out that might be a welcome gift to any green teen you know. It’s called The Green Teen: The Eco-Friendly Teen’s Guide to Saving the Planet.

Obviously, I can’t review the book; it’s not out yet. But it looks promising. The description says it will give tips on making eco-friendly decisions on a tight budget and schedule and how to get concerns recognized by decision makers.

Given that kids these days are very aware of the need to help the environment, I’m glad to see a book like this coming out.

Parents, what other titles do you recommend for teens? What about younger children?

My Kids Picked a Green Gift for Daddy

I love it when my kids pick something green out to give to someone. We try so hard to avoid an excess of plastic junk, and it’s great to see it rubbing off on my kids.

Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. I took the kids shopping to figure out what they wanted to get him. They of course first looked through the toys… we’re talking about kids, after all. But they couldn’t think of anything that Daddy didn’t have already that they thought he would like.

So we went to the garden center.

The kids weren’t too certain, until they came upon the strawberry plants. That did it! They each picked one out for him.

Then we passed some grape vines. Once again, they couldn’t resist.

I just love that the strawberries are in the peat pots so that we don’t have to figure out what to do with the pots once the strawberries are planted. We have too many of those already. I know my daughter is eying them for crafts, but we do not need more.

No, we didn’t wrap them. I rarely wrap birthday gifts for grown up family members. It’s really just not that necessary. They’ll be surprised one way or another. If I must, a gift bag from our reuse stash will do the job.

On a Mailing List Already?

I can’t believe it. My 2 month old baby girl got her first piece of mail the other day that didn’t come from a family member. She’s on her very first mailing list already.

Time to get her off it.

I’m hoping this works. I just went to the site of the company sending her the catalog and told them I want her name off their mailing list. Hopefully it will be just that simple.

I know how her name got on their list. She got a present from an aunt from that company. Apparently that was enough for them to want to send my daughter catalogs.