I’ve been on Livejournal since 2001. In internet terms, Livejournal is practically ancient, but I’ve stuck around throughout it’s changes, both for the better & for the worse. I still love it there, & find new & fascinating people all the time.

Livejournal was around before “social networking” became everyone’s favorite time waster. It’s always been one (a time waster, that is), but I’ve formed connections there that I hope will last throughout my life. If it wasn’t for Livejournal, I probably wouldn’t have gone to see Serenity, introducing me to the Jossverse & ultimately to one of my favoritest people ever, Buffy Summers.

This actually isn’t an advertisement for Livejournal. But it is an introduction to something rather crazy that this twenty-something has done: I’ve deleted most of my social networking accounts.

See, in the early 00’s, social networks started popping up. Myspace, Facebook, YouTube. Friendster. De.icio.us. Flickr. Then came Vox, Twitter, & most recently Dreamwidth. I created accounts on almost all of them, & most I completely ignored. I’ve found account emails from places like Inksome, Spark People, Webshots… I’m sure there are more I’ve forgotten about.

I’m tired of them. Although I think they’re great in theory, & I did get to see what many of my classmates did after we graduated, I can’t keep up. I don’t understand why people I didn’t like/didn’t like me in high school ask to be friends with me. I don’t need the nagging guilt that I haven’t updated in awhile – after all, there are only so many ways I can say “it’s dull & dreary in NE Ohio today; someone make it stop.”

I’m delighted that many people find these tools useful. But I guess I just… don’t. Perhaps I’ve become more introverted in my old age, but the idea of my name being attached to so many webpages & companies rather bothers me. But I think what it truly comes down to is that I yearn to know more about someone than what is possible in a 140 character tweet. I want real, meaningful relationships with people; I want to get to know people by sharing a pot of tea, playing Monopoly into the wee hours of the night, & actually talking to them. I’m definitely in the camp of people who thinks that with all our text messaging & websites that are supposed to connect us, we’ve never been further apart. I constantly see people distracted from experiencing life thanks to all these technologies – teens texting away while rollerskating; two people on laptops at a coffeeshop on Facebook.

But as I’ve said before, I love Livejournal, & I’ll probably stick around there as long as the site exists. Although I’ve withdrawn & deleted probably a dozen accounts at various places, I have saved a few. Obviously, you’ll still find me here. Livejournal is still around, & I’ll be keeping my Flickr account if for no other reason than it’s a great place to store photos, but I don’t honestly use that for the social networking components anyways. When I’m at home, I’d rather read, watch television, or be out in the world doing something.

I’d been thinking about doing at least some of this anyways, but when I really got to thinking about all the places I’d signed up for accounts… I knew it had to be done. So my advice to you is this: delete all but a few of the accounts you actually use. I did this two or so weeks ago, & I feel not the least bit of guilt. The freedom is rather exhilarating.

In my neverending quest for a more natural existence & better self-care, I stumbled across Natural Living, which is a great resource for any number of things. The members debate & discuss (& ignore the usual internet silliness) all aspects of living in harmony with nature, from herbal supplements to diet to aromatherapy to skin care. I’ve found many wonderful ideas, & those that’ve worked for me, I’ll be sure to pass along to you. This is one of the most successful things I’ve found!

I’ve never really had beautiful pearly white teeth – even after a routine cleaning. Blame the tea, the coffee, or the antibiotics I took as a child, but the fact remained that I didn’t have sparkly white teeth. In college, I tried using commercial whitening strips, but there was no way I could hold something on my teeth for half an hour. The box was passed on to someone else, & I felt doomed to a less-than-perfect smile.

Then someone in the community mentioned above said that they use peroxide & baking soda to whiten their teeth. I was a little hesitant to use peroxide in my mouth, but it’s right on the bottle that it can be used for mouthwash, & so I gave it a try. I pour a bit of peroxide in the lid, & then over my toothbrush. Put a bit of baking soda in my (clean & dry) hand, & then sprinkle over the toothbrush. Brush for a few minutes, & then rinse out as per usual.

At first, I only did this at night after brushing – & sure enough, after a week or so, my teeth were much whiter! After about two weeks of this, though, I began using this exclusively in place of toothpaste, & now about three months in, I’m quite happy. I still take a tube of the “regular” stuff with me when I travel anywhere, as a box & bottle are a bit unwieldy, but so far, I love it. My teeth are happy; my mouth feels clean, & the best part is that I no longer have a weird aversion to brushing (I brushed every day, but even in my twenties always dreaded it!) that a lifelong dislike of toothpaste flavor gave me. I find it much easier to brush the full recommended two minutes using the peroxide/baking soda combo, which ought to make my mouth happier & healthier in the long run.

I absolutely encourage everyone to try it for the whitening aspects. I don’t think that everyone can give up commercial toothpaste, but this is a much cheaper & natural option to get that brighter smile!

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Recently, I’ve started making lots of little changes in my life, in the pursuit of leading a simpler, more vibrant life. You can find all past entries in the Simplicity Project here.

This is the most recent change I’ve made, but as it’s so amazing, I just couldn’t save it any longer. A few weeks ago, Gala Darling posted all about her discovery of jojoba oil. More specifically, she claimed that it’s the elixir of the gods. High praise indeed!

Now, I adore Gala, as do so many of us, but I don’t always see eye to eye with her when it comes to make-up & consumption – I rather worry that the reason she doesn’t have the perfect skin she’s always looking for is because she uses so many different products! But her review, along with the comments from other people & reviews elsewhere had me hooked. I picked up a bottle of the stuff, & wow! I can honestly say that it works just as good as everyone claims. I used it at night, with two drops of tea tree oil, & a mere six hours later my pores were smaller & my skin simply glowed. Too good to be true, right?

It turns out that plant oils are fabulous for your skin: almond, jojoba, avocado, coconut, even olive oil! They align closely with our natural oils, & that’s what causes the skin to glow. Some people have complained that it makes their face a bit too shiny, but I’ve been swabbing off any excess after a few minutes with a tissue, so I’ve not experienced that sort of issue.

I’ve used this for a few weeks now, & I think I’m done using any other moisturizer. I cannot believe how happy my skin is with this simple, natural, old-fashioned remedy. My next step is to mix just a touch of caster oil; its said to be good for that annoying deep down gunk – although my pores have shrunk, & many seem to have disappeared, there’s still some grossness to be taken care of. It’s probably due to years of abuse & neglect by my ill-knowledged self. I have an odd combination of dry & extremely oily (nose & chin, but that’s it, so it’s not even really my t-zone!) skin that I’ve apparently been treating wrongly since puberty dawned. Wouldn’t you assume that the way to fix oily skin is to dry it out? Well, that’s all wrong – keep your skin moisturized, & everything is much happier. It didn’t help that I always assumed that my skin was straight-up oily, rather than combination, so I was choosing all the wrong products anyways. I’ll let you know how it goes! :)

Jojoba oil was $12 for four ounces at my local natural health store (I purchased the brand at the link). I use just a drop of it, so it should last forever. Don’t feel that jojoba is the only way to go – I’ll probably venture out & try some of the other oils later, but right now I’m in love with the silly sounding name. It’s pronounced “ho-ho-bah,” which is rather fun to say, no?

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Recently, I’ve started making lots of little changes in my life, in the pursuit of leading a simpler, more vibrant life. You can find all past entries in the Simplicity Project here.

I love tea. Once upon a time, I drank several cups each day. Several months ago, however, I realized that I’d somehow fallen out of the practice. Oh, I’d chug more than my share of iced tea most days, but as far as sitting down to truly savor a nice cup of hot tea – it had disappeared from my life. & that, I felt, was a loss, & something to be remedied. So I decided to create a bit of a “tea ritual” for myself, wherein every afternoon while I’m at work, I make a cup of tea & take a few quiet moments for myself. I put on some quiet music, & often I read or write a little.

You needn’t panic if tea isn’t your thing – you can make a ritual using anything. Maybe you’d like to do a crossword daily, or play a few rounds of a silly flash game. Perhaps you’d like to go a more traditional route & meditate. Read your favorite trashy magazine, splurge on some fancy coffee creamer, & relax at your desk. Do a few Sun Salutations or other favorite asanas. Take a walk around the block or your building. The list could go on & on; just make it something that’s distinctly you.

& whatever you do, do it mindfully. Take a few moments of your day, & don’t think about anything else but you. Forget the economy, your job, that bill that needs paid. Just think for a moment about the good things in your life; about those things that make you smile. Take a few quieting, cleansing breaths. Relax. After your few moments, you’ll be much more focused & ready to tackle whatever the rest of your afternoon holds for you.

Make this a priority, & soon it’ll be something for you to look forward to each day.

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Recently, I’ve started making lots of little changes in my life, in the pursuit of leading a simpler, more vibrant life. You can find all past entries in the Simplicity Project here.

Commercial fragrances are chock full of chemicals, created to make you smell better, longer. They might not be dangerous, but still – chemicals, in direct contact with your skin. Makes Chanel No. 5 seem a bit less sexy, doesn’t it?

Now, I’m not saying you should give up your favorite perfume, that special, signature scent you wear on very special ocassions. But I am suggesting that you give it up for every day. Give up that $15 bottle of “body mist” you picked up at Bath & Body Works or Target. In its place, try creating your own fragrances using essential oils.

You might be surprised to learn, if you know little about the practice, that essential are created out of a variety of naturally occurring fragrances. I’m fortunate that lavender is one of my very favorite scents, so my own “spritz” is very easy to create. But you don’t have to stop at simple one-note fragrances! Is “cool citrus basil” a favorite scent? Try combining a bit of basil, orange, & lemongrass oils. Looking for a sexier scent? Mix some vanilla with jasmine. The possibilities are endless; just take look at the variety of oils available!

The basic recipe I use is as follows:
Fill an old body mist bottle with water
Add 15-20 drops of essential oil
Test; if fragrance is too weak, add more!

I’m lucky that I had an old metal bottle; if your old bottle is plastic & still maintains the old scent, you might want to consider picking one up at a craft store. It should be under $5 – pick up a few more to give as gifts!

Essential oils may seem expensive to purchase, but if you consider how many bottle of your new fragrance you’ll get out of that $10 half ounce bottle, you’ll be saving lots of money in the long run. You can also combine your fragrance with a carrier oil, such as sunflower oil, to create a moisturizing fragrance – also very popular in Bath & Body Works-type stores.

Water + oil. What could be more simple?

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Recently, I’ve started making lots of little changes in my life, in the pursuit of leading a simpler, more vibrant life. You can find all past entries in the Simplicity Project here.

There was a time before several aisles of every store was dedicated to “body wash,” a time before Bath & Body Works & The Body Shop tempted us with their sweet-smelling, high-lather concoctions. Humans have used soap in that oh-so-familiar bar form for hundreds (if not thousands!) of years – can you really argue with so much history?

I wanted to switch to a bar soap because I was tired of so many bottles in my shower, & so much plastic in my life. Sure, my body wash du jour smelled good, but I do rather love the scent of a pink Dove bar. Bar soap is much less expensive than the liquid variety, & I think we can all agree that thrift is a skill that needs to be a greater part of the human experience. Initially, I had hoped to use it on my face as well – but a week of breakouts made that impossible.

I mentioned last week that I was reading You: Being Beautiful, & imagine my surprise when, months after making the switch myself, they recommended using bar soap instead of the wash for yet another reason: liquid soap contains more chemicals, whereas bar soap can contain just the simplest ingredients in which to clean. How fabulous!

I’m happy to report that six or so months after making this change, I haven’t looked back! I’ve saved money, avoided plastic, & exposed myself to fewer chemicals – all things that fit my life philosophy. I encourage you to try it for yourself!

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Recently, I’ve started making lots of little changes in my life, in the pursuit of leading a simpler, more vibrant life. You can find all past entries in the Simplicity Project here.