Hair Removal with Thread and Dexterity, etc.

If sugaring is the alternative to waxing, then threading is the alternative to tweezing. Threading was mentioned repeatedly in my search for alternative hair removal methods, but I never thought to look at how it was done because the general consensus was that "the ancient art of threading is difficult to learn." But this week, in my Instructables Weekend Builder, there was this article: How to thread eyebrows. With a little practice, it's not that difficult and seems less time consuming and tedious than tweezing. If you've got a foot of thread lying around, give it a try!


I washed my hair on Thursday morning last week with baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Over the following weekend, I didn't even do water-only washes. By monday, it was starting to get greasy, but with brushing and a few water washes, itchiness is completely under control. Dandruff is starting to be noticeable, so I'm trying a method my mother recommended: pressing a piece of gauze into your brush before brushing. It seems to attract a lot of excess bits of things and also makes your brush easier to clean afterward.

Something else I tried this week was corn starch to cut down on greasiness. When I put it in initially, starting from the back of my head and brushing it through, my hair felt very not-greasy but it had a theater-old-person, grey and powdery look to it. I could have probably brushed it out (with a brush first, followed by a dry washcloth) but decided to wash my hair instead. That restored some of the greasy feeling but I think it's better than it would have been without the corn starch treatment. (If you have corn starch, you should also use it to make oobleck.)


The last thing on my initial list of life changes has finally been put into effect. That routine is oil pulling, which is not as terrible as it sounds. It involves putting a tablespoon of oil in your mouth (sesame or sunflower oil is recommended) and swishing it around, drawing it through your teeth, chomping, swishing some more for twenty minutes or so. There are all sorts of theories as to why this works as a detox—the oil bonds to phlegm, bacteria, viruses and doing this in your mouth clears your entry-orifice, receptors on your tongue that are connected to different body parts, etc.—but apparently it does cure and prevent a wide spectrum of ailments. It also makes your teeth whiter and stronger, prevents dark circles around the eyes... the list of potential health benefits is long. I figure it probably won't do any harm and we'll see if it helps anything. This, like nasal irrigation, is a remedy of Indian origin; Ayurveda or some such.

I bought a bottle of unrefined sesame oil at my local organic food store. The sites I read recommend untoasted, unrefined, cold-pressed sesame or sunflower oil for best results. Right after waking up, before eating or drinking anything, put a tablespoon of oil in your mouth and swish it around for twenty minutes. I decided to start waking up a little earlier and reading the news and checking email while doing this. Don't swallow the oil, because apparently it get increasingly bacterial and nasty as you swish. Either practice responding to the swallowing reflex without actually swallowing (probably something you do naturally when brushing your teeth) or spit out the oil and finish the routine with a new tablespoon. At the end of twenty minutes, spit the oil out into the toilet (it should be white), rinse your mouth well with water, and drink two or three cups of water. (I brush my teeth afterward and do my morning apple cider vinegar drink, followed by an extra cup of water.)

I've been really phlegmy since starting this yesterday, but according to practitioners of oil pulling, the first few days may see symptoms of illness worsening as the detox starts. I am getting rid of a lot of phlegm, which strikes me as a good thing. The first time, not gagging was a bit of a struggle and I felt pretty gross afterward, but apparently that's expected the first time. Doing it again this morning was a lot more pleasant and I don't feel nearly as weird as I did after the first time.

Here's the EarthClinic page on oil pulling with instructions and user feedback. Please do some outside research before starting this. I'll report back with results if and when they show.