Hey there, Rosemary!! Thanks for my shiny, happy hair!

Once again I'm going off topic but it's food related so it's cool, right?

I'm sure by now many of you blog lovers have heard of natural hair cleaning options like "no 'poo",  conditioner only, or ditching everything all together and just using water.

So what does all this have to do with this Rosemary chick?  Well after 3 years of no 'pooing followed by my ultimately luxurious L'Occitane leave in conditioner the company reformulated their wonderful product into a hair oil.  My hair was not happy and neither was I.  Just no 'pooing was fine but I was afraid I was killing my hair (There's some no 'poo controversy out there.  Google and learn.) and it didn't look as shiny.   Boo hoo.

Enter Rosemary tea.  Not sure how I found it but someone blogged about using herbs for healthy hair.  All you do is make a tea with the dried leaves and pour it on your hair after washing and conditioning.  No rinsing.  And ta dah…healthy shiny hair!

My Tervis tumbler keeps my hair tea warm while I get my baking soda and vinegar ready.

Here's the recipe:

1C Water
2-3T Dried rosemary

Heat rosemary in water until boiling.  Simmer for a few minutes.  Take it off the heat.  The longer the tea sits with the rosemary the stronger and darker it will be.  When it's at the desired strength strain, reserving the liquid into a plastic cup or other container with a spout top.  Let the tea cool until it's a comfortable temperature.  Wash and condition your hair as usual, ring out your hair, and pour the tea over your hair.  Don't rinse.  Style as usual being careful of light colored clothing if your hair is long.

Other tips:

*I've done this on the stove top and in the microwave.  The microwave is easier but be sure to cover your (glass) container so the rosemary doesn't float out when boiling.

*The darker the tea is the more staining you may have.  Beware if you have light colored towels.  My hair color isn't effected much (I have very dark brown hair.) except the grey is less noticeable.  Those with lighter hair may want to make their tea less strong.  Unfortunately the staining isn't enough to forgo coloring my hair but it makes the color more varied and natural looking.

*If your hair tea gets too cold it can be reheated in a microwavable container.

*You may like to make a big batch to keep in the fridge.  Just multiply the amounts keeping the proportions the same.  Just reheat before you hop in the shower.

*Using this much rosemary gets pricey.  Buy it in bulk if you can.  But try it first by using what's in your spice cabinet.  Then go out and buy the highest quality you can afford.

*You may be wondering if your hair will smell like rosemary.  Yes, when it's wet; no when it's dry.  Personally I love the results enough to not mind smelling like a chicken roasting in the oven.

Using the rosemary tea in combination with the no 'poo method allows me to get away with washing my hair once a week versus every day when I was using conventional hair products.  Seriously.  I went to a girls night out over the summer after a busy week and crazy day with the kids.  No time to wash my hair but I put it up with hot rollers.  The results were excellent.  I got compliments from many of the ladies, including some who are regulars at the beauty shop.  Boo ya, my friend Rosemary!!

I promise to get back to recipe posts.  Just not much cooking going on.  Tonight hubby and son are going to the annual lobster boil at our club (Remember my 10 year old foodie??) and us girls are having girls night at home.  Not sure what's for dinner but it will probably include popcorn.

Sarah