Great Grandmother's Kitchen

From the Hair Archives

Normally, I stay roughly on Kitchen topics at GGK, however, my friend Thalassa over at Musings of a Kitchen Witch has been talking lately about other ways then shampoo to keep hair clean(you can find her posts here and here).  Since I no longer use traditional shampoo either, she asked me to talk about what I do as well.

Now, shampoo as we know it, didn't exist until the 30's.  While some shampoos began to hit the market in the early 1900's, they caused alkaline reactions, leaving a gray film on hair.  Dr. John Breck invented the first PH-balanced shampoo, and the companies ad campaign, featuring Breck Girls, lasted well  into the late 70's. 

Olga Armstrong, the first Breck Girl

This led to a cultural expectation of frequent hair washing., and the idea (at least in America), that oil in hair means that it's dirty.  I grew up in a family in which everyone washed their hair every morning, and my grandmother told horror stories about her years as a school teacher, and trying to get shampoo for one of her students who was teased for her stringy hair, only to have the child's mother say it "looked too fly-away" and put grease on it!  Even so, my grandmother would get her hair done at the hairdressers once a week, and usually only washed it mid-way if she had to, as it spoiled her look.

Cleo De Merode

So what did our ancestors do before the shampoo revolution?  According to this Victorian care guide, the solution was similar to many today who find that, unless their hair gets some foreign dirt in it, it needs no soap at all.  The guide stresses the importance of using a boar's bristle brush, and keeping it immaculately clean (even going so far as to suggest cleaning it with a diluted ammonia solution periodically).  It also suggests using a Castile soap (which has olive oil as a base, rather then the very harsh lye soaps which were the period alternative--no wonder people didn't use them on their heads!). The basic outline of their routine is to wash hair once per week.  Use Castile soap if one's hair is oily, but if it's dry, an egg yolk is a good alternative. and is a common cleaner for modern no-shampoo folks.  Hair was supposed to be brushed every night, the old "100 strokes" idea, which with a boar's brush and gently done, pulls oil down the length of the hair, keeping it from getting oily up at the roots, and drying at the base.  It's worth noticing, too, that it's suggested to rub the hair with flannel after, I'm assuming to soak up any additional oil the hair doesn't need.

If you want a great example of someone trying this method out, The Gibson Girl's Guide to Glamor has a very interesting post on the matter. 

So what do I do?  As an adult, I found that my hair did much better only being washed every second or third day (often depending on factors like how dry the weather is, where I am in my muenstral cycle, and stress).  While hair experts often disagree about how often is too often, many say that we wash our hair too often now, stripping it of it's natural oils at a rate that encourages the body to overproduce oil to catch up.

Via. Rapunzel's Delight

A few years ago, I tried using no shampoo at all, and found it doesn't work well for me, personally.  My hair is baby fine, thin, and prone to being oily(especially at that time of month), and so all it did was slick to my head.  Someone with dry hair would have completely different results, though, and my friends who have tried this sort of experiment with "frizzy" hair find they often suddenly have curls.


More recently, I became interested in Castile soap and switched to Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, available at health food stores, and now at Target.  The label is truly amusing...it contains everything from recipe ideas to scripture references, and reads like a 19th Century cure-all peddler's schtick.  However, I have to say, the stuff works.  I have switched to diluted forms of it for hand soap and cleaning, too.  Direct from the bottle it is very strong, and will leave your hair stripped and tangled...I strongly discourage using it that way!

My Shampoo Recipe

3T-4T Dr. Bronner's Soap (whatever scent you prefer...eucalyptus can help with dandruff, though)
A few drops of Essential Oils
1T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add to bottom of a large empty shampoo bottle.  Fill almost to top with filtered water.  Shake every time before use...this will leave a lot of foam on top that will make it easy to lather.

I use a rinse after that is Rosemary tea, and about a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar. Since the Castile soap is gentle, but not PH balanced, it makes up for that.  The Rosemary is because I have dark hair, and am prone to a bit of an itchy scalp in winter.  For other suggestions, go to my second link from Musings of a Kitchen Witch above.

Even though my hair is currently very short, I also brush it regularly.  I find that it's more important to stimulate my scalp then anything else...and my hair is much healthier with more body.  Like the Victorians, get a good brush and clean it often!  Also, if you try this, expect to need less product...a lot of our modern hair products are designed to make up for removing our body's natural oils.

The Amazing Seven Sutherland Sisters!

Did you notice how much olive oil I put in?  That has reduced how oily my hair is, ironically enough...it also helps to calm my scalp down with dry winter weather.  My husband's hair is not as oily as mine, though, and responds better with just a few drops of olive oil (his hair has become much more manageable, as well).  Another interesting side effect is that I no longer have little eczema patches on my back and arms, something I've battled for years!

What about those days when I don't have time to wash, or I'm almost to a shampoo and my hair is looking nasty?

Corn Starch Dry Shampoo

1 cup Corn Starch
Essential oils to scent the hair, or dry herbs (will scent it much more slowly...I like mint)


Mix together and store in a small container in the bathroom.  To use, take about a tablespoon of the cornstarch, and rub it all over your scalp.  Don't worry about ends so much...just where it looks greasy.  Then brush, brush, brush.  It takes about 5 min to not look like a ghost.  You will be surprised at how full your hair feels (this is also a great thing to do before trying some of those old hairstyles).

So there you go!  This is what works for me, personally.  If you have something you do and love, please share it in the comments!

Etsy seller 1313MockingbirdLane

Death, The Sandman by Neil Gaiman

One would expect that, as big as I am on Victorian things normally, that I'd be really big on Valentine's Day, right?

Um...no.  Not so much.  It's ok, in it's way, but it often ends up being a bit over the top for me, personally.  There is so much about modern Valentine's practices that make it feel like obligation to me; my spouse still loves me whether he purchases me overpriced roses and chocolates on a certain day or not (and gets even more points when he does something unexpected, or buys me a potted herb or fern).  So this month, I bring you the anti-valentine tea menu...hopefully an antidote to your otherwise saccharine month. 

I've been getting a lot of summer vegetables in my Bountiful Basket this week, which rather odd to me. All I can guess is that it means that the cheapest produce available is from Mexico at this time of year.  We are just starting to get the first cucumbers, radishes, asparagus, and strawberries from California, though...so spring is certainly on the way!

Odds and Ends, and slightly Spicy

Lamb and Pork bones
Chicken bones leftover from hot wings
The Usual:  ends and peels from carrots, celery, onions, and garlic.

Red and green pepper tops
Eggplant tops
Hot pepper and pickled pepperocini tops
Lots and lots of onions, in red, yellow, and white

Art by Jaicca on DeviantArt.  Go here to see her breathtaking gallery.

From Fancyflours

Welcome to 2012! I'm going to be trying some new things for the new year, including an idea I've been bouncing around for a while: teatime posts. Once a month or so, I'm going to put up menu ideas, as well as pictures and links for a themed tea. If you use them, all that I ask is that you post and tell us how it went, mmmk?

This month,of course, is the peak of winter in all it's frosty glory. This brings some interesting challenges, as many of the tea party staples(cucumber sandwiches) are spring/early summer foods. Sure, you can go to the store and buy them out of season these days, but chances are they won't taste very good.

Book page snowflake garland from the blog Hipster's Tea Party

Suggested Menu

Savories:

Ham and Jarlsburg on rosemary parmesan bread.

Sharp cheddar and chutney.

Cheese fondue, or a warm soup. Either of these are best for a small party. While a creamy soup might be by nice, the curried carrot soup below is a bit lighter(and tastes very good with small cheddar and chutney sandwiches).

For great fondue how-to, go here, or here

Sweets:

Home-made lemon or orange curd(like I made last winter), or homemade marmalade. Curds are great spread on bread, with cake, or as a tart.

Individually sized versions of this Bananas Foster bread pudding, perhaps with a rum custard sauce.

Cupcakes or cookies!


To drink:
Earl Gray, possibly a specifically winter blend like one of these here.
Hot spiced cider or cocoa. My Mother in Law likes to rub the rim of the cocoa cups in crushed peppermints and add a candy cane straw to the cocoa!

Cookies at What's Cooking America

GGKitchen Curried Carrot Soup

4 large carrots
2 T olive oil
Salt and white pepper

1/4 cup flour
3-4 cups good stock
1 T finely grated ginger
2-3 t curry powder, such as Madras (the distinctive metal tin)

1 cup heavy cream
Pinch sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup yellow raisins

Heat oven to 400F. Roughly chop carrots and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on a cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes, or until nicely caramelized. Stir at least twice.

More cookies from the blog KUIDAORE

Scrape contents of Cookie sheet into medium saucepan. Heat to med-high, adding spices. Slowly add flour, mixing carefully, and cooking for a few minutes. Add stock, a little at a time, stirring after each introduction.

Let simmer for 15 minutes, or until carrots are soft all the way through. Let cool slightly, then blend (carefully!).

Return to saucepan, and keep warm. Taste and adjust season if needed.

In a small mixing bowl, whip cream, with pinch of salt and sugar, to soft peaks. Store in fridge if not ready to serve yet.

When ready, pour soup into small bowls, and add small spoonful of cream, sprinkle with raisins. Very good with salty, cheesy sandwiches like those above.

By Wilton

It was interesting to figure out what to put in with the goose for stock. The things that worked best(unsurprisingly) were the savory and sweet favors that worked bes then roasting. Still not a fan of pairing it with prunes, personally.


Goose Stock

Bones of one goose (a lot of smaller, finer bones then turkey...make sure you don't loose them or flip them out when straining)

Usual: carrot tops, onions, celery

Orange and lemon halves ( remove after first half hour)
Leek ends
A few leftover cranberries
Apple ends

I'm pleased to announce that in addition to our regular posts on Victoriana, Steampunk, and culinary heritage, Great Grandmother's Kitchen will be adding a new monthly segment on tea, including ideas and inspiration for hosting a seasonally oriented tea party.