Inspired by Black in The Baystate at I have decided to not only steal her intro but give you guys the dirty on my day-to-day funk. I read the NY Times after being tossed that way but the above mentioned blogtress and I am not so bothered by the “Great Unwashed” to each their own I say.

1. The move to do away with soap, shampoo and deodorant has been growing in popularity in the last year. What are your thoughts on this trend?

2. Be honest how often do you wash your own hair?

When you say “wash” what exactly do you mean? LOL! my washing varies. Sometimes weekly, sometimes bi-weekly. When I have braid in i might go 4 to 6 weeks without washing. The way my hair smells is really all the dictates the frequency of washing. When my hair is out i’ll run water through it a few times a week.. but i don’t often shampoo. Whenever I buy shampoo it lasts twice as long as conditioner.

3. Have you tried to go the more natural route by forgoing shampoo? What happened? Or would you be tempted to try it?

I wouldn’t give up shampoo all together I am however considering using

4. What products do you use and have you ever gone with more organic alternatives?

My dresser looked something like this

A few years ago, my mom pointed out how ridiculous my dresser was beginning to look. That urged me to do an audit and downsize a bit (can you tell I was a finance major?) Now I have narrowed it down to the bare essentials. Please do not judge me since “essentials” mean different things to different people.

This is the user guide to Dee’s stylin’ and profilin’. Try to keep up. I will make this easier by breaking it up in different categories.

Hair

1. I already mentioned I have relaxed hair so my relaxer is of course my first item: Phytorelaxer Index 2. $60 atSephora but you can find it on Amazon.com for cheaper. Unless I stop realxing, there’s no “natural” alternative to that.

2. I’ve used all kinds of shampoo. Now I am on a Suave ($0.99 at CVS) binge and I’ve recently become obsessed with their Strawberries and Cream moisture milk line. But my go to “organic” shampoo is the Organix line that claims to be sulfate free and the bottle is supposed to be made from recycled materials. I am a fan of the Cherry Blossom scent that sells for $6.99 at CVS. For something that claims to be natural, it is not a bad price. I use the same deep conditioner. I add Shea butter and coconut oil to it to make it thicker and more moisturizing.

3. For daily styling, I used some ridiculously expensive styling butter that put a $24 dent in my wallet every time I went to Sephora (which was often.) Now that I am acquainted with Extra Virgin Coconut Oil ($8.50 at GNC) I am so over it. It costs a lot less and it is my natural alternative. Two for one special as I like to say. I’ve also discovered that Shea butter works great in the winter time. It is heavier than coconut oil, so it protects my hair form the hair New England winter.

Face

1. I exfoliate with St Ives Apricot Scrub for sensitive skin ($4.50 at Shaw’s Supermarket.) I am very satisfied with their product and I’ve never even considered switching after using this for more than 5 years. Saint Ives does have a more “natural” green tea line. I might try it out. But if all else fails, there’s always my trusty apricot scrub.

2. I moisturize with Nivea Creme. I haven’t bought a new jar in years so I’m not sure how much it costs now. But my jar has a fading price tag that says $8.50.

A little goes a long way since the consistency is so thick. A dime size amount moisturizes my entire face along with my neck. I don’t like to lay it on thick because I don’t want my face to look like I fell head first into a deep-fryer. In the winter, I have used  a little bit Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($7.50 at Shaw’s) in case the cream is not enough to protect my skin.

3. I just use regular Chapstick for my lips, but lately I’ve been dabbing on some Shea butter and I am loving it.

Body

Are you sick of it yet? Hang tight. I’m almost done.

1. I ran out of body scrub recently and I decided to give up on it altogether. I no longer see the purpose of both a body scrub and a loofah. I am holding on to my loofah without replenishing my supply of body scrub. My last body scrub was the Victoria Secret Dream Angel (Now $20 but it was $17.50 when I first started using it years ago.)

2. Vaseline brand Cocoa Butter lotion and I add EVOO for extra moisture if needed.

3. Dove deodorant for the pits.

4. And finally, for my signature scent, I go with Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Bodyworks. I always liked B&BW but I could never find my scent. About 5 years ago I fell in love with this scent and haven’t looked back since. I have the body wash, the body lotion, the miniature sized hand lotion, the candles, the body splash that I use liberally LOL and the thick cream. So pretty much everything really, except for the hair products.

5. What about that daily shower? Would you forgo that opting to shower three times a week instead?

No.

Ok, your turn!