A recent conversation with a friend about the gluten-free diet led to a whole discussion about how much of our lifestyles are dictated by marketing and how we could live a lot simpler. Though I am pretty earthy-crunchy with my diet and way of life, I still do a fair share of consuming - especially beauty products. While I'm definitely not as extreme as the majority of women, I do buy hair products, skin care, and makeup - most of which are in plastic containers. After seeing the movie Tapped I was inspired to reduce my purchases of products in plastic containers, which is where "No Poo"steps in.

No Poo is a underground beauty trend which involves using baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo and conditioner. I already use those products for most of my cleaning anyways, so why not give it a try? There are lots of convincing testimonials online and my friend swears by it. This change would not only save plastic bottles and money, but will reduce the amount of water I use because apparently you don't have to wash your hair as much. Do I sound like a major hippie or what? ; )

I gave it a try today and was shocked that my hair looks completely normal. I read a bunch of warnings that there is a transition period of about a month or two when your hair will not look great, and then it will look better than normal after that point. However, my hair feels great and looks fantastic (really shiny)! Granted, I've only tried it once, so I will keep you posted on the next few weeks go.

Here are some facts that might convince you to give it a try too:

• "Modern shampoo has been around since the 1930s, and in the decades that followed, it became one of America's most heavily advertised products."
• shampoo cleanses by stripping the hair of its natural, necessary oils, causing the scalp to produce more oil in response, making it impossible for some to skip shampoo for even one day without sprouting a gigantic greaseball.