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Contact: Sophie Isbister, Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

www. theotherpress.ca

No shampoo: week s1x's stunning conclusion

» Letting low ‘poo in

Sophie Isbister
Life & Style Editor
Mlifeandstyle
@theotherpress.ca

 

f my six-week suds sabbatical
has taught me anything,
it’s that J actually really like
shampoo. After my first real
wash in 42 days, my classmate

said it best (and most tactfully): :
: all the natural oils from your

: hair. With a low ‘poo option you
: can still go several days between
: washes.

“T like your hair better like this.”
It’s a sad fact that no ‘poo
didn’t necessarily work for my
hair. My initial concerns rang
true: my fine, limp hair shows
oil readily, to the point where I

or put-together. Perhaps I didn’t
let the transition period play
out as long as I should have, but
either way, it’s the shampoo life
for me from now on.

But saying yes to shampoo

: doesn’t mean that I have to

: commit to all the sulphates and
: drying agents that shampoo

: entails. “Low ‘poo” is an option
: that people turn to when they

: want the benefits of shampoo,

: but are concerned with

: traditional shampoo's effects

: on the environment or on their
: bodies. Low ‘poo shampoos are

great because they don’t remove

I talked to Jeannette

: Montroy of EthicalDeal.com,
just never felt like I looked clean : a local daily-deal website

: committed to supporting

: eco-friendly companies and

: connecting Vancouverites with,
: well, ethical deals. Montroy

: recommended a few low ‘poo

: products to try, including the

: Canadian line Druide, which is

: available at Whole Foods.

“{Druide is] great,” Montroy

: says. “It’s made in Quebec

: and most of it is either vegan
: or gluten-free. It’s free of :
: parabens, [and has] no synthetic :
: ingredients, no scents or

: perfumes, no glycols, alcohol,

: oradded colour. She adds that

: gluten-free is an important thing
: to look for in beauty products

: because “True celiacs [gluten

: allergy] can’t have wheat in even
: their body care products.”

Druide also has Ecocert

: certification, a designation that
: has been around for more than

: 25 years and is the first of its

: kind to ensure quality in natural
: cosmetics and other beauty

: products.

Montroy also recommends

: Eaurganic products, available at
: Rexall drugstores. “Eurganic is
: also certified organic and uses

: ‘poo knowledge and some

: exciting products to try, it looks
: like going forward I can have

: the best of both worlds. I'll save
: money by using concentrated

: products less frequently, I'll save :
: the planet by avoiding harsh

: lots of raw materials like organic :
: avocado oil, organic jojoba oil,

: and organic shea butter,’ says :
: Montroy. She adds that these oils :
: are used “in high concentrations :

so you can use less product for

: maximum benefit.”

Montroy also suggested

: looking out for the Clean Care:
: Seal. “They are working to make :
: Canada’s first standardization

: for health/beauty products that

: are eco-friendly and clean of :
: chemicals and carcinogens,’ she :
: tells us, adding that Clean Care’s :
: first products will be announced :
: later this year.

Armed with my new low

Armed with my
new low ‘poo
knowledge and
some exciting
product to try, it
looks like going
forward I can have
the best of both
worlds.

: chemicals, and I'll continue to

: encourage scalp health and hair
: growth with gentle, sulphate-

: free cleansers. It’s been a wild,

: greasy ride on the no ‘poo train,

: and I hope my process has

: helped you determine whether

: or nota shampoo-free lifestyle is
: right for you.

 

Stop HIV and Hep C now

» Tattoo know-how

Andrea Arscott
Contributor

hinking about getting a

tattoo? Don’t poo-poo
tattoo safety. Make sure you
know what to look for ina
tattoo parlour, and whatever
you do, pick a reputable shop
and artist. There’s a risk of HIV
and Hepatitis C transmission
from using unsterilized tattoo
equipment and contaminated
ink. So please, don’t get one

and tattered La-Z-Boy in the
basement of your friend’s place
for $50.

Before branding your body
with something as permanent

think long and hard about that
fire-eating monster you want
stamped onto your skin forever.

you'll grow tired of seeing, and

years from now when your skin
is like leather. A tattoo’s not like
a fruit roll up that you can just
peel off. It’s for life.

Once you've made up your

: mind, investigate. You have the
: right to walk into any tattoo

: shop and request a tour before
: committing. If the artist refuses, :
: you have to wonder why. It may
be a sign to walk away.

Ask artists what they do

: to prevent HIV and Hep C, and
: ask if they have an autoclave.

: Anautoclave is like a high-

: powered dishwasher that

: sanitizes equipment. The heat
: kills viruses such as HIV and

: Hep C, as do germicidal sprays

done from the comfort of an old? oy wipes.

If you enter a shop that’s

: carpeted or has upholstered
chairs, turn back and get out of
; there. These types of materials
: absorb blood and can't be

asa tattoo, do your research and cleaned properly. Work surfaces
: should be smooth: vinyl chairs,
: linoleum floors, and stainless

: steel countertops (or anything
Consider whether it’s something : else that’s easy to wipe or mop). :
: When you're walking around, —
whether it will still look good 20  Jggk for a business licence, as

: well as the artists’ licences.

If you see Ink Bob is

: halfway done tattooing

> someone, notice if Bob’s

: wearing gloves. Has he placed
: a dental bib or saran wrap

: on the counter with all the

necessary tools? Is he using

: single-use needles, and sharps
: containers to dispose of dirty

: needles? Sharing needles is a

: risky activity and can lead to
HIV. Although the tattoo shop
: has a responsibility to adhere

: to standards and to follow

: universal precautions, it’s up to
: you to protect yourself.

Something as simple as

: opening a garbage can witha
: foot pedal can be the difference :
: between an artist spreading

: Hep C to you or not. Hep C

: can live on surfaces for up to
: six weeks, so if the virus is on
: the lid of'a garbage bin that

: Bob opens with his hand,

: there could bea low risk of

: transmission if Bob then

touched an open cut on your

: skin. HIV, on the other hand,

: dies when it’s exposed to air, so
: the chances of you getting HIV
: this way are next to none.

You have the
right to walk into
any tattoo shop
and to request

a tour before
committing.

One of the biggest

: concerns with tattooing is how

: the ink is handled. If Bob pours
: the ink into smaller cups, then

: Bob is likely knowledgeable

: on prevention procedures.

: However, if Bob pours the ink

: back into the larger container

: instead of throwing it away,

: then Bob may be trying to

: save his pennies and is putting

: lives at risk. The ink could be

: contaminated with blood and

: the Hep C virus, which can

: survive in liquid for up to three

: weeks. You may be getting more
: than just a bargain on your

: tattoo.

Stop HIV and Hep C now.

: Know how.

 

By Tattoo Studio (Flickr)

Come down to the Purpose Society clinic at 40 Begbie Street in New West Friday, April 25th for HIV/HCV/STI testing and vaccines from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
We have free condoms too! You can also get your questions answered by emailing sexyquestions@purposesociety.org