50% Dirtier Wrap-Up and Announcing the Winner!

Well, folks, we did it – we survived one dirty month! I’m so grateful to all of you who participated (and I know there were more of you out there who joined in without commenting here, so thank you, too!).

I’ll leave you hanging in suspense for just a few paragraphs before announcing the winner. (I know, I’m terrible!)

Here are a few observations from the emails and comments I received during this challenge:

::”Dirty” hair is not so dirty.

I have found that the knee-jerk reaction to skipping a day when washing one’s hair is often a tendency to feel grossed out or worried that one’s hair will be dirty, smelly and/or greasy. However, I’m happy to say that several people reported to me that skipping a day when washing their hair was actually easy and not as worrisome as it first seemed! Here are some comments from readers:

Chris C said, “First I tried skipping hair washing for a single day, and it wasn’t bad at all, especially since I didn’t do anything vigorous. I went one step further and didn’t use a hair blower to dry my hair, and my hair was actually extra shiny! …I think I’m going to skip days more often.”

Brandy commented, “My hair is still clean and doesn’t feel even slightly greasy so I will be skipping shampoos much more often in the future.”

Celia added, “I have always washed my hair every day….and I use hair products in my hair every day…..so I have to wash it every day…..vicious cycle. So for this challenge I washed my hair…..didn’t use any products……and then skipped washing it for several days. I chose this challenge because I am trying to grow my hair out and I have bought a few Gypsy Wraps from an etsy shop for this very reason……trying to live simply…..with a smaller footprint…..and this is one small step to many more.”

This is actually a subject that I’m really passionate about, though to be honest, it’s more about vanity and health than water conservation. It is just plain good for your hair to wash it less! You will likely find it prettier and shinier if you cut back on washings. And perhaps you will find, like these ladies, that skipping a shampoo is not so bad.

::Social pressure plays a role.

This is a tough one. I have had comments from people who mentioned their worries about others knowing that they don’t shower every day. Kay (who is a water-conserving hero!) said, “…I’ve been following your blog for quite some time regarding ‘getting dirty’ and it sure made me feel better knowing I wasn’t the only one who skipped showering for days at a time. …This is something I don’t advertise. …The norm for me is 3 to 4 days between showers. I’m really gonna hate this being known by one and all but I suppose it is for a good cause so I may as well spill.”

I hear this a lot, and it continues to reinforce my feelings that our culture is way too obsessed with cleanliness. I know people who shower twice a day, every day, who are disgusted by the idea of not regularly washing. I hear people say that sweat is disgusting, that walking in wind makes them feel that their skin is “dirty,” and that not washing hair at least once a day is unthinkable. I have heard many say that a person should smell like soap all the time, except when at the gym. But to me, this is backwards, and is a desire to wash away all our naturalness, all our wildness.

I think the belief is that if you don’t shower every day, you will smell like dirty hair, like body odor, like really old sneakers. I used to be embarrassed to tell people I didn’t shower every day until years ago, when I heard two stylish beauticians at a salon talking about their dirty hair. These were stunningly beautiful 20-something girls (seriously, they could have been models) and one was asking the other if she would help her wash her hair. “I haven’t washed it in over a week and it’s really dirty!” I looked at the other (who was cutting my hair at the time) and said, “You two don’t wash your hair every day?” She replied, “God, no! That is so bad for your hair! You should never wash it every day.” After that, I started to have a different perspective on the cultural obsession with cleanliness. Now, I absolutely LOVE telling people (if the subject comes up) that I haven’t showered in two or three days and hearing them say, in shock, “But you look/smell so good!” That’s because one can still maintain good hygiene without assaulting the body with soap, shampoo and deodorizers at every opportunity. (A damp washcloth is just as effective as a shower for staying fresh!) And it’s so awesome to be able to demonstrate that to others.

::Creative showering is easy.

Many of you found ways to cut back on water usage in creative ways. Some of you, like Brandy and Tiffany, shower with your kids, which is a great way to save water! Martina completely amazed with her story of bush camping – now this woman knows how to make water go the distance! She said, “…when I read your blog I smiled as a 7 minute shower is unthinkable for me…what would I do such a long time there? So yesterday I got into the shower and thought I have a really quick one and see how long that takes. It was 1.5 minutes and I thought it wasn’t really a rush. We travel Outback Australia 3 month of the year and bush camp as much as we can – the only reason why we have to get back into civilization is water – so we are good with using very very little. It is often for days a ‘bucket wash’ as we call it – we both wash us out of the same bucket and the same 1.5 liter of water. You get used to it and you feel and you are pretty clean. I think if it is there it just gets used and nobody things about it.” Pretty amazing, huh?!

::A short shower can be an eye-opener.

Some of you tried the “Jennifer Aniston shower” (3 minutes), and bravo! I did that once – just once, because I really hate short showers. It’s been my experience that some people are just really good at taking a short shower, and others (like me) have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of that magnificent stream of piping hot water. LOL. But I think everyone should try (at least once a year) to accomplish the 3 minute shower. It really puts your shower time and water usage into perspective. Hearing the timer go off while you are just rinsing the shampoo out of your hair gives you something to ponder.

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And how much time and water did you save this month? Kelli, my faithful participant who has been getting dirty since the beginning of the month, submitted this amazing report:

Since I started on May 6, I have taken 5 Navy showers [out of 7 showers total] with water running for 5 minutes total out of 15-17 minutes in the shower. Each Navy shower used 19.5-39.5 gallons of water, so I used a total of 97.5-197.5 gallons of water for those 5 showers. If I had left the water on for the whole shower, I would have used a total of 331.5-671.5 gallons of water. That’s a difference of 234-474 gallons of water for the entire challenge! At the rate I’m going, I could have taken an additional 5 Navy showers and used the same amount of water as a regular shower [for me]. For a normal 17 minute shower I would have used 66.3-134.3 gallons. Instead, I used 19.5-39.5! I can’t believe how much water I saved!

Pretty amazing, huh?

As for me, I’ve taken just 7 showers this month (like Kelli). Kelli totally kicked my butt, though, because most of my showers were 15 minutes long. (I’m too obsessed with the hot water to turn it off between rinses.) I spent a total of 96 minutes in the shower this month. Compare that to my old shower routine from two years ago (showering for 15 minutes every other day): 225 minutes. So I saved 129 minutes of shower time! At 2.5 gallons of water per minute, I used 240 gallons of water. Compared to my old routine, I saved 322.5 gallons of water!

So what will you do, now? You may find that even if you did just one of the challenges here for one day, your routine might start to change all on its own. I did not expect to change my showering routine after the 50% Dirtier Challenge I did last fall. But when I started preparing to present it again this spring, I was surprised to find that I had been showering every third day (which was my goal back then) very consistently, without realizing it! It literally just became a habit and I forgot that it had started when I set my goals for the last challenge. Perhaps in six months, you will realize that you have started to wash your hair every other day and forget why or when you started doing that…

I’ll post a bit more on some tips about this in June, but this post is getting long, and I’m sure you want to hear who won the lip balm! So onward!

The random number generator picked…….

Tiffany Norton!!!

Congratulations to Tiffany!! And be sure to check out her awesome post, Keeping Clean on Less Than a Gallon a Day.

Lastly, I want to thank you all so very much for participating in this challenge. I know it isn’t an easy one – showers are a beloved luxury. Believe me, I understand! And I understand what a challenge it can be to step out of the comfort zone of cleanliness. But I sincerely hope that it was both fun and educational, and that perhaps you found it wasn’t as gross as you thought it would be to get a little dirty. Thank you all!!

(Please forgive me if I didn’t use your comments in this post. I ended up with more submissions than I expected, and didn’t have room for them all. But I am very grateful for your comments and feedback!!)

Lynn Minney Designs: Giveaway and Interview

I recently did a fun giveaway over at Lynn Minney Designs and Lynn kindly reciprocated by agreeing to do her own interview and giveaway here! I love Lynn’s upcycled designs, which you can find at her Etsy shop – it always makes me smile to see people finding ways to give an old item a new life.

So here’s what Lynn and I “chatted” about, and read on to find out more about the giveaway!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Lynn of Lynn Minney Designs! I’m a wife, mom, graphic designer and crafter. My love of creating started at a young age while watching my mom, grandmas and aunts create beautiful things. I also love to garden and cook.

Tell me a little bit about your business. What green elements of your business make you proud?

I opened my Etsy store about 2 years ago. It all started from a magazine article about sewing felted wool sweaters into tote bags. I was hooked after making one! It’s been a lot of hard work, but it is so exciting! I’ve learned so much in such a short period of time. I am really hoping to start doing craft shows this fall. I’m really excited to get out there, meet new people & show them what can be done with re-purposed materials.

I sew accessories like bags, eyeglass/phone cases and brooches out of recycled & vintage materials. I truly love finding pre-loved clothing items and giving them a new life. I am proud to offer upcycled items that people will use for many years to come. I’m constantly working on making my items more eco-friendly. I’m constantly looking for ways to make my company more green whether it is using only re-purposed fabrics or recycled packaging.

What makes your business unique? How do you keep your creative juices flowing?

The most unique thing about Lynn Minney Designs is the unusual items I create from wool sweaters, jeans and neckties. My customers are always amazed that something so beautiful can be created from an old sweater or jeans that someone else no longer wanted. 

There are a many things that keep my creative ideas coming…

I view everything with my favorite materials in mind. I get inspiration from a bag that I saw in a store and turn it into a unique item with a history, more color & texture. I also carry a small sketchbook with me in my bag because I can’t remember all of my ideas Furthermore, I’m inspired by the clothing, fabrics & buttons that I’ve collected.

What makes someone truly beautiful, in your opinion?

I think beauty comes from the heart. An honest, open person is beautiful in my eyes.

What makes you feel truly beautiful (beyond makeup and hair care) and what does “true beauty” mean to you?

My husband & daughter make me feel beautiful. Seeing the love in their eyes is enough for me. True beauty has all to do with the person you are inside. I believe everyone is beautiful in their own way.

What do you think about beauty in today’s society?

Modern society’s perception of beauty is backwards and way too focused on external beauty. I think the world would be a much more beautiful place if it was the other way around.

What are your favorite natural remedies?

To be honest, I don’t know much about natural remedies, but now I’m really curious! I’ve been taking a probiotic for years to aid in digestion

And for the giveaway…………. Lynn is going to gift one of my readers with this beautiful, upcycled brooch:

Ways to enter:

::Visit Lynn Minney Designs and leave a comment here about your favorite item. (1 entry)

::Tweet about this giveaway. Make sure you include @5seed and a link to this post in your tweet. Paste the link to your tweet here in the comments. (1 entry)

::Subscribe to Lynn Minney Designs blog. (1 entry)

::Subscribe to Five Seed’s blog. (1 entry)

::Add Lynn Minney Designs to your Etsy favorites (or your “circle”). (1 entry)

::Add Five Seed to your Etsy favorites (or your “circle”). (1 entry)

::Follow @5seed on Twitter. (1 entry)

Please note: I have deliberately not included entries for following either Lynn Minney Designs or Five Seed on Facebook, as this is against their terms of service.

Each entry must be left as a comment here. Each comment counts as one entry (if you only leave one comment for all of the above, your comment will only count as one entry). Each person is eligible for seven entries, total. Only continental US residents are eligible.

This giveaway will end on Friday, June 10th, at 6 PM PST. The winner will be announced on June 11th.

Many thanks to Lynn for the giveaway! Good luck, everyone!

A Little Incentive to Get Dirty

Okay, folks, I admit it: I’m not very good at organizing or publicizing blog challenges. In fact, I totally suck at it. Case in point, my 50% Dirtier Challenge, which has maybe three people actually participating. What do I have to do? Bribe you?

Okay, you got it!

There are five days left of the month – five days where you can do something to participate. I promise, I’ll make it easy on you. And the bribe? How about two lip balms – Vanilla Woods and Chocolate Mint. And guess what else? I’ll ship it anywhere! No limits on where you live. How’s that for incentive?

So first things first. Here’s what you have to do to enter: Complete one of the challenges listed below. Write a one- or two-paragraph (and by my standards, that means at least 5 sentences) description of what you did, why you chose it, and how it went. Post that as a comment here. Please note that I intend to publish what you write in a wrap-up post about the challenge next week, so don’t write anything you don’t want the public to see.

Yep. That’s all you have to do. Now for the challenges:

1. Skip washing your hair for a day. (Obviously this one is for those of you who wash your hair every day.) For an extra challenge, try a dry shampoo (optional).

2. Time your shower once, then for your next shower, shave 2 minutes (or more) off your previous time.

3. Skip one shower. If you shower once a day, skip a day. If you shower every other day, stretch it to the third day. For an extra challenge, skip as many showers as you can!

Jennifer Aniston / AP photo

4. Take a Jennifer Aniston shower. This lovely lady reportedly takes 3-minute showers, pointing out the fact that “every two minutes in the shower uses as much water as a person in Africa uses for everything in their life for a whole day!” This one will require a partner with a stopwatch – no cheating! See how far you can get in 3 minutes.

Doable, right? And you only have to choose one, so hop to it before the month ends!

For those of you who have been participating, you can earn one extra entry by leaving me a “report” of the water you’ve saved by cutting back on showers during the month of May. But please note that these reports will only be eligible if they are submitted here on Tuesday, May 31st (by 6PM PST).

And lastly, please make sure you follow the rules of the giveaway:

::I ask that you pick a task that is NEW to you – that is a genuine challenge. If you are already showering less often, or shortening your showers, please push a little further, rather than entering a comment about a routine you have already worked out over the years. This giveaway is based on the honor system, and in order for everyone to have a fair shot, each person needs to do something new, or stretch themselves a little further past their comfort zone. If I were to enter, for example, I would choose #4, since I have already established a habit of showering only once or twice a week (keeping up my long showers). Taking a super short shower would be something new and challenging for me.

::Each person is allowed only two entries. The first type of entry mentioned in this post requires at least five sentences explaining which of the four challenges you chose, why you chose it and how it went. (Again, please remember that I intend to copy and paste these entries into a wrap-up post next week, so be aware that other people will be reading it.) The second entry mentioned requires a “report” of the water/time you have saved during the month of May by decreasing your showers. These will only be eligible if they are left here in the comment field on May 31st (by 9PM PST).

::Please note that if you intend to enter twice (following the guidelines above), you must post your reports in two separate comments. Otherwise, your entry will only count as one.

::Giveaway ends on May 31st, 6PM PST. The winner will be chosen by an online number generator and will be announced here on the blog on June 1st. The winner has 3 days to send me their shipping address. If the winner does not contact me, I will choose another winner.

Now go get dirty!

GIVEAWAY: Foulard Threads

I’m thrilled to announce a giveaway – for something other than my own products! I recently stumbled upon a beautiful store on Etsy called Foulard Threads. The designer, Kristin, is very talented and creative – her “ecouture” scarves are beautiful works of art! She very kindly offered to do a giveaway on 5 Seed, and I’m so excited. This is extra special, as she is giving away ANY ITEM IN HER SHOP that you like. That’s right – any scarf you want, or a t-shirt! Winner’s choice! Now that’s amazing!

Here’s what Kristin has to say about herself and Foulard Threads:

I’ve loved to create new and beautiful things out of discarded and unloved items for as long as I can remember. I spent my childhood in the country with a family of boys, a stay at home mom, and a dad who owned a small carpentry business. So needless to say, rather than making beaded jewelry or fuzzy key chains from store bought kits like my friends, I spent much of my time creating with whatever I could find. Whether it be pottery from clay I dug up from the creek running through our woods, little creatures constructed from glued together pieces of my dad’s scrap wood, or doll clothes made with my mom’s vintage fabrics, I was always looking for ways to fulfill my creative drive.

The years of creating from limited resources has made me the artist I am today. I love to find someone’s “trash” and see how many different and beautiful things I can create from it. It’s so much fun to stretch myself and force my mind to be as creative as I know how to be!

Foulardthreads is my newest creative venture; a way to share my creativity and to put it to work for me (after all, I am a 21 year old poor college student!) I hope that you feel beautiful whenever you throw one of these eco-friendly, handmade scarves on, as well as inspired to look for beauty in the old and discarded!

How do you enter to win one of these fabulous creations? Here’s the how-to:

1. Go to Foulard Threads, come back here and leave a comment about which item you’d like to win. (This statement does not commit you to an item. You may change your mind if you are picked as the winner. Please realize that the item you’ve chosen for this giveaway may sell out by the time the giveaway ends.)

2. If you tweet about this giveaway on your Twitter account, you will be eligible for a second entry. (Tweet the following so I can see it: #Giveaway @5Seed: Foulard Threads scarves & t-shirts. http://bit.ly/9c3QJh) Remember, you must add a SECOND comment after tweeting in order to be counted as a second entry.

3. You may blog about this giveaway for a third entry. Come back and add another comment to this post with a link back to your blog – to the page where you posted about the giveaway.

TERMS:

1. You must be a resident of the United States or Canada.

2. Any entry without a valid email address will not be counted.

3. Each comment counts as ONE entry. Each person is limited to three entries.

4. Entries that don’t follow the instructions will not be counted.

5. Comments must be made on THIS post, here at this blog. Not on Facebook.

This giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, at 6 p.m., PST. The winner will be contacted via email, at which time he/she may choose his/her prize from Foulard Thread‘s inventory.

Thanks, Kristin! And good luck, readers!

True Beauty with Mrs. B!

Mrs. B (Photo used with permission.)

I am delighted to share with you True Beauty thoughts from one of my favorite bloggers, Mrs. B. This lovely lady writes Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom where she shares her thoughts and experiences on everything under the sun including cooking, spirituality, autism, and gardening. She also hosts numerous giveaways, most of them from small, home-based Etsy businesses like mine, which I think is very cool.

Speaking of giveaways, she happens to be hosting one for 5 Seed, if you want to check it out. You have the chance to win yourself a lovely Sankalpa Scent!

Here’s what Mrs. B. has to say about beauty:

What makes someone truly beautiful, in your opinion?

I think what makes someone beautiful is that inner spark of passion for something, whether it’s a passion for cooking, or the environment or for their family. Having a passion about taking care of something and learning more about it gives a person a real inner glow that makes them shine.

If you take away the traditional beauty props (makeup, clothing, hair styling, etc.), what makes you feel the most beautiful?

This might sound cliche, but my husband makes me feel beautiful! Whether I’m dressed up for something, or sick with a puffy nose, hacking cough and laying around in my bathrobe! He never fails to make me feel like the most gorgeous thing ever! (That’s why I’m keeping him! ;O)

What do you think about beauty in today’s society?

Over all, I’d say that there is a false view of what beauty is – that whole “Hollywood/model” image of what beauty is. I know very few real men who like the stick thin girls who eat half a salad for dinner. I feel horrible for all those girls out there starving themselves trying to look like that. Thankfully, I do think that there is something of a change coming around on that. Women like Christina Hendricks, from the show Mad Men, who has some seriously killer curves, are starting to get attention and take over the covers of magazines. I hope that trend continues!

If you want to check out more of Mrs. B’s lovely writing on the web, try her Examiner columns, The Domestic Witchery Examiner, and The Newark Cooking Examiner.

Don’t forget to hop over to Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom and enter the giveaway!

Valentine’s Day Giveaway

Our Valentine’s Day Cocoa Love Gift Set is the perfect pairing. It keeps your hands soft for holding hands on those long, romantic walks, and keeps your lips glossy and velvety smooth for those long kisses. And if you don’t want the caloric consequences of eating Valentine’s Day chocolates, then you can indulge in these chocolate-y balms guilt-free. With their high cocoa butter content, they smell divine. Our Cocoa Love Lip Balm has an extra chocolate punch – it’s made with organic, fair trade theobroma cacao powder! Finally, both these products are vegan (no beeswax).

We want to show our love for our fabulous customers and fans by offering a Valentine’s Day giveaway! We want you to share your stories about when you looked and felt the most beautiful. The winner will receive one of our Cocoa Love Gift Sets (Cocoa Love Lip Balm and Cocoa Love Hand & Body Balm).

We’re looking for great stories of true beauty – preferably stories in which you are not wearing a ton of makeup. We want to know when you felt the most beautiful, from the inside out. Please keep it to 350 or less. We’d love for you to submit a picture, as well! Click here for the complete terms.

You can submit any way you’d like: Here, as a comment, on our Facebook fan page (if you don’t exceed their word limit), or our email, five5seed@gmail.com. (Please take careful note of our email address – it includes the WORD five, as well as the NUMBER five.)

Our “panel” here at 5 Seed will judge the entries and pick the one that we find the most…well, beautiful.

Cocoa Love Giveaway Terms

1. Please keep your entry to less than 350 words.

2. By entering, you give 5 Seed permission to use your story and photograph (if submitted) in our promotional materials.

3. If you win our giveaway, your name will appear in our promotional material. If you do not wish your whole name to be used, please indicate how you wish to be announced in our promotional material (your initials, for instance).

4. 5 Seed reserves the right to discard any submissions considered inappropriate by our panel.

5. The winner will be chosen and announced on Sunday, February 7, 2010. The winner has 24 hours to email a shipping address to 5 Seed in order to receive their prize. If they do not respond within 24 hours of the announcement, the prize will be considered forfeited, and another winner will be chosen.

6. The prize will be mailed out within 24 hours of receiving the address of the chosen winner. There is no guarantee that the prize will reach you by February 14, 2010.

7. 5 Seed is not responsible for any damage incurred during shipping, or any delay caused by the postal service.

8. Only residents of the United States and Canada are eligible to participate in this giveaway.

9. You must 18 or older to participate.