Since the craft-friendly website Pinterest came online in 2010, the popularity of do-it-yourself (DIY) projects has been on the rise. While the website inspired people across the country to turn picture frames into jewelry hangers and repurpose toilet paper tubes for their kids’ art projects, it also inspired coupon clippers and environmentalists who wanted to save money and resources by making things themselves. According to devotees, there are plenty of perks to skipping the store in favor of DIY solutions — and when you’re looking for areas to innovate, the bathroom is a great place to start. Statista claims that the average American spent $89.95 dollars on hair care products in 2017 alone. Considering shampoo and conditioner are the staples of hair care, why not try making them yourself? In addition to being environmentally conscious, you can really cut your costs by making your own from bulk ingredients. Living on a Dime recommends a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner replacement made from baking soda, water, and apple cider vinegar, which are all ingredients that can be purchased cheaply in large quantities. If you want to use two bottles, DIY Natural breaks the recipe down into baking soda and water for shampoo and apple cider vinegar and water for conditioner. According to its calculations, the shampoo costs 6 cents per ounce and the conditioner rings in at 13 THERE’S NO ‘I’ IN ‘TEAM’ WHAT FOOTBALL CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIFE While your mind might be filled with thoughts of your upcoming delicious Thanksgiving feast, don’t forget about another important holiday that takes place this month: National Football Day on Nov. 5! Having played football throughout much of my adolescent and teen years, and making the Notre Dame team in college, I think it’s safe to assume I’m a huge college football fan. Watching this amazing feat of human strength, agility, and competition this time of year always reminds me of valuable lessons playing sports taught me throughout my life. I’ve always loved being on a team. The great camaraderie teaches you how to be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. It also teaches self-discipline and internal motivation. I learned early on that no one was going to just give me playing time or trophies. I had to earn it. Of course, no matter how hard I tried some days, the game was still lost. While I definitely didn’t like those days, they taught me many valuable life lessons. My high school football coach once said, “A lot of what happens on the field depends on how you respond to something, whether it’s adversity, a bad play, a mistake, or a touchdown.” Whenever our opponents made a big play, he would ask us, “How are you going to respond to this?” This is a lesson that has stuck with me ever since those early days on the field. By assuming responsibility, you remove the victim mentality and replace it with victor mentality. DIY HAIR PRODUCTS ARE THE SAVINGS WORTH THE HASSLE?
cents per ounce. Both come out to less than 50 cents for a 16-ounce bottle. In comparison, Business Insider says the average bottle of shampoo or conditioner costs $18–$38, which is upward of 30 times more expensive. On the environmental side, a big argument for DIY hair products is saving plastic. A 2014 video from Johnson & Johnson revealed that Americans throw out enough shampoo bottles every year to cover 1,164 football fields, which is a horrifying statistic to anyone concerned about ocean pollution or landfill limits. And that’s just shampoo . When you make your hair care products yourself, you can refill hair product bottles and eliminate waste. Of course, it will take your hair a while to adjust to these new treatments, and every person’s hair is different. But with so little money to lose, why not give the green route a try? Your locks just might surprise you.
I utilize the lessons I learned from football in many aspects of my life, but especially in my career, where I team up with my patients to ensure a beautiful outcome. Just like in football, everyone on the team has a job to do. As the surgeon, my job is to complete a successful surgery, but the patient has their job as well, which includes following instructions, eating right, and avoiding tobacco products. We work as a team to achieve the result we hope for; we don’t wait around and merely accept situations as they come. As you gear up to watch a game this month, I urge you to consider the amazing ways that sports can impact a person’s life. They certainly made a huge difference in mine.
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