I have a lot of girl friends who are now doing or are planning to do "ge lai" (which means "within the month" in Hokkien). This is basically an age old Chinese practice where women who have recently gone through childbirth are put through a rigid discipline: a diet of fish, ginger, herbs, hot chocolate, black chicken and anything that warms the body, and no strenuous activities allowed! (The major bad news is, ge lai bans the new mom from taking a bath for 30 days!). Friends have sworn that this works because it really does prevent arthritis brought about by the body "opening up" for childbirth (or something to that effect).
I figured I have nothing to lose by doing it, and so far, I think, coupled with breast feeding Berry, it really has helped me recuperate quickly from a normal delivery. I felt stronger just days after giving birth, I've got 5 lbs. of excess weight left to get rid off, and my belly, while still tender, has disappeared. Not bad! As soon as I get the go signal from my doctor, I can do more intense yoga, pilates and ab workouts to get in tip top shape.
So really, my issue with ge lai is the icky, no bath part! I'm quite lucky that I'm doing ge lai here in the US, so weather-wise it has been tolerable. I've gone by 2 weeks with just sponge baths and dry shampoo and Dear Hubby hasn't complained about my smell at all! Hahaha! What's my secret to lasting this long?
I actually started using regular body powder (Gold Bond) for my hair because I forgot to buy dry hair shampoo prior to giving birth. I have to tell you, no matter how much Gold Bond I put on my scalp, I would wake up the next day with hair that looked like it was caked in Crisco, no kidding! So when Oscar Blandi arrived in our mailbox, I had gone 4 days w/o using real dry shampoo. As soon as I applied it on, voila! No more oil! And my hair smelled so fresh, and had great body! (I also like that it has an easy application tip, so it's not a spray - which has a tendency to clog up.) Dear Hubby even asked me why I smelled so good! So dear readers, whether you are doing ge lai, or you just want a quick way to clean-up your hair, think two words - Oscar Blandi!
This is what Sephora has to say about my lifesaver!
What it is:
A fast fix for dirty hair.
What it does:
Oscar Blandi Dry Hair Shampoo is the ultimate time saver. It refreshes, revives, and rejuvenates the hair in a matter of minutes—no water or blow dryer required. Voted Best Dry Shampoo and Best Quick Fix by Allure magazine, it effectively soaks up oil, removes product build-up, and boosts volume. Hair looks, feels, and smells freshly shampooed with a clean, lemon verbena scent. Go ahead, hit snooze!
What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petro-Chemicals
- Phthalates
- GMO
- Triclosan
What else you need to know:
This styling secret weapon does not include PPG's, MEA, DEA, TEA's, or Formaldehyde Donors; it is not tested on animals.
2 weeks down, 2 more to go, and I really can't wait to take a proper bath! The simple things we take for granted really!
If you're in Manila, and you'd like a bottle of Oscar Blandi Pronto, order it at Shopspot. Secret weapons are meant to be shared!
10 comments:
i just wanted to say, a few weeks after giving birth and only 5lbs of pregnancy weight left? good on ya! :)
thanks for the tip.. how many 2.5 oz bottles do you think will i need to last me through a month of no bathing? :)
Egad! Ge lai must be so tough! I'm curious about the health benefits though. This means you should have a big spa and salon day when it's all over! :-)
Thanks Abby! It was really a pleasant surprise! =)
Hi Aisa! It depends on how often you use it, I've been using it once a day for the last 2 weeks (on average) and the bottle is still more than 3/4 full. I would say if you use it daily (which I doubt is the usual case, unless you are doing ge lai hehe) it would last you 2 months...If used less than once daily (say thrice a week), it will last you several months.
Yes, it is quite tough Vanessa! I can't eat anything cold too - no ice cream, soda, not even cold water ie no good stuff haha! I'm not entirely sure of the full health benefits but strength wise, I think I recovered faster than expected =)
i read your blog everyday,and i'm so grateful for all the tips you share,thank you for being such a giver:)btw what brand of make up do you use?
You're welcome Van =) About your question...heehee, I will make a post on that!
Hi there! I was wondering if you also sat on steaming guava leaves? I'm also in the US and have limited access to a lot of stuff.
Thanks!
Hi Anon! Nope, I didn't sit on steaming guava leaves, but no worries about that because guava leaves are just meant to make your tears heal faster, but it's not an absolute must do =)
Thanks for your quick reply. =)
Hi there,
I was wondering if you're the owner of the Shopspot multiply site? I have seen aisayap also from there and she asked the similar question (how many bottles would she need for a month) and you answered the exact same way.. hehehe.
Anyway, cheers.
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