A Time and Place for Salt

*Press sample

Some chef's say you should season between every step of cooking while others may only season near the end. More often that not, salt is the seasoning of choice and I have on hand table and sea and am not afraid to brine, crust, or just slightly top an ingredient in salt. But I have learned the hard way, that there is a place and time for salt.

Once, when making pizza from scratch, I had misread the amount for the salt. Though my spinach and feta pizza was incredibly gorgeous to look at, it was, in the words my brother who tasted it first, "not safe to eat, and I'm not even trying to be mean about it Jenn." My brain had completely turned off when mixing the dough and I had accidentally dumped in one cup of salt when the recipe called for a scant teaspoon. I don't even know what I was thinking.

There are a few times when such an excess of salt may be called for. Certainly not to be ingested but  Lush's Big Shampoo* may be one good place for such saltiness.

Lush Big Shampoo* ($27CDN, 11.4oz) is supposed to give limp hair more volume without stripping away natural oils. It uses coarse sea salt, extra virgin coconut oil and avocado oil which help to nourish your hair. It is supposed to leave your hair shiny, de-greased and voluminous.

The super chunky shampoo smells like fresh laundry when opened and a few finger tips worth is enough to work through my bob cut hair style. Though I was skeptical about its ability to lather, placing some water in my palms and working them together resulted in a clear creamy lather where most of the rocks of salt had dissolved into solution.

Though I was hoping for some mega volume, I did not achieve it with this shampoo. However, my hair was very sleek looking when I used this though conditioner is a must. It isn't the most stripping shampoo I've tried but it can leave your hair feeling a bit dry when coming out of the shower. My mom had different results and felt like she got a lot of volume in her hair. Her hair is more wavy than mine to begin with so the shampoo may have augmented her natural waviness.

I do enjoy this shampoo even though it didn't give me super big hair. Any 80's big hair revival is really not up my alley and the clean, fresh laundry smelling locks I get after its use are quite nice. I like that this tub will practically last forever since I use such a slight amount each time but if you're looking for mega hair and tend towards straight hair to begin with, you may want to look elsewhere.

What's your favorite volumizing shampoo?

Daily Zen: Speaking of salt and cooking, something I can't do without is a cast iron skillet. Here is piece that pretty much sums up my love and experience with one of my favorite cooking necessities.