DAY 4: SELF CARE AND TOILETRIES
An article in the Guardian stated that: “American women use an average of 12 products a day – nearly 200 chemicals – according to a 2004 study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).” I can’t imagine that’s much different for us here in the UK... scary huh? These chemicals are not needed when there are so many products that are as good, even better available, and don’t contain them. Plus, many of these are often cheaper too, containing less plastic, and can be made with things you can already find in your home!
By no means take any of what I go on to say like I’ve got beauty rituals down, I have no clue what I’m doing, and I have the most basic skincare routine. But here are some of the products I use to take care of myself….once a month hah.
DEODERANT:
Wow, deodorant has been a little bit like the toothpaste journey to be honest. I have tried SO MANY natural deodorants, and honestly they have NOT hit the spot. Homemade deodorants, deodorant paste, deodorant crystals. I don’t know whether it’s just me, but 90% of the products I tried made me smell horrendous- a smell I didn’t even know it was possible to bring forth from my body- Neal’s Yard Peppermint and Lime deodorant was an absolute low point for me. They usually all started off fine but within two or so weeks of using them they just weren’t making the cut.
Through the many tried, I discovered Salt of The Earth spray deodorant, I actually remember it was the first natural deodorant I tried many years ago. The bottles are recyclable and made from 100% plant derived plastic. It costs £3.79 a bottle which is far cheaper than any other natural deodorant brand I have found and can be bought in bulk too to refill. There are no nasties involved and it is free of aluminium. Win win.
Again, this is a product I feel feels like a no-brainer to make, and know friends who get on great with some particular recipes but I still haven’t found mine without smelling atrocious so the hunt continues.
FACE WASH:
I’m currently using a recipe I found online that can easily be made using things I usually have in the house.
The recipe is from Live Simply and is as follows:
ingredients
1/3 cup of castille soap (I use this as we already have around the house for Heppy)
1/3 cup of honey
3 tbsp of boiled water or distiller water
2 tbsp of jojoba oil, argan oil or olive oil or any oil you know works best with your skin type!
method
Add the water first to a soap dispenser (I use this) and then the rest of the ingredients and shake together to dissolve the honey, do this every few days.
I like adding some essential oils to this to make it extra special- you could add a few drops of tea tree oil, geranium, or frankincense- all known to bring great benefits for your skin. (There’s a note on oils below, but make sure you’re using VERY high quality oils!)
FACE SCRUB:
2 tablespoons coffee grounds
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil
Method
Put all the ingredients in a glass bowl and mix well
Scrub face as needed/leave it on for five minutes
Store the rest in a glass jar and use within a month.
This can be used as a general body exfoliator too, and it’s what’s on my face in the picture above. It feels better than it looks!
FACE serum:
I am currently using the most amazing serum that a friend makes- if you’re interested let me know- she’s about to sell some for a fundraiser.
It contains lots of frankincense. Frankincense is skin QUEEN, known to soothe skin and reduce acne, I have noticed a visible change in my skins appearance since using it!
body Moisturiser:
Surprise…Coconut oil.
HAIR REMOVAL
Let’s be real; hair removal is incredibly lax over here- and i’m not talking about girls with a tiny bit of fair hair on their legs saying how hairy their legs are, when my legs are hairy…they’re HAIRY. I’d tend to use a blunt razor I found every few months or so to do my legs and then I’d go to a salon every 3 months or so to get a bikini wax.
Then I stumbled upon HOMEMADE WAX, and my life was changed forever and I wondered why I hadn’t been doing it sooner! I followed this recipe from Omabelle Tv for Sugar wax, you can find the tutorial here on Youtube.
To Make:
(please note this recipe is taken from Omabelletv)
-1 cup of sugar
-1/4 of a cup of lemon juice
-1/3 of a cup of water
and you will need a saucepan, a jar to store in, some coffee filters or old material cut into strips, and a lollipop stick or something similar.
Add all ingredients together, stir, and bring to the boil for 3-5 minutes. Wait til it becomes a golden caramel colour and stir continuously until it reaches that point. Remove to cool/ at a good temperature to use and then transfer into the jar- keep stirring. Apply the wax in the opposite direction of your hair growth, and then place strip of cloth or paper on top and pull in the direction of hair growth. Get ready for your life to be changed and for you to save so much money. You can then store in the fridge and re-heat next time you want to use the wax, but be careful as this is messy and hot- so you may want to read up on how best to do this!
I also in recent month have ditched the blunt razor because I didn’t want to buy any new plastic ones for a safety razor. Safety razors are pretty much guaranteed to last a lifetime, and you just change inexpensive blades every now and again- just make sure to put them in something like a jar, or tin before you recycle them! I purchased this safety razor from Bambaw and I am finding I’m getting a closer shave than I ever did with a plastic razor before!
I also use coconut oil instead of shaving foam, I love that it acts as a moisturiser as well as a barrier. Our favourite coconut oil can be found here.
PERIOD:
I remember my first year of Uni, giving my first ever shot at a menstrual cup. I had no clue what I was doing and no idea how it would even fit but, it felt good and it felt like it made sense- I had always hated the idea of wearing a pad, and while I wore tampons, super size plus (incase you were wondering) for my heavy heavy periods, it felt so strange and unnatural- and like a lot of waste. I went through a period of wearing the cup and not wearing it until a few years ago I full made the switch back. I think I had been doing a lot of the things wrong with the menstrual cup before, which is why it was quite hit and miss whether it would sit right inside but once you get the hang of it there’s no going back!
I personally use the Mooncup Model A- recommended for those who have given birth- they have one for those who haven’t too
and then I also use the Organi cup in size B- again recommended for women who have given birth but they have two sizes.
But….a friend has just released the INCREDIBLE better cup and if I didn’t already own two I would be right there buying one- plus for every sale of a better cup one is given to a girl in needs! Also- Ruth gives the best intro to menstrual cups if you’re new to it all find out more here.
Also, while I’ve never been crazy for the pads, I’ve sometimes needed them when out and about because my periods are heavy and I haven’t wanted to leak unexpectedly. A few birthdays ago Joseph bought me a reusable pad (he’s a keeper) and I’m sold out on those too. I can’t remember which brand I have, it was picked up from a local refill store, but you can also find some great ones here.
Perfume:
“In May 2010, a coalition called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics revealed the results of independent tests it commissioned on 17 popular perfumes, colognes, and body sprays. EWG (environmental working group) analysed the results: Each product contained more than a dozen undisclosed chemicals, including “chemicals associated with hormone disruption and allergic reactions,” the group reported, and other “chemicals with troubling hazardous properties or with a propensity to accumulate in human tissues.” This piece is taken from Mother Jones . I said goodbye to Calvin Klein’s Euphoria and Liz Earle’s botanical perfumes about 3 years ago, and traded them in for nothing…haha. Just an occasional roller ball of Young Living’s grapefruit on my wrists or if ya really lucky Young Living’s essential oil blend Abundance. You can mix these- or your favourite scent with some fractioned coconut oil in a roller bottle. Note, that if you’re using essential oils, take time to do your research to find a brand that is trustworthy. How the essential oil is processed also matters. “For instance, a 2018 study found potentially hazardous chemicals in 24 commercial essential oils tested. Even though the essential oils were labeled “natural,” “organic,” or “pure,” they were extracted, diluted, or synthesized with petrochemicals which can either be absorbed into your skin, or inhaled.” If you’re interested in knowing more about young living, or oils, feel free to message me!
SUNCREAM:
One thing I’ve learnt is that natural suncreams are expensive but so worth the investment. We’ve, like many products, had lots of trial and error to find something that works for us. I mention a little more on suncream in a few days!
This is what we’re working with for now:
Green People Organic sun lotion
Green People Scent free sun lotion
Feeling ill
My go to’s when I’m not feeling well are always oils before any pain relief. I truly believe that we have been gifted oils from God because there is so much healing power in them and I have seen them work time and time again!
I won’t go into a ton of detail but for headaches I use peppermint oil, I put a few drops in my hand and breathe in deeply multiple times (be careful not to rub this ANYWHERE near your eyes after because it will burn), this is also great for sickness! I use lavender oil to ease any upset stomach particularly menstrual cramps and it’s great for infections eg. ingrown toenail or splinter, and burns/stings or sunburn- just dilute it with coconut oil or another carrier oil.
Tomorrow we will be taking a look at everything baby- and what I use with Hephzibah and how we shop for her clothes! And in case you were wondering if makeup featured there’s a whole day devoted to it on day 6!
If you missed yesterday’s post on what we use in the bathroom, you can find that here.
ps. Please note that most of the links to amazon are amazon affiliate links where at no additional cost to you I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. I recommend these products because they are helpful and useful not in order to get you to spend money unless you feel you need them or they will help you on your journey!
pps. ‘Non-toxic’ is a claim in itself without regulation. When I use it, I am referring to products that don’t include ingredients linked to toxic responses (like hormone disruption, cancer, etc.) in humans.
Hello, World!