Commercial polish and cleaners for use on leather and wood are things you really want to avoid. They consist mainly of hydrocarbons distilled from crude petroleum oil, such as naphtha, as well as synthetic waxes, solvents, artificial fragrances, preservatives, surfactants, and propellants if they are in an aerosol form. Is this cocktail of hazardous ingredients and likely carcinogens really something we […]
Wood & leather part 2: Clean and shine your leather and wood
The recipe I’m going to talk about today is very, super simple and can be used quite regularly. It is mainly to clean both wood and leather, and it also nourishes both materials and give them a lovely feeling and sheen. It is completely safe and edible and can even be used as a salad […]
Skin brushing, part three – the lymphatic system
The biggest benefits of skin brushing come through the way that it stimulates and assists the functioning of the lymphatic system, so this post is dedicated to explaining how that system works. We generally know more about the blood circulatory system than the lymphatic system, so let’s start there. The two systems work closely together, […]
Freshly ground, part one
There’s nothing quite like enjoying a good mug of coffee in the crisp, early morning air. As an added bonus, the spent grounds lurking in your pot are just bursting with potential ways to go on doing good stuff for you in true spotless style. They have so many uses I’ve decided to write about […]
Lavender, part three – other infusions
Here are four more very easy ways to harness the fragrance and power of Lavender in infusions. Lavender tea Add one to two teaspoons of dried Lavender flowers, or one to two tablespoon of fresh heads, to a cup of freshly boiled water. Steep for five to ten minutes. Strain and drink, sweetened with honey […]
Deodorant dangers, part two (especially for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers)
When it comes to personal care products, especially deodorant, there are two main areas of concern for pregnant women and mothers of young babies: passing the toxins in them to your baby the way that they interfere with attachment. Toxins in breast milk and the womb Some of the most dangerous chemicals are those known […]
Meditating on the meaning of growing a vegetable
I was recently considering what images to use in a post I wrote about organic food. I thought the point I was making might best be illustrated by contrasting an image of a pre-packaged bag of shop-bought organic salad leaves, with a shot of a lettuce growing in my garden. It really got me thinking. […]
Freshly ground, part two
This next post in my series on re-using coffee grounds is on one way to benefit from them for personal care – in a body scrub. So, without further ado, here goes: Coffee grounds on their own or as the main ingredient can form the basis of a wonderful exfoliating body scrub. They invigorate the […]
All you need is love
I had a chat with a friend today that really got me thinking more deeply about something that I have been trying to work out for a while. My friend is a thoughtful, caring person who tries hard to do the right thing. She’s also a busy working mother of three. She was saying that while she cares about […]
Toothpaste – Tub vs Tube
Once upon a time, all toothpaste was sold in jars. Nowadays, almost all toothpaste comes in tubes made of plastic laminate, a substance known as a “monstrous hybrid” by environmentalists as it is almost impossible to recycle. The composite parts, made of different types of plastic, are incredibly hard to separate (as they must be […]