Green Living: Rosemary Water Hairspray

{unrelated except that our rosemary is in the background}

Here's something interesting I came across recently. You can make a hairspray alternative using rosemary and water.

I'm really keen to try this out, as even though I barely use hairspray, I am mindful of the fact that it is really toxic and could be inhaled by the kids on occasion.

I'll let you know how it goes, but this is what you need:

a handful of (dried) rosemary sprigs
a French press
boiling water

1. Put the rosemary in the French press and fill with boiling water.

2. Allow to steep and cool for a couple of hours

3. Transfer to a spritz bottle and use in place of hairspray as needed.

It's Time... Organic Mascara, Here I Come!

Sorry for the break in transmission, folks. The smalls have been sick with colds this week and we're all feeling a bit under the weather. I plan on picking up some Olive Leaf Extract over the weekend to see if we can boost our immune systems before winter. Ergh.

Anyway, my trusty tube of Natio Black Mascara is about to run out, and as I mentioned a while ago ,I've been on the hunt for an organic or natural mascara for aaages. So it's time. I've done a bit of reading and decided to buy a Miessence Organic Mascara. I'm inordinately excited!

There are actually quite a lot of products out there, which is nice to see. They each seem to have a similar list of ingredients, with minerals providing the colour and jojoba oil and other essential oils helping to condition the lashes. There were a few that included almond oil which is a no-go for me (gives me itchy eyes) but the Miessence looks the goods.

I'll be sure to let you know how I go!

Beauty Tips: Homemade Body Mist

Orange Tower by Leo Druker

OK, I have something ridiculous to admit. We're barely past the first week of autumn and already my mind is turning to winter. And not in a good way. I really, really, hate winter. I get depressed and crotchety and generally miserable in the cold, grey weather with its silly short days.


I'm already dreading it. And it's basically still summer. Ridic.

One of the fine things about the cold weather though is the amazing oranges. I do love oranges. The smell, the taste, the zing. Even the bits that get caught in my teeth. In fact, when I was pregnant with Isla and couldn't stand any synthetic fragrances at all, the only thing I wanted to smell and to smell like was oranges. Strange, yes.

I do wish I had come across this easy-peasy recipe for a homemade body mist back then:

Add approximately 10 drops of orange essential oil (any essential oil of your choosing is fine though - lavender would be beautiful too) to a sterilised spray bottle.

(To sterilise, simply immerse in boiling water for a few minutes)

Top up the bottle with distilled water.

Shake, and use it as a subtle fragrance or invigorating body spray whenever needed.

Nice one. This should lift my sunshine levels come July.  But in the meantime, time to enjoy the heat.

Handy Hints: Beauty Ingredients to Avoid

This weekend's homework: Find something delicious and eat it. Lots of it.

Sorry for the lateness of today's post - some days just get crazy before you know it!

I was perusing the interwebs the other day and came upon this really handy downloadable guide of beauty ingredients to avoid. It's US-centric, so some ingredients may go by different names here, but it is a super handy little reference to keep if you're on the hunt for some greener/more natural beauty products.

via Going Home to Roost.

And in other news, it's Friday! We've got a few fun things lined up for the weekend, and for once the list doesn't include painting! We may do some second-hand furniture hunting tomorrow and hopefully eat an enormous ice cream somewhere along the way. Fabbo!

Natural Body Products: Coconut Oil

Hehe. From here.

I'm a relatively new convert to using coconut oil as a body product (or at all, really) as I used to associate it with that nasty coconut-scented tanning oil that people use to bake themselves in the sun. In reality, it's nothing like that and I'm super glad I stumbled across the recommendation online.

Pure, extra virgin coconut oil is generally produced in the South Pacific where the coconuts are harvested and the oil extracted within one hour of the nut being open - super fresh! It's a funny substance in that it is actually a milky-coloured solid oil when the room temp is 26C or under and becomes softer and clearer as the temp rises. In summer when it's around 30C+, it's a clear oil.

I use it as a body moisturiser, but it can be used in a heap of different ways. (None of which I've actually tried yet, but I like multi-use products. It keeps things simple!)

Use it as:
 
• Cooking oil (much like peanut or vege oil)
• Raw and fresh bread spread
• Skin moisturiser
• Massage Oil
• Baby Oil
• Hair Oil (massage into your hair at night and shampoo it out in the morning)
• Base ingredient for organic cosmetics

• Head lice and hair nit control (see here for directions)
• Tooth Paste (weird maybe, but there's a recipe here)



It's super economical and smells tasty too! (Not too coconutty though - that would be weird and tropical). I've found some interesting recipes that use the oil, so I'll try some out and get back to you.

Hope you're having a fabulous Monday!

Favourite Natural Beauty Products: Face Care and Make-up

Charcoal Complexion Soap from Inner Earth Soaps

There's approximately 5 million "green", "natural", "plant-based" beauty products on the market now, the majority of which are questionable in their actual green-living credentials (phrases like "with active plant ingredients" or "no nasties" are simply marketing spiel, so beware!)

As I've mentioned previously, I have spent the last twelve months or so trying to find good, genuinely natural alternatives to more commercial beauty products, and I think I'm getting close to having all my bases covered (with the exception of mascara and a beautiful red lipstick). My skin is clear and my super sensitive nose isn't being irritated by any synthetic fragrances any more, plus my bathroom cabinet is much less cluttered than it was a year ago. Actually, this is a lie. My bathroom cabinet would be a lot less cluttered if I were to clean it out. **Note to self: Clean out bathroom cabinet.

So here's a run-down of the products I currently use on my face, pretty much every day:

   Cleanser:      Charcoal Complexion Soap from InnerEarth plus a facewasher to exfoliate. Simple.
   Mask:           Detoxifying Mask from InnerEarth Soaps
   Moisturiser: Organic Rosehip Oil from Trilogy
   Foundation: Nature's Minerals Foundation from The Body Shop
   Blush:          Powder Blush from Orglamix
   Brow Groomer/Cheekbone Highlight: Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment (also an awesome lip balm)

I like to try and keep it simple, and these products work really well for me.

I also use natural body wash, moisturiser etc, but more on that some other time.

And if you know of any good, natural mascara or glam red lipsticks, please do tell!!