Well, I'm moving flat's and, along with work and uni, it's going to be taking up all of my time to get everything packed and moved. So I'm not going to be blogging for a couple of weeks till things have started to calm down.
See you in a couple of weeks.
Thursday 30 May 2013
Thursday 23 May 2013
Cleaning my home - Vinegar
Cleaning my home has to be something that I loath. I have to admit that it's partly to do with the fact that I find it so boring, but the main reason is because I hate the normal commercial products I normally use.
Firstly, I really dislike the list products you find in these cleaners. They're not the kind of chemicals I want lingering around my home, with the irritation warnings and information about how they're dangerous for the environment (especially the aquatic world you'll soon be flushing them into). I tend to find that I get headaches after using them and have weird sneezing fits, even though my heads no where near the surface I'm cleaning. The smell is pretty unpleasant too, I like my home to smell a little more 'natural' and no amount of added florals take away that chemical smell.
There are already products out there that are advertise as being a more eco-friendly way of cleaning your home. Ecover is definitely one company that I've used and loved for many years, and I have to admit that it makes my home smell great afterwards, but the products can be pricey and I'm looking into something that does the same job for less money......and this is where the vinegar comes in.
Using vinegar as a cleaner is hardly a new idea. It's been used for years, there are a number of blogs and videos on how to use it, and a number of cleaning products actually have it as one of their ingrediences (especially the antibacterial ones). It is made by the fermentation of the ethanol which comes from soured fruit juice, grain or wine by the acetic acid bacteria and in basically water and around 5% of acetic acid (hence the bacteria's name). The acid in the vinegar is what makes it such a good cleaner and the list of what this one product can do is a pretty good one. It:
The added bonus to using vinegar is that it isn't dangerous to humans and the other mammals we share our home with, and has a much lower environmental impact than other cleaning products. Its also a product already found in most homes and, even though the smell is strong to begin with, leaves no odour once it has evapourated away.
As with everything else, I'm working my way through my cleaning products, but once they've gone I'll be going all vinegary. To that point I have a book, Green Clean: Eco-friendly cleaning for the home. Admittedly I've had this book for years but haven't really used, but that will all be changing. I'll let you know how I get on :-).
Firstly, I really dislike the list products you find in these cleaners. They're not the kind of chemicals I want lingering around my home, with the irritation warnings and information about how they're dangerous for the environment (especially the aquatic world you'll soon be flushing them into). I tend to find that I get headaches after using them and have weird sneezing fits, even though my heads no where near the surface I'm cleaning. The smell is pretty unpleasant too, I like my home to smell a little more 'natural' and no amount of added florals take away that chemical smell.
There are already products out there that are advertise as being a more eco-friendly way of cleaning your home. Ecover is definitely one company that I've used and loved for many years, and I have to admit that it makes my home smell great afterwards, but the products can be pricey and I'm looking into something that does the same job for less money......and this is where the vinegar comes in.
Using vinegar as a cleaner is hardly a new idea. It's been used for years, there are a number of blogs and videos on how to use it, and a number of cleaning products actually have it as one of their ingrediences (especially the antibacterial ones). It is made by the fermentation of the ethanol which comes from soured fruit juice, grain or wine by the acetic acid bacteria and in basically water and around 5% of acetic acid (hence the bacteria's name). The acid in the vinegar is what makes it such a good cleaner and the list of what this one product can do is a pretty good one. It:
- dissolves mineral deposites (good for mirrors and glass)
- dissolves grease (good for unclogging drains and breaking down dirt)
- removes traces of soap
- removes mildew
- removes wax buildup
- removes residue glue
- removes stains
- removes rust
- polishes silver, copper and brass
- deodorizes
- cleans epoxy resin, even when hardened
- softens water.
The added bonus to using vinegar is that it isn't dangerous to humans and the other mammals we share our home with, and has a much lower environmental impact than other cleaning products. Its also a product already found in most homes and, even though the smell is strong to begin with, leaves no odour once it has evapourated away.
As with everything else, I'm working my way through my cleaning products, but once they've gone I'll be going all vinegary. To that point I have a book, Green Clean: Eco-friendly cleaning for the home. Admittedly I've had this book for years but haven't really used, but that will all be changing. I'll let you know how I get on :-).
Sunday 19 May 2013
Eco-friendly - Good for Health
People are used to hearing about how being eco-friendly is good for the environment (obviously), but if you don't really care about the environment than its not really going to mean a lot to you and it kinda misses out of the fact that being environmentally friendly is also good for you as well.
For me, the biggest benefit, to you rather than to the environment, is to your health. The most obvious is leaving your car at home and waking or biking instead. Obviously there would be a drop in the amount of greenhouse gases you produce, but the benefits that this type of 'gentle' exercise can have on your body is immense. Just 30 minutes walking a day helps with weight loss and the prevention of serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. I won't go into this too much more as I've already spoken about the benefits of walking in my blog post The Wonders of Walking, and obviously the benefit of staying healthy is huge for the individual, but its also important when you realise that these diseases cost the NHS over £50 billions a year. There's also the benefit it has for our mental health, and that's not just depression. Just 10 minutes stroll can greatly reduce stress levels, helping you cope with everyday problems and reducing the negative health affects that stress produces.
Food is another area where you can be both eco-frinedly and you-friendly. I'm already rambled on about what the benefits of being a veggie are for both the environment and health, but you don't have to go all out if you love your meat. Even just having a meat free day can make a huge difference to your health, and you'll probably find its not as bad as you thought it was going to be. You might even decide to increase it to more than one day.
And then there's the whole local and organic issues. Research has shown that organic vegetables don't have any more nutrience than non-organic vegetables, but there is the lack of pesticides and herbicides to consider. These are known to have a negative affect on wildlife and to produce greenhouse gases during production, but they are also know to be irritants to skin and eyes in humans, have affects on the hormonal and endocrine system of the body, and to contain carcinogens. Like a number of different things, how much is 'bad' for you depends entirely on the individual, and I tend to err on the side of not at all.
If organic is a little too pricy than local is another good route to take (obviously both would be better). Food grown in Britain not only has to follow the EU policies on farming, some of the greenest and most animal friendly in the world, but the shorter distance of travel to your local store and the reduced need for refrigerating means that it has a much lower carbon footprint than those flow in from abroad. But the biggest issue about the long distance travel of food is the reduction in nutrience. As soon as vegetables are harvested they begin to loose their nutrience, hence the big deal companies make about freezing their vegetables so soon as they pull them up, and the longer it takes for it to get to your plate the less benefits you will get out of them. There's also the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting your local community.
The last benefit I'm going to talk about is reducing connected to reducing the temperature of your home. This probably seems like a weird one and it's easy to see the environmental benefits of reducing the amount of energy you use and, therefore, reducing the amount of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere. But reducing your homes temperature from the average of 23-24 C does have some benefits for you as well. The of the largest allergens in the home are dust mites. They, or more truthly their faeces, can cause allergic reactions on almost anyone, but they cause serious problem in 85% of asthmatics and eczema suffers and the like temperatures of a warm 18-24 C. Because of this it is recommended by many health boards that you keep your home at a temperature of 16-18 C to reduce the amount of dust mite activity, though obviously not below 16 as that can cause a whole load of other health issues. Temperature also affects how you sleep and the recommendation of room temperatures for a good night's sleep ranges from 15 C to 20 C depending on how high your core temperature rises around bed time. In fact, the West Midlands Public Health Observatory (now the Public Health England) has recommended that for a healthy home you should have your living room at 21 C and your bedroom at temperatures of 18 C. All of these 'recommended' temperatures are below the average temperature many of us keep our homes at and show the benefits we would get from saving the planet a little. And, if you think that sounds a bit chilly, there's nothing like a good jumper.
So its not all about the planet when it comes to being green.
For me, the biggest benefit, to you rather than to the environment, is to your health. The most obvious is leaving your car at home and waking or biking instead. Obviously there would be a drop in the amount of greenhouse gases you produce, but the benefits that this type of 'gentle' exercise can have on your body is immense. Just 30 minutes walking a day helps with weight loss and the prevention of serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. I won't go into this too much more as I've already spoken about the benefits of walking in my blog post The Wonders of Walking, and obviously the benefit of staying healthy is huge for the individual, but its also important when you realise that these diseases cost the NHS over £50 billions a year. There's also the benefit it has for our mental health, and that's not just depression. Just 10 minutes stroll can greatly reduce stress levels, helping you cope with everyday problems and reducing the negative health affects that stress produces.
Food is another area where you can be both eco-frinedly and you-friendly. I'm already rambled on about what the benefits of being a veggie are for both the environment and health, but you don't have to go all out if you love your meat. Even just having a meat free day can make a huge difference to your health, and you'll probably find its not as bad as you thought it was going to be. You might even decide to increase it to more than one day.
And then there's the whole local and organic issues. Research has shown that organic vegetables don't have any more nutrience than non-organic vegetables, but there is the lack of pesticides and herbicides to consider. These are known to have a negative affect on wildlife and to produce greenhouse gases during production, but they are also know to be irritants to skin and eyes in humans, have affects on the hormonal and endocrine system of the body, and to contain carcinogens. Like a number of different things, how much is 'bad' for you depends entirely on the individual, and I tend to err on the side of not at all.
If organic is a little too pricy than local is another good route to take (obviously both would be better). Food grown in Britain not only has to follow the EU policies on farming, some of the greenest and most animal friendly in the world, but the shorter distance of travel to your local store and the reduced need for refrigerating means that it has a much lower carbon footprint than those flow in from abroad. But the biggest issue about the long distance travel of food is the reduction in nutrience. As soon as vegetables are harvested they begin to loose their nutrience, hence the big deal companies make about freezing their vegetables so soon as they pull them up, and the longer it takes for it to get to your plate the less benefits you will get out of them. There's also the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting your local community.
The last benefit I'm going to talk about is reducing connected to reducing the temperature of your home. This probably seems like a weird one and it's easy to see the environmental benefits of reducing the amount of energy you use and, therefore, reducing the amount of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere. But reducing your homes temperature from the average of 23-24 C does have some benefits for you as well. The of the largest allergens in the home are dust mites. They, or more truthly their faeces, can cause allergic reactions on almost anyone, but they cause serious problem in 85% of asthmatics and eczema suffers and the like temperatures of a warm 18-24 C. Because of this it is recommended by many health boards that you keep your home at a temperature of 16-18 C to reduce the amount of dust mite activity, though obviously not below 16 as that can cause a whole load of other health issues. Temperature also affects how you sleep and the recommendation of room temperatures for a good night's sleep ranges from 15 C to 20 C depending on how high your core temperature rises around bed time. In fact, the West Midlands Public Health Observatory (now the Public Health England) has recommended that for a healthy home you should have your living room at 21 C and your bedroom at temperatures of 18 C. All of these 'recommended' temperatures are below the average temperature many of us keep our homes at and show the benefits we would get from saving the planet a little. And, if you think that sounds a bit chilly, there's nothing like a good jumper.
So its not all about the planet when it comes to being green.
Monday 6 May 2013
Empties #4
Its been almost two months now and I have a load of empties. As there's such a large number I'm going to go through them pretty quickly. Its mainly made up of my smaller travel size or tester products that had been sitting around. (Sorry this was meant to be posted on Saturday, but I wasn't able to get this finished in time).
The first item is one that I haven't actually been able to use up completely, but which has got too gluppy to actually be able to use anmore. This is the Avon Nails Experts Tough Enough nail care product and I've had it a very long time, at least 4 years, so its no suprise that its no longer useable. Its no longer available to buy and the bottle itself has no information about what is actually in this product (it was probably on the box that the threw away ages ago). I didn't notice any toughening up of my nails and it did funny things to any nail varnish I put ontop of it, even if I left it to dry first for a few hours. Not that it really matter as I have no choice in buying it again, but even if I could I think I'm going to go for something more natural.
The next item I used up completely, and that's the Blistex Intensive Moisturiser for lips. I got this as my lips got really dry and cracked this winter, and its was the only intensive moisturiser for lips I could find at the time. It felt really nice to put on, though did leave my lips very white, and after did leave my lips feeling very soft. The only information on the tube is that its made in the UK, go Blistex, so I'm guessing the rest of the information was on the box. I know that the blurb says that it contains Shea Butter, Allantoin, and Camphor, but the long list of ingredients you get on the box also shows bee wax, petroleum jelly,and lanolin alcohol (which is known to bring some people out in spots). Despite some of the natural products, the product list isn't great so I think I'm going to try and find a lip product with fewer, more natural ingredients. Blistex also test their products on animals, so that's a no for me.
I got the Halo Eye Make-up Remover Pads because I caught in the rain one day and most of my mascara was down my face. I don't normally like products like this but didn't feel too bad as some of the profits were going to support Cancer Research UK. That said, I didn't really like the product itself. While I was happy using it to remove the product running down my face, the pads were too rough for me to be happy using them on my eyes. I also didn't feel that there was enough moisture in the pads to allow me to hold the product against my eye, to break up the make-up, before wiping it off. It definitely didn't remove waterproof mascara either, like it said, without me really scrubbing. This with the fact that it contans alcohol (not something I want around my eyes) and parabens means that I won't buy this item again, and they test on animals.
The travel sized Batiste dry shampoo was also a product that I brought in a rush because my hair was looking really greasy at a point where I needed to look presentable. The scent, Blush, is lovely and it did work, but its really not a product want to get into the habit of using as I really don't like using aerosols and I didn't really like the way it made my hair feel. I really like my hair to feel more 'natural'. Usually I know when my hair's going to be greasy etc and I think I'll just have to deal with a greasy day when it comes in a different way (that said I still have another can of dry shampoo to get through), so this isn't going to be a re-buy. On the animal testing front, as far as I know they don't test on animals, but its been difficult to find information about this.
I brought the Boots Sun, Swim & Gym Leave-in Conditioner (it now has new packaging) when I was going to the gym to save time in the shower as I went to the gym before work. Its good that it has UV filters in it, but I didn't notice it doing a lot when it came to detangling my hair. It was definitely better than using no conditioner at all, but definitely not as good as the conditioner I now use in the shower. As I no longer use the gym to get my exercise I really don't need this and really just used it as an extra step in my hair care to use it up. However, even if I did still need this type of conditioner I wouldn't use this product again as a quick look at the ingredients shows a number of parabens and alcholols, along with sodum hydroxide (I'm sorry, what!) a known skin and eye irritant. I'm not sure if the new formula still has this, but I'll just stick to normal conditioning from now on. On a plus, non of the Boots own range are tested on animals.
The Simple Moisturing Facial Wash is also something I brought because I needed a face wash and only had time to quickly pop into a supermarket to grab one. The plus is that it down't contain any animal ingredients nor does Simple test its products on animals. However, it is owned by Unilever who, while they are developing alternatives to animal testing, they still do animal testing. The negative side is that, despite their claims and awards, I find that this face wash does dry my skin, especially around the nose area where I feel a tighteningof the skin. I think its because it contains sulphates (which you find in many shampoos to help with the lathering) and parabens. My skin doesn't like either of these products so I won't be buying this again.
My next product is Natures Aid Distilled Witch Hazel. I love witch hazel as a toner and it soothes any problems I'm having with my skin, especially redness. Natures Aid do not test their products on animals and this product is vegetarian and vegan friendly, so thumbs up all round. The only problem I have with this is the alcohol, which can be quite drying on the skin, but I do use a very deep moisturising night cream so its not such a problem. At the moment I'm working my way through a massive 1l bottle of witch hazel, but I would buy this again.
The Boots Natural Collection Wild Strawberry Face Mask is a product I got in my stocking last Christmas. As I said before, all Boots products are non-animal tested. This product does smell lovely (it even has 'This is not a food' written in big letters on the back), it did make my skin feel soft afterwards, and I managed to get three uses out of this one pack. However, my skin feels no softer than when I use the Soap and Glory mask I wrote about before in my Empties #3 post, and does contain a number of parabens which I think is why a felt a slightly uncomfortable tingling feeling when I had it on. I won't buy this again, but if you're not bothered about parabens this is a nce face mask. You just have to be aware that strawberry masks are known to be irritants to a number of people, so just be careful.
Bio-oil is a weirdly controversial product due to the fact that it contains mineral oil. While I don't believe the hype about the mineral oils getting into your system and causing cancer, I do think that getting used to using something that could be running out isn't necessarily a good idea. The reason I got it is because I have a number of scars and colour variation on my face and was hoping that this would help reduce them. I didn't really notice a huge difference in the scars, but my skin was definitely softer than usual and the skin tone was more even. Bio-oil doesn't test on animals and a quick look through the ingredients doesn't fill me with dread either. Despite that, I'm not going to rebuy this. Firstly, as I said before, I'm trying to reduce the number of products that I use with mineral oils in it. Secondly, I'm wanting to use simplier products on my face from now on and will be looking for very basic plant oil products to replace it.
I've decided to put these two together as I got them together as a gift set and used them up at the same time. They are the Sanctury Spar Body Scrub and Sanctury Spar Body Wash. These smell gorgeous and felt really nice to use. They are also not tested on animals and paraben free, which should mean that these products were something I would want to use all the time. The only problem with these is that they do contain sulphate and I noticed that my skin dried quickly when I used these than when I used my sulphate free products. Its a shame, because I love these in every other way.
The Softening Coconut Body Butter is by from Nature, a company I can find no information about on the world wide web, so I can't say anything about whether or not these products are tested on animals. As I said in m Empties #3 about the body washes, this seems to smell more of banana to me (yuck!) than coconut soI really didn't enjoy using it. I really didn't feel that it was a great moisturiser and, though it felt alright straight after I used it, I found that my skin got dry quicker than when I've used other moisturiser (possibly due to the fact that it contains sodium hydroxide.
I somehow managed to loose the cap to this deodorant, the Sure Woman Cotton Ultra Dry, so this dried up a lot quicker than it normally would. I've never found that this product has kept me dry, despite its name, but it does keep me smelling fresh, which is what I actually want from my deodorants. However, like most deodorants, it contains aluminum (contected to cancer and Alzheimer's) and a number of different alcohols (which is probably why my underarms get very dry and soar). Sure is also owned by Unilever and so there's the issues of animal testing talked about above. I am looking for alternative, but I can never find more 'natural' products that work.
I've finally got onto the make-up that I'm trying to use up (still a lot I need to go through though :-( ). First is the Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Crimson. I love this colour and I have to admit that Revlon lipsticks are my favourite lipsticks. The colours are gorgeous, the pigmentation is great, and the colour stay on for a really long time (which is great if you love reds). Of course, there's now an issue with Revlon on whether or not is tests on animals. While it states that it keeps to the EU legislation of not testing its products on animals, it has started selling in China where animal testing is required for most of its cosmetics. Because of this, and despite the fact that I love it for its lipsticks, I will stop buying Revlon products until they can show that no animals testing is happening. This means that I won't buy this product again and am working my way through my other Revlon products at the moment.
My last item is another Revlon product (as I said, I'm using these up) and is the Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Red. As the lipstick above, I love the colour and the staying power of this product, but due to the animals testing issue I won't be buying it again.
So that's it (this was really long!). I should really do these more often so I have less to get through, but its done for now and I've gotten through most of my smaller items now so there should be a longer time between items.
The first item is one that I haven't actually been able to use up completely, but which has got too gluppy to actually be able to use anmore. This is the Avon Nails Experts Tough Enough nail care product and I've had it a very long time, at least 4 years, so its no suprise that its no longer useable. Its no longer available to buy and the bottle itself has no information about what is actually in this product (it was probably on the box that the threw away ages ago). I didn't notice any toughening up of my nails and it did funny things to any nail varnish I put ontop of it, even if I left it to dry first for a few hours. Not that it really matter as I have no choice in buying it again, but even if I could I think I'm going to go for something more natural.
The next item I used up completely, and that's the Blistex Intensive Moisturiser for lips. I got this as my lips got really dry and cracked this winter, and its was the only intensive moisturiser for lips I could find at the time. It felt really nice to put on, though did leave my lips very white, and after did leave my lips feeling very soft. The only information on the tube is that its made in the UK, go Blistex, so I'm guessing the rest of the information was on the box. I know that the blurb says that it contains Shea Butter, Allantoin, and Camphor, but the long list of ingredients you get on the box also shows bee wax, petroleum jelly,and lanolin alcohol (which is known to bring some people out in spots). Despite some of the natural products, the product list isn't great so I think I'm going to try and find a lip product with fewer, more natural ingredients. Blistex also test their products on animals, so that's a no for me.
I got the Halo Eye Make-up Remover Pads because I caught in the rain one day and most of my mascara was down my face. I don't normally like products like this but didn't feel too bad as some of the profits were going to support Cancer Research UK. That said, I didn't really like the product itself. While I was happy using it to remove the product running down my face, the pads were too rough for me to be happy using them on my eyes. I also didn't feel that there was enough moisture in the pads to allow me to hold the product against my eye, to break up the make-up, before wiping it off. It definitely didn't remove waterproof mascara either, like it said, without me really scrubbing. This with the fact that it contans alcohol (not something I want around my eyes) and parabens means that I won't buy this item again, and they test on animals.
The travel sized Batiste dry shampoo was also a product that I brought in a rush because my hair was looking really greasy at a point where I needed to look presentable. The scent, Blush, is lovely and it did work, but its really not a product want to get into the habit of using as I really don't like using aerosols and I didn't really like the way it made my hair feel. I really like my hair to feel more 'natural'. Usually I know when my hair's going to be greasy etc and I think I'll just have to deal with a greasy day when it comes in a different way (that said I still have another can of dry shampoo to get through), so this isn't going to be a re-buy. On the animal testing front, as far as I know they don't test on animals, but its been difficult to find information about this.
I brought the Boots Sun, Swim & Gym Leave-in Conditioner (it now has new packaging) when I was going to the gym to save time in the shower as I went to the gym before work. Its good that it has UV filters in it, but I didn't notice it doing a lot when it came to detangling my hair. It was definitely better than using no conditioner at all, but definitely not as good as the conditioner I now use in the shower. As I no longer use the gym to get my exercise I really don't need this and really just used it as an extra step in my hair care to use it up. However, even if I did still need this type of conditioner I wouldn't use this product again as a quick look at the ingredients shows a number of parabens and alcholols, along with sodum hydroxide (I'm sorry, what!) a known skin and eye irritant. I'm not sure if the new formula still has this, but I'll just stick to normal conditioning from now on. On a plus, non of the Boots own range are tested on animals.
The Simple Moisturing Facial Wash is also something I brought because I needed a face wash and only had time to quickly pop into a supermarket to grab one. The plus is that it down't contain any animal ingredients nor does Simple test its products on animals. However, it is owned by Unilever who, while they are developing alternatives to animal testing, they still do animal testing. The negative side is that, despite their claims and awards, I find that this face wash does dry my skin, especially around the nose area where I feel a tighteningof the skin. I think its because it contains sulphates (which you find in many shampoos to help with the lathering) and parabens. My skin doesn't like either of these products so I won't be buying this again.
My next product is Natures Aid Distilled Witch Hazel. I love witch hazel as a toner and it soothes any problems I'm having with my skin, especially redness. Natures Aid do not test their products on animals and this product is vegetarian and vegan friendly, so thumbs up all round. The only problem I have with this is the alcohol, which can be quite drying on the skin, but I do use a very deep moisturising night cream so its not such a problem. At the moment I'm working my way through a massive 1l bottle of witch hazel, but I would buy this again.
The Boots Natural Collection Wild Strawberry Face Mask is a product I got in my stocking last Christmas. As I said before, all Boots products are non-animal tested. This product does smell lovely (it even has 'This is not a food' written in big letters on the back), it did make my skin feel soft afterwards, and I managed to get three uses out of this one pack. However, my skin feels no softer than when I use the Soap and Glory mask I wrote about before in my Empties #3 post, and does contain a number of parabens which I think is why a felt a slightly uncomfortable tingling feeling when I had it on. I won't buy this again, but if you're not bothered about parabens this is a nce face mask. You just have to be aware that strawberry masks are known to be irritants to a number of people, so just be careful.
Bio-oil is a weirdly controversial product due to the fact that it contains mineral oil. While I don't believe the hype about the mineral oils getting into your system and causing cancer, I do think that getting used to using something that could be running out isn't necessarily a good idea. The reason I got it is because I have a number of scars and colour variation on my face and was hoping that this would help reduce them. I didn't really notice a huge difference in the scars, but my skin was definitely softer than usual and the skin tone was more even. Bio-oil doesn't test on animals and a quick look through the ingredients doesn't fill me with dread either. Despite that, I'm not going to rebuy this. Firstly, as I said before, I'm trying to reduce the number of products that I use with mineral oils in it. Secondly, I'm wanting to use simplier products on my face from now on and will be looking for very basic plant oil products to replace it.
I've decided to put these two together as I got them together as a gift set and used them up at the same time. They are the Sanctury Spar Body Scrub and Sanctury Spar Body Wash. These smell gorgeous and felt really nice to use. They are also not tested on animals and paraben free, which should mean that these products were something I would want to use all the time. The only problem with these is that they do contain sulphate and I noticed that my skin dried quickly when I used these than when I used my sulphate free products. Its a shame, because I love these in every other way.
The Softening Coconut Body Butter is by from Nature, a company I can find no information about on the world wide web, so I can't say anything about whether or not these products are tested on animals. As I said in m Empties #3 about the body washes, this seems to smell more of banana to me (yuck!) than coconut soI really didn't enjoy using it. I really didn't feel that it was a great moisturiser and, though it felt alright straight after I used it, I found that my skin got dry quicker than when I've used other moisturiser (possibly due to the fact that it contains sodium hydroxide.
I somehow managed to loose the cap to this deodorant, the Sure Woman Cotton Ultra Dry, so this dried up a lot quicker than it normally would. I've never found that this product has kept me dry, despite its name, but it does keep me smelling fresh, which is what I actually want from my deodorants. However, like most deodorants, it contains aluminum (contected to cancer and Alzheimer's) and a number of different alcohols (which is probably why my underarms get very dry and soar). Sure is also owned by Unilever and so there's the issues of animal testing talked about above. I am looking for alternative, but I can never find more 'natural' products that work.
I've finally got onto the make-up that I'm trying to use up (still a lot I need to go through though :-( ). First is the Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Crimson. I love this colour and I have to admit that Revlon lipsticks are my favourite lipsticks. The colours are gorgeous, the pigmentation is great, and the colour stay on for a really long time (which is great if you love reds). Of course, there's now an issue with Revlon on whether or not is tests on animals. While it states that it keeps to the EU legislation of not testing its products on animals, it has started selling in China where animal testing is required for most of its cosmetics. Because of this, and despite the fact that I love it for its lipsticks, I will stop buying Revlon products until they can show that no animals testing is happening. This means that I won't buy this product again and am working my way through my other Revlon products at the moment.
My last item is another Revlon product (as I said, I'm using these up) and is the Revlon ColorStay Lipliner in Red. As the lipstick above, I love the colour and the staying power of this product, but due to the animals testing issue I won't be buying it again.
So that's it (this was really long!). I should really do these more often so I have less to get through, but its done for now and I've gotten through most of my smaller items now so there should be a longer time between items.
Wednesday 1 May 2013
I'm sorry, what? - You're a vegetarian!?!
I get this a lot when people finally find out that I'm a vegetarian. I'm not entirely sure what people are expecting when they meet a vegetarian, possibly pale, emaciated, and wearing flowing clothes, non of which is me, but they are always suprised that I'm a non-meat eater. I don't tend to shout about being a vegetarian, after all, its a personal choice and I don't want to force it on anyone else, but I thought I'd write a quick blog about why I decided to make this choice and how I've been finding it.
My main reason for becoming a vegetarian is environmental. The production of meat produces a higher larger amount of greenhouse gases than the production of vegeables, in fact getting your protein from lamb, beef, pork and farmed salmon produces 13 times as much greenhouse gases as sourcing your protein from plants. In fact, Worldwatch Institute has calculated that around 15 ot 20% of all methane emissions (a particularly bad greenhouse gas, far worse that carbon dioxide when it comes to heating up the planet) comes from livestock. Partly due to the fact that many of the animals we eat are ruminents. You also have to take into account the carbon dioxide produced from transporting feed to our domestic animals, heating the shelters some livestock are kept in, and transportation of livestock from farm to slaughter house and then from slaughter house to store. There's also the small factor that all animal products have to be stored in a fridge (or freezer) where as most plant based products can just be kept in a cool place. A lot more energy efficient.
Deforestation is also another environmental issue connected to the production of meats, which, of course, means we have less trees to absorb carbon dioxide and help prevent issues like flash floods etc. Obviously deforestation isn't quite a hugh issue in Britain seeing as we've already chopped down most of our trees for agriculture already (doh!), but in other countries forests are still being lost to make way for livestock. In fact, 70% of the Amazon rainforest loss is attributed to livestock production, and when you think about how important that forest is to the survival of the planet and in the fight against climate change it is a bit of a worry.
And now we come to water. We tend to forget, living in a very wet, very rainy country, how important water actually is. But, we're already having issues with droughts in Britain and the hose bans in the south are just a start of what could be happening our way if things carry on. If you want to help save water than reducing meat consumption is definitely a way forward, especially as its been calculated that 70% of all the freshwater removed from our lakes and waterways are for farming. When looking at how much water is consumed for each product agriculture produces we can see that it takes around 15,000 l of water to produce just 1 kg of beef, but only 1,300 l of water to produce the same amout of wheat. That's 10 times as much water, and the values are pretty much the same for most plant based products. This water could be put to much better use, especially when we look at the loss of some of our most important ecosystems, such as bogs and wetlands, which are hugh greenhouse gas sinks. There's also the problem with water pollution. Agriculture as a whole can be seriously damaging for our water ways, but by removing meat from your diet you are removing the need to grow feed crop and are, therefore, reducing the amount of tanneries, pesticides and fertilizers leeching into the water. Other compounds that enter the water ways from the livestock themselves are manure, antibiotics, and hormones which are regularly given to many of the animals being cared for. Algae blooms, which suck the rivers dry of all oxygen, are just only of the many problems that these run offs produce, and, as recent events have shown, a constant 'wash' of antibiotics leads to resistance...something we should never take lightly.
My final environmental issue is that amount of land used to livestock farming, and I'm not just talking about the land in which the livestock live on, I'm talking about the land used to grow their feed. A report published by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization showed that 30% of earth's entire surface is used to produce livestock, with 33% of arable land being used to produce the feed. Just think of what that land could be used for instead, the number of important habitats (to us as well as wildlife) that could be allowed to return to that area of land. And, just think about what that extra food could be used for instead... 925 million hungry people anyone (worldhunger.org)?!?
Animal welfare is also something that's very important to me. I don't like killing anything! hen it comes to things in my home I'm more of a capture and release type of person, or I just let them stay....after all, more spiders less flies, and if I do kill something I feel unbelieveabl guilty. I really don't feel we have the right to just use other living things the whatever way we want. Nor do I believe that we are, somehow, 'better' than them. We all had to come on the say evolutionary path and, with so many extinctions along the way, its amazing that any of the species around today are here. The only difference is that our evolutionary path led to us having bigger brains and to their's to them being able to get a large amount of nutrience out of plants we'd find difficult to digest, let alone live on completely. And, while there are a number of farmers who take very good care of their livestock, the treatment of many animals destined for our plate is just not acceptable. The crammed, in-door living conditions that all animals in intensive farming are kept can not only have serious consequence to the mental health of the animals, but also increase the chance of the animals suffering from disease and injury. The reduction in the number of slaughter houses in the UK means that many of the animals now have to travel larger distances in containers not designed to allow them to lye down and rest. And then you have the slaughter itself. Britain has some of the most strigent regulations in the world when it comes to how we kill our animals, but we can't guarentee that the smell of blood and raw flesh doesn't put fear into the animals being led into the abattoir (if we can smell it they definitely can) nor can we guarentee that it is completely painless. for me, its just not worth it.
My final reason for becoming a vegetarian is my health. Personally, I suffer from PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) which, unfortunately, increases my changes of having issues with cholestrol and type 2 diabetes, and all the research shows that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from these issues than meat eaters. Obviously, vegetarians find it very easy to get their 5 a day and the variety of different foods you are more likely to consume as a vegetarian (don't get me wrong, you can be a very unhealthy vegetarian if you wanted to be) is exactly what is recommended by the medical profession. In fact, here's a list of just some of the things you are less likely to suffer from as a veggie:
So, that's why I'm a vegetarian (I actually wasn't expecting this to be quite so long), and I found it a very easy choice to make and a lifestyle to move into. I really haven't missed meat at all and I was never a fan of bacon. Its not a choice I would expect everyone to make, but even slight changes in the amount of meat you eat, the types of meat you eat, and where the meat has come from can have a positive impact on the environment, animal welfare and your own health......and it really isn't that difficult.
My main reason for becoming a vegetarian is environmental. The production of meat produces a higher larger amount of greenhouse gases than the production of vegeables, in fact getting your protein from lamb, beef, pork and farmed salmon produces 13 times as much greenhouse gases as sourcing your protein from plants. In fact, Worldwatch Institute has calculated that around 15 ot 20% of all methane emissions (a particularly bad greenhouse gas, far worse that carbon dioxide when it comes to heating up the planet) comes from livestock. Partly due to the fact that many of the animals we eat are ruminents. You also have to take into account the carbon dioxide produced from transporting feed to our domestic animals, heating the shelters some livestock are kept in, and transportation of livestock from farm to slaughter house and then from slaughter house to store. There's also the small factor that all animal products have to be stored in a fridge (or freezer) where as most plant based products can just be kept in a cool place. A lot more energy efficient.
Deforestation is also another environmental issue connected to the production of meats, which, of course, means we have less trees to absorb carbon dioxide and help prevent issues like flash floods etc. Obviously deforestation isn't quite a hugh issue in Britain seeing as we've already chopped down most of our trees for agriculture already (doh!), but in other countries forests are still being lost to make way for livestock. In fact, 70% of the Amazon rainforest loss is attributed to livestock production, and when you think about how important that forest is to the survival of the planet and in the fight against climate change it is a bit of a worry.
And now we come to water. We tend to forget, living in a very wet, very rainy country, how important water actually is. But, we're already having issues with droughts in Britain and the hose bans in the south are just a start of what could be happening our way if things carry on. If you want to help save water than reducing meat consumption is definitely a way forward, especially as its been calculated that 70% of all the freshwater removed from our lakes and waterways are for farming. When looking at how much water is consumed for each product agriculture produces we can see that it takes around 15,000 l of water to produce just 1 kg of beef, but only 1,300 l of water to produce the same amout of wheat. That's 10 times as much water, and the values are pretty much the same for most plant based products. This water could be put to much better use, especially when we look at the loss of some of our most important ecosystems, such as bogs and wetlands, which are hugh greenhouse gas sinks. There's also the problem with water pollution. Agriculture as a whole can be seriously damaging for our water ways, but by removing meat from your diet you are removing the need to grow feed crop and are, therefore, reducing the amount of tanneries, pesticides and fertilizers leeching into the water. Other compounds that enter the water ways from the livestock themselves are manure, antibiotics, and hormones which are regularly given to many of the animals being cared for. Algae blooms, which suck the rivers dry of all oxygen, are just only of the many problems that these run offs produce, and, as recent events have shown, a constant 'wash' of antibiotics leads to resistance...something we should never take lightly.
My final environmental issue is that amount of land used to livestock farming, and I'm not just talking about the land in which the livestock live on, I'm talking about the land used to grow their feed. A report published by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization showed that 30% of earth's entire surface is used to produce livestock, with 33% of arable land being used to produce the feed. Just think of what that land could be used for instead, the number of important habitats (to us as well as wildlife) that could be allowed to return to that area of land. And, just think about what that extra food could be used for instead... 925 million hungry people anyone (worldhunger.org)?!?
Animal welfare is also something that's very important to me. I don't like killing anything! hen it comes to things in my home I'm more of a capture and release type of person, or I just let them stay....after all, more spiders less flies, and if I do kill something I feel unbelieveabl guilty. I really don't feel we have the right to just use other living things the whatever way we want. Nor do I believe that we are, somehow, 'better' than them. We all had to come on the say evolutionary path and, with so many extinctions along the way, its amazing that any of the species around today are here. The only difference is that our evolutionary path led to us having bigger brains and to their's to them being able to get a large amount of nutrience out of plants we'd find difficult to digest, let alone live on completely. And, while there are a number of farmers who take very good care of their livestock, the treatment of many animals destined for our plate is just not acceptable. The crammed, in-door living conditions that all animals in intensive farming are kept can not only have serious consequence to the mental health of the animals, but also increase the chance of the animals suffering from disease and injury. The reduction in the number of slaughter houses in the UK means that many of the animals now have to travel larger distances in containers not designed to allow them to lye down and rest. And then you have the slaughter itself. Britain has some of the most strigent regulations in the world when it comes to how we kill our animals, but we can't guarentee that the smell of blood and raw flesh doesn't put fear into the animals being led into the abattoir (if we can smell it they definitely can) nor can we guarentee that it is completely painless. for me, its just not worth it.
My final reason for becoming a vegetarian is my health. Personally, I suffer from PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) which, unfortunately, increases my changes of having issues with cholestrol and type 2 diabetes, and all the research shows that vegetarians are less likely to suffer from these issues than meat eaters. Obviously, vegetarians find it very easy to get their 5 a day and the variety of different foods you are more likely to consume as a vegetarian (don't get me wrong, you can be a very unhealthy vegetarian if you wanted to be) is exactly what is recommended by the medical profession. In fact, here's a list of just some of the things you are less likely to suffer from as a veggie:
- obesity
- coronary heart disease
- high blood pressure
- some diet related disease (due to the high fibre)
- diverticular disease (where 'pouches' occur along the colon and become inflamed)
- appendicitis
- gallstones
So, that's why I'm a vegetarian (I actually wasn't expecting this to be quite so long), and I found it a very easy choice to make and a lifestyle to move into. I really haven't missed meat at all and I was never a fan of bacon. Its not a choice I would expect everyone to make, but even slight changes in the amount of meat you eat, the types of meat you eat, and where the meat has come from can have a positive impact on the environment, animal welfare and your own health......and it really isn't that difficult.
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