Monday 5 December 2016

Are your tampons toxic?

Did you know, the average woman will use approximately 16,800 tampons/ sanitary pads in her life time? That's a lot of sanitary products!

Ever wondered whats in them? Yeah I hadn't either, not for a long time. Not till I started to think about TSS - Toxic Shock Syndrome. All tampons come with the TSS label warning.

Toxic Shock Syndrome is a rare but serious medical condition that is caused when the bacteria, Staphylococcus Aureus gets into your bloodstream. It has been linked to the use of tampons.

Please take the time to read this heartbreaking story HERE, it really makes you think about TSS.

So in the very short of it, yes tampons have the potential to be very toxic to our bodies. 

So whats in these bad boys?

According to Tampax.com:

The Applicator is usually made of tightly wound cardboard or plastic with pigments of colour
The Absorbent core is usually made of cotton or rayon 
The thin fabric around the absorbent core is usually made of rayon & polyester or polyethylene & polypropylene 
The string is usually made of cotton &/or polyester polypropylene braid
The thread used to attach the string to the core is usually made from cotton wrapped polyester or polyester
The fragrance if applicable - fragrance ingredients like those found in other women's feminine products - I'm sorry but could that be any more obscure?!!

So each ingredient is synthetic except for the cotton, which would have been through a bleaching process so that its nice a white. 
Both polyethylene & polypropylene are forms of plastic. 
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber.
Polyester is another synthetic fiber.

All these fibers can get caught inside our bodies during the use of tampons, collecting bacteria which can lead to illness and TSS.
The bleaching process that the ingredients go through can also leave traces of dioxin in the product, and studies show that dioxin can collect in your bodies fatty tissues. Dioxin can cause cell abnormalities & suppress your immune system.



In my next post I will share an amazing alternative to tampons and my experience in using it!





Sunday 4 December 2016

flushed away

did you know that water companies across England & Wales are getting hundreds of calls a day about sewage blockages!?!
one of the main culprits..."flushable wet wipes"
wet wipes have been around for decades. we use them to remove make-up, wipe our babies bottoms, wipe our bottoms & clean the house. there are so many forms of wet wipe on the market & many of them have been found to be made up of three quarters polyester, which makes them extremely tough.
in the last few years 'flushable' bum wipes have been pushed by brands such as Andrex to the consumer. yes they do a fab job at cleaning your botty, but are in no way flushable. during the testing stage, yes after minutes & minutes of being sloshed back and forth they do eventually break down, but this is not a true representation of what happens in your toilet at home.
you flush your toilet, there is a little swirl or gush of water to push everything down & that is it!
so thanks to many of us using these little wipes and chucking these & god know's what else down the toilet, daily sewer blockages across the UK are a big & expensive deal! we're talking about £1 million a month just on cleaning out sewer blockages. & that's nothing on the detrimental effects wet wipes have on the environment!
i must point out that its not just wet wipes that end up down our toilets; tampons, sanitary towels, condoms & nappies all add to the problem.
so to taking a look at the environmental damage this stuff is causing, did you know it can take up to 100 years to biodegrade! with the constant use they will accumulate for many years to come.
with our flushing these items they can end up getting washed out to sea & the polyester fibers can clog up an animal's stomach if ingested, effectively making them feel full & thus causing a risk of starvation.
these fibers can also be swallowed by barnacles, scallops, crabs & fish, which runs the risk that they could get into the human food chain.
everything we humans do has a knock on effect on our environment. the safest way to dispose of any of these products, is to bag it & bin it. i have a draw full of nappy sacks in my bathroom so if either of us use a wipe we pop it in a bag & put it in our bathroom bin. its such an easy thing to do & it saves our sewers & helps the environment.


Wednesday 17 August 2016

Lush Roots | DIY






A few years ago I picked myself up a tub of Lush Roots to give a try. Then, like now I was trying to grown out my hair as quick as possible and I'd seen via YouTube that Roots by Lush was a good purchase to try!

So I bought it and gave it ago. I loved the scent but hated using it on dry hair, as the directions suggest. So I used it on wet hair and it lasted a couple months as I used it sparingly, but noticed no real difference.

Recently I popped in to Lush and picked up one of their shampoo bars called New geared towards hair growth containing cinnamon. I can definitely say this about Lush products they do smell divine! 

I was thinking about picking up another tub to use in conjunction with the shampoo bar, but decided I'd go home and have a think about it as for me it's a tad pricey at £10.00 a tub.

I hopped online and had a Google of the ingredients and had a thought, why not do a DIY! I'm a total lover of DIY's and if I could make something similar my self why the devil not!

So here is what you'll need:

• A clean glass jar to pop your scalp treatment in
• 7 tbsp of coconut oil 
• 2 tbsp of castor oil
• 2 tbsp of olive oil *
• 10 drops of peppermint oil *
• 10 drops of orange oil *
• 10 drops of grapefruit oil * 
• 15 drops of tea tree oil
• 15 drops of clary sage oil 
• 8 drops of cedar wood oil
• 15 drops of rosemary oil
* used in the Lush version

The method is simple combine all the ingredients in a bowl then using an electric hand whisk mix it all up.

Place your treatment in a jar and voila!

Use it once a week, massage all over the scalp, leave on for at least 30 minutes before shampooing out. The peppermint oil is the strongest scent, so if you think it will be too over powering use less, but I personally love it!

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Post Workout Smoothie Recipe

Recently I've been trying to take my workouts more seriously and I'm following more of a routine. I want to get in shape ready for my wedding next year (yes I said wedding eep) and also my honeymoon. I try to work out 5 out of 7 days anything form 30 minutes to an hour, and I really like working out with the Tone IT Up girls. The make working out fun and it also kills you!

Did you know that if you want to help build lean muscle - which you want if you want to tone up, you need to consume some form of protein within 30 minutes of completing a workout!
So today I am sharing with you my post work out smoothie.
This has been my go too, its quick and easy and tastes delicious!



Ingredients |


  • 2 spotted/ripe banana's 
  • 1/2 pint of a milk of your choice 
  • 1 table spoon of smooth peanut butter - I like Whole Earth peanut butter :)
  • 1 table spoon of protein powder  
  • a dash of cinnamon powder 

Method |

The method is simple, break up the banana's in to a blender, add in the milk, peanut butter and protein powder along with a dash of cinnamon and blend until fully mixed and pour in to your desired glass! You can add an additional dash of cinnamon to the top for extra flavour! Enjoy!

The protein powder I currently have is THIS ONE from Holland and Barrett. I bought 3 sachets for £5.00, you are supposed to use the entire sachet as one drink but I'm cheap and use 1 tablespoon to make it last! I have found some fairly reasonable protein powders in my local Asda so I'll be buying from there next time, and its definitely worth a shop around first before buying a big tub for £40.00!

If you don't have any protein powder or find its too expensive...because it is, just use 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Peanut butter in its self is an amazing source of protein, body builders swear by it! The banana's are a great carbohydrate and perfect source of healthy sugars to give you that added boost after your work out!




Monday 8 August 2016

Donating my hair..


So if you read my previous post, you'll know I recently cut off 12 inches of my hair. With the hair that was cut off, I have chosen to donate it to the LITTLE PRINCESS TRUST. A charity that provides wigs free of charge to boys and girls across the UK and Ireland who have lost their hair through cancer treatment. 

The charity works with specialist suppliers and hairdressers who offer wigs that can be tailored to the child's needs. 

The Little Princess Trust is a children’s cancer charity and our mission is to supply real hair wigs to children suffering with cancer, for the duration of their treatment.  However, in addition we assist children with other conditions which also result in hair loss, the most common being alopecia.  Our commitment to these children is different.  Despite being set up to help children with cancer, the Trust is able to supply children that do not have a cancer diagnosis with a single wig.  Whilst we are unable to commit to supplying more than one wig, we hope that this gesture will help the child and family whilst they decide on their long-term plans for dealing with this condition.

On their website there are a couple of video's that outline what the charity does and how much a good quality wig can change the life of a child suffering through hair loss. 

Their are of course guidelines to follow when donating hair such as the hair needs to be of good quality, of natural colour (not dyed blue, pink, green...) and at least 7 inches long (ideal 12 inches & longer).

I spent a long time going through my severed pony tail snipping out split ends to bring it up to standard. There of course is no guarantee that my hair will be used, but hopefully it will! Just the chance to change the life of a child is a wonderful reason to donate my hair, and over the last few years the charity has experienced a great increase in hair donation. 

So if you have #hairtospare or are thinking of having a dramatic hair cut from long to short its definitely worth looking in too!



The Inversion Method


The inversion method, is a hair growth method that involves massaging the scalp for 5 minutes with an oil, then tipping your head upside down for 4 minutes to allow blood to flow to the head, and stimulate hair growth. You do this for 7 days in a row and in theory your hair magically grows an inch in a week!...

So for my week I gave my self a scalp massage for 3-5 minutes - with out oil, I only was my hair twice a week and didn't want to have to do wash it daily. I used oil once in my 7 day period.

After my scalp massage I tipped my head upside down for 4 minutes before slowly bringing my head up. Be careful not to whip up as you can get dizzy.

Its not recommended to do this when you have your time of the month, and its always best to listen to your body.

Before I started I made sure to measure my hair to record any hair growth. Not going to lie I have always been skeptical of this method.

So here are my before and after.


So basically my hair didn't grow even half a centimeter.

The general premise of the inversion method makes sense but I don't understand the hype around it.
I think I'll continue to try it out for a few months and see what happens.



Tuesday 26 July 2016

The Hair Diaries | No.1

So I've finally got around to measuring and photographing my new short hair. I'm planning on buying a padded envelope to donate my hair this week. I just keep forgetting to buy one!

So here are my starting measurements and photo's:

taken 25th July 2016

From the crown of my head/end of my parting to the tips: 39.5cm/15in

From my center part to the longest length : 44.5cm/17in

From the nape of my neck to the shortest length : 21cm/8in

and I thought I would measure what used to be my fringe (I can proudly say I have finally grown it out only too 1000 attempts) : 33cm/12ins


As I said in my previous post, when we cut my hair it ended up longer at the front and shorter at the back. In a few months I hope to begin to make my hair more even. It actually looks quite nice at the moment with the graduation so I'm not overly worried about it, but would like my hair to be all the same length. So once I've got a few months of growth I'll take off the 2in difference. I don't want to do it at the moment simply because for me, it will feel to short at the front. 


I'm currently liking the little slice of blonde that I have left in my hair, but as I go through it checking for split ends I notice its definitely weak hair, only the blonde ends and my fringe growth have split ends - the fringe growth because I haven't cut or trimmed it for well over a year. So I do feel more reinforced in my decision to cut all the blond out, but boy do I miss my hair!


Friday 8 July 2016

Fresh start...


I am not going to lie, I think I may have lost my marbles...

Anyone who knows me, knows I love long hair. And for the better part of 4 years I have been growing my hair out. Unfortunately for the first 3 years I didn't take amazing care of it. I used heat a lot, rubbed it hard with a towel and used Sun-In on it, which is a heat activated hair lightener containing bleach, this was the main thing that killed my hair. The main length was full of split ends and try as I might, snipping them out and oiling my hair the split ends still got me down.

I knew the only way to deal with it would be to cut the damage off and start again. I put it off and off, trying regular trims with only a small amount taken off. But this was taking so long and made no difference. My hair continued to snag and tangle and break. So I grew some balls and asked my fiance to just cut it. So Monday after coming home from holiday, we did. With effort. Scissors wouldn't manage so we grabbed his shaver and about 5 minutes later I was 31cm's/12inches shorter.

Que scream face.

But its ok I attempted to neaten it up, and ended up with a long, A-line bob. Where its shorter at the back and longer at the front.

The plus of cutting all the damage off, my hair feels amazing! Its so soft, manageable and THICK!
The negative is having to start all over again. But I am now very much the wiser and know all about hair oiling and using little to no heat styling and washing it less frequently, so you know I can totes do this.

Over the coming months / years I will be documenting the growth and sharing any treatments or tricks that have aided in the growth.

The before was taken right before we chopped/buzzed it off. It looks fairly nice here. (sad face)
The after was taken today (5 days after) It looks really uneven but I can assure you it isn't. (the camera's angle is funny too!)


With the pony tail I have, I will be donating it to a charity that makes wigs for children who are going through treatment for leukemia and cancer. (I'll do another post on that very soon) Before I send it off I plan to sit and go through the hair and snip away as many split ends as I can for them.

So here's to a fresh start and another long journey!









Monday 1 February 2016

My Simple Skincare Routine


For me, simple is always better. And its not till I got really simple with my skin care did my skin settle down and begin to look good. I mean, I currently have the best skin of my life, and I do next to nothing with it! Interested? Keep on reading!

Night Time Skincare Routine |

Step one | Cleanse

To cleanse my skin of an evening I use a very simple DIY oil cleanser. Its a mix of Castor Oil & Walnut Oil. Both selected for different reasons. Castor Oil draws out dirt and impurities while Walnut Oil nourishes the skin, fights wrinkles and is a good remedy for infection.

I take 1 - 2 pumps (I re-used an old oil cleanser bottle from one of my love lula boxes) of oil, massage it over my face concentrating on removing my mascara then use a hot flannel to wipe it off. All it takes is two wipes and I'm done. I don't rinse or pat my face dry just allow it to air dry.

Recipe |


Be sure to sake before use as the castor oil is much heavier. You can change up your oils and customise your cleanser to you.

Step two | Tone

My toner is also another DIY. I love this stuff. I notice if I stop using it for just a couple of weeks, my skin starts to break out again, so I highly, highly recommend it! After my cleanse I take my toner on a cotton wool ball, and swipe it all over my face. If I have missed any dirt in my cleanse this picks it up.

Recipe |


I posted this recipe back in July, and since then I have added in one of my favourite spot busters, Witch Hazel. Its a natural astringent and skin cleanser, teamed with Tea Tree Oil Essential Oil, another beautiful antiseptic and Apple Cider Vinegar that regulates the skins ph levels, prevents spots and is also a wonderful help for oily skinned lovies this is my holy grail! This as you may have guessed is my spot prevention step. 
Although preventative I do end up with the odd red spot in which case I grab my tea tree EO and apply it directly to the spot, 1 day later, spots pretty much gone.

Dr.Organic Tea Tree Pure Oil £4.59 from Holland & Barrett

Step three |

Moisturise

Finally I moisturise. I take one pump of my Dr Bronners Orange Lavender Organic Lotion, its says for hands and body but you can use it all over, and smooth it in to my face and neck. And I'm done. If I find I need a little deeper nourishment because I've been outside all day or rubbed my face a lot, I'll use coconut oil instead. But I'm careful to use it no more than once a week as it can clog pores.

Dr.Bronners Orange Lavender Organic Lotion £8.49 from lookfantastic.com

I have had this lotion for at least 2 months and I'm about a quarter of the way through, I love it! It has lasted so well, my skin doesn't get nearly as oily has it did and its just the right amount of moisture for me.

Extras |

Once a month if I feel the urge to pamper myself I'll do a bentonite clay mask (I'll do a post on it) as a real deep cleanse.

Morning Skincare Routine |

All I do is remove step one, and replace with a simple wash with warm water and nothing else and repeat steps two and three.
Over the last 2/3 months I've also stopped using foundation and have found that this has in fact greatly improved my skin in collaboration with this skincare routine. I find now I hate wearing it and hate the way it makes my skin look! Never thought I'd hear myself say that! But with out all that makeup clogging up my skin its aloud it to breath and level out and look happy!



If you give any of this a try let me know how you get on!

Jeni xo