Organic Joy

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More and more people are ditching the intoxicated beauty products manufactured from chemicals which can be harmful in the long run to products which are made from naturally occurring materials. Not only are these products better for the environment but for your health as well. Below are a list  of organic beauty products that you can purchase:

Lipsticks – that are made entirely from plant extracts and natural colouring

Shampoos and conditioners – that have natural ingredients such as vanilla and tea extracts

Face cream – with no perfume added and no chemicals

Make up – using natural colouring

Hair care – without the use of animal derived ingredients

Body wash – without overpowering fragrances

Body lotions – that contain little or no chemicals that lead to skin irritation

Perfumes – that are made entirely from natural resources

As there are so many companies competing for our custom, I would recommend asking friends and family what they use. If you are really eager to buy from a truly organic resource, then buy from a company that has always sold organic products. These organic companies will have a fairer price than others that have only just turned to organic selling produce and do it more for the money than for the benefits. If you also worried about using new products for the first time, I would advise buying a small gift set as they have everything to get you started but at the fraction of the cost. If the product is not suited to your skin type, then you wouldn’t have lost a terrible amount of money.

Organic beauty vs non-organic beauty products

As we know non-organic beauty products have a lot of chemicals and preservatives to make them last longer. They will also have a fragrance added and sometimes animal parts as well and on top of that, they are tested on animals. A lot of major cosmetics such as Body Shop do state that they do not test on animals but there are many other companies which offer cheaper products that are still tested on animals to bring costs down. The same goes for the use of animal parts in beauty products, it’s a well known fact that whale is used in lipsticks and animal bones in toothpastes.

Organic products use no animal matter in their cosmetics; they only use natural products from plants and synthetics. Due to lack of chemical and preservatives in organic products, you have clearer and less agitated skin. Organic beauty products also have a natural smell and sometimes smell bad; this is because no fragrances are added to these cosmetics and they are totally natural.

Where to buy organic beauty products?

Many high streets now stock an organic range so it’s worth having a look when out shopping and the same can be said for the local supermarket. You can do a little research on the Internet and find a good branded organics company with many satisfied customers. If you want to save rather than spend, then pop into your local holistic store, library or look online for natural homemade recipes for organic beauty products. Most home made products require little to buy as you probably already have the basics in the kitchen cupboard.

There are many reasons why people are choosing to be more organically friendly and it’s important to know how we can all do our bit every day. By switching to a more environmentally friendly washing powder, we will not only be saving Earth but also our health and skin sensitivity.

Why buy organic washing powder?

One of the reasons some people may choose to switch to it after having a baby is because babies have sensitive skin and expectant mothers can also experience sensitivity. By choosing an organic washing powder, you can be sure that there are no harsh chemicals present that can affect both mother and baby. Some people can also experience skin sensitivity when on medication, so an organic washing powder can help soothe and relieve skin from chemicals. Organic products are not tested on animals and contain no dyes. Organic washing powder packaging is also 100% recyclable to help everyone do their bit in recycling.

Where to buy organic powder for washing?

With supermarkets still slow on the uptake, you will find that there isn’t much choice when it comes to organic products. Find larger high street stores and see if they have a larger range to choose from as you may not find everything you need to compensate for a high dose of chemically induced laundry washing.

Just like you have washing powder, there is also organic washing tables, organic liquid wash as well as organic stain remover and whitener. In some cases, organic products are more effective as they contain only natural ingredients that will not damage clothes and fabrics in any way. Contrary to what many believe, in some cases organic washing products can work out cheaper; you can choose the size of most products therefore saving money.

Most organic washing powders are scent free and perfume free.  Being unscented and unfragranced, you may think that this is bland but you can purchase organic fabric conditioner to add some fragrance to your clothes. In most cases, we wear perfume so the need for fabric conditioner is not really needed but for those who can’t resist, you can also add your own perfume or natural products such as lavender to make your clothes smell nice.

With so much vegetable to choose from at the local supermarket, how do you choose vegetables right for you? For most people cost is the most important factor. If own branded supermarket tomatoes are £1 why should you pay for tomatoes costing £2.49? The difference you pay is between organic and non-organic vegetables.

Is organic produce better for you?

There is still no scientific research to suggest that organic is better but there are many who dispute this and say there is no real difference. What I have noticed is that organic produce are smaller in size, colourful and come in smaller portions. Non organic produce tend to have growth hormones added to them so spring onions look more like leeks than spring onions. The same goes for taste – when you buy non organic and compare to organic there is a difference taste-wise, non-organic tastes bland whereas organic vegetables are tasty and easier to cook.

Is organic vegetable very expensive?

The cost of organic produce does vary from supermarket to towns. Places like Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s tend to cost more whereas Tesco, Morrison’s and Somerfield is cheaper. You can also buy from local farmers who deliver once a week, you can be assured to know that the vegetables have been handpicked and freshly packed without preservatives or growth hormones.

To save some money you can try and grow some of your own home grown organic vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and fruits like strawberries, blackberries, kiwi and apples. You can set up a small greenhouse and expand if you have the time to keep growing various different vegetables and fruit.

Organic vegetables are best grown slowly and additive free – try not to be tempted to add growth food as you may compromise on taste. Just make sure it has plenty of water, sun and a little bit of TLC. You will be surprised to know how many herbs are also easy to grow and take up very little space. Thyme, mint, coriander, rosemary, basil and parsley can all be left on a windowsill in the kitchen. Just remember to turn them slightly when it’s summer time and they should last for a long time. If you herbs become very big then transplant all of them to a large planting tray just outside the garden door within easy reaching distance. If you remember to cover them when there’s frost and snow, they should survive for years to come.

Breeding hens in your garden is a good way of getting your own fresh and organic eggs. They do not take a lot of space and are easy to look after. Chicken food does not cost a lot as well so there’s no reason why everyone can’t do it.

When I decided that I was going to rear chickens in my back garden, I wanted to have newly born chicks but because it was more difficult to get them and would be more difficult to look after them because they are more vulnerable, I opted to have 6-8 weeks old chickens. I didn’t want to have point-of-lay (POL) hens as they would already have been adults and I wanted to get to know them and make them accustomed to me before they start laying.

I bought two hydrids (one brown called Chestnut and another one white called Pixy) and an Orpington which is a pure breed (her name is Bluebell) on the 20th of June 2009. Chestnut and Pixy were 8 weeks old then and Bluebell only 6 weeks old. Hybrids lay more eggs in a year and that’s what they are known for. Pure breeds on the other hand lay fewer eggs in a year and start laying much later than the hybrids.

The hybrids were supposed to start laying after 16 weeks. So come the 4th of September 2009, I was disappointed that there was no eggs in the chicken coop. However today, out of the blue, I noticed a little egg looking at me. You can see the egg in the picture above along with the proud hen, Chestnut. Although 5 days later, it is such an incredible feeling to pick your first organic egg from my free range chicken (yes, I let them roam about in my garden quite often when they are not naughty, that is, when I’m sure they won’t egg the vegetables I’m growing or the flowers in my garden).

It is very rewarding to be able to experience your first fresh egg from your own garden. I just can’t describe it; you need to experience it to understand! I’m hoping the other hens will follow soon so that I no longer need to buy eggs from the supermarket again (well, that was the plan in the first place). I’m sure the taste of this organic egg will be something different, something more genuine and more rich because I’ll tell you this much, the chickens that I have are very spoilt – I give them fresh corn every now and then and buy little treats for them as well along with their daily food that they need.

We all know chemicals are bad for us so as Kim and Aggie have started their series ‘How clean is your house’ this has prompted many people to use alternative cleaning products that are more environmentally friendly.

As all household cleaning products contain some potentially harmful chemicals, a lot of care and safety has to be taken when using them for cleaning. All manufacturers of cleaning products advise parents to keep these products out of sight. As a result , many new parents have started experimenting with organic products if they have a newborn or toddler.

Organic house cleaning

The market for organic cleaning supplies is not very competitive at the moment but this seems likely to change over the next few years. Below are some of the organic house cleaning products available at your local supermarket.

• Organic washing powder
• Organic fabric conditioner
• Organic room fragrance
• Organic furniture polish
• Organic floor polish
• Organic hand wash
• Organic washing up liquid

The list of available products are endless and if you don’t want to buy branded organic cleaning products, then you can always make them yourself.

There are many books and websites which publicly discuss and share tips on cleaning. Did you know that vinegar is widely used as a homemade organic cleaning product? Vinegar is widely known to cut through grease – it is also used for cleaning floors and windows and glass to get a shiny and clean finish.