Thursday, December 30, 2010

Organic lotions and potions.Hocus pocus or does it really work?


A quick look at organic (beauty) care products : showergel , soaps, bodylotions, shampoo, balms, daycreams, deodorants, make up, toothpaste...and medicine

First off, what do i consider organic: products from organic farming, not geneticly altered, not tested on animals, containing no synthetic preservatives, no sodium laureth
sulfate, aluminum compounds or parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl, butyl)

Well-known organic brands are: Weleda ( the best i.m.o ), Lavera, Urtekram, De traay/Badger and dr.Hauschka




I've tried out different products and compared them to regular products you can buy at any store + some professional products like bodysol ( showergel from pharmacist ) and
tigi bedhead (hairdresser) / medicines (weleda products vs the pharmacist )
This is what i found out
I'll start with something we all use especially during winter: bodycream / i tested: nivea, Neutrogena norwegian formula, weleda coldcream
The test: 2days of winter-bike-rides without gloves results in swollen, red and dry hands
i put on a thick layer of nivea.I.t stings like hell!
Nivea helps for a while put after a few days it starts to miss its effect.
Neutrogena works perfect but is,like nivea, not so gentle to the skin.
My coldcream on the other hand is very gentle and has the same effect like neutrogena it also smells very nice :)
Shampoo: i used herbal essences,tigi bedhead: brunette goddess, urtekram shampoo lavender.
Herbal e. smells very fruity and does a great job at keeping my hair fresh and clean
Tigi is way better! although it's full of ' bad' ingredients it keeps my hair shiny and nourished
urtekram is not animal tested and organic, those are the only positive aspects.
It dries out the hair very badly!You can't really smell the lavender
Soap and showergel: weleda pomogrenade , de traay rosemary and thyme, bodysol, and melkmeisje vanilla
all are pretty good but if you have a very sensitive skin i think the organic soaps and those from the pharmacist will do better
toothpaste: oral-b pro expert , weleda touthpaste
organic tooth paste = bad idea ! your teeth look 'dirty' and you have'nt got that fresh mentol breath, i can only horror at the long term effect!
deodorants: fa without parabens spray, urtekram no perfume deo roll
fa works for a longer period (24h), urtekram only lasts a few hours
but fa is less pleasant to put on
make-up : i do not wear/buy it often so this will be a very quick look o: dr.hauschka (used in the store because:very expensive!) vs biocura stuff from my mom.both are gentle on the skin and last pretty long
medicine: weleda arnica , weleda calendula, eucalyptus inhaler drops vs the pharmacist's products
arnica ( bruises..) and calendula ( skin conditions sunburn..) these products work very well
weleda eucalyptus was not a real succes the pharmacist's nosespray was way more effective








conclusion:
Organic products are sometimes very expensive but the certainly DO work
if your concerned with animal welfare this is definitly an option for you, the people with sensitive skins as well

What i advise against are the toothpastes
you only have one set of teeth so you shouldn't experiment
paradontax is a good alternative , not animal tested as i checked and is available with fluoride.



Rub Rub those creams!


Wednesday, December 29, 2010


Celebrate hemp!



Went to the bioshop today and it was fun as always:
Had some crazy discussions with fellow bio-people
and i'm starting to believe that they are a breed on it's own ( in a positive way )
Most of the times very polite and patient , and "hey try the seaweedterrine " handy tips ,
sharing their hairbeads and strings with you + whatever goes on inside their minds

This time : hemp is so great!!! says the guy next to me while i'm in search of my delicious hemp burgers
You see , sold out again! " uhuh " i said " hmm something else something else...ah
my bermudaburger
I mean is there anything you can't do with hemp "....."
They make food of it, oil, clothing.... you can smoke it
Hey sister do you have any hashish right now? " o_O "

Couldn't quite work out why he didn't believe me when i said no
He kept looking puzzled at me the whole time
I quess the man really needed his hashish more than i did my hemp burger


But it got me thinking
Maybe i should read something about hemp eating
and as it turns out.....it's highly nutritive:
It has the highest Edestin content: the most digestible types of all protein substances and
The richest content of Essential Amino Acids
In fact Hemp seeds or hemp food is also the most nutritious food because of its content:

Vitamins: Carotene (Vit. A) Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin(B2), Pyridoxine (B6), Niacin (B3), Vitamin C, Vitamin D,Vitamin E.
Minerals: Hemp seed contains some 37 minerals, including Calcium and Iron, Boron, Magnesium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

This makes hemp even more healthier than soy and seitan
The other health benefits?
Healthy cholesterol levels
Lower blood pressure
Antioxidant
Decreasing the risk of clots in arteries
Reducing & treating dry skin and hair conditions
Loosing weight naturally.
it is produced chemical-free
Hempseeds for hemp foods or hemp oil come from varieties of Cannabis Sativa that contain THC ( low levels ) a type psychoactive element presents in this plant.



INDEED HEMP IS SO GREAT!


Some links :
http://www.nomadshempwear.com/ Beautiful hemp clothing
http://www.pimpernel.be/ The bioshop Ghent
http://www.hempmade.be/en/book/export/html/179 Facts about hemp

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Exited!

Wow, okay ... so here we go : the first post.

my name is Marie, but friends call me Marlie (:
I live in Ghent and share a cosy appartement with Bonesnack and our cat : mr. Bizou
we rescued him from an almost certain death at the shelter.
really want to adopt a playmate for him but we lack the space.

i love to cook and prepare yummy vegetarian dishes, making pies and cupcakes...
although i don't like cleaning up afterwards but bonesnack is very understanding

Love to dance ..just freestyle in the bedroom, with hoops or poi's outdoor, on the wii :l
my music taste is a total mishmash depending on my mood of the day
i could have a metal day, a shiny happy people day but what i like the most is worldmusic and reggae. Oh and i also realy love the fleet foxes!

crazy enough... i love my job very much
i work at an organic/vegan children's daycare centre
there is still lots to be done but it's starting to work out just fine

i enjoy creating things like stories, paintings ,taking pictures, clothing, little movies, little short 'i love you' notes

what i adore most are the small things in life like a smile , the sunrays on my face

the earth beneath my bare feet, the smell of rain , snowflakes! , a glass of cool water, pretty flowers and ferns! i could go on and on but for now i feel it is enough

kisses and hugs
Marlie