I’ve been working hard on a very important Organikal project for the last 8 months. It is probably the most important one I’ve undertaken. Cue loads of photos of me.

I decided to go cold turkey and stop dyeing my hair.

I haven’t got a nifty response when people ask me why : there isn’t just one, simple answer. I know it’s an interesting concept for folks who have considered ditching the dye, for many reasons. I came across this article Could Hair Dye Kill You yesterday and it reminded me that it isn’t just a  philosophical or environmental issue.

Why I decided to quit dyeing

I’ve been colouring my hair for as long as I can remember. I coloured it at home by myself; at home by hairdressers and in the salon. I used conventional and natural hair dyes. I used to match my hair colour with my underwear and my jacket. It’s gone from flashes of brilliant blue set in almost black, to varying shades of purple and most recently to reddish browns. I thought I’d be an old hag with purple hair right until the very end – some of my art was in there.

And then the time came to make a change. It had been creeping up on me, I guess. One of the things I love most about our house swap adventures is that I don’t worry about my hair. I manage months of letting my silvery roots show amidst my centre parting. So why not at home?

There is such a deep relief in accepting yourself as you are, without the nagging feeling that you are walking around as an imperfect model of your ideal self – which is what happens when you have silver hair, your dye job is dark, your regrowth shows within a week and a half and you can’t find the time (or the money) to touch it up.

I’ve spent the last year and a half stepping fully into myself. It has been life affirming and life changing. I guess I reached the point where that finally included my hair.

There is also the very real health issue to add to the picture. At the end of the day, I just can’t equate my organic life with a bunch of chemicals that I pay someone to put on my head, in my hair and bloodstream.

The reality of going grey

If you search online for resources on how to go grey naturally, there’s very little information about how to do it without the continued use of colours and disguises.  I knew that I wanted to stop messing with my hair and that cold turkey was the way to do it.

Here’s the truth about how it’s been for me so far.

• Almost as soon as I changed my mindset from “my roots need redone” to “I’m growing out my dye job” I stopped worrying about what it looked like.
• The first month to six weeks was quite difficult in terms of how it looked. I knew it looked a mess. But I was also excited about just how white it looked in some places.
• My son asked me to call it silver, not grey. Silver is foxy, apparently. Grey is too old for a 40 year old.
• Women I don’t know couldn’t take their eyes of my unruly, frizzy, stripy hairdo. I wanted to wear the equivalent of an “I’m not fat, I’m pregnant” t-shirt – “I’m not lazy. Or minging. I’m growing it out. Because I want to.” or something.

19 weeks in, summer 2011 – you can see an inch or two from my centre parting and wee grey wisps by my ears.

• I quite often look at myself in the mirror and don’t recognise the person I see staring back at me. I often lament the loss of my long, purple hair (2006);

• I’m frequently tempted to get all of my hair cut off, ala late 1990′s, to get rid of all the dyed hair and avoid this state of half and half. Then I think back to this and am no longer tempted (is that really me in there?);

• My mum hates the thought of me with grey hair. My brother is also grey. She isn’t
• I secretly worry that the hubster won’t fancy me anymore. He assures me the grey hair matches my grey eyes beautifully. He fell in love with those eyes.
• I attended a job interview and was offered the job, despite the grey stripe.
• My hairdresser supported my decision unequivocally, suggesting I may like to punk it up with beetroot juice, as did her grandmother
• I am saving a fortune in time and money previously spent in the salon.

Eight months in, and it’s all rather interesting. I’m sticking with it. Here’s how it looks today;

You can see the front of my head is much darker than the back/roots. I do love how white it is at the crown.

I’m holding up the top layer of hair here, which is still very brown, to show you how white it is underneath. I’d love it if the front was as white as this.

The line between the natural and dyed hair has always been surprisingly ambiguous. Probably due to the style of my haircut. In photographs it looks just like there is a permanent light source shining on me from above.

Perhaps there is. Perhaps that permanent light source is my hair angel.

What have you got there then, I hear you ask? Pretty crystals and flowers, can you see?… can you guess what I’m up to?

The chrysanthemums are a red herring – my wee plant just looked so very sunny on the windowsill, I thought it’d be nice to add in it’s spring vibe into proceedings

As for the crystals – well these, dearest friends, are not for meditating on or for any other ceremonies. They are in fact beautiful natural volanic alum crystals and we use them to make natural deodorant sprays.

You may have seen natural crystal deodorant sticks in your health food stores. You may also have heard that aluminium based deodorants are dangerous.

I recently discovered some answers to these issues when I discovered Natural Spa Supplies, run by Sally Mittuch. Sally imports and retails a small selection of completely natural personal care products and has become something of an expert in this field.

Her research on natural crystal deodorants led her to distinguish between byproducts of the aluminium industry and natural volcanic crystals, pure and unprocessed. As always pop-pickers – be careful what you buy and don’t fall for misleading labels…

I’ve tested out both the crystals and some alum powder to make my own low-strength deodorant spray. I followed Sally’s instructions and diluted with water into a spray mister bottle. I love the crystals – they’re so pretty and make such a beautiful noise when I shake the bottle, but I’ve found the powder creates less instances of blockages with my pump spray. I guess it really is just a question of personal preference.

Sally has a fantastic range of natural spa products for sale and I’m very excited about all of them. I know Mrs Green at My Zero Waste is also a fan, so I know I’m in good company. It’s all based on natural personal care and in addition to following the lead of wild mammals, I am reminded again that our prehistoric ancestors made not a bad job of looking after themselves, so I asked Sally the following question …

Why do you feel it is important for today’s peoples to revert to prehistoric ingredients for self care?

When it comes to washing, people have become more and more removed from nature. Most bathroom cabinets are brimming with a multitude of chemical products with unpronounceable names. Advertising dazzles consumers with scientific jargon and the glory of the latest formula. As a result consumers are loosing their natural reasoning on how to care for their body.

However did people manage before modern cosmetics?

Well the answer is simple – they took clues from wild animals – and used the raw or minimally processed products of nature. For example, clay does all the washing of the hair, face and body; cold pressed plant oils do all the moisturizing, and volcanically formed alum crystal does all the deodorizing.

While simple plant soaps can be made by infusing saponin rich plants such as soapnuts or soapwort, for shaving, a true soap is necessary. This can be made over the campfire with ashes, water and oil or rendered fat.

The closest analog today is the ‘savon noir’ or black soap which is made from olive oil and lye. It is used for shaving and exfoliating. We use an ultra fine green clay for cleaning the teeth because if its high mineralization properties and because it absorbs the bacteria which contribute to tooth decay and reduces inflamation. These are the key products – just five of them!

When people revert to the simplest of resources, not only will they find that the products are less irritating to the skin, that they really do work, they are more economic, fully traceable and much lower in transport miles than any highly formulated product with multiple ingredients.

What is more, everything can be modified and personalized by consumers at home. People can add powdered ingredients such as sea salt, kelp, essential oils and floral waters to the clay mix to suit their mood or skin type. A cold pressed plant oil can be modified with essential oils. People either use a deodorant crystal (with no fragrance), or make their own deodorant with alum powder or pebbles and floral water.

A drop of essential oil can be added to the savon noir and finely ground sea salt or herbs, powdered resins such as myrrh can be added to the green clay for tooth brushing. Again, buying or even gathering the base ingredients and making your own modifications is far cheaper than a luxury brand and everything is made with your own love and your own needs in mind.

As far as accessories, we need a comb (brushes are relatively recent inventions!), an exfoliating glove/loofah, a toothbrush (people used to gather a fresh stick and chew the end to fray it, making their own disposable brush), a nail care tool, maybe dental floss, a pumice and a razor. That’s it.

When it dawned on me that I had become this minimalist or prehsitoric, I finally emptied my bathroom cabinet or four carrier bags of plastic bottled chemicals, most half used, well past their expiry dates! Now with only a few products I have become an expert on them and really anyone who uses skin care products should know everything about them too! Luckily when you use ‘prehistoic products’ you will not need a degree in chemistry, but just some good old fashioned common sense!

I’m convinced that going natural minimalist in the personal care department is a must for this natural woman and am getting ready to embrace my wild mammal as I write this.

You can join me in this revolution – head over to Natural Spa Supplies and see what takes your fancy …

You’re eating avocado, right? All those good fats, not to mention scrumptiously tasty…

You probably already know they make a delicious creamy moisturising face mask with some added lemon juice and yoghurt. I know this in theory, but I haven’t ever tried it out because truthfully, I think avocados are way too delicious to put on my face.

That was before I discovered that you can also make a pretty delicious facial scrub by finely grating the avocado stone. Avocado oil would make a pretty cool base, as would almond or vitamin E, however, I’m feeling hormonal and oily and am going to use some plain organic bio yoghurt instead.

If you’re keen to try it out as well, remember and keep the scrub away from delicate areas such as your eyes and gently massage your skin – no sandpaper type scrubbing allowed

I’m feeling quite excited about this discovery – it always seems such a shame to put such a  gorgeous stone straight into the composter!

Do you have any surprising ingredients for your home made skincare regime?

(Avocados may trigger latex allergies, so I’d imagine this would work the same if putting it on your skin. Please do take your usual precautions in accordance with preserving your own health – I’m not a healthcare professional and I really don’t want to see you poorly.)

If I was inspired towards calling any single kitchen cupboard ingredient magic, it would most definitely be sesame oil. Why? Because there’s just so many uses for it to benefit your health and wellbeing, with it’s anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Here are just seven ways we use sesame oil here at Organikal Towers – make sure you’re using cold pressed, unfiltered and not the toasted variety;

1. Athletes Foot : Rub on some sesame oil for instant relief from itching and a quick clear up of flaky skin.
2. Cold symptoms or blocked sinus : Relieve your symptoms with a sesame oil nasal rub.
3. Gum disease : Use a sesame oil mouthwash each morning and regularly massage your gums with the elixir and you’ll start to see some improvements pretty quickly.
4. Psoriasis or Eczema : An auto immune response, these type of skin conditions can be unsightly as well as uncomfortable. If your symptoms are mild and you wish to avoid applying steroids, then rub sesame oil on regularly and you’ll see the a drastic reduction in the number and severity of flaky patches.
5. Sleeping trouble : Give yourself a luxurious foot massage with sesame oil before bed. Make sure your hands are warm and pop on a clean pair of organic cotton socks afterwards. You’ll sleep much better and your feet will be silky smooth in the morning
6. Skin conditioner : Especially great in winter-time, dry brush your body then massage all over with warm sesame oil before jumping in your shower. You won’t need to moisturise afterwards!
7. Scalp massage : An especially lovely gift to offer your significant other, a sesame oil scalp massage will make you both feel pretty special. It will be a bit whiffy, but if they leave the oil in overnight (be sure to protect pillows with a towel) then wash it out during their morning shower, they’ll also have beautifully conditioned hair.

I admit this organic face mask doesn’t look pretty … but it did taste fine

My skin has been feeling a little neglected this last month and so I decided to treat myself to a home made edible face mask.

After ten minutes steaming my face with hot water with a splash of lemon juice, I prepared this home treatment from a popular Ayurvedic blend of only four edible ingredients;

1 tablespoon organic lemon juice
1 teaspoon rose water
1/2 teaspoon organic honey
2 tablespoon organic oatmeal

These ingredients are used for their healing and anti bacterial properties – especially good if your skin is feeling oily, and/or you have a breakout. I had both!

There is more than enough in this mix to cover your face and decolletage, but don’t make any more unless you’re preparing it for more than one person, because it should be used fresh.

It’s quite runny, so make sure you apply it somewhere than can be easily cleaned if spilled – I had lumps of lemony porridge stuck on my mirror afterwards…

Apply, then lie back and relax for ten to fifteen minutes before washing gently off (the porridge will have hardened into a soft crust) with room temperature water, before patting gently dry then adding your moisturiser of choice.

Afterwards my skin felt super-clean,  enlivened, refreshed and grateful for some beautiful healthy organic nourishment.

Back in November we were asked if we would test out some new products from Ecover and write a review*. You may be more familiar with the Ecover brand as a laundry or dishwashing detergent – I certainly was. However, the washing will have to wait as the products we were testing were Shower Gel and Hand Soap in a new fragrance – citrus & orange blossom.

First up, let me say that yes, I know these guys aren’t organic, but Ecover have been a leading eco brand for many years. I can’t remember laundry before them ! It’s also a brand that’s easily available – from health food shop, supermarkets & veg box suppliers, so is probably more accessible to a wider range of folks than, say soap nuts and other less commercial products.

Ecological Shower Gel

The blurb on the bottle:

gently cleans your skin, fresh plant based fragrance, for a silky soft result, based on plant and mineral ingredients, fast and complete biodegradability, minimum impact on aquatic life

The Organikal boys mostly used this gel and judged it to be “fair to middling”. We all had a laugh when the teenager revealed he’d been dismantling the whole bottle in order to release the gel, not realising that it was hanging upside down, ready to be squeezed out as per requirements.

To be honest, I found it a little soapy for my taste. For many months I’ve been using only unfragranced, pure organic castille soap and this gel made me feel a little itchy and a wee bit on the overly scented side. I suspect my tolerance for any added ingredients and fragrances is very, very low. (I’ve done a quick analysis on the ingredients, which you can view at the bottom of this post.) In terms of how I felt after use, my skin was certainly soft, with no dryness.

Definitely in its favour, the empty gel bottle was easily recycled being made from Type 2 plastic. The Ecover website lists this product’s environmental benefits as such:

optimum level of biodegradability (OECD-test 301F, full product)
minimum impact on aquatic life (OECD-test 201 & 202, full product)
against animal testing, suitable for septic tanks

To round up, then, in terms of its eco credentials and toxicity potential, this Ecover product ranks favourably especially when compared to most other commercially available products. If your family has made the decision to go greener this year, then it would certainly be worth thinking about a switch to this gel. If you’re a fully committed natural ingredients, organic convert already, then I suspect you’d be a little disappointed.

Organikal Family Rating:  2/5

Ecological Hand Soap

Hand soap is much more functional than shower gel, is it not? There are certainly fewer eco and organic choices available in the high street and supermarket. This new Ecover version is still in use, since its installment in November, so we’re certainly getting a lot of use from it.

In the kitchen, this soap has quite a tough job – coping with buttery, chocolatey and doughy hands. It performs its duties well and my hands aren’t noticeably dry, which can often happen when you cook a lot.

With a few less ingredients than the shower gel, the blurb on this bottle reads

gently cleans your hands, fresh plant based fragrance, for silky soft skin, based on plant and mineral ingredients, fast and complete biodegradability, minimum impact on aquatic life

The bottle and cap are easy to recycle (I’m unsure if that includes the complete pump mechanism) and the environmental benefits claimed by the manufacturer are the same as those for the shower gel.

I’d be happy to substitute my usual organic brands if they were unavailable with this soap.

Organikal Family Rating: 4/5

Ecological Shower Gel Ingredients:

aqua
sodium lauryl sulfate : EWG lisiting Moderate hazard
coco-glucoside : EWG Listing Low hazard – 100% data gap
sodium cocoamphoacetate : EWG Listing Low hazard - 99% data gap
laurly glucoside : EWG Listing Low hazard - 100% data gap
stearyl citrate : EWG Listing Low hazard - 100% data gap
glyceryl oleate : EWG Listing Low hazard - 90% data gap
sodium benzoate : EWG Listing Low hazard - 69% data gap
citric acid : EWG Listing low – to moderate usage - 72% data gap
parfum : Ecover state on their website that they only use plant-based fragrances, free from artificial petrochemicals .
hydrolyzed wheat protein : EWG Listing Low hazard - 95% data gap
hydrooxypropyl : no listing
guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride : EWG Listing Low hazard - 87% data gap
citrus aurantium amara flower extract : EWG Listing Low hazard - 100% data gap
citral : EWG Listing Moderate hazard - 57% data gap
limonene : EWG Listing Moderate hazard - 56% data gap
linalool : EWG Listing Moderate hazard - 65% data gap

From this quick analysis, I’m not too worried about Ecover’s choice of ingredients. The last three listed (and therefore the smallest percentage) are the only ones to reach a moderate hazard warning, and are related to the citrus based fragrance. This does enhance my preference for unscented products.

*we received one bottle each of the shower gel and the hand soap free of charge for the purposes of writing the review.

One woman uses at least 11,000 tampons or pads in her lifetime

I’ve been happily using an alternative  - the Mooncup. Have you heard of it? I’d been aware of them for a few years but hadn’t come across one until I saw a special offer online and took the plunge a few months ago . I wish I’d made the switch sooner.

What is a Mooncup?

The Mooncup is a soft silicone cup that can be reused for every period. Worn internally, lower than a tampon, the Mooncup collects rather than absorbs your menstrual flow.  ~ extract from the Mooncup brochure

What are the benefits?

It’s been a revelation for me. First up there’s the straight forward benefits;

• no potentially toxic chemical hazards associated with tampons – the Mooncup has never been associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome, for instance and contains no pesticides or bleaches
• no having to remember to buy tampons or pads (I used to use Natracare – and would try to bulk order but was still caught out on many an occasion)
• no disposal issues – landfill or sewage? Neither a healthy option for our environment

Then there’s the more personal benefits

• my period is about a day shorter. I assume this is because the Mooncup collects the flow rather than absorbing it, meaning there’s no disruption
• it’s less sore. The position is lower than a tampon, so there’s less pressure on my vaginal wall – especially towards the end of the period, when tampons became quite unbearable
• it’s more convenient. Most obviously because it needs changed less, I guess

But don’t just take my word for it, the Mooncup YouTube channel has some great testimonials and useful demos, if you’re still a bit unsure.

If you’d like to give it a try, then you might like to click on this link.

Mooncup operates an affiliate programme, so if you make a purchase using this link, I might be able to contribute towards the Gingerbread latte I’ve been looking forward to since last December Mooncup have not asked me to promote their product on the site and I’ve received no payment for writing this short review.

You might see this bright packaging in your high street store and assume the “organics” label mean its contents are harmless for your baby. But is that really the case?

Organic Baby Products From The High Street : Are They Safe?

I usually shop for my organic products online. It means I can be very selective about the ingredients that we ingest, and with some careful purchasing, I can also limit the amount of lotions and potions we consume as a family. But what about the high street?

I was making a visit to Boots the Chemist a short while ago and was interested to see a whole plethora of “organic” and “natural” labels emblazoned across bright plastic packaging. Look, I’ve been in the sales & marketing business all of my professional life, so I’m naturally skeptical, but am I being unfair? Are these labels really what they make out to be?

Little Me Organics Hair & Body Wash – available at Boots for £3.99

My baby days are long behind me, but I was attracted to this Little Me Organics Body Wash. The label tells me the wash is made from “Chamomile & Organic Lavender” and states

“I am a very gentle formulation & have no synthetic fragrance”.

So far, so good? The blurb on the back of the bottle goes on to say

“Lots of mummys got together to create a range that was carefully selected to be the best for their little ones. Little Me Mmm Moisture Babies uses the safest and most gentle organic essential oils and botanicals to help comfort and soothe baby’s skin, whilst Aloe Vera provides extra moisturising care.”

Pretty convincing I’d say. However, I immediately noticed that there is no organic certification, by The Soil Association or any other body. So the first question I’d ask as a consumer is “How do I know the ingredients are actually organic?“.

Next up is a check on the list of ingredients. I’m no chemist, and so I’ve used a database of cosmetic ingredients : Skin Deep – from the Environmental Working Group.

What’s behind the label?

Ingredients, listed in order of appearance after water (just click on the ingredient name to click through to the full report);

1. DECYL GLUCOSIDE : This product is listed as “Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel” and with 100% data gap listed, no meaningful result can be listed here.

2. PEG-80 SORBITAN LAURATE : The database lists this ingredient as a “moderate to high hazard depending on product usage”. Concerns include “Human skin toxicant – strong evidence” ; “One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at high doses” ; “One or more animal studies show skin irritation at moderate doses”.

3. COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE : “Moderate hazard”. Concerns listed include, “Known human immune system toxicant”; “Suspected to be an environmental toxin”, however this ingredient has also been “Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations – Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications”.

4. GLYCERIN : “Low hazard. 74% Data Gap”. Did you know “This ingredient may be derived from animals.”? Other concerns include “One or more animal studies show kidney or renal system effects at very low doses” and “One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results”.

5. PEG-7 GLYCERYL COCOATE : “Moderate hazard to high hazard depending on product usage”. Concerns listed include “Violation of industry recommendations – Restricted in cosmetics; use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions – Not safe for use on injured or damaged skin” and “Limited evidence of sense organ toxicity” although the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments states “Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations”.

6. LINALOOL : “Moderate hazard”. I don’t like the sound of this ingredient. The first concern listed is “Possible human immune system toxicant” ; “Recommended restricted in cosmetics” ; and more worryingly “One or more animal studies show brain, nervous system, or behavioral effects at moderate doses” ; and “One or more in vitro tests non-mammalian cells show positive mutation results”. According to the EU Banned and Restricted Fragrances, this ingredient is also listed as a “Possible human immune system toxicant”

7. TETRASODIUM EDTA : “Low hazard” with an 81% data gap. The European Union – Classification & Labelling source refer to ”limited evidence of eye toxicity” whilst the Environment Canada Domestic Substance List list this ingredient as “Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful“.

8. SODIUM CHLORIDE : “Low Hazard. 0% data gap”.

9. CITRIC ACID : “Low hazard to moderate hazard depending on product usage” with a 72% data gap.  ”Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) – use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions – Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics.”

10. DEHYDROACETIC ACID : “Low hazard”, 85% data gap. European Union – Classification & Labelling lists this ingredient as “Classified as toxic or harmful” in the category of “products for use around the mouth; products for use on the lips”.

11. ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN :  ”Low hazard, 90% data gap”. European Union – Classification & Labelling references “Limited evidence of eye toxicity” and “Classified as irritant“.

12. POLYAMINOPROPYL BIGUANIDE : “Low hazard, 76% data gap”. Japan’s Standards for Cosmetics has listed this ingredient as “restricted for use in some types of cosmetics (concentration limit)”.

13. PHENOXYETHANOL : “Moderate hazard, 64% data gap”. “Classified as irritant” by European Union – Classification & Labelling ; “One or more animal studies show sense organ effects at very low doses” and a 1980 study shows “One or more in vitro tests non-mammalian cells show positive mutation results” in relation to Cancer Concerns.

14. BENZOIC ACID : “Moderate hazard depending on product usage”. Some of the previously mentioned concerns and the 65% data gap lists “Safety unknown for products that may be inhaled”.

What do you think? Doesn’t sound very organic, does it?

The ingredients list also contains the following more natural ingredients;

“Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice” ; “Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil” and  ”Anthemis Nobilis (*Chamomile) Flower Oil. Only the aloe juice and lavender are indicated as organic. That’s 2 organic ingredients out of 18 listed …

Organic labels on the high street : are you being greenwashed?

I’m not out to run a scare campaign against high street brands – Little Me Organics included. It’s really heartening to see organic labels on the increase and there’s obviously more demand for ‘natural’ products. However, just splashing an ‘organic’ label on a set of otherwise dubious chemicals is not the future of organics as I see it. We’re often asked to pay through the nose for an ‘organic’ label – wouldn’t you like to be sure you’re paying extra for organic ingredients?

It pays to do your research and it pays to think twice about what cosmetic and toiletries goods you are purchasing.

When it comes to looking after baby’s fragile skin I’d think you could do no better than using water. If you need a wee bit of extra power, then perhaps consider an alternative like Dr Bronner’s Unscented Castille Soap* – Dr Bronner’s soap is completely biodegradable and vegetable-based. They’re made with Certified Fair Trade and Organic oils.

——

* Organikal runs an affiliate programme with Ethical Superstore. If you make a purchase by following this link then Organikal will receive a small commission.

Lavera Organic Sun Protection for Sensitive Skin

Sun protection is pretty big business. For us fair skinned Scottish folks, it’s a pretty big essential – especially when spending weeks on the Mediterranean.

This summer we took some Lavera organic sun protection products with us on the house swap adventure in Spain.

Do you have the kind of skin that freckles and burns? I do. In fact, I only need to look at the sun and my nose turns red (do you think glasses attract the sun to the nose?). I also have quite sensitive skin – it can quite easily erupt into all manner of nasty things if I do the wrong things or use the wrong products.

My home made organic facial moisturiser doesn’t include any sun protection factor (SPF), so this year I tried out the Lavera sunscreen for sensitive skin.

How did the Lavera sunscreen perform?

So, the question is, if you have sensitive skin and need some suncare protection for your face – and you want it to be organic, would I recommend this product to you?

For it’s protection from burning, I’d say yes. I managed the whole trip without any red nose (also aided by wearing a rather fetching straw hat) and without any nasty breakouts or ill effects.

If you don’t want any colour on your face, then this may not be a strong enough SPF for you. It’s fading now after only 2 weeks under Scottish skies, but I was definitely sporting a light golden tan.

The major problem I had with this product was the texture. It is a really quite thick white paste and I found it difficult to apply to my face, without feeling like I was tugging at skin I shouldn’t have been. (Perhaps I should have looked harder for a specialist face cream version?)

There was also the problem of looking like a mime artist afterwards. I understood that to be most effective, sunscreens shouldn’t be rubbed in until he skin totally absorbed them. But in this case, if I didn’t spend at least ten minutes working the product into my face, I was in danger of scaring the natives.

the Lavera mime artist/geisha effect

Verdict: If you’re happy with a light tan and can spend ten minutes or so working into the skin before you face the sun, then the Lavera sun screen for sensitive skin could be a good option for you.  Organikal Rating 3/5

Spicy Seed Mix

stir fry boost - the food doctor

I visited a supermarket yesterday. You know I don’t do supermarkets!

Part of the reason is simply down to temptation. Rows and rows of bright colours and new things and shiny packets and tons of stuff I just don’t need.

However, I did need some organic tamari soy sauce for a Chilli Tofu Stir Fry (recipe coming soon) we were having for dinner and I knew I wouldn’t find an organic/tamari version in Esther’s, our wee corner shop.

The supermarket had cleverly placed a shiny new packet in the World Foods Aisle – and I fell for it : The Food Doctor’s Stir Fry Boost. It cost £1.50.

So here’s my review of said packet’s contents in case you fall for it, too.

Sprinkle A Handful To Add Natural Nourishment To Your Stir Frys

That’s what the packet says. Along with the description “A spicy seasoned mix of seeds with chopped Brazil nuts and hazelnuts and freeze-dried red pepper pieces”.

To be honest, I didn’t notice the “freeze dried-dried red pepper pieces” and a cursory glance at the ingredients list which included the very vague ingredient referred to as “flavouring” still didn’t put me off.

I’ve been adding some other supplemental ingredients to many of our meals this week in an effort to make sure we’re consuming enough essential fibre, proteins and minerals so the idea of this sprinkle mix wasn’t at all alien.

marinating tofu with veg, noodles & mix

A Belated Sprinkle Later – The Verdict

We were enjoying the stir fry for about ten minutes or so when I realised I’d forgotten to add the sprinkle! And actually, I’m very pleased that was so. For the verdict is a poor one, I’m afraid;

Ruaridh: It’s not very spicy but I like the crunch because I have less vegetables in my meal because I eat mine raw and separately. My Organikal rating: 3/5

Martin: Utterly pointless! Why would someone go the trouble of making and selling this? It added nothing, and in fact took away from the meal. I ended up with stuff stuck in my teeth! My Organikal Rating 0/5

Julie: I hated the red pepper pieces. It was like eating leftover bits of plastic. There was no added flavour and it did seem like another meal’s crumbs were on my plate! My Organikal Rating 0/5

Ruaridh came up with the idea that perhaps we could add the seed mix to some bread dough to make a seedy bread, and I think I might – just to give it another try. Otherwise I’d feed this to the birds. It isn’t even pleasant enough to snack on.