Toxic Thursday: Tea and Pesticides

I am a huge tea lover and you never find me sitting somewhere long without a mug of spicy hot tea! I recently discovered that my all natural tea is not really as green and good as I thought and believe me it was quite shocking for me! I know a lot of you try to eat organic and vegan, but did you ever think of checking your tea brand? 

 Check systematically what is wrong with your supermarket brand:

• Pesticides: The problem with conventional tea is that the amount of pesticides that are used for the plants is very high. Especially with regards to green and black tea - mono/cultures are just asking for bugs and the only way the conventional industry is fighting them are high doses of toxins.

• Flavoured Tea: Never buy tea that is flavoured - meaning added artificial flavour. The standard allowance for toxins is even higher in flavoured teas. Watch out for any suspicious sounding brands and check the ingredients. 
• Mineral Oil. 17 teas that have been tested by Oekotest showed slight amounts of mineral oil. Now we are trying to avoid this substance as much as we can in our hair care and now we are drinking polluted tea? Mineral oil is a sign of poor agriculture and could have been avoided with a proper standard. Keep in mind that the origin of tea is mostly Africa and Asia with a background of high poverty and a very low salary for employees. That's why you want to buy fair-trade products!
• Plastic packaging: The new fancy nylon bags are made of plastic and hot boiling water will release micro particle that you will consume. Avoid packaging all together if possible and use loose tea.

Solutions

• Please buy organic tea and toss your conventional products. Or buy herbal plants , dry the leaves and make your own tea. Organic brands can not use pesticides if they are certified.
• Try to buy fair-trade if you can.

I have again a very good documentary for you, the best I found was from NDR and is in German.

Did you know about toxic teas? How do you cope with this issue?

Love, Zoey.

Sources

• http://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/verbraucher/lebensmittel/bitterertee115.html
• http://www.oekotest.de/cgi/index.cgi?artnr=99298&bernr=04&seite=02
• http://www.examiner.com/article/dangerously-high-pesticide-levels-found-celestial-seasonings-teas
• http://foodbabe.com/2013/08/21/do-you-know-whats-really-in-your-tea/
• http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Verbraucher/d/3194652/bundesinstitut-warnt-vor-schadstoffen-im-tee.html

Simple everyday braid

I thought it would be nice to show you my everyday braid after all our hair-care-posts :) I am wearing a simple braid (3/strand, rope braid, 5/strand) almost on a daily basis. It looks pulled together, my hair is out tot the way and I don't get a headache from a bun that's too tight. I can't keep the braid at work so I just pin it up with a wooden hair fork or ficcare clip. My hair looks super red - but that was just the lovely sunlight and a shopping day with my mum, it is still may natural golden brown with the henna lengths. I have been reading a little more into my colour type - I am an autumn though not too sure if I am warm or soft. Have a look at my Pinterest Board where I collect my colours. Hence the orange loop scarf. Orange is among curry yellow the nicest colour on me in all shades - I should switch my wardrobe a little! Current hair length is about 107 cm SSS - pretty much classic length.

Some tricks to keep a shiny and neat braid

• Brush your hair with a horn comb to remove your tangles.
• Use a little hair oil or serum on the length and especially your ends to keep them healthy before you braid your hair. Don't worry even if your hair looks greasy before you braid it , after you braided it it will just looks shiny and neat :)
• After you finished your braid use a little Aloe-vera Gel all over your braid to keep away fly-aways.
• Please never use an elastic on your hair with metal. It will tear your hair and cause split ends. Use a hair-friendly soft elastic. Don't tie your hair at the base of your neck on a daily basis - it will cause split ends there on the long term. And we don't want the short /term we are in for super-long hair right :) ? 

Do you believe in the colour typing? What is your daily signature hair do?

Toxic Thursday: Aluminium & Deodorants

Another post in our new toxic category! I hope I can help you open up your eyes a litte. Aluminium is a metal that has absolutely no place in our organic chemistry and is not part of our metabolism. It is used in shockingly high amounts in your favourite deodorants as well as skin powder and acid blocker (maloxaan) against gastric reflux. I am not sure if you have watched the ad about a deodorant that is only used once in 5 days. I think the question how this substance can be healthy is one that will pop up in everybody's mind.

Now you can ask yourself if you really want aluminium near your lymphatic main nodes which happen to be right under your armpits where you apply your deodorant. The biggest lymphatic path node is also called sentinel lymph node is right there and gets removed during breast surgery e.g.  There is no clear correlation between aluminium and cancer but it has been found in mamma carcinoma cells. I think this is enough to be careful and try to avoid it. It is also associated with dementia and food allergies.

There is a really good documentary called "The age of aluminium" by Bert Ehgartner about aluminium and it's health hazards. You can watch the trailer above and I really recommend watching the whole documentary. Please keep in mind that none of these findings have been proven facts yet - but I think it will be only a matter of time until we can be sure of the effect aluminium has on our organic structure. 

Deodorant Alternatives:

You don't need to be smelly, don't worry there are good alternatives in your local drug store.

• Vichy- Deostick 
• Nivea Fresh Natural Spray
• Sebamed Roll-on
• Lavera Basis Sensitive

As well as all Alverde and Alterra Products. I am using the Nivea Natural fresh one and the Sebamed Roll on. The effect is not as safe as my Rexona Deo Stick that I have been using for over 12 years! but to know that I will not toxify my body with unnecessary aluminium is worth the change.

How are your experiences with Aluminium free deodorants? Please check your spray or bottle and think about using it after you have read a little about Aluminium. 

Love, Zoey :)

Update:

Because my reader's are simply the best I have some additional suggestions for aluminium free deodorants. Here we go:

• Speick Deo Stick
• CD Waterlily Deo Roll-On
• Wolkenseifen Deo-Creme

One of my reader's makes her own deodorant cream! Maybe we will have a guest post about her recipe since I have no experience in making my own deo. Or maybe I should read into that as well :) 

Care: Amla Hair Oil Khadi

I am so happy about my newly found love for Indian Hair Care, Khadi Products and their Amla Hair Oil. It is not a big secret that I am a little hair oil junkie, I am always trying new oils. Check out my hair oil guide here. Using hair oil has been one of the biggest discoveries for me after I started to look into (natural) hair care and care for my naturally extremely dry tresses. I does make the biggest difference in growing your hair! If you are a little lazy and thinking a few drops here and there will not make a difference don't let me come over with a bottle of coconut oil(!) - because actually there will be a huge difference on how healthy and shiny your hair is. 'nough said. 

I wrote a little bit about Amla here and how to wash your hair with dried alma powder while benefitting from lots of volume and shine. 

Amla Hair Oil:

Ingredients (INCI): Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower Oil) · Emblica Officinalis (Amla) · Eclipta Alba (Bringaraj) · Bacopa monniera (Brahmi) · Cyperus rotundus (Nagarmootha) · Symplocos racemosa (Lodhra) · Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) · Azadirachta indica (Neem) · Sesamum indicum (Sesame) · Cinnamomum camphora (Camphor) · Lawsonia inermis (Henna) · Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond Oil) ·Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

As you can see the main carrier oil is sunflower oil and almond oil. Infused herbs are Amla, Bringaraj, Brahmi, Tulsi, Neem, Camphor and Henna as well as a little Vitamin E to keep it from getting bad too quickly. 

So basically you get the full power of indian herbal goodies all in one bottle! You need to shake the bottle well before usage and the colour is a purplish dark brown. I know that when it comes to Khadi products the opinions rage widely - you either love their scent or you hate it. I personally adore the fragrance! I was afraid that it would be a sickly sweet smell but nope - very yummy herbs. A little fresh and musky. The best thing is that I don't get an allergic reaction! I am very sensitive when it comes to scents. 

As you can see from the picture above, I have been using quite a bit of alma oil - basically as a prewash deep oil hair mask on my scalp and length for 30 min - 2 h before my hair wash. The picture below is purely for your amusement with one of my acrylic hair sticks and my prewash hair oil mask :o) Let is soak for a while. The effect it had on my scalp was very calming and my hair became very soft. When used on dry hair the oil got absorbed easily into my ends. I love this product and I wish I had ordered all their hair oils! I would categorise the oil as a medium to heavy oil. 

The most important thing : I have less hair loss now! I am not sure if it was due to a more healthy scalp or if the alma actually activated something at my roots but I am really glad I am loosing less hair now. The first two weeks nothing happened, but now I am in my 4th week and noticed significantly less hair fall out. Give it a try - the least benefit you will get is shiny hair :o) I was not too sure about it when I ordered so I am pleasantly surprised. 

How are your experiences with Amla products and hair oils? Did you notice less fall out like me? 

Love, Zoey :*

Thanks to Khadi for providing the product free of charge. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced.

Flechtwerk: Sleeping Beauty

Hello Lovelies!

If your hair is very long or on the way to getting really long you will want to protect it all the time. Sooner or later you will want to find a way to sleep well, comfortable and hair/friendly. I have three options for you that will help your hair staying smooth and untangled.

Get a night time routine!

The same as a skin care routine you should develop a nightime routine for your hair. It will safe you lots of time in the morning and protect your hair from damage.

Here you can see my nightime routine:

• Comb your hair with a hair friendly comb. I use a horn comb with wide teeth.
• Use a few drops of oil on your hair ends. I love a good hair serum like ilikegreen from Aubrey Organics. You can also use a rich hair butter, recipe here.
• Then I spray my hair length with a little rose-water leave in. Recipe here. It helps the oil to get absorbed and my natural curls like moisture a lot!
• Braid your hair to keep it from tangling and knotting at night. Plus you will wake up with nice braid waves.

How to protect your hair at night:

Now there are three ways to protect your hair from the friction of your cotton pillow.

1. Use a silk pillow case. It will help your hair stay smooth and it really nice on your skin as well. use 100% silk if you can. 
2. Sleep with an english braid.
3. Use a silk sleep cap. 

I personally either sleep with my hair in an english braid or in a silk cap. It depends if my hair is a little wet from the hair wash before, because I always wash it at night and let it dry overnight. My cap is from honey fig and it is 100% silk in the colour ivory/champagne. It is very roomy & comfy and it only looks slightly silly :) I do braid my hair before I wear it but you can also keep your hair loose if you want. Keep in mind that you should wash silk hair wear as delicate hand wash.

You will notice a big difference! If your hair is curly it will love the braid! I personally can not sleep with a bun because I get neck pain and there is always some very uncomfortable pressure on my head no matter what sleeping position I am in. You can order silk pillowcases and sleep caps at honey fig.
They have tons of colour options and the quality is great! I have mine for a few years now and it is still in excellent condition. Get a hot pink one :D or stay with a more natural colour like brown, black or ivory. I got mine from their shop in Toronto during my stay there but they do ship internationally if you ask per e/mail previous to your order. Here you can read my little experience with sleeping caps (sorry only in German!)

I am excited what the girls do at night with their hair, let's have a look at Heike, Nessa, Bobby,  Wuscheline and Lenja !

Our next post will be online March 15th :)

Love, Zoey!

Toxic Thursday: Vegucated and educated?

I know a lot of you have watched food-inc as well and were shocked afterwards. I have recently watched the Vegucated documentary and it absolutely changed my whole point of view. I think it is so sad that we don't know what is really happening with our food and the animals we love. Even organic food is no exception here. This was something that I learned from this documentary. I can relate very easily to the 5 New-Yorker that are trying to live vegan for a couple of weeks and thoroughly investigate a little about what the industry is hiding from us and what we consciously do not want to see.

Is it normal that meat is more expensive than a vegetable? Do I want to eat a chicken that has it's beak hacked of, has no space to move or see the day-light and is full of antibiotics? A few of you may know, during medical school we have to work with corpses and because I have been for a long time in the O.R. and surgery department I stopped eating meat a while ago. Now the more I learn about it the harder is gets to think neutral about meat any more. I am vegetarian and not vegan but I totally get the point of people who are doing it all the way. I do love organic hair & body care and I think we all should try to see a little more than we know now. We get poised day by day and we are not even aware of it. Let's try to change our little world step by step :)

How do you think about the meat topic? Are you vegan and is it difficult to maintain this lifestyle in your daily life?

Love, Zoey-Louisa. 

Care: DIY Rosewater-Leave In Spray

Hello Lovelies!

I have been crazy about roses lately, I am a real flower girl from fragrances to real flowers. So why not make your hair smell like roses and lavender? Especially if you need to use nearly all your products as fragrance free versions due to allergies like me :/ BTW if there is interest I can do a post about hypoallergenic skincare. I am sadly a skin professional now. Here we go with this simple and easy leave-in spray. The original spray was again inspired by Mata's mix from the LHN.

What you need:

• empty spray bottle (flower spray bottle/an empty bottle from deodorant/ previous detangled sprays!)
• half a cup of distilled water
• 1 teaspoon of glycerin ( you can buy a small bottle at the pharmacy)
• half a cup of rose water (buy here or check your well stocked super-market at baking supplies)
• 2-3 drops of pure lavender essential oil
• 6 drops of almond oil

How to:

1. Mix water and rosewater
2. add glycerin and almond oil - shake well
3. add lavender oil!

That's it! It is a great hair-refreshener, if your hair is super dry you can increase the amount of oil. I am currently using about a tablespoon because my ends got super dry from the winter heat. It smells very floral and heavenly fresh and will last you a few weeks because the glycerin acts as a preservative. It can act as a skin toner at the same time btw! Shake well before you use it to dilute the oil evenly. If your hair needs more volume you can add hydrolyzed silk protein. Just about 5 drops, or even keratin drops. 

Do you use a leave-in spray? Or do you prefer pure oil?

*I am posting in english now to solve the bilingual issue, if any of my german readers don't agree please leave a comment so I can try to figure out a new solution :o) *

Love, Zoey-Louisa.

Ficcare: Snow White & Rose Red

Hello Lovelies,

Another hair jewellery post :p Cultmate got my reserved hair clips from over 6 months ago! The silky is a bright warm red with champagne coloured metal and the honey marble colour is an absolute classic clip that goes well with all hair colours and clothes. Sorry for the really bad picture quality, it gets dark so quickly and daylight vanishes almost everyday before I can come home from my long days at work. Did you get any of the new clips? I still have not tried the acetate versions. I am waiting impatiently for a silky green clip as well, I will keep you updated :D The red looks really nice with black and white clothes and gives you a really happy bright red dot. I was not too sure if the red would match my orange tones auburn, but now I think it looks ok. Silky orange might be better though!

Silky Red Maxima Ficcare

Ficcare Honey Marble Maxima

Love, Zoey.