New Year Wishes

Hello Lovelies!

I know I am a terrible blogger, I had to take a break due to personal circumstances aka my incredible stressful workload. I have been working in a new department for 6 months now and I can tell it has been a challenge. As I am always a very cheerful sunny person, I still got to pick the bright side.

The positive side:

• New Blogging inspiration! Some articles I have been working on are about Anxiety and how to cope with stress as well as overcome loneliness. It is important that you know how to self-heal. If you are not going to take care of yourself no one will. And remember that you are always loved. 
• I cut my hair! Yes I did it!! I was a little overwhelmed, my hair was too long at work. Now I do have to figure out what I want to do with it in the future. Will I again grow it past my thighs? I would really like to start a nature inspired hair style series. Like me and my braids in the forest or sth. like that :D
• New hair care recipes. I love hair care. I love making up new products. One of the goals I have is to make solid shampoo bars. I hope I can start making them soon :)
• New minimalist outlook. I have been thinking about consume, waste and sustainability. I would like to incorporate more of these topics on not/hair related blog days.
• Blog more regularly. I hope I can keep this up. I would like to update my content every two weeks. Hopefully I can start Flechtwerk Posts with my lovely long haired friends again.

My wishes for you:

I hope you will have a wonderful new year full of love, family, health and happiness. I wish that you smile often and sing your song louder than before. I wish you to be happy and even on the days when everything seems to be grey I wish that you seen your own little light spark inside of you ignite and that you inner voice will say silently, I will try again tomorrow. I wish that you create something new, draw a painting and see someone you love smile. I wish that you dance like no one is looking and be silly even when everyone is looking. I am sending you all my love,

Review: Bodyshop Rainforest Coconut Oil vs. Pure Organic Coconut Oil

Hello Lovelies!

I have a coconut oil party going on today :D As you all know, me my hair and I simply love coconut oil. I like to use new versions that are infused from time to time. As mentioned a hundred times before, I absolutely love the Dabur Vatika Oil, it contains henna, amla and lemon extracts. Smells great and works very well as a prewash treatment.

My newest addition is the Rainforest Coconut Oil by Bodyshop. 

I had some trouble to find the incis but here they are:
Glycine Soja Oil/Glycine Soja (Sojabohnen-) Öl (Emolliens/Hautpflegemittel), Cocos Nucifera Oil/Cocos Nucifera (Kokosnuss-) Öl (Emolliens/Hautpflegemittel), Parfum/Fragrance (Duftstoff), Tocopherol (Antioxidans), Pentaclethra Macroloba Seed Oil (Hautpflegemittel, Pracaxi-), Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil/Helianthus Annuus (Sonnenblumen-) Samenöl (Emolliens), Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract/Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosmarin-) Extrakt (Adstringent), Coumarin (Duftstoffkomponente), Citric Acid (pH-Regulator).

As you can see it is based on soya oil and then contains coconut oil, sunflower oil and rosmarinus extract. Technically it is not a coconut oil but an oil blend. It is a very light weight oil that sinks in immediately and it is not solid like the other two coconut oils. The smell is very nice and tropical but it is the typical artificial coconut smell and not the rather nutty natural smell of the extra virgin oil. The best part is that the shine is incredible. It does need some tome to sink into your hair so you need to be careful not to put in too much. I know that some hair types do not like coconut oil so much, this infused oil might be worth a try. I had great results regarding to shiny hair, especially when used in damp hair. Definitely a recommendation and easy to carry around and use since it is always in a liquid form.

Ways to use Coconut Oil:

• Put lots and lots in your dry hair the night before you wash it. Let it sit overnight and work it's magic. Live your Rapunzel moment the next morning ^^
• Use as a leave-in treatment in dry hair - just 2-3 drops are enough. Start at the ends working your way up.
• Use as a scalp treatment with with 2 drops of essential tea tree oil - warm the mix up and apply to a non-irritated scalp and let sit for 20 min. Wash out with regular shampoo.
• Use to define your curls and waves - Mix equal parts of organic Aloe Vera Gel and Coconut Oil and work into your damp curls.

Are you coconut oil addicted like me? Oh and btw coconut oil is a great make up remover as well :D I would like to hear some of your recipes!

Flechtwerk : Why do you have long hair?

Hello Lovelies!

Due to a high work load, I could not participate in the last blogging cooperation posts from our Flechtwerk Team! Meanwhile the girls Wuscheline, Nessa , Heike, Lenja and Bobby decided to share an open round and I will just contribute belated now. This months topic is quiet personal : The reason why I have long hair :)  It is a long story but here we go. First I want to show you some pictures of last month while I was at the ocean visiting my family and some from last autumn. My hair is beyond classic length at the moment and thank God no hair loss, breakage or any kind of trouble.

Long red hair in the woods - Autumn 2014

Spending time with Ariel - the little mermaid :D 

So well, I always loved the beauty of the woman of the past. I remember watching brave heart when I was small and then seeing Sophie Marceau's hair. Or Padme and her braids during the star-wars movie scenes of the planet tatooine. Also I do love Ariel the little mermaid and the woman from spartacus from the ancient greek mythology. I was never too big on current fashion trends - I think the girls and woman now look all the same, same hair styles, cuts, colours and I like to look different. Why be like everyone else? Very long red hair like mine does stand out, wherever you go you will receive at least 1-3 compliments on your hair length, it is just an unusual sight. 

Then my hair type - my hair is very thick, curly and coarse - very difficult to manage if it is held at a normal length like say shoulder length. It gets super frizzy and does not lie flat but rather it is a huge volume halo. Not too flattering :D The longer my hair gets, the more gets it weighted down by the length and the volume is more condensed. It is easier to manage for me.

Life depends on your positive outlook - keep smiling the rest will fall into place :)

Now comes the very personal part. I know a lot of woman did experience the same and we should all support each other and stand up for these things. Last but not least, it is a long time ago now, but I used to be in a very bad destructive abusive relationship when I was younger. My partner then always wanted me to cut my hair short. He liked short hairstyles I but I have always loved to have long hair. One time then I gave in and I did chop it off my hair from hip to chin length, I started crying at the hair dresser. A year later or so I was able to break up and since then I let my hair grow back as long as I wanted to. Long hair for me see - is also a sign of freedom and happiness and a way to hold up against oppression :) 

April 2015 beyond classic length.

Now here comes the blog party :) 

Meike von durchgrueneaugen.blogspot.de 

Schümli von fabelhafteschuemli.blogspot.de

Nrsss von nrsss.de

Anita von anitaswelt.wordpress.de

Nymeria von zuckerfeentraumtaenzerin.blogspot.de

Sara von schokohaar.blogspot.de

Schneeweißchen & Rosenrot

Sciura Venustra von sciuraswelt.blogspot.de

Flicksi von bento-garden.blogspot.de

Penny Box von muffin-mayhem.blogspot.de 

Valandriel Vanyar vonm valandriel-vanyar.blogspot.de 

Nihal von nihalsleben.wordpress.com  

Kitty-Curl von seifigelockenpflege.blogpsot.de

Jenny von haarsaite.misfortuna.de

Review: Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiskus - Curl & Define and Raw Sheabutter Restorative Conditioner

Hello Lovelies!

I know I know it has been ages. Apologies to you. In the meantime I did not chop off my hair, dyed it purple or got a perm. All is in it's usual glory eh mess ^^ I have been super busy but more about that at a later time point. 

Good news are : I fell in love! Yes finally! Well I did and I did so through and through with the organic US brand called Shea Moisture! I got a hair care packet from my beautiful long-haired friend Tanja  telling me that I would love that hair care line. Well, she has been right on point! I was astonished. I have always been a great lover of Aubrey Organic's Hair Care I love their effect, incis and philosophy. But I do have to say Shea Moisture is pretty amazing as well!

Originally created for very dry, curly afro-american hair it works like a charm with my dry, coarse and curly hair. If you are a curly girl definitely go for it! The products are very rich but I am not sure how well fine hair would work with them since none of my friends tried out this brand. 

About Shea Moisture:

• organic hair care
• no animal testing
• great ingredients
• easy formulas 
• no synthetic fragrances

Coconut and Hibiskus 

Curl and Shine Shampoo and Conditioner

I have used the whole series up. It gives my curls a very bouncy appearance, defines very well and it is great in moisturising. The conditioner works like a charm in detangling and the best part is: the fragrance! Smells like coconut and mango. Very tropical and very yummy! Imagine you are stepping out of a lagoon at a tropical island. The shampoo had a golden caramel colour and had strong cleaning properties. Beware I had some dandruff because it is rather concentrated. After I started using the shampoo diluted the dandruff stopped.It is a very strong shampoo but my sensitive scalp did not get any break-outs. And by the way the conditioner might be the best one I have tried with regard to curly hair! 

Raw Shea Butter 

Restorative Conditioner

Not as great in detangling like the curly series but still a very good heavy duty conditioner that moisturised very well and caused lots of shine. Again the smell is a--mazing, it smells very warm, like a cashmere, vanilla, powdery fragrance. Very seductive, pleasant and long lasting. However the consistency is pretty thick and once you reach the bottom of the bottle the distribution is not very good. Did not do so much with the curls so I think it is better with wavy or straight hair.

Shea Moisture Conditioners come with a pump which is very handy I like that a lot! The fragrances that they use are outstanding! You can order the products from their web site at around 10 $ /bottle. If however you live in europe like I do it is a pretty pricey matter - a bottle here sells for about 20/25 Euro, but the bottle are again a good size, about 325 ml. The shampoo lasted me long enough, my use of conditioner is very high so this might become an expensive affair. If you know any good sites where to buy please let me know! You can order from this website if you are located in Europe.

 That's it from me today my dear long-haired friends! I am dying to try out their other product lines like Manuka Honey and Tahitian Noni.  Have you every used Shea Moisture products? How was your experience with them?

Oh and just so that you know I still exist after all that long absence a picture of the back of my head ;p and a messy bun <3

Ficcare Topaz Diamond Lazy Wrap Bun in Red Hair

Review: Weleda Iris Hydrating Facial Lotion & Gentle Cleansing Milk

Updated Gentle Organic Skin Care Routine with Weleda!

Hello Lovelies!

I am so excited about today's post. I have been looking for a skin care line that ...

a) works for my super dry skin

b) does not give me any allergic reaction and is suitable for sensitive skin 

c) contains organic ingredients 

d) has a pleasant natural fragrance 

e) is affordable

In the past I have been using french pharmacy products, products that were prescribed to me by my dermatologist, drugstore sensitive and budget friendly alternatives but have not been really happy with the price, results or ingredients. A good friend of mine is a big fan of the Weleda products and while I was staying at her place the other day, I borrowed her Iris moisturiser and was so surprised with the great results! I am currently using the cleansing milk and the iris facial lotion and am thinking of adding their toner and almond skin oil as well in the future. 

Iris Hydrating Facial Lotion (30 ml / 11 €)

• Incis are : Water (Aqua), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Distillate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Linoleate, Hydrolyzed Beeswax, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Calendula Officinalis (Calendula), Iris Germanica Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Beeswax, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Citral*.

• The lotion is based on Jojoba oil, contains witch hazel, beeswax and calendula. Calendula gives it a slight yellow tinge. Ingredients are great - minimal and clean organic extracts.

• Fragrance is very fresh, flowery and pleasant. It is a very natural smell and not artificial and very light. Will not give you any headaches - I promise.

• Sinks in right into the skin! Suitable for very thirsty dry skin. It did work well on my dry patches!

• Most important: Did not break me out! I also tried out the almond facial cream by Weleda - had terrible break outs sadly. 

• No itching, no red spots and no allergic reaction.

Gentle Cleansing Milk (100 ml / 10 €)

• Incis are Water (Aqua), Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Alcohol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Lysolecithin, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Distillate, Iris Germanica Root Extract, Xanthan Gum, Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Geraniol*, Citral*. 

• The cleansing milk is based on Sesame oil, contains Jojoba oil as well as witch hazel and iris root extract. The cleansing milk and the lotion have belonged to one product line in the past and go very well together. 

• Cleanses mildly, I use a little bit on my damp skin and massage it in with a wash cloth. The only downside is that because of the alcohol based witch hazel the lotion is not supposed to be near your eye area. I wish I could use the cleansing milk to remove my eye make up but that is not possible. 

• Fragrance is very fresh and flowery. 

DIY - Eye Make-Up Remover with Coconut Oil & Baby Oil

• I am currently making my own using coconut oil and fragrance free baby oil for sensitive skin. 

• Mix half of each in a small container and use a little bit on a damp cotton pad. gently place on closed eye lids. Removes make up, mascara and eye liner in seconds. 

• You can use pure coconut oil as well but because it is solid I prefer mixing it with the baby oil so it does stay in it's liquid form. You can also use any other liquid oil such as Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil or Argan Oil. I prefer the baby oil because the incis are ok and it is super affordable ( 2,50 Euro/ 250 ml).

I know a lot of eco-friendly beauty bloggers are using Martina Gebhardt's product line  such as lovely Nixenhaar or the Pai products like Wuscheline which I never tried because of their price but nevertheless heard good things about. 

Did you try out any of the Weleda Products? I am so curious to hear about your skin care routine and what works for your skin type!

Sunny Sunday's Favourites and a simple Crown Braid

Hello Lovelies! 

I just want to share a  phone snap of a quick crown braid I wear a lot lately with you today. I am wishing everyone a blessed sunday! Sometimes life gets rough, all goes in the wrong direction, you are overwhelmed and feeling like nothing is ever going to be ok. Don't worry we all feel this way from time to time. When I feel like that I like to do things that make me instantly happy. A couple of weeks ago I just sat down and thought about what makes me happy. It is good to create a kind of vision board for yourself. You can have a look and be inspired and uplifted whenever you feel down or sad and try one or two things on your list. I know this is very personal. Be brave and think about you first and try not to put everyone before yourself.  

I created a board on Pinterest, have a look  - it is called fortune :)

Follow Zoey's board Fortune on Pinterest.

And here is my list that I like to go back to on those days:

• having breakfast
• morning coffee
• fresh flowers
• painting
• photography
• poetry and herbal tea
• books and cats
• the mountains
• the forrest
• live music
• family
• traveling
• running
• the ocean 
• braids
• and baking :) 

Sunday Musings

Create your own list. These things will differ for everyone after all happiness is very unique and personal :) I found out that I like to live my life a lot simpler than I thought. I am decluttering all the things that used to weight me down in the past. This can be material things, clothes, old memories that no longer make you happy. I know it is difficult to let go but very healthy. Instead I like to create and focus on my nutrition. There is a Youtube Blog that I enjoy to much lately is is Sarah's and she has so many healthy recipes! I am currently doing my second batch of buckwheat granola  and it is so so yummy! 

Also I am working on creating a capsule wardrobe with project 333 as done by lovely Erin here. Who really wears everything that is stuffed in your closet? I know I don't so why keep on to things tat you no longer, use, like or that are too big anyway?

Coco who is a fellow blogger has inspired me on thoughts about minimalism or living light as she likes to phrase it. She is also on Youtube. Check out these channels for new mindsets and inspiration. I think we spend far too much in consuming and wanting more instead of focusing on the things that we have and that make us happy deep within. Living light will be great for everyone who is living on a very tight budget like me as well :) 

Tutorial French Pinless Bun

Hello Lovelies,

Today's Flechtwerk post is about a very secure sturdy hair do- the french or dutch pinless bun. Basically is holds on it's own by being wrapped around a hairstick without any bobby pins needed! It is easy to do but will require a lot of hair length if your hair is very thick like mine. But 'nuff said here come the instructions! I am in my work-out clothes and just came back from running my miles :o)

How to:

1. Start by braiding your hair to a dutch or french braid.
2. Insert the heuristic or fork vertically
3. Wrap your hair around the base and behind the hair stick
4. Tuck the ends under so that they hold secure. - Voila that is it! 

Very easy and sturdy in my opinion. If you like big buns it is great this bun turns out to be very huge! I am excited what the girls did with this months topic have a look at Heike,  Nessa,  Wuscheline Bobby  and  Lenja !

Do you like braided up-do's? Which one is your favourite? I have to say I prefer the regular braided but because I do like my buns to be more at the nape of my neck.

DIY : Khadi Shikakai Deep Conditioner with Henna and Sheabutter

Shikakai Sheabutter Henna - DIY natural hair care recipes - indian hair care - ayurvedic medicine plants
 

Hello Lovelies! 

I hope you all had a blessed week and enjoyed the snow, build a snow man or watched a lovely movie! We just had the most wonderful snowy weekend! Comes snow comes dry hair for me though haha. I have not incorporated Shikakai in my weekly deep conditioning treatments yet so I came up with this simple and wonderful recipe that I want to share with you guys! You can switch up the ingredients to your usual liking as always. 

About Shikakai:

• Acacia concinna is the name of the plant and grows in central and south india.
• the fruit is named shikakai and one of the ajurvedic plants.
• it does not lather but still cleanses, has a low ph which is great!
• it is a natural conditioner and detangler
• has anti-dandruff benefits

If you have never worked with Henna or Shikakai I want to give you a little heads up first : 

- this might get messy. Do it on your free weekend when you are not in a hurry and in nobodies way

-secondly you might want to do it when your significant other is not around ^^ Most men don't get it why we put a muddy mass on our hair. Of course they do not have to know that we do not wake up looking like we do. Let's keep the illusion and magic :o) 

So here we go,

Shikakai - Sheabutter and Henna Treatment

Note: I used colourless ''Henna" which is basically not Henna but Cassia. If you have black hair you can use ''black henna'' = indigo or simple red henna for a slight red colour tint. If you have super light hair you might want to skip the henna part altogether. 

• 3 tablespoons of shikakai powder
• 2 tablespoons of cassia powder
• 1 tablespoon of sheabutter
• 50 ml hot boiling water

Mix until it has a smooth texture just like yoghurt, let it cool down to room temperature and apply especially to your ends and dry spots on damp hair. Rinse after 15 min. 

Et voila - lots of volume, shine and thanks to sheabutter smoother hair!

Where to get shikakai? Have a look at Khadi's website. You can order sheabutter at behave, which is a great online resource for oils and butters and essential oils as well as herbal extracts. As for henna, indigo, cassia - check your local health food store or oriental shop for very affordable good quality henna (turkish, indian or arabic). Try to not buy anything with picramate in it.

Shikakai natural hair care recipe for very long hair! 

What do you think about alma and shikakai? Messy or worth the hassle? I love the indian cleaning herbs so much!

DIY: Herbal Hair Rinse Recipe

Hello Lovelies!

Herbal hair rinses are a fantastic way to take care of your scalp health and add beneficial shine and colour boosts. My favourite rinse is the mint rinse - it refreshes my scalp and leaves my hair very shiny. Creating your own hair rinse is super easy, affordable and a very nice and relaxing ritual that iIlike to do every sunday. Ladies - if you do not pamper yourself trust me - no one will ;) Plus you feel like a little gypsy witch working on your herbal secrets , haha. Preparing every rinse is easy and I use the same method all the time only the herbs I use differ depending on my mood.

How to Prepare your Rinse

- If possible try to use fresh herbs. Wash as needed and remove roots if necessary and boil with 1 l of hot water - cover the top so that the essential oils can not escape too easily.

- Let it sit and cool down to room temperature for a while.

- I like to add one tablespoon of raw organic honey to add shine to my hair.

- As well as 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for increased shine and less knots. Balanced the ph of your scalp as well.

- Lately I have been adding 2/3 drops of my favourite essential oil (bloodorange at the moment!) as well for a nice smell! 

Just wash and condition your hair as you would do normally and then at the end pour your herbal hair rinse over your head and let it sit for 2 minutes. Rinsing the herbal hair rinse out is optional sometimes I do sometimes I don't :o) . 

Herbs you can use

• Hibiskus:  Red Heads like me anywhere? - use hibiskus tea for intensified red streaks! 
• Black Tea:  Great for brunettes and black haired beauties! Gives additional colour shine but might dry out hair of used for a very long time because black tea has like henna astringent effects. 
• Chamomile: Boosts up your blonde hair and is antiseptic if you have scalp issues or sensitive skin. 
• Cat Nip: Shine booster and makes your hair incredible soft and fluffy. I don't know how this works but it does work like a charm. Plus your cats will love your hair too ^^ 
• Mint: Refreshes and balances an oily scalp. You can combine Rosemary as well for a wonderful fresh and vitalising scent!
• Ginger: Adds shine and lets your scalp tingle in a wonderful fresh way! Helps with oily hair. 

These are my personal recommendations that I have used and liked so far. Your possibilities are endless I do think a lavender rinse would be a great idea as well - I still have to try this one out yet. I would love to hear your experience and recipes if you love herbal rinses like I do!

Flechtwerk: Throwback Thursday

Hello Lovelies!

Today's topic is Throwback Thursday! Oh so important and famous since Instagram and the Facebook age! A lot of people are very surprised that my hair was not always so very long. In fact in the past my hair was mostly a little past my shoulders. The shortest my hair has ever been was until my ears. I am glad I do not have photo proof of that! 

As a little kid my hair cut was a very short bob with a full fringe. Until primary school my hair was very thick, silky and golden blonde and pin straight! It started to become curly when I was in high school. During high (16 yrs) school I had my hair mostly layered and a little past my shoulders. My natural colour was always a coppery brown tone as seen above in the picture! The blond streaks are not natural but the start of my blonde period ^^ Like every other girl that time I would get blonde highlights once a month until my hair was all bleached blonde, super dry and damaged. But we learn these things just after we passed the high school period. When I look at the picture I do miss my big curly hair a lot! With the length I have now and no layeres my hair never curls as much now sadly.. 

From the blonde period (18 yrs) I only have very few and very bad quality pictures... But I think you get the picture of me with my strawy bleached hair! I am so glad I learned so much about hair care now! But even with the very bad quality pics I can tell how much the light blonde colour washed me out for sure! 

I am excited so check the girls blogspost, Heike, Nixenhaar, Wuscheline, Lenja and Nessa  ! 

Our next topic will be the french winless hair do and online at the 15th of February!

I would love to hear about your hair crimes! What did you do in the past? ^^

BTW - did read about my hair journey yet? Click here for a full overview! 

Review : Organic Rose Conditioner by URTEKRAM

Hello Lovelies!

As you know I am on a never ending quest to find the perfect conditioner and I love to try new brands and formulas out! My newest discovery is actual an old love - URTEKRAM! In the past I have used their Aloe-Vera line, Shampoo and Conditioner. As it happens I completely forgot about URTEKRAM until lately while I was standing at my local Whole-Foods store in search of a new conditioner. I would like to tell you a few things about the danish organic company URTEKRAM first.

''A little about Urtekram’s care products

Since the 1970’s, Urtekram has manufactured pure and natural body and hair care, and we have since the beginning been aware of the fact that the body absorbs everything we treat it with – as it absorbs everything we eat.

Thus, all Urtekram’s care products are:

• Certified organic with the COSMOS ORGANIC certification of Ecocert Greenlife
• Without endocrine disrupting parabens and synthetic preservatives
• Made with vegetable ingredients (however, our lip gloss contains beeswax)
• Without petrochemical ingredients
• Not tested on animals ''

source: www.URTEKRAM.com

The Rose Conditioner is certified by Ecocert and cruelty free as well as vegan. 

Incis: Aqua, aloe barbadensis leaf extract*, glycerin**, cetearyl alcohol, coco-caprylate, glyceryl caprylate, lecithin, olus, sodium cetearyl sulfate, cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate se, rosa damascena extract*, pelargonium graveolens oil*, citric acid, magnolia officinalis bark extract, citronellol, geraniol, limonene, linalool, tocopherol, beta-sitosterol, squalene.

The conditioner is based on Aloe Vera which is a big plus! It contains glycerine, rose extract and olus oil which is rapeseed oil. No proteins for those who do not like proteins in their conditioner! The conditioner is good for dry hair and I would say it is medium rich both suitable for very dry, dry and normal hair in my opinion. It does not weight your hair down and it defines my curls very nicely. A huge plus is the smell : it does smell like fresh wild roses. I absolutely love the scent! It does stay in my hair for a while though not very long. It helps detangling and the amount you need to use is average in my opinion, it is neither a very thick nor a very thin conditioner. 

To sum it up - a great conditioner with a heavenly smell which will moisturise your hair nicely. I am excited to try out the Rose Shampoo as well. Definitely a recommendation from me if you are looking for a safe uncomplicated conditioner with good ingredients. They have a fragrance free line as well that I am excited to try out especially the skin-care products. 

Empties : December

Empties December - still on the quest of perfect natural foundation

Hello Lovelies,

1.Balea Professional Brown Shampoo 1-2 Euro, 200 ml
A good solid shampoo that lathers up very well and smells heavenly like caramel. It is enriched with brown pigments and gives your hair an insanely shine boost! It was gentle on my scalp and did not cause dandruff or irritation. It cleans so thoroughly that I only needed to wash my hair every 5-6 days instead of 3 days. It contains no silicones but some peg derivates that smooth your hair and might dry out your hair if used for a long time. I like to switch it up every now and then.
Repurchase? At the moment no but in a while sure!

2.Alverde Glanz Spuelung 2-3 Euro 200 ml
The Alverde Shine Conditioner is a staple in my hair care as well as in many other natural beauty bloggers, Bobby uses it forever now and especially to shave her legs! It smells very nice and sweet like oranges and banana and gives my hair a nice shine. It is not too good in detangling but that is normal for a silicone free conditioner.
Repurchase? Yes. 

3.Isana Med Urea 5% 2 Euro 250 ml
This is a new shower gel that I tried out. I recently got psoriasis after a very very stressful exam period. Happily my elbow patches are gone now and that is due to the Isana Urea Series. I am using their body lotion with 10% Urea as well and also their face cream duo. It you have cracked dry itchy atopic skin I can highly recommend this brand. If you live in a corner of the world where Isana med is not available you can buy the Eucerin product series - Isana is just a low budget version of these. I have used Eucerin in the past and the priciest are very good - available at most pharmacies and well a little pricier of course. By the way a similar series does exist at DM - but I have to say their products are not rich enough for my dry skin.
Repurchase? Yes

4. Alverde Cream to Powder Make Up in 01 3-4 Euro
This version got discontinued! It was my favourite foundation because it was rich enough for my skin and light enough for my skin tone! I am a NC05 measured by MAC and this means most foundations don't work for me because of the colour. My alternative is just at the left corner :
Repurchase? Discontinued :(

5. Alverde Mineral illuminating Foundation Stick in 01 Naturelle
This foundation stick is my new substitute. It covers up nicely, is very creamy and oily which is great for my skin. The coverage is really good and I get a wear of 6 hours with it. The only downside is the funky fragrance they used - really weird and sweet. At first I thought my product might have gone bad! The second downside is the colour it does not match my skin tone and is a little too dark for me sadly. Also I have to say that I used it up pretty quickly I think it did not last more than 3 weeks which is a bit quick in my opinion!
Repurchase? Yes If I don't find a lighter coloured product.

Since I am still on the quest of a good foundation for very fair and dry skin I would be very happy to hear your recommendations!

Morning Glory: Ayurvedic hot Lemon Water

Hello Lovelies!

Hot lemon water has been in my morning routine for some time now. I like to wake up a little earlier than I have to and take my time during the morning in order not to rush. It is better for your body and soul believe me :) It might sound weird to drink hot lemon water on an empty stomach every morning but it is really beneficial for your health for sure! 

The hot water will get your digestive system really going and helps to eliminate toxins. It gently flushes your kidneys and the acid might help in preventing bladder infections because it will lower the ph of your urine. The Vitamin C is an important Vitamin that plays a huge role in fighting colds and helping your immune system. I think this is very important during the cold flu season. Everyone is coughing and sneezing including me of course :o) .  And if you drink tab water like me to avoid buying plastic bottles and trying to help the environment it will neutralise any hard water you might have. Also it tastes really yummy in my opinion - I love everything with a slight sour edge. 

All you have to do is mix a hot glass of water with the juice of half a lemon. To be extra kind to yourself and your body please use organic lemons. I feel always very energetic and active after my lemon water!

In ayurvedic medicine the hot lemon water is supposed to eliminate ama which is basically part of the bacterial muzine and well digestive 'slime' that is produced by the colon cells in your digestive system.

I am so excited about ayurvedic medicine and have been researching a lot and incorporating into my daily life. I will share the progress with you guys and together we might make a small step into a better healthier future :)

Note - How about heat and Vit. C ?

Don't worry about Vitamin C and heat! Vitamin C gets damaged at 190 degrees, so even boiling water (100 degrees) will not harm Vitamin C which is basically an ascorbic acid molecule.