Organic Haircare

I’ve been trying to get back into a more natural way of living lately. Having been consumed by work over the summer and autumn, I feel like I’ve been thrown off self-care balance a bit. So I went onto http://www.naturalskincare.ie and ordered a bunch of stuff, as you do.

I’ve normal to fine hair so I thought I’d try John Masters Organic Normal to Fine Hair Collection (because obvz). This is the Lavender Rosemary shampoo, the Citrus & Neroli conditioner and the Deep Scalp Follicle treatment (which I’ve never done before!).

The shampoo says it will make the hair shinier, thicker looking and increase volume as well as slowing hair loss. The conditioner says it increases shine, volume and fullness. It also says it treats dry scalp and strengthens the hair. The Deep Scalp Follicle Treatment promises to stimulate blood flow in the scalp which encourages healthy hair growth, and it eliminates free radicals, as well as apparently being an excellent volumiser for thin/fine hair.

I found the smell of the products were gorgeous, especially if you love essential oils. But the lovely smell didn’t last on my hair – only when I was using the products was there any smell, which is disappointing. But my hair definitely did feel lighter and looked healthy and shiny.  I’ve only started using these products and I found them good so I don’t know the longterm effects I’m just going over the immediate results I’ve gotten. I’d buy again if they weren’t so pricey at about 20 euro each nearly which isn’t ideal if you’re a college student with unfixed work (like me!).

I do absolutely adore the fact that PETA endorses John Masters Organics, it’s actually an organic line (which means no nasty chemicals and pesticides, which are harmful in the longterm), and that a lot of the products are suitable for vegans. Below I’ve gone onto the website and copied and pasted the guidelines the company follows.

All ingredients must meet strict guidelines :
1. All products must be made with 70-100% organic content
2. No sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, DEAs, MEAs, or TEAs
3. No GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism)
4. No animal testing
5. No artificial colors, fragrances or fillers
6. All plant extracts and essential oils must be certified organic whenever possible
7. All essential oils used must be steam-distilled and not extracted with propylene glycol – which kills the
effect of the oils
8. All plant oils must be cold pressed, not heat distilled – which kills the therapeutic properties of plant oils
9. All ingredients must be proven to be beneficial to the hair or skin
10. All ingredients must be harvested in an environmentally-friendly manner (wild-crafted)
11. All ingredients must be bio-degradable as possible

 

Minimal Me

Just a year ago I got my first job and I was so excited to spend my money on, essentially, keeping up with the Jones’. Every style blog and beauty article was telling me about ‘must buys’ and ‘essentials’ and how to build a makeup collection (why do women need to build a makeup collection unless they’re makeup artists?!).

 

 

Now I’m stuck here a year later with piles of unworn clothes and duplicates of products I never even used. I didn’t know it at the time but all of this physical clutter was clogging up my mind and giving me straight up anxiety. All this accumulation of stuff was stressing me out and I didn’t really know how to manage it.

 

 

One day I read an article about minimalism; how to ‘have less, do more. There were articles about unfucking your closet by creating a 37 piece capsule wardrobe, decluttering your beauty products and transitioning to more natural cosmetics, even making it easier to clean your room/house because you’ve less stuff for the sake of nostalgia and clutter.

 

 

I cleared out all the clothes that were not practical for my lifestyle (the weather here in Ireland is wet and cold), that weren’t my style, that I couldn’t imagine wearing in a few years time, that were ill-fitting, as well as things that didn’t suit me or I wouldn’t miss. Most of the clothes I haven’t worn are put up on Depop, and I’m going to set up an eBay account too. Some clothes I’ve donated to charity. Some I’ve given to friends and family.

 

 

As for beauty I gave products I didn’t use away to friends and family; hair texturisers, foundation, moisturiser, fake tan, etc- I threw out anything gone stale or unhygenic; eyeliners, mascaras, old nail varnishes, etc. What makeup I was left with could fit into a makeup bag easily. Packing takes a lot less time now and is much less stressful. As well as having less, I’ve been evaluating the ingredients in the products I was using. I now stick to a less than 10 ingredient guideline, or at least know what ingredients I am soaking into my skin.

 

 

I got rid of anything in my room that didn’t serve a purpose. Like I had old lamps with no bulb, random tables that just accumulated clutter, tons of old DVDs and books I read when I was 14. Just loads of ‘stuff’! I made sure everything had a place, which makes cleaning extremely quick and easy. I had to buy extra coat hangers, under bed storage boxes and a set of wicker baskets – but not much else.

 

 

Since then I’ve just been feeling so light and motivated. I’ve started doing things again like exercising, writing, drawing, reading – simply because my mind felt clear. I couldn’t believe how much of an impact my environment had on my brain. I’m going to do more detailed guidelines on how I decluttered my life in future – wardrobe, beauty and my room.