Sunday 14 November 2010

Six weeks and counting...

Well, today marks the six week countdown to Christmas.  It's at this point every year that I realise that I have yet again failed to fulfill my last year's resolution of being better prepared, by buying things throughout the year.  I also realise that I haven't prepared by putting any money aside to buy presents and so, I spend the rest of November worrying about how I will make sure Santa can deliver at least some of the goodies on the boys' Christmas lists.  I cheer up once December 1st comes around, as this is when we always put the decorations up, and there's something about fairy lights that gives me warm fuzzy feelings!!  I love lights....the more the merrier!!!  I like the house to look like a twinkling fairy grotto

Thursday 11 November 2010

Stay fresh, naturally

My 10 year old son was asked to bring a deodorant to school for after PE.  He is only 10 and doesn't even sweat under there yet, let alone smell!!  So, I made him up a little spray bottle of mummy's magic:

Take a 100ml spray bottle and use a mixture of 50% witch hazel & 50% spring or

Wednesday 3 November 2010

Some chemical information - SLS/SLES

I should really be turning in for the night (especially on a school night) but, having mentioned SLS in yesterday's post, I didn't want to leave it too long before putting some information up about it so, here it is;

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate/Sulphate (SLS) is a very cheap detergent which is commonly used in cosmetic cleansers, hair shampoos, bath and shower gels, toothpastes, etc...
It is probably the most dangerous ingredient used in skin and hair care products, an ingredient which in the cleaning industry is used in garage floor cleaners, engine

Monday 1 November 2010

Don’t be flaky!!

Following on from the previous mention of eczema & psoriasis, I thought I would share my experience of these flaky, itchy and irritating skin conditions.  As eczema and asthma are quite prevalent in my family, I wasn’t unduly surprised when my first son was born with dry patches on the tops of his feet and the back of his knees.  The first thing to bear in mind when dealing with eczema is to prevent outside elements from causing flare ups.  For this reason, I bathed him only in salt water during the first few weeks until I found a good olive oil soap (castille) and then found a brand of SLS free body wash.  SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) is a cheap chemical used to make foaming products from shampoo & shower gel to toothpaste.  It is also an irritant particularly if you have sensitive skin or skin conditions.  Very strange then when you consider that it is also in