Existing

17:07

DIY food and beauty

I have become slightly rather informed of the unwanted things that I've been ingesting and putting onto my body. The chemicals, the hormones, the unlabelled ingredients, the preservatives, the additives, the list goes on.

This is part of the reason I became vegetarian four years ago, that and because I wanted to limit the amount of deaths I was responsible for. Not to mention meat production is hardly a sustainable act. I've also opted to only buy or make things that are completely natural.

Not only is it cheaper growing your own vegetables, it is ridiculously enjoyable. Now, I'm normally a very impatient person. But watching these wonderful plants grow is very rewarding. It is not even that difficult and doesn't require that much handling. That's the beautiful thing about Mother Nature, she knows how to take care of herself.

Currently I am cultivating a mini garden. I'm growing kale, baby spinach, mini cos lettuce, purple carrots, spring onion, parsley, thyme and rosemary. I also have plum, apple and pear trees in my backyard. I love these little guys and cannot wait to devour them all. I hope to expand my garden and grow various fruit and vege. I'd like to grow some pumpkin, squash, spinach, lettuce, chilli, basil, tomato, capsicum, cauliflower, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries and maybe some beets.

I wish you all happy growing! ✌

The fascinating thing about this planet is that it has given us literally everything we need to survive. Things that are not from nature are not essential to your wellbeing and a generally just a marketing ploy. Now, I love naturual beauty products. Although, I've found that it is very difficult to find products that do not contain preservatives, although if it is a honey based product there shouldn't be preservatives as honey is a natural preservative! The only place I purchase beauty products from is lush, everything else is home made. Here are my one true loves from Lush!

Angels on Bare skin

This is an astounding face scrub. The magic of this face scrub is that it has so few ingredients that are 100% natural and preservative free! The almonds help even out skin tone by acting as a toner and a brightener and the lavender helps as a calming agent.

Sea Spray hair mist

This is fabulous. I don't do anything to my hair in regards to styling except spraying with this. Is smells amazing and it leaves your hair feeling beautiful and beachy. It also has a rather good hold and helps give hair volume.

Here are a few of my favourite shampoos. Now, before I started using Lush I would have to wash my hair 3-4 times a week. Now I only have to wash it once a week, if that.

Daddy-O

This guy is fantastic for blonde hair. It also leaves it ridiculously clean and bright and moisturised. It has lemon juice and a seaweed infusion my shine and various oils to keep in the moisture.

Fair Trade Honey

Now, I will never stop speaking of the power of bees! This shampoo is fan-freaking-tastic! Now, because of the bee-utiful properties of honey, this shampoo has no preservatives! Honey is fantastic for all types of hair and is great for natural moisturiser for your hair. Not to mention it smells beautiful!

Happy Hippy

This beautiful soul doubles as a body wash and a shampoo! It has a delicious grapefruit smell and is wonderful on the skin and hair. The perfect thing to centralise your aura!

Now, Lush isn't the cheapest thing on the block. But it is very high quality and the company has wonderful morals. If you're looking for cheaper options here are some handmade things you can try.

Oatmeal and honey scrub

If you're looking for an exfoliant and something to make your skin glow this one is a must. This one is wonderful and so wonderfully simple. All you need is the following:

1/3 cup of oats (gentle exfoliation)

1 tablespoon of honey (antibacterial, retains and attracts moisture)

1 tablespoon of lemon juice (clears blemishes and age spots)

1 teaspoon of olive oil (Conditioning)

All you need to do is mix the ingredients together until a thick paste is formed. This scrub can be used on any part of the body including the face!

Avocado and Honey face mask

This is very good for dry skin. The avocado is good for moisturising and the honey provides it's healing properties to dry and chaffed skin. You will need:

Half an avocado

2 tablespoons of honey

1/2 a tablespoon of honey

Mix all together until deliciously mushy and apply to your face. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. If you have any mask left over, it tastes delicious on toast.

Honey face mask

I cannot express enough how magical honey is. It is an antibacterial agent and is marvellous at brightening and evening out skin tone and it is a tasty snack! You can also add banana to this mask and use it on your face or hair.

All you need is:

A couple of teaspoons of honey.

Massage onto face and leave for 15-20 minutes and then wipe off with a warm damp cloth.

Tasty lip scrub

Do you have dry lips? Grab a tiny bit of sugar and massage between your lips to exfoliate them for deliciously kissable lips.

Tea bags

Another good tip is using teabags on your face. It works as a brightener and toner and you can also use the tea bags on your eyes to lessen puffiness and dark circles. All you need to do is choose a teabag. Green tea is good for brightening the skin. I use lemon and green tea if I'm having a bit of a break out.

Steaming

Steaming your face also gets rid of toxins by helping to open up the pores. All you need is a large bowl to stick your head over. If you do not have a large enough bowl just use your sink! That's what I do. Simply boil the kettle and fill up the bowl/sink to desirable level. You can steam with plain water or you can steam with added oils. Good oils to add include Rose or lavender. I also add lemon if I'm having problematic skin. Once the water is added into sink/bowl place your face over it and cover your head with a towel so the steam doesn't escape. I usually steam for around 5-8 minutes.

05:09

Today I stumbled upon a documentary that explores the Purity Pledge movement in America. Now, this documentary is a few years old (It was filmed in 2008), but it is still quite relevant.

If you were unaware, a purity pledge is where a person (most likely a female) makes the promise of remaining a virgin until marriage. Some pledges also exclude kissing or being alone with the opposite sex until marriage.

Obviously, religion plays heavily on the decision that these people make. Now in the documentary that I viewed, it was only young girls who made the pledge and it heavily accentuated the fathers influence on the daughters decision. What fascinated me about the story was that the girls had virtually the same view that I have on sex and relationships, although my view is slightly more lenient.

I am not a virgin, nor am I married, nor did I wait until I was married to kiss a boy. Although, I did wait for a person that I do love. Just like these girls I don't see the point in wasting my time with someone I don't want to be with for a very long time. But unlike these girls, religion and God were not a factor in my decision. Basically, my stance on sex before marriage is if you can't see the person as the father or mother of your child, do not have sex with them. If you are going to feel immense shame when you have sex with that person, do not have sex with them. It is that simple. Now, if you want to go and have one night stands, I say go for it. I don't judge. But you cannot complain that you now have herpes. Friends don't give friends herpes.

I'm merely fascinated by peoples decisions. I also find it interesting the way religion plays a main role in some peoples choices and in mine it didn't even make an appearance, yet we all seem to have the same views.

I honestly do think sex is a special thing between two people. I couldn't be so intimate with a stranger. But hey, that's just my opinion.

If you're interested, the documentary is below. Take what you will.