• Turn on a tap
these days and the chlorine’s so strong it can be like
walking into a swimming bath. If you’re buying bottles
of mineral water to avoid drinking that stuff, it might be worth
investigating a reverse osmosis water filter, which basically
takes out all chemicals, radioactive materials and pollutants.
They’re not cheap – but can pay for themselves over
a year or two. (An even bigger luxury – but one my husband
Craig and I felt was worth it as we had to completely re-plumb
our house anyway and plan to live here for the rest of our lives
– is a whole-house water filter, so that even our shower/bath
water is ultra-, ultra-pure.) We got ours from the Pure H20
Company (a.k.a. Aquathin Ltd.) at www.pureh20.co.uk,
who’ve always given great service.
• Trust me: vinegar
is the ultimate household multi-purpose cleaner. Best of all
is clear white vinegar, but failing that I often resort to organic
white wine vinegar or apple cyder vinegar for cleaning glass,
pictures, surfaces, cutting through dusty build-up on paintwork
– and I throw a capful in the washing machine in place
of fabric conditioner, for fluffy towels and soft linen.
• Dry cleaning
fluid is bad for clothes, bad for the planet (and almost certainly
bad for us, if it rubs against our skin). When I complained
to a girlfriend recently that my clothes were wearing out, she
blamed dry cleaning – and suggested I try airing and brushing
more, instead. I now have a capsule cleaning collection in a
small basket by my wardrobe: lint roller, clothes brush. I sponge
clothes rather than throw them in the laundry hamper, and iron
rather than drop on the floor – and I’m probably
saving £20 a month (not including wear-and-tear) on cleaning
my trousers and jackets.
• When they first
launched, Ecover household cleaners were less-than-effective.
(I have memories of decidedly grey underwear…) But if
you’ve given up on them, it’s time for a revisit:
the packaging’s been redesigned (I’m sorry, but
it’s a factor!), and the formulations are much more effective,
including a new Biological washing powder which works as well
as any conventional powder I’ve tried. Incidentally,
if
you do suffer from dry, itchy body skin – and haven’t
been able to fathom out why – it’s always worth
switching washing powders, as these highly fragranced, highly-chemical
products are often the culprit. Biological powders, in particular,
were always a no-no for anyone with sensitive skin, because
they tended to irritate – but the enzymes in Ecover’s
have been specially chosen for their non-irritancy. According
to their website, ‘one of the criteria we use when selecting
raw materials is that the ingredients must not fasten to textiles
– which minimises the chances of skin irritation and
allergies.’
In fact, they continue, ‘we use the same criteria that
cosmetics firms use to test ingredients for their kindness
to
the skin, which are much stricter than the criteria used by
conventional detergent manufacturers.’ I buy my Ecover
at the local natural food store.
•
First things first, understand why nature is so important by
getting out into it. And enjoying it. Go for a walk anywhere:
in a park, by a river, in the country, in your garden…
Listen to the birds, look at the animals, notice the plants,
smell the flowers. I went for a walk in Devon recently with
my horse (we live there) and as we lazed along in the sun gazing
out over the fields and looking at the hazy blue hills in the
distance, a tree by the roadside erupted into a charm of goldfinches
twittering away as they seduced mates for nest building. Later
I went for a walk with a friend in the moonlight. High up on
a ridge, the full moon hung over us lighting the landscape.
It was so beautiful, it took our breath away. That phenomenon
has been with us unchanged since the world began but the last
hundred years has seen more species become extinct than ever
in our history.
• Bring nature
into your house: buy yourself a bunch of fragrant flowers or
a house plant, a perfumed candle like Aveda's natural Pure-Fume
range (which also comes in oils for diffusers and tea lights),
room fragrances by Spiezia Organics (see our Perfect Presents
column), put lavender on your pillow and scented plant oils
in your bath (my favourite is Neals Yard Remedies Rose and Geranium,
see our Offers page for a special discount on this.)
• Be a white witch
– grow your own herbs. It’s the time to plant herbs
of all kinds, either grow your own from seed or buy plants.
You don’t need a garden, just a sunny window ledge or
door step. Our new favourite drink at beautybible.com planning
meetings is mint tea: just put a bunch of roughly torn mint
in a teapot, fill with freshly boiled water (filtered or bottled
if possible – it tastes so much nicer) and infuse for
5 to 10 minutes. Add honey if liked. For more information look
in our new book The 21st Century Beauty Bible where there’s
a section on herbs and their uses.
• Turn off switches:
I used to be profligate about leaving on lights and completely
overlook the tiny lights on the TV and my computer (which use
an extraordinary amount of electricity). Now I make a point
of doing a sweep and turning off everything at the wall. Cheaper
for me, better for the planet. Also, light your evening meals
with candles instead of electric lights: wildly romantic, very
flattering (lines and wrinkles simply disappear) and eco-friendly.
• Lastly, try and
buy everything in big containers. According to Aveda, who are
packaging shampoos and conditioners in litre-size packaging
for Earth Month, one litre bottle uses 43 per cent less packaging
than four 250 ml equivalents. And make sure packaging of all
kinds is post consumer recycled (PCR). There’s weasel
wording on many packages and ‘recyclable’ does not
mean ‘recycled’.
