How to make your own natural hand wash

May 12, 2016 · 18 Comments

How to make your own natural hand wash

Around this time of year (winter for us in Australia) the ads for ‘antibacterial’ handwashes start to hit our TV screens in force.

Apparently we need to buy their anti-bacterial handwash to have happy, healthy kids!

Not only are these ads misleading, they are promoting a product full of chemicals with the words healthy? Arrrgh!

Okay, so what is so bad about anti-bacterial handwash?

“There are two types of antibacterial products, those with alcohol and those with triclosan. Triclosan weakens the immune system and is suspected of causing cancer. Its overuse can also lead to the creation of “superbugs.” Slow Death by Rubberduck.

“Triclosan also affects the natural environment. Wastewater treatment does not remove all of the chemical, which means it ends up in our lakes, rivers and water sources. That’s especially unfortunate since triclosan is very toxic to aquatic life.” Environmental Working Group

Alcohol in antibacterial products worries me too. A 60-75% alcohol content makes them highly flammable and dangerous around children. There have been cases of children hospitalized from accidental ingestion and poisoning. A quick google search also reveals that teenagers are drinking hand sanitizers to get drunk!

Other ingredients commonly found in hand wash and sanitizer is fragrance which can contain phthalates – known endocrine disrupters. “They have been linked with endometriosis and early puberty in girls, and reproductive organ abnormalities and reduced fertility in males. They can also act on the thyroid, and have been linked with obesity.” Choice Australia

How to make your own natural hand wash

I do prefer to use a hand wash over soap and water… mostly because it is less messy in the bathroom. It’s so easy to make and it’s very cheap!

Here’s how you do it:

1. Get yourself a foam pump

You can buy foaming soap pumps/dispensers. If you want something cheaper and you are not worried about plastic, you can buy a foaming dispenser with hand wash already in it and then repurpose it! Eco Store and Thank You are two brands that make a foaming dispenser. Of course you can buy the hand wash refills and do it that way if you like but I prefer making it myself as it’s cheaper, contains fewer ingredients and I can tailor it to suit.

2. Pour in about 50ml (or 1/4 of your container) of Castile soap

Castile soap is a very mild, all purpose vegetable based liquid soap. One of the most popular brands is Dr Bronners – I like this company as the ingredients are ethically sourced. I use the unscented baby version.

3. Add around 10 drops of essential oils of your choice

This is where I like to tailor the hand wash to suit. If the family is a bit germy or it’s lurgy season, use some oils that will kill bugs like the tea tree or eucalyptus. You can also try the Wellness Warrior blend.

4. Top up with water and give a vigorous shake

This is the fun bit! Leave a little gap at the top so it mixes in well.

5. Your hand wash is ready to go!

The result is a natural, safe handwash at a fraction of the cost you buy them at the supermarket.

Is this something you might try??

PS thanks to my ‘hand model’, my daughter… she thought it would be cute to make a heart shape with it 😀

The Best Australian Natural Skincare Brands

June 19, 2014 · 43 Comments

The Best Australian Natural Skincare Brands

I often get asked what natural skincare brands are best, so I have made you a list with some of my favourites. Skincare is such a personal thing though, so try a few out and find something that suits your skin. Some places have options of sample packs or travel packs, which is a great way to go to see if you like a range. I have added in a few little discounts that I could find for you as well. For specific information, click on the links!

“The average woman uses 12 products containing 168 different ingredients daily” EWG

Why would you use natural skincare?

The skin is our largest organ and whatever you put on it, goes directly into your blood stream and to your organs. Much of the skincare in the marketplace is full of nasty toxins that have been linked with cancers, allergies, asthma, hormone disruption and so much more. There is also the accumulative effect to consider of using these products, day in day out over your lifetime.

Unfortunately, the labelling laws in our country are a little behind the times and products can use the natural or organic labels even if they only contain tiny amounts of natural ingredients. As consumers, we have to educate ourselves and be a little savvy. My top tip is that if something claims to be organic and it’s less than $10, it’s probably not. Good quality organic and natural ingredients are not cheap to produce so you do have to pay for the quality. But, to be honest, I can’t put a price on my health, so I choose to use great quality natural products and cut back on other expenses.

I use two trusted resources in working out what to put on my skin – The Chemical Maze books and the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. Do your research and learn what to avoid and what is safe!

♥ Twenty8

Twenty8 is a 100% natural range, free from all synthetic chemicals, preservatives and fragrances. Twenty8 is a truly holistic aromatherapy based range, working on both a cellular and psychological level. Kim uses only the highest quality products using therapeutic-grade, botanical ingredients which penetrate deeply into the layers of the skin to deliver exceptional results. I love these products – the aromatherapy oils really make it a special experience.

Check out Twenty8 online.

♥ Eco by Sonya

Eco by Sonya Driver started with one product – Eco Tan and it’s grown to become an Aussie favourite over the last few years. The gorgeous skincare range is certified organic and powered by fruits, vegetables and seeds. Vegan and cruelty free, Eco by Sonya has no synthetic ingredients and no SLS’s or parabens.

Get it online here.

♥ Kelapa Organics

Kelapa Organics is a boutique luxury organic skin care company with a hero ingredient of coconut oil. The products are 100% natural, made with certified organic ingredients, vegan friendly and accredited cruelty free. Kelapa Organics is an Australian owned family business and is based in Melbourne where all the products are made.

As well as skin care, Kelapa also have haircare, bath, baby and body care in the range. Get free shipping when you spend over $50 and $10 off your first order when you sign up. I found the skin care range to be great on my face – it’s beautiful quality and feels very luxurious.

Find Kelapa Organics online.

♥ Gaia Skincare

Gaia provides nourishing skincare products that feed your skin and keep it healthy. Gaia have the whole family covered with GAIA Pure Pregnancy, GAIA Natural Baby, GAIA Skin+Body and GAIA Made for Men. They are Australian made and owned and specifically tailored for sensitive skin, combining natural and certified organic oils and extracts. Essential oils, rather than synthetic fragrances are used. My family love this range – the boys use the men’s range regularly and the NNAD will not use any other shave gel. A very affordable natural range that is also great quality.

Check them out online and get some free samples or find a local stockist.

♥ The Jojoba Company

The Jojoba Company has created a natural range of skin and body care products with a strong focus on anti-aging and skin health.

The company are committed to not testing on animals or using animal derivatives, parabens, chemicals, sulphates, artificial fragrances, colours, perfumes, PEGs, mineral oil or petrochemicals.

Check out The Jojoba Company online.

Here are some other Aussie natural skincare companies to check out:

Black Chicken Remedies – All Black Chicken organic beauty products are hand made with natural ingredients, no parabens, no petrochemicals and no artificial ingredients. Black Chicken Remedies are free from animal cruelty and capture the powerful and anti ageing benefits of therapeutic oils and plant extracts.

La Mav – Certified organic, Australian made and cruelty free. Love the BB Creme!

Antipodes – These are a New Zealand brand (but I love them, so it’s okay!!) Inspired by the natural beauty in NZ, Antipodes do things with style, from the full traceability of ingredients from sustainably cultivated plants, to local production and recyclable packaging.

Mokosh – Fremantle brand, Mokosh is organic, preservative-free, certified organic, palm oil-free and fair trade. They take an unconventional approach to their formulations, using no water. The moisturisers are thus very concentrated – up to 5 times more than a standard lotion.

Vanessa Megan – Quality natural and organic products, certified cruelty free with recyclable packaging. The beautiful products are luxurious, scientifically proven, eco-friendly, and completely natural and organic.

MV Organic Skincare – Originally developed for those with extreme skin sensitivities such as eczema and rosacea, these products are very gentle and effective. Pure quality and enriched with rare and precious oils, this is a luxury skincare range.

Divine – Divine is a premium quality certified organic skincare range formulated by Therese Kerr in Northern NSW.

Where to shop?

You can find some of these brands in health food stores or eco-stores, but I prefer to shop online for the great range of products available.

♥ Biome Eco Store. Founded by Tracey Bailey, this small family business is a favourite. They stock a huge range of things, that are organic, natural, recycled and fairtrade; skincare being just one of their lines. Tracey has a rewards program, free shipping over $130 and a 5% discount.

You might also like to read:

The Best Natural Makeup Brands

The Best Natural Perfumes

The Best Natural Sunscreens

The Best Natural Insect Repellents

{this post contains some sponsored content and affiliate links}

Resources for Raising Natural New Age Kids

February 26, 2014 · 14 Comments

Resources for Raising Natural New Age Kids

So, you are all into the natural, new age thing but your kids are not?

One of the best ways to teach is by example. Let them watch you doing things like eating a healthy snack, recycling some paper or taking time out of your day to relax with yoga.

They see. They learn.

I have also found some awesome resources that explore this concept a little further if you need some inspiration.

Kelly Burstow at Be A Fun Mum has a printable list of 100 things you can do with your child to learn how to live in the moment. Enjoying and appreciating the small things is a valuable life lesson.

Caroline at Gardening 4 Kids has some fabulous ideas on how to teach children to connect with nature. She says (and I agree wholeheartedly) that encouraging younger generations to think and act in a more environmentally sustainable manner has to be a good thing.

The beautiful people at Embrace Virtues have an amazing blog post about how to teach children to access their inner joyfulness, even when they are feeling sad. Actually, I want to give this technique a go – it’s sounds just blissful!

Kirri White at Kirri White Coaching shares her tips on teaching meditation to children. I love the ideas of imagining bubbles or taking imaginary trips. All very easy and age appropriate.

Kelly Burch at Transformations with Kelly Burch has some great tips on how to help children with problems, using energy work. Kids can easily learn EFT (tapping) to help them deal with emotions.

Debra Dane at Home Life Simplifed has 30 ways to teach children about kindness and gratitude at her blog.

Author Jennifer Cohen Harper has a beautiful book, Little Flower Yoga for Kids. The book aims at teaching children to pay attention, increase focus, and balance their emotions-all while building physical strength and flexibility.

Do you have any other resources you like for teaching your kids natural, new age stuff?

Click here to check out the Superfoods for Kids range.

Win 1 of 3 Notox Boxes!

April 9, 2013 · 174 Comments

“I found so many people wanted to make a change but just couldn’t because it was too overwhelming, it would take too much time, cost too much money, there were too many big words, and they didn’t have a health food store handy!” ~ Sharon, founder of Notox Box.

I am really excited to be teaming up with Notox Box this week and offering you this giveaway! Notox Box is perfect for those wanting to explore natural products and don’t really know where to start. You can dip your toes in the water!

So what is Notox Box?

Notox Box is an Australian company who send you out a monthly sample box of some of the most exciting natural, organic or eco products in the marketplace. Find out more about Sharon and her passion here.

How much does it cost?

$25 per month or less if you sign up to more months. Postage is included and there are no contracts.

What is in the box?

You get a combination of full size, travel size and sample size items. Some things included are:

organic food
health food
superfoods
eco home and lifestyle products
natural and organic beauty products
ethical and socially conscious products

So, what do I think?

I received the Notox Box for February, March and April in the mail. I don’t know about you, but I love getting parcels in the mail and each month it was a lovely surprise to see what treats I had in store for me. I have come across many new products I have not heard of before or seen in my local stores. The cost of the box is very reasonable and appears to me to be equivalent to what you would pay in a store.

I like that you can access samples of products before committing to a full size product. Let’s face it, some of the organic products on the market are not cheap! If you do like a product, you can order it from the Notox Box website in a full size, although there is no obligation to do this. Each month as a box comes out, the girls are adding the new products to the store, so it will become a good place to one-stop shop.

I think it would make a wonderful gift idea – the gift that keeps on giving every month and perfect for those hard to buy for people. It is definitely something I would consider for my family and friends.

Okay, so who wants to try out this month’s Notox Box? Sharon has kindly offered to giveaway three April boxes to three of you!

Sharon Chung, founder of Notox Box

This giveaway has now closed. The winners were Belinda, Trish and Jodey. Thank you!

How to enter:

* Be a blog subscriber of Natural New Age Mum (that’s me!). Add your email address to the top right hand side of the blog. Please recheck you are still subscribed after my blog move!

* Like ‘Notox Box’ on Facebook. Go here.

* Have a squizzy on the Notox Box website (go here) and comment on this blog post, telling me which product you would most like to sample.

Terms and conditions: This giveaway runs from now until midnight, Friday the 20th of April, 2013. Winners will be chosen using random.org from those fulfilling the entry requirements, emailed and announced on this blog post. This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Facebook. Sorry, it’s only available to those with an Australian address.

The April Notox Box

Sharon is also offering all of you a discount if you would like to try any of the products in the store. Just enter the code NEWAGE at checkout where it says “redeem discount coupon” to receive a 10% discount. Valid till 30 April. Available for all products excluding monthly subscriptions and gift certificates. I am going to get me some more of those maple-roasted almonds…. mmmm yum!

Good luck everyone and many thanks Sharon and the Notox Box team!

Make contact:

Website: www.notoxbox.com.au

Email: hello@notoxbox.com.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/notoxbox