When not to juice…

Tags

carrots, cucumber, goji berries, juice, lemon, maca powder, orange, raw, spinach, superfood, vegan, vegetarian

…When you don’t own a juicer, thats when. Yes i did get some zingy, vibrant, healthier than healthy juice at the end of this ordeal but i don’t feel like i got as much liquid as i should. I.e. i feel like i wasted a lot of good stuff. I blended everything, added more Orange juice, a wee bit of water, blended again but still i just had mush. I really did try to drink… eat it, but it made me feel a bit sick. I then passed it through a sieve and i did get a great juice but the wasted pulp just wasn’t worth it.

Anyway, if you have a juicer, make this, it raw and thus full of everything great; Iron, Magnesium, Anti- oxidants, basically all the good vitamins and minerals. I guess the reason i was so determined to juice was that i wanted to try out my new purchases- Goji berries and Maca Powder. Goji berries (as you probably already know) are a Superfood and give a you a great boost. Maca Powder is completely new to me. Go Google it, but in short it’s great for: energy, nutrition, balancing hormones, elevating mood and even increasing libido.

Green & Leithy’s Green Super Juice:

• 1/4 of a Cucumber
• 2 handfuls of Spinach
• 1 stick of Celery
• 1/2 a Carrot
• 1/2 a Green Apple
• 1 thumb of Ginger
• juice of 1/2 a Lemon and 1/2 an Orange
• 1 teaspoon of Goji Berries
• 1 teaspoon of Maca Powder

1. Pop all the ingredients in a juicer
2. Or, blend everything except the powder

1. Strain over a sieve, then add the Maca

Homemade Shampoo!

Tags

aloe vera, castile soap, earl grey tea, homemade shampoo, jojoba oil, natural, orange, rosemary

I finally ran out of shampoo. I imagine that thought wouldn’t make most people as excited as i am. Excited because i could finally get to making my own. I have spent a good many hours researching how best to brew up my own brand of hair soap and here it is for you to be inspired. It did involve a few purchases that were quite tricky to track down and sadly a few times i had to resort to internet shopping. The initial cost also put me off but once i’d calculated how far these few ingredients would go (both in terms of versatility and in repeated use) and bearing in mind the accountability, i.e. i know what all the ingredients are/ what they do/ where they’re from AND that the finished products are all natural, all homemade there really wasn’t much left stopping me. (I’m not going to do a cost breakdown but i will say that for roughly £25 i have enough ingredients to make: 2 Shampoos, 4 Conditioners, 4 face creams, 8 eye make up removers, 6 face scrubs and 4 hand wash and thats with some goodies left over).

So yes, its a small start that i hope will one day lead to our home being free of most (if not all) mass- produced, chemical filled, expensive un-necessities.

Green & Leithy’s Homemade Shampoo:
Earl Grey Tea, Rosemary & Orange:
I used tea for it’s anti oxidant qualities, orange as its a good natural cleanser and removes build up and rosemary as its stimulates and strengthens the hair.

• 230ml nearly boiled Water
• 4 teaspoons of chopped, fresh Rosemary
• 85ml Castile Soap
• 3 tablespoons of Aloe Vera Juice
• 1/4 teaspoon of Jojoba Oil
• zest of 1/2 an Orange
• 2 Earl Grey tea bags

1. I reused a glass Balsamic Vinegar Bottle, removed the plastic pouring bit and sterilised first
2. In a jug add the water to the tea bags, leave to brew for 5 minutes
3. Add the rosemary and orange and leave to brew for another 5 minutes
4. Using a funnel and sieve, strain the liquid into your bottle and allow to cool
5. Add all the other ingredients, then place one whole sprig of rosemary in the bottle, refit the pouring bit and replace the lid
6. Shake before use…

Now, i think the main thing to get your head around with home-made cosmetics is that they will have very little in common with their shop bought versions. There are no chemicals to make it thick, or purple, or glittery(!)etc etc. Admittedly, my shampoo looks like toilet water and it’s very runny, but it did have a pleasant foaming affect and my hair really does feel SO much cleaner than usual. Of course, the real test will be when i run out of conditioner and serum, once i have the full home made experience i will be able to judge better.