The coolest thing EVER - Bee's Wraps!!!

As this month's challenge is about detoxing my home, and I have done almost all I can think of before - I have been searching long and hard to improve the situation even further. One thing I couldn't get my head around was how to get rid of cling film. Although I try to use glass containers for most things, sometimes the convenience of that plastic is just too great.

But, stubborn to find a solution for this, I have indeed been googling my behind off and I came across the absolutely GENIUS Bee's Wraps!! They are simply cotton sheets covered with bee's wax and jojoba oil and the heat from your hands will allow them to form around any item you wish to wrap. And present a perfect food preserving environment! And are reusable again and again and again!

The not so genius thing was the price. Dead expensive if you ask me. There must be a way of making them myself! Again, google was my friend and I found other people that had already come to the same conclusion and found away of making their own!

So, to the works!!!

1) I cut some leftover cotton sheets that had been washed many times. I did a range of sizes since I want to have options :)

2) I put organic bee's wax granulate (that I happened to have around from making facial creams) on top of it and then shoved it in the oven on low temperature until it melted and the cotton had soaked up all the wax.

Out and let dry - it literally takes less than a minute - and they are ready to use. And they cost me close to nothing. THAT, I say, is genius!!!

I just love when things are both clever AND pretty. That brings me sick amount of satisfaction.

No grease ball!

So, for my fellow "no poo":ers and all the sceptics out there, I will now show you what my hair looks like after more than a week of washing with nothing but water. It's been 9 days, in fact. Still no haircut though (gosh, it's been a year now!) or hairstyle... or makeup... just pure me, ha!

This is working so well with my hair that I think I might be ready to drop hair washing altogether soon. Usually I'm a 'conditioner only' kind of gal, but it needs to be said: water rules!

/Alexandra

No poo hair report and Thurlow sewing status

Last night I got to sew on my Thurlows for an hour - yay!!!! I have now attached the waistband. Left to do is hemming (boooooooring), attaching belt loops and sewing buttons and button holes. I doubt I get any more sewing time until maybe Sunday, but soon there will be pictures - promise!


In the meantime I want to share some pics of my hair! I went "no 'poo" (stopped using shampoo) in August and I do get questions about how I'm getting on. I have to say I am very pleased with the results so far. I don't get oily hair nearly as fast as before and my hair has a whole new body to it. I lived under the impression that I had very thin, flat and lifeless hair naturally. Boy, was I wrong! I actually have quite full hair with plenty of volume and it looks so healthy now!

I haven't cut my hair since before I had my baby, some 9 months ago, due to lack of time. Please ignore non existent hairstyle... and while you're at it, any suggestions on hairstyles?

Dried naturally, no brushing.

After brushing

/Alexandra

Packing for a week in the sun

Soon we're off for a precious family holiday and a week in the sun. So, what do I bring?


First, I am delighted to show off my holiday wardrobe - because it is ALL MADE BY ME! Even the bikini!! Did I hear awesome!! ?

Secondly, I'd like to share my toiletry bag, because I believe that you can be pretty organic even when you're away (yes I know this is like a fart in space compared to the environmental stress caused by actually getting there, but you gotta do something, right?):

The beauty box itself is made from upcycled vintage fabric, not made by me though. I actually bought it from a crafty person on Facebook. I love it!!

- Sunscreen: after lots of research with contradicting information I have decided that the least bad shit you can use against the harmful rays (other than clothes) contain no chemical filters (only physical) and are based on zink as opposed to titanium dioxide. And maybe the most important factor: no nano particles! The choice for the kids came down to Badger, found here. For us parents we have decided to use the stuff we already have, but try to use as little as possible. Staying in the shade is pretty effective too, as is wearing clothes of course.

- Then, as I keep raving about coconut oil, going on holiday without it is not an option. It actually offers low sun protection too, about SPF 7.1, so it should work during late afternoon instead of the regular creams.
- Olive oil, for removing make up and facial cleansing. Also offers about SPF 7.5 naturally by the way.
- Conditioner, "no poo"-style from Faith in Nature. This is used by the entire family, or at least those of us who have any hair...
- Aleppo soap for body and hand wash, for everyone.
- Shampoo, dry cake from Lush Cosmetics. Parabene free but contains SLS. Used by the rest of the family. Bonus feature - you don't have to carry any heavy water!

• Wooden hairbrushes.
• Tooth brushes made of bamboo and organic toothpaste.

Also, we mainly use GLASS travel sized containers. Won't they break? God, no! These are VERY thick and durable. They add a little extra weight compared to plastic, sure, but it is worth it. I have actually had both exploded plastic shampoo bottles as well as cracked ones in my luggage in the past. No issues with the glass ones.


For the small baby we have to bring some special stuff, like diapers. We use cloth at home and cloth away. The only thing we change is that when we travel, we pretty much only use flats (muslin squares) instead of all-in-ones or pocket style diaps. These are very easy to clean, even without a proper washing machine, and they dry in 15 minutes in the sun - no kidding. Just need to remember to bring a washing line and some pegs in case we need more drying space, and a little washing powder. We also bring our glass baby bottle and a cotton bib.

Flat diapers from Småfolk and Minimundus.

PUL-bag for dirty diapers and a bunch of cloth baby wipes.

Very soon I'll be hanging out here:

Photo borrowed from Bahia Principe's website.

Have a nice week people! In the meantime you can check out my Green Stuff section - it is now updated and covers everything in our bathroom. Next area will be kitchen, stay tuned!

Peace and love!
/Alexandra

Green gob stuff!

My husband ordered some biodegradable toothbrushes for the family the other day, and today they arrived. Don't they look pretty cool? The wooden ones are bamboo and the baby one is made from corn starch. When they have lived their happy lives in our mouths and are ready to die, they can be thrown in the compost bin! I tied some cotton string around them to keep them apart.

They are ordered from jordklok.se along with some organic toothpaste.

By the way, today I did all the preparations for yet another FBA tutorial. I'll post it tomorrow so make sure you come back if you're into sewing!

Sleep tight!
/Alexandra

A little note on respect for clothes...

In my slow fashion section I go on about reusing clothes that are not fit for wearing any longer. I thought I'd share examples of what I have done recently in that department.

When I was pregnant I wore this roomy, comfy, tunic (not actually maternity clothing).
Picture borrowed from Gudrun Sjödén.

I love the print, but to be honest, the color makes me look like I have a terminal illness. What to do... Well, why not turn it into leggings for my 6y old super hero? Yes!!!

Why is this brilliant? Because she gets pants that are unique? Because I don't have to buy her new pants? Because I still get to see this wild print? Yes. But the best reason is that she gets clothing with less chemicals!! The fabric has been washed a lot and most of the bad stuff is hopefully gone. Kids are more sensitive than adults to toxics so I like to be careful with the precious ones. Score!

Another thing I made the other day is a beanie for momma! :-) My husband had this green sweater but the delicate fabric was ripped in a couple of places. It was not mendable (because if it was, OFCOURSE that would have been my priority ;-) hrmm) so I simply had to think of something else.
I liked the row of buttons so they got to stay. Whattaya think?

 ->



And other stuff you could make, out of scraps even, is baby wipes! I promise your baby would rather have its a** wiped with soft cotton than some harsh drenched crap you can buy just about anywhere (yes, I have a strong opinion). Go on - ask your baby. If it responds with something along the lines of "gooogh", "gaaah" or "weeeeh", then you know I'm right. Pretty much any absorbent and soft fabric is suitable for this such as old t-shirts,  towels etc. Avoid microfiber though.


/Alexandra