Landlocked Mermaid

Over the last couple weeks I have been scrolling deep into Pinterest for recipes. Not for food, I google those, but for beauty and cleaning products. I have been compiling a board, you can check it out here ! I've been toying with the idea of making my own products since I couldn't find a conditioner bar which suited me. And I've finally had an afternoon free where I can make a mess and have some fun! All the ingredients. I decided to start with three, mostly because I was limited by ingredients. But I figured that was a good thing because if I am terrible at this or they don't work then I haven't spent much on it. But if they do work, then I can venture onto bigger things! The three I have gone for are: Hand Scrub Deep Hair Conditioner Facial Sugar Scrub Ingredients aside, I went for these three because I have a greater need for these. My job is hard on my hands - so much cracked skin! - so I need to pamper them more often. ...

So, in case you missed it, I am consciously trying to reduce my plastic consumption. The easiest way to do this, for me, has been switching to shampoo bars. So I thought I'd tell you a little about my journey to the shampoo bar which suits me best in the hopes that you might try some too. My hair is actually one of the few vanities I have in my life. I love to dress up for a night out or Hallowe'en, but most days I am make-up free and wearing whatever I find first in my draws. My straw realated Instagram from the other day is an indicator of how little I care about clashing patterns. But my hair? I love my hair. It is my glorious ginger waterfall. It's long. It's curly. It's (unnaturally) ginger. One of my few extravegances of the year is to get it dyed at the expensive salon in town. Although my roots are begging for me to go again. And the heat is making me want to chop half of it off, which I know is a mistake - it just goes boofy. But anyway, I digress...

This was supposed to be an Ancient Seas post. I was researching that on my break at work and realised I was getting confused because I was looking up the wrong animal! So that's coming soon. Instead, I decided to give you an update on my plastic reduction efforts, what with it being #PlasticFreeJuly. With the job I have, I sometimes feel like the problem - god damn straws! - so it's nice to remind myself of how much I am achieving in my household. Got to balance my plastic footprint somehow! 1) Switch to Shampoo Bars   One of the few vanities I have is my hair. I can get fussy about what shampoo I use as I have quite a lot of hair. It is long, it is curly, and it is coloured. It's my ginger waterfall, I love it. I was a little worried that with the bars, I wouldn't be able to lather them up enough to clean my hair properly. I have had some success, though, which has encouraged me to get some more and try different styles. I struggled with the conditioner,...

Dear Shropshire County Council, I'm sure you are well aware of the recent media attention plastic pollution has been recieving. Between David Attenborough's Blue Planet II and charities such as Surfers Against Sewage , the desire to turn the plastic tide is becoming greater. While I am aware we are landlocked Shropshire - our plastic waste is still an issue and is contributing towards the ocean pollution as roughly 80% of all waste in the ocean comes from the land. But to bring the issue back home, our streets are covered in single-use plastics. With the recent good weather over the Bank Holiday weekends, I, personally, saw a massive increase in litter spread far and wide across my town. Water bottles, lolly wrappers, cans, take out containers. It was everywhere. Just a small example   While I do not blame you for the publics' wanton littering, all this rubbish begged the question: Where are all the bins? Some context for you, I live in Market Dra...

In case you missed it, cutting out plastic from my life sent my brain reeling somewhat. I rambled incoherently for a lot of words and didn't really make any concrete plans. Things have changed. A little, I mean it is still colossally overwhelming. I just have to keep remembering, I am but one human, at this juncture I can only take baby steps. But baby steps add up, especially if I can inspire some of you to follow in my tentative steps. And that is exactly the ethos behind the source of my newly gained confidence. The #2minutesolution book: No. More. Plastic. by Martin Dorey. I got this book at the beginning of the week and I have already finished it. By the founder of the Beach Clean Network and #2minutebeachclean. I found this book massively helpful because it has an easy reading tone. It's not agressive or preachy; it just talks sense. And the best bit? It offers help. Excuse me while I sing a chorus of heavenly hallelujahs. It has a logical progression ...