Just been leafing through another Christmas pressie, Raleigh Brigg's charmingly illustrated and handwritten guide to making your own all -natural lotions and potions. Everything from household cleaners, bug busters, face cleansers to gardening basics is there. Ms GP bought it for me; we're both trying to phase out sundry 'nasties' like parabens and petrochemicals in the bathing and cosmetic areas as much as possible - with varying success. We're pleased to have found a few brands worth giving a look in the High Street as well as the health stores. Though to be honest, it still is a bit of a lottery, labour intensive: entailing much peering short-sightedly (for me at least) at labels and to-in and fro-ing to different stores. And don't talk about expense...ouch! For us unscientific types, figuring out these ingredients lists can be like struggling to crack a code. Not all items with long, complicated names are necessarily harmful, conversely it seems as if every five minutes somebody somewhere is putting about scare stories about something which up to now we'd thought innocuous enough.
Not easy to judge Creatvity is needed, hence my categorisation of this post. Simplicity? Hmm, not sure about that one.
The biggie for me at least just now is hair colouring. It's only over the last couple of years that I've been using safer - note not 'safe' dyes; they're something I've always been wary of, but vanity will out plus Mr GP is not happy with a greying Greenpatch. However, as these days even my health store safer veg coluring irritates my scalp, I'm wondering if the dread day has come when I'll need to go grey gracefully. Strand tests with Henna have worked out okish though horror stories about hair falling out after treatment when it comes into contact with chemicals (I've my hair waved a couple of times a year) are putting me off. And it's so fiddly! Simplicity it ain't. Plus I don't fancy spending my evenings with my head wrapped in clingfilm with what smells like a decomposing compost heap on my hair.
Ah, 'vanity, all is vanity.' Now please excuse me whilst I go off and dunk my crowning glory in a gallon of strong tea..
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