Image from Bryan Marcel.com

My husband is a scientist and couldn’t be more anti hair dye. At the same time as being anti, he has been the one to dye my hair and he’s done a great job! But over time he has worn me down and I am now growing out my hair and will be a la natural! This has got me thinking — what is it in hair dyes that are so nasty?

So I headed to the National Cancer Institute Website in America to find out more. Turns out in the late 1970s hair dye ingredients were changed as chemicals were found to cause cancer in animals. The Website says the evidence of increased risk to cancer from hair dye is, however, inconsistent. So to date, it is yet to be proven that hair dye causes cancer. Well that’s good news!

Next I turn to the FDA who says several coal-tar hair dye ingredients have been found to cause cancer in lab animals: 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine (4-MMPD or also called 2,4-diaminoanisole). For this reason these chemicals should be listed on the box, so you know they’re in the hair dye. Other chemicals found to have caused cancer in at least one animal species are 4-chloro-m-phenylenediamine, 2,4-toluenediamine, 2-nitro-p-phenylenediamine and 4-amino-2-nitrophenol.

Next I thought I’d do a wee test. I put together a list of common chemicals found in hair dye that can cause nasty reactions and have listed them below. Then I thought I’d see how many of them were in my hair dye at home. The chemicals are:

4-ABP: A common byproduct produced during hair dye making process. 4-ABP is seldom found in brown dye (but it is frequently found in blonde, red, and black dye).

P-phenylenediamine (or PPD): Helps hair dye to remain bright after lots of washes. PPD is toxic to the immune system, nervous system, lungs, kidneys, and liver and has been linked to serious allergic reactions, including blistering and burns on the skin.

Resorcinol: Is an endocrine-disrupting chemical. Meaning, it can interfere with the normal production of bodily hormones. The European Union has declared resorcinol to be a harmful chemical that damages the environment and causes severe irritation to the eyes and skin.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Hydrogen peroxide is a corrosive chemical found in hair bleaching products. Tests conducted on animals have revealed that it is toxic to the digestive system, the lungs, and the nervous system. Although it is illegal to add hydrogen peroxide to personal care products in Canada and Japan, many countries still allow it.

Ammonia: Is a potent skin irritant that can cause swollen or red eyes. Note that ammonia is sometimes used in place of PPD in hair dye, and it is preferable to PDD.

Lead Acetate: Is a dangerous chemical (toxic to the brain and nervous system) found in some hair dyes that gradually (rather than immediately) darken hair.

My hair dye at home is a well known brand, which I brought from the supermarket. Of the six chemicals listed above, my hair dye has four of them and the amount of each chemical was stated on the box. My hair dye didn’t have lead acetate or 4 ABP (as it’s a shade of brown).

What I took from this exercise is that if you dye your hair, you’re not going to avoid these chemicals. Rather, it’s important to understand what these chemicals are and how they can adversely affect you so you can make an informed decision on whether to use hair dye or not. I’m choosing not to, but for years I did and never had a bad reaction.

So the choice is yours.

Image from Good Shepherd

Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand is encouraging everyone to eat Fair Trade chocolate this Easter to help make sure that no trafficked children picked the cocoa beans used to make their chocolate.

In case you aren’t aware of it, there are currently children as young as 10 years old working on cocoa plantations in West Africa, the source of 75% of the world’s cocoa.

So if you can, do take at lease one of the actions below for 2013 Fair Trade Chocolate for Easter Campaign:

Buy only ethically produced chocolate such as Fair Trade, UTZ and Rainforest Alliance Certified.
Eat only Fair Trade Chocolate during Easter.
Talk to five people you know about Fair Trade chocolate and encourage them to talk about it, too: at work, in school, at church, on social media.

For more information and additional things you can do to help the campaign, visit the Good Shepherd site.

Remember that when it’s Fair Trade, it’s all good.

So this week’s blog is about ideas on what to do with the kids – ideas that are cheap, mostly free and awesome fun.

I’d love it too if you guys out there shared your own ideas on our website or Facebook page as I’m always keen to find news things to do with my wee boy.

So here’s some ideas:

• Check out your community newspapers for local events being held over Easter
• Play backyard cricket with the kids and have them pretend to be Michael Clarke or Brett Lee
• Take the kids for a bus ride (something I haven’t done yet with my boy)
• Visit a construction site (very pertinent for me here in Christchurch with the earthquake rebuild)
• Take the dog for a walk
• Visit your local museum (they’re usually free)
• Dive into your local pool
• Play dress ups
• Play board games if it’s raining or try charades if the kids are older
• Visit your local gardens
• Visit the grandparents (and enjoy the Easter goodies you’ll be given)
• Check out your local beach. Remember to put your rubbish in the bins provided or take it home
• Go for a bike ride – try going further afield and visit your local mountain bike tracks
• Set up your play dough to have an Easter theme – make eggs and decorate them.

Well here’s some great stuff to do.

Have a happy Easter and remember if you have any ideas I’d love you to share them.

Image from: http://cig-icg.blogspot.co.nz/2012/04/easter-recess-save-dates-and-climate.html

Image from childfriendlycity.com.au

Bendigo Bank Bendigo Easter Festival, Australian’s the longest ongoing festival that has been held annually for 140 years,  will have four exciting days of fun and entertainment for all ages, from 29 March to 1 April 2013, at the Rosalind Park, Pall Mall, Bendigo, Victoria.

Programme includes roving entertainment, a carnival, movie screenings, an animal farm, a labyrinth, farmers markets, and several Easter Egg Hunts. All for free.

Image from handmade craftmarket.blogspot.com

Handmade Craft Market is the much-awaited event for all things handmade, handcrafted, and homegrown products to the Central Coast and beyond.

There will be more than 90 stalls of fab handmade originals and delicious treats, face painting, kids craft, and feather hair extensions.

Plus, the first 100 people through the doors will receive a free goodie bag of samples and offers! Boo yeah!

Certainly not to be missed on Saturday, 30th March 2013, from 9.30am – 2.30pm, at the Bridgecoast Stadium, Duffys Road, Terrigal.  Gold coin donation for entry, wherein 100% of which will go to local charities.

If you won’t be anywhere within the vicinity of those two said events, check out these ones:

Easter Saturday Book Fair – 30 March 2013, 9am- 5pm, at the Pearl Beach Memorial Hall, 9 Diamond Road, Pearl Beach NSW

Falls Creek Easter Festival - 21 – 31 March 2013, at the Slalom Plaza, 1 Slalom Plaza, Falls Creek, Victoria

Patonga Easter Fete – 30 March 2013, 9am- 1pm, at the Patonga Progress Hall, Corber Bay & Brisk Streets, Patonga, NSW

Tilba Easter Festival – 30 March 2013, along Bate Street, Central Tilba NSW

White Sands Festival – 30 March 2013, along Park Street, Huskisson NSW

Wollombi Easter Market – 1 April, 8am -2pm, at Wollombi, NSW

Image from Cool2Craft.com

So let’s get crackin’ (egg joke) and have fun at it, while teaching our young ‘uns how to help keep our planet green (without having to use real eggs that won’t all get eaten, anyway, even when you use natural dye) with paper mache eggs.

Here are what you need:

- 1 cup flour
- 2 cups water
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1 large mixing bowl
- Balloons
- Colourful paper, cut into small strips (re-purpose and use old gift wrappers, tissue papers, leftover scrapbooking papers)
- Optional: ribbons, sequins, glitter, yarn, blings, and any other decor you might want!
- Clothes pegs or cups

What you need to do:

1. Mix the flour, water, and salt in a big bowl until there are no more lumps;

2. Blow up a balloon until it is shaped more or less like an egg and has reached the size you’d like;

3. Use a paintbrush or your fingers to spread some flour mixture on the balloon;

Image of kids making dino eggs from WeeFolkArt.com

4. Dip strips of coloured paper, one at a time, into the mixture and lay them flat across the balloon. Continue until you have completely covered the balloon with 6 to 8 layers of paper;

5. On the final layer, be creative and have fun decorating it;

6. Use a piece of yarn and hang your balloon using a peg or place your “egg” on top of a cup. Allow it to harden for 8 to 12 hours (so best to do this the day before Easter Sunday)

7. Pop the balloon with a needle and remove the deflated balloon (probably my favourite part); and

8. Fill with egg with chocolates and grass and whatever Easter lollies you like.

Can’t wait to do this with my kids next weekend. How about you, will you give it a go? 

Gotta love Blueberries!

One of the best fruits out there happens to be a fave of mine — blueberries. The best part about it is the health benefits they offer.

A Massey University study in New Zealand has found that blueberries, when eaten, assist athletes to recover faster from exercise. So if you love your exercise you might like to try blueberry smoothies to help your muscles repair after a hard workout.

The study, using 10 female athletes, involved the women being given blueberry smoothies before, during and after exercise. The test was then repeated giving the athletes smoothies without blueberries. The study found that the blueberries produced a higher level of antioxidant defense in the blood and improved the rate of an athlete’s recovery.

Not only do blueberries aid muscle recovery, but studies also show blueberry consumption improves mental health and inhibits fat cell development. Woo hoo!

So add blueberries into your diet and enjoy! Here’s a blueberry and banana muffin recipe you might like to try…

Blueberry and Banana Muffins from BBC Good Food

Blueberry and Banana Muffins

These muffins can be kept in an airtight container for up to three days or you can freeze them.

Ingredients:

• 300g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 100g sugar
• 50g porridge oats , plus 1 tbsp for topping
• 2 medium ripe bananas
• 284ml carton buttermilk (you can substitute with plain yoghurt)
• 5 tbsp light olive oil
• 2 egg whites
• 150g punnet blueberries

Instructions:

Heat oven to 180C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Tip the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Hold back 1 tbsp of the sugar, then mix the remainder with the flour and 50g oats. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl mash the bananas until nearly smooth. Stir the buttermilk, oil and egg whites into the mashed banana until evenly combined.

Pour the liquid mixture into the well and stir quickly and sparingly with a wooden spoon. The mix will look lumpy and may have the odd fleck of flour still visible, but don’t be tempted to over mix. Tip in the blueberries and give it just one more stir. Divide the mix between the muffin cases, then sprinkle the tops with the final tbsp of the oats and the rest of the sugar. Bake for 18-20 mins until risen and dark golden. Cool for 5 mins in the tray before lifting out onto a rack.

Image from dailymail.co.uk

1. Diet Change – Easier said than done. But including more of these types of food to lessen the symptoms is worth the shot, methinks:
Cold water fish like sardines, salmon (An excuse to eat sushi more. Yay!), and mackerel; garlic (Okay, gotta add more in dishes I cook), onions,  apple cider vinegar (Ooh… I try to take a tablespoon with a glass of water everyday now.), horseradish, probiotic yogurt, flaxseed fibre, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and walnuts.

What to avoid? Apparently gluten, sugar (Uh oh… Hard for a baking afficionado like me), salt, and dairy products (Hmm… Can I give up milk and cheese and butter?!) for a full week.

What to drink? Heaps of water and herbal teas, particularly those with echnicea like the Cold & Allergy Tea sold by Art of Tea or the Naturalus Organic Herbal Allergy Tea.

2. Natural, Homemade Remedy – I’ve tried this at home and it really does work — within 24 hours at that! All you need are water, ginger, lemon, and honey: In 5 cups of water add 2 tbsp of grated fresh ginger and boil it until the water level has decreased to approximately 3 cups. Let it sit for another 10-15 minutes and then strain it. Add 1 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of pure honey to 1 cup of the ginger-water.

Drink a cup at least 3 times per day, with the last one just before going to bed.

3. Honey, Honey — I end up singing Abba’s song in my head whenever I reach out for a bottle or jar of honey. Har har. Anyway, take 1 tablespoon of pure, organic honey 2 times a day (after breakfast and after dinner works for me). Honey is, after all, an amazing antiseptic and antioxidant that provides incredible benefits to our health. My daughter and I have heaps of allergies and we’ve both recently started taking honey everyday, and I must say it really has done wonders for us.

So c’mon and sing along (and dance) with me and bid that hay fever goodbye and good riddance.

Image from Stock.Xchng

One of my favourite discoveries the past few years is apple cider vinegar and I keep finding more and more reasons to love it and keep using it.

Remember the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Well, the same goes for apple cider vinegar that is a completely natural product – the result of apple juice fermentation to hard apple cider, followed by another fermentation to apple cider vinegar). Retaining all the nutritional goodness of apples and fortified with extra acids and enzymes produced during the two fermentation procedures.

Now wonder it’s so brilliant!

Among the many benefits of apple cider vinegar are:

1. Facial Toner (Oh yeah!) – dilute it with water 50/50, but take extra caution that none of the solution gets into your eyes. For acne treatment, 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water is advised to be dabbed onto the pimple.

Image from Dr. Frank Lipman

2. Soothes Sunburn – Apple cider vinegar soaked on a cloth and applied to the sunburnt areas of your body

3. Yeast Infection Cure – Heaps of women have used apple cider vinegar, diluted 50/50 with water to douche  as a remedy for yeast infections (I admit, I’m one of them and that’s how I originally found out about this fab natural product.).

4. Weight Loss — Several claims floating out there that apple cider vinegar truly aids weight loss.  Some use it in salad dressings, while others drink a tablespoon diluted in a glass of water once or twice per day. The reason, I believe is more because apple cider vinegar aids digestion (I take a glass w/ a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before going to bed, especially after a heavy dinner. I found out before that it’s perfect for easing gas pains and bloating).

Image from Dandruff Remedies Center

5. Dandruff Control – It allegedly destroys the fungus Malassezia Furfur and restores the scalp’s PH balance. Apply 50/50 water and vinegar on your scalp and leaving it to dry. For extreme cases with dry, flaky scalp, it is suggested to apply 2  tablespoons of pure apple cider vinegar to the scalp and leave it on for an hour or two, then rinse.

7.  Wart Treatment – Soak the affected area for 20 minutes a day in a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water until wart has been removed

8. Lowers Bad Cholesterol and Blood Pressure – Drink a glass of water with a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar a day

9.  Lowers Blood Sugar - Some preliminary research found that vinegar (both apple cider vinegar and other types) may benefit people with diabetes. In a 2007 study published in Diabetes Care, for example, researchers found that type 2 diabetes patients who consumed 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar at bedtime showed favourable changes in blood sugar levels the following morning.

Image from Stock.Xchng

10. Antibacterial / Antifungal – The Mother of vinegar, the layer of film that forms on top of the cider, is said to have antibacterial and antifungal properties.

Note, though, that not all apple cider vinegars are created the same. Thus, it is best to only purchase and use those that are prduced from cold pressed, organically grown whole apples, with no added chemicals or preservatives like Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and Melrose Apple Cider Vinegar. They’re available in several health stores and online shops in Austrlaia and New Zealand.

Have you tried apple cider vinegar before? What benefit did you get from it? If you haven’t tried it yet, would you want to now? 

Image from health.com

If you’re a Kiwi, you can listen to her every Saturday on Graeme Hill’s Weekend Variety Wireless, Radio Live, from 8:15 to 8:30am (AET).

Here’s Shannon’s eco-friendly cleaning kit:

Bicarb Soda: When mixed with white vinegar, it cleans hard surfaces.

White Vinegar: Mix with bicarb soda and a chemical reaction occurs.

Methylated Spirits: Removes pen marks.

Lavender Oil: When mixed with water, becomes a mild cleaner and deodoriser. Great for finger marks on walls and general light cleaning. Also works as an air freshener and insect repellent. Mix one teaspoon per litre of water.

Lemon Oil: Extracted from lemon peel, it is excellent at keeping spiders and other insects at bay, as well as being a stain remover.

Tea Tree Oil: Is anti-bacterial and quite good at removing labels from jars.

Oil of Cloves: Is a useful mould inhibitor and insecticide. To lift mould from shoes, add a quarter of a teaspoon of oil of cloves to 500ml bottle of baby oil. Dab onto leather with pantyhose and wipe off mould.

Unprocessed Wheat Bran: Is an effective cleaner when mixed with white vinegar and placed in a pantyhose. Can clean soft toys, dusty lamps, sisal flooring to name a few.

Tea: Contains tannic acid that cleans timber. Make up a teapot with 4 or 5 tea bags and pour into a bucket of boiling water. Mop the timber with pantyhose dipped in the tea.

Pantyhose: Becomes more abrasive as it gets wet. Pantyhose won’t damage surfaces, but cuts through grease and grime. To make a pantyhose mitten, just wrap the hose around your fingers and fold the open end over your finger tips to form a glove. Can be washed and re-used. Is also a good duster when used with lavender oil and water.

An example of how Shannon puts some of these products to use, you can clean your oven by following these steps:

1. First get out your bicarb soda, white vinegar, and old pantyhose.
2. Spread a layer of bicarb soda over the oven door (and any other reachable surfaces) and squirt with white vinegar until it fizzes.
3. Scour with the pantyhose until the grime shifts. You may have to do this several times if the grime has built up.
4. Clean the sides of the oven using the two sponge technique. Use one damp sponge dipped in bicarb soda and another sponge dipped in vinegar. Apply the bicarb soda sponge first then place the vinegar sponge over the top of the bicarb sponge and press the vinegar through both sponges.
5. Once cleaned, rinse with water.

So if you’re interested in cleaning using eco-friendly products, give some of Shannon Lush’s ideas a go!

My kids

Grass
Grass stains usually come out when immediately washed and with stain treatment (Orange Power Pre-wash Stain Remover for me) on white or light coloured clothing. A few other tricks include:

1. Rubbing alcohol or methylated spirits or white spirits can be a quick no-wash treatment for a grass stain, but note that this stain treatment can “bleed” the colours of the fabric. As a precaution, try using a 50:50 solution of alcohol and water first, then use straight alcohol.

2. If the garmet is white and can be bleached,  an eco-friendly bleach solution like Oxygen Bleach should work. A better alternative to bleach would be white apple cider vinegar that won’t damage clothes.

3. Soaking the stain in a solution of water and detergent like Euca would be ideal, wash as usual afterward.
4. When trying to eliminate grass stains, don’t use ammonia, degreaser or alkaline detergents because they may permanently set the stain.

Blood
Due to the fact that blood stains can be quite difficult to remove once they’ve set, it is best to wash the blood from fabric as soon as possibly under running cold water.

If the blood has, however, already dried, here are other methods of removing the stain:

1. Gently bleach blood-stained clothing using a weak solution of environment-friendly substitute for ‘oxy’ cleaning — hydrogen peroxide, that works quite well for whites. Use a 3% solution in water, apply, and then dab with a white towel.

2. Salt water on washable fabrics can also remove blood stains.

Blot up as much of the blood as possible with paper towel. Then you can try a couple of different methods once you’ve tested the carpet or furniture material for colourfastness.

If blood has stained your carpet, mix a quarter teaspoon mild detergent with one cup water and blot from the outside of the stain into the centre with white towels or paper towels to see how much of the stain transfers.

Amazingly, fresh blood stains can be removed by putting ice cubes over the stain and then blotting the area with paper or cotton towels.

Image from Global Fashion Report

Sunscreen
Although it’s good for your skin, the oils, colours, and active ingredients in sunscreen cause stains in your clothing. Many of which actually don’t appear, however, until after an item has already been washed.

Before anything else, remove any excess sunscreen on your piece of clothing with a spatula, dull knife, or spoon. If any liquid remains, blot it with a dry cloth.

1. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain to absorb excess oils and leave it for 30 minutes.

2. Brush off any baking soda and rub the stain with a colour-free dishwashing liquid like Earth Choice. Leave to absorb for about five minutes.

3. Soak in a mix of water and dishwashing liquid that’s as hot as the fabric would allow for half an hour. Rinse the stain afterward with hot water.

4. Now wash as you normally do.

For old or stubborn stains, combine bi-carb soda and water, leave to dry, then brush off and launder as usual.

To remove sunscreen stains from your carpet (like it often happens in a house with young kids):

1. Scrape up as much excess sunscreen as you can with a blunt knife or spatula.
2. Sprinkle the stain with heaps of baking soda.
3. Leave to sit overnight, and then vacuum up.
4. Repeat these steps if necessary.

To make cleaning more fun, whistle or sing a tune along with your favourite playlist. Works for me. =)