Category Archives: Self-care

Your guide on self care tips, self care routines, self care examples and, most importantly, why is self care important. All done with the environment in mind

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Why Switching to a safety razor is a great choice

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How many razors do you think you’ve disposed of so far? 20? 30? 40? More than that?

Shaving is an area that is incredibly disposable but it’s also one of the simplest eco-friendly swaps you can make. The swap is great for your pocket and the environment.

If you look after your safety razor well, it could last a lifetime and will reduce the number of plastic razors from making its way to landfill.

Disposable razors

In the last 30-40 years, razors have come a really long way: flexible heads, lubricating strips, multipacks, handle grips and even in different colours (a few years it was reported razors marketed towards women were more expensive than those marketed towards men! That’s shocking!).

Once the blade becomes blunt, you have the option of either replacing the whole razor with a brand new one or just the head, both options are wasteful.

They are also made with different materials which can be difficult to separate: Rubber for the grips, metal for the blades, the remaining parts in plastic. The only place they can end up is landfill. In 2019, about 5.5 million people used disposable razors. That’s a whole lot of razors and one massive razor landfill.

What’s the alternative?

Enter the safety razor.

I have a safety razor, which I bought about 18 months ago and I absolutely love it. Here’s a picture of mine with the blades I use.

You may already recognise a safety razor, they’ve been around for well over 100 years and is loaded with a single replaceable blade. The handle twists opening the top where you can easily remove the blunt blade and replace with a new one.

One thing I learnt since having a safety razor is that there’s no such thing has a ‘quick shave’. You really need to take your time and use it carefully.

It didn’t take long to realise that I didn’t need to apply much pressure as the razor is top heavy and does most of the work for you. The beauty of these razors is the blade is sharp on both sides, not just one.

My top tips

  • Exfoliate – Always exfoliate the area first, this will reduce the number of nicks and cuts. I use exfoliating mitts and I love them.
  • Angle – You’ll need to angle the razor about 20 to 30 degrees, that doesn’t mean you take a protractor into the shower, it’s a guide so you know that the razor will need to be used at an angle.
  • Time – Make sure you take your time, as it’s top heavy, it will do most of the work for you anyway.
  • Recycle the blade – Although the blade is metal, it could be put in with your recycling but check with your local recycling centre as they may have a safety deposit disposal bank. The blades are so small that they hardly take up any space if you need to save them up first.

If you have made the switch or are planning to make the switch, let us know 💚

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Decluttering my clothes

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I have too many clothes! There, I said it! Not something a female would admit to, but there it is. It’s a fact.

I can easily declutter anything else around my home but I seem to be unable to part with my clothes. For most of my adult life until I had a child, I was size 12. Once I had my daughter, I’ve become a size 14. Being a bigger size has never bothered me, I’m happy with my figure and don’t see the point in stressing out about it. I don’t bother dieting so there isn’t a likelihood that I will one day magically fit into my size 12 clothes. But, I still can’t bear to part from them, whether they fit me or not.

Even clothes that still fit me, I probably haven’t worn for a year or two. I’ve got a few size 14 evening dresses in my wardrobe but I don’t go anywhere to wear them; what’s the point in keeping them. The whole ‘I may wear it one day’ reason is getting old.

I recently read about the environmental impact ‘fast fashion’ is having on the planet. Brand new clothes can be bought so cheaply, in most cases, the quality is incredibly low and is discarded after a few months. Some materials used to make clothes don’t degrade and will sit in landfill, possibly for centuries.

I’m self-employed and work from home so I don’t have to worry about dressing for the office; I practically live in jeans. A while ago, someone conducted an experiment where all the denim was removed from a pair or stretch jeans and what do you think was left? Plastic! It looked like a plastic skeleton shaped in a pair of jeans. To say I was horrified was an understatement. I didn’t realise how much plastic was in a pair of jeans. Since then, I repair my jeans.

So this is year, I’m going to do something about decluttering my wardrobe.

On 1st January, I have turned all hangers around and throughout the year, I will pick my clothes, as usual. By the end of the year, any hangers still facing the other way will be donated to a charity shop. If I have no use for it, someone else will.

Decluttering my clothes

Recently, I’ve started buying clothes from a charity shop and I’m a big fan of ‘make do and mend’ (I’m not great with a sewing machine but it’s all practice).

For years the last 20 years, I randomly bought clothes not realising the environmental impact of my choices.

We all need to do better.

I will do a blog next year to see how I got on.

My blog has been listed Top 15 UK Sustainable Living Blogs And Websites To Follow in 2021

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Air Purifying House Plants

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Let’s talk about house plants. I don’t have a great track record with plants but I do have two plants and they’re called Peace Lily.

I remember growing up, we always had a house plant in the living room. If I remember rightly, it was called a Sweetheart plant. I always remembered the name because the leaves were heart-shaped. Even now, when I go to visit my Mum, her living room is littered with houseplants, and they’re lovely.

I’ve never been good at looking after plants. I remember having a cactus about ten years ago and I think I watered it too much; it started losing its spikes on one side and started going bald! Needless to say, it didn’t last long!

I never thought about how plants contribute to purifying the air until I came across an article about two years ago. So I thought I would have a go at looking after a plant again and settled on Peace Lily, it’s been almost two years and they’re still alive!

I’m sure there are people out there who would like to buy a low maintenance house plant so I’ve put together a little list together.

Peace Lily

Of course, I will start with this one because I have two and, as someone who has managed to kill a cactus before, they really are low maintenance. They don’t like over watering, check the soil and if it’s dry, that’s a good time to water.

Spider Plant

This is one I have seen in many houses and I remember seeing them in classrooms growing up. I’ve been reliably informed this is one of the easiest houseplants to grow. They do well in indirect light so there are many options of where you can place them around the house

Areca palms

I’ve seen this one in many houses, mainly in the conservatory. They’re great at purifying the air and I believe they aren’t toxic to cats and dogs. They need quite a bit of water during the summer and not as much during the winter

Snake Plant

Also known as ‘Mother-in-law’s Tongue’. They’re really low maintenance and can grow up to two metres tall. They do well in dry conditions so a word of warning – don’t over water them.

Aloe Vera 

You may have heard of Aloe Vera for relieving sunburn and healing wounds, but they go beyond medicinal purposes, they even purifies the air. They love bright and sunny places and are really low maintenance.

If you are planning to buy a houseplant, please ensure you do your research, especially if you have pets.

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Goodies from My Garden

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Back in March, I wrote a blog called Busy in the garden where I intended to starting planting in the garden. Even though I had planted potatoes last year, I hadn’t watered them enough and most of them grew with small holes in them, they looked like blocks of cheese…lesson learnt for this year.

I also purchased some strawberry plants a few days before the UK was placed on lockdown due to Covid-19. I had never planted strawberries before and was reliably informed that this is one of the easiest things to grow. For someone who has killed a cactus, that’s quite reassuring!

So, how have I been getting on? Let’s start with the potatoes

Check these out!! I have to say that there is something very satisfying about growing your own food. It was like finding treasure! We mainly have mashed potatoes and they tasted delicious.

Onto the Strawberries, how did we get on?

Check out the size of these? Just to clear things up, I didn’t just get two, these were the first ones I picked. My little one and I love strawberries so we have been eating a few every day. As well as being able to nip into the garden to get some strawberries, we don’t have to buy them from the shop anymore (I will only eat them when they’re in season and from my garden), one thing that always bothered me was the amount of plastic packaging that comes with strawberries. I appreciate that they bruise easily but there must be another way. Anyway, for us, that’s not a problem anymore!

Growing this food has most definitely given me a confidence boost to grow more food next year, I was thinking about giving cauliflower a go and maybe spring onions.

I have to make sure I don’t go nuts; I don’t have a particularly big garden!

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Green Infrastructure

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One of my recent assignments was to put together a report to a local, fictitious council making the case for the benefits of green infrastructure in a town and ways the town could become more sustainable in the future.

For those who aren’t familiar with the term ‘green infrastructure’, this term relates to a network of multi-functional green spaces. It doesn’t just refer to parks and open spaces, it also incorporates trees along the pavement, living roofs and walls, allotments as well as bodies of water such as rivers, streams, canals (sometimes referred to blue infrastructure).

I found this module really interesting, I had never thought about green spaces in my local area, I took for granted that everywhere I lived, I lived near a park and had trees. I was surprised to learn how green infrastructure is key to our lives and our future. Why didn’t I learn the basics in school?

Urban Cooling

Trees and green infrastructure plays an important part in reducing urban temperatures. Areas that have trees help reduce the temperature in the local area providing evapotranspiration and shading. Trees play a vital role in reducing the temperature of the air in parks and green areas.

Habitat and Biodiversity

When you have green, you’ll have nature. Green infrastructure plays a crucial part in urban biodiversity by providing habitats for insects, birds and other species allowing them to have a home and thrive. This also plays a part in environmental awareness by local residents.

Air Quality

As trees remove gases from the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides and ground-level ozone, they are vital in reducing greenhouse gases and improve air quality. If more trees were planted, what do you think would happen to some of our respiratory issues?

Water Systems and Flow Management

Roads with green verges and trees play a vital role in water and flood management on the road. When it rains, a lot of the rainwater will be soaked up by the trees and verges and helps with flood management, if there are no green infrastructure, the rainwater has nowhere to go and usually ends up flooding roads and even homes. Roads with green infrastructure reduce the water’s runoff rate and slows down the pressure placed on the drainage system by soaking up the water.

Mental Health Benefits

Green spaces are spaces where people can leave their homes and encourages outdoor activities including walking, cycling, playing sports with friends, having a picnic, social interaction and other recreation. Some studies have shown that green spaces reduces the feeling of stress, improves your ability to concentrate and mood by providing a calm space away from the stresses sometimes caused by everyday life. These spaces are especially beneficial to children.

If you have a large tree in your garden and the only issue you have is that it’s blocking some light in your garden or you think it looks a little messy, think about whether you really need to cut off any branches or if you are caught in the rain and seek shelter under a street tree, or you decide concrete over your garden and haven’t considered where the rainwater will go when it hits the hard surface. Think about how important the green infrastructure around you plays a vital part in your life.

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Ecobrick overwhelm

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A while back, I saw an article online about someone creating a ecobrick with their plastic that can’t be recycled. I was intrigued.

For those who aren’t familiar with ecobricks. lets start with a quick overview.

Ecobricks are plastic bottles that are filled with plastics that would usually go to landfill because they can’t be recycled. The plastics are cut into small pieces and packed tightly into the plastic bottle. Once the ecobrick exceeds the weight for the size bottle used, it can be used in various projects; building garden walls, furniture and other structures. The plastic doesn’t go to landfill, what a genius idea!

So I decided to take part.

I had a few 2 litre plastic bottles I had put to one side and started collecting plastics that can’t be recycled. I found that that the plastics I collected built up pretty quickly so I had to ensure I kept up. A few times a week, I sat with my plastics, cut them up into small pieces and filled the bottle. Using a stick helped me to pack the bottle tightly.

In my area, the refuse was collected fortnightly and I quickly noticed that we only needed to put the refuse bin out once a month. However, I was struggling. I just couldn’t keep up with the plastic. The plastic would build up much faster than I could cut and pack them into the bottle.

I felt overwhelmed!

I genuinely never realised how much plastic we were throwing away. Maybe I was looking at this the wrong way, instead of trying to find ways of reducing how much plastic my household send to landfill, I should look at why we have this much plastic in the first place.

Create eco bricks and reduce plastic to landfill

This was the reality check!

I firstly looked at what I was buying at the supermarket. We eat a lot of potatoes so I buy a lot, but I picked up the ones that were in a plastic bag. It turned out buying fruit and veg in plastic bags were cheaper. I’ve noticed that I make much more of an effort buying loose fruit and veg. I also buy from the local greengrocer where majority of the produce is loose.

We do eat a lot of crisps and recently some charities take these to be recycled so I ensure these are put to one side for the charity.

I read recently that although plastic bottles can be recycled, they are recycled into lower grade plastic so won’t end up being plastic bottles again so I actively avoid plastic bottles.

I don’t use cleaning wipes anymore, after watching a program a few months ago, I was horrified to find how much plastic they contained. I use a spray and cloth. Once the cloth is a bit grotty, it goes in the washing machine, not to landfill.

When I buy frozen food, I try my best to avoid plastic bags the item comes in; chicken nuggets, chips etc. I make wedges now and have been trying to make my own chicken nuggets.

I know there are so many other areas I can make changes. However, it is incredibly overwhelming and I have learned to start small and change one or two things, once you realise you do them without thinking, pick another one or two and keep going.

I’m sure many will agree that the man-made plastic problem is real and we all have to make an effort to change our habits but we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about not doing everything perfectly; start off small, the rest will follow. I plan to restart my eco brick shortly so I will update you on my progress.

The Global Ecobrick Alliance has it’s own website, if you’re interested in learning about eco bricks, the benefits or want to start your own, there is a wealth of information to get you started and let me know how you get on!

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Busy in the garden

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As the weather is starting to change, this is the perfect opportunity to start planting in the garden.

I planted potatoes last year and they went okay. A mistake I made was that I didn’t water them enough and it was very hot last summer.

This year, I decided to get my daughter involved and although I don’t have a particularly big garden, we can still grow things so that’s what we’re doing. I remember when my ex-husband’s nephew was about five or so, he was asked where eggs came from and his reply was ‘Tesco’. The rest of the family thought this was hilarious and never bothered to correct him, he genuinely thought eggs came from Tesco. My daughter is five and I want her to know where our food really comes from. Also with the current Corona virus crisis, it’s something to do in the garden rather than being stuck indoors all day. Luckily, I had already bought supplies before the lock down so we were all set.

We started with the Strawberries and I have to be honest, I didn’t realise there were so many different varieties of Strawberry! Who knew! I stood there trying to figure out what I should be buying so I decided to buy three different varieties.

Planting them was pretty straightforward to do, especially for someone who isn’t particularly green fingered. And volia! We have planted strawberries.

Although, the tags state they can be planted in March, we’ve had a few nights of frost so I bought a fleece and covered the strawberries on the nights that were particularly cold. I felt as if I were tucking the plants to bed that night. LOL

My next project was to plant the potatoes. But I was doing it a bit differently to last year.

I had a plastic storage container where the lid was broken and wasn’t suitable for stacking but instead of taking it to the tip, I decided that I could use it for my potatoes!

Strawberry plants - busy in the garden

Of course drainage is needed so I got my drill out and drilled some holes at the bottom. I collected the leftover plastic bits from the drilling and put them in a little pot which will be deposited in my ecobrick, don’t want that getting into nooks and crannies out in the open. Wildlife may think it’s food!

Then I set about filling the tub. I’m really glad that rather than sending something to landfill, I was able to utilise it in a different way. It may be not be how the professionals do it and my neighbours probably think it’s a little odd too but I don’t care. I like it.

Strawberry plants - busy in the garden

I remember from last year how satisfying it was to be able to go into the garden whenever I needed potatoes and hope it’s better this year than last year.

The mistake I won’t make this time is to neglect watering these. I will check them everyday and report back.

If you’re interested in reading about what I’m doing to be greener, check out my blog and if you’re interested in signing up to my newsletter, click here, I promise not to spam you.

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

My First Litter Pick

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On a very bitter, cold Saturday morning, I joined my first ever litter pick in Ashford. The area targeted for litter picking was a park in Ashford called Victoria Park.

The litter pick was organised by a local group who have a Facebook page called Keep Ashford Clean. I’ve seen their litter picking events on my feed for a while and this time I decided to stop thinking about it and just do it. It’s only two hours of volunteering.

We all met by the fountain at Victoria Park at 1pm and there were in total about 10 volunteers.

We were all provided with the equipment; a high-visibility vest, a litter picker, gloves, a bag for rubbish and a bag for recycling. We were split into teams of two and sent off on our way to cover areas of the park. Although, we were in pairs, it wasn’t really easy to have a chat with your buddy because there was so much ground to cover.

Here’s how I got on with my litter pick

Once I got underway, I put my headphones in and started listening to a playlist I had downloaded; *Nysnc, East 17, Jon Bon Jovi, Backstreet Boys and Timbaland, I was in my element. No judgement, please 😉

I was under the impression that I would mainly find drink cans and bottles, but this wasn’t the case. I found so many crisp packets and sweet wrappers, the items that can’t go in the recycling bag for Ashford Borough Council, and these wrappers get everywhere! You really have to look in hedges, fencing, play areas. It was a little sad to see.

About 45 minutes into my litter pick, my fingers started going numb. We had been provided gloves but despite wearing my own gloves underneath, the tips of my fingers were struggling. Despite this, I carried on.

Victoria Park Ashford my first litter pick
Me with my numb fingers trying to take a selfie!

With the rise of knife crime in this country, I did wonder whether anyone had ever found any knives, I asked my ‘buddy’ and she said there had been cases of knives being found. And not just knives, needles too. She said needles were mostly found in the play area! Imagine taking your child to the park to play on the swings and slides and finding a needle!

About an hour and a half in, I started noticing other volunteers moving towards the water fountain so I started litter picking in that direction and arrived back to the fountain about an hour and 45 minutes after we started.

I was astonished by the amount of bags we filled!

Victoria Park Ashford my first litter pick

The blue bags were rubbish and the clear bags were for recycling. The volunteers even found a TV, bicycle tire and what looks like part of a child’s scooter. In just two hours, this is what we collected!

It doesn’t make sense

I never understand why people litter? When I was growing up I was always taught to put your rubbish in the bin and if you couldn’t find a bin, put it in your pocket and wait until you get home and throw you rubbish away. When I’m on the school run, I do see kids drop things on the floor and it really annoys me, but it’s not always kids, it’s adults too. Just because they have no pride in where they live, they have no respect for others.

People dropping litter isn’t the only way litter in found on the roads. Council’s clearly aren’t emptying the bins quickly enough so when they are overflowing, and bit of wind and the rubbish goes everywhere. Council’s need to take more responsibility too. There also needs to be an element of common sense, although that seems to be lacking nowadays, if the bin is overflowing, don’t keep trying to add to it!

I hate littering, always have done always will do and I will ensure my little one knows not to litter.

Despite the cold, I enjoyed myself. I felt a sense of achievement just for two hours volunteering and hopefully the people who use Victoria Park regularly appreciate it the work that was put in to make their park nicer.

I look forward to the next week and hopefully it won’t be as cold next time!

If you’re interested in reading about what I’m doing to be greener, check out my blog and if you’re interested in signing up to my newsletter, click here, I promise not to spam you.