Yes, I make one. It's not a simple one considering ingredient list, but it's simple to make it.
You need:
- herbal powders
- floral/herbal distillates (optional)
- essential oils
- cold pressed oils
This is it. What makes it hard is to choose and combine the right ingredients in the most efficient amounts for your own hair and scalp. I am still trying out the best formula.
My recipe for dandruff and itchy scalp:
- aritha (soapnut) powder
- amla and neem powder
- tea tree distillate
- olive, coconut and avocado oil as base oils
- essential oils: bay leaf, tea tree, ylang ylang, peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender
- neem, manuka and myrrh oil as additional oils
- himalayan salt (or natural unbleached sea salt)
- warm water
Mixed together in a soft, thick liquid, it's great for shampooing.
Here is another recipe I will try for long, normal hair:
- aritha, shikakai and neem powder
- olive and coconut oil (maybe I will use the mix of saponified olive and coconut oils offered by Akamuti), red palm oil, peach kernel and macadamia oil
- essential oils: ylang ylang, sweet orange, rosemary, lavender and chamomille
- nettle extract (made by my own)
- himalayan salt
- warm water
I'll report how it feels.
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Monday, 30 March 2009
make your own shampoo
cosmetic ingredients
Since I am a fan of organic cosmetic and I recently especially favor Akamuti due to its purest ingredients without any additives (and it works great) I feel obliged to raise awareness about cosmetic ingredients. Following is a typical list of chemical ingredients used in conventional cosmetic which has no place in organic cosmetic and it should have no place on our skin and consequently, in our bodies. The list and descriptions are copied from Akamuti's site since I find it very brief and clear. I've already written some words on chemicals in cosmetic in this post.
Parabens
Parabens are synthetic preservatives which can be found in most skin & hair products. They are usually derived from petrochemical sources & are easily absorbed by the skin. They are known skin irritants & have been shown to disrupt hormone activity & lower male fertility. They mimic the actions of the hormone oestrogen. Parabens come in the form of methyl, ethyl, butyl & propylparabens.
Preservatives
Apart from parabens, there are many other preservatives to be found in your average skin & hair product. These include alcohol denat, BHT, EDTA, polythene glycol, propylene glycol & many more. Many are known skin irritants & very toxic to the body. Some preservatives enhance the skins absorption of other poisonous substances.
Petrochemicals
Petrochemicals are the by-products of the petroleum industry. This includes paraffin wax (see below). Petrochemical ingredients include perfume & fragrances, emulsifiers, petrolatum, propylene glycol & mineral oil. Mineral oil is manufactured from crude oil.
Paraffin
This common ingredient comes in the form of a wax or a liquid, derived from the petroleum refining process. Paraffin wax is a grey sludge which needs to be bleached & processed before it is deemed suitable to work with. It forms the base of many creams. It is used to work as a lubricant & emulsifier.
Phthalates
Phthalates are a group of synthetic chemicals used in cosmetics as solvents & fragrance enhancers. They have been found to be toxic & have been linked to cancer. Two phthalates have now been banned for use in cosmetics by the EC Directive because of their toxicity to the human reproductive system. If phthalates are added to a product as perfume enhancer there is no requirement by law to list them as 'ingredients' on the label.
Perfume
Perfumes can very easily be inhaled & absorbed through the skin. However, they take a very long time to be removed from the body once they enter. They accumulate in fatty tissue & are toxic to many of the body's internal organs. Most perfumes are toxic solvents with volatile compounds, that are as common in the garage as they are in your face cream. In fact the same solvents used to make perfume/fragrance are found in glue. In concentration these scents are addictive. Cosmetic companies do not need to disclose the chemicals they use to make up their fragrances. Perfumes are environmental pollutants, carcinogenic & damaging to the central nervous system. Many are now labelled by the Environmental Agency as 'hazardous waste'.
Ingredients Tested on Animals
Be aware of claims such as "Not tested on animals". This can mean that the finished product is not tested on animals but the individual ingredients may very well have been.
A-Z List of Commom Cosmetic Ingredients
Acetone - a chemical component found in fragrances, termed a hazardous waste.
AHAs (Alpha-hydroxy-acids) - chemical antiaging exfoliant that burns away the top layer of skin.
Alcohol denat- used as a solvent & preservative.
Bentonites -
BHT - a carcinogenic synthetic preservative & antioxidant which release formaldehyde.
Benzaldehyde - a chemical perfume found in skin & hair preparations.
Benzyl acetate - a chemical component found in perfume, a known pollutant & carcinogenic. Benzyl alcohol - found in perfume, soaps & shampoo it is a respiratory tract irritant.
Benzophenones - chemical fixatives which slow the rate of perfume evapouration.
Carbomer - A synthetic gelling agent which also increases shelf life.
Collagen - animal derived insoluble protiens which suffocates the skin.
Cetearyl/cetyl alcohol - isn't actually an alcohol but a thickner & emulsifier.
DIA (Diethanolamine) - readily absorbed chemical which reacts with preservatives to form highly carcinogenic substances, called nitosamines.
EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid) - a toxic preservative.
Ethanol - Listed as 'hazardous waste' it is found in many perfumed products.
Formuldehyde - a poisonous colourless gas used as a preservative. Carcinogenic & neurotoxic.
Nitosamines - these are not intentionally added to cosmetics, but form when certain chemical ingredients are blended together, particularly 'amines' family. (eg. Diethanolamines)
Propylene glycol - a cosmetic form of petroleum oil, used in antifreeze. A preservative, fixative, solvent & surfacant.
SLES (Sodium laureth sulphate) The alcohol form of SLS see below. *
SLS (Sodium lauryl sulphate) A rapidly absorbed detergent which is reatined in th body's organs.*
*Both SLES & SLS are potentially carcinogenic if they react with other chemical ingredients.
Talc - (magnesium silicate) is often contaminated with asbestos.
This list is constantly being updated & is by no means exhaustive!
Sunday, 15 March 2009
spring is here
And it's never been so beautiful. Long walks with Vid, weekend trips to somewhere, tea&cakes on the sunny cafe terrace, longer days and more sunlight, early flowers, trees and grass turning green and finally, jogging season (for me starting today). 
Vid is enjoying it, too.
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
perfect breakfast
Breakfast is the best meal. With good breakfast, mornings can be the best part of the day so I never skip it. Recently, I feed my baby and play with him in my usual breakfast time so I usually have late breakfast (almost kinda brunch) with additional ingredients and it's even more enjoyable.
My breakfast is as healthy as it could be and I stick to some rules, such as:
- always eat fruits first
- never skip fruits, linseed, grains and yoghurt, other ingredients/dishes are optional
- all ingredients should be organic (fruits, bread, yoghurt, grains ...) or if not possible, at least completely natural, additive free
- never drink juice (other than freshly squeezed fruit) or any drink with caffeine.
My breakfast must have ingredients are:
- fresh fruits (organic apples, oranges, kiwi etc.)
- mixed grain, corn and spelt flakes with linseed and sunflower seed and yoghurt: flakes and seeds are without any additives, organically grown and produced - such as Demeter; yoghurt is home made - I make it with fresh (non-homogenized) organic milk (by Slovene producer)
My "extended" breakfast includes home made bread (made with organic full-corn wheat, spelt and rye flour, natural emulsifier-free yeast, organic seeds - linseed, sunflower and pumpkin and a little himalayan salt), organic hazelnut cream (a delicious alternative to Nutella!) or fruit spread (be careful that you choose one with no sugar added, no other additives and no jelly - I like St. Dalfour), sometimes butter from local organic farms and additive free honey, some additional fruits and organic grain coffee (such as Vogel's Bambu, Naturata or Rapunzel) which is a very healthy and delicious alternative to coffee or black tea. Recently I've also been taking vitamin supplements for pregnant and breastfeeding women - natural, in juice form.
Healthy, balanced, energetic, delicious!
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Top 5 Lessons Learned about Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, and Business
readers of this blog come from 52 countries
You're reading a really global blog, as far as Google Analytics shows. If I can believe the statistics, readers of virtual edition of me come from 52 countries. The top 5 countries from which visits originate (not unique visitors) are:
- Slovenia
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Finland
- India
It was a good choice that I write in English. Otherwise there will be no such statistics and information flow would be limited to Slovenia.
I also present the distribution of visits from top 2 countries (see pictures below).
Another stats I found interesting: browser usage of my visitors. It's very much in favor of Firefox and I like that. Anyway, I use Safari and it's been represented by 7% of visits.
I find it quite good although I don't have any benchmark - my blog has 62% of returning visitors who spend on average 2 min 44s on site. Nearly half of visitors come directly on site and the third of traffic is sourced from referring sites (primarily from Blogger, Facebook, and blogs by authors who include me in their blogroll or where I put my comments). Around 16% of visits come from search engine. It could be improved I guess. 
Distribution of visits in Slovenia and USA
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