2013

Keeping a blog is not something we do that consistently... It is a new year again, and we think about our past and plan our present. There are many changes due with Nothing Nasty soon. We are moving to a new and better website, we are changing our warehousing solution, we are introducing a few new products and even considering changing our labels. If there are any changes you would like to see, please get in touch. We thrive on customer feedback, and are actually small enough that we do pay attention to what you have to say! We wish you all a wonderful 2013!

Happy 2010

I have not updated for a while here, but with the new year, it is about time there was a new me! So - here I am - writing my blog.

I have been thinking about the whole "detox" industry that leaps into action every January, praying on our guilty conscience. Trying to get us to feel guilty enough to go shopping yet again, for something that is going to "save us from the excess".

I think a certain amount of excess in December does us good. Traditionally we were meant to put on a little weight to cope with the lean and cold months ahead.

The solution to me seems simple: Feel free to overindulge, but do it healthily. Make your own food, from scratch, it will contain a lot less harmful additives, and you can eat more without bad effects.

And when January hits, like it has, you can relax knowing that what you ate was good for you, and that the little extra will naturally come off as the days get lighter, and we spend more time outside. The truth is that if what you ate was healthy, the need to detox simply vanishes.

Similarly with skin care, we tend to overindulge during the festive season. But - again - there is no problem here either if you do it healthily. Use mineral make up, natural cosmetics, and your skin should manage the extra onslaught of glitter and stash with no problems.

If I had it my way, everyone would be making their own skin care. However, recognising the time restraint most of us have on a daily basis, I am pleased to be able to offer the second best thing: Nothing Nasty Natural Skin Care...

Have a Happy 2010. I hope it brings you much joy, health and wealth.

Elin

Oh and if it's cold where you are and your lips are suffering try our delicious vanilla natural lip balm.

A Whole New You

Whole New You

Since Christmas I have been inundated, with the idea that for the New Year, there must be a NEW ME. This year, I must be happier, prettier, more successful, thinner, funnier and last - but not least – I must be younger than last year! (Quite a feat!) I am left wondering – what was so wrong with who I was in 2008?

There is a huge industry out there that spends millions on subtly making us hate ourselves. They know that once we feel bad enough, we try to do something about it. This normally means spending vast amounts of money, and is fantastic for business!

So we try to buy ourselves happy. We buy products and we buy experiences – all geared towards making us feel better. From make up consultants to style consultants, from personal trainers to coaches… There are beauty shops, health spas, plastic surgeons… The underlying message is that if you spend enough – i.e. if you spend your money with us – you will become acceptable, maybe even perfect?

The messages are so constant, and so subtle, it is really hard not to become affected. I know I have succumbed on many occasions. And at no time are these messages louder and more in your face than just after Christmas; when we have just had a few days rest; a little time to enjoy, to maybe go a bit overboard, to do what people have done through the ages: celebrate the turning of the sun – the darkest time of the year, with a little leg up!

Kick them whilst they are down – you can almost hear the corporations yelling! (It is so effective, you see).

So the best New Year’s resolution I can think of, is for all you lovely people is to learn to accept and love yourself. It sounds cheesy, but it is so true. Happiness comes from within, not from what you buy. The people in your life like the fact that you are you, so join them! I have decided I refuse to believe that I am not good enough. I do not look like a model, and I am definitely not perfect, but I am just right for my life. I hope you can come to the same conclusion.

At Nothing Nasty we do not want you to feel bad about yourself. We want you to be happy! We will never use negative marketing to try to make you buy more products. We just want you to have comfortable skin and to enjoy using our natural skin care products.

Have a happy 2009!

P.S. See our lovely new range of organic soaps.

Ageing - and your skin

I have watched a bit of telly lately - and since I do not do this all that much normally - I was really struck by all the anti ageing advertisements. At the same time, an email popped into my inbox from one of my competitors - promising younger looking skin - naturally.

And the thought struck me - what is it about ageing skin that we are supposed to hate so much?

I looked up the 7 signs of ageing - much touted by a mainstream skin care company. They are:

1. Lines and wrinkles
2. Uneven skin texture
3. Uneven skin tone
4. Appearance of pores
5. Blotches and age spots
6. Dry skin
7. Dullness

Most of these can happen to people of all ages, and many of them are due to living an unhealthy life - not age!

So - the question we should be asking isn't "what are the signs of ageing" - but "what makes a face beautiful?". This is what we are after - isn't it? A beautiful face, to meet and greet the world?

So here are my thought on what makes a face beautiful:
Clear, aware and interested eyes.
A confident and happy expression.
A big smile.
A face that loves to laugh.
Skin with colour, and glow.

And of all those, there is only one item that has anything to do with your skin. It is not about wrinkles, lines, evenness of skintone or anything else. It is about having a healthy glow to your face.

Your can achieve the healthy glow by living a healthy life, by getting outside and enjoying nature, by exercising, by eating well. Finally - you can help by using natural skin care products that are healthy (Our natural facial moisturisers will help to bring out that healthy glow!).

The real signs of ageing in my opinion are dull, miserable expressions, loss of interest in life, and a grey pasty skin that you only get from being inside all day! Incidentally - you can display all of these signs at any age too - and they do age people tremendously!

Haven't we all met young people who look really old, and old people who look really young? This proves to us that it is not the lines in the skin that matters - but the person - the thoughts and the attitudes!

Laughter lines speak of a life well lived. Wrinkles makes a face lived in - it excudes character and depth. A marked face has stories to tell - it is interesting.

Surgery doesn't just remove lines and wrinkles - it removes the character - the story - and the face becomes an unreadable mask.

I would love for all of you to feel happy with your skin the way it is. Do you really want to spend time worrying about laughter lines, when there are so many exciting and fun things you could be doing right now?

I know who will have the most fun, anyway - and it is not the lady/man under the knife!

In health,

Elin

And here is a lovely article that talks more about the signs of ageing.

Air Fresheners or Air Poisoners

Our sense of smell is the most direct of all our senses! The scent of freshly mown grass, the streets just after it has rained, the woods, freshly baked bread, the ocean, a rose garden—we all have our favourite, and we react very positively to these smells.

We are constantly bombarded by smells, and increasingly big business tries to make money out of our very basic sense. Pumping fake fresh bread smells into supermarkets, selling home deodorants designed to mask odours and introduce perfume. Fabric conditioners and washing liquids add strong perfume to clothes, and then there are cleaning products, candles, scented drawer liners, moisturisers, perfumes, deodorants, makeup... All loaded with a whole host of ingredients hiding under one word - perfume!

Nice as it seems, many of these smells are not at all innocuous. One of the most problematic chemical products of our times is perfume, in its varying disguises. Perfumes contain a long list of chemicals, and may even include the very carcinogenic ingredient formaldehyde! What is also problematic is that manufacturers are not required to declare the ingredients of a perfume, so you have no way of checking this out!

We do not NEED any of these smells. The nicest smelling clothes are those that have been dried outside. If your house smells stale, let some air in!

However - should you want to add some nice smells to your rooms (I know I do sometimes), then we do have totally natural room sprays that will not add anything toxic to your home! Which is as it should be!

See our range of lovely Natural Skin Care Products.

GOING SLOW

We live by the principles of the Slow Movement. This started in Rome, where protesters camped outside, protesting against the opening of their latest restaurant. Since then the movement has gained momentum and now cover all areas of our lives, from slow food to slow cities! Our culture has become obsessed with speed, and the Slow Movement attempts to remind us that we all have the same basic needs, and they should be attended to. We all need a little loving - some nature - and some time for each other! Life is rushing by—sometimes without us being consciously present! We think we can do things better!

Here at Nothing Nasty, we think life should be about more than going through the motions! For us, living by the slow principles means making things properly: We buy fairly traded and organic ingredients whenever possible. We make natural skin care products with ingredients that are added for their quality and properties, not because they are cheap. We use butters and oils extracted by cold pressing, the good old fashioned way! Our processes ensure that most of the vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, enzymes and minerals in our ingredients are retained! We mix our products by hand, stirring the creams and oils together while we enjoy the lovely smells.

We do work long hours sometimes, but we make sure we remember to take time out to enjoy life and our loved ones. We make products for other people, not because they are awfully difficult to make, but because we know they want to spend their time doing something else.

We believe that by making conscious choices every day, we can change the world.

As consumers we are powerful, and we welcome the opportunity to do our share. We hope you join us!

Natural remedies for healthy skin

In my never ending search for healthy and natural alternatives to everything for myself and for my customers, I have now stumbled upon some exciting new things to try. And - in my dedication to my customers and in the interest of pursuing the truth, I have decided to use myself as the guniea pig!

All the remedies below are reputed to give you glowing, rosy, beautiful skin! We all know that it matters what you put into your body and on your skin. So I thought this would be a great way to complement your healthy skin care regime!

Apple Cider Vinegar
The first natural remedy is organic, unpasteurised and unfiltered apple cider vinegar. It also contains the original fermenting agents (strangely called the "Mother")! It is supposed to be the fountain of youth, it is loaded with minerals, vitamins and enzymes, and even contains beneficial bacteria from the fermenting process. The vinegar is also supposed to make the body more alkaline (as most of us have too acidic bodies - leading to all sorts of illnesses and problems). Having antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties - this surely must be one of the great tonics of all time!

You only need to take about 2 tablespoons a day for this to take effect, they say! (The way to do this, is to take one tablespoon full in a small glass of water, then down it in one! Don't sip it over time, as the acid in the vinegar can damage tooth enamel with long and repeated exposure!) It tastes mildly of vinegar and is not unpleasant.

Other uses: drink strong to cure sore throat, pour slightly diluted over hair to balance scalp PH and to make hair lovely and shiny. Spray on itchy spots on body. Drinking it can apparently also really improve arthritis. Can also be used for cleaning, as a softener for laundry and very diluted in water to pets and other animals!

Molasses
The second remedy is Blackstrap molasses. Being the leftover cane sugar juice from sugar making, this is loaded with minerals and vitamins. It is also supposed to be a real booster and will reputedly make your skin lovely and rosy (and banish acne), and could even help boost iron levels (and most women in their fertile years, as well as children can be low in iron! One of the West's most common deficiences!). It tastes at once a little salty and sweet, with a side taste similar to liquorice! (Which I love - so taking this is no hardness!) . You are supposed to take one teaspoon a day!

Oil pulling
Remedy three is by far the strangest. It comes from the Ayurvedic tradition, and is supposed to really purify the system. You do this by pouring a little oil (cold pressed, organic) into your mouth! Then you swish it round the mouth and your try to pull it through your teeth. The longer you do this, the better results. (20 minutes is recommended). The oil will eventually mix with your saliva and become an opaque solution. Make sure you rinse your mouth and the basin well when you spit the solution out (some people recommend spitting it out in the toilet to avoid having toxins in the sink). This practice is supposed to make your skin glow, your skin's pores might reduce in size, it will give you whiter teeth, the bags under your eyes will reduce and you will feel more energetic!

Well I have been doing all three for one week now, and I am pleased to report the following. (and because I was so eager to try all three at the same time, I cannot tell you which one does what - so you'll just have to try it out yourself).

My skin is definately rosier, the pores are smaller, the breakouts are fewer. The bags under my eyes are almost gone, and the trace of blue seems to have vanished! My skin really has taken on a new look!

I quite like doing all three, none are unpleasant, all are really natural and they are not time consuming (apart from the oil pulling - but I do that whilst busy with something else!). I have felt quite tired in the mornings, as if I am detoxing, but that could be anything! I will report back on long term effects.

Oils for the oil pulling are available from most health food shops, but make sure you use really good quality cold pressed oils (toasted sesame oil is a no, no!!). Good oils to use are: sesame oil, sunflower oil, linseed oil, olive oil, safflower oil. Use one oil for a few weeks, then swap to another one, that way you are constantly providing new essential fatty acids to your body.
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Blackstrap molasses can also be found in most health food shops. Make sure it is blackstrap, as that means it is higher in iron!

Finally - the apple cider vinegar can be a bit more hard to find. Try googling "apple cider vinegar with mother" and see if you can find a supplier near you. Alternatively - contact us - as we have a very good supplier and can sell you some of ours!

Do let me know if you try any of the above, as I would love to hear your feedback!

For more info of any of the above remedies, visit http://www.earthclinic.com/

Of course please also take a look at our Natural Skin Care Products.

In health,

Elin