Mellow yellow days

This newsletter is brought to you by the mellow vibes of Khruangbin….I love their Texan/R&B/70s psychedelic/global music vibe which is perfect for summer. 
So sit back and float away with Texas Sun. 
 
SUMMER OIL
Calendula (marigold)
I can wax lyrical about calendula. For many reasons it’s why I studied aromatherapy. As I started questioning ingredients in baby products, I landed on Weleda's calendula baby range which I still love using on myself & the children. Then I started learning about baby massage, which then led me to start the Neal’s Yard diploma course….
 
Anyway, calendula is a macerated oil, meaning the flower is left to soak and stew in a vegetable oil for 4-8 weeks.  Wonderful for skin conditions like rashes, chapped skin, sunburn, eczema, it’s a great oil to have in your store cupboard for the summer months. You’ll also find it in my sensitive face oil Nefertiti II and my SOS balm. Shop here.
 
If you’re interested in trying out Weleda, look out for it in supermarkets. It can seem ££ but is also regularly on special offer like here.
 
HEALTHY MIND, BODY &  PLANET
Good TV - We’ve just nailed Chivalry on Channel 4; the perfect storm of great script, humour, #metoo relevance and sunny LA setting, all delivered in short engaging episodes.
 
Good Juju - My first recipe book was The Pooh Cook Book and I have a strong sensory memory of the carraway biscuits in it (not v child friendly on reflection!). This popped into my mind recently when I was reading the June chapter of the Seasonal Almanac where the biscuit of the month is the confusingly named Goosnargh Cake with caraway seeds.  15 minutes later down an internet rabbit hole (know them?!), I discovered that the Ancient Egyptians started a trend for burying the dead with carraway seeds to ward off evil spirits.  It’s also been used for stomach/digestive issues and features in a lot of Eastern European cooking like rye breads and cabbage dishes (makes sense!). So I suppose what I’m saying is, bake these biscuits and you’re both helping your stomach out AND protecting yourself from any bad juju :)
 
Very coincidentally, the marigold flower is also a protector against evil spirits too. This unintentional synchronicity makes me smile.
 
Good for the planet - It’s not sexy to share housework tips, I know, but bear with me…
I’ve been thinking about how to be more eco at home, so naturally the instagram algorithm is now delivering it in spades.  If you want to learn to fold towels to save space, pretend you’ve ironed your sheets or wrap presents without tape, this lady can do that too. But I think these cleaning hacks by Chantel are more immediately useful (no idea how her house is SO white!).
 
Basically, what I’ve learnt is that the main 3 ingredients for a general purpose cleaner are; natural disinfectant e.g. vinegar or alcohol + abrasive e.g. bicarb or salt + essential oils or citrus fruit for perfume. It works, promise! You can also reuse /repurpose things like toothbrushes for cleaning grout and refill spray bottles with your own cleaning mix.
 
I’m also testing out these laundry strips which I found in Tescos recently. They’re compact and eco friendly (as far as I can tell). There are loads of alternatives out there but these can easily be added to a regular shop. And they work out at 18p per full wash but I've been cutting them up for smaller loads too. 
 
JUST FOR YOU
As always I like to put a little present in my seasonal newsletter for you. This time if you spend over £40 in the heka store you’ll get 40% your total shop. Just use the code TEXAS40.*
 
Happy Jubilee Week.  
Peace out,

*this offer has now closed