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Beeswax DIY 4 – bars, balms and butters: Lip balm and healing salve

One of the main reasons I wanted to introduce you to beeswax is so that you can use it to make lip balms. I hope I have convinced you that beeswax is worth using despite its slightly special requirements. I have explained why we’d want to use it, how to melt it and mix it, […]

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How to wash your hair

Background: Washing our hair is arguably the aspect of personal care that we are least likely to go totally homemade and environmentally friendly on. Perhaps this is vanity, or perhaps there just hasn’t ever really been a good enough alternative available. This is a shame, as shampoos are one of the worst culprits when it comes […]

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Spotless turns FIVE – and how to clean copper effortlessly

It was five years ago today that Spotless was born, and as I thought about that today it made me happy to think that I am building a legacy of tried and tested tips, encouragement, reflections and useful information that I hope and believe will help make the world a better place than it otherwise […]

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Why change is hard

Human behaviour is notoriously difficult to change. Once we have settled on a way of doing things, we stick to it doggedly, even in the face of doom. At the same time, the opposite is true. We race ahead happily on the coat tails of our rapidly developing technologies, embracing innovation at every turn and […]

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Cleaning up your insides with delicious papaya seeds

As I was saying in Generous abundance, nature’s gifts just go on and on. Learning how to see them is like nothing short of waving a magic wand – things that once seemed worthless waste are revealed as valuable resources. One such treat I’ve discovered recently is papaya seeds – that glistening mass of little […]

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Avoiding chlorine damage to skin and hair

There are several ways to keep swimming pools clean and hygienic without the use of chlorine. (I’ll write more about some of them in another post.) Nevertheless, many swimming pools (not to mention mains water supplies) are still maintained by treatment with this outdated poison. Among them is the pool at my local gym. Now, […]

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Lavender, part two – Lavender vinegar

Infusions are an incredibly simple, direct way to capture the essence of herbs and plants and enhance the properties of whatever you’re infusing them with. They can turn a very basic substance into something really special, and one of the best candidates for making infusions is Lavender. Add fresh Lavender flowers and leaves to a […]