Nobody should feel ashamed to take some time for themselves every day, and self care shouldn’t really be considered a luxury, but necessary to keep a healthy body and mind.

On the other hand, we all live busy lives, and it is often hard to find not only the time but also the mental space to stop and take a moment to think about ourselves; and if we manage to find the time, we might not even know what is best for us, as it is easy to be overwhelmed in a world that tells you that you need to buy things to achieve happiness. Truth is, everybody is different, and there is no scented candle or expensive wine which will make everybody happy. Comfort is often found in the simplest things, as long as a particular ritual makes us feel better…could be as simple as washing your face in the morning!

In this post I will go through my self care routine, listing the main things I do and products I use to clean my body and keep myself healthy and happy. That should give you an overview of some of the ways you can take care of your body without using chemicals and toxic substances, so harmful to yourself and the environment. Many of the options listed below are also cheaper compared to other products, so choosing natural products could also save you some money, especially in the long term!

Hair care

I wash my hair with shampoo bars, choosing the ones which don’t come in plastic packaging and are made of natural ingredients: I always check that they do not contain sulfates, as they strip the scalp of its natural oils, making my hair dry and weak. I used to have dandruff, and sulfates-free shampoo bars have also helped me to get rid of that problem.

I have some grey hair, and I colour them with Henna: there is a lot of bad press out there about this natural dye, but since I have started using 100% pure Henna powder, my hair have become stronger and healthier (you can read this post to decide if Henna might work for you).

Face and body

I have been using coconut oil for my body for some time now, and it is the only product I need to make my skin soft, nourished and smelling amazing. Just read the label carefully if you want to try and use it on your body, it needs to be 100% organic, unrefined, cold pressed, virgin coconut oil.

I am currently trying to use coconut oil also as a make up remover and moisturizer for my face, there are some conflicting opinions about using coconut oil on your face so I am taking the transition slowly, giving enough time to my skin to get used to it. I will post updates soon in this blog, stay tuned!

Clothing

The clothes we wear should make us feel comfortable and confident, and not be a cause of stress or compulsive shopping

A capsule wardrobe is possibly the best way to declutter your wardrobe and understand which items of clothing you really need in your daily life, without wasting time every morning trying to decide what to wear, and money trying to stay on top of all the changes in trends and fashion.

If we choose quality over quantity, and try buying second hand whenever possible, we will produce less rubbish and the environment will be happier. See how you can shop sustainably for clothes here.

You are what you eat

Nutrition is an important factor when talking about health, and scientific research is increasingly confirming that how and what we eat influence our mental health too. A balanced diet is the key to physical and emotional wellbeing, and learning to prepare your meals from scratch can help you eat healthier (and it is fun too! Trust someone who is not a trained chef and has learnt everything she can cook from Youtube :-)) You can also save a lot of money if you skip the take away and prepare your meals, especially if you try batch cooking. You can find tips on how to eat healthy on a budget here.

Last but not least…take care of your mental health.

‘Mens sana in corpore sano’, an ancient adage says: we need to be able to take care of ourselves if we want to go through whatever life gives us, both for us and for the wellbeing of the people around us. Take these 5 easy steps and your mental health will thank you