HOW TO - DIY CANDLES AND WAX RECYCLING

Hiya Guys!

I hope you have all had an amazing start to 2020. 

After posting on Instagram quite a few times about how I recycle and reuse old candles and wax melts, I decided to make a YouTube video and blog post all about how I do it as I've had quite a few requests to do so.

I started doing this around 6 months ago when I noticed with certain candles how much wax was was left once it had burnt out. I found that it would burn out and the wick was no longer useable however there was loads of wax left inside the jar - so I decided to recycle them and make my own candles! Please note that I am not a professional and this method is what works best for me. 

I have also uploaded a step by step tutorial on YouTube, if you'd prefer to watch me carry out this process

WHAT YOU'LL NEED -

Candle Wicks - I bought mine from eBay

Empty Jar - I use old glass jars that I've recycled - one of my favourites to use are empty Gu jars (those incredible little cheesecakes)

Wick Stabiliser - I have only recently just one of these with my recent wick delivery, I previously used my stainless steel chopsticks to hold the wicks in place however I have also seen many people use pegs

Boiling Water 

Pan 

Tweezers

Scissors 

INSTRUCTIONS - 

You firstly want to boil some water and pop this into a pan on the hob, fill the pan around 2 inches deep with water - you don't want it to be full as it can risk water getting into the wax. 

Then carefully place your empty candle into the water and allow the wax to melt. If you are melting wax melts, place them in an empty jar - I use an old candle jar that has no wax left inside. 

Whilst the wax is melting I like to prepare my jars that I will be using for my new candles, I take the base of my wick and dip it into a melting candle and then pop them into my jar - this way the melted wax dries and secures your wick in place. I have seen many others using glue dots to secure their wicks, which may be a quicker and easier process! 

Once the wax is melted completely, carefully take the jar out of the pan using a tea towel or oven glove to avoid burning your fingers and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. If you have been melting an old candle, this is when you use your tweezers to remove the old wick.

After you've allowed the wax to cool, it's as simple as pouring it into your new jar which has already been prepared and stabilising the wick using either the stabiliser, chopsticks or a peg!

Allow the wax to set and there you have a brand new candle, made from recycled wax that was going to end up in the landfill! You've saved yourself money and reduced waste at the same time. 

I hope you all found this useful and if you decide to recycle your old candles and wax, please tag me on Instagram with your results as I would love to see them!

If you have any other DIY projects and eco friendly hacks, you'd like to see from me then please let me know.

Thanks for reading, as always.

Amber xxx

TABOO TUESDAY - PERIOD TALK

Why is period talk such a taboo subject, when it's something that women deal with everyday?

I was recently sent a little parcel from Clementine - Take Good Care, who are a subscription service for feminine hygiene products. I'm not sure whether I've been living under a rock but I've never heard of subscription services for period products before and I think it's such a great idea!

The thing that stood out for me with Clementine is that all of their products are 100% biodegradable, they're all free from Chlorine and Dioxin. They're also Allergy Free. I am absolutely love the fact that there are eco friendly period products out there, other than the mensural cup (which I do think is a brilliant product, however I am personally not ready to use one yet), because I am very aware of how much waste is created by something that women need to use everyday and to know that I can now use biodegradable products removes that guilty feeling. 

On their website you can personalise your box to how many of each product you'd like and how often you'd like to receive them, as everyone prefers to use different products and has a different cycle. Then they simply ship them straight to your door! The convenience of this service is incredible, because I know in the past I've found myself in a situation where I end up having to run to the local shop to pick up products because I've left myself short - so this way know you will always have them when you need them!

Simply head to weareclementine.com to create you subscription and if you use code 'FREESHIP' you will get free shipping on your first subscription order.

Amber xxx

Eco Egg

Hiya Guys!

I hope you are all doing well and are ready for Autumn, I know I certainly am! There is nothing better than cosy nights in wrapped up in a big warm blanket with a hot chocolate, whilst it's dark and cold outside.

As I am sure you've heard me talk about many times, this year I have really started to focus on living a more eco friendly lifestyle - whether this is by massively reducing my meat and dairy consumption to cutting out single use plastic in our household, both myself and my boyfriend Alex have been making a really big effort towards this.

I wanted to do a post today about Ecoegg who are a company who focus on eco friendly laundry products, I bought an Ecoegg Laundry Egg back in July and I have not looked back since! I will never use conventional laundry products again, I wish I'd have found Ecoegg sooner. I will also be doing a give-away for an Ecoegg product at the end of this post! 

Ecoegg Laundry Egg

The first Ecoegg product I tried was their Laundry Egg, which I bought in July and I have to say that this product is the most practical eco friendly product I have bought with regards to everyday usage and how much waste we have reduced. It is a reusable product that you use in place of laundry detergent and fabric conditioner - simply pop it into the washing machine drum along with your washing and it's that simple! 

The Laundry Egg includes the egg itself as well as the pellets that go inside the egg, there is a instruction manual included which advises how many washes the pellets will do before having to replace them. They last around 70 washes, then you simply purchase the refill pellets and top up your egg. 

Ecoegg have found that if you switch from liquid detergent and fabric conditioner to a Laundry Egg you will save up to 40 bottles of plastic each year (based on 7 washes a week). If everyone made the switch to a Laundry Egg can you imagine how much we could reduce plastic waste! 

Another benefit is the amount of money you will end up saving in the long run. The only laundry product I have bought since using the Laundry Egg is one bottle of Ecover Fabric Softener which I use for my towels as I find that using the egg alone leaves the towels a little harder than I like them. Other than that I just use the egg on it's own for all my washing. Many people have asked me if it cleans clothes as well as the conventional products do and seem worried that it wouldn't smell nice or may come out stained. In the 4 months I have been using the Laundry Egg I haven't had to re-wash any clothes due to smells or stains - it cleans my clothes as well as any other product I've used before and leaves clothes smelling lovely and fresh - I use the Fresh Linen scent. 

You can buy the Laundry Egg in two scents - Fresh Linen and Spring Blossom, they also have a Fragrance Free option. They include no harsh chemicals and as well as being kind to the environment they are kind to your skin, perfect for those who have to be careful with which laundry products they use due to having sensitive skin or a skin condition. 

You can purchase the products on their website or in most Waitrose stores.

Laundry Egg

Ecoegg Instant Stain Remover 

I can't recommend this product enough, Ecoegg kindly sent over their Instant Stain Remover for me to try out alongside my Laundry Egg and I absolutely love it! I rarely need stain remover as I find my Laundry Egg gets out most marks, however if I had a tougher stain I always used a 'soap bar' type stain remover that I would rub on before putting in the washing machine.

On the day my Instant Stain Remover arrived, it was like fate - as I managed to get paint all over my black t-shirt when trying to touch up the paintwork on the landing at our house. I was using one of those little tester rollers and when squeezing the paint to come out it fired out in all directions all over my face and t-shirt! How planned this sounds is so funny - but it was honestly a lifesaver. 

I did this once before and tried getting it out with the bar and washing it however it didn't come out and I was absolutely gutted. However as soon as it happened, I ran it under the tap and sprayed it with the Stain Remover then popped it straight into the washing machine with my Laundry Egg and it came out! I was honestly SO chuffed. 

Just like the Laundry Egg this product includes no harsh chemicals and has been dermatologically tested and is hypoallergenic.  

Instant Stain Remover

Ecoegg Dryer Eggs

The final Ecoegg product that I have tried is their Dryer Eggs, along with the Stain Remover I was kindly gifted this product to test out. In our house we have a washer/dryer and honestly hardly ever use the dryer unless we really need to. I'm not sure whether it's because it's a washer/dryer rather than just the dryer on it's own however when I've used the dryer option in the past, it seems to take forever to actually dry the clothes - it got to the point where we would have it on for an hour however the clothes still came out damp so we then dried them on the clothes horse.

So when I received these Dryer Eggs I was really looking forward to testing them out as Ecoegg claim that it reduces drying time by 28% which is a huge difference since dryers are one of the most expensive Household Appliances. I have used the product a few times now and I am really surprised at how much they really work! I now find that when I put the clothes in the dryer alongside the dryer eggs, the time it usually takes to get clothes fully dry is reduced quite a bit and I can now allow clothes to dry rather than taking them out damp and drying on the clothes horse. I always did this as I couldn't justify how long it used to take my clothes to dry.

These are such a good investment if you regularly use your dryer - something as simple as popping them in the machine with your clothes can reduce the drying time and in the long run save you money! Just like the Laundry Egg the Dryer Eggs come in two scents  as well as Fragrance Free - the fragrance sticks add a delicate scent to your laundry. 

Dryer Balls

GIVE AWAY

Ecoegg have very kindly given me a set of Spring Blossom Dryer Balls to give away to someone, I am holding this give away over on my Instagram, so if you click HERE it will take you to my page and you can go ahead and enter if you'd like to be in with a chance of winning these for yourself.

As always, thank you very much for reading. If you have any questions about Ecoegg, feel free to ask away and I will try and answer the best as I can. Let me know your thoughts on Ecoegg and if you use any other eco friendly laundry products I would love to know!

Amber xxx 

Empties and Eco Alternatives

Hiya Guys!

I recently put a poll on my Instagram as to whether anyone would be interested in seeing products that I have recently used up and hearing my thoughts about how I felt about these products as well if I could find a more eco friendly alternative. I received quite a lot of interest in this idea, especially from people wanting to see the eco friendly alternatives - so here we are!

Wipes 

Wipes are something I have always had in our house and I have always used for as long as I can remember, baby wipes especially as I just found that they were more sensitive and calming to my skin. 

I used wipes for so many different things and when I think of these reasons now, I know it was just super lazy. I would use these after my micellar water to ensure all my make up was removed, I would use them to clean product off my hands after doing my make up or just to wipe my face if I wanted to feel a bit more refreshed when wearing make up! However I am so aware of how awful wipes are for the environment therefore we are removing wipes from our household completely and once we have used up the last packet we will no longer be re-purchasing them.

Eco Alternative 

The eco alternative of wipes is very simple for me - if I need to get any product off my hands after doing my make up, I need to stop relying on the convenience of wipes and wash them with soap and water! 

As well as using them to wipe my face of remove make up, it's quite simple - use face cleansing products and water. Lush do many different naked skincare products, one being the 7-3 Cleansing Wipe which is essentially a packaging free wipe that is activated with water and can be used multiple times to remove make up! 

Shower Gel and Shower Cream 

For as long as I can remember both myself and Alex have religiously used Lush Shower Gel and Cream. Lush is an incredible company that I have been a fan of for many years and I will always choose their products when it comes to skincare, bathing and hair care. 

This is due to their ethos' and values, whether this is in relation to recycling, being cruelty free and so many more amazing causes that Lush support. Therefore this isn't something I will never use again. At one point we did have one too many Shower Gels and Creams as I became quite obsessive and collective with Lush however we are slowly working through these are reducing our collection.

There are a couple of scents by Lush that we absolutely love such as Calacas which isn't part of their permanent range and doesn't have a solid/naked version at the moment, so we have a couple of bottles of this stocked up as it's our favourite and will probably buy this again should it be re-released! However as these bottles can be fully recycled I am happy to continue to purchase this item.

Eco Alternative 

Although I will be keeping a couple of my Shower Gels such as Calacas as mentioned above, I will not be purchasing multiple bottles at once like I have done in the past. We will be moving on to using soap - Lush have such a great range of packaging free soap. In store you can choose how big of a chunk you'd like and they will cut it to size for you. 

This alternative is another one which is going back to basics, it seems super simple but if you think about the amount of plastic waste which is created from shower gel alone - it is absolutely insane! 

Bloo Foam Aroma 

In all honesty this product was the most useless thing I've ever bought, I have to admit that I got sucked into the cleaning hype like quite a lot of other people and bought everything and anything that Mrs Hinch recommended even though I didn't need it. I still enjoy watching Mrs Hinch's stories and keeping up with her on Instagram however I can't come to terms with the stock piling of products and chemicals - most of which are tested on animals. 

Eco Alternative

I have seen quite a few different recipes to make your own fizzing toilet blocks or powders which I will be trialing and testing soon. Anything I can make at home is a big win for me! As soon as I have made these and tested them out I will put the recipe and what I thought about it on my Instagram. 

Body Scrub

I have quite a few different Body Scrubs on the go at the moment including Lush, The Body Shop and Happy Place Cosmetics. These two Body Scrubs are from The Body Shop - one of which I received as part of a gift set for my birthday and another I bought in the Christmas sale. 

The Body Shop are another company that have really good morals and values and are completely cruelty free. They have also recently released their recycling programme, where they will take back all your empty pots and ensure that they are recycled correctly. Therefore this product isn't something I would never re-purchase again in the future - however I would ensure that it is from a company such as Lush or The Body Shop.

Eco Alternative 

When it comes to cosmetics you will notice that Lush is a company I mention a lot throughout this post and this is due to my personal experience with their products throughout the years - there may well be many more companies that sell naked products and if you know of any that you love, please let me know!

Packaging free Body Scrubs are something that I have been using for a while from Lush, my favourite being Scrubee. Scrubee is a packaging free Solid Body Butter from Lush and is filled with ground coconut shells and ground almonds therefore it doubles as a scrub and body butter in one and leaves you feeling super soft and moisturised after use! Another naked scrub I have recently purchased from Lush is Aurora Borealis which I am really looking forward to trying out!

Concentrated Disinfectant

As previously mentioned I was very quickly sucked into this whole 'cleaning' hype, as we moved into our first home in October 2018 and this was when I discovered Mrs Hinch. At this point I was introduced to Zoflora and it's many uses, now this is something I do continue to use however I no longer buy lots of different scents when I see them and just have a few bottles left. This is also the same case for Fabulosa.

I do really enjoy using these products to clean and they are cruelty free which is a massive factor for me. I use them diluted in a spray bottle as an all purpose cleaner to clean the kitchen surfaces and other non-wood surfaces throughout the house. I also use them to clean the bathroom - I fill the bath/sink up with hot water and add a splash of the concentrate disinfectant to clean the bath/sink all the surfaces around and the taps etc.

Eco Alternative

In comparison to the multiple different products I previously used to clean the kitchen and bathroom, I do believe that by only having one bottle of Zoflora which I use diluted is creating a lot less waste than before. 

The product is cruelty free and the bottle is easily recyclable therefore the only downside would be if you are looking to go plastic free. Going forward I would like to try make my own cleaners and disinfectants, therefore if you have any recipes, please do let me know! However at the moment I will continue to use up my concentrate disinfectants, by diluting them and using them for many different purposes.

Micellar Water 

I absolutely love using Micellar Water to remove my make up, it's so quick and easy and is really convenient to use. Realistically I will continue to buy this, although it does come in a plastic bottle, simply because I have yet to find a Micellar Water/Make Up Remover in glass packaging.

Eco Alternative

A way I've started to reduce how much I use is by using the 7-3 Wipes by Lush which I have previously mentioned to remove the majority of my make up as well as other products from their naked skincare range, then if I need to use the Micellar Water just to ensure my face is completely clear of make up and dirt - I will only use a small amount of my reusable cotton pads. I have cut the single use cotton pads out of my life completely therefore by using reusable cotton pads this reduces a lot of the waste that was produced from me removing my make up.

By only using the Micellar Water to ensure the make up is completely removed, rather than it being used to remove all my make up, the product will last a lot longer meaning I don't have to purchase as many bottles of this product.

I hope you guys enjoyed the read and if so please let me know and I will do another in the future! It's really good to collect your empties throughout the month and then have a look through and realistically think whether you would use it again and whether it's worth re-purchasing. Or if you can find a more eco friendly/plastic free alternative!

Amber xxx

Eco Living

Hiya Guys!

One of mine and Alex's New Year Resolutions this year was to become more Eco Friendly. If you follow me on Instagram you may know that unlike most resolutions this is one that we have really stuck to and are trying to do more and more as time goes by.

I wanted to share my experience with Eco Living and tell you what we currently do to make a difference and what we are planning on doing going forward. 

I saw a great quote the other day that I think is so incredibly important - 'We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.' 

A small change is better than no change at all, whether this is as simple as using metal or bamboo reusable straws and buying bamboo toothbrushes rather than plastic. People should not be shamed for only making a few small changes rather than living 100% zero waste. They should be congratulated on the small changes they have made and encouraged to make any further changes that they can. 

I am going to share a few changes that we have in our House on our journey towards a more Eco Friendly lifestyle. 

Metal Straws and Chopsticks 

It starts with the simple things, these metal straws and chopsticks were the first things that we purchased. There is a big push in the media at the moment to get rid of plastic straws, which is really good to see a big audience getting on board with! There are many more things we can all be doing to make a difference, however this is a great place to start and are super inexpensive to pick up on eBay. 

Bamboo Toothbrushes

Another simple place to start is with a Bamboo Toothbrush. I recently read that Plastic Toothbrushes take over 400 years to decompose, we switched to Bamboo over 6 weeks ago and I can't believe we didn't do it sooner. It is so incredibly simple, again very inexpensive and doesn't feel any different to using a Plastic Toothbrush - so there is no reason not to make the change! 

Recycled Candles 

Recycling Candles and Wax is something that we have been doing for around 2 months now, as an avid user of both Candles and Wax Melts I couldn't help but notice how much waste it created. I've noticed with multiple candle brands that when the candle has finished burning and the wick will no longer light, there is still so much wax left over that would simply be wasted. This is the same with wax melts, once the scent has finished you're left with wax that is simply put in the waste. 

Which is why we have started melting this left over wax down and making our own candles and tea lights. We have been re-using glass jars and empty tea light cases that we have kept over the weeks and pouring the melted wax into these - the wicks are cheap enough to buy online. I will be filming a YouTube video on this process soon, so you can follow along and make your own! 

Reusable Cotton Pads

Reusable Cotton Pads are quite a new change for me, I picked these up from a shop on Etsy called Leave No Trace. You use them as you would regular cotton pads with your micellar water or toner and then simply pop them into your cute little bag that is included and put them in the washing machine and they can be used over and over! 

Eco Egg 

I wish I would have known about this product sooner, the Eco Egg is an eco friendly alternative to laundry detergent and fabric conditioner. Simply stick it in the drum with your washing and let it work it's magic! This little egg lasts up to 1 year and when required, you just replace the pellets - the egg will last a lifetime. It is amazing to think how many plastic bottles we can avoid using by switching to the Eco Egg. 

Lush Naked Products 

If you know me you will know how much I love Lush and how long I've been using their products. More recently they have been creating more and more naked products (packaging free) - from Solid Lip Scrubs and Body Scrubs to Naked Face Wipes and Facial Cleansers. I would really recommend checking out what naked products Lush sell and seeing if they would work in your routine. Even the smallest change from using Shower Gel and Liquid Hand Wash to Soap makes a difference!

Cotton Produce Bags

Something we've always done is not use the awful single use plastic bags in supermarkets. Why they are still in shops is beyond me, you don't need to put your bananas in a plastic bag which is going to go straight in the bin when you get home. Cotton Produce Bags and so cheap to pick up and do the exact same thing if not better! I bought these from Poundland for £1 and Poundstretcher for 50p. 

Teal Trunk

Finally we have the Teal Trunk which I was kindly gifted by the lovely owner Tara, I was looking for an eco alternative to washing up sponges and came across this unique product, I'd never seen anything on the market like this before! It's a silicone scrubber which can be re-used over and over and due to the material it is made from doesn't hold on to any bacteria. I have seen so many people on my Instagram use this for so many things, from cleaning make up brushes, scrubbing their veg, cleaning the sink and so much more. I haven't tried this yet as I still have a couple of sponges left from the last multi pack we bought, but as soon as I do I will post my thoughts on my Instagram. 

Following on from that is something I want to mention when it comes to Eco Living, finding an eco alternative is amazing however it shouldn't mean that you throw away your none eco product which still has plenty of life in it. Use your sponges and one use cotton pads up that you may already have, then once they're used you can go on to your new exciting product. Do not create waste for the sake of something new.

I am always interested in new ways to become more Eco Friendly, should anyone have any suggestions of things they currently do please let me know! We have today found a Zero Waste shop in our local town that allows you to refill your dry foods such as pasta and rice etc as well as cleaning products and things such as Shampoo and Conditioner. This is such an amazing thing to come to our small town and we can't wait to start using it!

I hope you enjoyed the read and can take something from this blog, the more people that make any changes the bigger difference we can all make to looking after our planet. 

Amber xxx