Nourish your body with hemp seed oil

Hemp Seed Oil is a nourishing and antioxidant rich oil that can be applied topically, as well as taken internally. This multi-tasking oil contains all 10 essential amino acids plus 14 fatty acids including gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid that acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory that encourages skin and hair growth and new cell generation while moisturising and nourishing the skin. Here are three ways to incorporate hemp seed oil into your daily routine to nourish your skin, hair and body.

Hair

Hemp seed oil contains many beneficial nutrients that help to stimulate hair growth, nourish and moisturise the scalp, improve elasticity and strengthen strands. The ceramides in hemp seed oil help to form a protective barrier that assists in retaining protein and moisture in the hair and scalp while the Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids promote new hair growth.

To Use: There are a number of ways you can apply hemp seed oil to your hair. For a serum, rub a small amount of hemp seed oil to your scalp and hair, leave for 10 minutes before shampooing. For a treatment, add a few drops to your hair conditioner, or make a hair mask with hemp seed oil, apply, leave for 30 minutes and rinse.

Skin

Rich in omega fatty acids, hemp seed oil is particularly beneficial for those with acne, eczema, psoriasis, and inflammatory skin conditions. It dissolves stale sebum and drives out grime, dirt and pollution from deep within the pores while its moisturising properties create a protective barrier over the skin to prevent moisture loss. It also moderates oil production, soothes inflammation, contains anti-aging properties and is non-comedogenic which means it doesn’t clog pores.

How to care for dry skin naturally? For general face and body, either use alone or add a few drops to moisturiser for extra benefits. To nourish cracked heels, dry hands and elbows or reduce the appearance of scars, massage a small amount into the affected area daily until healed. For a complete body treatment, combine hemp seed oil with an exfoliant like raw sugar to make a scrub, and rub all over your body.

Body
Hemp seed oil is one of the best plant-based proteins and contains high-quality nutrients that offer many health benefits. The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in hemp seed oil helps to lower cholesterol levels and support weight loss by accelerating the body’s metabolic process. These essential fatty acids also improve immunity and regulate intestinal flora.

To Use: Hemp seed oil is not suitable for cooking with heat as it has a low smoke point. Instead, use cold for salad dressings and smoothies. Alternatively, consume 1 to 2 tablespoons of hemp seed oil daily or as recommended by your health professional. Larger doses can be toxic.

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The world's first plastic free crystal deodorant stick

Reduce unwanted odours from sweat this summer with Biork, the world's first plastic free crystal deodorant stick.

The trend towards mineral or crystal deodorants without aluminium is increasing as more people experience skin irritations when they use deodorant with aluminium chlorides and other artificial ingredients. The anti-bacterial agent of Biork is a potassium crystal, also called alum which has been used as an antibacterial and deodorant since ancient times, especially in Asia. Biork’s deodorant without aluminium comes from Europe and contains a natural aluminium sulphate compound that does not have the harmful side effects of aluminium chlorides commonly found in commercial antiperspirant deodorants. Potassium alum remains on the surface of the skin and fights the bacteria to reduce odours, whereas aluminium chlorides penetrate the skin’s pores, constricts and deforms them. When the pores are blocked, the skin cannot breathe, and this causes skin irritations and stains.

The crystal used in Biork is encased in a container made of cork sustainably sourced from Portugal. Cork is a no waste material that is obtained from the bark of cork oaks. It’s a renewable raw material that’s easy to recycle and is recommended by nature conservation organisations as cork oaks contribute in a highly valuable manner to mitigating climate change. Cork oaks store up to 30 per cent more CO2 than other trees, and a cork oak that has its bark is harvested regularly binds more than three times as much CO2 as an unused tree. With an area of around 2.3 million hectares, the Mediterranean cork oak forests absorb around 13 million tonnes of CO2 per year. 

Biork is suitable for unisex use and is free from aluminum chlorohydrate, alcohol, perfumes, parabens, preservatives and dyes. To use Biork, you simply moisten the crystal with water, glide it over the skin where needed and pat the crystal dry for storage. Biork will provide up to 24hrs of protection against sweat odour, and one stick will last for over 12 months.

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Carving a sustainable solution with coconuts

When Jake McKeon stumbled across painted coconut bowl souvenirs while travelling around Bali, he thought the bowls in their raw state would be great to sell in his health food business. Following this thought, Jake filled his bags with coconut bowls and returned to Australia. Within six weeks the first batch sold out, and within three months the sales of the coconut bowls surpassed the health food products. “At this point, I decided to create a new business and in January 2016 I launched Coconut Bowls,” says Jake.

After launching the business, Jake began to realise the significant environmental and ethical impacts of his new venture. “Of the billions of coconuts harvested each year for the coconut oil, water and flesh industries, 99 per cent of their shells are discarded and burned as waste,” says Jake. “This contributes significantly to CO2 and methane emissions, and the smoke is an environmental and health hazard to humans and animals.”

Coconut Bowls is now part of the solution to this environmental issue. Jake reclaims coconut shells from companies that treat them as a bi-product and up-cycles them into beautiful eco-friendly bowls. His craftsman cut, clean and sand the coconut shells, turning them into beautiful coconut bowls that you can eat from. Each coconut bowl is then finished with an organic virgin coconut oil polish. “Every coconut bowl is unique with its own shape, size, marking and imperfections - they're one in a billion,” says Jake.

Jake strives to build a company that supports all three pillars of sustainability, environmental, social and economic otherwise known as planet, people and profits. Jake is regularly asked about the fair-trade status of the coconut bowls, and although this is a certification he would ideally like to obtain, it’s currently unachievable due to the current operations of the only three fair trade coconut farms in Vietnam. “We have investigated working with these farms, but due to the large scale that they operate, the way they open coconut shells prevent us from being able to up-cycle them,” says Jake.

Instead, Jake chooses to adhere to his own moral and ethical values, by working with a number of smaller family farms where he pays farmers to sort and package the coconut shells into the sizes he requires. “This ensures they receive an income from products that they otherwise would have to pay to dispose of or burn themselves,” says Jake. This income makes a difference for the farmers Jake works with, who are considered some of the poorest in the country, often earning the equivalent of $1 to $2 per day whereas a single collection from Coconut Bowls can total hundreds of dollars. “With regular collections across the year, the income from discarded coconuts can be more than what they earn for the coconuts themselves,” says Jake.

Once collected from the farms, the coconut shells are sent to a workshop, where local craftspeople and artisans sand and polish the shells. The workers are paid more than double fair-trade standards which is 30 per cent more than regular incomes for similar jobs and receive food, drinks and regular breaks throughout the day. “One of the wonderful things about our workshop is that many of the artisans are family. This is desirable within the Vietnamese culture as many workers must travel hours every day to get to their workplace, meaning less time is spent with family,” says Jake.

Coconut Bowls has grown from strength to strength over the years. Jake has fostered a hub focused on plant-based eating and mindful living, and is currently is working towards achieving B Corporation certification. Jake believes environmental sustainability involves participating every day in making positive decisions that will foster a sustainable future for humans and all beings alike.

“The reason sustainability is so important is very simple; our future and the future of our children depend on it.”

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How to live a truly zero waste life

Anita Vandyke didn't grow up with a hippie mother or a passion for the environment; she was just a person trying to find happiness in all the usual places – money, power, and status. But this idea of success didn’t provide her with the happiness that she expected.

At age twenty-six Anita was a qualified rocket scientist and a manager in a large engineering firm, earning more money than her Chinese migrant parents ever had. On paper, her life was the epitome of success. “I was the one my parents didn’t have to worry about; the daughter who graduated high school with a near perfect UAI, had a well-paying corporate job and the latest Givenchy boots in my closet,” she said. It was a supposedly a picture-perfect life for Anita, but it all changed in an instant when in 2015 Anita has an epiphany.

“I remember sitting in that Board Meeting on Level 6, looking at my boss, my boss’s boss and the big boss, thinking Is this it? Is this who I will become in five, ten, fifteen years’ time,” she recalls. Anita realised then that if she kept going down this path, all her hopes of living a life that was truly hers, one that wasn’t bound by golden handcuffs, would be lost forever. These questions haunted Anita, and the doubt started to make her miserable. “My husband looked me in the eyes and said, ‘You have to quit your job – it’s killing you,'" she recalls. Anita knew then that if she didn’t do something about her everyday misery, she risked losing him. Anita quit her job the next day and since then has transformed her life.

By embracing a zero-waste life, Anita has been able to go back to university to study full-time to become a doctor, move out of her in-law’s house into a 59-square metre apartment, and has dedicated her life to something greater. “Working in corporate Australia didn’t reflect who I was, but that doesn’t mean it’s not right for everyone, you certainly don’t have to quit your corporate job to live a more eco-friendly life. But you do have to find what works for you,” Anita said.

The zero waste living movement is centred on reducing the waste you send to landfill and reducing the amount of plastic used in your life. But Anita wants to show people that living a truly zero waste life also means not wasting your life away. “Quite simply, plastic is Mother Nature’s non-renewable resource, and time is ours. We shouldn’t waste either one,” she says.

In her book, A Zero Waste Life in Thirty Days, Anita provides simple ways to live an eco-luxe life, one in which everyone can be zero waste activists without depriving themselves of the modern luxuries of life. “In living a truly zero waste life, you actually gain more – more time, more money and more life,” says Anita. “Isn’t that what we all want in the end: a life of happiness, a life of luxury, a life that isn’t wasted?”

How to live a truly zero waste life

Extract from A Zero Waste Life in Thirty Days ($21.99)

TIP 1: Replace your disposables with reusables - replace items such as plastic bottles, paper napkins, plastic grocery bags, disposable coffee cups with reusable options. Make yourself a zero waste kit to take everywhere. A zero-waste kit can include; a reusable water bottle, reusable coffee cup, cotton bag, stainless steel drinking straw and a spork.

TIP 2: Set up a composting system that works for you – food waste is a major issue. Food sits in our landfills and emits toxic greenhouse emissions. It’s time to compost food scraps instead of sending them to landfill. This might be as simple as sharing a compost bin with a community garden or even setting up your own. Shareapp is a free community app that allows you to see what compost bins are in your local area.

TIP 3: Shop the outer aisles of the supermarket or at bulk stores – shopping the outer aisles of the supermarket means that you are buying package-free food. Not only is this better for the planet, it’s also a healthier option for you and your family.

TIP 4: Make second-hand your first choice - whenever you need to buy something, try to see if you can buy it second-hand first. Look at local thrift stores, ask neighbours and friends, try eBay - make a good effort to try to buy second-hand before buying new. 

TIP 5: Be mindful of your time and money – put yourself on a spending ban, eliminate unnecessary engagements from your calendar. Money is a renewable resource that we should not waste; time can never be gained back – we should be mindful of how we use both these resources.

TIP 6: Head outside - By enjoying the outdoors and seeing how amazing Mother Nature is, we can learn to appreciate that every step, no matter how small, is important in helping our planet.

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