Earlier this week I spent some time at home with my family. It was great to catch up with everyone and breathe some fresh air again. My mum lives on one of the Islands in Gothenburg's archipelago. The rest of this post will be somewhat photo heavy. Enjoy!!

Have you been to Sweden? Would you like to go to Sweden? 

The organic beauty revolution in Sweden

Organic hair & beauty is taking over in Scandinavia. I've always been amused on how much rest of the world wants to copy Scandinavia, but finally there's a reason.

I love going back home to Sweden as the organic wave is just getting bigger and bigger each time I go. It feels like the Swedes really understands how important it is and that we all have a responsibility to our planet. 

I just been home to Göteborg (Gothenburg) and I was so pleasantly surprised by the hair & beauty industry in Sweden. 

First I want to say a big Thank you to Maria Åkerberg who was very helpful to let me know where I could find her products. She directed me to M&M nail's and beauty centre on Vegagatan. I got a chance to see how big range of Maria Åkerberg there actually is. It was hard not to buy everything. It was great to see that she's doing so well and so many in Sweden care what ingredients they actually put on their skin. 

As more and more people are becoming aware of what they put on their bodies, they stop using harsh chemicals and eventually things change. The producers realising that no one will buy their rubbish and have to improve their products. More and more organic brands are constantly popping up. 

The consumers have spoken and the producers are listening. Finally! 

After I managed to drag myself away from all the beautiful Maria Åkerberg products and only the size of my suitcase stopped me from buying everything. 

I didn't walk very far until I bumped in to Salong Alexandra, an organic hair salon. Also situated on Vegagatan. Of course I had to go in and talk to them. I was in luck as I got to chat with Alexandra her self. They've been using organic products for 5 years. They're using organic colour systems. The favourite hair brand was of course John Masters but on the shelves was a wide range of different products including many Swedish brands. Alexandra is dedicated to her clients and always making sure she uses products with the best ingredients. 

By accident I also passed Ekologisk hudvård & frisör. They're an organic hair & beauty retail shop with a hair salon in the back. They've been on Linnegatan just over 4 years and just about to rebrand to Eko Linné. They stock a huge number of Eco products and they make their own products as well.

It's great to see Scandinavia to be a leader in changing the world.  

Do you think it's important to use organic beauty products? 

My Stockholm run

I've just been in Stockholm and I really want to show you my run from one morning as it was so beautiful. I love running in Stockholm as it's so easy to run near nature and breathe fresh air. I normally run in Hagaparken. Home to the Swedish crown princess Victoria and her family. 

It's lots of nature and right next to water. The weather has been amazing too, with bright sunshine and 25 degrees. I'm now on my way to a rainy Gothenburg. 

So beautiful 

This is how happy I was to run in Stockholm.

My run finished on top of Vanadislunden with this gorgeous view of Stockholm. 

Wish list for Sweden

 Today I'm off to Sweden. First stop is Stockholm to do my clients hair. I have a bunch of wonderful people I do hair for every three months. Second stop is Göteborg (Gothenburg) to see my family. 

Every time before I go to Sweden I like to write a wish list for my favourite Swedish brands. 

This is what I'm hoping/wishing to get when I'm over there. 

Maria Åkerberg 

- Makeup 

One of my favourite beauty brands. Last time I went to Stockholm was the first time I tried her make-up. This time I've my eyes on

-lipsticks

Warm coral and Rose.

-Mineral powder pure beige 

It's perfect colour for Scandinavian skin. 

There probably will be more purchases than that from Maria Åkerberg. 

C/o Gerd 

- Deep moist conditoner

I also tried a c/o Gerd last time and it was so nourishing for my hair I really want to try their conditioners especially the deep moist one. 

Weekdays

- black jeans

I'm in need of another pair of black jeans and Weekdays is one of my favourite places to go for my denim. I'm also keen on checking out their organic range. 

Fjällräven 

- Eco shell jacket

I need a warm jacket for my trip to Iceland later in the year. I've got my eyes on this three layer shell jacket in Eco shell from Fjällräven. Made from recycled and recyclable polyester and  also fluorocarbon-free and climate compensated. Don't worry it's fake fur. 

Indiska 

- Big mug 

As you all know by now I love my big tea mugs and I just love this mug. So pretty and the perfect size. Indiska is my favourite place for mugs. 

Liqourice 

My Swedish soul needs Liqourice so I'm stocking up when I'm at home. Some of my favourites are

- djungelvrål 

it's very salt liqourice and not for the weak. It's the Liqourice for the real hardcore swedes. 

- Lagom 

I just love this brand. Lagom is a Swedish word for just right and it's the right amount with the right amount of salt Liqourice taste. It's Lagom. 

What's on your wish list at the moment? 

organic & natural summer hair & beauty essentials

My organic & natural summer hair & beauty essentials

Swedish word: sommar väsentligheter = summer essentials

First of all I just want to remind you that all products I mention are organic and cruelty free.

I'm about to go on my beach holiday to Thailand and Cambodia and thought I'll show you my hair & beauty essentials.

My organic & natural summer hair & beauty essentials

Swedish word: sommar väsentligheter = summer essentials

First of all I just want to remind you that all products I mention are organic and cruelty free.

I'm about to go on my beach holiday to Thailand and Cambodia and thought I'll show you my hair & beauty essentials.

Click here to watch my last video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXyOtjnO5AM
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1. Coconut oil
Biona organic - Virgin oil
To see my video on how to apply
http://youtu.be/SXjDWbq-rBg

2. Hat - Christys

3. Hair serum - c/o Gerd
For my review
http://www.sarasteele.co.uk/2015/06/review-co-gerd-serum.html?m=1

4. Salt spray - Less is more

5. Hair bobbles - Sally's

6. Nail polish - Zoya

7. Sun lotion - Green people

8. Aloe Vera gel - Sukin
For my review
http://www.sarasteele.co.uk/2015/06/review-sukin-hydrating-body-lotion-aloe.html?m=1

9. Sun lip balm - Hurraw

10. Water (H2o)

What are some of your summer essentials? Tell me about your holiday in the comment box below.

Thank you for watching

Review | Hurraw lip balm

I have a new obsession and my lips love me for it. Hurraw lip balms. They make my lips soft and moist as no one likes dry lips.

I recently bought the sun balm as I'm soon going on holiday. I got so obsessed with it I needed to go and buy a few more for my everyday use. I like to keep stuff like this in various places to always have at handy. There's always one at work, in my handbag and next to my bed. 

Hurraw is all natural, vegan made from premium raw, organic and fair- trade ingredients. That's enough for me to love a product, but that's not all. There's plenty of amazing flavours to choose between for starters. Some of my favourites are Liquorice and Chocolate. Of course as I'm a tea lover I also like the flavours Earl Grey and Green tea. 

It's so easy to apply and gives your lips a nice shine. It's the longest lasting lip balm I've ever tried as the lips still feels soft hours later. 

Have you tried Hurraw? Which one is your favourite?

My Organic London - Borough Market

I will be doing a series of my favourite places in London that has something to do with my organic lifestyle. 

One of my favourite places are Borough Market. I like to come her once or twice a month and and buy some of my favourite organic food items. It's a great place to get in season vegetables. I always prefer to buy more local and independent when I can and Borough market is a good opportunity to do so. 

Borough Market is a haven for anybody who cares about the quality and where the food they eat come from.

For anyone who hasn't been to Borough Market I would like to urge you to go. It's a great place to just hang out, grab a coffee or food and get your shopping done. 

My favourite place for coffee is Monmouth coffee. There I not only get my favourite espresso, but also buy my ground coffee for home use as well. You can buy the beans or get them grounded like I do. Monmouth have great quality coffee. They like to build a relationship with the grower and exporter to keep their business sustainable, fair and equal trade. They roast their coffee locally and use organic milk (for those who drink it) and organic whole cane sugar.

One of my food favourites are Wokit. I tried it first time after DeliciouslyElla mentioned it on Instagram. 

Wokit wok healthy noodles or rice with fresh local produce (from the market) that you get to choose. They then wool it in front of you. My favourite noodle is sweet potato and buckwheat. 

Some of my other favourite picks are

The Olive Oil co

This is where I buy my organic olive oil. The Olive Oil company imports olive oil and vinegar, sourced from specialist producers across Italy. 

Ted's veg

An ever changing range of seasonal homegrown vegetables and salad from Ted Dawson's farm in Lincolnshire. As well as a selection of fruit and veg from other high quality suppliers. 

I do like to browse around all the vegetable stalls and get a few bits and bobs from each one of them. But Ted's veg is normally my go to stall.

Bread Ahead

This is my favourite place to buy bread from. Bread ahead makes easy and tasty bread. Showing that you don't need lots of ingredients to make it taste good. Bread Ahead also has a bakery school at Borough market and I've always wanted to try it out. In the meantime I just enjoy their tasty breads in the market. Especially their Sourdoughs. It's also slightly cheaper than the other bread stalls in the market.

That are some of the places I shop. There's is so much to see and try at Borough Market so plan a day out and enjoy it for yourself. 

Have you been to Borough Market? What do you like about it? 

August Fashion Haul - Paris Edition

I recently got back from my trip to Paris. I love Paris. It's one of my favourite cities in the world. It was my third visit.

Click here to watch my last video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXyOtjnO5AM
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Subscribe: bit.ly/sarasteele
Blog: https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/sara-steele-organic-hairstylist-hair-blogger-13734223
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/sarasteelesnaps
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sarasteeletweet
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sarasteelehair
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First I went to Sweden to pick up my mum.

There I bought
1. Jumper - Åhlens
2. Notebook - pocket shop
3. Resa med lätt bagage - Tove Jansson.

Finally in Paris I bought
4. Scarf - La Fayette
5. Earrings - La Fayette
6. Paris mug

And at the Monet's garden gift shop I bought some beautiful stationary
7. Letter paper
8. Envelopes
9. Notebooks

Check out my blog if you want to read more about what we were up to in Paris

http://www.sarasteele.co.uk/2015/07/my-paris-trip-part-1.html?m=1

http://www.sarasteele.co.uk/2015/08/my-paris-part-2.html?m=1 

Have you been to Paris? What did you do? What did you see?

Wedding hair inspired by Frida Kahlo

Are you looking for wedding hair inspiration or just like looking at pretty hair? Continue to scroll down if that's the case. 

One of the favourite parts of my job as a hairdresser, must be styling wedding hair. To have the honour to be part of someone's most special day. Making someone look and feel beautiful on their big day. 

Yesterday I had the opportunity to style the hair for my friend Salma for her wedding. 

The bride's inspiration came from the artist Frida Kahlo. Her signature look was her braided hair with coloured fabric and flowers on top.

Here is the final look

I also did the hair of my friend Mumtaz, the brides cousin. We wanted to add some hight with a beautiful chignon in the back.

If you want to book a trial for your wedding hair please get in contact for availability and price list. 

Green beauty guide for beginners

Are you like most people and buy your beauty products without too much thought of what's inside. Maybe you've read about the chemicals that's in most products these days. You want to change and use more organic products. But you're not sure what to do next. Do not fret. I know it's a scary world out there and it's not easy to venture out in the unknown. I've put together a guide to to hopefully make it a little easier.

1. Don't change everything over one night

Be realistic. First of all we don't want more waste. Changing all your beauty  products in one go will just be expensive. Instead, for each product you finish swap it with a green alternative. Little by little you'll soon have a majority of green/organic beauty products.

2. Keep a list of ingredients to avoid

In the beginning it's hard to know what to avoid in a product. I keep a card that I picked up from Well People that lists ingredients to avoid. Another easy rule to follow is the lesser ingredients the better.

3. Use think dirty app

This is a great app for your phone. It helps you finding clean, natural and good for you products. You scan the product and it tells you how clean or dirty the product is from scale 0-10. You should avoid any product with a high number. It lists the ingredients and highlights them red if they're bad. It also gives you alternative products.

4. Tell your friends and family

Let the people around you know that you're choosing a different lifestyle. It can be frustrating when trying to change all your old habits and only buy organic. Then it's your birthday or Christmas and you're stuck with toxic products all over again.

5.Do your research

When you'll seek you'll find. It can be hard to even know where to look. Some areas are easy to forget when changing to an organic lifestyle. Maybe it's time to look for a new hairdresser that uses less chemicals and more gentle products. What about your waxing or your nails. There is places that uses organic and natural products and polish but they're a lot harder to find.

6. Don't be afraid to bring your own products

If you can't find anywhere near where you live. Don't be afraid to bring in your own products when getting your hair or nails done. It might be worth checking with them first. But most of the time they're fine with it.

7. Embrace online shopping

Online is where you'll find most of your products. Especially if you live in a smaller town. There's so many great products out there, but again do your research. Read reviews by green beauty bloggers. Sometimes it can take time to find the products that works for you.

8. Many products are easy to do yourself

Follow the hype with coconut oil and you'll save yourself a fortune on beauty products and hair treatments. Making your own bath salts, soaps and body scrubs are easy and so much fun. You'll know exactly what's in it and you can make a big batch and give as presents to all your friends.

9. Justify the cost

Cleaner beauty products can be a bit pricey compared to what you're used to paying. That's because they contain far more superior ingredients than the cheap synthetics that many products contain. Your health is worth it.

10. Let your skin get used to it

Another reason why it's good to start small is for your skin to get used to better products. See it like the detox effect. When you flush out all the toxins in your body, your skin and organ reacts. The same when your skin is used to lots of chemicals. You might experience break outs, dry, oily unbalanced skin, greasy hair, excessive perspiration (using natural deodorants you finally letting your body breathe). Do not worry. Your body will recalibrate and begin to function how nature intended it to again. To ease symptoms slowly wean yourself off products you're chemically dependant upon.

Ingredients to avoid:

1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
2. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES
3. Parabens
4. Propylene Glycol
5. Coal Tar
6. Phthalates
7. Silicone
8. Dimethicone
9. Polyethylene
10. Glycol (PEG)
11. Synthetic fragrances
12. Diethanolamine (DEA)
13. Monoethanolamine (MEA)
14. Triethanolamine (TEA)
15. Formaldehyde
16. Petrolatum
17. Mineral oil
18. Resorcinol

Other post's I've written that can be helpful: 

• Where do I buy my organic beauty products
• Why should I use organic beauty products?

Green beauty bloggers worthy to check out:

http://www.theglowgetter.co.uk

http://www.ambersbeautytalk.com

http://www.curiouslyconscious.com

http://www.thegreenproductjunkie.com


I hope this was helpful.

Are you trying to go more green? What do you find hard/easy? 

My Paris - part 2

Monet's Garden - Giverny

Le Jardin du Monet

As part of our trip to Paris me and my mum went to Giverny for the afternoon to see Monet's garden. This was the main reason for me taking my mum. I always wanted to go since I was about 7 years old and learned that this place actually exists. I watched "Linnea in Monet's Garden" based on the children's book with same name. It's about a girl who loves art and goes to Paris to visit the garden.

I went last year for the first time. It was special to go another time and be able to bring my mum.

Oscar Claude Monet was an artist. He was part of the French Impressionism in the 19th century.

His most famous work is of his lily pond in Giverny, where he moved 1883 and lived until the end of his life 1926. Monet's ambition of documenting the French countryside. Led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times. To capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons.

"Je dois avoir de fleur toujours et toujours"  - Claude Monet

"I must have flowers always and always" - Claude Monet

Below is pictures all from Monet's garden. Enjoy!!

Have you ever been to Monet's garden? What did you think? Or did this post make you want to go? Please leave a comment below and let me know.