Urban:
“In, relating to, or characteristic of a town or city.”
Gipsy:
“A nomadic or free-spirited person.”
Not much of a nomad, but a city person with a free spirit that realised that nature feels most like Home. How does one balance living in a city while wanting to consume nature?
Growing up in a town which felt tiny back then, I craved for living in the big city. The capital has the worldwide reputation that everything is possible and it’s the craziest. I couldn’t wait to experience that for myself. Pretty much as soon as I was a legal adult, I head off and figured out it was true.
Besides study and work, I continuously indulged myself in to the temptations and craziness that were always available. I discovered sides of myself I had only fantasised about and explored (almost) as much as I could (Yes, almost, because I do have my limits, you know).
After some years of work and play, something started stirring. For a while I’d thought that person dancing on the dance floor in the middle of the night was me, until I was introduced to the wonders of nature. I really got to know the country I had previously passed through and finally felt at home. I decided, that’s where I want to be one day. I realised I’d spent years searching for what I’d finally found, without even knowing it.
Right now I am writing this from a village with barely 100 inhabitants. Besides a church, it seems like there’s not much more.
BUT.
There are gardens, there is fresh air, the doors don’t need to be locked, the birds are twittering (yes, twittering and not tweeting), there are bees, herbs and fruits and there is the view on the mountains.
I truly love my city and can not imagine ever missing Amsterdam for ever. BUT. I can not wait for my ZEN- visit to Slovenia and waking up with the view below…
Launch of new European food, leisure & tourism specialist DLCS
DLCS developes and executes food, leisure and touristical concepts, events and travels
and
gives advice, consults and performs research within these areas,
with a focus on Croatia, The Netherlands and Slovenia.
DLCS is a summary of everything delicious, referring to anything that is beautiful and tasty, specialising in:
WHO? The founder of DLCS decided to combine all interests and passions professionally after years of experience in a.o. research and management support.
WHAT? Developing and execution of concepts, events and travels, giving advice, consults and performing of research.
WHY? With a love for anything that’s good and a passion for Amsterdam, Artists & arts, Croatia, Food, Leisure, Nature, Slovenia & Tourism, the founder of DLCS decided to combine everything she likes. This is where the idea of DLCS came from. Because your leisure is my pleasure!
WHERE? DLCS is an internationally oriented European company, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
WHEN? DLCS has been preparing the business since 2011 and since October 2013 DLCS is a fact!
Just a few examples of what DLCS can mean to you:
Do you want a customised vacation to Amsterdam, Croatia or Slovenia?
Do you want food at your party?
Are you an artist that needs hands-on and affordable management?
Do you need help with administration or paperwork in Amsterdam?
Do you need a topic researched, but you don’t have time to do it yourself?
Are you looking for a location for your party?
Do you want someone to manage your social media profiles?
Do you need online marketing for your business, product or yourself?
Would you like a professional to help you brainstorm?
Are you organising an event you could use help with?
I’ve always loved experimenting with different hair- styles and colours, but for a couple of years I’ve stuck to my own colour, ‘cause I had my doubts about the standard chemical ways of colouring. I recently met Dianne te Mebel, director and owner of the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid (Institute for Hair & Health) in Amsterdam. The Instituut Haar & Gezondheid is one of few salons in Amsterdam and even The Netherlands, which aims to use as much natural products as possible and integrate this in anything they do. Ever since Diane was young, she has a passion for nature, which she decided to incorporate into her profession. She developed herself as an expert in natural and plant based hair colouring.
I’ve always thought that to colour my dark hair, the only way was de- colouring with ammoniac and then dying with chemical colours. Dianne dared me to test otherwise. She said that not only she could naturally add a hint of colour to my hair, but also promised to revitalise and regenerate my hair, to give it a “healing” treatment to prepare myself for winter. Perhaps, just like me, you don’t know too much about natural and plant based hair colouring? The ladies of the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid, definitely know their field of work and took their time to make me feel comfortable and inform me about anything I was interested in and more.
So.. well.. then what is natural and plant based hair colouring exactly?
The base is henna. Henna is a plant (a shrub actually, called Lawsonia Inermis, more info HERE ), with leaves that contain a tannin dye molecule. This molecule is called Lawson, and is released when the leaves are pulverised, acidified and made into a paste. This paste can be applied to hair (or skin), to give it a deep, reddish brown stain, because it binds to keratin (that’s what the outer layer of our skin and hair is made of). The colours added to the henna, are extracted from parts of amongst others flowers, trees, and plants that are dried and pulvarised until powder. For example coffee, onion peel, blue wood, cinnamon, hazelnut, rhubarb, salvia, tea, marigold, grains, elderberries and birch bark are commonly used. Before the colouring- process, the hair is first washed with a mild shampoo to open the hair scales (yes, just like the ones a fish has..), so the pigment can go in between. In my case the hair was washed with a shampoo of Pure Pact (Over HERE you can read my introduction to Pure Pact). When the hair is dried, the hair scales close and keep the pigment inside. The colour will stay in the hair for about 6 to 8 weeks. By washing the colouring, it will slowly get more vague, here for there will not be any visible outgrow like with chemical hair colouring. Natural hair colouring does not change the colour of your hair, so being a brunette and becoming a blonde, is not possible (but if your hair is grey, you can become a blonde again with the help of marigold!). If you have some grey hairs, as effect of the colouring you’ll get highlights instead. Plant based hair colouring is transparent, it forms a layer around the hair instead of penetrating it. You will keep your own hair colour with a nuance in the colour. From solely natural resources, 40 nuances are possible. By repeating the process of colouring regularly, the colour will become deeper and more intense.
Dianne loves nature and the environment. While working in her hair salon, she realised that even if she was using natural products, in the process of colouring the hair was being packed with tin foil, which was trashed after use. It’s necessary to keep the hair warm after one applies the colouring, so it attaches better to the hair. This caused Dianne to think about a more sustainable way for this process, after which she invented and developed the sustainable heat cap for colouring. With this cap she got nominated for Duurzame Dinsdag 2011, where the countries’ best sustainable ideas are put in a suitcase and offered to the cabinet in order to create more awareness.
All over the world there are millions of women that colour their hair. Many of them do this themselves, at home. Natural and plant based hair colouring is completely safe and simple when you have the right ingredients and tools, so Dianne did a lot of research, imported products and developed a starting package to make it possible for you to create your own natural hair colouring and dye your hair in the comfort of your own home. The package comes in 15 different nuances, but you can also get in touch with her to create a colour combination of your choice, or pass by the Instituut Haar & Gezondheid to get advised, ask questions and pick up a personalised package. Over HERE you can order the package.A starting package costs € 47.50,– (exclusive €2.30,– for delivery in The Netherlands) and consists of; a bag of colouring, a sustainable heat cap, and enamel bowl, a wide paintbrush, a twine of cotton wool and a manual. The package fits through your mailbox.
Check out a small introduction & explanation clip over here;
When I visited the salon, the ladies made me a personalised mix of auburn, mahogany and henna colore. The nuances in my hair are mostly visible outside in daylight. Indoors, besides the exception of a very attentive individual, it’s only myself who notices the colour difference. BUT, even after having seriously neglected my split ends, a summer of sea and sun, living in a city with plenty of exhausts, as well as having often coloured my hair chemically in the past, my hair is obviously revitalised. It’s voluminous, it’s shiny, it feels soft and it looks healthy. I LOVE IT! I’m already looking forward to my next treatment and curious to how my hair will be when the colouring gets more intense and deeper!
Have you ever coloured your hair? Are you conscious about what hair and beauty products you use? Are you aware that natural products are better for you than chemical based products?
Starting package natural hair colouring
Thx 2 Wiki.
For more info, personalised advise or to order the starting package; CLICK HERE Questions on natural and plant based hair colouring? Ask them to experts on a specialised forum; HERE
VERY SOON the brand new webshop of Instituut Haar en Gezondheid will be online, I’ll keep you updated of course. ‘Till then; http://www.instituuthaarengezondheid.nl
A juniper (genévrier/ jeneverbesstruik/ brinje) berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales, which give it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinguishing flavour.
Juniper is also a symbol of longevity, strength, athleticism, and fertility.
Health Benefits Of Juniper Berries American Indians have used juniper to treat diabetes; such treatments by the Navajo, for example, are under clinical study. Native Americans also used juniper berries as a female contraceptive. The 17th Century herbalist physician Nicholas Culpeper recommended the ripened berries for conditions such as asthma and sciatica, as well as to speed childbirth.
Even nowadays, due to the many juniper health benefits, these berries are used in treating a variety of ailments from rheumatism, arthritis, to cystitis and catarrh. The berries may also be crushed and applied topically to slow-healing wounds as they are a powerful antiseptic. Washing joints with a tea made of juniper berries helps to relieve pain and soreness from them. Juniper berries are steam distilled to produce an essential oil in aromatherapy. Some of its chemical components are alpha pinene, cadinene, camphene and terpineol.This essential oil has astringent properties and is helpful in treating toothaches and strengthening the gums. It can also be used to retard hair fall. Among the many juniper health benefits are its carminative properties which make it one of the best natural cures for flatulence and gas. Massaging with the essential oil of juniper is the best way to get rid of unwanted aches and pains and skin infections.
Not only are there many juniper berries health benefits, but they can also help you lose weight. This is because juniper is a diuretic (elevates the rate of urination) , depurative (depurative herbs are considered to have a purifying and detoxifying action) , and a sudorific (makes you produce sweat) . It not only helps to cleanse toxins from the blood, but also helps to increase the frequency of urination and perspiration. This can significantly aid in weight loss. Since juniper is also a stimulant, it also helps all the various organs of the body to function more efficiently.
The color of juniper berries vary from green to red, brown and black. The flavour for consumption is best when the berry is black.
Precautions: Although there are many health benefits of juniper, it may result in contraindications in case of pregnancy. It should be avoided by pregnant mothers, as well as by those with kidney problems.
Real estate tycoon Huang Nubo, China’s 161st richest person, is said to have struck a deal with private landowners in Iceland for a 300 square kilometre tract of land in the Grímsstadir á Fjöllum region to develop a $100 million ecotourism golf resort project. The tract of land represents the equivalent of ten times the size of Macau, or more than a quarter of Hong Kong’s land mass. If successful in his bid, Huang would own 0.3% of the total land area of Iceland.
Face it, Iceland. You need the cash, and this guy has it; Huang Nubo is reported to have offered a billion krona (£5.4m: $8.8m) for the 300sq km (155 sq mile) Grimsstadir a Fjollum region. Critics of the plan fear it could be used by China to gain a strategic foothold in Iceland. But Icelandic officials have welcomed the purchase and the further 20bn krona Mr Huang says he intends to invest. Mr Huang is the chairman of the Zhongkun investment group, and is also reported to have worked as a minister in the Chinese Central Propaganda Department and Ministry of Construction. He’s also a poet as well as a polar explorer (he has summited the seven peaks on the seven continents and also walked to the South Pole!) .Iceland’s Foreign Ministry said Mr Huang’s plans involved linking up the Vatnajokull and and Jokulsargljufur national parks, in line with his company’s “emphasis on nature conservation and environmental tourism”. Mr Huang had promised to co-operate fully with the Icelandic authorities, said the ministry, and to renounce any claims to water from the Jokulsa a Fjollum river which crosses the property. While the purchase has been approved by the local landlords, officials said Mr Huang had yet to apply for an exemption from laws barring non-EU nationals from buying land.
Icelandic lawmakers, conscious of China’s ambitious land acquisition around the world, are concerned that the project could act as a cover for its geopolitical interests; some in Iceland have raised concerns about the long term implications of Icelandic territory entering foreign hands, and that the land could give China future access to deep sea ports in the area. “We face the fact that a foreign tycoon wants to buy 300sq km of Icelandic land. This has to be discussed and not swallowed without chewing,” Interior Minister Ogmundur Jonasson wrote on his website. “Isn’t it necessary to pause and think when we offer Iceland up for sale again?” Iceland’s Minister for Industry, Katrin Juliusdottir, told reporters there is “no reason to get hysterical just because one Chinese man wants to buy some land and invest in tourism in Iceland. Foreigners already own quite a bit of land here and I don’t think there is anything to fear from that.”
What do you think? Should Iceland allow a wealthy Chinese (real-estate tycoon and chairman of an impressive investment group) invest in their tourism to enrichen the economy or should Iceland be more careful and not allow foreigners to invest in their country? The ZhongKun Investment Group does state they want to do more for their community (click). Do they mean their Chinese community with “our”, or do they mean community in general?
I think Iceland seems like a beautiful country with lovely nature and I would like to experience an eco-friendly vacation over there!
