Fig. Spring 2018

Fig. Issue 1

Spring 2018

9

Wellness trends to try

Green Revolution

Emma Sibley on the power of plants for wellbeing

Rejuvenate your jeans

Our step-by-step guide to breathing new life into your old denim

It s time to give a Fig.

’

With social media killing kindness, we're exploring the empathy deficit

The latest fashionable food label ’ Why the world s gone wild for the flexi diet

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Patch

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Fig. CONTENTS

WELL BEING

2 - Self Care Sunday

Find out how Fig. writers spend their day off

13 - #FigPoetry

This issue's poetry submission

36 - Maintain Your Mane

Why should hair care be packed full of chemicals?

38 - DIY Beauty Recipes

Pamper yourself with cupboard finds

43 - Crystal Healing

Load of old rubbish or genuine stuff?

CONCIOUS LIVING

Fig. writer Vicki lives her best life for one week

4 - My Happy Place

50 - Livin' Your Best Life

52 - 9 Wellness Trends You Should Try How are you staying healthy this year?

58 - The Good Sleep Guide

Three tips to getting a good nights kip

62- Europe's Self Care Secrets

How do girls in Greece, Sweden and the Netherlands maintain wellbeing?

We ask people to take us to a place they feel truly happy and able to unwind

10 - The Empathy Deficit

It's time to give a fig and adjust the psyche

16 - Green Revolution

Featured on the cover, London Terrariums founder Emma Sibley explores the power of plants, with DIY steps on how to build your own indoor green space

24 - Consume with a Conscience

AWARENESS 21 - Why 'Bee Friendly' May Not Bee Friendly Bees are dying and garden centres aren't helping

40 - An Open Letter to Germaine Greer

Fig's favourite concious brands for guilt free shopping

28 - Protection for the Planet

Sex is now green with sustainable condoms

30 - Your Denim Ain't Dead

Upcycle your jeans with Odette Moncur

64 - Fig. Loves

A round up of things we're loving

In the wake of #MeToo, Fig. wants a word with Ms Greer

GREEN EATING CONTRIBUTORS

15 - Have your Veg and Eat it

Special thanks to -

44 - Not So Super Super-foods

@malifischer, @karolinschnoor and @eleanorhardiman for sharing their beautiful illustrations with us for this issue. You can discover more of their work on Instagram Want to advertise with us? Hurray! Get in touch at magazinefig@gmail.com

Is a flexitarian just a bad veggie?

How the super foods we lust over are impacting local farming communities 54 - The BOSH Boys Social media stars Ian and Henry discuss their online, vegan revolution

61 -Veg-Head

Is veganism bad for your mental health?

GIVE A FIG. Fig. is a curious, empowering and playful independent magazine for people who care. We demystify trends, share advice, knowledge and stories. It's about making conscious living accessible and creating a space to meet the people making change and encouraging us to look at life a little differently. Fig. is a community loving ourselves and everything around us, discovering new ways of doing things, and inspiring those small changes that will make a big impact.

Each issue we pick a theme and see where it takes us...

This issue focuses on personal wellbeing and the importance of taking time for yourself. The fast pace of modern life means we often neglect our physical and mental wellbeing. Fig explores new ways to prioritise you, along with some fun other stuff of course!

Find us on social media @FigMag_ for inspiration, events and ways to #GiveaFig

SELF-CARE SUNDAY

Meet Fig. This is how we wind down

Caring for myself is “ not self-indulgence,

it is self-preservation” AUDRE LORDE

Writer and civil rights activist

Self-care is simple; it's about creating time to cultivate and tend to your mental health, without guilt. Sunday can be a tough day for relaxation, with the burden of the following week looming. Nonetheless, it’s a crucial day for reminding yourself to slow down and take a break.

Without knowing, most people have already crafted a sort of self-care Sunday routine, a way to reduce the anxieties of the coming week. It could be something as trivial as watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians or having a long shower, it’s whatever helps your mind be still.

Sundays give us space to unwind before the week begins again. Here, team Fig. describes it's ideal self-care Sunday...

Words, Anabelle Denford

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ANABELLE DENFORD

MAISY FARREN

VICKI SHADBOLT

@bellzdenf / editor

@maisyfarren / design editor

@vshadders / sub-editor

"I always sleep in and leave my blinds open, so the warmth of the sun on my face wakes me up, a welcome change from my usual alarm. On a Sunday morning I enjoy getting lost in the chaotic crowds of Brick Lane market, immersing myself in the colour of the street art, sound of the buskers playing and the smells of food stalls. I then take the long route home, passing through Telegraph Hill Park.

I love the view from the park and find a bench, giving myself time to take in the vastness of London’s skyline."

"Sunday tends to be my only day off, so I use it to completely recuperate for the week ahead. My acne means I have to do a full face steam, along with a face mask, that I don’t have time for with my busy midweek schedule! As well as helping my skin, taking the time to look after my body is also mentally rewarding. I then tend to pick up the book I’m reading, or watch easy-going television: Bridget Jones; Friends re-runs. It’s an activity that won't exactly expand my mind, but does help me from losing it."

"My self-care Sunday would start with a nice lazy lie in followed by a walk to a nearby cafe for a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a homemade muffin.

I love making my own face masks - my favourite is a natural yoghurt, honey and oat mix. The yoghurt and oats are great for blemishes and the honey has great antibacterial properties. During the afternoon, I read a book and have a bubble bath. I am currently reading Get Over You by Lucy Diamond, a story of female friendships in London.”

JASPREET KULAIR

GEORGIA GROVES

GIUILIA RADICE

"A typical Sunday for me is initially filled with a sense of dread in anticipation for the coming week, so I like to do things that shake me out of this state of mind.

One of my favorite things to do is go for a midday swim, tiring me out just in time for a cup of Earl Grey and an afternoon curled up with a blanket watching Netflix.

I have been known to sleep till noon, which usually leaves me feeling sluggish.

Getting up and going to relax at a friend’s house is a great way to spend time out of the house and completely unwind."

"The key thing for me is not to care too much how Sunday goes, it’s for sleep and spending as much time relaxing as I can. I’ll have a lie-in and watch TV, not forgetting my favourite meal of the day, brunch! I usually make pancakes or French toast as a weekend treat, then have a bath and read a book. As you can probably tell, Sundays for me are for doing nothing.

I like to keep up my mum’s tradition for a Sunday roast, something I miss most about home. I finish the day with a roast that’s never quite as nice as hers!"

"Going to Hampstead Heath when the sun is shining and the weather is warm enough not to wear a coat is the best way to spend a Sunday. In the early mornings peaceful, with the odd yapping dog. I enjoy walking and soaking up the atmosphere, listening to my music and getting lost in the expanse of fields. After my walk I go for a coffee and slice of delicious carrot cake at my favourite café, Ginger. Situated down a side street it’s a cosy sanctuary from the busy high street, with stacks of books and magazines to flick through.”

@jas_kulair / staff writer

@georgia_groves / staff writer

@giuliagradice / staff writer

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MY HAPPY PLACE Fig. asked busy Londoners, where they felt truly happy and able to unwind

A favourite corner of your Grandma’s tattered sofa. It could a spot in bed where the morning sun pours onto your mattress in white puddle, a rusty bench at the top of your favourite London park watching dog walkers amble by. It’s an individual thing, but it’s value and ability to re-set our mindful state can be immense.

Words & Images, Anabelle Denford

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ROSIE MARTIN, 21 PHOTOGRAPHER BOROUGH “On a sunny day I love nothing more than to get lost in Borough Market, weaving in-between the crowds. The bustle of the market-stalls, colour of the fruit and smells from the food stalls allow me to feel consumed by the mundanity of life.

I always feel really happy here.�

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JOSEPH O’BRIAN, 22 LGBT ACTIVIST SOHO “When I want to reset, I often amble into the French House (frenchhousesoho.com), my favourite pub in Soho. I always take the same window seat and can happily sip on a pint for hours, watching people hurry past. It’s a mid-way point between work and home and allows me to leave my work in the office. I soak up the atmosphere, listen to the music and relax.”

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ANASTASIA KENYON, 25 ENTREPRENEUR BLOOMSBURY “I feel most at ease and happy when at female members club, The AllBright (theallbright.com). A space for working women to connect, I love to find a comfy seat, order a coffee and meet new people. Filled with flowers, beautiful art and plush velvet sofas, it feels like a second home.”

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IHAN ABDALLE, 24 WAITRESS WHITECHAPEL “On a Saturday morning, there’s a spot in the corner of my bed where the sunlight hits the wall. Every weekend, I make a big pot of coffee and take refuge in my room with a book, soaking up the warmth of the sun. This is my happy place, a place where I can take time to mentally restart after a busy week.”

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FRANCES BISHOP, 22 EVENTS COORDINATOR SOUTHBANK “Going to galleries is my favourite thing to do at the weekend. I think viewing art provides you space to think and reflect. At the weekend, I often walk down to the Southbank and take a look in the Tate Modern or Hayward galleries. In a digital world, people are less appreciative of the significance of physical art spaces, but I think it’s crucial and definitely where I feel happiest.”

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THE EMPATHY DEFICIT Allegedly coddled and mocked for narcissism, the online generation doesn’t give a fuck. Gaping at social media on our screens, self-absorption is egged on by every like. Keeping a distance from humanitarian and social problems in a globalised world can seem a logical escape. But this IDGAF brashness is becoming abrasive to our wellbeing. In an age of hyper individualism, where contented lives follow narrow self-interest, we urgently need an empathy antidote.

Empathy is the bedrock of human nature, the ability to share and understand the feelings of someone else. It’s the twinge you get when you see an old woman struggling to walk, the pull in your chest when you see charity adverts on the TV. However, perpetuated by the digitisation of society, empathy has been rapidly declining with a study by the University of Michigan showing levels of empathy diminishing by 50% in 40 years. With time spent online growing, we are losing the ability to connect words and actions to tangible emotions, a process at the core of our empathetic understanding. We are proven to be more self-centred than previous generations, and with this empathy shortfall, social division is cultivated.

In his new book, The Empathy Instinct (John Murray Press, £16.99), author Peter Bazalgette explores the source of this deficit.

“I think something is developing in social media, it’s profoundly anti-society and anti-empathetic,” he says. The average person will spend more than five years of their lives on social media, according to a study by influencer marketing agency Mediakix.

Reading emotion through screens, deaths are now announced on Facebook whilst news of terrorist’s attacks trend on Twitter – with these channels of communication all contributing to the waning of empathy.

“The advent of Google and Facebook have brought with them huge benef its, but I’m worried their algorithms are designed to give us what we like and connect us with people they think we will agree with,” says Bazalgette. In digitised, politically polarised times 61% of us gather news from social media. When selecting what we read online, Facebook algorithms curate our feeds, prioritising stories we’ll like, comment on and share. We now externalising our thoughts and feelings on social media, forced to express heavy sentiments in a meagre 280 characters.

This economy of space and bombardment of information means we handpick the accounts we follow and round up our emotions to f it the space. Blinkers on, this post-truth domain has conditioned an abandonment of news that doesn’t our own pre-existing opinions, with feelings surpassing facts. Selecting

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We are arguably well into an age of narcissism.

With social media propagating self-examination, we are becoming a society that doesn’t really give a fuck about others. It’s time we reset the psyche and recognised the need for empathy what we see, scrolling past harrowing news and tweeting frivolously about immense problems, is social media having emotional consequences?

Living in bustling cities, as you shuffle past a homeless man, eyes ashamedly stuck to the floor, your empathy scale starts to slide.

“The fast-paced environment and saturation of information means we are emotionally flat-lining and lacking supplies of empathy – the feeling that sustains human relationships,” Bazalgette explains. “Civil society cannot function if you’re only speaking with people you agree with as we discovered during the EU referendum.” For some, Brexit legitimised racist behaviour, resulting in a country divided, by age wealth and geography.

“It was horrible, even today people want to punch each other because they both think the other side was stupid,” says Bazalgette. “We need to explore the realities of others and allow ourselves to be moved.” Fear and indifference is killing empathy and creating walls between people, it’s these walls that are stopping us connecting. “Listening is the backbone to meaningful conversations and emotional vitality supports this process” says therapeutic councillor and empathy specialist Peter Ryan. “Sadly, without these qualities at the forefront of our engagements, empathy will continue to be seriously tested and inevitably decline.”

According to Ofcom, two thirds of us now have a smartphone in our pocket, a technology impacting our capacity to emotionally connect with others. A society driven by an incessant need for likes and online approval, so called ‘hashtag activism’ may not be philanthropic but a bid to gain popularity. “I believe judgemental mind-sets, the press of time and the glare of our supposedly smart devices facilitates this excess,” says Ryan. An arena for evoking feeling, exhibiting and profiting off the mush of human empathy, social media is compelling us to produce empty empathetic projections. In this realm, you can’t just support a cause but should become it — by re-creating our own profile pictures with filters showing flags of the countries you support, and rainbows painted over your face for gay pride.

Within these empty gestures, we are led to believe that we can make the world a better place.

Gordon Brown gave a speech at TED in 2009, stating that technology was unlocking empathy, bringing the world into your pocket and making it to walk in other people’s shoes.

Although empathy is largely on the decline, we shouldn’t dismiss social media’s potential as a force for good. “There are moments of mass empathetic collapse, but there are also moments of

mass empathetic empowerment and blooming,” says Roman Krznaric, social philosopher and author of Empathy: a Handbook for Revolution (Rider Books, £12.99). The web is an enormous empathy-building platform, with causes not just generating clicks and garnering likes but palpably impacting the lives of those in need. In just hours, we can provide thousands of pounds to families in adversity and in seconds, while waiting in line for coffee, we can sign petitions that can transform someone’s fate.

Technology is vital for harnessing empathy and spreading powerful emotions. “It’s not just a soft and fluffy movement about being kind to others, it can shift the social and political landscape we live in,” says Krznaric. Humanitarian aid group Help Refugees utilised social media to raise funds using the hashtag #chooselove. The trending hashtag quickly made the organisation the largest grassroots supplier of aid to refugees in Europe, alleviating suffering in France, Syria, Greece and other areas of need. The groundswell of support and money raised was a clear display of compassion and a rejection of fear and indifference.

In 2014, Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Turkish boy was pictured dead on a beach, a world event that unlocked a surge of empathy.

Social media publicised a petition signed by almost 400,000 people, causing a domino effect of media outlets, urging government to take in more refugees. Although signing an online petition takes seconds, it facilitated a united empathetic front and a place to bring the masses together. Collective empathy and an outpouring of public feeling mattered, as demands forced David Cameron's Government to act, finally pledging to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees into the UK We put ourselves in Alan Kurdi’s shoes, in the small sodden trainers pictured in the image. “You can struggle to feel empathy for large groups of people, but we do have the propensity to feel empathy for individuals and it was that which changed government policy,” says Bazalgette.

We don’t need to support the feelings and opinions of all, but instead must defend our own beliefs and show compassion to those we oppose. “The loss of a shared philanthropic mission goes as far as a hashtag for activism, but it’s simply not enough,” declares Bazalgette. “It’s time we checked our empathy and used social media positively to create a tidal wave of communal, empathetic experience. We need to act on the awareness it generates in the real world, using technology as a springboard for truly meaningful empathetic gestures.”

Acts of empathy don’t have to be an outpouring of feeling, but can be displayed in different ways, as demonstrated at the 2018 Golden Globes in January. Using the red carpet as a platform, celebrities clad in black harnessed collective empathy and showed solidarity with the #TIMESUP campaign. The hashtag, an oftenfrivolous tool, has fuelled a movement, with $22,000,000 raised to help those who have experienced sexual harassment and assault.

Although wearing black dresses was dismissed by some as a lazy form of protest, it’s impact and ability to generate conversation and understanding was felt worldwide.

On International Women’s Day, British comedian Richard Herring used Twitter as a tool for generating awareness. Using a Just Giving Page, he responded to tweets all day asking why "there wasn’t a day to celebrate men,” in hopes of challenging inequality and raising money for Refuge, a charity tackling violence against women. After raising more than £130,000, with Twitter as a catalyst, Herring thanked the public for their overwhelming support.

Empathy thrives on intuition, intimacy and cooperative dialogues.

“We must encourage open-mindedness,” says Ryan. “We need to train ourselves to be more empathetic. I believe, by easing up on our self-centred views we give empathy permission to emerge naturally.” It’s about recognising your own views, thinking critically about what you read and compelling yourself, with your entire being, to feel the pain of others. It can be tough, but we shouldn’t emotionally flatline for fear of feeling too much.

While the Internet shouldn’t be blamed, in its innately uncaring existence, there is a danger to a technology designed to value the quantity of information exchanged over its quality. “We need to learn to empathise with those we disagree with to increase tolerance and spur on social change,” says Bazalgette. It’s time we cultivated curiosity about those we don’t know to eradicate lazy, Trumpist stereotypes.

The empathetic future is a collective effort, similar to a patchwork quilt. Everyone should take a patch and mark their own opinions and interest – then, we should then carefully stich each square to the next to create a magnificent quilt of collective emotion. We can’t remove ourselves from empathetic understanding; we have to get things done. We should reclaim empathy and kindness, share understanding and disagree with others to real trigger change. • Words, Anabelle Denford Photos, Karolin Schnoor 11

NOT

ERNEST HEMMINGWAY

#FigPoetry

Tweet us your favourite poem or submit your own @FigMag_ Illustration, Mali Fischer

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HAVE YOUR VEG AND EAT IT

The latest on food identification labels, should we be calling ourselves flexitarians?

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ork night dinner and drinks finds a table of twenty somethings pouring over an edgy Shoreditch menu. But the topic of conversation?

House prices are too depressing. Forget boyfriend drama or work gossip.

Sod your career, the time for talks of prospective promotions is long gone.

In fact, they aren’t even as concerned about labels around gender or sexual orientation any more. The latest craze is all about food label identification.

The vegan sits proud wearing his leather shoes, an animal glued cigarette dangling from his lips. A vegetarian positively beams at the large range of suitable meal options, chirping at the idea of ordering a cauliflower steak. The carnivore deliberates the rack of ribs, a barbaric choice that causes a ripple of raised eyebrows and eye rolls. But there is a fourth diner, one who proudly declares themself a ‘flexitarian’. The eyebrows reach the hairline. “What?”

Basically, a vegetarian, but every so often you indulge in a meaty treat. Maybe a steak or a heavenly post-night out bacon sarnie. In short, another attempt to define one’s self by what we eat.

Every other dietary article you read harks of the health risks and of course environmental impact of consuming a lot of meat. You can see the logic, and maybe there is something to be made of the fact that a flexitarian may consume less meat in a week than a traditional meat-eater. It all ties into the desire to be more mindful.

But, surely almost all carnivores are in a sense, flexitarians? Unless there are an unusually high percentage of people who sprinkle bacon bits on their cornflakes every morning then the notion that ‘infrequent’ meat consumption is an entirely separate dietary choice is, quite frankly, absurd.

Many of us are wary or at the very least less enchanted by the short fridge life of raw meats. The prospect of having to plan ahead and defrost a portion in advance (lest risk the fickle success of the microwave) means that many of us will contently devour an ‘incidentally’ vegetarian meal for dinner rather more frequently than once in a blue moon.

Economically speaking, meat is more expensive than its leafy counterparts so reducing the amount of animal protein you eat can certainly have its benefits.

In fact, in the UK 40% of us already say we are eating less meat than we used to and up to one in three have coined the term ‘flexitarian’ or even ‘vegivore’.

But is the term ‘flexitarianism’ truly needed? Is it not enough to say that you have reduced the meat you eat?

Afterall, a ‘flexitarian’ meal option would still be either vegetarian or indeed meat based. Plus, there are no fixed rules. If you eat meat once a week you are still just as much of a ‘flexitarian’ as someone who scrans down some chicken nuggets once a month!

Whilst any food trend that is encouraging us to be mindful about the health and environmental repercussions of what we eat is positive, labelling yourself as a ‘flexitarian’ seems rather arbitrary, a bit of a cop out. But if you feel the urge every so often to ‘flexitarianly’ cheat on meat-free meals with a fat sausage, then go ahead. •

Words, Vicki Shadbolt Illustration, Anabelle Denford

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GREEN REVOLUTION Houseplants are breathing life into homes Fuelled by Instagrammers lusting for lush interiors, the trend for houseplants isn’t only good for likes online. After dying out in the 70s, midmod houseplants and terrariums are back with vengeance. Once a trendy addition to the home, plants now have purpose. With health-giving and mood-lifting properties, we're leafing up our interiors with the help of London Terrariums founder Emma Sibley

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unning make-your-own Terrarium workshops for the greenfingered, London Terrariums founder Emma Sibley is meeting a houseplant demand. Born out of Sibley’s desire for a garden in London, she started out by collecting pickle jars, filling them with stones, moss and cuttings from friends’ houseplants. Cravings for outside space, without the luxury of a garden is a common grievance amongst cash-strapped urbanites. “I grew up with a garden and then when I moved to London I didn’t have one, so I started buying loads of house plants,” she recalls. “Then one afternoon me and a friend decided to create these bottle gardens. They ended up everywhere, furnishing floors and window ledges all over the place,” says Sibley. And so, armed with an old pickle jar, foraged moss and a mound of soil in her kitchen; London Terrariums was born.

Terrariums were accidentally discovered in the 1820s by amateur botanist Nathaniel Ward. Ward was storing a butterfly cocoon in an empty wine bottle and noticed that the un-kept fern inside the bottle was thriving in its own mini-biosphere, watered by the condensation on the inside of the glass. “They thrive when left alone, someone brought a terrarium into the shop that they hadn’t touched since the 80s,” says Sibley. Easily maintained, terrariums can survive for years without any intervention – it’s greenery even fit for a houseplant serial killer. “It’s amazing, I have a jar in my room that hasn’t been touched for years, there’s a whole ecosystem fully functioning inside,” says Sibley, whose love of terrariums came from early childhood memories of making miniature gardens with her grandparents.

With shrinking homes and wages, urbanites are now embracing the green obsession and opting to create their own miniature gardens. It seems anyone and everyone can turn their hand to indoor gardening and

terrarium building with a mixture of people stumbling across London Terrariums workshops. “The people that want to build terrariums are a complete mix, everyone from hen dos, corporate groups, mums and daughters, and even Jonathan Ross,” says Sibley.

Helping stressed out city-dwellers soothe their anxieties through gardening workshops, London Terrariums in New Cross is a haven from the chaos of New Kent Road. If you were struggling to envision how a splash of green can impact a space, Sibley’s shop is an aesthetic goldmine.

Dominating the Instagram feeds of green-fingered Londoners, the shop is a leafy, millennial pink paradise; complete with miniature Schnauzer pup. An Aladdin’s cave for plant lovers, greenery drapes down every wall, and even hangs from the ceiling. “I was certain that I wanted to step away from the minimal, Skandi white look,” Sibley explains.

“I scrolled past a photograph of a random woman on Instagram and I used it as my inspiration.” The nameless woman, wearing a green coat with gold earrings glinting against a pink backdrop provided Sibley with the colour palette used to design London Terrariums.

Fueled by the Instagram and Pinterest culture of today, according to Sibley, plant lovers should consider the nurturing properties a leafy living room. Swatting up on horticultural books, Sibley realised the power of the plant for health and wellbeing, acting as nifty air purifiers. “Plants and the microbes in soil absorb pollutants and purify the air, removing a wide range of potentially harmful toxins,” says Guy Barter, Chief Horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society. With city-dwellers spending 90% of time indoors, unpolluted indoor spaces with clean air are becoming increasingly vital. Plants such as ivies (Hedera helix), peace lilies (Spathiphyllum wallisii) and spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) are easy to grow and according to Nasa’s clean air study, way back in the▶

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80s, score highly for removing benzene, formaldehyde and other toxins from indoors.

In 2005, Richard Louv coined the phrase ‘nature deficit disorder’, “he was worried about the direction our ‘civilized’ species was headed and I'm worried too,” says wellness coach Joseph Doherty. “Today people are more aware of the benefits of plants and green-eating, and this trend for houseplants and terrariums goes hand in hand,” Sibley attests. “They’re more concerned about looking after the planet and themselves.” As well as looking beautiful, the hip green renaissance is making Londoner’s happier and healthier, supporting wellbeing with the science to prove it.

Plants are not only useful for providing important bacteria to indoor environments, “they can also give you a sense of calmness,” Sibley says. The trend, named ‘biophilia,’ is centered on the notion that individuals have an inherent need to connect with nature. Biophilic design can reduce stress, augment imagination and accelerate healing. As the international populace continues to urbanize spaces, these qualities are as essential as ever.

A study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that houseplants and green views when working increases concentration and lowers blood pressure. “I absolutely believe biophilia is crucial in our digital society,” says Joseph Doherty. “We need to get back to our roots by distancing ourselves from screens and re-connecting with the natural world.”

“Placing indoor plants in rooms is one of the simplest changes that can be made to enhance the environment, whilst standing out as a practical and affordable support for human health,” reports the Royal Horticultural Societies’ journal. “Many studies have shown that mood, happiness and well-being are enhanced by greenery indoors,” says horticulturalist Barter. “It’s theorised that we evolved in a green environment and so respond well to greenery.

Tending plants is thought to have a soothing effect to help with control stress.”

“Plants in the home can be a great way to start the day. Every morning I check they are ok and water them,” says Sibley. Often a welcome break away from screens that dominate our everyday, “It’s a part of my routine that connects me with nature,” she says. While we tend to our greenery, they are also tending and nurturing us, too. In a fight against white rented walls and the grey polluted skies of London, Emma Sibley hopes that one terrarium at a time she’ll be enhancing rooms and health.

Words & Images, Anabelle Denford Illustration, Eleanor Hardiman

BUILD YOUR OWN TERRARIUM Materials: A vessel (a jar with a cork blocking the hole, or a clip jar without rubber seal) Cork on a stick for patting down the soil Corn on the cob skewer on a stick Long tweezers for adding plants Activated Charcoal Radiator brush Sponge brushes Washed stones Compost

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+Funnel stones into the vessel +Add a small layer of washed stones __from the garden centre to act as a ++ +++drainage system

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Add a thin layer of activated charcoal Cover the top of the stones in a +++sprinkling of charcoal. This filters the +++water to prevent the build up of mould +++or algae.

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+Add compost, patting down as you +go. Fill the vessel under half way with +++compost with at least 5cm in depth to +++give the roots enough room to grow.

4 5

Sealed terrariums have a high humidity inside so you will need to use moisture-loving houseferns such as, Cryptanthus Bromelioides, Ficus Pumila, Asparagus Fern, Hypoestes Phyllostachya, Bun moss, Club moss.

Make a hole using the corn on the cob skewer and lower the plant into the hole made. Cover the roots in compost and gently pat around the stem to secure the plant.

Continue adding plants and patting +down in between until you are +++content with your miniature garden. _

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Either bun or carpet moss can now be added. Make a hole for cushion moss __ or the carpet moss can just sit on top. ___Use tools to tidy up the edges and add ___stones as a finishing touch. __

Care guide: During the first few weeks, you must ventilate your terrarium regularly by taking off the cork for a couple of hours every few days.

Don’t let your terrarium dry out, if you don’t see condensation forming use a spray bottle to introduce small amounts of water.

Allow your terrarium natural light, but not too much to scorch or burn the plants.

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WHY 'BEE FRIENDLY' MAY NOT BE FRIENDLY

We’ve all heard that the population of bees is rapidly on the decline, but could your garden be part of the problem?

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“We are, therefore, considering the future of the logo and whether we should withdraw it from the market.”

But is withdrawal of the logo from the market enough? There is still a distinct lack of public knowledge surrounding which plants are safe and which are not.

Garden centres are also posing a serious threat to bees by marketing many of their products, such as lavender and dahlias, renowned for being a solid favourite for the black and yellow guys as ‘bee friendly’ and ‘perfect for pollinators’ due to their nectar and pollen rich nature. However, often the seedlings and plants have already been treated with the neonics that kill bees.

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hen most of us think of bees, we probably imagine a whimsically warm summer’s day, with a cool breeze wafting through the air and the gentle buzz of our black and yellow friends humming in the background. These kinds of days are familiar to most and a fond memory.

The possibility that future generations might not have such treasured memories to reminisce on seems worlds away.

However, the population of bees has been in steep decline globally. A study by Plos One, a scientific journal published by the Public Library of Science says that since 2006, beekeepers have noticed their bee populations decrease between 30% and 90%. Experts from Greenpeace say that the destruction of bees’ natural habitat in addition to the widespread use of pesticides and, more specifically, neonics has led to the total extinction of 25 of the UK’s native bee species. That’s 10% of the total 250 known species that originated here.

Neonics are one of the most common chemicals in the treatment of plants, and are a neurotoxin that is a synthetic relative of nicotine. Bees flock to said plants, picking up a fatal dose (as little as four billionths of a gram is lethal) and often passing traces on to the hive.

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It seems intuitive then, that a blanket ban on neonics and other chemicals could solve the problem and restore bee populations.

However due to the fact that our agriculture is set up to provide us with the foods we like, all year round it’s the prolific use of pesticides that ensures a bountiful and healthy crop all year round. This in combination with the fact that the ‘perfect for pollinators’ and ‘bee friendly’ products available in garden centres have also been treated with these lethal chemicals means that the little black and yellow guys don’t stand a chance.

Gardeners everywhere are being mis-sold products that are supposedly friendly to bees. A study published in 2017 by the University of Sussex and the University of Padova, Italy found that 70% of plants labelled as ‘bee friendly’ or bearing The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) ‘perfect for pollinators’ logo are contaminated with pesticides which are toxic to the very bees they are meant to help.

The RHS released a statement following the publication of the study, saying “The Perfect for Pollinator logo represents plants to grow in gardens that provide valuable resources for pollinators, but it cannot speak for the way in which each individual plant is grown. The RHS is a charity and cannot possibly police how hundreds of thousands of plants are grown.

“I believe this is a deliberate ongoing strategy by the gardening industry in general to maintain widespread ignorance among gardening consumers. Unless they’ve heard the term ‘neonics’ on the news, your average gardener won’t have the faintest idea that the plants they’re buying, which might be labelled ‘perfect for pollinators’, could actually be harmful for insects,” says acclaimed gardening and environmental writer, John Walker.

The three time winner of The British Garden Media Guild Environmental Award goes on to say that he calls the flow of revenue from the sales of these polluted plants ‘the profits of ignorance’.

Ultimately, garden retailers are neglecting to inform the public of the deadly substances any given batch of plants have been treated with. The use of pesticides in the UK is strictly regulated and records must be kept. So why are the centres choosing not to pass this information onto the consumer?

“It’s bad for business if gardeners start thinking about how what they do affects the natural world, start asking awkward questions of retailers, start getting more informed, and possibly start rejecting the plants and products they’re being offered,” says Walker.

It comes down to the fact that the plants we are told are safe for bees are actually killing them, hive by hive.

Garden centres are reluctant, perhaps, to make the change to toxin-free plant sales due to the volatile survival chances

of plants that are left untreated. Using chemicals extends the shelf life and helps to prevent blemishes and defects that could otherwise dissuade potential customers from picking up and buying a product.

There lies the logic of a profit oriented industry. A tale all too familiar, and while of course successful business is operating for the maximisation of profit, Walker says “This is currently at the expense of business ethics and, dare I say it, any sense of moral responsibility to our natural world. Surely an industry collectively worth around £5 billion per annum in the UK can do better than this?”

Professor Zachary Huong from the University of Michigan in the US, agrees saying that America is facing the same issue; a lack of corporate responsibility.

“It is not yet too late to start recovering the damage, slow is better than never,” he said to Fig. via Skype, “what we really need is a boost in public interest and perhaps in five to ten years we will see the bee population back to healthy numbers.”

As Walker and Huong suggest, consumers need to pressure retailers and educate ourselves to not only realise the shortfalls of the garden centres, but to react to them.

‘Bee friendly’ and ‘perfect for pollinators’ are deceptive labels that actually mean very little. Boycotting these products is a great first step, especially as there are alternatives available. Try opting for ‘chemical pesticide-free’, and preferably those certified as having been grown organically from companies such as Blooms for bees (bloomsforbees.co.uk). It has an excellent list of ‘certified’ fruit, veg, flower and herb plant suppliers whose products are free of chemical iadditives. The organisation is lottery funded and purports to be “A citizen science project to promote and improve gardening for bumblebees.”

There’s also Wales-based Quinky Young Plants (grown-inwales.co.uk) which recently began labelling its plants as ‘peat and chemical pesticide free’, taking the baton of a retailers working towards a more sustainable future for UK gardening.

Charles Warner of QYP says “Most people are not aware that the little plant that they buy could easily have started life in a highly mechanised glasshouse in Israel or Italy.

Some of these plants are great quality.

Some of them are not.” And then, of courses there’s the matter of air miles.

“All of these plants have been transported vast distances by air and road on the route to your garden. My guess is that very few of them have been grown with the care and consideration that our small, enthusiastic team lavish on our plants here in Wales.”

To create a safe environment for bees, avoid buying sapling or young plants from garden retailers as they are likely to have been treated with neonics and other harsh pesticides. Instead you can opt for a dry seed which carries a much lesser risk as the amount of chemicals contained within, if any, are likely to be minute.

However, one of the best, easiest and indeed cheapest ways to ensure pesticide free plants is by taking cuttings from established plants from friends, neighbours or overgrown shrubs and bushes on roads and paths. Large plants that have clearly been around for a long time are unlikely to have lingering pesticides, so any plants you grow from them will not pose a threat to bees or indeed other insects. So, grab your secateurs and pinch some trimmings from neighbouring plants and you can create a safe non-toxic haven for the little buzzy buddies, without spending a penny. Nifty. • Words, Vicki Shadbolt Illustrations, Frankie Graham & Anabelle Denford

Bees flock to the “plants, picking up a

fatal dose and often passing traces on to the hive.

”

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CONSUME WITH A CONSCIENCE

Nine ethical homeware stores for you to discover We thought it was about time we shared our top spots to shop green, with the new wave of eco-friendly and ethically minded homewares and accessories stores opening up online.

Places where you can give back and support local businesses and social enterprises when you shop. this is conscious consumerism at it's finest...

Words, Georgia Groves Illustration, Anabelle Denford

Ethical.Market

The largest ethical store in the UK, Ethical.Market offers everything from clothes to stationery, and even the odd card! This website disrupts the never-ending cycle of high-street shopping, as concious selling is important to every brand created here. So why don’t you give it a go?

Treat yourself: The Milk Bottle Vase by Helen Rebecca is a vintage milk bottle vase cast with a delicate printed landscape and individually signed.

Visit - ethicalmarket.com Milk bottle vase £22

Aerende

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Aerende means ‘care’ in Olde English. A homewears brand with a social mission, all of the products found on the Aerende website are created in the UK by people facing social challenges. Aerende is known for its beautiful pottery and natural wool blankets but also stocks crafts from surplus Scottish wood, soap from the social enterprise The Soap Co and embroidered items from Fine Cell Work, a company that teaches prisoners how to quilt and sew.

Treat yourself: Treat yourself: For a good night’s sleep try a natural linen striped pillowcase. These pillows are the epithome of green luxuy. Hand sewn in London and made from sustainably grown flax, these pillows are non-toxic and pesticide free! Which means no nightmares!

Visit - aerende.com Linen pillow case (pair) £40

The Future Kept

Think minimalist Scandinavian homewares. The Future Kept sells traditional crafts or just things to cherish and keep. From rural ceramics to beautiful planters, there are candles and gifts that anyone interested in sustainable ideas would love. Everything is created by small businesses who care about the environment, on both a local and global scale.

Treat yourself: This incense holder is a minimalist’s dream.

Hand thrown in the UK, it's perfect for ritual incense.

Visit - thefuturekept.com Incense holder £20

The Maker Place

Mass supermarket shopping is so overrated! If you’d rather shop at a place that brings together the UK’s most skilled makers that offers us modern, handmade gifts and objects, then The Market Place is the place for you! Every product has been thoughtfully chosen for your home and has been made in a sustainable way.

It’s all produced on a small scale and is ordered directly from the maker through the website. There is something to suit every home, from hand thrown ceramics to furniture and art prints.

Treat yourself: Grab yourself a Peg-it-all pegboard! Perfect to organise your space creatively, made from heavy-duty birch plywood with sturdy holes and pegs. These pegboards are manufactured in Iceland and Sweden using 100% geothermal or hydropower energy and painted with ‘eco’ paints.

Visit- themakerplace.co.uk Peg-it-board £115

House of Kind

Founded by two friends, House of Kind is an online vegan and cruelty-free boutique. Enabling customers to use their purchasing power for good, the company uses sustainably sourced materials and a percentage of profits are donated to charity. Spoil yourself and your loved ones with luxury gifts, with everything from cushions to candles.

Treat yourself: For new storage solutions, see this beautifully hand-crafted basket made from palm leaves is.

Visit - houseofkind.co.uk Tenate de Palma basket £20

Secrets of Green

Secrets of Green aims to reclaim nature by bringing it back into our homes. For thosing hoping to escape the concrete jungle, this website stocks products for urbanists who love to be surrounded by all things green. Secrets of Green also brings together the environmentally conscious and nature-loving businesses to help shoppers with everything from quality stationery, to natural beauty and home décor - this shop brings the outdoors inside.

Treat yourself: Take some time to have a long soak after a busy working day. Infused with lavender, mandarin, bergamot, blended with spirulina and mixed with epsom salts and french salt containing mineral clay, the organic bath salts from Melusin are a real bathtime treat.

Visit - secretsofgreen.com Melusine silk bath soak £18

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411 MARE STREET, E8 1HY LONDON

VEGETARIAN FOOD, JUICES, SMOOTHIES, FRAPPES, MATCHA LATTES, VELVET LATTES AND GREAT COFFEE.

PROTECTION FOR THE PLANET Using a condom that won’t contribute to deforestation or buying a tampon without toxic chemicals isn't a given. Female-driven wellness brands are bidding to change the oftenoverlooked necessities and green up our intimate products

I

n the midst of a sustainable renaissance, condoms, lubes and sanitary products are going vegan, organic and fair-trade. Making sexual wellness all natural, Meika Hollender is a woman hoping to make routines green behind closed doors. After founding Sustain Natural in 2014, Hollender champions personal health and as well as the planet with vagina-friendly and ethically sourced products. "If you're thinking about what's going into your food, why don't you think about what's going inside your vagina?” says the thirtyyear-old entrepreneur.

‘Eco’ isn’t usually synonymous with sex, but with milk-derived casein, chemicals and child central to production, it’s

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an issue that needs to be confronted.

Hollender is producing environmentally and ethically conscious condoms, lubes, sanitary products for the masses, tackling an often-overlooked product when it comes to sustainable living. “Your vagina is one of the most absorbent parts of your body, which means you need to be thoughtful about what goes in it! We hope to get every single woman to think with their vagina and to create a world that fosters open, honest and real conversations about sexual and reproductive health.”

Co-founded with her father at 26, Sustain Natural is producing sex and sanitary products with social impact. “About four years ago my dad approached me with an idea he’d had many years prior: a natural,

vagina-friendly condom company,” says Hollender. An unusual father daughter venture, to Hollender the idea made perfect sense. “To many, a family condom business can sound a bit shocking, but my family has deep roots creating sustainable products. Over 30 years ago, my parents founded Seventh Generation, a sustainable cleaning brand now owned by Unilever.”

“When I began talking about starting this business a lot of people asked me, 'Why Condoms?’” says Hollender. “Oddly, the manufacture of and ingredients used in intimate products, from condoms to tampons to lubricants, can harm rather than help bodies. I saw an important opportunity to create better, safer products. Our lubricants are tested by

an approved FDA laboratory, ensuring the ingredients and formula do not have any adverse effects on your health,” says Hollender. “Everyone is thinking about the ingredients in their food, but there’s chemicals in everything we consume. It’s def initely time people started thinking holistically about their consumption.

According to Arizton, sustainable sex means big business with around 11 billion condoms made every year and the global sexual wellness market forecast to grow 6% between 2017 and 2022. More condoms inevitably equates to more production, deforestation and waste with latex rubber taking up to four years to decompose and plastic condoms a lot longer. Not only are rubber plantations, where the raw materials come from, contributing to Southeast Asian deforestation but the chemicals used to process it, including sulphuric acid, are now polluting waterways.

Pitching herself next to the big brands, Hollender’s selling point is clear.

Focusing on transparency, Sustain Natural has reimagined the sexual goods production process, emphasising social, environmental and personal responsibility.

The latex in Sustain Natural’s condoms is sourced from Fair Trade plantations in India and manufactured in a solar powered factory. “As climate change has gotten increasingly prevalent, consumers are demanding more transparency around the products they buy,” says Hollender.

“The reality is, that with most products,

once you peek behind the curtains and look at their supply chain or labour force, you tend to f ind less good news and more bad news. As consumers demand more transparency, more natural sustainable products will follow.”

Having been awarded B Corp, Fairtrade, vegan, non-GMO, FSC and Peta certif ications, Hollender says that Sustain Natural’s model can overhaul the condoms supply-chain, from tree to… trunk. “Nobody is concerned about child labour in the condom industry; it doesn't enter people’s mind,” says Hollender.

“Our condoms are the only Fair Trade, nitrosamine (a known carcinogen) free condoms sold in the U.S. That means that there are no children working on our rubber plantation where the latex is harvested and there are no harmful chemicals used in our manufacturing process. They're also organic, sustainable, vegan, not tested on animals and non-GMO. We’re a little over certif ied,” quips Hollender.

As well as helping make sex sustainable, Hollender is also hoping to empower women.

Sexual wellness products are dominated by male designed and marketed products, “I knew this needed to change,” says Hollender. “What about women? Women buy 40% of condoms but have been completely neglected,” she says. Encouraging women to alter wellness routines and embrace greener alternatives, Hollender is meeting an untapped demand. “Women were wanting safer products, from cosmetics to food, but

for the most intimate of products, the ones going inside of our vaginas, there weren't safer more natural options,” she says.

Sustain Natural is not alone, with other companies tackling sex and sustainability, including Einhorn, French Letter and HANX. “There has been little innovation in the condom industry, with big players dominating the market and only addressing the male half of the population,” says Sarah Welsh, co-founder of HANX, a female focused luxury condom company. “In terms of sustainability, why should condoms be different to any other company? It has been important to us from the outset to build a business that trades fairly, gives workers safe working conditions and all the while making premium good-quality products,” says Welsh.

“Eco-sex is really about better sex, it’s about a healthier, greener lifestyle,” says Welsh. Similarly to Sustain Natural, HANX’s products are fair-trade and without animal by-products. “Sustainable companies are the way our world needs to move, and that includes ensuring that we are producing condoms in a way that is not ruining the Earth,” says Welsh. As we alter our routines to become more considerate consumers perhaps it’s time to consider the protection we use, to protect our planet. • Words & Illustrations, Anabelle Denford Illustrations, Mali Fischer

See sustainnatural.com or hanxofficial.com to f ind out more about eco-sex products

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YOUR DENIM AIN'T DEAD Looking through old photos, you may feel unnerved seeing yourself posed next to an ex, be hit by a wave of holiday nostalgia, but have you ever looked at the clothes you’re wearing? What happened to them? We may have fallen out of love with clothes of the past, but their fate, stuffed at the back of the wardrobe, is not sealed. On a mission to rescue and reclaim old outfits, London based textile designer Odette Moncur is encouraging us to dig out the denim and paint up old jeans, salvaging the clothing we once wore.

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O

ver the past 10 years, clothing has been the fastest growing waste stream in the UK. According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme, the average piece of clothing in the UK is worn an average of seven times, lasting just over three years before being cast-off. With hopes of extending the lifespan of clothes, 22-year-old Odette is urging us to upcycle and give our forgotten clothes a bit of love.

Exuding the effortless cool of a creative, wearing clear-rimmed glasses and a camouflage puffer jacket, Odette is one of the many young designers in the fashion industry creating ripples of change. Armed with a paintbrush, Odette is injecting life into the clothes we rejected using stencils reminiscent of childhood doodles, shaped as hearts, flowers and stars. Hand-painting on denim, she’s transforming jeans, a staple item we all possess, into something fun. “People always look twice at the jeans I’ve made, they really add colour to an outfit and can brighten up someone’s day with something a bit different,” she says.

“There’s lots of joy to be found in creating and being crafty,” says Odette, whose creativity was clear at just 13 when she began selling painted T-shirts at school. Studying Fabric Design at Chelsea School of Art has honed Odette’s environmentally and socially conscious approach to design. “My last project focused on using linen, simply because of its sustainability qualities. It’s thought of as a ‘mumsy’ fabric,” she laughs. “But it’s my job to change those connotations through design. You can even get linen denim, I source it from a small company in France.

It’s similar to cotton denim but better for the environment because it’s washed by rain so not wasting precious water supplies.”

The fashion industry has a devastating global impact, with the founder of clothing brand Eileen Fisher Inc. declaring the clothing industry among the most polluting industries in the world, second only to the oil industry.

Although Fishers assertions are difficult to prove, fashion is an industry destructive both socially and economically. Using cheap labour, chemical and unethically sourced resources, it ticks all the wrong boxes. “A pair of jeans is nine years fresh water for one person,” Odette says. “We have immense power in our own hands and we should continue to keep learning and having this conversation.” ▶

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Fast-fashion is designed to break, “…it’s built in obsolescence to encourage you to keep buying,” says Odette. “My Dad always said, ‘I’m not rich enough to buy cheap’. We should spend more money on one item of clothing that will last and jeans are a prime example of this.”

Preventing boredom of the clothes we wear is central to Odette’s process, “That’s the thing with fast-fashion now, people become uninterested in their wardrobes and want something new, it’s the generation we are part of,” she declares. With no two items of clothing ever the same, people are drawn to up-cycling in a bid to be different.

“I’ve painted roses on jeans for my friend Rosie, daisies for my friend Daisy. It’s really personal,” Odette says. “There’s so much sentiment behind it and there’s no sentiment in fast-fashion. I think that’s why people really like my designs.”

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Clothes are often the focus of a conversation, with the power to set a mood and first impression. The customisation of clothes, whether that’s painted jeans or cut-up T-shirt, can bring a personality to life. “The inspiration to up-cycle and do-it-yourself is everywhere, there’s so much visual resource now with social media and the Internet,” says Odette. “I’ve hand-painted the jeans, so they have a story and are all completely unique. People enjoy the process of discussing and choosing how they want to express their individuality through clothing. By doing it yourself, you can see through your own vision.”

With a dual mission, Odette attests the positive mental impact a bit of DIY can bring. “I do it because it’s something I enjoy doing in my down time. We spend so much time looking at screens I think it’s a good time to mentally reset. It can be really therapeutic,” she says.

Retail therapy is a phrase that encourages our willingness to buy more clothes we won’t wear, but Odette has the anecdote. “People buy things for a boost of dopamine, to make themselves feel better,” she states. “Clothes are so powerful in making you feel better and people can get the same rush from reviving an item of clothing; seeing a design process through or sitting down and being creative.”

With screen time dominating modern life, Odette serves as an example of why we shouldn’t pass an opportunity to get some paint under our nails and become enthralled in the process of making. • Words, Anabelle Denford Photos, Odette Moncur

If you're time-strapped but don't want your old denim to gather dust, see Odettes's website odettemoncur.com Got time to do it yourself?

Flip over for our DIY denim guide ▶

# W H O M A D E M YC LOT H E S FAS H I O N R E VO LU T I O N .O R G

DO UP YOUR DENIM It’s out with the new and in with the old – time to upcycle your old denim

1

Iron your jeans then lay them flat on a table covered in newspaper.

If you’re feeling inspired to rework your tired denim, follow the simple steps below.

For funky patterns to inspire your inner creativity, head to Odette's instagram @odettemoncur.

You'll need:

- Cardboard (use cereal boxes or salvaged xxcardboard in in the house) - A kitchen sponge - Fabric paint - Scalpel or scissors

5

Be careful not to apply the paint too thick, or the stencil will smudge.

2

Slide a piece of cardboard into the jeans to create a flat surface.

6

Let the jeans dry overnight to set the paint.

3

Using card, perhaps from an old cereal box, cut a stencil using a scalpel.

4

Apply your paint with a kitchen sponge using a quick dabbing motion.

7

Turn your jeans inside out and iron them to set the paint, then wear with pride.

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MAINTAIN YOUR MANE Lathering hair in chemical products may not be the best way to maintain your mane.

Fig. considers the benefits of a natural hair care routine

T

he frizzy bouffant, the flat mop, when it comes to hair, it's safe to say we all have our challenging days. For many of us there are few lengths we wouldn’t go to in a bid to maintain a healthy, sleek shine. Natural and eco-friendly products are increasingly popular with conscious shoppers, and this trend is also encompassing hair care.

In recent years ‘green’ hair care has seen huge growth, with The Soil Association reporting a 13% rise in certified natural products in the UK in 2016 with 73% of millennial women prioritising green beauty, more than any other age group. However, we are still using more chemically laden, man-made products on our locks than we ever have before. Pitted against each other, should we favour the greener options and can we still achieve the luscious hair big brands promise?

We are all guilty of looking for a quick fix to create the illusion of a well-maintained mane. Though, with every high street spouting the same rhetoric promising healthier, stronger, thicker hair the results can be unsatisfying. Hair care giant, Procter & Gamble is one of many that are guilty of selling the ‘dream in a bottle’, with Pantene pro V one of its most lucrative products. The impact of these products is often questioned, with no official research concluding their robust claims of stronger, healthier hair. Although natural alternatives are hardcoded with perceptions of ineffectuality, it’s worth

considering that we strive to put the most nutritious ingredients into our body, so why not do the same for our hair?

The real debate lies in natural versus synthetic hair products. Commercial shampoo brands contain 30 or more synthetic ingredients with Pantene shampoo comprising of ammonium xylene sulfonate, with repeated use, this ingredient can cause hair dryness and scalp irritation.Chemicals containing sulphates can cause dryness as they remove the natural oils from your hair and skin,.

While this jargon may not make sense unless to those of us who aren’t chemists, this harsh ingredient has been proven to cause hair dryness and scalp irritation, with sulphates stripping the air of its natural oils.

Similarly for conditioners, ingredients build up with repeated use, clinging to hair molecules. Silicone is present in almost every high-street conditioner, a chemical based substance used to make plastic and giving you a fake shine. Developed by Procter & Gamble, silicone technology is now used in 80% of hair-care products. With the first few uses, as promised, you can attain a sleek and smooth look with each strand of hair coated in silicone.

The problem arrives when you stop using the chemical conditioner, resulting in the artificial layer of silicone being washed out and leaving you with a lifeless mop. Often swayed by price and the promise of fast remedy, these products can be detrimental in the long run.

Natural products are make for compelling alternative for supporting the health of your hair, especially those containing aloe vera, jojoba extract and castor seed oil. Ingredients such Apricot oil contains omega nine fatty acids, which make your hair and scalp softer. Using natural plant and herb extracts, beauty fans are enjoying healthy hair without exposing their hair to harmful chemicals .As our hair is primarily made up of protein (keratin), wheat is an excellent ingredient to have in your hair products as wheat protein has been proven to thicken and add volume.

Vegan hair care brands such as Jason and 100% pure are one of many healthy alternative options; the ever-growing and popular hair care brands use only all natural, vegan ingredients as well as refusing to test their products on animals.

Checking the nutritional info on food labels is the norm. But when it comes to reading the back of beauty products, not so much. With myths of natural brands not giving the impact of the jargonfuelled unnatural high-street brands, we should put natural to the test and ditch the chemicals. It could be time to change faith, and invested in the clean alternatives, an option far more beneficial in the long run. • Words, Jaspreet Kulair Photos, Anabelle Denford

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DIY BEAUTY

Our bodies are incessantly fed chemicals, and that includes our skin. We asked natural beauty lover, DIY expert and natural skincare formulator Dominika Minarovic for some clean beauty recipes Words, Anabelle Denford Images, CleanBeautyCo.

DIY CUSTOMISABLE BATH SALT This customisable bath salt and soak will allow you to give your body some love whilst you’re bathing. Epsom salt and pink Himalayan salt are both renowned for their skin nourishing properties. Rich in antioxidants and full of magnesium, Epsom salt will relax your muscles. As well as sounding dreamy, Pink Himalayan balances the skin’s pH to detoxify your skin.

INGREDIENTS: Combo 1 – for calming: 200g Epsom salt 1 Tbsp oats, oatmeal or almond meal 2-3 Drops oil of your choice 2-3 Drops essential oil of your choice A handful dried lavender buds Combo 2 – to hydrate: 200g Pink Himalayan salt 1 Tbsp Coconut milk powder 2-3 Drops oil of your choice 2-3 Drops essential oil of your choice A handful of dried flowers

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CUTICLE NOURISHING BUTTER

SLEEP TIGHT NIGHT CREAM

NOURISHING AVO-OAT MASK

Sweet almond oil is key for cuticle healing, softening the skin around the nail with Vitamin E preventing cracking and breaking. Rose hip oil will strengthen your nails and Geranium oil helps will lock in the moisture to prevent them breaking.

The shea butter in this recipe is moisturising, with the added perk of anti-inflammatory properties to help sooth your skin after a long day. Sweet almond oil will eliminate eye bags whilst lavender’s calming properties will help you drift off to sleep.

Sometimes it only takes a snap of cold weather to dry out your skin. The solution can be found in your kitchen cupboard!

Avocado, oats and honey are all wonderful at soothing and hydrating skin!

INGREDIENTS: 25ml Rosehip Oil 25ml Sweet Almond Oil 5 Drops Geranium Essential Oil

INGREDIENTS: 40ml Jojoba Oil + 40ml Sweet Almond Oil 20g Shea Butter 5 Drops Lavender Essential Oil

INGREDIENTS 1/2 avocado, mashed 1 tbsp honey A handful of oats or oat bran

HOW TO: Combine the sweet almond oil and rosehip oil in a small bowl, mixing well. Add 5 drops of geranium essential oil and stir well. Store in a 50ml pump bottle. When using, be sure the coat both the nail and cuticle and spend a little time rubbing in on each finger (you could even treat yourself to a mini hand massage while you’re at it).

HOW TO: Melt the shea butter in a bain-marie. Remove from heat as soon as it becomes liquid so that it doesn’t burn. In a separate bowl, combine the jojoba, almond and lavender, stirring well. Add the liquid oils to the shea butter and gently whisk for a few minutes. Place in a jar and allow to cool before using.

HOW TO: 1. Throw all your ingredients into a bowl.

Mix well until a smooth paste. Then evenly apply on clean skin. Wait 15 minutes, read a book or have a bath. Then wash if off using warm and then cold water to close the pores. We then reccomend using your daily moisturiser.

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AN OPEN LETTER TO GERMAINE GREER Germaine Greer has always been a fiery voice for the feminist cause, gender equality a central theme to many of her books. However, her recent address to the #MeToo movement sparked outrage.

Fig. views her comments as morally flawed, unacceptable and out of touch.

Here's a letter addressing our concerns

“

I want, I’ve always wanted, to see women react immediately. In the old days, there were movies – the Carry On comedies, for example – which always had a man leering after women. And the women always outwitted him – he was a fool. We weren’t afraid of him and we weren’t afraid to slap him down. What makes it different is when the man has economic power, as Harvey Weinstein has. But if you spread your legs because he said ‘be nice to me and I’ll give you a job in the movie’ then I’m afraid that’s tantamount to consent, and it’s too late now to start whingeing about that.

I want women to react here and now. I want the woman on a train who feels a man’s hand where it shouldn’t be… to be able to say quite clearly, ‘Stop.’

”

- Germaine Greer, January 21st 2018

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I write this letter with a respectful level of appreciation, for women who have spent their lives spearheading feminist issues. Your book, The Female Eunuch, whilst now being 48-years-old, lit the fire of conversation between both men and women about the female role in society.

You argued – correctly, in my opinion – that women are forced to assume submissive roles in society in order to fulfil male fantasises of what being a women entails. I believe that without feminists such as yourself the scope of feminism would be very different today, and for someone to talk out so intelligently and firmly about feminist issues in the 1970s, a world very different from that of 2018, you should be commended.

However, the point of my letter is not to praise your life work, but instead to mention comments made in more recent history. What was said about transgender women in 2015, namely referring to them as not being ‘true women’, isn’t the focus of my argument, despite this deliberate exclusion of the feminine population being extremely problematic. I would like to mention, however, your blatant disregard of the #MeToo campaign, which went viral in 2017.

One week after actress Alyssa Milano first tweeted the hashtag #MeToo, Twitter reported to American network CBS that 1.7 million tweets had included the hashtag.

Facebook also commented, stating that there were more than 12 million posts, comments and reactions about the phrase ‘me too’ in less than 24 hours, by 4.7 million users across the world. This kicked off in October of 2017, and there is no denying that in the months that have passed more and more people have joined the conversation, including loads of high profile celebrities. My Facebook news

feed flooded with #MeToo’s. I shared my #MeToo, in the hope of giving my friends the option to talk to me about their experiences, knowing I’d endured something similar.

People exclaiming ‘Me Too’ ranged from regular women being harassed in their day-to-day lives, to women in high profile movies, reporting assault from directors such as Harvey Weinstein. The world was awash with discussion, and the more we talked, the more women felt they could come forward and tell their story.

In response to this you were quoted in an Australian publication as saying “If you spread your legs because he said ‘be nice to me and I’ll give you a role in the movie’ then I’m afraid that’s tantamount to consent, and it’s too late now to start whingeing about that.” After addressing the high profile cases you went on to address more menial, day to day cases of assault, stating that “I want women to react here and now. I want the woman on a train who feels a man’s hand where it shouldn’t be to be able to say quite clearly, ‘Stop’.” This is where my problem begins.

What us more ‘fourth-wave-feminists’ would call victim shaming. Suggesting that women are consenting to their abuse by bowing under pressure, put on them by someone who is economically more powerful than them, or higher up in their workplace, is to suggest that these women deserve what they got. To suggest that women should take a stand as abuse is happening – ‘to say Stop’- as you put it, suggests that women always get listened too when they report their abuse.

In an ABC Washington Post poll it was found that more than half American women – 54% - have experienced ‘unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances’. Thirty percent of these women have endured unwanted attention from

male colleagues, with 25% of the women identifying these men as having power over their careers. The report continues, and says that 95% of women report that their male perpetrators of such abuse go unpunished. In the UK we see a similar picture. A poll taken by Opinium Research reveals that whilst over a quarter of women in the UK say they have experienced sexism or sexual harassment at work, these cases are still widely unreported. In the study 58% of women did not report it to their company, and 31% said that reporting it resulted in no action being taken.

Your comments are, of course, your opinion on a matter that is being widely discussed, and as a feminist I would never strive to rob you of your voice. However, when comments such as these are made, comments which victim blame and make women out to be weak for not standing up for themselves in the wake of abuse and assault, well this shuts down the conversation for many. It makes it hard for women to speak up, hard for them to join the conversation, and hard for us to make changes. I can only suggest that in your mission to help women of the 21st century, you focus on helping us to build women up, instead of criticising them, and tearing them down. And, I might add, that includes all women. •

Words, Maisy Farren Illustration, Ellinna Horton

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Experienced crystal healer Meg Wood has been practicing crystal healing in the Midlands for over six years. “I was raised in a spiritual family and began offering my services after I helped a friend overcome her depression,” she says. Meg now sees around 2-3 clients daily at rate of £30 per session. “I must say the boom in business has been down to the recent popularity crystal healing had attained," she says. "But I cant help feeling as though the spirituality of crystal healing has been cheapened, people don’t understand the true extent of what these rocks can do, but rather keep them around as an ornament or a conversation piece.”

CRYSTAL HEALING

A magic cure or just a rock? In today’s day and age, generic practices to keep our minds and bodies healthy don’t make the cut. Crystal healing is the latest trend well-being trend, enticing everyone from believers of the occult to influencers and to Kim Kardashian and Cara Delevingne

C

rystal healing is a holistic treatment that works with our bodies own healing structure and energy.

Balancing out the physical and mental condition, it's thought to bring harmony and wellbeing. Crystals have existed on earth for millions of years, and it is this presence which is thought to allow them to absorb the energy of the earth, giving different crystals different healing properties.

To the non-believer, crystals may seem like just rocks, but there may be more to the spirituality craze than you initially think. Although there is no tangible evidence of it's healing qualities, this non-invasive practice has effectively treat mental and physical ailments, from chronic pain to depression. Used in therapy sessions or simply carried in your pockets, these crystals can have the power to promotes wellbeing and ‘good vibes’ throughout out daily life.

For the crystal healing novice, the abundance of different meanings assigned to each crystal can seem a tad daunting.

The most common crystals are central to most practices, using rocks such as amethyst, citrine or rose quartz. Amethyst is thought to to decrease addictions and

enhance your intuition, whereas citrine is able to dispell negative energy. You’re probably wondering, where is the science behind this? Who decided what crystal promotes what healing? For the skeptics out there, there may be some validity to your distrust in the spiritual realm.

Dr. Christopher French, a psychologist at Goldsmiths university conducted a study in order to prove or disprove the validity of the healing power of crystals through the power of suggestion. Dr. French gave 80 volunteers a crystal each, half being real crystals and the other half fake, he then informed the participants of the crystals healing properties and how they could aid each of them, this being the suggestive element. He then allowed them to mediate with the crystals alone, 74 of them agreed they felt a ‘relaxation of the forehead’ and ‘ a stimulation of the brain’, with only six participants disputing the crystals effects. His findings concluded that the majority of the participants with fake crystals felt the same healing powers of those with real crystals, creating a placebo effect. “The fact that the same effects were found with both genuine and fake crystals undermines any claims that crystals have the mysterious powers which they are claimed to have,” says French.

Recently Kim Kardashian released a line of fragrances named and shaped like crystals. “ Crystal healing should not be seen as an advertising gimmick, nor is it a trend, I regularly help people overcome depression and anxiety but this side is never seen or accounted for.” Meg not only performs crystal healing she also incorporates sound and chromotherapy as well as guided meditation.

Client Benjamin Bishop began seeing Meg Wood when his anxiety took control of his social life, “I wasn’t always a believer in spirituality but I had tried everything to overcome my anxiety. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to go outside. I tried over the counter drugs but these did nothing for me.”

Benjamin has been seeing Meg for over a year and a half now and can definitively say his anxiety is almost completely alleviated.

“Initially I was very sceptical, but I’d seen the trend all over my Instagram feed and thought I’d give it a go and I’m glad I did.

I understand where the sceptics are coming from, but what they don’t understand is like many things crystals need to be cared for, they need to be cleaned and charged, ” Although Benjamin initially wary, the therapy has had a positive influence on his life, “Ive really started to get my life back”.

If crystal healing has been proven to be no more than a fad and perhaps a fraudulent practice, why do people still subscribe to its methods? Crystal healing may be just a placebo effect but it's still bringing positivity and balance into the lives of the believers. Whats the harm in being tricked into being happy if your life is changed for the better? • Words, Jas Kulair Illustration, Mali Fischer

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44

THE NOT SO SUPER SUPERFOODS

You may want to think of swapping your quinoa for couscous. With the ever growing trend of superfoods taking over the western world, many people are turning a blind eye to it's effect on impoverished countries.

Fig. investigates how the food we eat is impacting India

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T

rends are often f leeting and something associated with fashion or music, but in recent years alongside the rise of veganism, certain foods have also begun trending, attaining the title ‘superfoods’. Mintel GNPD (Global New Products Database) found that between 2011 and 2015 there was a 202% increase globally in the number of new food and drink products launched containing the terms ‘superfood’, ‘super-fruit’ or ‘super-grain’. But with the demand to grow the products to sustain western food trends, the effects aren't so super.

Quinoa, a once-obscure grain cultivated for its edible seeds quickly became the hottest superfood with food lovers instantly taken by its low levels of fat, compared rice and couscous. Not only was it an innovative carb substitute, it became the holy grail of foods within the vegan community. An excellent meat substitute, quinoa is high in protein containing up to 18% and so the perfect poster food for veganism. The United Nations declared 2013 as the ‘International Year of Quinoa’ in recognition of the indigenous peoples of the Andes, as they continually grow and preserve the crop for present and future generations. But how does this aid the impoverished people whose lifestyles revolve around this crop?

The popularity of quinoa was views as a win-win situation with farmers gaining a higher yield and vegans being provided with a meat-free protein source. The benef its of trending foods seem too good to be true, perhaps because they are. There is an ominous aftereffect to the quinoa fad, often ignored by the supermarkets prof iting off its popularity. With prices tripling over the past few years due to high export rates, prices have hiked in the native countries it is grown in. Underdeveloped countries such as India face starvation due to the inf lation of a nutritious and once affordable food source, going from 2.96 U.S. dollars in 2010 to 6.74 U.S. dollars in 2014. As westerners buy it by the bag-full, locals can no longer afford quinoa as a life-sustaining food source. A tale true to other superfoods exported from India including chia seeds, turmeric, and even coconut oil as the underprivileged remain malnourished.

With India’s malnutrition being over 45% among children and 70% among pregnant women, the nutritional value of superfoods such as quinoa could help eradicate this epidemic. Farmers are ditching cultivation of cheaper grains and focusing the more prof itable alternatives such as quinoa, hindering the eradication of hunger within India, something charitable organisations have noticed and began to take action on.

Punjab itself is a rural area, rich in agriculture and crops, farming many of India’s main exports such as sugar cane.

Though it may be rich in produce, Punjab’s health and

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malnutrition rates have increased exponentially in the past ten years. The harsh reality is that wasting (low weight-forheight) among children has increased from 9.2% in 2005 to 15.6% in 2015 and anaemic women went up from 38% to 53.5%.

Although other studies reveal improved life expectancy in India, this does not mean the issue is resolved as people may be living longer due to access to cheaper unhealthy food whilst healthy options are shipped off to the western world.

Religious temples across the UK often plan relief trips with youths in order to aid the impoverished children of India.

Rhea Jahndu, a young temple goer, recently attended such a trip to Punjab. “I witnessed many things whilst on the relief trip, spending time with healthy content children and it was amazing to see the different ways they live compared to us (western civilisation), on the other side of the trip. However, I also saw how many children are suffering by not having the most basic necessities needed to survive.”

Rhea explains, “It pains me to know that India is wealthy in terms of nutrition and agriculture, yet so many people still suffer at the hand of malnutrition, they may be getting fed, but what they’re eating won’t help them, it bothers me that the locals can not afford so many foods that belong to their own country, yet places like the UK use food as a way to f it in or be on trend.”

“It can be diff icult for developed countries to understand deprivation unless witnessed f irst hand. On my trip I met a young boy named Manroop, he seemed healthy and happy just from his appearance, but seeing his diet appalled me.

He informed me sometimes he would pick seeds out of cow manure and wash them off to gain any sort of sustenance.”

Superfoods may receive a bad reputation based on their ethics, but they have also been extremely benef icial for foodies in developed countries. With respect to vegans the nutritional benef its of superfoods are exponential, it’s easy to ridicule the trend when its labelled as an ignorant fad, but there is some truth behind the trend. Not only does quinoa provide an abundance of protein, it also contains antioxidants and vitamin E, making it easier for your body to repel harmful molecules and is proven to prevent diseases like Alzheimers or Arthritis. The number of vegans in Britain has risen by more than 360% over the past decade, as reported by a survey investigating the number of people renouncing meat as a part of there diet. Vegan activist and animal lover Daisy Olive Canning consumes food such as quinoa and turmeric frequently and considers them a staple in her diet and lifestyle.“Quinoa is imperative to my diet, it’s a really easy way to gain protein without harming animals,” she says. Due to trending food styles, people in Westernised areas chose to remain ignorant of how their niche diets impact the underprivileged areas of the world.

Similarly, turmeric encompasses similar qualities, renowned in Indian culture for its healing qualities, helping dispel the common cold or f lu. Recently science has caught up with Indian culture, discovering turmerics powerful anti-inf lammatory qualities and antioxidant effects. In recent years researchers have been looking at its effects on cancer, studies have shown that it can decrease angiogenesis – the growth of new blood cells in tumours, reduce the spread of cancer and even kill cells that are considered to be cancerous. Superfoods contain very similar qualities and healing effects, and with groundbreaking studies like these do the ends justify the means?

Dominika Piasecka, spokeswoman for TheVegan Society says, “Veganism is becoming an increasingly popular lifestyle not only in the UK where over half a million people are vegan but globally. More people are now aware of the animal exploitation involved in the production of meat, dairy, and eggs and do not wish to support these cruel industries when you can get everything your body needs on a vegan diet.

Consuming more fruit and vegetables than the rest of the population, veganism has amazing health benef it,” says Piasecka. Although superfoods have taken the UK by storm, encouraging more people convert to a plant-based diet..

“The popularity of superfoods is astonishing and I think it’s really great that society is f inally embracing meat-free diets,” says Daisy. Since many Brits have cut down on meat cholesterol levels have dropped signif icantly, “I think the term superfoods is quite accurate, foods like turmeric have amazing health benef its.” According to Piasecka, “research shows vegans have lower blood pressure, lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and also some types of cancer. The British Dietetic Association, an independent UK authority on nutrition, says that a vegan diet is suitable at any age or life stage, including infancy, childhood, and pregnancy.”

“ India is wealthy in

terms of food and agriculture, but so many people still suffer at the hand of malnutrition

”

The Western endorsement of veggie diets has peaked production of superfoods, with many consumers blissfully unaware of the devistating effects on third world countries.

Daisy explained, “I would consider cutting down on superfoods to shop more ethically, it’s a diff icult dilemma as I personally view animals as equal to humans, so it’s hard for me to prioritise one over the other.” The economic and health benef its of superfoods are huge, as the fastest growing lifestyle movement in the U.K. Driven by ethics, vegetarians and vegans alike are blissfully unaware of the impact of their meat-free meals. Produced in sweat-shop like fashion, the outcome is benef icial but the consequences are out of sight and therefore woefully out of mind. •

Words, Jaspreet Kulair Photos, Anabelle Denford

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SUPPER CLUB

/J ul y 2 0- 2 5 , 2 01 8 / E 5 Bake h o u s e , Hackn e y , Lo n d o n V i s i t o u r w e bs i t e t o r egis t er : f i gmago n l i n e . w o r d pr e s s. com

HELP REFUGEES X WELCOME KITCHEN

Fig. and HelpRefugees are hosting a Supper Club in association Welcome Kitchen.

The talented refugee chefs will be cooking up an eclectic feast with delicious dishes from Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria, the Ivory Coast and Ethiopia.

Half of the places at the table will be given to local refugees and asylum seekers for free and guests are invited to help make this possible by contributing to the cost of a meal for a refugee.

Additional funds raised will be donated to Welcome Cinema and Kitchen – a monthly evening of entertainment and conversation giving refugees and asylum seekers in London the chance to connect over a common love of great food

/J ul y 20-2 5, 2018 /E 5 Bakeh ou se, Hackn ey, Lond on

LIVIN’ YOUR BEST LIFE A

Our busy lives and hectic schedules can make it hard to be good to yourself all the time, but how easy is it to live how you wish you could for just a week? Vicki takes on the challenge

“Trying out a few meat free meals are always a good start. Not because protein isn’t essential for to diets, but due to the fact they are filling and higher in calories than a plate of vegetables and salad leaves, cutting it out of a couple of meals makes us consider in more detail about what we are putting into our bodies.

s a chain smoking, heavy drinking, carb obsessed twenty something, I often get exasperated with feeling so crap all the time. I know what I should be doing; eat better, get more sleep, go to the gym, drink less…. But what I, and many others fall down on, is the actual doing part.

So here I embark on a week of ‘Living my best self’.

“If you drink as much as you say, then I would definitely recommend cutting it out completely for this week to see how different you feel within yourself. If you can manage to go without the cigarettes as well then even better, your lungs could do with a break by the sounds of things.”

Speaking to Dr Hazel Wallace, award winning author and junior doctor - I asked for some food tips to help me on my journey.

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So for seven days I aim to consume two portions of meat, go cold turkey on the drinking and smoking, be awake and up by 8AM every morning and do 30 minutes of exercise or a mindful activity. Wish me luck..!

“ Yoga is something I really enjoined... even if it doesn’t fill the void of smoking.

Monday

Thursday

Sunday

Typically... Monday’s involve recovering from a godawful weekend bender with copious carbohydrates.

Typically… Thursdays are often a pretty similar repeat of Wednesday, though normally my room is in a state of disarray.

Typically… Consists of long naps intermittent with cigarette breaks and maybe a shower.

New and improved… Getting up at 8am meant I had time for chores. Lunch was a hearty Turkish Lentil Soup, vegan and easy to make using red lentils, tomatoes, paprika. I then tried my first yoga session using a YouTube tutorial. Yoga left me feeling relaxed, calm and less stiff.

However, the nicotine cravings are high and I found myself itching for a cigarette.

New and improved… This week I managed to keep my bedroom tidy and felt way more energised and motivated. So instead of discarding an item of clothing onto the floor, I put it away. Halting the issue before the mess starts - revolutionary.

My cigarette cravings have decreased, but I only managed 15 minutes or so of yoga as I went to stay with a friend for the night.

New and improved… On Saturday evening, I went to a friend’s birthday party and ashamedly had a couple of drinks.

However, I didn't smoke once the whole night, so my evening wasn't a total failure.

This Sunday I took some time to curl up and watch Netflix, because what else are weekends for? Time to unwind and do nothing felt great after a productive week.

Tuesday

Friday

Typically… Tuesdays are my full day at university so I tend to struggle out of bed at about 9.15am and hurriedly get dressed, packing unhealthy snacks and a packet of cigarettes into my bag.

Typically… Friday is time to treat myself with weekly post-work drinks and a packet of cigarettes. I usually head to a club, returning home in the early hours of Saturday morning, kebab in hand.

New and improved… Waking up at 8am I went to the gym and indulged in hot scrambled eggs for breakfast. Refraining from smoking is certainly the biggest challenge, but completing the first two days of my journey without succumbing to cravings makes me want to get to the end, smoke free.

New and improved… Getting up in the mornings this week has easier as I have been sleeping through the night and getting a solid eight hours. In comparison to my usual behaviour, Friday night was tame. I did my yoga session and was in bed by 11pm. Although socially I was missing out, my liver is thanking me.

Wednesday

Saturday

Typically… Getting up for work feels like a terrible ordeal, which usually results in more smoking. When home, I can rarely be bothered to cook anything properly; spaghetti hoops are a staple.

Typically… Weekends are almost always spent entirely in bed, recovering from the night before. Maybe I will have a cup of juice, a pot noodle and smoke the ends of a packet of cigarettes.

New and improved… Having a proper breakfast (bran flakes with coconut rice milk) after a good night’s sleep I had the energy to get all my things together on time and didn’t have to run for the train.

In the evening I did about 25 minutes of yoga, something I am really beginning to enjoy even if it doesn’t quite fill the void of smoking.

New and improved… This weekend I was up at 8am for a yoga session. Feeling relaxed and refreshed, I then spent the day doing some essay preparation before getting ready to go out with some friends.

Although I've been maintaining a healthy routine, it's definitely important to maintain a social life to feel well balanced.

”

After living my best life, I feel transformed.

My sluggish inclinations and perpetual hungover or drunk state have been transformed, leaving a more balanced and healthy version of myself. As well as loosening my stiff joints, a newfound love of yoga provided me with valuable time for reflection. Improving my physical health, smoking and drinking less have also left me with a clearer head. Keeping up the clean-eating yogi version of myself does seem an unattainable mission, but I feel encouraged to make small, healthy changes. Watch this space. • Words, Vicki Shadbolt Illustration, Mali Fischer

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9 WELLNESS TRENDS WE THINK YOU SHOULD TRY...

From special yoga mats to fermented foods, here are the newest trends in health and wellness Over the past few years, we’ve become obsessed with wellness.

One of the most searched subjects on social media, there’s 17 million people using the hashtag on Instagram to prove it.

Here’s Fig.'s breakdown of the most recent trends promising to make us look and feel better.

Words, Georgia Groves Illustrations, Eleanor Hardiman & Anabelle Denford

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Gut health:

Post-workout:

Essential oils:

Strength instead of size:

Squeezing in your vitamins:

New yoga prop:

Clearing the air:

Under-rated exercise:

Staycations for self-care:

People are getting more into solving their digestive issues, by balancing their bacteria with more gut-friendly foods, Such as ‘kimchi’ or ‘komucha’. These fermented forms of food and drink can work wonders for your gut health.

Strength training has become more important to overall health because muscle mass helps lose weight faster and complements your cardio routine.

Strength training isn’t just about hitting a goal weight but discovering what amazing things your body can do.

This clean movement isn’t just about the food we eat, but the air we breathe. On a mission to purifying the air we breathe, ‘air purifying plants’ are filling homes of urbanites in a bid to improve health.

What you do after your workout, has become just as important as what happens during your workout. Stretching and healthy snacks after exercise are worth the extra few minutes as they have unexpected benefits for your body.

For years it’s been commonplace for people to take vitamins to improve their overall health. However, now people are putting these vitamins directly on to their skin to improve it's texture and quality.

This is why the search for vitamin C serums has increased dramatically.

The warriors of wellness are now trying Tai Chi as an alternative meditation.

Because it offers the potential to reduce stress, release pain and create whole body harmony. A new way to clear your mind.

You can eat those? There are many ways your body can obtain the benefits of essential oils, but now you can even eat them! Make sure they are labelled food grade though before you start flavouring your dishes.

The trusted yoga mat has just got a new friend – yoga wheels. A wide hoop, to use the prop simply lay back onto the surface of the wheel and roll. Yoga goers use the wheel to help stretch and release tension and muscular tightness in the back, chest, shoulders, abdomen ​and hip flexors.

We are all looking closer to home for more ‘me time’. More people are planning weekends at home to nourish themselves. It could be anything from going to a hot yoga class or simply a relaxing bath with a face-mask.

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"WE'RE ALL ABOUT TEACHING, NOT PREACHING"

BOSH's Ian and Henry are using their popular Facebook channel to showcase their amazing vegan recipes, with hopes of convincing the meat eaters that plant-based can still be tasty

S

ince Buzzfeed launched its Facebook food page Tasty, our news feeds have been awash with off-beat recipe videos, creating funky, interesting meals based on current food trends. Pintrest has always been full of easy recipes, and VICE’s dedicated food site Munchies gives even more inspiration to get in the kitchen and give cooking a go.

Amongst this world of online food inspo, one Facebook page named BOSH grabbed our attention. Whilst most of these sites feature recipes full of meat and cheese, BOSH videos are all 100% vegan, and look absolutely incredible.

We sat down with old school friends Ian and Henry, BOSH founders, to find out where BOSH came from, and discover their foodie goals.

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How did BOSH begin?

What can people find on BOSH's social media?

Henry: We went to school together in Sheffield so have known each other a long time. Ian went vegan after watching the famous documentary Cowspiracy by Kip Andersen, and intrigued by the change in his lifestyle and the effect it had on his body and outlook on life, I followed suit.

We went vegan for personal reasons and the business side of it came afterwards - we saw a gap in the market for great online vegan recipes and so BOSH! was born.

Henry: We use our cooking skills and our education in flavouring, seasoning and spices to create out-of-this-world dishes that anyone would want to eat, no matter their dietary choices. We create some really hearty meals that meat eaters will love too, so we’ve got things like Cauliflower Buffalo ‘Wings’ and Wicked Asian ‘Ribs’.

How important is it for you that people give a plant based diet a try?

Ian: We’re all about teaching, not preaching. We don’t mind what other people’s diets and preferences are, we just want to showcase the tastiest vegan food to hopefully inspire people. Whether your vegan, veggie, flexitarian or a meat eater who just fancies reducing the amount of meat you consume each week, we want to give you ridiculously tasty recipes that you will want to eat.

What tips would you give to wanting to cut down on animal products?

Ian: Cutting down animal products in your diet can seem daunting but there has been an explosion of alternatives hitting the shelves in recent years - from vegan cheese to loads of different types of milk (oat. coconut, almond, rice, I could go on…) it’s meant that its become a lot easier to transition to animal free options. •

BEST VEGAN BURGER

Ian and Henry's recipe 'Best Burger in the World....Seriously' is a hit on Facebook, with over 3.8 million views and 11,000 shares. Here at Fig we decided to give this super simple dish a try, and decide for ourselves whether this was the best best burger in the world

Ingredients

2 cups mushrooms 1.5 cups cooked pearl barley 1 large red onion, minced 1.5 tbsp tomato puree 1.5 tbsp red miso paste 1/3 cup chopped parsley 2 cups vital wheat gluten Dairy free cheese slices

Garnish

Egg free burger sauce (you can mix egg free mayo with ketchup) Burger Relish Pickles Shredded red onion Salad

Method

1. Whizz up the mushrooms in a food processor until they’re a fine mince. You may need to do it in stages so they blend evenly.

2. Mix the mushroom mince with the rest of the ingredients, then mould into a burger shape and place on a baking tray.

3. Bake at 200℃ (392℉) for 20 minutes.

4. Once out of the oven, put a slice of dairy free cheese on each burger. Grill for 2 minutes if you want it to go melty.

5. Assemble burger in a bun with all the garnishes you want.

6. Serve. BOSH!

Fig.'s Verdict

For non-veggies, burger choices are often meaty and stuffed with bacon. This meat-free alternative may not instantly whet your appetite but after preparing and devouring, Fig. can certify this burger is both healthy and delicious. The pearl barley took over an hour to cook, so beware of prep-time and leave plenty of time before you make dinner. The real showstopper in this recipe was the miso paste. A cheap addition, the paste gave the burger oodles of flavour, and we'd recommend using it again in other vegan recipes.

Words & Images, Maisy Farren

We want to see your Bosh burgers, tag us on instagram at @FigMag_

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7

THE GOOD SLEEP GUIDE Trouble sleeping?

Find out how three simple steps can help you get a good night’s kip

I

t’s late at night and you’re in bed after a long day at work. The hellish commute home and a mountain of washing up has taken the last out of you. Now, wrapped up in your duvet you wait to drift off into a blissful respite. But… the orange streetlight glares through your curtains, sounds of sirens and traffic play a restless urban lullaby.

Did you actually press send on that email?

So much for a good night’s sleep.

Life in London often comes hand in hand with high pressure jobs, delayed commutes and poor oxygen quality which can all lead to a sluggish lethargy, leaving us tired, but for many, the unable to sleep.

Research conducted by Sleep Council in 2013 showed that over 70% of Britons get

less than seven hours of sleep per night, when the recommended is eight based on research released in 2010 by the university of Warwick. The university study found that getting less than eight hours kip can inhibit your brain’s ability to release hormones and compounds that help decrease the risk of health conditions such as heart disease and memory loss. A bit worry seeing as over a quarter of the British public say that they regularly experience poor quality sleep.

Funnily enough, men are more likely to get a better night’s sleep than women, with over a third claiming that they sleep very well most nights. Scoundrels!

For those of us who still struggle, however - help is at hand. See our three step guide to better sleep.

STEP 1: RESTFUL HOURS

STEP 2: RHYTHM

STEP 3: ROUTINE

“The key to achieving a good night’s sleep is to try and get in and out of bed at the same time each day. Even if at first you are having trouble drifting off, you will get used to the routine and it should become easier to fall asleep over time,” says Lisa Artis from Sleep Council, an independent research body concerned with the nation’s sleep patterns.

It goes without saying that blasting anthems before bed is unlikely to put you in a blissful state. Music can be a helpful tool when trying to get some shut eye.

“Aim to get into a relaxing routine before bedtime - switching off electronic devices an hour before bedtime to do something more calming like reading a book, listening to soothing music or even meditating.”

That means halting the nightly Netflix binge ‘til 2am and making sure you are in bed from 10pm onwards each night.

Even if you don’t plan to go to sleep straight away, your body will start to associate getting into bed at that time with winding down. “The perfect sleep environment is quiet, dark room that is free of clutter and features a comfortable supportive be.

“It’s quite interesting actually but our research shows that having a messy bedroom can actually play on your subconscious and negatively impact your ability to get a good night’s sleep. It is a periphery stress, something you may not even realise is playing on your mind.”

Certainly, waking up for work in the morning is that much more disheartening when all around you is ‘organised’ chaos.

The tidying process before bed may even help to wear you out.

If you have issues with light coming in through the windows, a one off investment in some blackout curtains will stop the street lights shining in and disturbing you. They can be found in many places, but from as little as £8.99 in Argos.

As for streetnoise or a rowdy household that is a bit harder to control. The latter can perhaps be tamed with some stern words and both can be blocked out with a simple pair of earplugs if it is an ongoing issue. Amazon have multipacks of 20 for less than £3.50 made from self-adjusting foam to fit any ear shape.

Music has a profound impact on our mood. An emotive song can give you goosebumps, your brain distinctly releasing a heavy dose of dopamine during the anticipation and peak of emotion when listening to music. Affecting our brains and body the same way that sex, gambling and eating your favourite food does. Anticipation and reward.

Dr Michael Breus, a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep says that “tempo makes a huge difference in whether a song will help or hinder you getting to sleep. Studies show that music with a rhythm of about 60 beats per minute is optimal.”

However, Dr Breus recommends staying away from music that you have a particular emotional affinity with (eg. the song you had on repeat when you broke up with your ex) as this will negatively affect your ability to get to sleep.

“Soothing music is certainly helpful as are tools like nodcasts, meditation and mindfulness apps – all which relax and put you in the right frame of mind for sleep,” says Lisa Artis of Sleep Council, “...our 2017 Great British Bedtime Report found that more people are turning to music and meditation in their quest for a better night’s sleep.”

‘Calm’, ‘Headspace’ and ‘The Mindfulness App’ are 3 great, free meditation apps which you can download in your quest for a good kip. If you are someone who really struggles with background city noise, you could also try ‘White Noise HQ’, ‘White Noise Sleep Pillow’ and ‘Relax Melodies’ to cancel out the pesky sirens.

We all know that playing on your phone, in the pitch black, screen 3 inches from your face is bad for our sleeping patterns.

Artis recommends putting the phone down from about an hour before you need to go to bed.

The blue light that your phone emits stimulates your brain, with blue tones suppressing your ability to produce the melatonin hormone in the brain, which is what makes us feel tired.

For help with this, try the ‘Night shift’ setting on your phone. You can automatically schedule the colours of your display to change towards the warmer light, helping the possibility of some good kip. You can also alter these settings on most laptops.

The ‘Do not disturb’ feature on your smartphone can also be a godsend. It stops your phone lighting up or vibrating when you receive a message, but as signal is still enabled you will still recieve messages.

You’re now equipped with your perfect snooze-kit! Say goodbye to counting sheep and start dreaming about them instead! • Words, Vicki Shadbolt Illustrations, Eleanor Hardiman

60BPM tunes, your perfect playlist for drifting off Flaws and all - Beyonce If no one will listen - Kelly Clarkson Here with me - Susie Suh Stay With Me - Sam Smith Sad - Maroon 5 Dynasty - Miia The Scientist - Coldplay Thinking out loud - Ed Sheeran Say you won’t let go - James Arthur This Town - Niall Horan Dancing on my own - Calum Scott Oblivion - Bastille The Other - Lauv I was wrong (acoustic) - A R I Z O N A Marry Me - Train Let Her Go - Passenger Watermark - Enya 59

RUDE HEALTH FIG PROMOTION

NAKED BARLEY PORRIDGE with maple rhubarb and pecans

Let's give breakfast a rude awakening with a Rude Health breakfast

INGREDIENTS

Prep time: 2 minutes / cook time: 10 minutes Serves: 1 For the porridge...

70g Rude Health Naked Barley flakes 220ml Rude Health Cashew Drink or milk Pinch of salt (optional) For the topping‌ 1 rhubarb stem, chopped roughly to 1 inch 1 tbsp coconut oil A squeeze of maple syrup/honey Handful of pecans,chopped roughly

METHOD

1. Cook the naked barley flakes by following the packet instructions.

2. Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan and gently fry the rhubarb for a few minutes or until soft and cooked through.

Add the maple syrup/honey to the pan.

Calling all porridge pioneers. Stay ahead of the curve and swap your regular old oats for naked barley.

Quick, easy and comforting, this recipe tastes just as great with milk as it does with a dairy alternative. Give Rude Health’s Cashew Drink a go. It is the creamiest of its range. Top with maple rhubarb and pecans. to finish it off.

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3. Once the porridge is cooked, serve and top with the cooked rhubarb and chopped pecans.

Allergy info: includes milk and nuts (pecans)

VEG-HEAD

Is Veganism Bad For The Brain?

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There are endless reasons for going vegan with animal welfare, environmental affect and personal health reasons just to name a few. Veganism is the fastest growing lifestyle trend, but does a plant-based diet compromise mental health? Fig. explores the connection between a meat free diet and a healthy mind.

here’s a long list of reasons for going veggie or vegan: some believe that it's better for the environment not to eat meat, others want to prioritise animal welfare and prevent needless suffering. Some opt for a plant-based diet in a bid for better health. According to a recent survey, 1 in 10 people in the UK want to go vegan in 2018 and while a good vegan diet is often a healthy one, it can also impact your mental health.

memory problems, mania and personality changes. It is widely thought that a lack of the chemical Serotonin is responsible for depression, and Zinc, another vitamin low in the vegan diet, is vital for serotonin synthesis. Iron deficiency can also inhibit the production of serotonin. The connection between these findings all indicate the plausibility of a typical veganism being detrimental to mental health and wellbeing.

A 2017 study by the National Institute of Health found that after testing almost 10,000 people, vegetarians were significantly more likely to suffer with depression. A scaremongering piece on Women’s Health in 2015 was titled ‘The Scary Mental Health Risks of Going Vegan’ and featured case studies of women who experienced heightened OCD, anxiety and depression after switching to a meat-free diet. The piece featured two studies, based in Germany and Australia, which indicated that vegetarians were 15% more likely to suffer with depression, and twice as likely to suffer anxiety disorders. This evidence that being meat-free is detrimental to mental health is overwhelming, however should the veggies among us be worried?

Though these nutritional findings could deter would-be vegans from taking the leap, Vegetarian and Vegan nutritional therapist Karen Cottenden believes the solution is simple. Adopting a plant-based diet 26 years ago, Cottenden asserts that a healthy diet is one of variety and moderation. Providing you concentrate your diet on the vitamins you’re lacking, you will have optimal mental health. She insists that a deficiency in these vitamins is just as common in a meat eaters diet as it is in a veggie diet.

With intangible and qualitative results, varying mental health cases and findings from these studies aren’t always conclusive, with depression and anxiety harder to monitor than physical illnesses. But, with a veggie diet often skipping the nutrients easily sourced in meat, nutritional science can shed light on what’s going down in the meat-free brain.

In a piece for Psychology Today, Nutritional scientist Georgia Ede wrote about breaking down the various vitamins in food and analysed their affect on the body. Vitamin B12, scarce in a plant-based diet, can give way to depression, psychosis,

Steps to ensuring you don't skip the vitamins and favour your mental health can be simple. Vitamin B12 is available in supplements, however it is also added to alternative milk products, vegan spreads and breakfast cereals. A daily intake of 3 micrograms can be enough to maintain mental wellbeing. Zinc and Iron can be found in beans, chickpeas, lentils, tofu, walnuts, cashews, seeds, wholemeal bread and quinoa. Tea and coffee can make it difficult for your body to absorb iron, whilst Vitamin C increases iron absorption. Simply combining these iron-rich foods with Vitamin C rich foods can help improve your daily diet. If you want more information on staying healthy as a vegan see vegansociety.com • Words, Maisy Farren Illustration, Anabelle Denford

EUROPE’S SELF-CARE SECRETS Staying healthy is a worldwide concern, approached differently by global cultures. Fig. spoke to three of our European neighbours to discover their healthy habits

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healthy lifestyle is often low on the priority list for time-strapped professionals, and making the ‘right’ choice is often arduous. In an age where unhealthy food fills supermarket shelves, it’s difficult to make the right choice for our health. However, living well doesn't need to be tedious and complicated, when we are able to borrow healthy habits from other countries to change our routine. Fig. spoke with our European sisters, who share simple advice inspired by cultural tradition in hopes of inspiring new ways to be nourish our bodies.

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EAT MEDITERRANEAN

KAT, GREECE “Is all about what you put in your body!” says Kat, as she makes a colourful Horiatiki salad (a traditional dish made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano). Kat and her family always have vegetables as a main course. “Most Greek people have the vegetable dish, made using extra-virgin olive oil. Lots of dishes use oil, there’s even oil in Greek dessert!” According to Kat, lathera is a term used to describe meals made with oil. “I always take time to have a big breakfast with yogurt, honey, avocado and fruits and have lunch with as many ‘latheras’ as possible.” According to a Eurostat survey, meat makes up just 10% of the Greek diet. “We rarely eat meat and when we do it’s when we have something to celebrate. Meat isn’t produced here in Greece, but we do love cheese! We eat feta and yogurt every day on pretty much everything. Those lucky enough to have a small garden and a big oven can make these products for their homes.”

MAINTAIN BALANCE

EXERCISE WITH EASE

AVIGAIL, SWEDEN

ARIANNA, NETHERLANDS

“I know everything about the Danish trend, 'hygge’ trend but I find the Swedish notion of ‘lagom’ more relaxing but productive at the same time,” says Avigail. The ‘hygge’ trend has focused on reaching the pinnacle of cosiness, however its Swedish equivalent has a different meaning. “Loosely translated ‘lagom’ means ‘just the right amount’, and focuses on maintaining balance” says Avigail. With a six hours working day, Swedish lifestyle prioritises personal wellbeing: "We don’t do less work but cut the superfluous and leave work spend time with family and friends." The just-enough notion carries through to managing personal finances. “When I got my first job my parents gave me a diary to note my expenses, from food to transport. I have a bicycle, so stopped taking the bus and made my lunch at home instead of buying it,” she explains. This habit stopped me buying unnecessary things so I could spend money on important things, like holidays with friends.

“We cycle everywhere here,” says Arianna, 21, from Amsterdam. 68% of people use their bike as mode of transport in Amsterdam. “It also allows me to exercise without even realising.” Cycling has many of postive side-effects, such as helping maintain a healthy weight and improving blood circulation to the heart and lungs, preventing cardiac diseases.

“Cycling from one side of the city to another can be quite tiring and isn’t always relaxing but it’s way more enjoyable than being stuck in traffic or wedged onto a busy commuter train. You’re fully independent, and can go everywhere, whenever you want,” says Arianna. When cycling you can’t loose concentration and reach for your phone, “as well as allowing me to be aware of my surroundings at all times, it’s also a welcome break from looking at screens. For this reason, I think cycling has a huge impact on mental health,” says Arianna.

Illustration, Mali Fisher Words, Guilia Radice

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Fig. LOVES Here’s a bit of what we are loving…To discover more small brands, illustrators and people doing cool things, see our Instagram @FigMag_ #GetFiggy

ELEANOR HARDIMAN

POT YER TITS AWAY LOVE

BREAD & ROSES

As our resident issue 1 illustrator, Eleanor Hardiman is a firm Fig. favourite. Her Instagram illustrations are a millennial dream, pairing cute, delicate doodles with pastel shades and empowering feminine messages.

Check out her beautiful work on her Instagram at @eleanorhardiman eleanorhardiman.co.uk

Ceramics are our new homeware style inspo. Leeds ceramist Emma Low makes unique ‘tit pots’ in all size, shapes and colour - the perfect home for your indoor plants. Personalised tit pots are available to order via online Body empowerment and a place to keep your plants? Seriously Figgy. potyertitsawayluv.com

Fig. loves Bread & Roses, an award-winning London-based social enterprise offering training for female refugees. Arriving in the U.K. isolated and without work, the programme teaches women practical floristry skills and provides the emotional support necessary to gain work. wearebreadandroses.com

THE ORDINARY

THE MYLKMAN

EAST LONDON JUICE CO.

Fig writer Maisy suffers from adult acne, and lives for The Ordinary’s affordable and simple skin care products with Rose Hip Seed Oil being a favourite. With it’s minimalist aesthetic, extremley low prices and, of course, no animal testing whatsoever, everyone needs some Ordinary in their lives. theordinary.com

Going dairy free couldn’t be easier with The Mylkman delivering nutbased milk products in re-usable glass bottles. Free of sugars and unatural additives, their Mylk is all produced by a small London based team, who are as devoted to environmental causes as well as cutting down animal products. mylkman.co.uk

Driven by mission, East London Juice Company isn’t just a juice company. The place to go for all things nourishing, fair-trade and organic, they stock everything from bee butter to bathing salts. Passionate about people and our planet you can find them online or at their Shoreditch dispensary. eastlondonjuice.com

Words, Anabelle Denford & Maisy Farren

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