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The highlights: What is it?: A little tea bag made of a super thin cotton to allow movement of the water through the bag and tea within it and a pull string on the top to secure the bag. Cost: £1.65 for a pack of 3 Does it work? Yes Would I buy it again? Yes, but there are also those little metal strainers or the teapots that come with the strainer inside. Other options?: I haven't seen any sewn tea bags elsewhere yet, but imagine there's a few on the market. Where to buy: I got them from here The tea bag itself is pretty self explanatory: Open the tea bag up, pop your loose tea in, pull the string, and you’ve got yourself a reusable tea bag. When you’re done, empty the used tea out into your compost pile, and dump the tea bag into the washing up bowl. The tea will dye the bag the colour of your tea, so mine went green with the spearmint tea I had bought, but I don’t suppose I mind green bags too much! Especially considering how much plastics are in tea bags and being dumped back into landfill, and how using this type of tea bag is more environmentally friendly. Some tea bags are now advertising that they don’t use plastics in their tea bags, but if your favourite tea maker isn’t in that small pool, and the level of plastic in tea bags is something that concerns you, then definitely think about this as an alternative. You could also get a diffuser teapot, but they are more expensive, and harder to clean, so if you want to trial it without paying out a fortune from the beginning, the reusable tea bags are an option available to you. Especially at the bargain price of 55p per bag! With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: An all natural cleaning clay Cost: £9.99 Does it work? Yes, but in a rather unexpected way Would I buy it again? Yes Other options?: I don’t recall seeing other cleaning clays, but chances are there are other brands on the market. Where to buy: I got it from Must Have UK Ideas The cleaning clay is a hard white clay within the tub and you have to wet the sponge to rub it out to use so that the clay becomes damp. as a result, this little tub should last for quite a while! As a cleaner I was pretty disappointed by this product. I live in an area with very hard water, so limescale is an ongoing issue. I had to put in a lot of effort to clean the limescale off the tiles in the bathroom, and the cleaning clay didn’t work very well at all. In addition, I used another cleaner (with harsher chemicals in it), on the limescale to compare, and all I had to do was leave that for 2 minutes and then wipe it away, and it removed all of the limescale super easily and super quick. On a side note - if you are looking for a limescale remover that works and is absolutely amazing, check out my review of Kilrock Gel Limescale Remover - it is undoubtedly the best limescale remover I have ever tried, ever! I also tried this on the oven door, and it did clean the build up on the door well but I had to put masses of effort into it. In addition, after using this, it leaves a white film that sometimes I had to rinse off twice, which again created more work. Also, you can’t put the lid on the clay pot and put the clay away if there’s moisture on it, so you have to leave it out to dry off, which is annoying if you like to do your cleaning and then put everything away. Despite these observations, however, where this product really shined (and the reason why I would buy it again) is the way in which it continued to protect the surface it had been used on for weeks after use. I tried it on the shower screen in a small circular area, and this is the shower screen some 6 weeks later...check this out! As such, this is amazing to use at the end of your deep spring clean! Creating a protective barrier for weeks later, this makes later cleaning so much easier, and I am all about making life easier so that we have time to enjoy more important things like spending time with loved ones, walking the dog, reading a book, or just having free time to decide what to do with! With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: It is a powder that you use in the same way as a toothpaste. Cost: £29.99 for a year‘s supply (plus at the time I ordered I also got one free). By way of update (October 2021), it looks like they have upped their prices since I bought this to £30.99 plus postage and packaging, so you may want to shop around for the best price. Does it work? Yes, but the results are not very dramatic Would I buy it again? Yes, but I think it is best suited to maintaining whiteness after a whitening treatment. Other options?: Loads and I keep seeing them pop up in my Facebook news feed since I bought Smirk teeth brightening powder Where to buy: I got it direct from Smirk but since they upped their price, you may prefer to go to somewhere like Amazon I trialed Smirk teeth brightening powder by using it every 3 days for 2-4 minutes in accordance with the pack instructions (which says to use it 2-3 times a week). I have been using this for about 6 weeks now. It is a blue-purple coloured powder that you dip your toothbrush in and then brush your teeth as if using regular toothpaste. Using Smirk teeth brightening powder does create a kind of froth (not as much as normal toothpaste) and it stops frothing at about the 3 and 1/2 minute mark. It says that it is mint flavoured, but I would describe it more as tasting like over the counter cough sweets that you get in newsagents and corner shops with a hint of mint. If I am being honest, after prolonged use, the flavour of this started to make me feel a bit ill. Smirk teeth brightening powder did whiten my teeth over time, but the results were not dramatic. I would say this product is probably best suited to maintaining whiteness after using a more dramatic whitening product or treatment. That said, you do get a lot of product for your money so it can be used across the whole year in this maintenance kind of way and it comes in a plastic tub with a flip top lock lid which means it it protected from moisture caused by steam in the bathroom. With love Rebecca xxx P.S. Please note that this blog post may contain affiliate links. When you click on the link and purchase the product, I receive a small commission.

The highlights: What is it?: a silicone cone that pops inside itself to trap your hair in a curl without needing to use heat Cost: £2.80 for 10 rollers Does it work? Yes, but definitely needs styling when the rollers come out Would I buy it again? Yes Other options?: Tonnes of other no heat curl options out there, but I haven’t seen these before Where to buy: I got these off an eBay shop, but there’s loads of places selling these if you google it. The likes: These are super easy to use to the point where you don’t really need an amazing mirror....I used a little desktop one to just check that I had picked up all the hair. My hair stuck to the silicone rollers quite well. Other rollers I have tried are a nightmare to get the curl started as my hair falls off the curler, but because these are silicone they have a bit of a rubbery-silicone-stickiness going on. Also, once they are curled up, you simply push the bottom of the curler over and it flips on top to trap the hair beneath it, so no need for clips or hair pins. The instructions say to use these on dry hair and to leave these in for up to 30 minutes, but my hair does not style well, so I left them in for an hour. Taking them out is easy too. Just unpop them and let them roll out. The dislikes: The rollers come in two sizes only: small and large, and you only get 10 in a pack in total, so you’ll need a few packs to do all your hair. The curls don’t look great if you take the rollers out and plan to leave your hair down: However, they work really well and look pretty for use with an up do: I also gave this a go by leaving them in overnight. As they are made of silicone, they are not too uncomfortable to sleep in, and I popped a shower cap on top to keep them in place as best I could. Sleeping in them did make the curls last for longer but by the time I woke up some of the curlers had dropped to halfway down my hair so the curl was only at the bottom half of my hair. Again, fine for an up do, but not for taking them out and having bouncy curls all day. All in all, if you prefer no heat curling for up do‘s and don’t mind using hairspray to keep the curl for longer, these are a pretty good buy. With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: it is a spray cleaner that, according to the advert, is capable of cleaning through build up of dirt on the underneath of a used pan by a simple spray and rinse. So, by extension, should be able to clean through all tough stains! Cost: $13.97 plus $5.99 shipping Does it work? No, not at all, not even in the slightest. Would I buy it again? Absolutely not! Other options?: loads of cleaning products and each time I trial another new one I am more often let down than not. However, I will keep going because that’s the whole point of this blog! Where to buy: I got this from here on the basis of an advert I saw on Facebook. The product: Here is the Facebook advert: Here is what turned up: I don’t think I need to elaborate anymore on these videos...they definitely speak for themselves! Avoid this product! And the worst part is that this company now send me regular e-mails trying to get me to buy something else! I am pretty sure what they sent me is the same stuff you get in bubble wands as a kid! It certainly smells like the same liquid! If only I’d know I could have got it for 99p from the corner shop! With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: What I can only describe as a tea bag that you stick to your foot which contains herbal remedies that are designed to drag toxins out of your body as you sleep with them attached to the bottom of your foot. Why did I buy this?: This claims to fix all sorts of issues from headaches and weight loss to insomnia and fatigue. Cost: £7.99 for 28 pads Does it work? I don’t think so. Would I buy it again? No I wouldn’t bother wasting my money again. Other options?: Loads of similar treatments are available to buy online or have as treatments at salons. However, the only reviews I can find endorsing these types of products are those that get a cut of the profits if you click on the link to buy it. Where to buy: I got it from an ebay shop, but a quick google will provide you with a multitude of options. They are a bit like teabags with black powder inside that you place on the bottom of your foot and then use a big sticker to put on top to keep them in place. When you wake up you have to peel it off, and the stickiness stays on your feet and needs a bit of a scrub to get it off, so if you are an evening shower person you will have to make time to clean your feet on a morning. You also wake up with black gunk on the bottom of your foot, which is supposed to be evidence of the toxins coming out of your body, but I suspect is more a mix of sweat (caused by the bag being trapped against the foot) and the black powder in the bag which is made of a permeable substance, so is a bit like a weird method of osmosis. Detox footpads claim to rectify insomnia, but I awoke in the middle of the night with a cracking headache whilst using these and could not for the life of me get back to sleep. I was awake from 3am until 6am when my alarm went off to get up for work, so I would say these pads do nothing at all to assist with insomnia, nor in the pursuance of relieving headaches. Claims related to weight loss are also unfounded based on my experience. I used the whole pack every night until they were all gone, and my weight didn't change at all! Nope! Not impressed! Across the board I was disappointed: another gimmick that fails to live up to its claims I'm afraid...don't bother wasting your money, and now I have you won't have to! With love Rebecca xxxx

The highlights: What is it?: This is a shampoo and conditioner which claims to "to promote hair growth and help reduce hair loss" Cost: £33.50 for both the shampoo and conditioner bundle plus shipping Does it work? I don't think so. Would I buy it again? Nope. Other options?: Yep - lots of products out there claim to achieve hair growth and reduce hair loss. I haven't tried any of them, and to be honest, won't bother after this experience. Where to buy: I got these online from BondiBoost The product: It looks very flash in slick bottles, and it smells amazing - like a eucalyptusy minty heaven. It definitely wakes you up in the morning (conversely, I would not recommend using this just before bed time). It is administered using a pumping system, and it does successfully clean and condition my hair. The experiment: I measured my hair by drawing on a white t-shirt the hair start point...I then measured it 4 weeks later to see my normal hair growth...I then started to use this product and measured my hair another 4 weeks later. Then I thought maybe 4 weeks was not long enough, so I have continued to use this and measured my hair again on15 April. My normal hair growth revealed a 2mm increase. My hair growth after using this product revealed (at best) 3mm hair growth. My hair also feels and looks no thicker than before. Even after prolonged use, I cannot confidently assert that this product does what it claims to do. The Verdict: I just don't think this product really works, and I am absolutely not comfortable with spending this much money on a product that does not work to the value of £33. Sorry BondiBoost, I will not be buying this again. With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: Magnetic earrings that are supposed to result in weight loss simply by wearing them - perfect idea if you are trying to get rid of additional weight caused by lockdown! Cost: £2.64 plus postage of 69p Does it work? No Would I buy it again? No Other options?: I have googled it and there are other types of these copycat acupuncture type earrings of different shapes and sizes Where to buy: I got mine off an ebay shop, but there are loads of places selling these The product: Like everyone, I have put on weight during lockdown that I am now trying to get rid of. I have been doing slimming world for a while, and whilst I have lost some weight without having to exercise at all, I have now hit a wall. My weight loss has depressingly plateaued off. It is my own fault! I know I need to start exercising, and it is my intention to start running again (I am a wimp and stopped in the winter because it was too cold and miserable!). So before I start running again, I thought now would be the perfect time to try these. They are strong magnets and they do stay on all day, in fact, I found them quite painful after a while. You do not wear them to sleep in, so I did get some respite when I took them off on a night. They look quite gothic when wearing them, and they are very reflective, as you can see from the picture I took where you can see me reflected in them! I have been wearing them for 2 weeks whilst maintaining a healthy diet but not doing any exercise...here is my weight loss app that connects to my scales... As you can see, it has made no difference whatsoever to my weight loss. I also still have a raging appetite similar to that of a horse! So on both counts of dropping weight and suppressing appetite, these magentic earrings failed miserably for me! Maybe for some people these do work, but I have done my research, and I cannot find any medical peer reviewed evidence or studies that support that these work. I suspect it works for others based on a psychosomatic phenomena, what is more familiarly termed "the placebo effect", as opposed to anything else. Am gutted! Guess I am just going to have to start going running again! No weight loss cheating for me! I was really hoping I could eat a chocolate orange danish every day and still lose weight! Wishful thinking! With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: A garlic press that presses the garlic flat against a hard surface, as opposed to squishing it through a small space like traditional garlic presses. Cost: £9.99 on special offer (but states it is usually £19.98) plus £4.99 shipping. Does it work? I guess, but it is hard work. Would I buy it again? Nope. I might have if it was £5 or less, but a tenner for this is seriously overpriced, and I would never pay the full £20 for it! Other options?: Yep - lots - an I will keep my eye out for a other impressive looking garlic presses: I am a big fan of things which make life easier. Where to buy: I got mine from Warmday UK, but if you google it, there's lots of online shops selling this or similar. The Product: So instead of the traditional garlic press, where you pop the garlic in a hole and squish it down, this one you pop the garlic on the worktop and push the press on top. Pros: It is easy to clean, and fairly easy to use. Cons: It takes a lot of pressure for this to work. I tried on a whole garlic, which failed miserably: Then I sliced the garlic, which worked better, but I still had to put my whole body weight behind it to get it to work: So yes, this does work ok, but it is not as impressive as I was hoping. The video on Facebook made it look like this was dead easy to use with minimal pressure, and this is simply not the case in practice. I have used other products for garlic crushing before I started this blog which were cheaper and easier to use. I shall see if I can remember where I ordered them from to review them in full! The disappointment: I bought this product because of a video on Facebook, but the product I received is not the same as that in the video. It is similar, but the one in the video was all metal and looked of a better quality than the one I ordered. Don't get me wrong, when I clicked on the link on the video, it took me to the website which pictured the exact same product I was sent, but this is a pet hate of mine: just advertise the product you are actually selling! I was in a rush and did not notice when clicking on the link from the video and being taken to their website that what I was buying looked slightly different to the one in the video. Maybe that's on me, but when I have googled this, I think this is bordering on an example of what trading standards describe as "bait and switch": where you show an awesome product - the bait - but then sell them something that isn't as good - the switch. So, Warmday UK, if you are out there and listening, please do a new video showing the actual product you sell! Its not hard! If I can do a video, so can you. I am not one to shy away from admitting my mistakes though: we learn more from the things we get wrong than the things we get right! So I will learn from this mistake, and in future pay extra attention to the product on the website I am ordering compared to the video that enticed me in! With love, as always, Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: A replacement for the plastic sponge. Cost: £6 for a pack of two. Does it work? Yes. Would I buy it again? Yes. Other options?: Not that I have seen yet, but please let me know if you come across any. Where to buy: I got them from here but it looks like Kerry has her own ebay shop too with free delivery. There is also a facebook page. There are also a few other places that stock them, so you can also google it. The product LIKES: So I really like this. It is longer than most sponges or other cleaning pads available on the market, and can be bent in half to go around pan lids etc. as it is more like a thick cloth in texture than a traditional scrubber. It is biodegradable, so once you are done with it it will not harm the environment, or you could chuck it in your compost heap! 100% plant based and vegan, they are described as even the inks having been tested for harmful substances! The Scrubbies have a bamboo lining which is described as being naturally antibacterial, so that's a bonus, and will alleviate any fears of nasty bugs breeding within it. Plus, they are machine washable, so watch this space to see how they fare after a wash. If washable and totally reusable without any issues, I will be super impressed! They are advertised as being reusable for 3-12 months, which is pretty impressive, and will replace multiple plastic sponges in this household across a year. Plus, if one lasts 12 months, then this will also save pennies in the long run - cost per use is an important calculation. It also works well on cleaning the kitchen surfaces. One side of it is made of interwoven bamboo threads, which creates an rougher surface for scrubbing, and the other side is a softer material, so can be used like a cloth. I have not yet tried them on cleaning the bathroom, but when I do I will provide an update here. Even my dad said “This is alright this, isn’t it?” High praise, I can tell you! They also come in over 80 designs, so you are bound to find ones that can match your kitchen or bathroom. LIKE LESS: The issue was in cleaning cups, and maybe it is just that when brand new it is not very pliable, but the middle of the base of the cups I just could not get to so I had to use the sponge on those. These cups are fairly narrow though, and the wider cups did not present a problem. The future of this product I will continue to use Scrubbies in the future (or Scrubby if only one?) and have a sponge on standby for the occasional times that I can't reach somewhere. That said, I have also now googled environmentally friendly sponges, so watch this space as I hunt down some to buy and review. Either way, I believe in the idea that every little action can help make a difference. Even if I end up using a few sponges a year for those odd moments I need them, but use a more environmentally friendly option the rest of the time, then I will be actively contributing to a better world. In addition, and in the interests of transparency to you my readers, I need to make you aware of my personal bias that I believe in supporting local, independent or small businesses as much as I can. Kerry's Scrubbies is a UK based business, that appears to be one woman working out of her house, so this has inevitably had an impact on my review. However, mostly I was impressed because I believe in supporting businesses that are taking innovative ideas and pushing new boundaries, which is what this business is doing: bravo Kerry's Scrubbies! With love Rebecca xxx

Hi guys As promised, here is the video of my hair after the second use of this product. The first application was a week ago, and I have just been using the same shampoo and conditioner that I have been using for the last month or so. I'm becoming increasingly more impressed each time I use this! Am excited about the next few uses of this product now! The third application has been pretty impressive too! Also, what I am now noticing is that this product is changing the texture of my hair. As I hace gotten older, I have noticed some of my hair becoming more wiry...now either those hairs have fallen out (which is possible) or this product is changing the texture of those hairs. I hope it is the latter, and if it is I think I may have to buy ,ore of this product! Here’s the video for application 3: This is the video following application number four, which is the last one as I have ran out of product now: Although you can’t really tell looking at the videos, this product has continued to improve my hair texture with every use and I am very impressed by this product now...it has changed the texture of my hair, so that all my hairs are soft and I no longer have the odd grey hair with a different texture to the rest! in case you have yet to get greys, believe me it freaks you out when you feel it and realise it is like wire! This product has removed that completely! I am so impressed in the end, that I have bought some for my mum! With love Rebecca xxx

The highlights: What is it?: It is a crocheted sock that you pop your soap in, and then hang in your shower Cost: £3.75 for this one - but there are more expensive, and cheaper options out there. Does it work? Yes. Would I buy it again? Yes. Definitely, but it is reusable, and I bought 2 so I can use one and wash one, so I may not have to. Other options?: Yep - loads. Where to buy: I got it from here but there's probably loads of places that sell this sort of thing - a quick google and, yep, there are... The product: This is a crocheted little pocket with a hole in the top where you thread the hanging section through so that you can pop your soap in and hang it in the shower. It means that you can use soap instead of shower gel, thereby reducing unnecessary plastic use. It also reduces wasted soap itself as it keeps it all nice and snug inside the pocket whilst allowing soapy suds to work their way out. You have a whole host of soap options out there too - from the standard run of the mill high street options to the organic and handmade. I used a dove sop in mine because I think that is probably one of the largest soaps on the market, and it fits snuggly in the pocket. The soap sock is made from cotton, so can be washed and reused between each soap. The down sides: I genuinely haven't come across one yet - you have to lather it up to use it, but that's true of any soap. It may be harder to use as the soap gets smaller, but I am purely guessing at this point because my soap is still going strong. I will do an update if, during my soap sock journey, I discover a down side...promise. With love Rebecca xxx Feel free to share on Facebook, or subscribe below.