- Vegan Lip Gloss, Juniper Seed
I don’t like wearing lipstick but I do like lip balm, and I love the combination of this gloss, which moisturises with a glimmer of colour and sparkle. It is very soft and it applies easily and feels very creamy. The packaging is made from paper and cardboard, so you can compost it when the product is finished, with no waste at all. Just take care to only push the stick up as much as you need, as there is no ‘wind-back‘ mechanism!
There are four colours in the range, all lightly flavoured with vanilla and bergamot, sweetened with stevia and coloured with powdered mica and oxides. All are completely natural and perfect for anyone with sensitivities to artificial flavours. Suitable for vegans.
£7.25 for 9g
- Beauty Kubes Organic Plastic-Free Shampoo
What a great plastic-free option! In this small box are 27 cubes, which you use to wash your hair. The instructions are to crumble a cube and moisten it to create a paste for application, but I found it worked best when I rubbed the cube directly into my hair. I have a lot of thick hair and I only needed one cube. It lathered really well and there was plenty to wash my hair thoroughly with. It smells amazingly of rose citrus, and my hair felt very clean and fresh afterwards. This is a great option when travelling. Made in the UK and suitable for vegans.
£8.50 for 27 cubes
- Skin Food Body Butter
As a fan of Weleda’s Skin Food, I was very keen to try this new body butter, and I have not been disappointed. It is the perfect thickness to rub easily into your skin and give intense moisturisation. My skin has not dried out during the day while I have been using this, but neither does it feel greasy. Cocoa butter and shea butter are combined with essential oils of rosemary, calendula, chamomile and the aromatic resin of the benzoin tree to create a light, distinctive fragrance.
£18.95 for 150ml
- Natural Beauty Balm
This is a natural all-in-one oil cleansing balm and moisturiser. You massage a little into your face, gently wipe it off with a warm face cloth, and then moisturise with a little more of the balm. It contains no water, so you need to use very little, and the pot lasts a long time. My face felt very fresh and clean with this system, and the balm moisturised well. Made in the UK from natural ingredients, many grown on the Somerset farm where it is produced, the balm is suitable for vegans. The packaging is plastic-free.
£14.99 for 60ml
- Cuticle Moon Hand and Nail Butter
This is a very thick and creamy product. It’s created with fairly traded organic beeswax and honey from the forests of Zambia and Ethiopia and scented with organic lemon oil, lime and lavender. Lemon oil is a natural nail treatment that helps to condition and bring shine, and I have certainly seen an improvement in my nails from using this. It absorbs well, and I love the citrus scent. You only need a little, so it lasts very well.
£6.95 for 50ml
- Lavender Patchouli Felted Soap
Felted soap was used historically on estates in France and England to differentiate from household soap the higher-quality luxury bars meant for personal use. Soft Merino wool is loosely wrapped around the naked soap, which is then immersed in hot water and agitated, using surface texture to allow the fibres to knit together. This creates a soft yet gently exfoliating wash pad that shrinks along with the bar of soap, so it stays snug as the soap in used. I have found the felting excellent, because it exfoliates while you wash. It’s also very practical, because it ensures efficient use of the bar while lathering, and every bit of soap is used. It dries well between uses and Wild Grove say that felted soap is particularly useful for people who suffer from arthritis, as it is easier to hold. The soaps are made by hand in the traditional way by combining various oils and butters with sodium hydroxide, and no palm oil is used.
£5.00 for 100g
- The Pearly White Club
This is the UK’s first environmentally friendly toothbrush subscription service to help you reduce your plastic waste. The toothbrushes are made from MOSO panda-friendly bamboo, which can be composted if you cut the bristles off. Subscriptions can be created to suit your family, and new toothbrushes are sent out every 6 weeks – the length of time that on average the handles stay in the best condition before the wood starts to absorb moisture from the bathroom. The handles decompose in the ground in less than a year, so even though you may be using more brushes there is less waste, and because you don’t have to remember to buy a new brush when the bristles start fraying, your oral health benefits. The brush I trialled was excellent, with firm bristles and a comfortable handle. The brushes come in different colours, so you know whose is which! For every subscription, a toothbrush is donated to New Hope, a charity that supports individuals who are homeless or vulnerably housed.
From £2.50 per month
- Rescue and Renew Detox Oil, Arbonne
I have found this to be a very versatile product that works really well. I’ve used it on my body, on my face and in the bath. It contains grape seed oil and sesame seed oil to help the elasticity of the skin. It’s deeply moisturising without being greasy, and I love the exotic scent from the orange, lavender, anise and bergamot essential oils alongside the turmeric, dandelion and ginger root extract. It’s not a cheap option, but I’ve needed to use so little that it’s lasting well. Some people find that the range of ingredients gives it some insect-repellent properties, but this has not been scientifically tested. Suitable for vegans.
£48 for 200ml, with discounting available
9. Eco Floss, ecoLiving
The packaging for this floss is cleverly created so that if you follow the instructions for opening it it becomes the dispenser. The floss is made from corn from a previously wasted by-product from the food industry. It’s really strong, but pliable, and it cleaned my teeth well. I love that you can put it in the compost after use and that all the packaging is sustainable and plant-based. Made in the EU and suitable for vegans.
£2.50 for 50m or £2.99 for a double-pack
Happy 10th Anniversary to The Breastfeeding Festival!