Green showering

Soapy955

Seakay wrote:

My sister is a big fan of the aromacreme from Lush - have you tried that one? Also if you pop in and explain the problem with the ones that you have tried they may well give you a freebie tester amount.

I use Aromacreme from Lush and a tub that I bought in August is still half full after using it every day so it really is economical. It really works for me too and smells gorgeous.

Also from Lush I use their Hybrid shampoo bar which is a combined shampoo/conditioner in a bar form. This lasts ages too and aparantly can be used when camping or whatever, to wash clothes and body as well as wash and condition your hair. :money:

Steel_2

Seakay wrote:

Original Source are listed as "not endorsed" by the Compassionate Shopping Guide. This means that the company is NOT regarded as cruelty free.

I've just been over to check I had read their information right and this is what they say on their FAQ page:

Do you test you products on animals?
We’re pleased to advise that we do not test our final products, or the ingredients therein, on animals, nor do we employ a third party to do so.

However, it doesn't stop them I suppose from using suppliers that test their ingredients on animals. They don't bother to check their suppliers and that's where the cruetly comes in.

So they're twice as bad as I originally thought they were! Sneaky aren't they.....

RobinOW

I've also been pondering about this recently.

I have discovered that Ecover now do a shower gel and hand soap (http://www.ecover.com/gb/en/default_home.aspx and click on the bathroom). Their products are designed to be friendly to the environment, however, I'm not sure whether they are organically sourced. Waitrose stock a lot of Ecover products so you should be able to get them without going to a specialist retailer.

Duchy Originals (http://www.duchyoriginals.com) also do a range of bathroom products such as shower gels now. As an organisation they are usually organic, but I don't know for sure about these ones. I would also expect them to be available in mainstream shops soon.

As a previous poster pointed out, there are several products designed for camping which do not harm wildlife, but I would guess they are fairly expensive for everyday use.

Charis

caroline1973lefty wrote:

I also rate the faith in nature products, they don't have chemical nasties in at all and are pretty inexpensive. weleda too. and pitrok deodorant! is it true about it having aluminium though?

Pitrok contains ammonium alum which is an aluminium sulphate. However, according to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonium_alum "Unlike the molecules of Aluminum chloride used in antiperspirants that are designed to lodge themselves in sweat glands, Ammonium alum molecules are much too large to be absorbed by the skin"

NafUk

Years ago no one used deoderant. We have just become to sensitised to natural smells.We are driven by advertising to use these products so some one can buy another facny car or holiday home. We don't need them. 1 million years of evolution has given us very efficient bodies. Bsically, if a chimp isn't eating it, using it, driving it, flying in it etc. we don't need it either.I don't use them at all. Forget the contents, what about the packaging, transport, disposal etc. etc. of the the products. Perhaps turn down the heating etc. so you don't sweat so much.

Have had my hair cut shortish and am doing the experiment of only washing my hair with water. After a few weeks the natural oils are meant to make your hair look and feel nice. No problems so far after 2 weeks.

Judith_Proctor

After a problem with a skin allergy on my scalp, with some trepidation, I stopped using shampoo. It took around two months for the hair to settle into a natural balanced state where it produced exactly the right amount of oil (your scalp tends to overproduce to compensate for the shampoo stripping it out all the time).

I wash it with clean water once a week and it looks fine.

Emboldened by this, I eventually tried the same on the body and cut out soap (except when I've touched something really messy, or for hygene on the hands). Result? If you stop stripping out all the oils, the body cuts down production. You get less body odour, not more. Again, it takes time to stabilise, so it's useful to either cut down gradually or start in summer when you aren't wearing much clothing.

I now find that I can wear clothes for more days without them needing washing as they don't get smelly as quickly.

Result - no chemicals at all, money saved on hoards of bathroom products and less laundry.

asm1

http://www.avalonorganics.com/ offers paraben-free stuff.

I'm a fan of their deodarant (aluminium free) and their shampoo.

Stocked at Fresh & Wild and these guys http://www.nutricentre.com

The key, as always, is read the label. If you don't know what the product on the label is, then ask yourself why it needs to be there. (this might help you overcome the "natural" or "organic" softsell)

EcoGary

Me and my partner had the same problem as AgentOrange earlier this year. We wanted to use products that had as little impact on the environment as possible, but that were also within our price range and were as good as the brands that we used to use.

The brands we found were:

Yaoh - products are hemp based which is an amazing plant, but don't be put off by hemp! The products smell great and are really nice to use. Yaoh are great people to deal with and all their products are suitable for vegans. They're available on the internet and in selected health shops.

Jason - these are from the USA, but they do great value for money products. Their shower gel is huge and lasts about 3 months! I think all their products are suitable for vegetarians and most are suitable for vegans. A limited range is available on the internet, but mainly available in health shops.

Faith In Nature - we've only tried their aloe vera soap and shampoo, but are very impressed. I think all their products are suitable for vegetarians and most are suitable for vegans. Available on the internet and in health shops.

I hope that helps.

After spending lots of time and money finding products we liked, we found ourselves recommending products to quite a few of our friends who were like AgentOrange and wanted to use better products, but didn't know where to start. And we had such great feedback that we decided to start selling some products ourselves. It's not appropriate for me to advertise the company on here, but our website will be ready very very soon and we'll only be selling products which we've reviewed and are happy to use ourselves.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!!!

Deb_Williams

have a look at https://www.itsnoteasybeinggreen.com. There's a whole section on home-made body-care type products.

susan301

Has no-one tried the stainless steel smellkillers - they are available from Natural Collection? They are quite pricey (around £20, but you can get cheaper versions from Lakeland Ltd) but one will last a lifetime - they just require water to work (you could even share it with the rest of the household and therefore save even more money!!!) I have one in my dishwasher and IT DOES WORK!!! I don't know of any side effects there haven't been any in my dishwasher!!!!