January 2017

Children's Skin Care 31st January 2017

Green People Children Spearmint and Aloe Toothpaste review

In this review, Jonah tries out Green People Children Spearmint and Aloe Toothpaste. We’re huge fans of Green People and use their products daily. I completely trust them with my own and my family’s skin and dental care. Jonah’s teeth came through on Christmas day 2016 when he was just over 6 months old. As with most babies, it was the bottom two at the front to come through first. We started brushing Jonah’s teeth everyday since he cut his first tooth. Although I use fluoride toothpaste on myself, I don’t want to use fluoride toothpaste on Jonah. So I chose his toothpaste very carefully. On one hand, I consider fluoride a beneficial ingredient to help with tooth decay. On the other hand, Jonah is too young to know to spit his toothpaste. The EWG recommendation is to avoid fluoride on children under 2 years old. Fluoride is not the…

Skin Care 23rd January 2017

Eco Cosmetics Green Tea and Pomegranate Shower Gel review

Eco Cosmetics Green Tea and Pomegranate Shower Gel is a good value for money natural shower gel. I’m currently using my second bottle of this organic shower gel, because I really like it. Why? It’s Ecocert certified organic, costs under £5, cleans gently without drying, and contains lovely botanical ingredients. I’ve never heard German natural cosmetics company Eco Cosmetics mentioned by other natural beauty bloggers. That’s a shame, because they have some really nice products which are all certified organic, vegan, and cruelty free. Unusually, their products are formulated with well water opposed to tap water, which helps with sustainability. The packaging is made from recycled materials. In my opinion, the design of the shower gel’s packaging doesn’t do it justice. From a quick glance, I can hardly tell it contains such beneficial ingredients. The scent is a citrus, green tea type fragrance which is very refreshing in a shower…

Hair Care 19th January 2017

Faith in Nature Coconut Shampoo review

I bought the full size bottle of Faith in Nature Coconut Shampoo after receiving a sample with my usual monthly purchase of natural beauty products from BigGreenSmile, and I wasn’t disappointed. First, the smell is gorgeous – tropical coconut. I absolutely love all things coconut, but sometimes the fragrance doesn’t smell natural. This one does. Second, this shampoo cleans very well indeed, and leaves my hair shiny and soft on the ends. It’s intended for dry or normal hair types. It performs great on my colour-treated, dry hair! It looks pearly and creamy, and smells divine. The smell lingers a bit after washing. Let’s have a look at the ingredients. Faith in Nature Coconut Shampoo ingredients Aqua, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Maris Sal, Polysorbate 20, Glyceryl Laurate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Glycerin, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil , Parfum, Steareth-4, Glycol Distearate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Benzyl Alcohol. Coconut oil…

Skin Care 18th January 2017

Martina Gebhardt Propolis Cream review

My husband gifted me this Martina Gebhardt Propolis Cream last Christmas. It’s a bit too rich for daily use on my combination skin. I use it when my skin is feeling in need of extra moisturisation, for instance after a clay mask. I also use it in winter when my skin gets drier. It’s so rich that I use it as a general moisturising cream for my hands, feet, and elbows. I also really like to dab a bit of this cream on a spot once it is healing. I’m convinced it improves the look of marks on my face. The ingredient propolis is what prompted my husband buy it. We’d used propolis supplements to help with egg quality when trying to conceive Jonah. Could it have good effects applied topically, too? After unwrapping it, I immediately checked all the ingredients. Being pregnant, I didn’t want any nasties in my…

Skin Care 15th January 2017

Lavera Purifying Scrub review

Exfoliation is key to glowingly beautiful skin, but maternity pay only goes so far. With this in mind, I bought Lavera Purifying Scrub as a cheaper alternative to my favourite exfoliator, Green People Fruit Scrub. Whilst Lavera Purifying Scrub is great value for money, it’s also really effective and boasts some impressive natural ingredients. Like most Lavera beauty products, Lavera Purifying Scrub is organic and NaTrue certified. It’s also a vegan product. Unlike some conventional exfoliators that use plastic microbeads, Lavera Purifying Scrub exfoliates using jojoba beads. These natural beads are made from healthy jojoba oil. They’re biodegradable, so don’t make their way into the water system like plastic microbeads made from polyethylene. Good news for the environment! I’m not a huge fan of the scent of this scrub. To me, it smells slightly clinical. However, the fragrance is all natural, coming from essential oils only, which is great. The…

Children's Skin Care 9th January 2017

Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash review

Since Jonah was 6 months old, we’ve used the fantastic Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash at every bathtime. If you’re not familiar with the Weleda Calendula Baby range, I definitely recommend you check it out. It’s completely soothing and healing, and makes us both feel so good at bathtime! Of course Jonah loves his bathtime with this wonderful natural product from Weleda. As with other Weleda products, it’s certified organic by NaTrue. The ingredients list of Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash is reassuringly short. Let’s begin this review by taking a look at the beneficial ingredients: Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash ingredients Water (Aqua), Coco-Glucoside, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Alcohol, Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate, Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Limonene, Linalool. Sweet almond oil A fantastic gentle moisturiser, sweet almond oil is hypoallergenic…

Skin Care 8th January 2017

Green People Day Solution review

I’ve been using Green People Day Solution for perhaps five years now. It is a staple in my natural skincare routine, along with Green People Gentle Cleanse and Makeup Remover, and Green People Foaming Face Wash. As with all Green People products, it’s certified organic, and in fact has 88% organic ingredients. The moisturiser is certified by Non Food Certification Company (NFCC). Who should use Green People Day Solution? Green People describe Day Solution as being light and balancing, which I would say is an accurate description. My skin is best described as combination – it suffers both dryness and greasiness, and is prone to hormonal breakouts. I simply can’t use overly-rich face creams as I get very oily and my breakouts get worse. At the same time, my skin gets quite dry, especially on my forehead. So I really need something non-greasy, non comedogenic, yet moisturising. Tough call, isn’t it?…

Hair Care 4th January 2017

Odylique Gentle Herb Shampoo review

We’ve been using Odylique Gentle Herb Shampoo for a couple of weeks now. I recently weaned my husband off Head and Shoulders and he did have a bit of a moan about this shampoo, with its lack of suds and sludgy appearance. Odylique claim it can be used on baby too, but since I’m still wading through a giant bottle of Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash for little J, I’ve yet to try it on him. The shampoo is suitable for problem scalps, although it didn’t make a lick of difference to the psoriasis on my scalp. As a result, I’ve given up hope of any external product helping with that! If you’re swapping from a shampoo with harsh detergents you may well see a difference in the condition of your scalp, because of all the scalp loving ingredients the shampoo contains. Let’s have a look at the beneficial…