Keen to try some natural, eco-friendly alternatives to help clean up your beauty routine?
Here are a few of our features director Lucy Slight’s favourite products that really do work – we promise!
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Ethique Sweet & Spicy Volumising Shampoo Bar, $22
If cutting down on plastic is a goal in your household, then switching to soap bars instead of a bottle of shower gel is a total no-brainer. Why not take it to the next level by swapping your shampoo and conditioner out for a bar alternative, too? Shampoo snobs may turn their noses up at the idea, but when it comes to Ethique you’re not sacrificing on quality – promise. I can highly recommend Sweet & Spicy for fine-haired females (and fellas!), but there’s a shampoo for every hair type so there’s no excuse. Plus, there’s no plastic packaging, the products are all palm oil free, vegan and cruelty-free, and one bar is the equivalent to three bottles of liquid shampoo, so they last for yonks. And before you ask, yes, they do foam – even without the sulphates.
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Black Chicken Remedies Axilla Natural Deodorant Paste, $24
I have made it my personal mission to test every natural deodorant that comes across my desk and I can hand-on-heart say, this is my numero uno. I’ve put it to the test during Pilates, long meetings in hot, stuffy boardrooms and when standing in front of other people to present (you know, all the real sweat-inducing stuff) and nary a whiffy odour has escaped from my underarms. If you’re switching from an aluminium-based deodorant that inhibits sweating, then a natural deodorant will always take a bit of getting used to because yes, you will sweat. But with this guy, unlike many other natural alternatives, you’ll still smell as fresh as a daisy. My only issue with this is that it comes in a plastic pot, rather than glass – so make sure you recycle it correctly.
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ecostore Whitening Toothpaste, $4.99
Ecostore’s new range of toothpaste and mouthwash is the natural tooth-care alternative I’d been looking for (because most of the others don’t taste too flash, to be honest). I was kindly sent the whitening toothpaste back in June and it’s now a staple on my shopping list. Not only does it taste like regular toothpaste, but I love that I’m not swishing myriad chemicals around in my mouth then spitting them down the sink to eventually end up in our waterways. I use an electric toothbrush, but if you’re all about the manual kind, ecostore now does a plant-plastic toothbrush, too. The toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes are recyclable through the company’s new oral care recycling program, where ecostore will collect the brushes and toothpaste tubes from consumers via freepost and collection bins at key retailers.
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Coola Sport Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 50, $45
Our coral reefs and ocean life are suffering bigtime, in part due to the chemical sunscreens we’re wearing while swimming. Oxybenzone and octinoxate are the main culprits, with both being widely used in sunscreen thanks to their ability to absorb harmful UV rays. Switching to a mineral sunscreen is a great way to help keep our oceans clean while still protecting your skin, and this handy purse-sized stick from Coola is a winner. It contains 70% certified organic ingredients, non-nano zinc oxide for broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection and it’s water resistant for 80 minutes, too. Being in stick form, it’s not quite as easy to coat your whole body with this product, but it can’t be beaten for those times where you’re out and about and need a touch-up. Best of all, it smells like summer!
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Lunette Menstrual Cup, $54.95
It took me a while to come around to the idea of using a menstrual cup but after getting the hang of it (pretty quickly, might I add), I will NEVER go back. One menstrual cup, if cared for correctly, will last you 10 years. I repeat, 10 YEARS. That works out to be 45 cents every month if you buy a Lunette Cup at $54.95. A waste-free period for 45 cents a month? What’s not to love! You can leave the Lunette cup in for up to 12 hours, meaning you only have to change it in the morning and evening – so you can essentially forget that Aunt Flow is even in town. No, you can’t feel it when it’s in. Yes, it can be tricky to get out. But practice makes perfect people, and this is one thing I highly recommend you hone your skills in.
Words: Lucy Slight
Photos: Pinterest, Instagram
This article originally appeared on beautyheaven.
