Tag: less plastic

Lifestyle, Recycle Less

Recycle Less: The Irony of Shopping Local and The Case of Paper Parcel Tape

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Recycle Less: The Irony of Shopping Local and The Case of Paper Parcel Tape

Welcome back to another Recycle Less where I share my journey to care for the environment and Planet Earth by being more sustainable.

It’s common knowledge that shopping local saves on emissions and energy in delivery from ordering online to you door and/or travelling further to afield for purchases. In return these emissions contribute in theory less against climate change. Money spent is also kept in the local economy. Not to mention either how many courier companies are overwhelmed with deliveries, how much abuse they get if items are delivered by said time and date.

I live in my eyes one of the best cities in the world for shopping or rather what I want from stores and shops, Barcelona. I can get nearly everything I need aside from cinnamon and raisin bagels. Good bagels are non existent here. I often shop in the city centre yet I find it’s in my local Centro Comercial (mall or shopping centre) I buy most clothes, shoes. If I’m honest I don’t shop much online for clothes. I’m old school. I prefer to look, touch the item in person. The centre has a few specific shops which I go to at least once a week, yet my local mall I can find most things I looking for or it’s perfect for returns. While I cycle as transport which is zero emissions aside from oil every now and then, looking at it the centre it’s local as it’s 25 min bike ride. If you’re really getting into the nitty gritty of what’s local my local Centre Comercial is a 5 min bike ride. I just seem to find what I’m looking for more in the local mall. Maybe as I have more time to look around as I don’t have to cycle back so far. 

When I visited my parents last year in the UK, my Mum and I went to a few local larger towns yet it it was the tiny rural Somerset town a 5 minute car journey from their house where I found the most things I was looking for. The shops combined excluding the supermarkets would probably fit into 1/4 if not less than my local mall and it’s not a large mall by mall standards here. They’d even fit combined into the superstore supermarket there! The shops themselves were basic compared to their larger town and cities counterparts. I got a few bits for my Dad and got a kick out of the local post office. 

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle, Recycle Less

Beauty Finds: Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream Review

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Beauty Finds: Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit Baking Soda Free Deodorant Cream Review

Welcome back to another Beauty Finds! This edition, Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit Baking Soda Free Deodorant cream.

I have a few requirements when it comes to cosmetics and skin care: cruelty free, natural, clean, vegan better. I do my best to avoid the nasty ingredients such as SLSs, parabens, PEGs, silicones, etc. Petrochemicals are the sneakiest with so many derivatives and aliases. I also avoid palm oil and it’s derivatives as I prefer orangutans. Coconut oil marketed as the good oil I’m also cutting down on as it can be just a damaging crop as palm oil. If I do get products with these ingredients in I try to get organic or sustainably sourced. With make up it’s a little harder so I go for cruelty free brands. I prefer products with less plastic and thankfully more brands are aware consumers don’t want unnecessary plastic (or governments are telling them less plastic). My skin type’s oily sensitive, acne prone and now wrinkles. I know nothing stops those lines, but if I can delay them then….

I think I found this in Target on holiday last year. I had been making my own deodorant for a while and wanted to try one without baking soda. While baking soda isn’t all that bad, it’s alkaline and skin’s slightly acidic. Over time this combo can leave skin more vulnerable to infections, pollution and sun exposure as the skin’s natural acid mantle and moisture barrier is damaged. I can’t remember how much it was, checking the price it was around $14 plus tax. It was for sure a holiday buy! I was drawn to it’s almost plastic free packaging too. The only plastic was the safety seal. The jar’s glass and the lid metal. Easy for recycling or repurposing. The safely seal according to their website is slowly being transitioned to a recyclable liner. The foam liner can be sent back to them for Terracycling.

I was also curious to try to to see how it was compared to my own deodorant. Arrowroot powder the first ingredient is the binder. I use cornstarch in my own as that’s what I can buy in Spain. I’ve tried searching for arrowroot to see if it makes any different but can’t find any. Magnesium hydroxide is the baking soda alternative that helps stop odor causing bacteria on the skin’s surface without impacting the dermis or absorbed by it. 

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Beauty and Skin Care, Lifestyle, Recycle Less

Beauty Finds: DIY Cocoa Butter and Avocado Oil Body Butter

by natjtan1 Comment on Beauty Finds: DIY Cocoa Butter and Avocado Oil Body Butter

I mentioned a few weeks ago in a Weekend Friday Favourites I was trying out a DIY body butter and would share the recipe and results. I’m trying to reduce my plastic consumption and am also looking for a more hydrating body lotion. 

Please scroll down for the recipe if you want to skip skin history and the why’s I tried DIY

While I have oily skin, my body always feels dry unless it’s moisturised. I’m not sure if this is because it’s eczema prone so is maybe drier or it’s so used to daily lotion it knows when it needs more. 

I’ve always gone for cocoa butter based lotions due to cocoa butter hydration properties. It’s good against stretch marks and cellulite. For years I used Palmers Cocoa Butter with no issues. I stopped using it as it contains palm oil I try to avoid as I prefer happy orangutangs in rainforests and petroleum or paraffin which I also avoid. Some of the brands other products use shark oil. Being vegan, that’s a no. I used Alba Botanica Hand and Body Lotion Cocoa Butter (now discontinued) until iherb.com stopped shipping to Spain. When they resumed I didn’t want to spend as much on shipping. It’s hard to find in Spain good cocoa butter based lotion so I’ve been compromising. The Body Shop is too expensive for what I get through. I found a great band The Organic Shop and currently use their Bourbon Vanilla Body Mousse, a shea based lotion (ingredients are listed incorrect). However they’re not the same as cocoa butter lotions and I messed my skin up last year with mineral sunscreens. I also find that sometimes The Organic Shop just sits on my skin no matter how much massaging in and feels dry later on. If it’s humid after a shower, it doesn’t seem to massage in at all. In the winter after showering I change back in PJ bottoms for 15 minutes for the lotion to absorb, not my leggings absorbing any. 

By now you guessed I care for the environment. I wanted a reef friendly sunscreen and most are mineral based of zinc or titanium dioxide. After going through several brands, my skin can’t deal with lots of zinc. It’s hard to wash off and it dries my skin out to the point it cracks and is painful. I thought I found one last year that worked with my skin, Freshly Cosmetics Healthy Protection Sunscreen Body Lotion however after using it since May, it’s started to dry my skin out. I thought I found a way to remove mineral sunscreen effectively as soap, coffee and sugar scrubs, dry brushing don’t, with a pumice stone. It does but you have to be careful using it. Back story over, I needed something that would help my skin back to happy. 

The Recipe From A Beautiful Mess

1 cup or 225 grams of cocoa butter

1/2 cup or 64 grams of avocado oil 

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Lifestyle, Recycle Less

Recycle Less Find and Update

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Recycle Less Find and Update

Earlier this year we had holiday vacay in the USA. Hawaii and Northern California. I was so excited to see what Wholefoods Market had in the way of plastic free kitchen cleaning utensils, cosmetics. Okay, I was excited for the whole shop. Here Europe we hear a lot about how good it is. The London one a few years ago I was impressed by so I was hoping the range would have grown. Just before going I had found an online plastic free shop, stalking a few items I thought I could get in America cheaper. I’ve come to the conclusion I have to stop thinking that organic shops are onto plastic free alternatives unless they started catering for plastic free alternatives demand. 

To be honest, Wholefoods was a little dissapointing. Not from the kale point of view. So many varieties and a large stock of it. Here it goes quickly. The Wholefoods near Sand City the cleaning isle I walked down a few times without noticing. I wasn’t looking for products I was looking cleaning and kitchen utensils and they were just added bits hanging of the shelfs. The Wholefoods near Redwood Shores was better. The time we got there after out exploring we had just enough time to race around the produce sections. 

Our last morning before returning we stopped by Half Moon Bay and oh my. New Leaf is like Wholefoods on speed. The best vegan BLT sandwich and huge cosmetic section. Again the cleaning utensils still not as plastic free as I’d hoped however I had to put things back as the suitcases were already full. A long winded way of saying the best place to buy plastic free utensils is still online. Edit: while editing I’ve found a few plastic free stores in Barcelona. You bet in phase 2 I’m dropping by. I’ve already checked their online shops and this girl’s excited.

What I did find:

Patch Natural Bamboo Strip Bandages. Light Bamboo Hypoallergenic Breathable Bandages

I’ve yet to use these, but I’d been stalking them online. I think I did a happy dance inside finding them! Everything, packaging to the plaster itself is biodegradable.  New Leaf  Plastic Free Shop

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Beauty and Skin Care, Recycle Less

Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2

by natjtan2 Comments on Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2

Welcome to another Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2! As some you may know I’m trying to reduce my plastic consumption. I’ve always said beauty products after food are the the hardest plastic area for me to reduce. Thankfully with hair care, it’s getting easier to go plastic free with solid shampoo and conditioner bars! However just like their liquid counterparts it takes many frogs to find the right ones.

I’ve found some bars might contain too much sulphate that make my fine hair go crazy frizzy. Nobody wants that! I also feel sometimes the ingredients are a little more concentrated being in a bar. Just like with all my beauty products I always go for cruelty free products, vegan a bonus. I prefer natural clean products and try to avoid nasty ingredients such as parabens, petrochemical ingredients and its derivatives, SLS etc. I avoid palm oil if I can as I prefer orangutangs. I’m not perfect, some nasty ingredients slip through as I sped read the label, or it’s a derivatives or an alias I’m not familiar with. With make up I opt for cruelty free, clean as possible ingredients however it’s harder with make up than skincare to avoid the crap free ingredients. My skin type is oily, combo, sensitive, acne and needs all the help it can get with anti aging. My hair type is fine, gets greasy quickly and is prone to damage even though I don’t colour it or use any heat treatments on it. I often get OWay rebuilding treatment. 

One thing I have noticed with solid shampoo and conditioners is the price. It’s a lot kinder to the bank balance. Depending on the size they also last longer. This I find interesting as many natural liquid shampoos and conditioners cost almost 3-5 times or more the price of a bar.

Solito Herbal Solid Shampoo. Neutral For All Hair Types 

This did what it said, neutral for all hair types. I was sad when it had it’s last lather. It kept my hair happy and shiny in 3 countries with 3 different climates. It left it feeing clean, happy, a little shiny. It’s scent didn’t really smell, it lathered nicely, it was a great everyday shampoo. I would repeat buy however:

It contains propylene glycol, petrochemical derived. I’ll admit I over looked it at the time as the previous solid shampoo bars made my hair a little crazy Continue reading “Beauty Finds: Hair Care Bars Part 2” →