Yes, yes, yes – this is going to be a post about soap.
My skin has always been dry. Which is especially unfortunate because I really don’t like fuss and wasting time on things like moisturising. Don’t get me wrong, I get the idea of taking care of yourself, your body, and YES all the way for the amazing smelling body butters… but I kinda wanted the end results without having to go through the process of getting my hand greasy.
It was so easy to stay stuck and keep using the same old brands, even though I knew there had to be a better (for me anyway) solution. And simpler. And greener.
So here comes my new favourite secret weapon – the natural soap!
Using soap totally makes sense because it’s easy to store, there is a lot less packaging (definitely less plastic!) than usual body washes and mostly they are made by people / small companies who care. I stay away from soaps with a huge list of ingredients I can’t even pronounce and pick the ones which are based on plant oils (coconut, avocado, olive) . Which is probably the secret why I experienced exactly the opposite of what the cosmetics industry is trying to make you believe. The bar soaps I use are practically all the oily goodness blended together with herbs and flowers. They get me clean, they smell good and fresh and most importantly they leave my skin soft and moisturised.
I love to shop around and try many different kind, so this is not a list of favourites (so far I loved them all), just a little inspiration…
When it comes to finding natural soap, Lush is a very obvious choice. They care a lot about the environment, they care a lot about using ingredients which are the best for your skin and the planet, and they are fairly local as well (based in Dorset).
I have two of their soaps at home right now – the ‘Bohemian‘ which is fresh and lemony, and ‘Respect Your Elders‘ which is all the berry sweetness
The dr.organic Royal Jelly Soap is a little more like the classic soap bars of our childhood, but based on the list of ingredients it’s full of goodness (apparently royal jelly is ideal for rejuvenating and nourishing the skin)
Wild Sage & Co – Himalayan Salt Bar. I am SO looking forward to this one! Wild Sage is a local, home run company, I managed to pick this beauty up at the Harbourside Market last Saturday. I used a few other soaps from them before (all lovely!), this one is smelling of eucalyptus and peppermint with the himalayan salt added for exfoliation.
Pure, organic English Lavender and Citrus by the Little Soap Company, which smells amazing so I just had to have it.
The sixth, littlest soap on the photo is the one I brought home from my retreat hotel in Bali. There was no brand on the label, but with only seven ingredients listed it can’t be bad (and it smells of sandalwood).
A last note on taking care of your soaps –
As these don’t have a lot of ingredients or packaging, a little bit of attention is needed to keep your soaps happy, so try to keep them on a well drained surface so they completely dry between showers. And if you are like me and buy more than what you could possibly use up in the foreseeable future, stuck them in your underwear drawer to keep them safe (and make your delicates smell delicious ;)).
