The latest figures reveal that sales of organic food are at an all time high. Maybe that’s why beauty product manufacturers are jumping on the eco bandwagon and producing all manner of delicious smelling organic bathroom goodies.
Organic shampoos, conditioners and soaps not only look and smell good enough to eat, containing such tempting ingredients as chamomile flowers, orange blossom, lemon juice, chestnut milk and Belgian chocolate. They also contain no harsh chemicals which slip down your plughole and into our already over-burdened sewers. The products also tend to come in recycled containers and packaging too, so not only are you doing environmental good, you’re also giving your bathroom a style overhaul.
Here’s our sweet-smelling selection of products you can buy. It’s worth noting though that products are often fresh and come with a use by date, bulk-buying isn’t always an option.
Where to buy
Organic accessories look great in the bathroom. White Ginger have a great range of sea sponge and pumice stones, organic linen massage mitts and silk exfoliators. Sea Pearls also have a great collection of sea sponges, naturally harvested in the Bahamas. Gifting Direct have lovely organic beeswax candles that smell and look great.
Organic toothpaste in a variety of delicious flavours – fennel, citrus, mint and eucalyptus – is available to buy online from Greenline. At £2.99 for a large tube it’s only marginally more expensive than the average non-organic variety. Reduce the price by buying in bulk (the toothpastes don’t go off) from Green People (£31.86 for 12 tubes).
Also available from Green People are a range of organic shampoos and conditioners, - choose from the the Rosemary, Vitamin or Aloe Vera ranges – with £8.99 the maximum price. Similarly priced, and equally rammed with such natural produce as orange pith juice and non GMO soybeans are the ranges available from There Must Be A Better Way. See also Motherearth – all products certified by The Soil Association.
Currently dominating the high street in terms of organic cosmetics is Lush, specialising in delicious bathroom treats made by hand using only the most natural ingredients and – as anyone who’s ever walked past one can attest – undoubtedly the best smell in town. The fruits in the bubble bar slices are freshly squeezed, the chocolate in the moisturisers is the finest Belgian and with face mask ingredients such as fresh free range eggs, peanut oil, fresh ginger root, coriander and parsley, they’re literally good enough to eat – although you probably shouldn’t!
More recently, high street chemist Boots have unveiled a new range of organic produce called ThinkHappy.
Unbleached and biodegradable toilet paper is available from Goodness Direct and Green Shop, and organic cotton towels can be bought from www.organictowel.co.uk.
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Tips on making your WC more environmentally-friendly.
Saving water is essential; In Britain we use four time more water than we did 50 years ago and all this has to be treated by the water companies. The water we use to brush our teeth and wash vegetables has been treated to drinking water standard, an expensive process. Being sparing with the water we wash the dishes in or rinse food in therefore reduces waste. Here are some suggestions for saving water in your home.
Flush less. A third of an average family's water use is flushed down the toilet and it is hugely wasteful that we flush with water cleaned to drinking standards.
Re-use water. Place a plastic tub of stones in the cistern to reduce the volume of the flush. Or ask the Centre for Alternative Technology for advice on compost toilets, or on installing a grey-water system to channel your old bath water to the toilet and garden.
Shower not bath. Attach the showerhead to the bath taps, so your boiler doesn’t have to heat your shower tank separately. And shower rather than bathe - showers use around a third as much water.
Turn taps off. Don't leave the taps running when brushing your teeth. It wastes up to five litres a minute.
