Shea Butter Eco Product Review

Ethical Babe sent me some lovely Shea Butter made by Akamuti to review. Described as a ‘the most delicious treat for skin’ I couldn’t resist giving it a go myself, although I suspect it may be for babies and ladies. Naturally rich in Vitamins A, E & F, it is said to help treat skin problems such as eczema, sunburn, itching, insect bites & skin blemishes.

The first thing I noticed was how thick it was, for some reason I expected it to be like butter. It also contains a natural substance called ahhahsh which is similar to latex and explains the smell - a bit like rubber bands. The smell starts off quite strong as you apply it but after a while goes away. It takes a bit of effort to apply as it is thick but it rubs into the skin quite nicely and you’re not left with any oily residue or anything.

I used it on an area of dry skin and it worked wonderfully, felt better than moisturiser for some reason and although it doesn’t last forever, seemed to last longer than conventional moisturiser, I liked it a lot. I haven’t tried it on my lips (I’m a bit like Larry David in that manner, once you start to moisturise there’s no going back and you have to do it all the time) but I’m told it’s great for chapped lips. I’m looking forward to using it after doing a bit of DIY and my hands are hurting.

Virgin Shea Butter is organically grown and fairly traded from Togo, West Africa. It costs £4.95 from Ethical Babe which was founded in 2006 by Claudia and Claire. They have lots of great stuff for adults and babies - have you seen the poncho bathrobe?

Green People Organic Formula Gentle Cleanse Product Review

Green People make a load of eco-friendly stuff for men and women. We’ve looked at their Itch Away Shampoo before but they kindly sent us some of their Organic Formulas Gentle Cleanse to test. It contains 93% certified organically grown ingredients, is an alcohol-free, moisture-binding cleanser rich in essential fatty acids. While it’s also vegan and not tested on animals. I once again had my friend Claire to try and she gave it a thorough testing.

“I found it very quick and convenient to use, as you don’t have to rinse your face before you apply it, it just goes straight onto your dry skin. And you have the option of either rinsing it off or wiping away with a cotton pad.

“It’s an effective makeup remover, my skin felt clean and refreshed after using it, also quite calming to the skin. I didn’t notice the ‘beautiful scent of fairly traded rose geranium’ but a pleasant scent isn’t what I look for when choosing cleansers. I also didn’t notice any of the anti-ageing benefits, but maybe others did - do I look 22 years old again?

“What I look for in a cleanser is that it gets rid of the impurities and oils in my skin without drying it out too much, and I found that this cleanser did both of those. No excess oiliness or dryness after using this product for a few days. Again, I don’t necessarily go out of my way to buy organic products, I usually go for names that I know and trust, and am often very sceptical of organic products, and they are also more expensive than non-organic brands, but I found this product mild yet effective.”

Green People Organic Formula Gentle Cleanse costs £12.99 for 200ml, £7.99 for 50ml and £3 for a 10ml trial size.

Beyond Organic Firming Eye Cream Eco Product Review

Beyond Organic Skincare kindly sent Life Goggles a few of their products to test, including their Weekender pack and Sensual Massage Gift Pack. The Firming Eye Cream costs is part of the massage pack which is £29.92 or can be bought separately for £6.20.

As I don’t have much experience in eye creams, I gave the 7ml pot to Claire (who, as it turns out, doesn’t really either) and she dutifully tested it out for us. After a couple of weeks I asked her how she found it:

Do you use a different eye cream normally?
No I’ve never really used an eye cream before because I’ve never really noticed bags under my eyes. I’ve never really bothered with lots of fancy beauty products, just basic facial moisturiser.

How does this compare to that one or nothing at all?
I was quite pleased with the results. It made my eyes look more awake after a late night, I get ‘tired eyes’ really easily so I found there was a noticeable difference when I compared it to my eyes with no product. It brightened the skin around my eyes and helped to ‘open them up’.

It says it has a ‘gentle firming action with eyebright to reduce puffiness around the eyes and to both sooth and moisturise the delicate skin around the eyes’ - does it?
It did reduce the puffiness of tired my eyes. The skin around my eyes feels firmer and hydrated and the small lines I’ve noticed under my eyes are less visible. I do tend to get dark circles on the inside corners of my eyes. The cream didn’t really do anything for that. But by applying the cream and a bit of make up to the dark bits, my eyes and the skin around them appeared brighter and open and well rested. (Wow, I swear I didn’t just take all that from an ad)

Did it rub in easily?
Yeah rubbed in really easily, just a few dabs with my ring finger and it left a nice shimmer to the skin. A really light cream.

How was the smell?
No overpowering smell, only when you put your nose up to the tub do you really smell anything. I may have noticed it the first couple of times I used it, but now I really can’t remember the smell.

How long would a tub last?
I’d say maybe three to five months. You only need a dab about the size of a grain of rice for each eye.

It’s organic - does that make you more likely to use it?
Ordinarily when I’m buying beauty products I don’t factor in whether or not products are organic. I usually go for brands that I recognise and have used before and I trust. I’ve never really believed that organic products would be very effective, but I was really pleased with the results of these products.

In keeping with all of the Beyond Organic Skincare range, the Firming Eye Cream is all natural, totally organic, free from parabens, petrochemicals, GM materials and all artificial colours and fragrances and certified fully organic by the Biodynamic Agricultural Association (BDAA).

Bulldog Natural Grooming Post Shave Balm Eco Product Review

We’ve looked at a few products from Bulldog Natural Grooming and have quite liked them, I’m still enjoying the moisturiser for example but as I don’t shave very over, I gave the shave balm to a friend who did the honours and tested it thoroughly for Life Goggles.

However, he had never used one before (I suspect he may have thought it’s not a manly activity, but as the back of the bottle says, it’s about time he started) so he doesn’t have much to compare it to.

But he did quite like it. Although the smell may have reminded him of his gran’s bathroom (“which is no bad thing” he says. “It’s very pleasant”) and he went a bit overboard and used too much first time, I think he’s a convert.

Once the shave is finished, he washed his face and then applied the balm. He was pleasantly surprised at how well it soaked into the skin and found it refreshing and soothing, but there was no tingle to the skin. And he felt there was a marked difference between him using a balm and not using one, he felt fresher a soothed.

Although he doesn’t suffer much irritation he thought it would help too.

Bulldog has a list of its ingredients on www.meetthebulldog.com which does a great job of explaining what’s in it so you can make up your own mind whether you’re happy to use the product or not.

Beyond Organic Weekender Pack Eco Product Review

We’ve tested quite a few products for men on Life Goggles, so it’s about time we did some for women. Beyond Organic Skin Care is a family company based in England - the wonderfully-titled Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall to be exact. It offers a unique range of omega and vitamin rich skin care products and sent us their Trial/Weekender package to rejuvenate tired skin after a hard week’s work. Not my skin though, I passed it on to my girlfriend.

Before we get to the products, a bit more background: 90% of the ingredients of their skincare products are sourced from the West Country in the UK and all their ingredients are certified organic by the Biodynamic Agricultural Association (BDAA).

The kit included 7ml of Moisturising Day Cream, 7ml of Regenerating Night Cream, 10ml of Rejuvenating Serum and 7ml of Rescue Salve. I gave them to my girlfriend to test so let’s go through them one by one.

Rescue Salve
“This was great – I think! Could have been a coincidence or have a placebo effect but it seemed like a little pot of loveliness. This seems to have calmed spots, red patches, dry and sore skin and shaving rash so it’s definitely got something about it! It’s a bit more expensive than the others if you buy it separately but only a little is needed at a time so would last a while.”

Rescue Salve features Calendula and Propolis, along with soothing chamomile in a rich oil base containing Sea Buckthorn is perfect for aiding skin irritations, eczema and psoriasis.

Moisturising Day Cream
“This is light and clean smelling – very different to any scent I’ve smelt really so hard to describe. The texture is also unusual, almost watery but applies well. It rubs in nicely and leaves skin feeling cool and fresh which is nice. At times I did find it a bit oily but I have normal to oily skin and it does say it’s for good to dry and mature skin – could be perfect for someone else.”

Moisturising Day Cream contains Rosehip and Almond oil, containing protein minerals, fatty acids and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and E, creating a soothing and revitalising cream that can be used under make up.

Regenerating Night Cream“Unlike the day cream, this has a very pungent smell! Out of a very, very small survey of four, all of us found it not a particularly nice smell. It’s certainly not horrible but I’d guess it has the ‘Marmite effect’.

“Love it or hate it though, it does feel thick and fresh on the skin. Heavier and oilier than the day cream (as intended), it too rubs in well and actually the smell fades soonish, which is good for me.

“Although I haven’t noticed any wrinkle reducing or skin rebuilding, something about the cream did make me feel like it was feeding my skin as I slept. Maybe using it over a longer period of time or someone a bit older would visibly notice the difference.”

Regenerating Night Cream contains Cocoa and Mallow, mixed with Rosehip, Sea Buckthorn and Macademia to create an extremely rich cream with superb ability to penetrate, rebuild and replenish tired skin.

Rejuvenating Serum
“This was a bit difficult to get out of the mini bottle, not enough to put me off using it, but it really was hard and the ‘lid-valve’ needs reviewing. An interesting product with a light, pleasant scent. I don’t use a face/oil serum usually so this was a first for me.

“I did find it very oily but this would suit someone else who likes that feeling on their skin. It soaks in fairly quickly and I didn’t find any unsightly marks on the pillow afterwards. I found it moisturising but not really regenerating as it says but that may come with more prolonged use.”

Rejuvenating Serum is a highly concentrated serum comprised of Beyond Organic Skin Care’s signature ingredient Sea Buckthorn (an exceptional oil renowned in the Far East for its skin cell regeneration and anti-ageing properties) and Rosehip, which is also known for its ability to replenish and rebuild skin tissue.

Overall
“The whole range is attractively packaged and presented, although I’m not sure of the environmental credentials of the glass containers. I like the idea that this is organic and the fact it’s around the same price as similar non-organic items I would recommend this and encourage consumers to buy it. I would like a little more information on how they’re organic and I think that would encourage others too.

The Trial/Weekender range is priced at £20.40 or one item for £6.00.

And finally as I bang on about packaging quite often, I just wanted to point out that although the cardboard and glass didn’t seem to be recycled, the bubble envelope was quite nifty and could easily be reused and also taken apart to recycle the paper and reuse the bubblewrap separately.

Radius Toothbrush Eco Product Reviews

I know a lot of readers have been wondering what toothbrush I use…… ahem. Well it’s a rechargeable one. I like it as I don’t have to buy a new toothbrush each time when the head wears out, but it does use electricity sometimes. I never really spend much time thinking about the “eco-ness” of my toothbrush, but every little thing helps. Now, the Source toothbrush from Radius may have become my new favourite, but why?

Let’s start from the beginning. I was actually sent two toothbrushes by Radius - the Original and the Source, so let’s take a look at them both.

Radius Original

Part of the Permanent Collection of the National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, this toothbrush comes in right or left hand editions and different colours. I got a clear one (on the right of the picture). The head is huge, it’s nice to grip, nice and chunky. Er, cleans teeth.

Packaging: Made from SmartCycle plastic from 50% recycled soda bottles.
Handle: Made from natural bio-plastic derived from sustainable yield forests.
Durability: Lasts up to 3 times longer than a normal toothbrush, probably due to the 6,500 bristles.

Radius Source

This was my favourite. It features a replaceable head that can also be reversed for right or left handers - no need to buy a different toothbrush. In fact, two could share the one handle if you’re into that sort of thing. It’s nice and light, the bristles are possibly the softest I’ve ever used (but work), and the head is large but does fit into corners pretty well.

Packaging: Again made from SmartCycle plastic from 50% recycled soda bottles.
Handle: Made from 100% renewable plant source (wood fiber), molded into shape.
Durability: Comes with a replacement head, and therefore allows you to replace just the part that wears out saving 80% of material of a new toothbrush. The replacement head is also about 1/5 the weight of a standard brush.

It was also nice to see their catalogue was printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with vegetable inks. I appreciate little touches like that (for more environmental info, visit their Environmental Evaluation page).

For only around $7 for the Source and $8 for the Original, next time you need to change your toothbrush and want to be an official eco-tooth-cleaner, it may be worth looking at Radius.

Bulldog Natural Grooming Shower Gel Eco Product Review

We’re reviewd other Bulldog brand toiletries - their shaving gel and moisturiser. Those two (and others in the range) all have a very similar smell and that’s what I was expecting when it was turn to try out the shower gel.

In the script at the bottom of the bottle it says “Awaken” and it does - a little bit. The smell is odd. Not unpleasant, but not as nice as their other products and no way near as powerful as Dr Bronner’s peppermint overload for example. Perhaps it’s the blend of Ginseng, Ginkgo Bilboa and Guarana added to “give you a burst of energy” which does it, I don’t know.

But it’s not about the smell, it’s all about how it works. I take very quick showers - three minutes max and while that doesn’t really have an affect on the shower gel, I need a nice lather in that time and the Bulldog shower gel manages that admirably.

And that’s about all you can say about it to be honest. However we do need to have a look at the ingredients and handily at Bulldog’s website they have a list (and downloadable pdf) of the ingredients and what they do. Bulldog are very open and honest about what they use so if you’re thinking of buying it, take a look and if there’s anything in it you don’t like the look of, don’t buy it - simple eh?

The packaging is plastic HDPE as these things tend to be, but hopefully you can recycle it somewhere nearby.

As a product it works well, but didn’t quite awaken me as I would have expected with the title. But at £2.99 for 200ml it’s cheaper than some of the competition. Bulldog is a small company based in London. Currently their products are just available in the UK and through our new Life Goggles Reviews and Shop page.

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