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.

Green People 10 Itch Away Shampoo Eco Product Review

I thought it’d be hard to review a shampoo, but in the end it’s pretty easy. You just decide whether it’s good or bad. The hard part comes in when you have to compare it to other shampoos. Male-Organics sent me a shampoo from Green People called Itch Away (number 10 in their range) and I did what anyone would do – washed my hair.

However, a bit of background is needed. I have pretty short hair (currently between a grade 2 and 3 if you’re up on your hair trimming grades) and don’t wash it every day. Almost every day, probably five times a week, but not every day and I usually use Head and Shoulders all in one. I’m not sure why I use that but I haven’t had dandruff ever since I used it many years ago so thought I’d better stick with it.

As usual, this sort of stuff isn’t great for the environment and as Male-Organics are very strict with what they sell, I was intrigued to try out this eco-friendly shampoo.

And it works nicely. I don’t really have a “dry, itchy and flaky scalp” that it’s actually for but it’s nice and soothing with only a slight scent. It’s quite thick, thicker than my usual brand but foams up nicely and gives off a more of a smell then. I wouldn’t say that after washing it off I was left with lovely smelling hair, just clean and fresh.

It’s not cheap but works nicely and is worth a try if you want to switch to a more environmentally friendly shampoo.

Green People 10 Itch Away Shampoo (125ml) costs £8.99 and is available from Male-Organics.

Bit of blurb for you:

ORGANIC ROSEMARY, CYPRESS & TEA TREE Shampoo for dry, itchy and flaky scalp.
Floral waters to soothe and calm irritated skin. (Lavender, Rosemary and Cypress)
Antibacterial and antifungal actions. (Essential oils of Rosemary, Lavender and Tea Tree)
Helps to guard against a build-up of dead skin cells. (Pineapple extract (Bromelain) and sea salt)
Prevents drying of the scalp. (Aloe Vera and Olive oil)
Free from SLS/SLES, artificial fragrances, parabens, ethyl alcohol and unnecessary synthetic ingredients.

Dr Bronner’s Shower Gel (Organic Peppermint Liquid Castile Soap) Product Review

Dr Bronner is nuts. Just look at the bottle and the crazy writing all over it. Saying that though, I’d heard lots about it and was really looking forward to trying out the shower gel when Male-Organics sent it to me to test.

I say ‘shower gel’ but from the ravings on the bottle it’s actually liquid soap so I suppose can be used as handwash and anything else you’d use a soap for. However, as directed by Male-Organics I used it in the shower.

The first thing I noticed it how runny it is. Shower gels that I’m used to are a thick liquid and stay in your hand when you squeeze it on. Squeeze too much out of Dr Bronner and you’ll end up wasting it, a bit of care is needed. However it then works just like other shower gels, foams up nicely and works well cleaning you – which is its purpose.

The smell of peppermint is fantastic and strong. It’s a lovely fresh smell and the first time it made me want to eat one of those peppermint cream things that I haven’t had in years. The smell hangs around for a bit afterwards too which I like.

Then there’s the tingling. Whether it’s the peppermint oil or something else, the gel leaves you tingling as if a light breeze is running over your skin. It’s not unpleasant and doesn’t last long. In fact I quite like it after having used it for a couple of weeks now.

I was a little worried about how quickly I would use it up as I thought that compared to other shower gels I was going through it quicker. However that’s not been the case and it’s hardly gone down after I’ve used it so much.

The ingredients are: Water, Saponified Coconut-Hemp-Olive Oils (with retained Glycerin), Olive Fatty Acids, Peppermint Oil, Rosemary Extract.

And if you get bored of reading the bottle (how could you possibly?) then there’s an interesting video below. While it does talk about an aging rocker and a court case, it’s worth persevering to see the tests they do on natural and real soaps – it makes interesting watching.

Dr Bronner video

Dr Bronner’s Shower Gel (472ml) costs £6.45 and is available from Male-Organics in the UK or Drugstore.com worldwide. Oh and here’s another pic of the bottle for you…

Trevarno Natural Shaving Handmade Soap Product Review (From Male-Organics)

Male-Organics (more about them at the end of the review) gave us one of their favourite products to test – the Trevarno natural shaving soap. However, as I’m not really a shaver (more of a ‘trimmer’) I gave it to my friend, Jez, to test. Maybe he should be called Mr Stubble for the rest of this review as it’s a pity he wouldn’t allow pictures as he’s like a different person before and after shaving. To be fair he goes without shaving for three or four days at a time which is not only a test for any razor he uses but also for the shaving crème – perfect then.

He usually uses a shaving crème that he puts straight onto a brush, rather than a gel or foam from a canister. However, with this soap he first attempted to lather it up in the manner of a hand soap. It didn’t go too well.

“It’s just a bit big for that,” says Jez. “You have trouble keeping the foam or lather in your hand and the edges are a bit square so it’s not very comfortable either. I decided to put it in my shaving bowl and do the work with the brush – it went beautifully from then on.

“It took to the brush well and went onto my face pretty easily. I used a pretty new blade which helped but here was no irritation and gave a smooth shave. I had a good four days growth to get through and it handled that well, the blade didn’t catch at all even though my beard was fairly thick.

“You can still feel some gels after shaving but there was hardly any excess residue with this to wash away. I can’t say I felt amazingly refreshed but it gave a good, clean shave. There didn’t seem to be any smell but then that’s probably a good thing as it means it doesn’t have any irritating perfumes or additives.”

So it works nicely, but how does it compare to his usual, non-environmentally friendly crème? He says: “It compares very well. It’ll be interesting to see how long it lasts though, as a good shaving bowl soap could easily last me half a year ( I don’t shave every day). In comparison with my current product, it was just as good. But the crème I use now comes in a pump action bottle that is applied to the tip of the brush, so no mess at all, and it’s easier to transport as you don’t have to wait for it to dry or put it in some protective bag.

“The fact that the Trevarno shaving soap comes in a small cardboard box is great as it’s recyclable and doesn’t waste packaging, but once you’ve used it, where do you put it? Unless you’ve got a soap holder or bowl handy, it’s just going to sit on the edge of your sink which is a bit messy.

“I’d recommend either changing the shape of the bar so that it’s a bit more tactile, allowing you to lather it up as a soap and apply with your hands, or supplying it with a small wooden bowl/dish so that you can use it with a brush. Supplying a dish/stand would also be good for storing it afterwards.

“On the whole, it was a good shaving product – and shaving since the age of 12 I’ve been through a few.”

I told you he was a hairy man. The soap seems to live up to its promise of “…an extra rich and creamy lather, together with deep moisturising and cleansing without irritation”.

Made in Cornwall, England, the ingredients are as follows: Sodium Cocate, Sodium Olivate, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Cocoa Butterate, Theobroma Cacao and Olea Europaea.

It only costs £2.55 and is available from Male-Organics in the UK.

Male-Organics is an interesting company as they have very strict standards when choosing products. Their about page tells you all about them (obviously) but basically they don’t stock products that contain synthetic fragrances or chemicals such as SLS, Parabans, PEGs, Propylene Glycol or Phthalates and many more. And why did they set up the company? “We had difficulty finding a dedicated organic webshop for men on the internet, so we’ve created our own.”

Fair enough.

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