1. My go-to EVERYTHING soap

For years now I’ve sworn by Aleppo soap for washing my face and body. This bar soap is made with very few ingredients, only olive oil, lye and laurel oil. It’s great for sensitive skin and it has natural antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. You will be able to find Aleppo soap in your local organic shop. It’s usually packaging-free and the all-natural ingredients make it a more sustainable choice.

2. Oil-pulling tooth oil

I had heard a lot about the benefits of oil pulling (the act of swishing a tablespoon of cold-pressed oil in your mouth for a period of time and then spitting it out). As much as I liked the smooth feeling on my teeth after doing it, it consistently made me feel nauseous. I recently discovered this organic tooth oil which completely changed the game for me. It’s made with manuka oil and bisabolol (extracted from the candeia tree) which both have an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and regenerating effects for teeth and gums. After swishing the tooth oil around my mouth 5-15 minutes and spitting it out, I use what’s left to brush my teeth and leave with a minty breath thanks to the mint and eucalyptus oil present in the product. The packaging is made from sugar-cane and is 100% recyclable.

3. For a sparkly smile

I was quick to hop on board the bamboo toothbrush trend. It felt like such an easy was to take a step towards a more sustainable lifestyle. What I very quickly noticed however were that bamboo toothbrush bristles were always flimsy. I continued with the flimsy bamboo toothbrush all the in the name of sustainability. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned on my sustainability journey is that if it feels like you’re sacrificing too much, it won’t last. I’m all for finding sustainable alternatives, but you shouldn’t have to settle for something worse. It’s not sustainable or good - it’s finding the right products that are sustainable and better. I was so happy to find the TerraMavi bamboo toothbrushes on Swiss Impact Store. Finally a solid toothbrush that actually does the job just as well if not better than the plastic versions!

4. Fail-proof deo

I have very sensitive underarms and have never been able to use any natural deodorants that contain essential oils. The only natural alternative I found was using a deodorant which was just aloe vera. It didn’t cause a rash as other natural deodorants did, but there was a pretty essential concern being that pure aloe vera stinks and therefore although I didn’t smell of sweat, I smelt like aloe which is just as bad if not worse. Believe it or not, I made do with this alternative for years until I finally discovered this all-natural deodorant that doesn’t burn my underarms, smells nice and does the job even better than conventional deodorants. The packaging is made from sugar-cane and is 100% recyclable.

5. All-natural hydration

Our skin absorbs about 60% of what we put on it and this is then absorbed straight into your bloodstream. Now think about everything you find in conventional body lotions… A few years ago I was recommended by my naturopath to leave all my conventional beauty products aside and switch to natural products only. During this transition I started using organic coconut oil as a moisturiser both for my face and body and never went back. If you’ve never used coconut oil as lotion before make sure you start small; a tiny bit goes a long way. It might feel strange and greasy at first but you get used to it with time. BONUS: you get the nice coconutty scent without the added synthetic fragrances. I use the organic cold-pressed coconut oil that I find in my local organic shop.

6. Scrubba-dub-dub

Back when my naturopath suggested I move to fully natural products, I started using coffee grounds as body scrub. This is an example of how the “all-natural” way sometimes isn’t the best way. Coffee grounds are corse, even the fine espresso grounds. When rubbed on your skin they can cause irritation and inflammation - not to mention make a mess in the shower and clog your drain. I soon figured out this wasn’t the way to go. Not long after, I discovered the Fresh Scrub. The exfoliating particles are made with pomegranate seeds which very gently remove dead skin cells without causing irritation, combined with almond kernel oil to leave skin feeling smooth as ever. The packaging is made from sugar-cane and is 100% recyclable.