March Empties

Lets get to it then...

S.W Basics Cocoa Lip Balm - Ahhh, such a beautiful creamy lip balm. Such simple ingredients, such brilliant results. Love this.

Balm Balm Ylang Ylang Eau de Parfum sample - I found this a bit much for every day as it is quite a heady scent. Great for big nights out though!

Abahna Mandarin & Sicilian Bergamot Eau de Parum - I really liked this scent. I kept it in my handbag for freshening up during the day. Everyone said how lovely it was. I'd buy this again.

Peppy Galore Dive Cleansing Oil - My first dip into the world of oil cleansing and I love it. Used this at night time and it was so gentle on my skin. The vanilla scent was a treat too.

Kris D'Amour Balancing Facial Oil sample - This was a good sized sample but it didn't come close to the bodhi facial oils for balancing my skin.

Faith in Nature Seaweed & Citrus Conditioner - This had a runny formula and wasn't thick enough to really condition my thick hair. Review here.

Savonnerie French lavender Body Wash* - Loved this shower gel, left my skin feeling clean and soft. Lavender is one of my favourites. Full review here.

Biona Coconut Oil - I picked this up in December and have used it every day since. Such a great multi-purpose oil; I love it! 

Salcura Hand Hydrator - I liked using this hand cream, it was great for hydrating my hands over the dry, cold Winter. Full review here.

What have you been using this month?

Faith in Nature Shampoo & Conditioner

I made an emergency trip to my local health foods shop a few weeks ago after running out of shampoo.

I picked up the Faith in Nature Neem & Propolis Shampoo and the Seaweed & Citrus Conditioner.

I have used them for the last three weeks or so and to be honest I have really mixed feelings about them.

The shampoo is (mostly) great - it lathers well so I get a good wash without having to do it twice. I like the smell, sort of like earthy floral, it doesn't weigh my hair down and it keeps my hair less oily for longer. Those are the positives. My negative? Scalp irritation.

My hair is really thick so rinsing shampoo out can sometimes be a struggle and very occasionally I don't get it all out so get a bit of a flaky scalp. These are usually on rushed days and it really doesn't happen that often.

I noticed that my hairline was a bit flaky the first time I used it so put it down to a rubbish rinse. The second, third and fourth time it happened I knew it wasn't me.

I tried to take a photo of my hairline but I just couldn't get one that showed it up well. I've said scalp irritation but it's not particularly itchy, just flaky. 

When I bought the shampoo I did a very quick scan of the ingredients and finding no SLS, I bought it. Looking at the ingredients now I can see that it has Ammonium Laueth Sulfate. After a bit of fishing on the internet, I found an article on The Green People's website which says that although ALS sound similar to SLS, their molecular structure is significantly different and do not have the same potential to irritate the skin. The molecules are larger than those of SLS and are therefore considered to be milder and safer alternatives. Read the full article here.

ALS may be a safer alternative but it still caused me a huge problem. This will be added to my list of ingredients to avoid.

Compared to the shampoo, the conditioner was really nice to use and I didn't have an problems with it. I found it a bit runny but it did appear to do a good job at conditioning my ends so I'm happy with it and will use it again. I still use my avocado oil as a pre-conditioner so I find that I don't need as much of an intensive conditioner as the oil works so well.

Which shampoo & conditioner do you use?

Swindon Pulse - Whole foods haul

I popped into my local whole food store Pulse after work yesterday to pick up some shampoo. I ALWAYS get carried away in this little gem of a shop, especially if I see things that I have read about!

So this is what I got:

Faith in Nature Neem & Propolis Shampoo - The only thing I went in for. I haven't used this shampoo before so will do a full post once after a couple of weeks. I went for the normal/oily choice.

Faith in Nature Seaweed & Citrus Conditioner -I had run out of conditioner too. They didn't have conditioner in Neem & Propolis so I went for Seaweed & Citrus instead as it was for normal/oily hair too. 

biona Coconut Oil - Good to cook with, good to add to coffee, good to my hair, good for my skin. What's not to love?

Freedom Mallows in Vanilla & Strawberry - I've spotted these on a few blogs recently and I am a sucker for marshmallows. I looked at buying them on-line but I am tight and didn't want to pay more for postage than the actual sweets. Anyway - these are INCREDIBLE!

VegiDeli Seasonal Sausage Style Rolls - A brilliant mix of little vegi sausage rolls that are also wheat & dairy free. I have stocked up on these for Christmas emergencies!

inSpital Raw Purple Corn Kale Chips - These really appealed to me - crispy kale with cashew nut dressing? Yum. Reality? Yuk. Gave me really stinky breath and were just not nice. I didn't even finish the packet; my colleague took a few to try and disliked them too. 

Chi Chocolate Coconut Milk - A favourite treat of mine, I'll always pick one up when I am in the shop.

Booja-Booja Hazlenut Crunch Chocolate Truffles - I have seen loads about these on Twitter recently and when I saw these I had to get them. At £7 for 9 truffles they are expensive but honestly they are worth every penny. I have only eaten the one but each bite was an explosion of pleasure! Dusted with cocoa power and filled with smooth truffle with sweet roasted hazelnuts. Ingredients? Chocolate (cocoa solids 55%, cane sugar, vanilla), Coconut Oil, Hazelnuts & Cocoa Powder. Vegan, dairy free, organic and gluten & soya free. I will be buying these again!

What treats do you like to pick up from your local whole foods shop?