At long last we are all waking up to the horrendous mess we have made with the invention we were so proud of - plastic.
Thanks to fantastic programs such as War on Plastic and Blue Planet II, we are all very aware of the urgent need to cut down on plastic - particularly single-use plastic.
A friend of mine recently recommended this website to me https://www.plasticfreedom.co.uk/ and I decided to buy a few items to see what they were like.
I bought shampoo, conditioner, deodorant and beeswax wraps (to replace clingfilm).
Continue reading to see my reviews of each of these products.
Shampoo:
The first product I selected was the Beauty Kubes shampoo for oily hair at £9.50. I wasn't really sure what to expect!
Not only is it plastic free, but it is also free of palm oil (the production of which causes a great deal of deforestation) and is vegan.
When you open up the box, it contains 27 little cubes and they smell really nice which is a good sign!
As it was a bit more expensive than my usual shampoo, I was really hoping this would be cost effective and clean my hair nicely as well as being good for the environment.
It did not disappoint! The instructions tell you to crumble one cube in your hand in the shower and add water to make a paste which you then put on your hair. However, I have found that one cube can last 2 or 3 washes. It was a bit tricky mixing it in my hand so instead I now use an old hand cream pot and mix it in there with a little spoon. It is easy enough to split the cubes in two if you want to use less per wash.
At 2 washes per cube, this is about 18p per wash. This is comparable to a standard higher-end shampoo.
It made a great lather on my hair and the smell was really refreshing. It certainly did a good job of cleaning my hair and I intend to continue using it. I thoroughly recommend it!
Conditioner:
I chose the Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (£6). I must admit I was slightly put off by the name and the thought of putting vinegar in my hair.
The slight downside is that it is such a thin liquid and it is therefore a bit tricky not to pour too much out at once. You have to be careful not to waste any.
Overall, I would recommend this product too.
Deodorant:
I went for the Lavender and Geranium Kutis Skincare deodorant (£6.50).
Unfortunately, the first thing I noticed was that it smells like mosquito repellent! However, it does work well. I think perhaps I chose the wrong scent. Maybe I should try the grapefruit and mandarin one next time! My boyfriend has been using it and thinks it smells fine so maybe it's just me!
The only other issue with it is that it is not as easy to rub on as a roll-on deodorant. However, as it is not a wet deodorant, you don't need to wait for it to dry.
I am not sure whether I will buy this product again but I am going to try out other options and I will review them here.
Beeswax Wraps:
I ordered a 3 pack of BeeBeeWraps (£9.50).
I ordered quite a small size just in case I wasn't happy with them.
I've now already ordered a bigger size as I have been so impressed with these ones.
My main concern was that they wouldn't 'cling' but when you wrap up an item, the wax sticks together and really does protect the item inside. It is also quite stiff, maintaining its shape.
My bread was kept fresh just as long as it would have been with clingfilm or a normal plastic packet. It didn't even dry out. I have also used it successfully with cheese.
The great thing about these is that they are reusable. I found them very easy to wash with washing up liquid and water and then they worked just as well for the next use.
The only slight negative about these wraps is that they smell strongly of honey so they might make your food smell a bit of honey...but hey - there are worse smells than honey! I will definitely be using these again!
Check out this fantastic website and see how much plastic you can get rid of from your life! I will post reviews of any more products I try out.
https://www.plasticfreedom.co.uk/
