At the end of 2013, having left Italy to pop back to England, in order to spend Christmas with my family, I made the decision to not only return to a complete vegan diet, but also to cut out the chemical laden products I had allowed to creep into my life. It was time to start the cleanse.
When I think of the great deal of thought we put into what we feed ourselves, (proof of which can be found on every other Instagram account I see) making sure we're nutritionally balanced & eating well, it seems almost madness not to exert the same level of energy into what were putting on our bodies too! Especially when you consider how much of what goes on our skin, seeps into our systems.
Of course, I can't deny that after a few years off the organic wagon & with nothing more than a savings account to live off, it took some time to readjust to parting with more money, for the same amount of product. However, now, the idea of buying a cheap body wash, that's brightly hued & overly scented with toxic chemicals & smothering it over my delicate skin, makes me shudder.
Granted it can be easy to be lulled in by the bargains of cheap cosmetics & toiletries, but ultimately, these are the biggest false economies of all! If you love your body enough to look after it through healthy eating & exercise, why wouldn't you love yourself enough to buy products that were packed full of natural goodness & kind to your skin.
Still not convinced? How about looking at it from the perspective that the body you inhabit, is the only one you're gonna get & it's got to see you through. There is never a better time than now to start treating it better, inside & out. Your body works hard for you, it deserves the best, not just that cheap bottle of shampoo you grabbed in the supermarket, because it smelt nice & was on offer.
But before you start to have a mental meltdown over the impending cost of switching to greener products, let me introduce you to Lavera, a German natural cosmetics brand, that's chemical free, vegan friendly, kind to the environment & best of all, your wallet! I decided to try out a selection of their products & I have to say, I have been greatly impressed!
The organic orange & green tea shampoo smells divine & lathers up well. The one thing I've found with a lot of natural shampoos is that they don't lather up, making it difficult to spread the product around. This on the other hand spreads perfectly & rinses out easily, leaving my hair feeling squeaky clean!
After rinsing off the shampoo, I pop on a blob of the organic mango & avocado conditioner & let it sink in, whilst I brush through my tangles. It takes a little persistence to fully rinse out, but it leaves my hair feeling silky soft afterwards. Both products get the thumbs up from me!
The organic coconut & vanilla moisturiser is my favourite pick of the range. The smell is delicious & it's a good medium between a body milk & a thick butter. It's helped immensely with keeping my Italian tan in tact & left my skin super soft. This may have finally filled the hole, where Palmers Cocoa Butter once was. Definitely a repeat buy!
Finally, I have been testing out their organic echinacea & propolis toothpaste, for sensitive teeth. I have already mentioned before, how regular heavily chemical laden & fluoride based toothpastes tend to really hurt my teeth & gums. This paste is very gentle, has a subtle taste & leaves my teeth clean & my breath fresh. Simple.
If you're in Germany, you can pick Lavera's product range up in most chemists or bio markts, or if you're outside Germany, you can find them readily available online over at LoveLula, the online organic supermarket!
Have you tried Lavera? What are your thoughts on natural cosmetics?
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