Travel Soap

Plastic hand wash bottles and bar soap that always comes packaged in plastic. (Even if you think you’ve found one just in cardboard, the soap inside still has a plastic wrapper on. Much frustration.)

 

Don't even talk to me about 'travel sized' plastic bottles. Grrr. 

No plastic packaging! Just a cardboard box. It also contains no palm oil, and has only a few ingredients unlike most mass-produced soap. Why do you need a list of 20 odd ingredients for soap? You don’t. It’s ridiculous. Much better for your skin this way.

 

Think of all those 'travel sized' plastic bottles marketed at you to take away on holiday, smaller bottles equals more plastic used for less product. All to get through airport security. Can you imagine how much quicker it would be to get through airports if everyone used solid package free products? We can but dream... and next time we are in the queue at the airport we can brag about how we don't need a bag for liquids and moan about everyone else wasting our time while we are at it. Every little helps. 

You end up paying silly amounts of money for 'Travel Sized' containers, just because they are the right size to go through airport security with. If you buy these things in the airport expect to spend as much as your flight cost on only a few items like shampoo and shower gel. Not worth it!

 

At £3.50, this dual-purpose shampoo and soap bar is pretty good value. (It can even be triple purpose if you cut a bit off to use as deodorant, doesn't work as deodorant if the bar is wet though as it won't stay on, hence the cutting a bit off.) It should also help keep the mozzies away as it has lemongrass as an ingredient. Mosquitos hate the stuff, so make lemongrass your new favourite perfume if they happen to be partial to a few bites of you.

What is the soap made from?

Sodium Cocoate (Coconut Oil), Sodium Olivate (Olive Oil), Aqua (Water), Sodium Castorate (Castor Oil), Aloe barbadensis leaf juice (Aloe Vera), Lavandula Angustifolia essential oil (Lavender Oil contains Linalool, Limonene and Geraniol* which are all chemicals which come from the plant itself), Cymbopogon Schoenanthus essential oil (Lemongrass Oil, naturally contains citral, geraniol, limonene, linalool) Melaleuca Alternifolia essential oil (Tea Tree oil, naturally contains limonene), Mentha Piperita Essential Oil (Peppermint Oil, contains Limonene)

 

*Fun Fact: Geraniol is an effective plant based mosquito repellent

 

That’s it. Nine ingredients, one of which is water. If that’s not pure and natural I don’t know what is. Keeping clean doesn’t have to be complicated after all.

 

Where does the soap come from?

Made in the UK.

 

Is it sustainable and environmentally friendly?

Olive Oil does have some environmental issues within its production, mainly due to intensive farming methods. However, a lot of olive oil farming is still done by small scale farmers using traditional methods, which is much better environmentally.

 

Castor oil is used as a replacement for petroleum based substances in many products. It is a much greener alternative as it is renewable unlike oil.

 

Lavender is considered a sustainable crop as it doesn’t need pesticides or fertilizers to grow. English Lavender is the hardiest, (of course, look at our ridiculous weather! You’d have to be a tough little plant to survive here.) and apparently the most fragrant. Despite this, the Lavender in the products we use is probably not actually grown in the UK.

 

Lemongrass keeps away mosquitoes, very handy when travelling I’m sure you’ll agree.

 

Tea tree leaves can be sourced sustainably using fair trade principles. But, it can also be synthesised synthetically.

 

Essential oil production generally uses steam distillation which has no environmental concerns, but it takes a lot of plant to make only a small amount of essential oil.

 

Coconut oil, peppermint oil and Aloe Vera are ok too.

 

How about ethical?

Made in the UK by a small handmade soap business, so ethically we are all good here.

 

Extra good stuff:

Vegan, not tested on animals, free from palm oil and known skin irritants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate’s (foaming agent) and parabens (preservatives).

 

Conclusion –

Soap with no plastic, palm oil and good ingredients? What more could you want!