This blog post has certainly been a long time coming!
The last time I wrote about SLS-free products, in particular SLS free shampoo was way back in 2013 with a SLS-Free Shampoo Review post. Since then I've continued to use them and it's been a total of seven years now since I made the switch! So I guess I have a bit of knowledge when it comes to finding the best SLS-free products and sharing the benefits of going SLS-free.
In this post I will try my best to include all the information you may be looking for! From the the best SLS-free shampoo, to the long term benefits and even how to use SLS-free shampoo... because there is a knack to it, believe it or not!
I'm a strong advocate of going SLS-free with all body products and I hope this can be an informative guide to helping you making the right decision and finding products that work for you.
Side note: This is going to be a long one! You may want to pin it for later here to come back to, especially for my shampoo recommendations.
Having oily/combination skin means I suffer from random breakouts so I always try to keep on top of my skin, meaning I have tried many a spot treatment!
I do love my Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Gel (£14.00/10ml) as it is highly effective but I thought I would share with you a fairly new love that is knocking it out of the park due to being 100% natural and also quite the multi-use product!
Now I know what you are thinking... how can a facial oil be a spot treatment. I thought the exact same, no oily spot would call for more oil surely. However the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil £15.00 - here just works! Besides from the amazing ingredients I'm not sure how it works so well for the skin but it is the first product I've come across that have been highly effective with out drying out the spot or skin around it (nothing worse than a dry flakey patch from using a spot treatment!).
For the past few months I have been simply dabbing the oil onto any spots and any scarring from spots when I've been makeup-free around house or last thing at night. The skin just soaks it up and within a few days of continuous use you can really see the product working and removing the spot with minimal redness and no drying of the skin - this is something I have been really impressed by! As for the smell is a classic natural skincare scent that is quite herbal smelling but this can't be smelt at all as it soaks into the skin.
This can also be used as an all over facial oil by massaging it into the face, neck and chest before bed to condition and soften the skin and making the skin appear more radiant. Though I don't do this I do massage a small amount onto my neck in upward movements before bed sometimes as I find the scent quite therapeutic and I do feel my skin is much softer the next day.
Also I feel the packaging and 10ml size (the larger 30ml comes with a dropper and not a roller ball) is spot on if you are wanting it for just a spot treatment and maybe the odd all over treat before bed. The oil will last such a long time and the heavy glass roller ball and bottle confirm it is a quality product.
If you are stuck finding a powerful spot treatment that works well with sensitive skin or doesn't dry out the skin then I highly recommend this!
I actually feel my Origins Spot Remover is going to be feeling quite unloved now.
Fee xo.
Please read my updated post that covers so much more! The Ultimate Guide to SLS-Free Shampoo (including SLS-free shampoo reviews).
As most of you will know I avoid products that contain SLES/SLS (Soduim Lauryl Sulphates) and have done for the past
So I thought I would give a few quick reviews on some of the SLS-free shampoos that are in my shower. You may want to try a SLS-free shampoo like I initially did due to an irritated scalp/skin condition, you may want to improve the quality of your hair or you could just want to cut down on this ingredient due to it being an irritant and known for it's carcinogenic links.
I personally find true organic shampoos to be generally expensive and also quite thin and lacking on the foam front (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate is what creates the lather in products) so after lots of shampoo trialing I have found I am most happy using more well known brands that sometimes do contain weaker derivatives of SLS. So it you are very strict with the ingredients you use you may want to check the ingredients label before buying any of these shampoos I recommend.
Also if you are new to washing your hair with a SLS-free shampoo it does take time, so make sure you persevere (don't switch up using a normal shampoo then a SLS-free one) and make sure you rinse your hair thoroughly. Plus don't judge the amount of foam (or size of it) by how well it will cleanse your hair!
The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo 200ml
£4.50 - The Body Shop here
This is my new accessible and cheap to buy shampoo. When pouring this on to the hand the consistancy feels a bit like a sticky gel but foams up pretty well (if you have never used a SLS-free shampoo before you may not think so but normally shampoos overly foam up but for no real reason). The trick to not use too much shampoo is to make sure the hair and scalp are thoroughly wet before applying the shampoo and working it in. This really is a great one to use is summer as it has a glorious tropical scent that has a banana scent to it.... great for morning showers. If you are new to sulfate free shampoos then I would give this a try as it can also be purchased in a smaller 60ml size for £2.00.
Full list of ingredients - here
L'Oreal Ever Riche Nourishing & Taming Shampoo 250ml
£5.99 - Boots here
Unlike any other shampoo I have tried this actually comes out as a creamy white shampoo that looks more like a conditioner. This also doesn't smell like any other shampoo I have used before as it's quite a perfumed scent of cocunut and vanilla which I really like a lot, in fact it remind me of an Estee Lauder fragrance I own and also Harajuku Lovers G. As for how this foams, again it is quite unique in that it creates what I would describe as micro bubbles of foam so it is quite a rich feeling lather, which again impressed me when I used it for the first time.
The one thing I would say is that this really is a hydrating shampoo for dry hair so if you do have more greasy hair or it can go greasy quite quickly then this isn't for you as you will need to wash your hair again the next day. An excellent shampoo if you do have dry/damaged hair and want to restore it back to how it once was (along with a good conditioner of course). I don't use this every time I wash my hair as it does make my hair go greasy more quickly but I will be re-purchasing this as it is really nourishing and I love how it smells and foams.
Full list of ingredients - Couldn't be found online
Tigi Bedhead Foxy Curls Shampoo 250ml
£6.50 - Fragrance Direct here
Before turning SLS-free I use to spend £1-2 on shampoo so I see this shampoo as quite a treat but a treat I can't live without now. I continuously have this in my shower and re-purchase it when it looks like it's running low. The consistency of this is the thickest of the three shampoos in this post and almost like a gel when you squeeze it out but you only need a normal amount of it and it lathers up really well. I don't have curly hair but I find that this shampoo is quite hydrating and frizz fighting because it is for curly hair. The main thing I love about this shampoo along with it working well for me, is the smell! This to me smells like sweets - jelly babies or just general pick and mix and I love that. I really am hooked on this product now. How I came to use this shampoo was trying out a mini 75ml size of it on Fragrance Direct which you can still find for only 99p here.
Full list of ingredients - here
Hopefully this will help if you are on a quest to find more affordable SLS-free shampoos. I think I may do a similar post on SLS-free shower gels soon.
Fee xo.
When it comes to skincare and personal products I am a lot more ingredient conscious than with makeup as I feel products such as deodorant, toothpaste and face washes are used daily and absorbed into the skin and bloodstream. So I like to know what I should be avoiding and take those measures.
For example I avoid both SLS/sulfates and Fluoride in my toothpaste which does mean I have to purchase it online but it is the price of normal toothpaste and feels exactly the same, so it is something I could easily switch to.
Another product I switched to a few months ago now was a Aluminum and Paraben free Deodorant. Now I will try to be quick when I explain this... but Antiperspirants contains Aluminium Salts to totally block the sweat glands and prevent perspiration which is what we feel we all need. However Aluminium has been associated with a variety of healthy issues, mainly Breast Cancer and Alzheimer's Disease. Which I am sure we all want to prevent and if that means switching to an aluminium-free deodorant I will do it in the blink of an eye. Also a lot of deodorants and antiperspirants contains parabens which again has been linked to breast cancer due to it's Oestrogen mimicking properties.
Also women are more susceptible to these ingredients entering the body as most choose to shave the underarm area. There is however no solid evidence that aluminium or parabens can cause breast cancer but concentrations of parabens and aluminium have been present in breast tumours, which is personally enough evidence for me. Antiperspirants can also irritate the skin and block sweat glands causing sometimes painful lumps in the armpit.
So to avoid this switching to a Aluminium & Paraben-Free Deodorant is needed. Now thankfully all brands that are free from these chemicals will visibly state this on their packaging so there is no need to be overly ingredient savvy. However deodorants are very much a different product to antiperspirants as they still allow the body to naturally sweat and work to kill bacteria that causes the odor... so your armpits will smell nice! Now I'm well aware that the idea of sweating is seen as quite a 'hippy' like however if you feel like you don't excessively sweat then switching will be fine.
When looking for the best deodorant I still wanted to use an aerosol spray and found the two most widely available and affordable brands (that can be found in supermarkets) to be the Sanex Zero% range and also Biosen. I decided to go for the Sanex Zero% Deodorant as this is always stocked in my local Tesco.
Of course when I first switched to a deodorant over an antiperspirant it did take some getting use to it as when I did sweat my armpits felt a little damp which I just wasn't use to but as I realised there was only the scent of the deodorant I quickly got use to it. I think the real test will be in hot days in summer and on holiday however I feel the odd use of an antiperspirant will be something I allow myself to do as I won't feel like a build up of any chemicals will be happening over such a short period of time.
I really do feel the government, cosmetic brands and even health care professionals are covering up a lot of harmful chemicals. But thankfully a lot of balanced and well researched articles are available online so that we can be educated and make our own minds up.
If you do have any questions at all on aluminium & paraben free deodorants or want a more detailed post on ingredients/chemicals I avoid please just let me know as I'm always happy to talk about this.
Fee xo.
As some of you may know since I started Makeup Savvy I have been slowly getting into organic products and I have also become more aware of different ingredients that I avoid even down to the deodorant I use!
But as I now use so many natural/organic products that when I come to using normal every day products i.e normal hand soap when I am out, conditioner, hair spray, candles. They just seem to be either too strong in scent or they just don't feel that great. So for that reason I have decided to slowly incorporate more organic products into my routine so that hopefully by the end of 2012 I will only be using organic products minus makeup as I really cannot imagine sacrificing all my lovely makeup and there just isn't the range or quality with organic cosmetics yet. So I can been recently trying out more natural/organic products from brands such as Green People, Neom Organics, Yes To, Korres and Balance Me.
So every week I have decided I am going to review/mention organic products I am been trying & buying and so I thought I would start that off by talking about some Neom products as I really do truly love the brand.
Also Neom kindly offered to provide me with an exclusive code for Makeup Savvy readers so if you are planning on spending over £40 at Neom you receive a FREE Rebalance Travel Candle worth £13 free!
Code: makeupsavvy
Discount: Free Rebalance Travel Candle with orders of £40 or more
Expires:19th February
Firstly if you want a bit of an explanation as to why I prefer organic candles/recommend them you can read this post here. As I really think it matters and may explain why organic candles are worth the money. But on to this travel candle (the one above) which if you use the discount code will be free OR at the moment it has been reduced to only £8 (here) which I think is pretty damn good seeing as this candle does last quite some time and is just lovely!
The Rebalance candle is quite an uplifting candle that apparently works as an anti-depressant (not sure on that one!) and is also good for using if you have a cold or are generally just under the weather. I actually used this last week whilst having a bath as I had a really bad headache and normally any smells when I have a headache just annoy me/make it worse. But this was actually quite soothing especially when I blew the candle out and the scent became stronger - did actually surprise me how much better it made me feel.
But I also find this just a nice candle to have on at night when I am blogging or reading a magazine as it's slightly spicy, warm and relaxing.
As for bath and shower products I just have so many natural/organic/SLS-free ones! But in the last few months I have been trying all different alternative products such as natural bath bombs, bath salts and shower/bath oils to mix things up a bit. So it has been really nice trying out all the different bath/shower oils that Neom offer.
The little set contains 5 x 5ml bottles with each bottle having a different purposes. The only down side is you don't get much usage out of each bottle as they are quite small - I found one would do a single bath or if using as a shower oil (which you apply to the skin pre-shower) I could get two uses from it which I prefer to do.
So far I have only used 2 and a bit bottles but my favourite has been 'Restore' for first thing in the morning which I use in the shower or 'Tranquillity' for at night time which I have used up now. But I used half of it in a bath and the rest I actually dabbed onto my neck before bed a few times and it definitely helped me to relax a bit, which I also found to be an nice alternative way of using it and of course it makes the oils last a lot longer.
So far I have only used 2 and a bit bottles but my favourite has been 'Restore' for first thing in the morning which I use in the shower or 'Tranquillity' for at night time which I have used up now. But I used half of it in a bath and the rest I actually dabbed onto my neck before bed a few times and it definitely helped me to relax a bit, which I also found to be an nice alternative way of using it and of course it makes the oils last a lot longer.
Sadly the Bath Oil set is out of stock at the moment on the Neom website but you can find it at Look Fantastic for £15.00 -here.
As I love Neom so much I am already planning my next purchase which is going to be the the Tranquillity: Perfect Sleep Kit (here) which contains a 5oml organic pillow mist and my beloved Organic Multi-balm for only £10! I already have the Neom multi balm which I use almost daily for all sorts (cuticles, dry skin, lips, eyebrows even!) so I definitely need another one. Plus I am hoping the pillow mist will help me sleep a bit better. So this is going to be a little Valentine's Day present to myself. I really do recommend the multi-balm though if you can find it as part of a set as they sadly don't sell it on there own.
So if you are planning on spending a bit on the Neom website make sure you use my code before 19th Feb!
Also if any of you can recommend me good organic brands that would be great as I really want to start buying more and more organic body products to see what I like and don't like.
Fee xo.
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