Why choose natural or organic personal care products?

Many people today are making their bathroom contents more sustainable or zero waste. Reusable cotton pads, bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo and body bars are becoming increasingly popular. But what about the ingredients in those soap bars and other personal care products? After all, what you put on your skin also penetrates your body or is washed away into the environment with the shower water. How ecological or healthy are your beauty products? Are they free of SLS, parabens and microplastics? Sometimes it feels like you have to choose between less packaging or natural, eco-friendly ingredients. Switch easily to natural and organic with our Highland Soap pack of natural skincare products. 

Zero waste is not always better

Zero waste in your bathroom is something we can only applaud. But not everyone gets excited about it. My housemates prefer liquid soap and shampoo in a bottle with a pump. They find it more hygienic and easier. 

Don't just focus on the packaging when looking for sustainable personal care products. Also be critical of the product you buy. Natural skincare products are better for your skin and hair. Many manufacturers of natural cosmetics also do their best to use environmentally friendly packaging such as glass, recycled plastic or sugar cane bottles.   

Why choose natural bath & shower products?

Natural care products are made with ingredients from nature and respect nature. Plants, herbs and flowers with good and beneficial properties support the nurturing and self-healing capacity of the skin and bring it into balance. This way, the skin can keep itself good and beautiful.

The skin is our largest organ and is an important barrier to harmful substances and intruders. The skin excretes substances through sweating, but it also absorbs what you put on your skin. Synthetic fragrances and chemical substances or preservatives in ordinary skin care products can upset the natural balance of the skin. The skin can then suddenly become extremely dry, sensitive or irritated. 

With natural cosmetics, there is less chance of allergic reactions. If it does happen, it is a contact allergy that usually disappears as soon as you stop using the product. The body can absorb and remove natural ingredients more easily. This is more difficult with synthetic substances, as a result of which they tend to accumulate in the body.

By using natural ingredients that reinforce each other, you get products that gently cleanse, moisturise and protect your skin.  

Highland Soap Co. is Scotland's most sustainable soap and personal care product maker. They only use organic and natural ingredients such as wild-harvested kelp, essential oils and RSPO certified vegetable oils. 

Natural cosmetics are better for the environment

The production of natural cosmetics has less impact on the environment. The ingredients used come from organic farming or from nature. When making chemical ingredients, toxic substances are often already released. If they end up in the environment after use, chemicals can still be harmful. Think of microbeads or plastics in scrubs, etc.

Highland Soaps Co. does not use plastic microbeads, but natural exfoliating agents such as organic oats, raspberry leaf, Hebridean seaweed or other plant substances. It also does not use artificial substances to make products foam better such as SLS or SLES and no parabens as preservatives, but organic and natural solutions. 

Why use natural shampoo?

Shampoo is one of the care products we use a lot. Standard shampoos contain various chemical substances that can eventually make hair brittle and fragile or dry out. 

Silicones, for example, coat your hair to give it a shiny appearance and to make it look fuller. In the long run, silicones can dry out the scalp, giving you a dull and lifeless effect. 

SLS is a cleansing agent that, when combined with water, easily removes oil and dirt. It also makes shampoos foam up nicely. The downside is that SLS is a rather aggressive substance that also removes natural oils from the hair, making it drier and more fragile.

Furthermore, manufacturers often use sulphates as cleaners and alcohol as solvents or preservatives. These substances affect the scalp. Especially if you have a sensitive scalp, it is important to watch out for synthetic substances in your shampoo. Shampoos with natural ingredients support the scalp and hair. 

Switching from a regular shampoo to a natural version or a block of hair soap? Keep in mind that it can take some time for all synthetic substances to be washed out of your hair and for your hair to find its natural balance again. Your hair may feel stiffer for a while when switching. Rinsing with diluted apple cider vinegar can help.

The same applies to conditioners when it comes to chemical additives. You want a natural conditioner that makes your hair shiny, tangle-free or combable and doesn't make your hair too soft so that you can't model it anymore. 

Natural soap does not dry out the skin

Sometimes, after using soap, your skin can feel very tight. This is less or not at all the case with natural soap. It is often fatter than industrial soap. This is because it is made from natural (vegetable) oils, plants, herbs and/or essential oils and still contains glycerine. With industrial soap, the glycerine is often removed. Probably to encourage you to use a body lotion afterwards.

Glycerine is a natural substance found in the upper layer of the skin. It serves to retain and attract moisture to the skin. It is therefore often added to skin care products to keep the skin supple. Natural glycerine from plants is used for this purpose.

In the block soap, liquid hand soap and body wash of Highland Soap, you will find glycerine of plant origin. They contain no SLS, parabens, alcohol or other synthetic substances. You will notice that they cleanse the skin in a mild and gentle way and do not dry it out.  

Why choose a natural body lotion?

Soaking your skin with body lotion after a bath or shower is a little treat. Your skin feels supple and soft and smells wonderful! Many body lotions therefore contain sensual, stimulating or refreshing perfumes. These scents are easily created with synthetic substances. It is precisely these substances that can provoke allergic reactions. 

Natural care products create their aromas with essential oils. These are plant extracts that are obtained by steaming or pressing parts of plants (flowers, leaves, fruit or bark). Essential oils do more than just smell good. Lavender is used for its calming effect. Ginger vitalises and warms. Lemongrass is a good cleanser.

A natural body lotion is also free from parabens or alcohol, which dry out the skin. The natural ingredients moisturise, nourish and support the skin.

Cotton cloth as natural scrub

Regular scrubs often contain microbeads or very small plastic balls to loosen and remove dead skin cells. But the plastic balls wash into the environment with the skin cells. Fortunately, there are already natural scrubs with, for example, ground oats, raspberry seeds, ground coffee, seaweed, etc. as exfoliating ingredients. 

Another way to exfoliate your skin and support good circulation is dry brushing. Use a soft brush to scrub your skin in up and down strokes. You can also do this in the shower with a crocheted scrub glove or a wash rag made of thick cotton. Both the organic cotton and the waffle structure in which it is crocheted help to gently exfoliate the skin. Simple, ecological and natural!

Want to switch to natural care in one go?  

You can start by using up everything that is left in your bathroom cupboard and gradually replace your care and shower products with organic or natural versions. But why should you continue to use products with chemical substances on your skin if they can be harmful? 

And when a product runs out, you may not have time to find a natural or organic option. You are then easily tempted to buy something with chemicals from the supermarket again.

Do a one-off clean-up of your bathroom cupboard and treat yourself and your family afterwards to a complete package of natural care products to give you a fresh organic start from head to toe. 

Order the Highland Soap Co. Deluxe Bath & Body Pack from Amanvida below and enjoy a free lip balm and free shipping when you order the complete package.