Plastic free Christmas gift guide: Bath & shower beauty treats
Last year I created some plastic free and zero waste gift guides for eco friendly giving, and the goodies took a lot of tracking down, let me tell you. The latest offerings for Christmas 2019 are definitely better and more diverse; with increasing consumer interest there’s been a wave of innovation and new product launches.
It’s slowly getting easier to be kind to your nearest and dearest without being unkind to our planet, even if you still have to put in a little extra effort to hunt it down. While there are plenty of plain, everyday products in the shops that you might buy for yourself, I’ve tried to pick out a few nicer things here for making the festive season special, whether that’s a touch of luxury, fun stocking fillers or some bargain pampering.
Lush Holly Golightly Amazeball, £8.50 | Buy here.
Well, Penny Golightly who invariably likes silly pretty things that are the perfect shade of Tiffany blue/green, what first attracted you to the Holly Golightly Amazeball from Lush? Who knows, eh? It’s a mystery I tells ya. Hmmm. Meanwhile, this big extra fancy orange-and-cinnamon-scented bath bomb has a cute holly lid on the top and is filled with fizzy granules and bubble bath foaming bits, so you can get more than one bath out of it if you want.
And of course this is only one of the many Christmas limited edition items from Lush that happen to be plastic free and packaging free. They’re the biggest pioneers of this on the high street and long may it continue. Their full range of unwrapped or ‘naked’ products is here if you want to see more. Oo-er.
Pai Gentle Genius camellia & bergamot body wash 200ml & sponge, £18.00 at Lookfantastic | Buy here.
If you know a sensitive soul who could do with a little pampering, look no further than this super gentle wash that comes with its own konjac sponge. Many Pai products are housed in biodegradable sugarcane derived tubes like this one, and they have some serious eco credentials including commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and using recycled water in their manufacturing processes.
Alter/Native by Suma handmade floral soap gift set, £13.50 at EthicalSuperstore | Buy here.
This attractive collection of bars contains soap for the shower/bath, a facial cleansing bar, and a solid shampoo and conditioner, making it a great all round gift to brighten up someone’s bathroom. It’s cruelty free, palm oil free and SLS free, and the body and hair bars have a lovely natural rose and geranium scent. For something less girly, try their Botanical Soaps gift set, which includes a charcoal exfoliating detox bar, two soaps and a cedarwood scented shaving bar.
L’Occitane Lavande lavender foaming bath 500ml, £26.00 | Buy here.
A big canister of top quality relaxing bubble bath goodness which practically has a cult following. L’Occitane has a well established in-store bottle recycling scheme going already, but to go completely plastic free try this pampering and relaxing bath foam in its refillable metal bottle, and you can also add any of their paper-wrapped soaps.
Floral Street Body Wash & Body Cream 2 x 200ml duo, £28 at QVC | Buy here.
A bargain price for this luxury quality scented duo, usually retailing at £42 when bought separately (these won’t be around for long so snap them up ASAP if you want one). Available in Iris Goddess, Neon Rose or Wild Vanilla Orchid fine fragrances. Yes, it looks like plastic packaging, but the tubes are made out of a fully biodegradable polymer that’s derived from sugar cane. Alternatively, buy items separately, including the full range of scents, at Feel Unique.
Flawless Professional Vegan Beauty Oriental Bliss luxury body wash 100ml, £5.95 at WearthLondon
Delicately scented body wash that’s handmade in the UK with natural ingredients and sent out in eco-friendly packaging made from recycled glass and recyclable aluminium. You can even send the empties back to them for re-use. Available in 100ml and 50ml sizes, just right for stocking fillers. Choice of three fragrances: Oriental Bliss – frangipani & jasmine, Sparkling Citrus – orange & bergamot, and Sweet Dreams – ylang ylang, lavender and tonka bean.
Faith in Nature coconut handmade soap 100g bar, £2.29 at BigGreenSmile | Buy here.
The newer Faith in Nature soaps come in attractive cardboard packaging, and this coconut one smells lovely and lathers up into a soft, non-drying foam. Lots of other fragrances available too. Nice quality at a very reasonable price, with something to suit most people.
LoofCo heart shaped bath time loofah, £3.00 at EthicalSuperstore | Buy here.
A soft loofah pad for exfoliating in the bath or shower, sent to you in eco packaging. EthicalSuperstore has other plastic free bathroom accessories too, all reasonably priced and well worth a look if you’re putting a gift bag or Xmas stocking together.
Ethique matcha, lime & lemongrass bodywash bar 125g, £5.49 at Holland & Barrett | Buy here.
The Ethique brand launched in the UK this year, and they’ve bowled me over with their waterless, compact products in bright, non-toxic and fully biodegradable packaging. The zesty lime and lemongrass oils and lashings of matcha tea powder make this the perfect wakey wakey morning shower bar, and there are lots of other innovative and interesting products in the range.
Are you trying to use less plastic in your daily life? If so, please let me know what you think of these gifts. Want to see other guides on this theme?
Back soon with some more festive goodies and ideas.
