Facial wipes /cleaning stuff do they bio-degrade?

[Seagull&Snoopy]

I like facial wipes -but it doesn't say if they are bio-degradable!!

Are they??

If not -can I use a flannel and something else?
I also have very sensitive skin and using clarins -facial senstive cleanser? Is this bad for the environment??

How can I become more environmentally friendly? Cleaners etc??

xxx

[Frogslie]

I don't think wipes are biodegradable, I never use them for that reason. I use a muslin cloth or flannel to remove my cleanser - also have sensitive skin but I am OK with that...

Cleaners: Ecover is good, multi purpose spray is good and I try and get Ecover loo cleaner too. I prefer cleaning with a white vinegar/water/lemon juice or tea tree oil solution in a spray bottle. And Tescos do a 'green' cleaning range too, it smells nice However I clean a LOT less than I used too.. you ill be getting all nesting soon so will probably want to do more

And of course... reusable nappies (are you going for them?)

[Seagull&Snoopy]

I don't think wipes are biodegradable, I never use them for that reason. I use a muslin cloth or flannel to remove my cleanser - also have sensitive skin but I am OK with that...

Cleaners: Ecover is good, multi purpose spray is good and I try and get Ecover loo cleaner too. I prefer cleaning with a white vinegar/water/lemon juice or tea tree oil solution in a spray bottle. And Tescos do a 'green' cleaning range too, it smells nice However I clean a LOT less than I used too.. you ill be getting all nesting soon so will probably want to do more

And of course... reusable nappies (are you going for them?)

Frog and others have helped me make my mind up but I'm still going to bug them for help!!



I'm going to use up what I have but replace new ones with environmentally friendly ones.


I might just stick with Clarins and a sponge.......... as I can recycle the containers.

What about the gel things ? instead of soap ?
x

[nickimacrae]

Nope, disposable wipey things are plastic - hence why you have to be so careful with flushing them down the loo (not suggesting you do, just poit of interest). It's a bit like disposable nappies, lots of bits that feel like cloth or paper but is actually plastic. It;s very clever really, just not that fab environmentally.

In terms of alternatives for using with cleanser, etc you've got two options really... Half-way-house green option is organic cotton wool: easy to get these days in any health food store and some supermarkets, but a) has been shipped around the world and b) is still a throw-away product. Otherwise it's something cloth and washable. Like Frog says muslin is nice. Or check out any of the cloth nappy sellers, they pretty much all do washable wipes designed for babys bums which obviously could be used for a face . Stick away from fleece or suedecloth ones - this just smears anything like a cleanser - anything cotton would be good (not terry, but something smooth like flannel or sherpa).

In terms of what to use in place of a face cleanser, obviously there are tons of organic / eco brands out there but to be honest I don't really use any of them so I'll leave it to others to recommend. I tend to go super simple with my face care. To cleanse I love a simple flower water, like rosewater. The smell to me is just luxury and it's super gentle. It's a big change to go this basic after using commercial high street brands - one of the oddest things can be the lack of foam / lathering as you just associate that with getting clean . The detergents and other chemicals in even sensative or baby products can be very harsh and stripping of the natural oils of the skin. You would probably find if you went to a very simple regieme then over the course of several weeks your skins natural oil balance would return, so at first the more gentle cleansing with something like floral water might fel inadequate, but as time went on it would be just perfect (if that makes sense?). The only times this might not work out is if you have super super greasy skin, or if you're still wearing a lot of heavy make up every day as this would be messing up the skin balances in the day and something like rose water might not be up to stripping foundation off and leave a build up of old make up.

In my late teens / early 20s I used to have acne and problem combination skin. I used to wear a lot of foundation to cover my skin up. I got interested in simple skin care and within a few months of ditching the foundation and using simple and home made products I sorted it out totally - not more grease and no more spots! (before that I had used everything from special teen acne products, dr prescribed creams, boots own brand products to Elizabeth Adren and everything inbetween).

Anyway my face care regieme ATM is soap and water AM (I get my luxury kick by buying beautiful soaps - my faves are made on a croft locally and are paked full of essential oils). Be warned with you have sensative skin even soap is pretty harsh - you could use a little of one of those coconut milk blocks you find in the orinetal section of the supermarket with a little water - keep it and a nutmeg grater in a pretty box in the bathroom (also good in lieu of shower gel - it really is much more luxurious!). In the evening if I have five mins spare I use rose water and washable wipes to cleanse, then my particular skin really loves almond oil as a moisturiser. If I have saggy baggy eyes I use super-pure aloe vera gel around them as a pick-me-up. If my skin gets dull I exfloiate with fine oatmeal mixed with honey. If it just needs a pep-up then I looooove a mashed strawberry face mask.

Oh I'm rambling now - feel free to pick my pregnancy addles brains LOL!

[Seagull&Snoopy]

Where can I get Rosewater?

I have very sensitive and dry skin. Body shop stuff was awful on it.

I recycle all my plastic stuff from Clarins and have a lovely sponge which I've had for ages. would this be environmentally friendly?

I've tried soap and water in the past but even simple soap leaves my skin dry and scaly

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Baby snoopy has loads of flannels ready and I will probably try to use just water? to clean her and no bath oil, except essential oils.
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[nickimacrae]

We never use baby bath, shampoo, soap etc on our kids untill they're well over a year - we've never found they need it! Water and a cloth seems to do the job just fine

Like you're planning, we sometimes use a few drops of essential oil in the kids bath - generally something super mild and relaxing like lavender or chammomile. TBH the best way to do it to get the lovely smell is run the bath hot, put a few drops in, leave the room shutting the door (making sure kids of a mobile age can;t go in there unattended obviously) and let the room fill with the vapour. The go back and top up to the right temp with cold water. If you want to use something moisturising on baby skin when a splash of something like grapeseed oil in the bath or massages into thier skin after is a cost effective and gentle way. You could use olive oil, or almond oil if you don't have any history in the family of nut allergies.

I'm not sure about using the sponge - I think you would have to experiment - I'm wondering if you would waste a lot of product into it? Oh hang on, you mean a proper dense cosmetics sponge, I'm thinking a natural sea sponge here LOL!

As for Clarins and is it environmentally friendly, TBH when looking at anything there are several things that go through my head... as you say, packaging, what that like (is it reusable, recyclable, compostable, refillable, minimal or no packaging, big packs, etc?), does it contain organic ingredients, where does it come from (UK-made with mostly UK ingredients, UK made but with lots of exotic ingredients, made and shipped from around the world?), how long does it last , how simple or complex is it / how many ingredients (something that does the job with a few ingredient is prob going to be much more resource effective than something with 20 or 30). But TBH the biggie for me really is what *sort* of ingredients does it have? To be eco-friendly it has to be *me* friendly too IYKWIM? I try to aviod synthetic fragrances, petrochemical based clensers / detergents, preservatives, etc. I know there are a lot of organic brands of say kids stuff out there
that look eco on the outside but then look at the ingredients and they are a complex long list or stuff from all over the globe! Or are still full of preservatives or something. I think it's really hard to draw your own personal boundries around what you find acceptable or not and it's never something someone else can answer for you - it's a case f do yur research and decide what sits OK with you personally. WRT the chemicals in cosmetics things you might like to have a look at the WEN website - http://www.wen.org.uk/cosmetics/index.htm . I've never used Clarins myself, I know they advertise using a lot of plant based ingredients, but I have no idea what else is in there are I couldn't find any ingredients lists on the website.

Where to buy rosewater - well we're actually in a few weeks going to be selling lots of lovely things like that ourselves - but that doesn;t help you right now LOL! Some sites I adore....
For basic ingredients if you're making your own - www.baldwins.co.uk
Thinking on the issue of you being sensative where soap is concerned, really do give the African black soap at www.akamuti.co.uk a try - soooooo gentle, smooth and creamy! They do a tiny trial size so you don't have to waste a lot of cash if it doesn;t work for you.