April is behind us and with it the global celebration of Earth Day and what many deem as Earth Month. Our family is firm in our belief that making conscious decisions in regards to environmental impact should extend far beyond the celebration of April. As a retail shop, we have always valued supporting small-scale makers and find it especially important to reflect brands looking to revolutionize the way that sustainability fits with the production of goods. 

One primary area of focus is body care, which has a huge environmental impact especially on our natural bodies of water through the chemicals that are washed down the drain and the excessive plastic waste produced through bottles and packaging. Given that the ingredients in products such as lotions, body scrubs, soaps, hair care, oral health, and oils are in direct contact with the user’s body, we find it extremely important to source unique personal care brands that take the impacts on both the environment and the health of the consumer seriously. 

To continue stewardship of our planet beyond Earth Month, we want to introduce you to three body care brands represented in our store that we appreciate and admire due to their mindful approach to production and use of ingredients that are non-harmful to the planet and body. 

Umanos

Based in Seattle, Umanos is powered by all plant-based ingredients to produce sensational smelling hair products and body wash. We have a wonderful personal relationship with the founders of this innovative company, whose values in both business and life are truly centered around goodness and kindness and often will come in to pay a lovely visit to our shop. 

Umanos goes beyond industry standards to exclude over 1,600 ingredients from their formulas, only keeping the healthy, clean, and natural ingredients needed for a quality product with minimal environmental impacts. All of their goods are completely free from parabens, synthetic dyes, harmful chemicals, SLS, SLES, silicones, and other suspect ingredients found in conventional shampoos, conditioners, and body wash. 

The owners of Umanos consider sustainability at every step of their production cycle - from partnerships to packaging, production to post-consumer. For every bottle we’ve obtained from Umanos, they’ve donated 1% of their total revenue toward helping end the global water crisis in partnership with Kikulu Foundation and Water Is Long Life to bring clean accessible water to thousands of communities. 

 

The iconic Umanos plastic-free bottles reduce 90x the plastic used in traditional shower products and are made in a solar-powered facility. Try the Superfood Marine Greens shampoo, conditioner, or body wash to upgrade your daily ritual and start or end your day feeling refreshed and nourished. These products work for all hair and skin types and are filled with the benefits of marine algae, aloe vera, and green tea. They also smell amazing! 

Legra 

A family-operated company located in the town of Leigh, England, Legra is a brand that has a strong cult fanbase around the globe. Specializing in all natural soap and deodorant, Legra has quickly become a fan favorite in our shop for the enticing soap smells and effectiveness of their natural body products. 

Legra began as a way for the founders, Cheryl and Andy Dunbar, to bring clean, non toxic alternatives to their family through everyday products that are often highly wasteful and harmful chemically when put on the mainstream shopping shelves. They looked for ways to create a more sustainable lifestyle without compromising in effectiveness, something that other natural deodorants are often critiqued for and something we as a store also valued when considering what natural brands to carry. What resulted was the creation of a powerful plant-based formula that kept their family’s environmental impact minimal while also smelling extremely fresh. 

Legra’s products are always free of aluminum, propylene glycol, parabens, SLS, PEG, phthalates, and artificial colors and fragrances. Their soaps and deodorants are packed in plastic-free and biodegradable materials. All of their products are cruelty-free and suitable for vegans! 

Try each of the unique and visually stunning bar soaps with recipes such as Pink Kaolin Clay or Honey and Poppyseed with Petitgrain, Orange and Patchouli. A favorite Legra bar soap in our shop is the Seaweed, Eucalyptus and Peppermint bar for its hydrating properties and vitamin-rich minerals that leave the skin feeling exceptional. 

 

We also carry both scents of natural deodorant, the Lavender & Geranium and the Petitgrain & Grapefruit. With repeat customers coming back for more, we have heard first hand of the effectiveness of these deodorants and the praise for their subtle, natural scents. 

Shop our entire Legra Collection Here

Bite

The environmental impacts of oral care products such as toothpaste and mouthwash are often overlooked due to the fact that these products have always been around in our lives and are essential for our daily mouth care routines. However, imagine how many tubes of toothpaste or bottles of mouthwash that you have gone through in your life. Now imagine that on a global scale! 

That is where we fell in love with Bite. Bite looks at the packaging of oral health products as well as the ingredients that are within and asks how we as a society can do better. Bite is adamant about their value that the earth needs to be protected for future generations, and that means creating a plastic-free future with no animal testing and no more harsh chemical filler ingredients in our oral care products. Toothpaste tubes and mouthwash bottles all end up either in the landfill or in the ocean (more than 1 billion per year!) and are destined to take centuries to break down, leaving chemicals and microplastic waste that enters our environment and inherently our food. 

Bite came in with the belief that our daily habits do matter, and that finding a way to ethically go about them can make a difference. Bite’s founder, Lindsay McCormick, started this awesome company in her living room after taking chemistry classes with the goal of creating a waste-free toothpaste tube alternative.

Not only does Bite produce toothpaste and mouthwash, but also floss! Bite’s Floss is completely plastic-free and 100% vegan, while packaged in a quaint reusable glass jar. 

 

At our shop, we are huge fans of the mint toothpaste bits - a revolutionary way to replace chemically-filled and wasteful toothpaste tubes with a tiny, naturally whitening, minty fresh pressed bit. One tiny jar can last you months and the process is as simple as taking a bite, biting down, and using your wet toothbrush to foam it up for a pleasant brushing experience. The natural ingredient-filled bits also come in a grape flavor for those who don’t like mint or want to try it out with kids! The bits can also be purchased in a mouthwash form, functioning the same way with a bite and swish of water for an effective cleanse without the need for a wasteful plastic bottle, lasting longer and providing more benefits for your gums. 

We cannot recommend these awesome eco-brands enough and hope that you feel inspired to try them when you next need to replenish your body care products. While your personal daily actions may feel small, supporting and backing small businesses run by families and people who are intent on providing more sustainable alternatives to our daily goods is an important way to mindfully shop, support community, and divest from products that harm our environment.

Shop all our entire Body Care Collection here.