Rachel Victoria Hillis

Natural / Ethical / Vegan / Cruelty Free / Eco-Friendly / Less Plastic / Less Waste 

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Natural Hand Sanitizer

I suffer from quite severe OCD regarding germs, so hand sanitzer, over the years, is something I have probably spent hundreds of pounds on, and as a result wasted quite a lot of plastic. When my last bottle ran out, I was just about to head to the shop to buy some when it dawned upon me, why not just make it myself? The stuff you buy in shops is very harsh. Sometimes when you use a store-bought hand sanitzer and accidentally taste or inhale the smell of chemicals it makes you feel sick, and I use this stuff obsessively so I was very keen to find a natural alternative. A quick google search later and I had discovered that harsh chemicals are not the only thing that can kill “99.9% germs and bacteria”.

According to this source, essential oils have actually been discovered as being extremely powerful and effective in killing germs and bacteria (and to my absolute joy, even antibiotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus Aureus) because no two batches of essential oils are exactly the same, as every plant has a slightly different DNA.

Essential oils can not only prevent bad bacteria from reaching your body in the first place, but can also effectively help Staph infections by fighting infectious pathogens with their powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, antimicrobial and antifungal properties. They can also strengthen the immune system, detoxify the blood of harmful waste and toxins, speed up the healing process and even relieve pain and promote positivity with their aroma. The essential oils affect the germ by damaging the cell causing cell membrane dysfunction and even bacterial death.

To my knowledge, the best and most effective essential oils to use for killing germs and bacteria are Tea Tree, Pine Needle, Cedar wood and Lavender. I simply mixed everything together in a jug and poured it into one of these little amber glass spray bottles that I already had at home (amber glass protects the essential oils).

5 Tbsp Witch Hazel 1 Tbsp Aloe Vera Gel (pure if possible) 1 Tbsp Vitamin E Oil 10 drops Pine Needle Essential Oil 10 drops Vanilla Essential Oil (for nice scent) 8 drops Lavender Essential Oil 5 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil

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I love ordering organic veg boxes from Riverford. The food is always so fresh and colourful, there is minimal plastic as most things are wrapped in paper or cotton string bags and there are no single use plastic carrier bags in sight as everything comes in a hardy cardboard box that can be reused again and again. It is a little pricier than getting your groceries from Tesco but I think it’s worth it as it is such a good company. You can either select the pre-made boxes, choose your own items to create a box or do a mix of both.

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Homemade Coffee Scrub

I made this with various ingredients I had lying around the house so it feels like it was free. It smells good enough to eat. Some of the ingredients can be swapped with alternatives to suit your preferences, like the essential oils and the grains. I just used what I know works best for me. I used the combination of Coffee, Himalayan salt and sugar because I like their different health properties, but you could just use one, if you just add more of that ingredient. The coffee increases blood flow and improves circulation, the Himalayan salt detoxifies the skin and the sugar brightens the skin, as well as makes the scrub smell sweeter.

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1/2 cup ground coffee 1/2 cup ground Himalayan salt 1/5 cup brown Muscovado sugar 3/4 cup melted coconut oil 20 drops Vanilla essential oil 5 Tbsp Vitamin E oil (to preserve and for added moisture) 

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Mix it all together and enjoy. I believe that this will keep fresh in a sealed jar for around 2 months.

[rachelvhillis]

Hair Care and Plastic Free Soap Bars

Lush Soak and Float Shampoo Bar - This is my favourite shampoo bar. It foams perfectly and my hair feels so clean afterwards. This is better than any bottled shampoo I’ve ever used. -

Lush Big Conditioner Bar - A coconut and seaweed conditioner that pairs perfectly with Soak and Float. -

Wabi Skincare Coconut Shampoo Bar - This is another really great shampoo bar, it smells beautiful and it feels really light and non-greasy. I have even used this shampoo without needing to condition my hair afterwards because my hair feels so clean. I used the Ordinary Cold-Pressed Argan Oil afterwards to stop my hair feeling static. My only problem with this product was that I used the bar up pretty quickly, in 4 weeks, however I’ve already bought another bar so I don’t think that’s too much of a fault.

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Wabi Skincare Pink Clay and Rosewater Soap Bar - I adore this bar. I use it as a facial cleanser as I have found that it suits my skin perfectly. It is gentle enough for my sensitive skin and after rinsing it off the pH balance of my face feels natural. I LOVE the smell of this soap, it reminds me of Aēsop’s Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm.

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Deep Repair Organic Hair Mask - I love using this natural hair mask once a week. I can see this product lasting a long time because you only need the tiniest amount per use and it comes in a 200g glass jar. It smells heavenly so when I apply this I like to completely switch off for an hour and read something relaxing before I wash it out. The jar is super practical too because when it’s run out I can reuse it for something else.

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Bamboo Toothbrush 

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My first post on this new blog is going to be about the 2 most important changes I will try to convince you to make! Plastic toothbrushes are a thing of the past. With the manufacturers and dentists recommending that you replace your plastic toothbrush every 2-3 months - well that is a hell of a lot of plastic waste. When you chuck your old plastic toothbrush in the bin, where does it go? Probably in the ocean, if not in landfill. It has been discovered that a plastic toothbrush can take up to 450 years to decompose, while a bamboo alternative can take just 6 months to naturally biodegrade. For me its a no-brainer.

This can be the easiest change to make, you can find bamboo toothbrushes just about everywhere online now, and Superdrug are also selling them. I got these lovely ones from Form Lifestyle Store, which is one of my favourite independent shops to buy useful products that have all been very considerately designed by different independent makers and considerately chosen by Elly and Harry. The brand is called Truthbrush and it is an eco-friendly and a sustainable company. Changing your disposable toothbrush is such a small and easy change but can make such a huge difference to the planet.

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Natural Deodorant

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I decided to switch to a more natural deodorant than the typical store-bought and easily accessible kind in January 2018, when I found out that every deodorant I was browsing in the stores had aluminum as a main ingredient. I was shocked when I found this out, and I only had myself to blame for never taking any notice of the ingredients! I would never want to eat aluminum, so why the hell would I want to rub it into the most sensitive parts of my body?  It’s completely bizarre that this is even a thing. I also wanted to find a deodorant that was certified vegan and cruelty free. As soon as I had hold of the balm deodorants from the Natural Deodorant Co I fell in love with the scents, but I was apprehensive about using a balm deodorant, purely because I didn’t expect it to work as well as the other ones I had used before. I’ll tell you now, that I will never be going back. One application in the morning lasts all day, and the jar will last you about a month or more, if you’re using it every day. I love the Vanilla and Manuka one because Vanilla is my jam, but the Lemon and Geranium scent has also won me over because it smells exactly the same as this beloved Aēsop scrub. You can buy the deodorants directly from their own website, but I like buying mine from the Kind Store, and supporting a fellow independent business.