Pit- Tastic! - Rose & Ylang-Ylang and Orris & Sandalwood Zero Waste Deodorant

If there’s one thing all of our morning routines have in common — it’s the use of deodorant! And if everyone used a deodorant that was wrapped in paper, like the one today, there’d be a lot less plastic w­­aste in the world. Luckily, there are companies like Pit-Tastic! that sell plastic-free and biodegradable deodorant bars. If you’re familiar with The Amazing Blog, then you’ll know we are all about trying to be sustainable, and by using these solid Deodorant Bars, we think it’s a great way to help both yourself and the Earth!

Pit-Tastic!, which sells natural solid Deodorant Bars, was created by Alice Bardwell after she had a stroke in 2019. The stroke took her speech, understanding, reading, and writing — but by mixing, stirring, and creating the perfect solid deodorant bar, really helped her rebuild her mind and body. Because of the joy she received from hand-making Pit-Tastic! bars, Bardwell plans to launch a group called “Causing a Stir” to provide mental health support and bring people together to mix, chat, and talk through anything. Pit-Tastic’s deodorant bars are natural, biodegradable, and free of plastics, parabens, and aluminium. The aluminium salts in commercial deodorants, help plug pores, to stop the sweat. However, plugged sweat ducts prevent the body from ridding itself of toxins, and some even believe that using aluminium containing deodorant could lead to breast cancer. That’s why Pit-Tastic! was formulated to reduce sweating and eliminate odour naturally, all without aluminium. The company’s bars come in a paper wrapper to keep the bars fresh — and yes, the wrapper is biodegradable too! There’s also the option of purchasing a reusable hand-embossed travel tin, to keep it in. Pit-Tastic’s deodorant bars are formulated and created in Devon UK with vegan and sensitive alternative too. They and are recommended by a whole host of people, including athletes, breastfeeding mothers, menopausal women, travellers, and those who don’t want nasty ingredients on their body. Bardwell said, “I love my deodorant and use it everyday. I hope you do too!” 

All of Pit-Tastic’s Deodorant Bars are zero waste and as we mentioned earlier, they come in standard, vegan, sensitive, and vegan/sensitive. The standard deodorant bars contain the ingredients of coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, bicarbonate of soda, and distilled natural essential oils. The sensitive deodorant bars contain all the same ingredients as the standard, except have arrowroot in place of bicarbonate of soda. The vegan deodorant bars contain all the same ingredients as the standard, except have sunflower wax in place of beeswax. And lastly, the vegan/sensitive bars contain coconut oil, shea butter, sunflower wax, arrowroot, and distilled natural essential oils. The coconut oil helps the deodorant bar glide, moisturizes, and helps kill the fungi, yeast, and bacteria that contribute to underarm odour. The shea butter improves the glide of the deodorant and helps eliminate odour. The beeswax protects the skin and helps keep the bar solid — the vegan alternative for this is sunflower wax. The bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) helps control the odour causing bacteria that grows in our underarms — the sensitive skin alternative is arrowroot. And lastly, the distilled natural essential oils add fragrance to the bar. All of Pit-Tastic’s ingredients are sustainable and ethically sourced. The first deodorant bar we tried is the Rose and Ylang-Ylang Zero Waste Deodorant, which is described as a “Beautifully floral aromatic fragrance to uplift your day.” The second deodorant bar we tried is the Orris and Sandalwood Zero Waste Deodorant, which is described as “Tangy, zesty mouth-watering that make your underarm smell and feel clean.” We loved how both of these Deodorant Bars kept us feeling fresh and smelling fantastic all day long! They look and feel like a white smooth pebble, and are very tactile. Neither one had an overpowering fragrance, and both were easy to wear, and didn’t compete when we had an on-the-go quick spritz of our favourite Eau de parfum. It is recommended to keep the Deodorant Bars in a cool spot (out of direct sunlight) or even in the fridge. We keep ours in the bathroom cupboard in a tin. To apply, gently stroke the bar onto the armpits a few moments before you dress and re-apply as required. Pit-Tastic! says their Deodorant Bar should last up to four months, and we still have some left, on month three… Ooh and they recommend keeping it in a container — they sell a convenient Travel Tin here for £4.50. Another of our #amazingfinds, and so if you’re looking to help the environment and yourself, you can find the Rose and Ylang-Ylang Zero Waste Deodorant here for £10.00, the Orris and Sandalwood Zero Waste Deodorant here for £10.00. They also offer a subscription service for £40 a year which offers customers one bar per quarter, a free travel tin and free postage here.

Zuzka Natural Beauty: Rose Petal Cleansing Milk

When we did a poll at The Amazing Blog on how we cleanse our faces, it seems that some of us like to use a face wash in the morning and then a cleansing milk in the evening to remove makeup and city grime efficiently. We haven’t featured a cleansing milk for a while, so today, we’re featuring a newly discovered brand  Zuzka Natural Beauty and their Rose Petal Cleansing Milk that promises to melt away daily dirt either with damp cotton wool or warm water.

Zuzka Natural Beauty is a UK botanical and vegan skincare company. All products are formulated by the founder Susan Kohutova herself, a medical herbalist and beauty specialist with over 30 years standing. The inspiration for the brand name Zuzka comes from Slovakian for the founder’s name, Susan.  Working with multiple luxury cosmetic brands as a consultant or therapist has helped Kohtutova gain invaluable experience, enabling her to create her own beauty brand, where she shows a passion and understanding for nature and organic ingredients. As a medical herbalist, wherever possible she always tries to use organic botanicals in her skincare, with the idea of making them suitable for all skin types. Apart from the skincare, there are also mineral makeup and hair products, through to grooming products for men. Zuzka specialises in anti-ageing solutions and products to help acne-prone, oily, sensitive, or dry skin types. The products are also cruelty-free with zero animal ingredients and sustainably packaged with recyclable materials, which are mainly in aluminium bottles that have been described as having ‘the look of being functional, practical and purist.’ For the ingredients, they use organic herbs, plants, and flowers, all free from pesticides, chemicals, and synthetic ingredients like mineral oils and artificial fragrance. The brand recently won Lux Life Health Beauty and Wellness Award in 2020, for Best Botanical Cosmetic Company. Not only does Kohutova have a beauty brand, but she has also founded The Zuzka salon in Dorset, where clients can enjoy a peaceful beauty treatment and explore her botanical garden, where Zuzka herbs and plants are grown to use in their products. 

This Rose Petal Cleansing Milk conditions skins whilst removing all traces of makeup and grime. This cleanser has a thick milky consistently, leaving skin looking healthy and radiant while still cleansing and soothing even the most delicate or sensitive of skins. The cleanser contains absolutely no water and is oil-based, which helps retain and maintain your skin’s natural oils rather than dry out your face. It can be used on all skin types. The key ingredients to this product are organic rose essential oil infusion that is great for mature and sensitive skin. This cleansing milk also has whole aloe vera leaf that helps soothe and calm; and rosehip oil to reduces inflammation and gently exfoliate. The formula combines oils that include frankincense, organic beeswax, kokum butter, sunflower seed oil, borage seed oil, hemp seed oil, comfrey oil, hydra oats and many, many more. These natural oils are beneficial for hydrating and healing normal-to-dry mature skin.

The completely natural, light floral fragrance is refreshing, and the cleanser is soothing and easy to apply with its uplifting rose fragrance. It feels luxurious; in the evening, we simply massaged a small amount over the face and neck in a circular motion and wiped away with damp cotton wool (especially around the eye area). We found it brilliant for removing stubborn makeup as it worked deeply into the pores to remove any impurities, which helped balance and brighten skin. As we always say, ‘simplicity is best’, and this natural and organic cleansing milk delivers precisely what it promises as ‘A skin conditioning cleanser and makeup remover’. It is a super-gentle cleanser that left skin soft, hydrated and clean.  If you have sensitive, dry or mature skin, then we think this luxurious cleansing milk is a must to add to your skincare routine. To purchase the 150ml Rose Petal Cleansing Milk for £20, see here.

Skin Beautiful Organics: Intelligent Skin Recovery Hyper-Serum & Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme Cream

Today, we’re going stateside, and want to introduce a new luxury skincare that we’ve had our eye on, ever since their pre-launch on Instagram. As regular readers will know, at The Amazing Blog    we like to champion new high-performance natural skincare brands, especially those with slightly more unusual ingredients. Meet Skin Beautiful Organics, who we hope will launch here soon in the UK.

As mentioned above, Skin Beautiful Organics is a new launch of luxury botanical-based skincare from the USA, and their founder is Ethel Emmons, who is a business technologist and digital strategist and entrepreneur. The brand story began when Ethel searched in vain to find  gentle, natural and chemical-free skincare to replace her favourite face creams - which occasionally gave her hypersensitivity and led to swollen, red and itchy skin. Back as far as 2007, unable to find any suitable alternatives, Ethel experimented with creating homemade natural skincare remedies to soothe and protect her skin using a variety of ingredients from whole fruits, hydrosols and herbs to carrier and essential oils, all to help soothe and protect her skin. However, it wasn’t until 2020, after completing her studies at the UK International School of Natural Skincare and Formula Botanical, that she decided to launch her own plant-based skincare. Thus, Skin Beautiful Organics was born with 14 clean, natural and effective products, which are a wide range of cleansers, toner, essence, serums, creams, mask and scrubs. All products are made with the latest and most innovative natural science techniques to extract healthy nutrients from plants in a highly bioavailable format. These are manufactured in an FDA-registered and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) compliant facility powered by 100% renewable wind energy. To maintain the freshness of their ingredients, all products are handcrafted in small batches. Organic ingredients are used wherever possible, and Skin Beautiful Organics are proud to announce that their formulas have met or exceeded the Whole Foods Premium Standards for Personal Care Products.

We were excited to try two of their new products. The first was one of their best-seller, the Intelligent Skin Recovery Hyper-Serum  It is a hyper-serum aimed at helping ageing/mature skin, fine lines, dry and dull skin, or loss of skin elasticity and firmness. The Serum acts to strengthen the skin matrix, stimulate collagen and elastin fibroblast, and provide skin resilience and firmness through feeding the skin with its abundance of nutrition. Yes, and it is ‘abundance’ with over 40 high-performance actives in the Serum; one thing is for sure, Skin Beautiful Organics hasn’t skimped on their ingredients here. There are far too many to explain, so we’ll talk about a few key ones, which include; globularia cordifolia callus culture extract, this plant grows in the mountains of central and southern Europe, which supports cell renewal, cell longevity and eliminates damaged proteins and environmental toxins. You can also find sandalwood hydrosol from the santalum album tree – used as incense in spiritual ceremonies for centuries – It soothes irritated skin and reduces inflammation. One of our favourites is niacinamide (vitamin B3), which has many benefits supporting the skin barrier, increasing its resiliency, and improves texture by making pores look smaller.  Another essential active is the Irish moss (or red algae) with its high level of nutrients, including antioxidants and it very importantly offers protection from the visible effects of blue light exposure. Finally, the sunflower seed oil (which is in both the products) is an excellent source of vitamin E, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, effectively for combatting inflammation, eczema and general redness or skin irritation. Our experience was a positive one, the fragrance is a warm, gentle and not intrusive, it’s a mix of sandalwood and rose. It absorbed well and helped plump up the skin, and even left us with a soft sheen that really made our complexion glow… With this Serum’s plethora of ingredients, I’d even go so far as to say, that using this alone, could be enough even for those like us, with a dry or sensitive skin.  They advise using night and day before applying a day cream (for extra protection) or alone under makeup. You can purchase the 30ml Intelligent Skin Recovery Hyper-Serum for €93.00 here.

Next, we tried the Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme Cream again, this cream is more for ageing, mature or dry skin, and for those with an uneven skin tone. It has an elite collection of bio-actives and enzymes that make up the 31 high-performance Ingredients. This Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme cream is mainly for night-time use to regenerate and boost cell renewal, so as to give a brighter and smoother skin. The hero ingredients here are pomegranate, with its powerful antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals which brighten and exfoliate. The papaya extract is high in vitamin C and E, enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids. This helps to get rid of dead skin cells and unclogs pores to combat spots and acne. It also balances the elastic fibres and collagen of the dermis. Another ingredient that keeps collagen strong is the wakame seaweed bio-ferment, which delivers anti-ageing effects to minimises damage at the cellular level by detoxifying the skin thanks to vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, and B12, and fatty acids. It also contains geranium, which also fights against ageing by minimising fine lines and improving skin elasticity and firmness. There’s also plant stem cells with daisy for cell protection, and organic dandelion, rosehip seed and sunflower seed oils, all to boost the skin with antioxidants for protection and rejuvenation. It’s wonderful to find a rich and intense cream that works, and with it’s luxurious whipped finish, it didn’t disappoint. We could identify three of our favourite essential oils with the subtle mix of geranium, neroli and bergamot in the fragrance, making it even more of a pleasure to use. For us, it was better at night as we felt it had an undisturbed time to penetrate the dermis and ‘feed’ the skin. However, we also used a small amount over the Serum during the day, as it helped to protect our skin in the inclement UK weather (it’s May and still a chilly 10 degrees!) If your skin is looking lacklustre or dry, this is the skincare for you. We’re going to keep a close eye on Skin Beautiful Organics, and can’t to try more from the range. Yes, it’s our #amazingfinds for this week’s skincare. You can buy 50ml Bio-Resurfacing Enzyme Cream for €93.00 here . 

Comme Ça Skincare - Le Youth Sérum

From living in a city, we get prolonged exposure to general environmental pollutants and solar radiation. This is why at The Amazing Blog we find our skin sometimes becomes dry and sensitive and in need of a vitamin-enriched serum to both protect and repair. Having heard so much about Comme Ca Skincare we wanted to try Le Youth Sérum for ourselves.

Comme Ça Skincare  is a Dutch company with French roots - just like its founder, Charlotte Seijerlin. Disappointed by the fact that many of the skincare products she used were made with synthetic ingredients, Seijerlin decided to pursue a degree in Natural Skincare Formulation and bring her own natural products to market. After two years of hard work, she founded Comme Ça Skincare in 2019, dedicated to: “Offering the most gentle, natural and high-performance skincare products that bring visible results, and that leaves the skin with that ultimate youthful glow.” To ensure high quality and effectiveness, Seijerlin has created a skincare range of three products concentrated with anti-ageing and nourishing ingredients such as vitamins, antioxidants, fatty acids, plant extracts, and minerals. Their products are also entirely  plant-based and free from parabens, SLS, artificial colours, fragrances, and any other synthetic ingredients. Instead, all of the ingredients are either organic or wild-harvested and sustainably procured. The products are made in small batches in the laboratory at Rebel-Nature in Amsterdam.

This Le Youth Sérum  was the product that we wanted to try. Suitable for all skin types, it contains many active ingredients, including multiple plant extracts and oils such as: Camellia seed oil, acmella oleracea extract, sunflower seed oil and algae extract. Combined together these can help protect the skin from the damage of free radicals, reduce the visibility of fine lines, and restore skin elasticity. The algae extract here, is packed with vitamins, minerals and fatty acids; and together with the addition of coconut oil derivative and vitamin E help to keep skin nourished and moisturised. At the same time, the kukui oil is here to soothing and softening the skin without leaving a greasy film and is particularly beneficial for eczema and psoriasis. Finally, the vanilla fruit extract in the formula has a superior antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect, making it perfect for sensitive or mature skin. This serum is designed to have a skin-firming effect and also leaves skin looking healthier and more youthful. Although this serum is designed for the skin, a few drops can also be added to the length and ends of the hair, making this a hair serum as well as a primer for the face. We like how this is a brilliant two-in-one product, and with its delicious blend of fragrances from the exotic kukui nut and vanilla extract make it exceptionally moreish. Applied either by itself or a few drops mixed in with a moisturiser, we found with the fusion of these luxurious oils, only a few drops were needed to help get, as they say, a ‘luminous glow’. You can buy the 30ml Le Youth Sérum here for €74.95. 

GLOWWA™ - Hair Food

We can’t believe how long our hair is with #lockdown and no hairdresser appointments! They say that hair is a woman’s crowning glory, and some of us here at The Amazing Blog have noticed a growth spurt of at least 4” in the past few months. The upside, is all the different hairstyles to play with ponytails, French braids, updos, curls etc. The downside, is it urgently needs cutting and colouring. However, something we do realise is that we need to give it some TLC and maintenance, ideally feeding the roots to keep it strong and healthy.  This is where the Hair Food a supplement from GLOWWA™ comes in with its unique vegan-based vitamins for promoting healthy hair growth. 

GLOWWA™  recently launched as a brand specialising in hair and beauty supplements to help women feel their best. As mentioned GLOWWA™ is 100% vegan, they are also passionate about being a clean, cruelty-free and plastic-free brand working towards a plastic-free planet. Plus, there is no gluten, dairy, wheat, sugar or artificial flavourings/colourings to be found in any of their capsules. As they say, healthy hair starts from the inside out, together with food, lifestyle and stress which all contribute to the rate of growth and quality of the hair. With the recent Editor’s Choice win in the 2021 The Beauty Shortlist Awards, the Hair Food is fast gaining well-deserved recognition. With every order placed, GLOWWA™ commits to planting a tree in an area that need support in mitigating climate change, or damaged ecosystems. We like how they want to make a difference.

We were kindly sent a month’s supply with the 60 Capsule Hair Food  which provides daily nutritional support for thicker, healthier hair, adding improved conditioning, and shine. This supplement contains no GMO’s or bulking agents. Instead, they have high strength biotin, vitamins C and B3, B5, B6,B12; MSM and zinc citrate. The main ingredient here is biotin, also known as vitamin H, which plays an essential role in growing our hair, skin, and nails. Vitamins B5, B6 and B12 help strengthen and condition the hair. Zinc citrate plays a vital role in hair growth and repair to help us avoid hair loss! Most importantly, MSM is a sulphur-rich compound with anti-inflammatory properties which influences hair growth and retention. GLOWWA™ recommends taking two capsules daily for a minimum of 90 days for best results. We tried GLOWWA™ hair food for a month, we did notice a slight difference with nail strength and some new downy hair that appeared on our hairline. However, we’d recommend trying the full 90-day course here, as this needs to be continued on for the 90 day period to see more evident results. GLOWWA™ hair food is delivered in a stylish recyclable blush pink cylindrical container. It can be purchased, click here for £34.99 for 60 capsules or a 12 week course at £94.99 click here.