Reflections on New Year’s intentions… so far!

Have you made any New Year’s intentions for 2019? I was feeling really unsure what to have as mine. I wanted a positive intention, not one that felt like a punishment such as no alcohol, no chocolate or saying I’d do so many hours of exercise per week. I’ve tried all these things before and have never stuck to them. I thought more about how can I make informed choices that will have a positive impact on the environment. I decided that my New Year’s intention would be to make time to research products and companies and how they operate. Do they test on animals? What impact do their processes have in the environment? Do they use palm oil? Where do they source it from? The list goes on for things to know but if I do it throughout the year as I replace things in my home it won’t seem like such a huge task.

#BabipurBathroom

One area I thought I could change things throughout the year is my bathroom. Last year I swapped to cloth nappies. In 2019 I want to incorporate more reusable products in to our lives.

So, what have I swapped? Well for Christmas I wanted to get the children new bath toys but absolutely hate mouldy plastic toys littering up the bathroom. They both received some lovely Plan Toys from Santa, the submarine, rescue boat and floating island. All have been big hits and are played with every single bath time. After their bath I dry them with a towel, as per Plan Toys instructions and they are in great condition. The Lanco Octopus is very cute and the boys love squirting water with him, I’ll look at getting other creatures for them later in the year. They are all played with out of the bath as well, I know they will be loved for a long time.

Zero Waste Shaving

Next I looked at cutting out plastic razors. I bought my husband the Muhle razor and brush for Christmas and he bought me the mint resin razor. We were both a bit anxious at first using the razor but I read lots of reviews on line and the advice was to press very lightly and go slow! We both love the razors and haven’t had any nicks or cuts at all (touch wood!) My husband uses the Lamazuna shaving bar which he loves. I borrow this sometimes, or use the Weleda calendula soap bar which works well as a shaving barrier too. The smell is amazing! I’ve been using the Weleda cleanser and skin food for a while now, both amazing products and brilliant for my sensitive skin.

The Hydrophil toothbrushes are amazing. I’ve tried so many different brands of bamboo brushes but these are the best by a mile. A new swap for us is the Hevea dummy – it looks huge and I thought my son wouldn’t take to it but he absolutely loves it! I know not everybody likes dummies but it’s his comforter at bed time and I think sometimes we all need a little comfort! And if it’s not hurting the planet then why not?!

Plastic Free Shampoo

Beauty Kubes and Lamazuna have become our favourite shampoo products. The boys love squishing the Beauty Kubes in their hands to make shampoo. (The Plan Toys floating island makes a good pestle and mortar too!) Washing the boys hair used to be a bit of an ordeal but the novelty of the dry shampoo has meant they have found it fun to wash their hair. They don’t scream if any gets in their eyes which I always hated with bottle shampoos.

I’m still to try out the Lamazuna face pads as I’m writing this. My next stop is to replace the contents of my make up bag with ethical and cruelty free products. I’ve had recommendations of the Green People mascara. That’s the next thing to add to my ever growing Babipur wish list!

It can seem overwhelming trying to change every single thing in your house, it is for me anyway. I think by focusing on one thing at a time it helps it not seem so daunting. It is a huge help that knowing Babipur research all companies and products before stocking them. You can buy from them knowing products are ethically made from sustainable materials. Small things add up and I feel proud to #bethechange ❤️