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KinKind : Give me MORE! Shampoo & Deep Conditioner Bars

For our lovely readers with dry, curly or textured hair, this one's for you. At The Amazing Blog, we understand how difficult, or maybe even unheard of, it is to find haircare bars that detangle and hydrate our kind of hair. KinKind's Give me MORE! Shampoo and Deep Conditioner Bar for Damaged, Frizzy and Curly Hair are two one-of-a-kind haircare bars that set a new bar (pun intended!) for haircare products. Yet another one of our #amazingfinds, each bar saves two (250ml) plastic bottles and is 100% plastic-free while being proudly handcrafted in the UK, vegan, paraben-free, cruelty-free and delivered directly through the letterbox. The gently cleansing, fabulously foaming, and freshly fragranced duo has won two awards recently, earning them the Bronze Award at the 2022 Global Beauty Awards.

Even after changing her shopping habits from single-use plastic to reusable bags, significantly reducing disposable coffee cup usage, and rediscovering milk delivery in glass bottles, Victoria Coe and her family knew they could do more to reduce the massive environmental issues caused by plastic pollution. They realised that most plastic consumption occurred at home, where the average UK household uses 480 plastic bottles per year. This plastic bottle usage mainly happens in the bathroom, as none of the big personal care brands can tackle the plastic pollution problem head-on due to a primary focus on recycling plastic instead of changing production lines. This was Victoria Coes' aha moment, inspiring her to develop plastic-free products that are easy swaps with solid shampoo bars and body wash soap bars. It was at this time in 2019 that KinKind was born. As if it couldn't get even more eco-friendly, the products sell directly to families online with a subscription model, minimising carbon impact. While KinKind strongly hopes to create a positive environmental change by creating eco-friendly bars, customers are always of equal importance: ensuring the same high quality and user experience - despite using a different type of shampoo and conditioner. As they say at KinKind, "Bye Bye Bottles…Hello KinKind!" KinKind has saved over 289,091 bottles since its launch, helping oceans and sea creatures alike, one bar at a time. In an interview with Natural Product News, Victoria commented, “At KinKind, we believe that families can create positive change against plastic pollution and climate change, and our products are an easy, effective and enjoyable way to radically reduce the use of plastics in our bathrooms.”

Launched in February 2022, KinKind's Give me MORE! Shampoo and Conditioner Bars are unlike any shampoo or conditioner bar you've seen. KinKind's Give me MORE! is here for those who need more care and protection for their hair. One of the best shampoo and conditioner bars out there for curly, frizzy, damaged, long and thick hair, its silicone-free, wheat bran based and protects hair fibres for extra smoothness, softness, hydration, moisture, shine, strength, resistance, and ease of combing – the whole package. The Shampoo Bar is rich, foaming yet gentle, and cleansing with a fresh geranium and ylang-ylang fragrance. They use a gentler cleanser than bottle shampoos, and it’s suitable for coloured or highlighted hair. On the other hand, their Deep Conditioner Bar is enriched with cocoa seed butter and coconut oil, and packed with concentrated conditioning ingredients. Each palm-sized conditioner bar lasts up to a generous 50 washes, allowing an easy switch from bottles. You'd be surprised at how much rich lather and conditioning comes from each bar, leaving hair feeling silky soft.

The Shampoo Bar is pink in colour and starts with sodium coco-sulfate, a mix of all fatty acids from coconut oil that creates foam, cleanses the hair and is much gentler than SLS, followed by polyglyceryl-4-caprate, a water-loving emollient and solubiliser, and then pentylene glycol, a glycol with conditioning and preservative abilities. Then, there's glycerin, the much-loved humectant with excellent moisturising properties, wheat extract, skin softening and hair conditioning agent, caprylyl glycol, a skin conditioning agent with antimicrobial activity, 1,2-Hexanediol, a synthetic preservative and moisture-binding humectant, and lastly, benzyl benzoate, a solvent and preservative. Citronellol, a fragrance chemical from geranium, rose, and other plants that give the bar a citrus-like scent, and geraniol, a naturally derived fragrance from rose, geranium and citronella for a fresh, natural scent, make it in the mix too. You can also find limonene, a chemical with potent antioxidant benefits, linalool, floral and spicy terpene alcohol that gives off citrusy and lavender scents—lastly, CI 17200, a pink colourant.

The Deep Conditioner Bar's recurring ingredients include wheat extract, caprylyl glycol, pentylene glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, benzyl benzoate, citronellol, limonene, geraniol and linalool. New elements comprise Cetearyl alcohol, a chemical to soften hair and stabilises products; cocoa seed butter, a deeply nourishing, soothing and scalp-supporting fat. There’s coconut oil, a dandruff-relieving, lustre-restoring and frizz-taming protectant, and behentrimonium methosulfate, a non-irritating and mild conditioner that reduces static and frizz. While also encouraging moisture retention, voluminous hair and easy detangling without causing build-up. Besides that, the conditioner bar houses caprylic triglyceride, an excellent emollient and skin-replenishing ingredient.

We used the Shampoo Bar, rubbing it into a lather in our hands, and then putting it directly into our hair, to lather gently and rinse accordingly. For the Deep Conditioner Bar, we smoothed the bar between our palms, then down the length of our hair, from root to tip. Easy to use, the Deep Conditioner Bar, after leaving for a minute, provided instant conditioning when rinsed away. It also lends itself as a hair treatment when left on longer. For both bars, pop them on a rack after use to allow them to air dry. If you're using their Curly Girl Method, (kindly put together by the KinKind team), it's recommended to use both the Give me MORE! Shampoo Bar & Deep Conditioner Bar every few weeks. This is to be part of your curly hair routine to properly cleanse any dirt or bacteria from your hair. For our hair, we found this Give Me MORE! duo ingenious, our hair was left with a softer texture, hydrated, tangle-free and super-shiny. The mild Shampoo Bar lathered well, and delicately moisturised our hair, and the Deep Conditioner Bar tamed our wild locks. A one-of-a-kind shampoo and conditioner, it's another of our #amazingfinds, we highly recommend this for dry, damaged or other curly-haired people out there.

To purchase a 50g bar of the Give me MORE! Shampoo Bar at £6.50, click here. For a 40g bar of the Give me MORE! Deep Conditioner Bar at £7.00, click here.

Moksa: Damask Rose & Vetiver Bath Salts

Calling all bathtime junkies - it's now the season of self-care after all those overindulgent festivities. At The Amazing Blog, we think that simple pleasures are always the best; and for us, there's nothing better than to grab a book and unwind in a steamy bath with some fragrant and relaxing bath salts. That's why we couldn't resist trying these Damask Rose & Vetiver Bath Salts from British indie skincare brand Moksa that made an excellent addition to our bathing ritual.

Moksa a Devon-based natural skincare brand which all began from the inspiration that founder Chloe Osborn's found during her travels. The unusual brand name Mokṣa is a Sanskrit word meaning liberation, bliss and inner peace; Chloe said, "The word Moksa really resonates with me in so many ways. With my travel came a great sense of freedom and a definite sense of inner peace, so it just felt so apt; with that Mokṣa was born." In an interview with The Green Parent, Chloe explained, "I spent some time in an Ashram learning all things yogic, which was a huge inspiration. The idea that I could actually create my own business filled me with anticipation and excitement. The name Moksa came to me the day we returned to the UK, it sounds silly, but it really was one of those magical lightning bolt moments." Established in 2018, Moksa has gone from strength to strength and developed products ranging from skincare to bath products, candles and even teas. Each product embodies the brand's core values as 100% natural, handcrafted, environmentally friendly, vegan, cruelty-free, and ethically sourced. They also use UK-based suppliers who farm ethically and are sustainable and fair trade, sharing similar values. These artisan products have organic ingredients and contain no parabens, petrochemical (mineral oils), sulphates, alcohol or fillers. Moksa is an award-winning brand that has received awards from the Beauty Shortlist, FreeFrom awards, and The Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards; they were also shortlisted for the International Beauty Awards in 2019.

One of the most important aspects of taking a bath is the 'feel-good factor' inspired by relaxation and the heady aromas emanating from the steamy, fragrant vapours. This is where Moksa's Damask Rose & Vetiver Himalayan Bath Salts scores a whooping 10/10, with us for its plethora of relaxing and natural ingredients.

The seven key ingredients in the bath salts are: Himalayan pink salt, Fleur de Sel de Guerande, Epsom salts, rose absolute, vetiver and geranium essential oils, and dried rose petals. The Himalayan pink salt is a detoxifier harvested from the Punjab region in Pakistan, where the rock salt gets its pinkish hue. They are anti-microbial premium grade pure, unrefined and considered the purest in the world as they contain upwards of 84 minerals and trace elements, including calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium. The Fleur de Sel de Guerande, is hand-harvested French sea salt; it works to remineralise the body, which in turn helps regulate fluid balance and blood pressure. Epsom salts (AKA magnesium sulphate) are a naturally occurring mineral known to ease pain and relieve inflammation. Magnesium plays a number of roles in the body regulating the activity of over 325 enzymes helping muscle and nerve function, together with preventing the arteries from hardening.

These bath salts get their soothing scent from a combination of essential oils. The rose absolute is derived from the damask rose and introduces a light and floral aroma; it's hydrating and ideal for dry and sensitive skin types. The vetiver essential oil promotes skin regeneration, and the geranium adds another uplifting sweet floral note to the fragrance and is also known for its anti-anxiety and depression properties. Finally, the dried rose petals, besides emitting a warm scent, detox the body and help with better sleep.

As Chloe says, "You'll feel transported to the gorgeous flower baths of Bali with this sensuous blend." With its unique scent and texture, what better way to soak away stress at the end of the week? We held a couple of scoops (bamboo scoop provided) under a warm running tap to help them dissolve, et voila, a wonderful at-home spa, which left skin feeling soft, fresh and infused with rose. Best of all, they felt like they removed built-up toxins, and cleansed and relaxed both mind and body. Tempted to try?

Moksa offers this product in three sizes: A jar of bath salts at 250g with a glass jar with a bamboo scoop and lid at for £18. Or if a refill pouch is more your style, there’s a 100g refill priced at £10, or a 400g refill at £21. The Damask Rose & Vetiver Himalayan Bath Salts can be purchased here.  

Happy Carrot Skincare – Incredible Carrot Hero Balm

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Today at The Amazing Blog we’re looking at a simple and effective vegan skincare – well after all it’s still ‘Veganuary’. Today the humble carrot is the key ingredient with the  Incredible Carrot Hero Balm which is full of plant-based goodness, award winning and a great multi-tasking product from Happy Carrot Skincare.

Victoria Carpenter, founder of  Happy Carrot Skincare decided to name the company Happy Carrot because she believes in the benefits and power of the plant-based ingredients -  mainly the carrot! Launched in 2019, the Happy Carrot Skincare is committed to creating plant-based skincare - that works. This Vegan Society registered brand, wants to bring a positive change to our skin and the planet. Carpenter commented: “We focus on ingredients that are amazing for combination skin which are also great for the planet. Our skincare superheroes are extremely nourishing and calming for even troubled skin, and deliberately fragrance-free.” All pots are made from recyclable plastic with compostable labels, and they use cold-pressed oils from Europe with up-cycled fruit seeds and kernels, which are excess and have been discarded from food production. They consider themselves to be a zero-waste and low carbon footprint brand. Happy Carrot Skincare keeps their ingredients to a minimum, where all their ‘superhero’ products contain less than ten in total. The brand has won by numerous awards such as The Beauty Shortlist AwardsGlobal Green Beauty Awards,  Free From Skincare Awards and VegFest UK Awards. Their four products range from Terrific Tomato Facial Oil, Awesome Apricot Lip Balm, Reusable Cleansing Pads to the (below) featured Incredible Carrot Hero Balm.

The Incredible Carrot Hero Balm comes in two sizes a 15g or 40g pot with recyclable plastic. This Balm helps cleanse, calm, and moisturise your skin. This one of their superhero products which only contains eight plant-based ingredients. The hero here is the carrot extract because of the number of antioxidants it has, and it also gives the skin a golden glow. Carrots contain two types of vitamin A, carotenoids and retinoids (which the liver converts into the magical ‘retinol’). These are key in producing new skin cells, being high in antioxidants reduce skin inflammation and sun damage – reducing age spots and pigmentation. The murumuru butter mixed with vegan waxes such as myrica and candelilla wax, give the Balm a smooth texture making it easy to apply and leaving the skin soft.  The other fruit seeds oils used are watermelon, tomato and raspberry which are light and fast-absorbing; they’re clarifying for those with oily skin but also nourishing for dry.  Combined they protect and moisturise with antioxidants, minerals and unsaturated fatty acids. The Balm can be used in numerous ways; we used it as a cleanser, mask, moisturiser and lip balm. However, we see that many others like it as a nail and cuticle balm. We recommend scooping a little into your hands and massaging onto the face or neck, leaving it overnight to give skin an extra vitamin A and retinol boost, then removing any excess with a gentle toner in the morning. With a whole host of vitamins and nutrients, it left our faces feeling moisturised but not greasy. This is a one-pot-wonder; we think a good investment and ideal for using when travelling light. To purchase The Incredible Carrot Hero Balm see here  40g for £25.00.