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Grüum: Shampoo Bars

The shampoo you use can make or break your hair (literally!), and when it comes to chosing your haircare, there are so many factors to consider. With many choices available on the market, at The Amazing Blog we tend to gravitate towards natural and eco-friendly products with simple ingredients that we can recognise. Today, we’re highlighting the natural brand Grüum and four types of their shampoo bars. 

Grüum is a Manchester-based brand founded in 2016 by four friends Andy Shaw, Bethanie Sleigh, Simon Leonard, George Lagonikas. During a trip to the supermarket, they realised how there was a lack of good natural skin and haircare products for both men and women at reasonable prices. Determined to create affordable and straightforward everyday skin, hair, and grooming essentials, the friends quit their jobs, invested their savings, and launched Grüum. Inspired by Scandinavian ideals, they launched Grüum based on the three core principles of “Simplicity, Honesty and Fairness,” to reflect each of their products. They created inclusive products, and developed a single skincare range suitable for anyone regardless of age, gender, or race. Grüum products are free from toxins and contain natural ingredients, and the brand does not use EDTA, parabens, or artificial colours. We were also happy to find that Grüum never tests on animals nor sources ingredients from suppliers who do, and almost all of their products are vegan! Grüum is also eco-friendly: they make their products in the UK, reducing transport emissions and use only space-efficient and minimal packaging with recyclable materials. They are the first UK brand to offer a shaving razor recycling system. 

We were sent four of Grüum’s Shampoo Bars, which are a solid form of shampoo. While liquid shampoos contain detergents that can often strip the hair of its natural oils, shampoo bars contain solidified oils, butters, conditioners, and cleansers that don’t lead to breakage or dry hair out over time. Grüum uses Sodium Coco-Sulfate, a palm-free alternative to the traditionally-used sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) detergent extracted from coconuts. Shampoo bars also contain less water than liquid shampoo, meaning that the shampoo is more concentrated and potent with ingredients. Because they’re solid, shampoo bars also reduce plastic waste, and are travel friendly. The first of these bars that we tried was Grüum’s Shine Boost Bar with henna and juniper extracts . While most of us associate henna with the dye used for skin and hair, this extract from the Henna flower also helps seal the hair cuticle, making it less susceptible to breakage and increasing its shine. Juniper extract has astringent qualities, meaning that it tightens pores, strengthens hair roots, and increases hair growth. Because of henna extract it makes this bar best for darker and dyed hair. The second bar that we tried was Grüum’s Revitalising Bar for dull hair. The key ingredient in this bar is cocoa butter, a butter rich in antioxidants and fatty acids extracted from cocoa beans. Because of its nutrients, cocoa butter offers many benefits for hair: It moisturises hair, strengthens the hair shaft, prevents hair loss due to breakage, replenishes oils, and repairs damaged hair strands. The cocoa butter, along with the coconut oil in the bar, left our hair feeling squeaky clean but smooth and moisturised at the same time. The third bar that Grüum sent to us was their Brightening Shampoo Bar with lemon and sweet almond oil.  The lemon juice contains citric acid, which acts as a natural bleaching agent and on the hair. As a lightener, lemon juice is the most effective for dark blond to light blond hair, so it’s best used to maintain the brilliance of hair that’s already light. Unlike other almond oils, sweet almond oil is free from toxins and contains high concentrations of vitamin A and E, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc. The oil moisturises both the scalp and the hair, preventing breakage, split ends, itchy scalp, and dry roots. The final bar that Grüum shared with us was the Nourishing Shampoo Bar with coconut oil. A natural and straightforward bar with only five ingredients, the main star of this shampoo bar is its coconut oil. The fatty acid found in coconut oil is lauric acid, giving it a long structure that is easily absorbed into the inner layer of the hair shaft and helping to reduce protein loss. This protein retention allows hair to become more moisturised, smooth and shiny. With its simple but effective ingredients, it’s no wonder that this shampoo bar is suitable for all hair types! This was our favourite, with our long and also curly hair this worked the best out of the four, as it left hair clean and not too tangly. To use any of these bars, wet your hair and swirl the shampoo bar between your hands or over your hair to create a lather. Then, massage into your hair and rinse. However, we would like to mention you DO need conditioner with these shampoo bars, they are not a 2-in-1. Grüum do a Conditioner Bar, but sadly didn’t send it to us.

If you’re interested in making the switch to Grüum’s shampoo bars, you can find all four bars mentioned above on their website in 50g bars for £8.00 for a one-time purchase or £5.00 if you sign up for one of their subscription services. Best of all, these shampoos are long-lasting and offer up to 60 washes per bar! The Shine Boost Bar with Henna and Juniper is available here, and the Revitalising Bar for Dull Hair is available here. You can purchase the Brightening Shampoo Bar with Lemon and Sweet Almond Oil here and the Nourishing Shampoo Bar with Coconut Oil here.

NovaeCBD: SuperNova 5% CBD Oil + Vitamin D3

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Sadly, August and the summer sunshine seems to have passed us by, and at The Amazing Blog we’re ever hopeful for an Indian summer to come. That is why it’s the perfect time for us try this SuperNova 5% CBD Oil + Vitamin D3, by NovaeCBD; with its much needed drop of golden sunshine in a bottle!

NovaeCBD is a British CBD brand that specialises in CBD oil. It all started when two best friends, and future founders, Ryan Telford and Jas Toor, who discovered a mutual passion for all things health and wellness. Ryan stumbled on CBD after having had it recommended by a friend. They were both a little sceptical because of the stigma surrounding CBD, but after seeing the benefits to their health, they became CBD advocates with a desire to share the knowledge of its benefits. However, they were hesitant to share some of these CBD finds with their family and friends, as they didn’t have best taste or consistency, or had lack of transparency and steep prices. At this moment, they decided to create their own CBD brand that would tick all the boxes, NovaeCBD launched in October 2020 with their first two CBD oils. NovaeCBD is committed to transparency with the brand, and also want to provide an excellent customers experience. Their mission is to “provide high quality, organic and ethical CBD products at affordable prices to help people improve their lives.” All hemp used is full spectrum and hand-picked from ethical German hemp farms. The end product is cruelty-free, gluten-free, and packed with cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and omega-3s.  NovaeCBD aims to be carbon neutral, with no excess packaging as they want to eliminate, reduce and re-use. All products are CBD laboratory tested, vegan, gluten-free organic and UK compliant.

The SuperNova CBD Oil + Vitamin D3. appealed to us as it combine two of our favourite supplements full-spectrum CBD and vitamin D3. This is a medium-strength CBD oil, meaning one drop contains approximately 2mg of CBD making this product 5% CBD or 500mg per bottle PLUS the recommended daily amount of 640IU vitamin D3. We are big CBD fans that think that full-spectrumCBD oil takes wellness to the next level, by providing anxiety relief, control over sleep imbalances, muscle recovery, and immune system support - and you’ve heard us say this all before! The CBD here is extracted with the supercritical CO2 method, which efficiently crafts a potent CBD paste that is made into a full-spectrum CBD oil containing the naturally occurring cannabis plant extracts, perfect for the 'entourage effect.' This CBD oil does not skip out on any of the plant's beneficial parts and includes a few added components with the full-spectrum CBD, organic hemp seed oil, whole-plant extract, and 4mg vitamin D3. This CBD oil has no added ingredients that are not naturally found in hemp, except vitamin D3, which separates this CBD oil from others with its exclusive 2-in-1 health boost. Vitamin D3, also known as the 'sunshine vitamin,' helps kickstart the immune system, strengthens bones, lifts mood, and is good for heart health. In addition to CBD, vitamin D3 furthers relaxation that can also help with anxiety, sleeplessness, or muscle relief, and acts as a substitute for the sun, which naturally helps to produce vitamin D3 in the body. Living in the UK, vitamin D3 is a supplement we’re all recommended to take daily, as we only have an average of 4 sun hours a day! Yes it’s true - see here. And with, the cloudy weather and winter, the body needs some extra help to get this necessary vitamin. The founder, Jas Toor, and his wife both take this SuperNova CBD oil in the morning to get their daily vitamin D3 and to help them with focus throughout the day. They also take one drop at night to help with sleep. We followed their lead by administering one drop of SuperNova CBD oil at night, what surprised us the most was the delicious and mild taste of this full-spectrum CBD oil (we thought it might have a bit of that usual kick). We regularly take CBD oil at night to calm the mind and to help relax us, and this Supernova didn’t disappoint. We also like that we got our daily dose of vitamin D3 - which save us dosing up with other supplements. If you are looking for a wellness supplement that lifts your mood, helps you sleep, and ticks all the boxes, then this may be the CBD oil of your dreams! To purchase the SuperNova 5% CBD Oil + Vitamin D3 for £35.99, see here.

Elan Skincare: Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster, Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum & Whisper Skin Saviour

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If you are familiar with us at  The Amazing Blog, then you’ll know that we love to introduce natural skincare, and Elan Skincare is one of our favourite featured brands (see here). Very kindly, they sent us three more of their products to try the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster,  Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum, and the Whisper Skin Saviour.

As we mentioned previously, Elan Skincare, is a natural British skincare brand founded by Joanna Silva in 2017.She has almost a decade of experience in the medical industry — in wound care, infection prevention, and specifically skincare. Elan Skincare’s mission is to be honest and transparent, and to have a strong foundation in science, nature, and art. Joanna hopes that Elan Skincare’s products will make people feel beautiful and confident and, thus, go for their dreams. The brand values integrity, kindness, and respect — integrity in the brand’s work, kindness to others and oneself, and respect for each other, and our natural environment. Elan Skincare cares about what you put on your skin. Their products contain an exquisite blend of botanicals that are carefully selected. In their formulations the brand uses cold-pressed unrefined oils and butters, Eco-cert or Soil Association certified organic botanicals, with the purest CO2 organic plant extracts, and natural active ingredients (coenzyme Q10, vitamins C & E, hyaluronic acid). Elan Skincare is women-led, and women’s health and wellbeing are at the heart of the company. The brand’s whole range of products are expertly formulated, dermatologically tested, is vegan, and cruelty-free. Their bottles and product labels are recyclable and sustainability is important to Elan Skincare. Their products have won multiple awards — the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster won the Beauty Shortlist Awards 2019 Editor’s Choice, the Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum also won the Beauty Shortlist Awards 2019 Editor’s Choice, and these as a Duo Pack won a Beauty Bible Awards 2020. Silva said, “Elan Skincare is a truly feminine brand, made by women for women. At the end of the day, we face the same challenges of balancing work, family, love and finding a little bit of space for our dreams and pursuits. I strongly believe that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I wish all of us women the confidence and belief in our dreams and ourselves.”

Elan Skincare’s Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster restores moisture balance and leaves your skin softer, smoother, and more radiant. The Booster water-based serum is fragrance-free and suitable for all skin types, and they call it their “Pure Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum.” The key benefits of this serum include reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improving skin texture and rejuvenating the tired-looking complexion. It also deeply hydrates and supports the skin’s renewal at the cellular level and promotes firmer, smoother, healthier, and more elastic skin. The ingredients in this serum are few and simple. They only include water, sodium hyaluronate, benzyl alcohol, and dehydroacetic acid. The key one is the potent eco-certified 3% of hyaluronic acid. The type of hyaluronic acid is sodium hyaluronate, this has a lower molecular weight than HA and hydrolysed HA, so it’s more easily absorbed into pores. It also penetrates the deeper layers of the dermis and prevents trans-epidermal water loss. The dehydroacetic acid is derived from the solandra plant, and works together with the benzyl alcohol as a broad-spectrum organic preservative system, and conforms to requirements of COSMOS and ECOCERT. This is super-fast at being absorbed by the skin and it’s fragrance-free. We used morning and evening with only a couple of drops from the pipette, directly onto cleansed face and neck, leaving it about 2 minutes before applying moisturiser. It performed well and made a good canvas for other skincare to follow. It’s wonderful to find a serum tha trulyt hydrates the skin and plumps up fine lines and wrinkles. By the wayElan also recommends using this with one of their oil-based serum (like below), to seal in the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster; and there is a duo pack with their Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum.  

We also used the Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster with Elan Skincare’s Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum,They also call this ‘ Night Serum Vitamin C + E + Pomegranate’. It helps to improve skin tone and texture, stimulates skin regeneration, and give a more youthful look. We love how this oil-based serum is an amber coloured nectar with an uplifting citrus fragrance. It’s also ideal for uneven or dull skin (like ours). The key benefits of this serum include improving the overall skin tone, protecting skin from free radicals (which cause premature skin ageing), and creating ultra-smooth and glowing skin. The ingredients in this serum include: Organic pomegranate seed oil, vitamin C, organic carrot root extract, organic rosehip seed extract, abyssinian seed oil, oat kernel oil, hydrogenated farnesene, sea buckthorn oil, squalane, hazelnut oil, organic jojoba oil, vitamin E, and bisabolol. It’s not often we come across organic pomegranate seed oil as an ingredient. It has lots of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As the brand says, it’s to ‘fight free radicals, and protect against UVB-induced sun damage’. The vitamin C boosts and regenerates skin cells and collagen stability; the organic carrot root extract reduces sun damage and helps maintain the elasticity of the skin; the organic rosehip seed extract offers cell renewal capabilities; the abyssinian seed oil is deeply nourishing, smoothing, and softening to your skin; and the oat kernel oil strengthens the skin’s barrier function. The hydrogenated farnesene creates a light texture with a silky finish; the sea buckthorn oil is anti-inflammatory, hydrating, soothing, toning, and again skin regenerating. The squalane acts as a barrier to keep moisture locked in improves tone and texture, and helps prevent water loss. The hazelnut oil tones and tightens skin and can help reduce pores' appearance; the organic jojoba oil calms, balances, and helps skin retain moisture; the vitamin E rejuvenates, restores, and helps protect skin from environmental aggression. The bisabolol derived from German chamomile and barks from the candeia tree, enhances the appearance of dehydrated or damaged skin and helps other active ingredients penetrate deeper into the skin. As mentioned earlier, we used this together with Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster first. We put two drops on your fingertips and gently massage into our skin, it didn't feel greasy and left skin glowing. We woke to radiant and hydrated skin - ready to take on the day! 

Finally, we tried Elan Skincare’s latest addition to the range, the Whisper Skin Saviourit’s a multi-purpose balm that promises to soothe, and condition dehydrated, dry, or sensitive skin. This balm is a brilliant natural alternative to petrolatum or paraffin oil-based products. It is recommended for stretch marks, scars, redness, dry/cracked hands, scaly skin, dry skin on legs and elbows, chapped lips, and cuticles. If you, like us, have been washing your hands and applying hand sanitiser like crazy, then a thin layer of this balm will calm and protect sore skin. The main ingredients include shea butter, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, green tea extract, zinc oxide aloe leaf, vitamin E and bisabolol (discussed above). The aloe vera has anti-inflammatory properties and contains vitamins and minerals; the green tea calms irritations, soothes redness and swelling, evens out discolouration, and helps the skin retain moisture. The zinc here helps the body produce collagen, is an anti-inflammatory, treats burns, minimises scar tissue, heals the skin. The coconut oil has a calming effect, can help reduce redness and alleviate any discomfort associated with sore skin. We used this specifically on lips and cuticles, as these are two areas we suffer from dry and flakey skin. It has a rather moreish shea butter and coconut oil fragrance. As a multitasker, it works exceptionally well, and we highly recommend keeping this handy in a bag or by your desk. Although we regularly use hand cream, we’re guilty of never paying enough attention to our cuticles, and this balm helps to sort that out. Elan recommends for optimal results to apply the balm on slightly damp skin and to use a tiny amount, as a little goes a long way!

To purchase, you can find the 20ml Dream Hyaluronic Acid Booster here for £36, the 20ml Dream Overnight Renewal Face Serum here for £55Or both together as the duo pack here for £80; and the 20ml Whisper Skin Saviour here for £12.75. 

Poppy’s Natural Skincare: The Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil Bakuchiol & Amla

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Today, at The Amazing Blog we’re feature an award-winning British natural skincare that we've had our eye on for quite some time… Meet Poppy's Natural Skincare with their 100% pure botanical actives, that help to connect us back to nature.

Poppy's Natural Skincare is a high-performance natural skincare brand founded by Poppy Choudhury. it was born out of necessity , due to Poppy’s extremely sensitive skin, she knew that the only way ensure the quality of the skincare ingredients, was to formulate her own! And from a young age, she has been aware of the therapeutic and healing powers of botanicals and plants.  Poppy also has a scientific background and read Molecular Biology at university, worked in London with pharmaceutical clients, and studied Cosmetic Formulation and Science in Skincare. Her scientific knowledge and passion for natural beauty remedies led her to develop this skincare range that brings together the best of science and nature. Poppy was born in Bangladesh and raised in England; she can trace much of her inspiration back to her early days from observing plant remedies being incorporated into everyday medicinal and beauty routines. Poppy's Natural Skincare is a range of potent botanicals designed to help repair and protect skin's barrier function together with a whole host of other skin benefits. The brand's products include face oils, face masks, accessories, body butters, balms, and cleansers. Poppy encourages the ritual of self-care with her skincare, to help us all luxuriate in the experience and enjoy the moment. All products are uniquely formulated and handmade in Poppy's workshop, located in the English village of Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. They use the most potent ingredients that are 100% plant-based, ethically sourced, sustainable, cruelty-free (certified with Leaping Bunny), with thirteen out of the fourteen products being vegan. Plus, all products and packaging are 100% recyclable. We applaud the brand for their giving-back where they donate 10% of their profits to the Myna Mahila Foundation, which employs women from urban slums in Mumbai to manufacture and sell affordable sanitary pads in their communities, thus providing stable employment, improving menstrual hygiene, and building a trusted network. Being born in the Indian subcontinent and having family there, Poppy knows how hard it is for women to access sanitary products, so Myna Mahila is close to her heart. Poppy's Natural Skincare has a very popular following and is loved by many and won many awards from Natural Health, Global Green Beauty, FreeFrom Awards, Green Parent Natural Beauty and The Beauty Shortlist. To sum up the ethos of the brand, Poppy said, "The Poppy's Natural Skincare range was developed by me, but the knowledge comes from our amazing, shared history of the botanical world and its healing powers." 

One of Poppy's Natural Skincare's hero products is the recent winner at the 2021 Global Green Beauty Awards, the Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil Bakuchiol & Amla. This is suitable for all skin types, and works to help prevent signs of premature ageing. It is a lightweight and fast-absorbing oil-based formula and contains a luxurious blend of age-defying phyto-retinol compounds that are supercharged with youth-boosting botanically active ingredients to help repair, rejuvenate, and bestow radiance. As Poppy Skincare tells us, this is formulated with 31 of the world's most potent botanicals, including bakuchiol, co-enzyme Q10, marine algae, amla, acmella oleracea, kahai, unsaponifiable olive oil, neroli, and olive squalene. Bakuchiol extract is from the psoralea corylifolia (babchi) plant's leaves and seeds (see photo above). It is a compound recognised as a phyto-retinol and a natural alternative to the synthetic retinol. It works in the same way and stimulates collagen production, reduces visible lines and hyperpigmentation, and helps restore the skin's elasticity. Poppy first came across this key ingredient in Bangladesh, where babchi is used to treat vitiligo, eczema, and also found in some skincare. The co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is both age-defying and a potent antioxidant. It protects the skin from the damaging effects of sun exposure and free radicals; it also helps to reduce sun damage, even skin tone, and improve skin hydration. Marine algae extract is a potent age-defying botanical that increases cell turnover and collagen production, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Amla (Indian gooseberry) is a super berry and is a highly regarded medicinal Ayurveda plant too. It contains copious amounts of vitamin C, which helps to fade hyperpigmentation, and has amino acids and antioxidants which also actively encourage collagen production. Acmella oleracea, in known to relax the facial muscles lessening muscle tension, and in turn softening the appearance of fine lines. The kahai (cacay oil) has high levels of vitamin A, linoleic acid, and vitamin E. Unsaponifiable olive oil replenishes the skin's lipid layer to restore skin suppleness and elasticity. The essential oil neroli is also here, which is said to be cytophylactic, meaning it helps with the creation of new skin cells. It's also the fragrance in the Face Oil. Finally, there is the olive squalane, this helps to slow down the transepidermal water loss and boosts skin moisture.

Because we have dry and dehydrated skin, we used about two or three pumps of the oil (rather than the suggested one or two). We applied it by massaging the oil gently into the face, neck and décolletage. It absorbed well, leaving a fine veil on the skin, which for us, made a good base for applying makeup – dare we suggest, that you could even add a pump of the oil to your foundation, to help it glide more gracefully onto the skin.  We love the neroli scent with its rich, honeyed floral notes and citrusy overtones, which always has a soothing effect on our mood and makes the ritual of applying this Face Oil even more pleasing…. What a joy this is to use, and we are so pleased to have finally tried this award-winning Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil. We believe in supporting indie skincare brands like Poppy’s Natural Skincare, this is for many reasons. We find their products are created with great passion, love and care and always formulated with far more superior ingredients, which makes this another of our #amazingfinds!  To try the 30ml Super Age-Defying Organic Face Oil Bakuchiol & Amla, you can find it here for £75.00.

Grevinnans Rum: Ansiktsmask/Peel, and Saltvattentvalen No:1

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When it comes to skincare, sometimes simplicity is key, and at The Amazing Blog  we love it when natural products offer multiple benefits and uses. Today, we’re introducing two more versatile and handy products from one of our favourite Nordic natural skincare discoveries Grevinnans Rum, who we recently wrote about here. See below with their Ansiktsmask/Peel  and the Saltvattentvalen No:1.

As regular readers will remember, Grevinnans Rum is a family-owned organic skincare brand founded in Gränna, Sweden, by Karen Egertz. With a background in the skincare business and a degree in marketing, she decided to open a skincare shop where she would sell unique, organic skincare. However, she quickly realised that the products she hoped to stock did not exist, and with the help of her family, she closed her physical shop to focus on producing her own organic and vegan skincare products. With the motto “Only the best is enough,” Grevinnans Rum pride themselves on the quality of their products, carefully selecting their ingredients. Karin and her team manufacture everything by hand in their small skincare factory, from organic raw materials and natural raw materials such as water and salt.  Their attention to detail results in skincare that is natural, cruelty-free, palm oil-free, and suitable for all skin types. It’s no wonder that Grevinnans Rum won two Nordic Natural Beauty Awards in 2020 from and were nominees at STHLM Beauty Week Awards 2021.

As a two-in-one, this Ansiktsmask/Peel face mask and peel is a brilliant multitasker that works as both a deep cleanser and moisturiser. Suitable for all skin types, It contains many natural active ingredients. The first of these are two types of clay: Moroccan lava clay and white kaolin, these work together to cleanse the skin, dissolve blackheads, and control sebum production. It also contains oat silk, a protein-rich oat flour extract that improves skin texture and leaves skin feeling smooth. In addition, the Ansiktsmask/Peel includes moisturising ingredients such as jojoba oil and frankincense, the oldest essential oil still in use that was said to have healing properties by Queen Cleopatra herself. When applying the Ansiktsmask/Peel onto your face and neck, leave it on for about three to ten minutes, depending on how much time you have. We followed Grevinnans Rum’s recommendation and used this mask twice a week and found that it helped cleanse the skin by drawing out the impurities, and when rinsed off, it left our complexions feeling hydrated and soft. Another big plus, is that they say with regular use it helps reduce any pigmentation spots or sun damage. The 100ml jar of Ansiktsmask/Peel can be purchased here for 499 KR (£41.53).

Next, we tried Saltvattentvalen No:1 (AKA the Saltwater Soap No:1), this is a handmade and organic saltwater soap that can be used as a hand and body soap, and is also gentle enough to be used on the face. It contains saponified coconut oil, natural glycerin, Dead Sea salt, peppermint and citrus (litsea cubeba). Using a saltwater soap was a first for us; it means that it contains potassium salts rather than sodium salts, making it gentle, not abrasive. Interestingly, the brand suggests using it also when bathing in the sea or freshwater lakes to get most out of the soap, and to feel more at one with nature. Saltwater soaps provide many benefits to your skin: They moisturise without leaving a greasy feel, exfoliate dead skin cells, draw out skin impurities and fight acne, and absorb excess oil. The use of saltwater in soap also increases circulation; the principle of using saltwater has been around since the Ancient Greeks and Romans who used saltwater-based baths and products to help them reduce stress and improve sleep quality. Packaged in a branded paper surround and carried by a loop of handmade rope strung through the middle, the packaging for the Saltvattentvalen No:1 is very eco-friendly and recyclable. As mentioned above, you can use the soap in all types of water, and if you find yourself using the soap in cold water, they suggest that it be heated in the hands, rather than in the water, to help produce extra foam. We found it to be an excellent multitasker – cleansing, exfoliating and very gentle. We only used it in the shower and bath and are still super-curious to try it in the sea! We loved how easy it was to use, and how it made our skin feel clean and soft, leaving a subtle zesty scent which was a welcome bonus! Out of the two products this was our favourite and one we’d rate as another our #amazingfinds. We’ve fallen in love this brand, and can’t wait for Grevinnans Rum to be stocked in the UK. To purchase this 250g Saltvattentvalen No:1, see herefor 159  KR (£13.23).