UPDATE: we are no longer stocking these 2 products but we do have other natural body moisturisers in stock format.

Going plastic free in a lotion is not an easy thing to do. Most lotions will come in a plastic tube (like the one on the right). While they can be cut open at end of life and sent to TerraCycle for recycling, it's still plastic and the carbon footprint to get the empty to the recycler. Even glass bottles will have a plastic lid and possibly even a pump. We do have two options in store that are 100% plastic free. One is a moisturiser bar (which is so easy to use and I'm totally in love with mine) and a concentrate that you can turn in to a liquid and store in a container you already own.

It's interesting that both offerings are from companies known for their shampoo bar range, Australian brand Nuebar, and New Zealand brand Ethique.

The Nuebar Body Moisturiser Bar looks like a cake of soap, but it's not. Based on cacao butter, shea butter, sunflower oil and aloe, this bar starts to melt to the touch when it gets on to warm skin. It is the perfect balance of wax and oil (it's vegan, not beeswax) and leaves just a hint of wax on the skin after it's rubbed in. It forms a really beautifully nourishing barrier on the skin and is particularly great for extra dry skin for this reason. We totally love Nuebar for making this product unscented. It has the delicate aroma of of the cacao butter to keep you company when it's being worn.

The Nuebar Body Moisturiser Bar is ready to use straight from the box and my hot pick for a plastic free body lotion solution. For those who just have to have a lotion and can't wrap their head around the concept of a moisturiser bar, there's a second option in store that gives you a lotion in a plastic free solution.

From Ethique we have the Concentrates range. Concentrates are a bar that have little ridges like with a block of chocolate. You break them up in to small pieces, cover in boiling water, stir, cool and bottle. Once made, you get 350ml of liquid that has a shelf life of around 6 months. While you can go out and buy an empty bottle, the idea of Concentrates is that you repurpose a container that you already have at home.

Making up the Concentrates is a little project, and while the storage may not be 100% plastic free, if you're using something you already have, then you're not introducing any new plastic in to the home which is our main goal. The body lotion is available in 2 scents + an unscented version. The Concentrates are also available as a body wash, hand wash, shampoo, conditioner and they have also stepped outside the personal care category they usually known for by creating some natural cleaning products in the Concentrates with a bathroom and a kitchen spray. Just remember to keep your empty spray bottle from your last multi-purpose or bathroom spray and re-use it.