Find South African chemical-free products that are cost-effective and of excellent quality with these recommendations.
My chemical-free journey began as I scrolled through Instagram one evening, pregnant and in the bath. I’m not sure how, but I stumbled across Emma Ross’ account and her posts opened my eyes to a world where there were options to use chemical-free products on my body and in my home.
However, there was just one problem. Ross, and the multitude of accounts I followed subsequently, were all based in the UK or in the USA, and the products they were testing and reviewing weren’t available in Zimbabwe or South Africa.
In pursuit of South African Chemical-Free Products
Since that day back in 2018, the chemical-free, plastic-free market has opened up and there are a lot of options out there. A perception I come across regularly is that going chemical-free is far more expensive than using chemicals. Well, yes, there are pricey options out there, but I have also come across some wonderful options that fit a tighter pocket without compromising on the ingredients.
Here are some of my favorite switches that I have made:
7 South African Chemical-Free Toiletries Switches
1. Earth Ant Deodorant
I have not used an aerosol deodorant for over about 4 years. When I started my exploration of ‘alternative’ deodorant, I was in a desperate situation. My armpit pores were feeling clogged and I found myself needing to respray 2 or 3 times during the day.
We were in Paris and I found a tiny pharmacy down an empty street. I was looking for a new deodorant to buy and the pharmacist showed me a range of chemical-free products. I didn’t even know these existed!
Since then, I have tried various products, most of which were great! But I’ve stuck with Earth Ant Deodorant for over a year because I only need one application in the morning and I am set for the day. And that’s throughout our hot summers, too. I have a few family members using it now, and all of them have remarked on how long-lasting this product is. My favourite scent is “Mountain Fresh”.
Kitchen Eco Cleaning: Eco-friendly Reusable Kitchen Cloth Wipes in Minutes
2. Skin Creamery – Oil-Milk Cleanser
Skin Creamery’s Oil-Milk Cleanser is truly wonderful. It takes your make-up off AND leaves your skin feeling moisturised. A little bit goes a long way, too. I would not classify this product as one that is budget-friendly, but it’s important to note that it has lasted me over 6 months. What’s more, you really can tell that the ingredients to this cleanser are extremely luxurious. Oh and, you can buy refill sachets.
3. African Bliss 100% Natural Soap – 100% South African and Chemical-Free
This is another product that I have gifted family and friends and they’ve become faithful customers to African Bliss’ 100% Natural Soap. These bars are creamy, smell wonderful, and leave your skin feeling nourished rather than dried out by harsh chemicals. What I love is that they have so many scent options.
4. Hey Gorgeous – Pure Wild Volumising Mascara
Like my deo journey, my search for a chemical-free mascara was born out of desperation. My eyes had started getting itchy when I used mainstream mascara and I had started getting styes after wearing a lot of make-up. Pure Wild Volumising Mascara was the first mascara I tried out and I haven’t needed to look for another one.
The number one question I get asked is, “Is it waterproof?” The answer is no and I’m happy to say this because when I used waterproof mascara back in the day, my eyelashes started falling out! That’s how much gunk was in the mixture. My lashes fell out before the mixture released its grip. Ew.
Squeaky clean: Lemon & Vinegar Chemical-Free Cleaning Spray
5. Earth Ant Shampoo Bar: A Truly South African Chemical-Free Product
This has been another game-changer for our family. And it will start to sound like I’m just repeating myself but when I switched to this product I was, yes you guessed it, desperate to find something better than the bottles of shampoo I’d been buying for 10+ years.
My hair was limp and I found that I was having to wash my hair almost every day. After switching to Earth Ant Shampoo Bar, my hair started feeling lighter and less ‘gunky’. I could also go for about 4 days before needing to wash my hair – a major win!
I have tried a few other shampoo bars, but I always come back to this one because it is the one that best works with my hair. I found other products to have too much oil in their soap mixture.
6. Just Pure Scalp and Hair Elixir
Bet you thought the next on the list would be a conditioner bar? Nope. I will be posting about why I don’t use conditioner bars soon.
When my hair is feeling dry and in need of some extra nourishment, about twice a month, I use Just Pure Scale and Hair Elixir. It smells gorgeous and I am yet to finish one bottle, because it lasts for such a long time.
7. Earthly Toothbits
I made this change purely because I felt guilty about how much plastic goes into each tube of toothpaste. This change was not as smooth sailing as my other switches.
At first, I found that the Earthly Toothbits left me with a very soapy taste in my mouth. However, after a week of persisting, this taste stopped being offensive, and I settled into the mode of popping these little toothpaste bits into my mouth and brushing. Since making this chemical-free switch, I’ve introduced others to this product and they’ve had a far better experience than I did, taste-wise.
I really like the little tin these bits come in and just how chemical-free and earth-friendly this product is.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER SOUTH AFRICAN CHEMICAL-FREE SWITCHES?
I have made other switches; however, I will only share the products I am 100% happy with. For products like daily cream, night cream, and hair conditioner, I’m still on the lookout for products that I am thrilled with and feel like the price matches the quality.
Leave a Reply