![When Cath set up The Plastic Free Shop way back in 2017/18, one of her key environmental goals was to support local businesses as much as possible. It’s an important environmental goal because the more products are shipped around the world, the less environmentally friendly they become, even if they are made from super sustainable materials. We always do our best to bring you the best products, often made in the UK, sometimes made in the West Country and when we are lucky, made in the Bristol area.
Like this gorgeous gift set from the extremely local and very talented Kelly from @organichappyholistics – Soil Association certified and made just down the road from us on the outskirts of Bristol.
This gift set contains a luxurious bar of cold process soap, made using local organic ingredients such as calendula and nettle. The soaps smell gorgeous (right to the end of the bar too!). It’s the kind of soap that your over-washed hands have been crying out for!
The gift sets include an organic handwoven muslin face cloth from a fair trade project in Kerala and are topped off with a beautiful vegan lip balm to moisturise and protect your lips – the lip balm comes in a recycled paperboard tube that can be home composted. Presented in a lovely cardboard gift box, you can choose from four different sets –
Flower Power – featuring a Jasmine and Rose soap with a Turkish Delight lip balm (yum!)
Refreshing – containing Nettle and Rosemary soap with a Minty Fresh lip balm (equally yum!)
Soothing – with a Lavender and Patchouli Soap and a Lavender, Aloe and Tea Tree lip balm (ahhhhhh)
Uplifting – bringing together a Lemongrass and Calendula soap with a St Clements lip balm (zingy!)
Whether you choose a set as a gift for a loved one (who will love you even more thanks to such a wonderful present!) or if you just need a treat yourself, you can be proud as punch to have supported a small business supporting a local business supporting the local wildlife!
(We also stock a number of individual products from Happy Holistics too, including some absolutely divine body butters)]()
When Cath set up The Plastic Free Shop way back in 2017/18, one of her key environmental goals was to support local businesses as much as possible. It’s an important environmental goal because the more products are shipped around the world, the less environmentally friendly they become, even if they are made from super sustainable materials. We always do our best to bring you the best products, often made in the UK, sometimes made in the West Country and when we are lucky, made in the Bristol area. Like this gorgeous gift set from the extremely local and very talented Kelly from @organichappyholistics – Soil Association certified and made just down the road from us on the outskirts of Bristol. This gift set contains a luxurious bar of cold process soap, made using local organic ingredients such as calendula and nettle. The soaps smell gorgeous (right to the end of the bar too!). It’s the kind of soap that your over-washed hands have been crying out for! The gift sets include an organic handwoven muslin face cloth from a fair trade project in Kerala and are topped off with a beautiful vegan lip balm to moisturise and protect your lips – the lip balm comes in a recycled paperboard tube that can be home composted. Presented in a lovely cardboard gift box, you can choose from four different sets – Flower Power – featuring a Jasmine and Rose soap with a Turkish Delight lip balm (yum!) Refreshing – containing Nettle and Rosemary soap with a Minty Fresh lip balm (equally yum!) Soothing – with a Lavender and Patchouli Soap and a Lavender, Aloe and Tea Tree lip balm (ahhhhhh) Uplifting – bringing together a Lemongrass and Calendula soap with a St Clements lip balm (zingy!) Whether you choose a set as a gift for a loved one (who will love you even more thanks to such a wonderful present!) or if you just need a treat yourself, you can be proud as punch to have supported a small business supporting a local business supporting the local wildlife! (We also stock a number of individual products from Happy Holistics too, including some absolutely divine body butters) ![Black Friday.
Green Friday.
It all goes a little bit wild at this time of year. Which is really tricky, because this year has been wild enough as it is.
It’s hard to know what to do about so many aspects of life right now. When it comes to planning your shopping, or being overwhelmed by the messages that bombard us all to buy buy buy, we like to take the pressure off.
Therefore:
We won’t be running any Black Friday deals. Not this year. Not next year.
We also won’t be running Green Friday deals either, so you can take a breather and just relax. Shop with us as, when and if you choose, with no worries that tomorrow there will be some sort of discount that you’ll miss.
If you want to know precisely why we aren’t into discounting our products, you can read our blog post about it – the link is in the bio. It’s quite a long one, so you might need to grab a cuppa (and a chocolate biscuit or two, obvs) and get comfy for the read.
Thank you so much for being part of our world – we are always grateful to you for your support!
#SupportLocal #BristolBusiness #ShopIndependent #GreenFriday #ShopIndependentThisChristmas #EcoBusiness #SustainableChristmas #SustainableBusiness #SmallBusinessUk #BristolSmallBusiness #thinkglobalactlocal]()
Black Friday. Green Friday. It all goes a little bit wild at this time of year. Which is really tricky, because this year has been wild enough as it is. It’s hard to know what to do about so many aspects of life right now. When it comes to planning your shopping, or being overwhelmed by the messages that bombard us all to buy buy buy, we like to take the pressure off. Therefore: We won’t be running any Black Friday deals. Not this year. Not next year. We also won’t be running Green Friday deals either, so you can take a breather and just relax. Shop with us as, when and if you choose, with no worries that tomorrow there will be some sort of discount that you’ll miss. If you want to know precisely why we aren’t into discounting our products, you can read our blog post about it – the link is in the bio. It’s quite a long one, so you might need to grab a cuppa (and a chocolate biscuit or two, obvs) and get comfy for the read. Thank you so much for being part of our world – we are always grateful to you for your support! #SupportLocal #BristolBusiness #ShopIndependent #GreenFriday #ShopIndependentThisChristmas #EcoBusiness #SustainableChristmas #SustainableBusiness #SmallBusinessUk #BristolSmallBusiness #thinkglobalactlocal ![New Product Excitement!
Looking after your skin might not be a top priority right now (or ever if you are a bit like us here!) but what with all this handwashing, and us heading into Winter, taking a moment to slap on a dab of balm can really pay dividends.
Faces need a little bit of extra care and attention – especially if you have sensitive skin, or struggle with skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis – as the weather gets colder and wetter, and many skincare products contain a host of ingredients which cost loads of money but don’t necessarily give your skin the additional support it deserves. Healthy happy skin needs to be able to breathe and yet be protected from the elements at the same time.
That’s where this wonderful balm comes in.
The Lyonsleaf Beauty Balm has been a hit with Claire who spends quite a lot of time outdoors – swimming in cold water, riding her bike to work or just getting out for a blast of fresh air. She was so excited about it, she even wrote a product review on our website about it. Here’s what she said:
“I tested this for The Plastic Free Shop, and was wowed. Properly wowed! This one little pot does so much - cleanses, moisturises and protects - and works brilliantly. My skin feels, and looks, great and the balm even protects my skin when I go cold water swimming! Definitely one of my top favourite products!”
Finding a product which is so utterly practical is a real delight. One pot of balm cleanses, is gentle enough to moisturise your face, but nourishing enough for dry hands and elbows, it protects against the Winter elements, and can even help rebalance oily skin. It’s made from tropical oils and herbs grown by the fine folk @lyonsleaf on their very own farm near Cheddar, Somerset – we love the fact that their brilliant products only have to travel 20 miles to get to us here at The Plastic Free Shop – talk about being a local business!
We also now stock their wonderful Body Butter and a Calendula & Marchmallow Balm too – so your skin can stay well looked after all Winter long!
#DrySkin #WinterSkinCare #IrritatedSkin #NaturalSkincare #PlasticFree #winterskin #oilcleansing #ethicalgifts]()
New Product Excitement! Looking after your skin might not be a top priority right now (or ever if you are a bit like us here!) but what with all this handwashing, and us heading into Winter, taking a moment to slap on a dab of balm can really pay dividends. Faces need a little bit of extra care and attention – especially if you have sensitive skin, or struggle with skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis – as the weather gets colder and wetter, and many skincare products contain a host of ingredients which cost loads of money but don’t necessarily give your skin the additional support it deserves. Healthy happy skin needs to be able to breathe and yet be protected from the elements at the same time. That’s where this wonderful balm comes in. The Lyonsleaf Beauty Balm has been a hit with Claire who spends quite a lot of time outdoors – swimming in cold water, riding her bike to work or just getting out for a blast of fresh air. She was so excited about it, she even wrote a product review on our website about it. Here’s what she said: “I tested this for The Plastic Free Shop, and was wowed. Properly wowed! This one little pot does so much - cleanses, moisturises and protects - and works brilliantly. My skin feels, and looks, great and the balm even protects my skin when I go cold water swimming! Definitely one of my top favourite products!” Finding a product which is so utterly practical is a real delight. One pot of balm cleanses, is gentle enough to moisturise your face, but nourishing enough for dry hands and elbows, it protects against the Winter elements, and can even help rebalance oily skin. It’s made from tropical oils and herbs grown by the fine folk @lyonsleaf on their very own farm near Cheddar, Somerset – we love the fact that their brilliant products only have to travel 20 miles to get to us here at The Plastic Free Shop – talk about being a local business! We also now stock their wonderful Body Butter and a Calendula & Marchmallow Balm too – so your skin can stay well looked after all Winter long! #DrySkin #WinterSkinCare #IrritatedSkin #NaturalSkincare #PlasticFree #winterskin #oilcleansing #ethicalgifts ![Walking.
Just the ticket when you need to clear your head, escape from the weirdness, or simply to get some good old fashioned exercise.
We are so lucky here in the West Country to have so many lovely places to go a-walking. We can walk up hills, through the countryside, along a river in city as well as through fields. We can stroll along pebble beaches or enjoy the vastness of a low tide by the sea.
While we are busy working here at The Plastic Free Shop, packing up loads of fantastic orders, and no doubt you are busy at home or at work, doing all the stuff that you have to do, we think it really is nice to sometimes just stop for a minute to remember those lovely outdoor moments. The ones where you managed to fill your head with the big wide world.
It’s also nice to dream about future outdoor adventures – we might not be able to go exploring in quite the usual way right now, but there’s nothing quite like grabbing a map and planning on where you might go at some point soon.
We are delighted to once again have our advert in the December edition of @countrywalking – not only is it filled with great articles about places to visit, it’s also a special edition full of the joy of maps. Maps about walks to try. Maps about historical places. Maps to create yourself. And maps that will fill you with joy! We heartily recommend grabbing a copy – not just to see our advert 😇 but to help give you a splash of inspiration for when walking can once again be more than just ‘allotted exercise’.
#WeLoveMaps #CountryWalking #CountryWalkingMagazine #PlasticFree #TheGreatOutdoors #CityWalking #WestonSuperMare #WestCountry #SupportSmallBusiness #SupportLocal #ShopLocal #DitchSingleUse #Reusables]()
Walking. Just the ticket when you need to clear your head, escape from the weirdness, or simply to get some good old fashioned exercise. We are so lucky here in the West Country to have so many lovely places to go a-walking. We can walk up hills, through the countryside, along a river in city as well as through fields. We can stroll along pebble beaches or enjoy the vastness of a low tide by the sea. While we are busy working here at The Plastic Free Shop, packing up loads of fantastic orders, and no doubt you are busy at home or at work, doing all the stuff that you have to do, we think it really is nice to sometimes just stop for a minute to remember those lovely outdoor moments. The ones where you managed to fill your head with the big wide world. It’s also nice to dream about future outdoor adventures – we might not be able to go exploring in quite the usual way right now, but there’s nothing quite like grabbing a map and planning on where you might go at some point soon. We are delighted to once again have our advert in the December edition of @countrywalking – not only is it filled with great articles about places to visit, it’s also a special edition full of the joy of maps. Maps about walks to try. Maps about historical places. Maps to create yourself. And maps that will fill you with joy! We heartily recommend grabbing a copy – not just to see our advert 😇 but to help give you a splash of inspiration for when walking can once again be more than just ‘allotted exercise’. #WeLoveMaps #CountryWalking #CountryWalkingMagazine #PlasticFree #TheGreatOutdoors #CityWalking #WestonSuperMare #WestCountry #SupportSmallBusiness #SupportLocal #ShopLocal #DitchSingleUse #Reusables ![Ooooohhh, we absolutely love this beautiful new addition to our range of @helenrounddesigns linen bread bags – this mustard yellow pops and dances like a burst of sunshine. Perfect to brighten up a grey day (or any day, for that matter).
But why would you even want a bread bag?
Well, we believe that bread bags are a surprisingly handy addition to your armoury of #PlasticFree tools because bread needs looking after, and the standard way of looking after bread is to wrap it in single use plastic. Many of us eat a fair amount of bread, and to be honest, is there anything much more delicious than fresh bread? Even just thinking about the aroma of fresh bread is enough to get me day dreaming of marmite on toast…!
Anyway. Bread needs looking after if it is to stay fresh, especially if it is homebaked bread, which means you can easily make a dent in your plastic usage by ditching the cling film and grabbing a bread bag instead. Allowing the bread to breathe, without drying out too quicky, means you get to enjoy your bread for longer, assuming you don’t do what I do which is eat it all much too quickly...
Linen is a wonderful #ecofriendly material – made from flax, it’s easy to grow so is gentle on the land, and is strong and hard wearing which makes it a great choice especially if breadbaking is your thing. That said, bread bags are great for storing pastries such as croissants as well as bread, and they make for a beautiful way of serving bread rolls at the table.
Deciding to go with a handmade linen bread bag is easy – the hardest part is choosing which colour (and what to bake first…)
#BreadMaking #BreadBaking #HomeBaked#Bread #GiftsForBakers #BreadBaker #PlasticFreeKitchen #SustainableKitchen #HomeMade #MadeInUk #MadeInCornwall #ShopLocal #EthicalConsumer #SupportSmallBusiness #SustainbleLiving #CoolGiftIdeas #SustainableChristmas #SustainableInteriors #Linen]()
Ooooohhh, we absolutely love this beautiful new addition to our range of @helenrounddesigns linen bread bags – this mustard yellow pops and dances like a burst of sunshine. Perfect to brighten up a grey day (or any day, for that matter). But why would you even want a bread bag? Well, we believe that bread bags are a surprisingly handy addition to your armoury of #PlasticFree tools because bread needs looking after, and the standard way of looking after bread is to wrap it in single use plastic. Many of us eat a fair amount of bread, and to be honest, is there anything much more delicious than fresh bread? Even just thinking about the aroma of fresh bread is enough to get me day dreaming of marmite on toast…! Anyway. Bread needs looking after if it is to stay fresh, especially if it is homebaked bread, which means you can easily make a dent in your plastic usage by ditching the cling film and grabbing a bread bag instead. Allowing the bread to breathe, without drying out too quicky, means you get to enjoy your bread for longer, assuming you don’t do what I do which is eat it all much too quickly... Linen is a wonderful #ecofriendly material – made from flax, it’s easy to grow so is gentle on the land, and is strong and hard wearing which makes it a great choice especially if breadbaking is your thing. That said, bread bags are great for storing pastries such as croissants as well as bread, and they make for a beautiful way of serving bread rolls at the table. Deciding to go with a handmade linen bread bag is easy – the hardest part is choosing which colour (and what to bake first…) #BreadMaking #BreadBaking #HomeBaked#Bread #GiftsForBakers #BreadBaker #PlasticFreeKitchen #SustainableKitchen #HomeMade #MadeInUk #MadeInCornwall #ShopLocal #EthicalConsumer #SupportSmallBusiness #SustainbleLiving #CoolGiftIdeas #SustainableChristmas #SustainableInteriors #Linen ![Now that the weather is turning, walking the dog becomes something of a mission if you happen to have a dog that loves jumping into puddles and thinks nothing of marching through streams.
Of course, the traditional method of drying your dog off with one of your top favourite old towels before going into the house or car still reigns – we are big believers in the motto of use what you already have and if you have an old towel that works, well, stick with that.
But, if your old towel is more hang dog than dry dog, you might like pop a pair of these gorgeous bamboo dog drying gloves from @dogandcoast onto your Christmas list because they are, quite simply, utterly brilliant.
Cath fell in love with them because they are super absorbent thanks to the bamboo towelling and they are so much easier for drying wet paws than a towel because your hands are in the gloves, rather than trying to hold onto the glove and paw at the same time. Feels a tad easier than the usual ‘wrestling an octopus’ that trying to dry a wet wriggly dog can feel like.
These fab gloves also feature in our delightful Plastic Free Dog Care Gift Set which gives you the option of a little something extra for your dog loving friend (or, obvs, yourself if you are in need of a treat). Either way, thanks to these super soft gloves, getting the dog dry can now be a luxurious experience for the both of you – hurrah!
#DogLover #DogLovers #Dogstagram #MadeInTheUk #PetLovers #PlasticFreePets #EcoFriendly #EcoFriendlyGift #EcoFriendlyChristmas #SustainableChristmas #EcoFriendlyHome #SustainableLiving #SustainableHome #SustainablePets #LivingZeroWaste #Ethical #EthicalGifts #PlasticFreeUK]()
Now that the weather is turning, walking the dog becomes something of a mission if you happen to have a dog that loves jumping into puddles and thinks nothing of marching through streams. Of course, the traditional method of drying your dog off with one of your top favourite old towels before going into the house or car still reigns – we are big believers in the motto of use what you already have and if you have an old towel that works, well, stick with that. But, if your old towel is more hang dog than dry dog, you might like pop a pair of these gorgeous bamboo dog drying gloves from @dogandcoast onto your Christmas list because they are, quite simply, utterly brilliant. Cath fell in love with them because they are super absorbent thanks to the bamboo towelling and they are so much easier for drying wet paws than a towel because your hands are in the gloves, rather than trying to hold onto the glove and paw at the same time. Feels a tad easier than the usual ‘wrestling an octopus’ that trying to dry a wet wriggly dog can feel like. These fab gloves also feature in our delightful Plastic Free Dog Care Gift Set which gives you the option of a little something extra for your dog loving friend (or, obvs, yourself if you are in need of a treat). Either way, thanks to these super soft gloves, getting the dog dry can now be a luxurious experience for the both of you – hurrah! #DogLover #DogLovers #Dogstagram #MadeInTheUk #PetLovers #PlasticFreePets #EcoFriendly #EcoFriendlyGift #EcoFriendlyChristmas #SustainableChristmas #EcoFriendlyHome #SustainableLiving #SustainableHome #SustainablePets #LivingZeroWaste #Ethical #EthicalGifts #PlasticFreeUK
