www.everythingsgonegreen.co.uk

We’ve long been fans of the Tom’s of Maine deodorant sticks because of the company’s ethics and great products but someone said the other day:

“Why don’t you try one of those crystals?”

Now, rubbing crystals under your armpits doesn’t sound like the normal sort of way to prevent sweat & odour, and seemed a pretty peculiar idea, but what is “normal”? Aluminium Sulphates or Aluminium Chlorhydrates and propellants usually, with huge multi-million funded marketing campaigns, so we decided yeah, why not.

Now, these Crystals are actually sticks of “crystallised salts from Thailand” so it says on the case, with the Crystal Spring website states that they’re made with Ammonium Alum, apparently widely used in the Far East.

In addition the Crystal Spring deodorant sticks are:

• Long-lasting
• Hypoallergenic
• Fragrance Free
• Non-staining.

You basically wet the crystal, apply it, though not if you have damaged or broken skin, and then rinse the crystal after use. We’ve been using the Crystal Spring natural body deodorant for a couple of weeks now and we like it.

You can get Crystal Spring deodorants directly from the Crystal Spring shop.

How did this one slip by the radar?
Colgate Palmolive, once knocked by Tom’s for putting artificial ingredients & sweeteners like saccharin in their toothpaste, paid $100 million cash for an 84% stake in the Kennebunk, Maine based business. However, Tom Chappell, the man himself, said that neither Tom’s of Maine’s business philosophy nor its product lines would change despite the majority share of Colgate.

With annual sales of around $50 million, Tom’s will remain a stand-alone subsidiary of Colgate, though the familiar packaging will make no reference to its new owner.

Despite the mixed feelings of loyal & long term customers, Toms hopes to utilise the financial muscle and distribution of its new parent company to reach a wider market with aims to expand in the rapidly growing U.S. market for natural products. Growth in natural healthcare products in the U.S. is around 15% per annum with Tom’s products distributed in Canada and here in the U.K.

Let’s hope Tom’s of Maine keeps doing what it does best - natural products and benefiting the environment.

Well, the Green People fennel toothpaste ran out, so it was nice to find the Tom’s of Maine spearmint toothpaste on the shelves again. This time we’ve gone for their “nature’s antiplaque toothpaste with propolis & myrrh”.

As with the green people paste it contains no fluoride and doesn’t have that super-sugary taste that affects so many of the usual household brands.

And the really great thing about Tom’s is they print the ingredients, their purpose and source in the box for all you green geeks to know exactly what’s in your product, why it’s there and where it came from. Fantastic!

Check out the table for the Spearmint antiplaque with propolis & myrrh…

Now… if only every manufacturer could be that forthcoming with their ingredients…

Anita Roddick’s world-famous ethical The Body Shop chain is in the hands of the French cosmetics giant L’Oréal after a deal was agreed worth £652m.

L’Oréal, the world’s biggest cosmetics company, who are part-owned (25%) by Nestlé, the world’s biggest food company, agreed to pay 300p a share for stock worth 268p a share.

After 30 years of selling ethically-sourced cosmetics with 2000 stores in 53 countries, Dame Roddick and her husband, who still hold an 18% share in The Body Shop, are expected to make around £140m out of the sell-out.

Apparently The Body Shop brand will remain “intact” and allegedly continue to run independently, though what the ethical consumer will think of this takeover remains to be seen.

Why smell like 99% of the country’s brainwashed adolescents when you can be really different and smell far more fruity? Getting a bottle of Tomato Cologne for Christmas was most welcome and this little bottle of “pomme d’amor” fragrance from Burt’s Bees is genuinely cool - No excessive packaging, no gift-pack waste, no mass-market “appeal” or ludicrous adverts, just a little glass bottle with a label on a string.

Burt’s Bees are well known for making products that are 100% natural and the tomato cologne is 92% natural, just one of those items that can’t be quite 100%. But then the alcohol is distilled from yellow corn and this there’s vegetable glycerin and tomato seed oil too. More natural than you can say about most common fragrances these days.
And it’s so nice even the girls could wear it. Go get some

Here’s another item I picked up when I was in the USA last - Unscented natural deodorant from Tom’s of Maine. Being in stick form, there’s obviously no harmful propellants, and no aluminium sulphate, which is known to be harsh and often cause allergic reactions.

Tom’s use only good old fashioned natural stuff - lichen, aloe vera leaf juice, witch hazel, coriander… It’s good for your skin, stops odour and keeps your conscience clean at the same time.

If any of the family are reading this… I don’t mean to sound ungrateful but please, please, please don’t get me one of those mass marktet “grooming kit” gift packs next Christmas… I’d swap a whole pack of that crap for this stuff anyday

When I was in the USA last year I picked up a tube of natural gel spearmint toothpaste from Tom’s of Maine. When it ran out the other day I went to the local Sainsbury’s and was confronted with a huge display of colourful packs of toothpaste… but alas no Tom’s. There was however, a discrete little box with Green People’s 100% Natural Organic Fennel & Propolis toothpaste which I bought and very good it is too.

Being 100% organic certified, and suitable for vegetarians too (but not vegans), Green People’s toothpaste has none of those harsh foaming agents, no fluoride and no artificial colourings, flavours or preservatives - just good old propolis, fennel, cinnamon, clove and myrrh oils for their natural antiseptic & antibacterial properties.

I think I’ll have to try their citrus & aloe vera toothpaste next time and maybe grab some of their fennel mouthwash

And if you hurry, all marked prices include the 10% discount for this February.