Hello girlfriends and welcome to another episode of Tried and Tested.
So a while ago we did an episode with Love Beauty and Planet where I tried to go green for a week.
Now the great news is that I have actually
managed to stick to some of the habits that I picked up during that week
and today I'm gonna be showing you some of the eco-friendly products I've been using
as well as trying out some new ones.
And today we have a special guest we actually met her during the episode.
So Florence is the owner of Unpackt, the store that we visited.
So she has a lot more information when it comes to living green
and I'm still a green baby so we thought it'll be fun to have her on to just you know to
ask her a lot of questions and this is not a sponsored episode.
We got some of the stuff from Unpackt but we also got some of the stuff from other places.
But she is here anyway. Yea thank you!
You're welcome.
So these are silicone lid food covers and they're supposed to be a replacement for cling wrap
and they help to create an airtight seal.
I've actually never used these before but as you can see we have a variety of different
size items here so let's wrap them up.
Oh, that's like so easy.
The seal feels very tight
If you choose the appropriate seal, it's actually airtight so it's leak-proof as well
Oh wow, this looks like a slightly tight fit will that spoil it?
It's still okay.
Silicone is actually quite durable but most importantly, just keep it out of sharp objects.
Is it microwavable?
Yeah, it's microwavable.
This is so good if you go through a lot of cling wraps in your kitchen,
it's actually a practical switch
because you actually saved the money from buying all the cling wrap.
Yes, you would save so much money.
I would give this like a
ten out of ten.
I just find it so much more convenient then cling wrap and so much easier to use.
The fact that you can reuse them is like a wonderful bonus because
yeah like running out of stuff at home sometimes is a bit irritating.
So these are reusable cotton pads.
So I got them right and I'll be honest,
they were like sitting there for a long time
because well a lot of eco-friendly stuff it requires washing and sanitizing.
like cotton pads, you're so used to seeing like the gunk on it and just chucking it.
so seeing so much gunk on this
and then having to wash it to me I wasn't confident that it would actually be clean
but I realized that it's actually quite easy to wash.
So after I finish using,
I will just wash with soap and water
sometimes if there are still stain I will put makeup remover
but usually, soap and water is enough.
They're very gentle on the skin
and also they're quite hardy.
They are very durable like you know how some cotton pads
when you use a few times it will start to disintegrate
disintegrate, frail, whatever these don't
even the number of pads that I use also reduces.
So for a face of makeup right,
there are some days where I can do with just one
sometimes I will need a second one like for the eyeliner
or the mascara or my eyelash glue or whatever I was taking longer to come out.
You can also use this for nail polish removing.
Yes.
But it might stain so normally I will recommend to keep like a few pieces for just nail polish remover.
I would give this like a
ten cause I don't know what I don't like about it.
I guess the washing thing and all that but if I just switch my brain to think of it as like a towel
cause you have to wash your towels as well it's just that this happens to be smaller.
So lately I've been trying out bar shampoos.
So I also got the pouch there.
So it's all stuck together now see you can't see it.
But basically, it's like a bar of soap and then you lather it
and use the lather to wash your hair.
I've kind of been sort of experimenting with it.
Okay I need some help because it takes so long to lather
is this normal?
Yes, this is normal because it doesn't have a surfactant inside
this is actually a pure soap shampoo bar.
So the great thing about bar shampoos and bath soaps is that they have no packaging at all
I mean like there's some in the supermarket's that would be in carboard boxes and stuff
but like this was in a glass jar you just take it right out and this was like on a wooden
tray so you just take it and go.
So this is a new bar of bar shampoo so I guess we will show you like leathering it without
a bag and with a bag.
Normally we recommend first is you wet your hands first, let's say this your hair
you can just directly rub it on your hair it will give you the right amount of the form
you can just rub it into your scalp as you rub it will foam after that you can just rinse it off.
That's a very small amount of soap!
Very small amount.
Okay so I think that maybe I've been getting it wrong cuz that's the amount of soap that
I get when I rub it, but I'm just like where's the, where's the lather
so actually just a little bit of soap enough already okay.
So this one you wet the whole thing right
Yes, this one you have to wet the whole thing then when you see a thin layer on your hand
you can set it aside and then after that you rub it into your scalp.
This is enough?
Yes then you just rub it through with your fingers it will foam up more and more.
And that's when you actually clean your scalp.
You know what I have been doing,
I've been doing this and after that, I take this and then I try to squeeze out the foam from there
coz I was like where's the foam.
Okay okay, that makes sense.
I've been using this for a while and in terms of convenience, it's not la
I mean this is definitely not as convenient as kind of like taking a bottle and like tipping it out and squeezing.
Do you know I mean it's definitely, not as convenient?
So in terms of the efficacy of the product compared to like regular commercial shampoos,
I do find that this is slightly lacking because it doesn't maybe have like say antifreeze
properties I don't know whether the different types of bar shampoos kind of cater for that do they?
Yes we actually have a few kinds of shampoo bars depending on your hair types.
So for this one I don't know if I just didn't pick the right one for my hair type but
in terms of cleaning I mean my hair did feel clean even though because I didn't see the sud and all that
I was like I don't know if I wash my hair at all but it didn't feel gross.
I think that in terms of usage there is a bit of a learning curve and a lot of getting used to it
but I feel like it's actually not too bad.
Now I know you don't need to lather so much before you start shampooing I think it's
not too bad maybe I'll give it like
an eight.
On a rush day, I would give that a four,
but on the day where I have time to you know do all that,
actually, it doesn't take that much time also.
I think the more you do the faster it will be.
So another thing I started using recently are Thinx's underwears.
So they're actually period underwear.
I'm so sorry I actually packed it and then I forgot to bring it
but that's why I'm talking about it without it being here it's actually like this.
We tried them up a while ago and at that time I think I couldn't see myself
kind of committing to it for an entire period cycle
but recently a friend of mine started talking about them
and she made it sounds so easy and then I was on the website going like
you know what I think I'll give this a shot
so I did so I got a whole batch for like heavy flow, regular flow,
wow this is a lot of information.
So I got a whole bunch for like regular flow, heavy flow
and then when it's very light and also, they have thong options as well.
So I was like wow and it's actually not so bad like after you finish using it,
you just rinse it out first with soap and water then you just let it air dry
and then when you're ready to wash everything you throw it into the washing machine
there's no smell and it's just
they are pretty as well like I can totally see myself wearing them on a regular day.
So when I started to commit to wearing them I think I got a set of about seven or eight
so for me normally I use maybe three pads a day on heavy flow days
it's quite good because I feel I didn't realize how many pads I was throwing away
like a lot, a lot of pads but I think with Thinx,
there is still the option of using a pad for half the day
and just using the Thinx for the other half of the day because like legit
I don't...I don't want to be carrying around a bloody underwear in my bag,
I haven't gotten that far yet maybe one day I will but at this point in time I'll be realistic with myself
no...no yet.
But what I really love is that at night with pads you can
you have to worry about leaking sometimes so you get the massive ones
but with Thinx it's like it's all-around protection and it's comfortable.
Okay so Florence the last time we were at Unpackt we saw these reusable menstrual pads.
Yeah so those are a direct replacement for the disposable menstrual pads.
Usually, with disposable pads, you'll find that you know, at the end of the period cycle, you'll feel
that there's some skin irritation.
Right.
But with a reusable menstrual pad because there's more breathability in the cloth material
so you don't feel that you develop any rashes
so there are a lot of customers that come back and buy.
I must tell you guys about this girl she's amazing her channel is Precious Star Pads
and she talks about all sorts of menstrual products in a way that is super educational
and she's very young.
I actually saw a video of her taking a used pad and washing it on screen and I was like
whoa!
So if you guys want to find out more about like reusable menstrual products I think
she's a great source of information.
So for Thinx, I've been using it for like a couple of cycles now and I would give it like
a nine because it's so comfortable I can't get over how great they look it just feels clean.
The only reason I would give a nine because actually, I wish that there was a way for
them to kind of have options also where they can just change the inside so I don't have
to take out the entire underwear I can have the option of just changing the lining
as you would like to say a pad.
So now we're gonna be looking at some stuff for teeth.
So I have switched to using a bamboo toothbrush.
They just felt like a regular toothbrush just all made of bamboo
Except for the bristles, it's nylon.
Ah okay.
This is a hundred percent natural organic mint and neem tooth powder.
They say that this is supposed to be better because it's natural and then also it reduces packaging
I mean it's a glass bottle - I get it but how is it so much different from like toothpaste.
In a way, it actually lasts longer compared to a tube of toothpaste.
A jar like this about 50 grams should last about five months.
But a tub toothpaste will last about
three-four weeks.
Oh that's quite a big difference then
yeah and also glass jars are recyclable.
Okay, let me try this.
So you're supposed to wet the toothbrush and they say to dip the brush into the powder
and then brush your teeth.
So like you see there is actually very little on the toothbrush and that's why one jar of
50 grams can last very long.
Can I just say that I have feelings about all these like
organic teeth products because they taste so different from what we used to.
Oh ya! You know what I mean!
Okay that actually does feel nice
There's a mint aftertaste.
Yeah that actually feels like nice and fresh and
clean.
Hmm, interesting.
Okay, I need to explain my face as I started brushing my teeth.
It was so uncomfortable.
It was like cuz it's all powder right,
so it just felt like my whole mouth is being filled with chalk.
And at the first part as you are brushing the outside area,
the powder is kind of like stuck between your teeth and then your lips so it just feels
really like you're eating all this powder which is really weird but after it mixes with
the saliva and the water after a while it starts
to feel a bit like less dry in the mouth.
But after you finish it really does feel nice
and cooling and it feels like how a regular toothpaste would have behaved I guess.
After you rinse it out its not bad taste, it wasn't like the miswak
but it was like a bit salty a little bit herby.
I think it tastes that you could actually get used to.
I would give this a
seven.
Easy to use, economical, is great for the environment.
As for the bamboo toothbrush okay I feel like they don't have
as many options as a lot of like toothbrush brands out there.
In terms of the types of bristles or the hardness, softness and all that
I do wish if they're gonna be using nylon anyway if they could just kind of put that
technology into a bamboo toothbrush.
But it's still okay and I feel good about not throwing away so much plastic.
Seven because I think it's functional just wish they had more options.
So these things are actually mine I've been trying to bring them around on a regular basis
and I must say I've been quite good at it.
So this is so cute this actually looks like a tissue packet,
its opens up into this bag.
So this is actually like a lunchbox or a takeaway bag so you can put all kinds of food inside
you can put soup, bubble tea, food you just like pack and go
and the great thing about it is that it is like what's this material
TPU so it's actually a kind of very soft silicone so it has the waterproof quality
which you can put in your noodle soap drinks etc.
and not stain the fabric outside
And also it's so easy to wash you just use soap and water
on both sides and because this is umbrella material.
Umbrella fabric.
So very convenient very easy to use and it folds up also into such a tiny little package.
Which is so cute and they have a whole ton of designs.
So as a takeaway bag just fold it down and it's a completely seal up package.
And show us how your daughter drinks bubble tea.
We will usually pull a hole here, open it, pop in a reusable straw in and it's good to go.
That's so cool.
I got a question though like when you ask them to put the bubble tea in here,
what do they...how do they react?
They usually ask us are you sure you can place bubble tea inside?
We do have some no...sometimes we have our bottles or either that or we just keep the
bubble tea drink we will get something else.
You would skip the bubble tea drink if they don't want to put it in this bag!
Yeah.
Really! Yes, because sometimes it's all in the mind
it's a conscious consumption.
Oh... explain more about conscious consumption.
It's just that before you purchase anything you think through whether you really need it
and whether you can skip it first before you purchase it.
At the other hand, you can think that you are actually living healthier also because you're taking less sugar.
Very good point.
Here I have a spork it's very cute because it's so handy and it's very portable.
Personally for this spork right I found that the spines were a bit short but I think that
is kind of a trade-off because it folds because I was actually looking for a spork to kind
of complete my set and when I saw the foldable one I was like yes this is it.
So I also use my chopsticks
and also I've got my straws.
Okay I must say I'm not very good with the straw thing
coz you like drinking through it right and then you have to put it back
into your pouch and carry it around for the rest of the day so then the next time you use it
I know we should rinse it out first but it's not a proper wash you know what I mean and then
do I bring the brush everywhere this is I don't bring the brush.
Yes, we normally recommend to bring the brush along.
After drinking try to shake off the residue first go to a sink and then you can rinse it with your straw cleaner.
Okay that does require a bit of commitment, okay I'll try that next time.
I haven't actually bought this out for bubble tea.
It's so bad.
It's very bad because I realize then you buy things but you don't use then it ends up being
a waste.
A waste so I really need to commit to that
and I haven't done that yet but I actually figured out another use for this at home
like when I make my healthy shakes,
sometimes they are really thick and they don't always taste the best
but I find when I drink it with a bubble tea straw it feels like a treat.
Okay so for myself I'm usually like on set or like running around so most of my meals are
on the go so instead of using disposable cutlery I try to use these instead.
I think that my rating for these products would be like a
ten yeah I'm very happy with them.
And it's something that I have found quite okay to incorporate into my everyday life.
I will say it took me a while to kind of start using this but once I started using it was actually very easy.
Thank you so much for coming here today.
It was so much fun. You're welcome.
Well I hope you guys have fun if you want to find out more about the products
how much they cost and where they are from they are in the links in the description box down below
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Be a conscious consumer.
Yes till next time, muackz go be beautiful!