Whether you’re planning Valentines for a loved one, or are going to be pampering yourself on 14th February, here’s how to keep the love all-natural, raw and vegan.
Cacao Butter Massage
Massage is sensual and relaxing, and can be great for your skin’s health. A chunk of slightly warmed organic cacao butter is all you need for a great-smelling, moisturising massage bar. Coconut butter works well too, and melts a little faster in your hands.
For a little more pizazz, melt some cacao butter over a bowl of hot water or in a dehydrator, add a few drops of fragrant essential oil or some rose petals, and pour into a heart-shaped mould to set.
For more elaborate and luxurious homemade raw bath recipes, have a read of The Holistic Beauty Book.
Romantic Raw Chocolate
What would Valentines be without chocolate? Our Passion bar, aptly-named and with a heart-decorated wrapper, makes a perfect post-dinner treat. Or make a gift of the Rawr Love Collection – 4 raw vegan chocolate bars (including Passion), with red ribbon, heart-themed tag and optional gift message. Alternatively, create your own chocolate gift.
Bathing with Love
Run a relaxing, nourishing bath, adding essential oils, a few sprinkles of grated cacao butter, rose petals, or a natural pre-made bath soak, such as Raw Living’s bath salts or bath bar. Don’t forget the…
Toxin-Free Candlelight
Most regular candles are made from petrochemicals, which release toxic fumes as you burn them. Not terribly romantic! Make sure your Valentines candles are made from plant wax, such as these tea lights from Funky Raw.
Raw Dinner, in or out
If you’re in the UK and are lucky enough to live in or visit London, there’s an increasing number of raw restaurants where you can enjoy a romantic meal out – Saf, Inspiral Lounge, Vantra, Wild Food Cafe to name a few. If you want to eat raw at home without the preparation, Raw Fairies offer a food delivery service.
Dinner at home allows you to tailor your meal to your partner’s (or your) favourite raw foods. For example, if you both love avocados, why not make a delicious avocado-based salad followed by chocolate-avocado pudding?
Check out these raw food website and book suggestions for recipe ideas. This list of aphrodisiac raw foods will help give your dinner an extra boost!
Neem Shampoo Bar
It’s taken me a long time to find a truly natural shampoo. There doesn’t seem to be a liquid shampoo which is 100% natural – even those trying their hardest to market themselves as just that.
Until I discovered my new hair saviour, I was facing the prospect of making my own shampoo bar – something I’ve tried in the past and wasn’t exactly successful with! But then, happy day, I stumbled across Just Bev Angelic Soaps.
Bev makes two cold-pressed shampoo bars, one with kokum butter for dry hair and one with neem, nettle, peppermint and rosemary which is especially good for itchy scalps. Both contain purely natural ingredients such as saponified olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil and other essential oils. Not only that, but they are handmade, from a family run business, use only organic ingredients where possible, and encompass reiki healing! And if you’re going away and want to pack minimally, you can even use the shampoo bars as normal body soap.
How many shampoos have fairies on them?
The test for me though, is what they do to my hair. And they’re wonderful. I’ve tested both shampoo bars and although the kokum butter one for dry hair was too heavy for me, the neem and nettle bar suits my hair perfectly. The oils in the soap do cause a little build up after a week or so and then I just wash my hair once with my old-style ‘natural’ shampoo and continue on with the shampoo bar. Apparently a rinse with lemon juice would have the same effect and would be even more natural. As time goes on and my hair gets used to its new shampoo I’ll hopefully be able to use my old-style shampoo even less.
The shampoo bars are just £3 each and, in my experience, will last about 2 months when used every other day. You can buy them here. Have a look at Bev’s cold-pressed soaps and other natural bath goodies too.
If you’re reading this blog, chances are you already know the importance of using natural products on your skin. Whatever goes on your body goes into your body, so it makes sense that if you’re eating naturally you’ll want to eliminate as many chemicals as possible from the outside in, as well as the inside out. This is a quick guide to some of the natural alternatives I’ve found.
Around the Home
Bicarbonate of Soda
Laundry
Soap Nuts
Personal Hygiene
ToothSoap ToothShreds
Skincare
Raw Gaia
Cosmetics
Can natural cosmetics do this?
Further Reading