If you hadn’t guessed already, Faithful to Nature is my favourite place to shop online. I have been using them for years and years! I order vegan groceries; cruelty-free skincare and makeup, organic and biodegradable nappies, organic tampons and pads, bamboo toothbrushes and gentle baby care products from them every single month! My husband makes the typical “credit card is broke” joke every time a parcel arrives for me from their warehouse. I just love how their packaging is mostly plastic-free and that the brands they stock really give a shit about our planet. Like really, really. I also recently got my mom some things for mother’s day using their gift directory – being a mom myself it was really hard not spoil myself at the same time! I ended up getting her the things I would have wanted: a beautiful grapefruit and neroli Soya Lite Candle, some bamboo straws and a natural botanical perfume oil.

These are the essential items you will find in my monthly order:

Skincare Products

Ever since I began having facials with peta from the The Little Green Box, I have been obsessed with Esse. Natural, cruelty-free, vegan and locally made in KZN, their products are a no-brainer for me and makes my skin look and feel so good. The nearest stockist of Esse products for me is The Garden Spa at Babylonstoren and, lovely as it is, their prices are a little too hiked up for my purse strings! I can also order all the products from my other favourite local skincare brand, Skin Creamery, through the Faithful to Nature site Their skin tonic is probably my most favourite new product of the past year. Ordering online from Faithful to Nature means I don’t have to leave the house and my products arrive the next day! For a busy mama bear that is major score.
Bamboo Toothbrushes and Straws

I shudder now to think of the hundreds of toothbrushes and straws I’ve used in my life, and where they are all sitting now, not decomposing. I started ordering the bamboo toothbrushes from Faithful to Nature just before I fell pregnant with Immy. I always order two in case of emergencies and/or in the hope Andrew will give up his electric toothbrush! I also make sure to keep a couple of bamboo straws around the house and in my bag for easy access when out and about.
Menstrual Cups & Organic Tampons and Pantyliners

I remember over hearing someone scoffing one day, “organic bloody tampons? Good god, what next?!” Um… feminine hygiene health and freedom? As women, our bodies are controlled in so many ways and we have been taught to be ashamed of our natural cycles and rhythms; to be embarrassed about bleeding once a month and to hide the evidence at all costs. It’s no wonder that for for years and years we have been buying and using tampons made with dioxins (dioxins are basically a human carcinogenic) which can (due to the vagina walls being a highly permeable space) increase our risk of cancer, cause oxidative stress and metabolic changes, and disrupt our endocrine system. All of this can contribute to adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immunological effects and lead to conditions such as infertility, endometriosis and thyroid disorders. We have literally been inserting toxins into our most sacred of physical spaces. Well. I say no more patriarchy patrol for this pussy! Faithful to Nature stocks organic tampons and pads, as well as menstrual cups and re-usable material pads. I love and use a mixture of all of the above. Menstrual cups and material pads for when I’m at home and organic tampons when I’m out and about. If you haven’t made the switch yet to natural feminine hygiene products, I couldn’t recommend or urge you to any more!
Vegan Vitamins and Supplements

Did you know that many vitamins come in capsules that are not even vegetarian? Or contain ingredients that are not vegan – such as bee pollen, lipase, lanolin and caprylic acid – all of which are made from animals’ bodies and secretions? Yuk! I love that Faithful to Nature clearly labels all of its products as vegan or vegetarian, so that I can trust that the vitamins and supplements I order are cruelty-free. The supplement I order on a regular basis from is a vegan Omega 3-DHA – with omegas harvested from the source: micro algae! No smelly fish oil for me thanks.

Crystal Deodorant 

Yes, you heard right. I use a crystal to keep my underarms from ponging. I know, I know. I thought it was ridiculous at first too! But don’t knock it until you try it. After I went vegan, I tried out all the natural deodorants on offer, and found that none of them really worked well. I eventually came across the crystal “roll-on” stone in a little health shop in Stellies (which has since closed) and was amazed at how well it worked! You rub the head of the crystal onto wet skin (I do it immediately after jumping out the shower) and Bab’s your auntie! You just don’t sweat. Or at least, your sweat don’t stink. Miracles! I will never go back to conventional deodorant again. I was so chuffed to see that Faithful to Nature also stocks a crystal roll-on stone . They’re a little pricier than your average roll-on but they last forever. I used my last one from 2015 to just until after I had Imogen.
Inthusiasm Vegan Makeup

At last! A vegan makeup that is locally made and works like a dream. Since I went vegan, I have been using a mix between Smashbox, Essence and Woolworths makeup. Smashbox has become really expensive (and I think I heard rumours that it’s joined the China train which means they will now have to test on animals) and Essence just doesn’t seem to carry the right foundation tone for my skin colour. I was so excited when I ordered some Inthusiasm samples from Faithful to Nature and the “Kirsti” shade matched my apricot undertone perfectly! I swiftly ordered a big tube and I have been so chuffed with my choice. It glides on smoothly and leaves me with a lovely dewy finish rather than a dry, cake finish (yuk – my worst!). It looks so natural and it honestly has made my makeup routine so quick and easy – which as any mother of a toddling kamikaze midget will tell you, is very important! I cannot wait to try out the rest of the range as and when my current items run out.

The great thing about Faithful to Nature is that delivery is free for orders over R350 and their packing and courier system is banging. I have literally made an order the evening before and received my parcel the next day. If you sign up to their newsletter you get R100 off your next order and you can also earn Faithful to Nature points with every purchase which you can collect and redeem later. It really is the best place to shop online and in alignment with your values! We all want a healthy and clean planet for our children to grow up on, and the Faithful to Nature team are doing their best to make this an easy and accessible thing for all of us to do, no matter where we are.