I have a thing for that Panda Mint Filled Natural Licorice Bar that you can buy at . Every now and then I will pop in and buy 10 bars to chew on, even though I am not sure why they are organic or particularly good for you at 384 calories per tiny bar.
Still…
Holland & Barrett’s is a health food store in the UK that sells – well, health food, supplements, that kind of thing. Its where your nan sends you to buy her cod liver oils and your hypochondriac sister sends you for her Echinacea before going out at the weekend to drink herself into stupor.
Guess what! They now their own comprehensive skincare/haircare/beauty range called Dr. Organic.
I knew this was going to be good or extremely poor – I am a bit of a Organic product fanatic at the moment mainly because the very sniff of SLS gives me the itches. There are so many products out there that LOOK organic, CALL themselves organic, but are anything but.
The Dr. Organic range had a few flavours to choose from – Hello Vera, Tea Tree, Manuka Honey, Pomegranate, Lavender, Vitamin E etc. I wanted to try Pomegranate and Manuka Honey so I got:
Manuka Honey Shampoo & Conditioner:
I think they were £4.99 each which is very good value.
No Parebens and No SLS! Very good:
I tried this out and I didn’t get any itchies and it left my hair pretty shiny and soft. I’d like to see an intensive conditioner under the Manuka Honey range….
*I also got the Manuka Honey body lotion the other half stole and used as a hand cream which he is HIGHLY singing the praises of. Manuka I think was best for dry skins.
I got the Pomegranate deodorant and toothpaste (well…I had to try) and body butter. The body butter is now being used by the other half (he steals ALL the moisturizers) and as for the toothpaste – yes I like it! I have a think about conventional toothpastes anyway, they leave my mouth dry and generally tasting horrible in the morning (don’t get me started on Listerine)….
I like Dr. Organic because:
1. The range is HUGE. It was like product overload, but you can pretty much find a deodorant or cream, or lotion or shower gel in the flavour you prefer.
2. I didn’t see anything over £10. I was suspicious for a while because it is very affordable for what it is. I think the body butter at £8.99 is one of the most expensive things which is great because….
3. Organic products can be pretty expensive to purchase at the best of times and…
4. They are hard to get hold of. If someone asks me where to these paraben/SLS free products most of the time I have to direct them to the internet because the high street is seriously lacking in choice.
Verdict: Yep I’ll be back for all my general toiletries – it isn’t costing me more than my usual bits and pieces and at least I am avoiding any unnecessary chemicals. A success!
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Sorry but these products aren’t 100% organic … they do contain SOME organic extracts but are not purely natural.
I just purchased a Dr. Organic Pomegranate lip balm and it contains ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, isopropyl myristate, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (=avobenzone), BHA etc.
The pomegranate extract (Punica Granatum) may be 100 % organic but is not at the top of the least, so it must be present in a very small amount.
The packaging is very misleading for the consumer as it says “100% Organic Pomegranate Lip Balm” … you should understand “lip balm WITH 100% Organic Pomegranate” … not a very honest brand IMO.
Will not buy again for that reason !
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Hi Zahra
That’s a shame you are disappointed with the brand. I personally haven’t tried the lip balm, but I was blown away by the lotion, butter and shampoo which worked incredibly well and has completely controlled my other halfs’
psoriasis which is no easy task.
I agree that the 100% organic is easily misinterpreted and it should be made clearer. It does say on the back of the shampoo, for example, it is the extracts that are organic but quite often, organic doesn’t mean without preservatives. I don’t there is any company in the mainstream market which doesn’t use some kind of chemical preservative as the products would spoil very quickly without it. I used to make my own cosmetics and skincare at home and without a doubt, it was fine for my own use but to be marketed and sold – it wouldn’t last.
Anyone buying an ‘Organic’ product on the high street needs to be aware of this.
*For people who don’t know, BHA is the antioxidant, the preservative here and the butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane and ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate are sunscreens. Isopropyl myristate is an emollient.
For me, it is very hard to find a product, for example with Shampoo without SLS or Parabens on the high street. I have tried in Superdrug and Boots and even products for sensitive scalps tend to containg these ingredients so for me, Dr Organic is a step in the right direction – an accessible, good quality product that is affordable and cuts out the major irritants. Its a step in the right direction.
But I do agree the wording of 100% organic could be amended. Having said that – brands are always twisting their words. I would never buy anbother mascara again if I was based on the results on the adverts they show with the uber long eyelashes!
Always read the label people, before you buy, if in doubt!
Thanks for your comment
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Try the House of Mistry hair products, they’re a lot more natural, properly organic, and incredibly good. I have thigh-length hair and have been using the Ginseng Herbal shampoo and conditioner for fifteen years, it’s the best I’ve found.
Your review came up when I was hunting for the Dr Organic honey cream, as we’ve just bought that for a friend to help heal up some minor injuries from a cycling accident. The ingredients look superb, and I’m glad to hear the range works well for you.
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Hi Elettaria
I will check out House of Mistry too – I am having a good time with the Dr ORganic manuka honey shampoo at the moment I am always looking out for new hair ranges to try!
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I have tried loads of organic/natural brands and I would highly recommend the Louise Galvin Natural Locks range available in larger Tesco and Waitrose stores for quality and value! I also use the John Masters Citrus & Neroli detangler is also fantastic as a leave in conditioner (but only available online and from salons), but still worth it for my (organically highlighted) but still v tangly hair.
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I recently decided to avoid products with chemicals and decided to go for Dr. Organics. I bought the Manuka Honey body butter which is good. The hand cream is also quite good but nothing special. I also got the Pomegranate lip balm and started to notice a sore throat since using it. It does have a strong smell and after reading the above post listing the ingredients I feel a bit gullible and have since found other brands out there which are REALLY 100% organic and chemical free. That was £3.99 in the bin and I will definitely avoid highstreet Organic brands in future.
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Dr. Organic products contain a very small amount of organic ingredients not worth mentioning…The skin lotion contains retinyl palmitate related to skin cancer.
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Hi Row, firstly I really enjoyed your blog
and secondly I’d just like to point out, Dr Organic don’t claim their products are 100% organic at all. Some of you people need to learn to read labels correctly before you slam a product, no disrespect. What Dr Organic claim for example is the Bio-activ Vitamin E is infact 100% organic (which it is). You’d be lucky to find any product on the market that is 100% organinc, that includes Weleda, Faith In Nature, The Green People etc… Also I’d just like to add I have tried all the above and various other so called natural products, all they did was either a) dry my skin out completely or b) make my hair go like straw. Yet since using Dr Organic my skin and hair have both been in amazing condition. I admit Dr O aren’t perfect but as Row stated above they are definitely a step in the right direction. I am a single parent on a restricted budget and I am more than happy with these products for myself and my son, for me they are a reasonable price and they do a good job. What more can you ask for from a healthier toiletry product.
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Hi Dana
Thanks very much for your comment
It’s true Dr Organics might not be 100% perfect but I think for a HIGH STREET brand they are doing pretty good. It’s easily available. It’s affordable. A lot of people (say my mum – never would she shop online for skincare and she would never spend £10 for a body lotion or shampoo) can’t be bothered searching online for brands or spending a fortune so for me, Dr O meets the middle ground. Like you say Dana a lot of the ‘organic’ shampoos I prefer because my scalp is sensitive HOWEVER, they are totally different to say, Pantene – if you aren’t used to it, your hair feels like straw afterwards!
My other half SWEARS by their lotion for his psoriasis – trust me I throw lots of expensive creams at him but he just likes Dr O.
x
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Hi i would like to know if anyone with dry to normal skin has tried the Dr o cleaner and toner and moistuisers. I am just becoming aware of organic and tring to make the effort with food, but i would like to also be organic with all hair and body products any info greatful recieved kim
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the toothpaste was bought for me as i requested my husband to find some and it has flouride in it.. it has sls in it. these are not organic at all dont bother buying this crap brand
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I’ve just written a complaint to the company about the lip balm. On their website they say ‘no mineral oils’ when in fact the lip balm contains petrolleum wax ‘cera microcristillana’. Should have stumped up the cash for a Badger lip balm which really are organic and chemical free. It’s not necessary to use chemicals in most cosmetic products to extend shelf life – it’s just cheaper. The Badger lip balm contains olive oil, castor oil, beeswax, rosehip oil, seabuckthorn oil and a variety of essential oils. See? No chemical preservatives or mineral oils needed.
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