That’s so nice of you, thanks for the offer. I will try and see if I can find here the products you recommended (and that Bamboo line really intrigues me), otherwise I will let you know. And if there is anything I can ever do for you, just say so.

And that would be wonderful! I’d love to meet you too.

Alfaparf is a company from Milan, they do salon high-end hair products that are just excellent imho. My all time favourites are http://www.alfaparf.it/article/pro-concentrate , http://www.alfaparf.it/article/cristalli-liquidi and http://www.alfaparf.it/article/divine-cream-styling-liscio.
I might have tried half of their product line over the years (my favourite range is the bamboo one, probably because it’s really rich and the scent is delicious, very fresh and natural, just a bit fruity), and they never disappointed me once. Some products have indeed entered my everyday hair regime and I stick to them even from another country

I don’t remember the exact prices because my mom buys them for me from my hairdresser and brings them here when she visits, and also because I think they can only be found in salons and each salon sets a different price. If you are interested I can check (a 200ml tube of hair mask is around 20 euros, quite expensive but I can tell you that their products last for ages and are worth every cent) and even send them to you if you can’t find them anywhere near. I’ll be in Italy for the upcoming holidays

Also on your next trip to London I’d love to meet you some makeup shopping on Carnaby street could do

It really is a shame that not a lot of brands are available here. In the past couple of years, I have started buying more and more online, but mainly makeup as I like to see ingredient lists (which not all websites put up) and maybe try a sample before buying skincare products or I’d risk being stuck with something that causes breakouts or has just a horrible texture.. But buying skincare products locally reduces the options a lot.. I buy NYX from cocktail cosmetics, an UK website, they have lots of wonderful brands. Cherry Culture is another great website, but I avoid buying from the US cos now pretty much every package gets stopped at customs so they take months to arrive and there’s an additional fee to pay too. *sighs* But I do hope that more organic brands will be available here. It would be wonderful for consumers to have a wider choice. And you know, I have never tried Alfaparf, I actually have never seen it in my small town, but I will keep an eye out for it from now on. London is a wonderful place for beauty shopping. I always come back with a huge amount of beauty products whenever I go there, which sadly isn’t often these days..

Aww thank you! You’re making me blush

Thanks. I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

I know a thing or two about poor product availability in Italy (especially organic stuff, products that are suitable for vegetarians, free-from food, international makeup brands…) but I think that when it comes to haircare Italian brand are among the best (Alfaparf for a start, I absolutely worship it) and sometimes hard to find abroad! Lucky that more and more online stores now ship worldwide (I couldn’t live without cherryculture.com, just to name one, I really enjoy NYX makeup and it seems impossible to find in the UK), let’s hope some good organic brands will follow the trend I must say here in London there’s quite a choice of organic goods and among them some are incredibly high quality!

I have bookmarked your blog among my favourites, I’ll definitely come by more often! It is a pleasure to read: you are smart, nice and polite.

Have a lovely Friday night!

I completely understand your decision to use natural products. I have a problem with people spreading misinformation and lies about mineral oil and other synthetic ingredients, leading people to avoid perfectly safe ingredients out of fear. But if you know the truth about them and still prefer to use natural ingredients because they’re better for the environment, for your skin and/or is the result of a lifestyle choice, that’s something I completely respect.

I believe there are ingredients that work and others that don’t, regardless of their origin and that people should just use what works best for them and what they feel more comfortable with. I tried to switch to natural products too a few years ago but here in Italy most of the brands you mentioned aren’t available and what is available is either expensive or ineffective. So I just use what works for me. Most of these products are synthetic but there are a few who are natural and work really well.

Aww thank you! I’m really glad that you enjoy it and I hope to see you around often.

The truth is I mostly buy natural products over regular ones because they also tend to be cruelty-free and don’t contain many artificial preservatives like parabens, strong fragrances etc.

My “rule” is: if it works just as well, I’ll buy the natural one. It has smaller an impact on the environment and it makes me feel safe because the effects have been tested for centuries. Of course there are natural products that don’t work for me, natural ingredients that I dislike for whatever reason or cannot keep up with the artificial ones. And of course, just like with regular products, I need to try a few ones and experiment to find the one that suits my needs.

It’s true that some natural products are quite expensive, but not all of them. There are many brands (Dr.Organics, Burt’s Bees, Jason, Australian Organics, Purity, Skinfoods, Lavera and Badger just to name a few that I use and am really happy with) which have a very affordable price range and really good quality products.

And a few brands that are a bit more expensive like A’kin, Weleda, Living Nature and Dr. Hauschka have some products which are probably higher quality (by the quality of the ingredients they contain) than most high-end brands.

I buy most of my skincare products from my local organic shop here in London UK, which is called Bumblebee, then from Holland&Barrett and occasionally, for higher-end products, from Wholefoods. I don’t think the prices are that much higher from drugstore ones, especially for the quality you get

Sorry for my ramble about skincare and cosmetics, I hope I didn’t bother you.

I really enjoy your blog by the way, I think it is quite important to bring brains into beauty and personal care and you are doing it really well!

I do believe though that, even though mineral oil is very moisturizing, it may not work for everyone. After all, everyone’s skin is different and what works for one person may not work for another. I’m glad that you have found products that work really well for you.