What's in Your Back Yard

                                                  
                                                                   Image Source

 Over the weekend, I saw a post on twitter that made me think. The lovely people from Bodhi were asking us Brits what percentage of our beauty and skincare is British.

 My answer to this would be about 60%, but I would like it to be higher. I am as guilty of lusting over products from further afield as the next person, but it is easy to overlook the wealth of talent we have on our own doorsteps.

 When I first began taking a closer look at the products I was using, there were a number of things I wanted to address. I want to be able to understand what is in my products and I want to know a little more about the brand that is making them. I want to know where products and ingredients are sourced from. I do want to know that what I am putting on my skin is produced in a responsible way, and not to the detriment of the environment, or animals. I also want to know that my products are fairly traded. I feel that some of the larger mainstream brands hide behind their reputation. They tell us that research proves their product is the next best thing since sliced bread, but that research is withheld from us as it is a trade secret. If the evidence is really there, why can't I access it?

 Increasingly I find myself drawn to smaller, artisan brands. They seem to be much more forthcoming about what they use and why it is used. Much more care and attention seems to be paid to using sustainable ingredients and to making a more ethical product.

 So, where am I going with this? What am I rambling on about? I think it is important to support the little guy and to celebrate the wealth of talent we have locally. I thought it might be nice for as many of us as possible to post about a few brands that are local to us. As well as giving us new brands to lust over, it is always nice to know a little more about the person behind a blog.

 Although the question was originally posed to a British audience, I extend the invitation to you where ever you are. I would love to know "What's in Your Back Yard"

 Let me know if you are up for the challenge, I think it will be really interesting to see what everyone comes up with.