living lightly in ireland

Natural and Organic Skincare in Ireland 2026.

I’ve cleared my house of as many non-natural chemicals as possible. It was relatively easy to do this food and cleaning wise but brands of natural skincare took a lot more research. My Easy 3 Ingredient Moisturiser is perfect as a body moisturiser but I find it clogs the pores on my face so I need a finer grade face moisturiser, preferably organic. Below are the fruits of my research labour so please enjoy this list of makers in Ireland offering natural and sometimes organic skincare products;

Friction and the Waste Culture

I recently read a book on the whole concept of ‘nudging’ people towards doing what’s best for them, and society. The book I read was titled ‘Inside the Nudge Unit: How small changes can make a big difference’ by David Halpern and was based on the seminal book ‘Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness’ by University of Chicago economist Richard H. Thaler and Harvard Law School Professor Cass R. Sunstein.

Sustainable Handmade Christmas Presents

When it comes to handmade gifts it’s important not overload yourself with too much work. Just pick one or two, otherwise come December you’ll resent what seemed a very clever idea in November. With that in mind here’s some ideas on easy, inexpensive sustainable Christmas gifts

Do Shampoo Bars Really Work?

One of the first products I tried on my journey to zero waste was a shampoo bar from Lush and, despite it’s price, I was a convert. I loved the fact that I could buy it without packaging, save a sticker saying how much it was. This love affair lasted a year but then I went back on the bottled shampoo. If you want to find out why then read on.

Re-homing Stuff Online 2026

I went through a massive decluttered a couple of years ago and has such trouble trying to rehoming everything sustainably. This totally changed my outlook on what I allow into the house now. If it’s not something I will keep for a long time or can rehome easily in the future I just don’t let it in.

Decluttering can become very addictive I’ve found and the joy of empty space encouraged me to let go of more than I expected. I do have one rule though; I will only rehome an item if I believe it’s going to prevent the purchase of a new item. For that reason what I rehome has to be in good condition and rehomed through the right outlet. Here’s how I sustainably declutter my home using online marketplaces.