The Alma Sana van is touring Belgium with expertise on DIY cosmetics and detergents.
ADVERTISEMENTThis not-for-profit van is run by a duo whose concern for the environment prompted them to start a business teaching people to make their own eco-conscious cosmetics.
They made the decision after a search for sustainable, local alternatives turned up little, and decided to bring their self-taught skills to the wider world.
The pair run workshops and tour the country spreading the word on how to make beauty and household products with an ingredient list you could count on one hand.
The formula includes bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, essential oils as well as savon noir - a biodegradable, additive-free liquid material resulting from the saponification (conversion of fat into soap) of vegetable oils like olive or linseed oil.
Read more | Top seven eco-friendly shampoo bars for dry hair
The final touch with a few drops of citrus or thyme essential oil and the dish washing detergent is ready to be poured onto recycled liquid containers.
Much of the client base is made up of those with young children, after a spike in allergies and intolerances to traditional cleaning products, which often feature a host of toxic ingredients.
"Their parents are searching for alternative solutions, products that have no perfume, without too many chemicals inside and that are as natural as possible," says school teacher Veronique Morea. She says using non-toxic products around allergic children is paramount.
"We're very careful; we follow a series of instructions that don't allow us to use harmful chemical products for the skin and for daily use. When we clean the tables we use certain soaps that are more eco-friendly than others because we're responsible for the kids and their lives."
