Turby and John

It’s winter weather every few days around here and, needless to say, my skin gets pretty dry.  Kirby started using the coconut oil that I used to make deodorant and toothpaste (reviews to come) with, and he mentioned it improving the condition of his hair.  Following my next shower, I covered my body (with the exception of my face, neck, and chest) with it.  Here’s what I think:

Performance- It makes my skin feel like soft, smooth heaven, and my (perpetually ashy) legs still feel moisturized at the end of the day.

Ingredients- It’s straight up coconut oil.

Price- I can’t remember the exact price. It has been a minute since I bought it, but prices on the internet range from five to twenty dollars. If you use the kind found in the cooking section (Mine has shrimp on the label. I don’t prefer it.), like me, I have a feeling it’s closer to five dollars.

Scent- It’s a very, very light coconut scent. It is in no way overpowering, like tanning oil or a sno cone. I can’t really wear perfume because it usually makes me feel sick, but I could probably rub this inside my nostrils and be fine. That’s not a bogus situation either. Sometimes excessive blowing of the nose will call for such extreme measures.

Rating- I’m thinking nine. I’m deducting one point because when it’s really cold I have a little trouble getting it out of the container.

Karen's Botanicals Calendula Rose Facial Cream (otherwise known as ham city)

Scent- Usually, scent is not the most important aspect of a product for me.  When the product smells like ham, however, scent becomes a big deal. After applying this a few nights ago for the first time, I contemplated washing it off because of the smell. I decided against it, for the sake of this review.

Performance- This stuff is very moisturizing, and (smell aside) it makes a wonderful night cream. When I wake up after wearing it all night, my skin feels super soft.

Ingredients (as listed on the website)- Sunflower, Olive oil infused with Rosebud and Calendula blossom, Calendula extract, Aloe Vera gel, Jojoba oil, Emulsifying vegetable wax, Beeswax, Mixed Tocopherols (non-GMO certified Vitamin E oil), Borage seed oil, Evening Primrose oil*, Borage seed oil, Rosehip seed oil, Blue Chamomile essential oil, selected essential oil blend.

(All of the ingredients except for the mixed tocopherols and the selected essential oil blend are certified organic.)

Product description (given on Carenoline.com, where I purchased it)- “A rich nourishing cream formulated for normal to extremely dry skin types, including sensitive skin. Made with super soothing calendula and blue chamomile oils, enriched with Evening Primrose and Borage Seed oils. Skin loving olive oil and healing aloe vera combine beautifully with rosehip seed oil–a powerful tool in the fight against hyperpigmentation (otherwise known as age spots). Very lightly scented with pure floral essential oils.”

(To be made more accurate, the last sentence should say “Very lightly scented with pure floral essential oils, and very powerfully scented with something that smells like ham.”

Price- $25.50 for a 1.7 oz container (luckily, I  only purchased the sample size for four dollars.)

Rating- I’ll give this product a six. I subtracted three points for the ham business and one for the price.

Since I am about to run out of conditioner and facial cleanser, I ordered some more online today. I also got some eye cream, because even though I love the miracle conditioner mentioned in my previous post…I want something specifically formulated for the sensitive area underneath my eyes.

Karen's Botanicals Rehydrating Olive Oil Cleanser

The best word to describe my skin is combination, but it’s definitely more dry than oily. This stuff is recommended for dry skin, but it’s winter time and I do what I want.

Opas Soap Ojai Lavender Conditioner

I decided to get the lavender instead of the palmarosa (as stated in my big long list post) because the former allegedly stimulates hair growth. We’ll seeee.

Skin's Apricot Mango Eye Cream

This stuff looks delicious, but it probably isn’t.

I also got try me sizes in Karen’s Botanicals Refreshing Lemon Mint Cleaner and Karen’s Botanicals Calendula Rose Facial Cream. I’m pumped! Get ready for some very informative reviews.

side note: My badass history teacher has made it painfully obvious to me that, until now, I have not had a good history teacher.

Henceforth, I will be steering this blog in a single direction. Posts will consist of extensive product reviews, health and beauty advice,  and the occasional herbal remedy. I will be sharing both good and bad experiences with homemade face masks and the like. In the event that I buy a pretty dress, however, I will not hesitate to post about it.

To kick things off, I’ll review a wonderful lotion that I just discovered.

Tate's Natural Miracle Conditioner

I recently got a rash on my chest. Who knows why? I have super sensitive skin sometimes..but within three days of using this stuff (I got a not-so-small free sample from the health food store), the rash had completely disappeared. I’ve been using it as an eye cream as well, and it gives me the appearance of being well-rested even when I’m not. I haven’t used it as a hair conditioner yet, but I have a feeling that results would make me very happy.

Price: An 18 oz pump is around $26.00, and a 5 oz bottle is around $8.00 where I purchased it.

Ingredients: mountain spring water, apples, strawberries, rose, lemons, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, boysenberries, oranges, cloves, ginger, pineapple, blackberries, celery, cherry bark, oak bark, orchid, marigold, hazel nut, pine needles, coconut, chamomile, jasmine, calendula, parsley, thyme, papaya, eucalyptus, passion flower, cinnamon, geranium, nutmeg. (WOW!)

On a scale of one to ten: nine, and the price is the only reason it’s not ten.

I bought this stuff for my sister for Christmas because she really wanted some, but I didn’t try it for myself until about a week ago. I intend to buy the biggest bottle I can find tomorrow when I go to the health food store where I bought hers.

Burt's Bees Natural Skin Care for Men

I am trying to ease Kirby into natural skin care products. As one of the first steps, I bought him a few paraben and SLS-free products for Christmas. He really likes this one. Even though the containter says it’s an aftershave, he uses it as an all over face moisturizer. When I asked him his three favorite things about the product, he said this:

“I like the smell, the texture, and that it is a good moisturizer.”

I also like the smell, and since I am close to his face on a fairly regular basis…I guess that’s pretty important.

It’s rated as a 3 on the Cosmetics Database , FYI.

I remember very clearly the day that I became curious about the ingredients in the health and beauty products I use.  It happened after reading an internet news article about a girl dying as a result of using too much perfume. As to whether or not this article was bullshit, I really have no clue.  I read some really disturbing things about parabens, preservatives used in many cosmetics and toiletries, and sodium lauryl or laureth sulfates, which are cleaning agents. I felt overwhelmed, so I decided that I would try to avoid those two ingredients at least. I began buying burt’s bees, alba hawaiian, tom’s of maine, yes to carrots, and method products because they were paraben and SLS-free (aside from my toothpaste and my hand soap, because I could not find ANY without SLS). I never stopped to consider all the other chemicals that I was introducing my body to by using those products. My sister, disfordelicate, has always been ahead of the game.  A few days ago, she told me about a website (cosmeticsdatabase.com) where I could find out exactly how hazardous the products I use are to my health. The website rates products on a scale from one to ten (one being the least dangerous and ten being the most dangerous). I was beyond shocked and a little disgusted by the things that I discovered. The result? As I finish the products that I currently use (to avoid being wasteful), I will be replacing them with safer and more natural alternatives.  The rundown:

Indian Healing Clay is far superior to any other mask I've ever used.

Sometimes I take shots of this. It is unpleasant.

I am almost certain that I have found the perfect face mask. The instructions on the back of the healing clay suggest mixing equal parts clay and water or equal parts clay and apple cider vinegar.  Initially, I mixed the healing clay pictured above with water. It was hard to mix properly, and it always ended up clumpy and did not form a paste like the instructions led me to believe it would. After a few failed attempts, I started mixing the clay with regular old Great Value apple cider vinegar. It made a paste and was very easy to apply, but I still felt like I was missing something. Today, I upgraded to Bragg- Raw Unfiltered Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. I can see a substantial difference in the results. My skin is glowing! This makes those 99 cent face masks from Walmart/Walgreens seem like a sad, cheap joke.

I recently started washing my face once a day instead of two or three. You might think that this would cause the overall condition of my skin to worsen (I was convinced for years that the more you wash your face, the cleaner it will be, and the less  breakouts will occur…), but I have found the contrary to be true. Both the texture and tone of my skin have improved quite dramatically for such a simple change in my routine.

Burt's Bees deep cleansing cream makes my face so soft!

By the way, that is the cleanser that I’ve been using for about two years and it is slammin. I have found that cleansing creams are much less harsh on my skin than bar soaps or other foaming cleansers. My skin tends to retain more of its moisture when I use creams. It tingles while I am washing my face too (in a good way).