Along with my delicious sample of Arbonne Vanilla Protein Shake Mix, I received several other Arbonne samples to try out. Today I’ll be reviewing the Fortifying Hair Mask, a product that is a real treat for hair that needs a little extra love.

Key Ingredients (provided at arbonne.com)- “Botanical blend of chamomile flower extract, rosemary leaf extract, sage leaf extract, soy protein; spirulina extract, shea butter.”

None of the current formulations of Arbonne’s products are in the Cosmetics Database, so I’ve linked to each of the key ingredients above. None of the key ingredients have hazard scores above zero, but the key ingredients certainly are not the only ingredients used to make the product. Check out Arbonne’s Ingredient Policy; it eased my mind a little.

Some great things about this product:

1.  Like all Arbonne personal care products, it’s free of petroleum-based ingredients (like Benzene, Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Phthalates, and Toluene). It’s also free of PABA and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.

2. It’s cruelty-free and there are no animal products or animal by-products.

Product Description(also provided at arbonne.com)- “Contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals with a superb, hydrating formula that helps strengthen, con­dition, repair and revitalize the hair shaft for a lustrous, healthy shine. It’s perfect for a scalp massage and safe for chemically treated hair. Mask can be used on newly colored hair to help seal and protect the cuticle, which helps maintain color.”

Price- Around $30.00 for 4 fl. oz.

Performance- This product didn’t weigh my hair down like hair masks I’ve used in the past, which was great. My hair was soft and manageable after adding a little Jonathan Straightening Lotion and blow drying it, and I thought it looked so pretty I didn’t even straighten it! When using this product, I’d suggest combing it into your wet hair with a wide tooth comb and completely saturating the ends. Wait at least 10 minutes before rinsing. That’s what I did, and I was way into the results:

Scent- This scent of this product isn’t very strong, and it smells fruity and slightly medicated. I might also describe it as smelling a little yeasty. I’m into it, but don’t worry if the scent doesn’t sound like your cup of tea. After rinsing, there’s no trace of the scent left at all.

Rating- I’m subtracting 2 points because hard to track down ingredients can be a bit frustrating. 8/10 it is.

Would I purchase this item again? I’d definitely like to see this product’s entire ingredient list before committing, but the performance is fantastic, so most likely!

Image Source

*Samples were provided by an Arbonne representative; opinions were provided by me.

Have you ever read the ingredients on a bottle of cheap nail polish? If you’re lucky enough to have them listed (and are capable of reading the tiniest words you’ll probably ever encounter), then you might be shocked by what you see. It wasn’t until just before throwing out my old polishes and remover that I forced myself to look at the ingredients. One of the few recognizable ingredients on each bottle was formaldehyde resin. The remover was no better. Think acetone, parabens, and artificial colors that hardly seem necessary in a polish remover.

I avoided doing research on the horrible ingredients hiding in popular polishes for a very long time; I knew my findings would cause me to make a possibly expensive change. I’ve had several natural polishes on wishlists in the past, but I was never able to justify the initial high cost on top of shipping. When I saw Piggy Paint* at Pink & Blue Avenue, a local gift shop for babies and new mothers, I took it as a sign that it might be time to make the switch. I thought it over for a few days, and when I returned to the store I bought a bottle of Piggy Paint in Sea-quin (which is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, Bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone)  as well as a bottle of Piggy Paint acetone-free nail polish remover. My next move was getting rid of all my Sally Hansen, Petites, and Essie products.

I feel pretty great about my purchase, and I consider it $20 well spent. I’ll be heading to the beach for a week on Saturday, and my toes will look great without being covered in formaldehyde. A post on achieving beach-ready feet at home is on its way! I’ll talk more about the performance of these lovely products in said post.

*I know, I know. As the name suggests, this product was created for kids. However, as the website states, “Piggy Paint is a natural, eco-friendly nail polish designed for fancy girls.”

I was a fancy girl at 7, I’m a fancy girl at 21, and I’ll still be a fancy girl when I’m 50. Count on it!

Image Courtesy of albabotanica.com

Ingredients (provided at cosmeticsdatabase.com)- “Organic ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, brassica campestris/aleurites fordi oil copolymer, oleic/linoleic/linolenic polyglycerides, silica silylate, coconut flavor, soybean glycerides, organic beeswax, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), silica, organic cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, ammonium glycyrrhizate and tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E).”

This product receives a hazard score of 2 on the Cosmetic Safety Database, with tocopheryl acetate being the only ingredient with a hazard score above a 3.

Some great things about this product:

1. It contains organic ingredients.

2. It’s free of preservatives.

3. Alba Botanica cares about the environment.

Product Description (provided at albabotanica.com)- “Tropical fruit extracts and certified organic emollients are blended together to create exotic lip glosses that best reflect the beauty, vitality and spirit of the Hawaiian Islands for soft, shimmering lips.”

Price- $4.95 for .42 oz.

Performance- I’m more of a chap stick wearer than a lip gloss wearer (which is why this tube has lasted over a year), but I usually grab this stuff when I’m in the mood for lip gloss. It’s glossy without being sticky, and it doesn’t make my lips look ridiculously shiny. It stays put for a pretty long time as well, assuming I’m not licking my lips constantly. It smells like it would taste delicious (see below), but it doesn’t really have much of a taste.  When I’m feeling fancy, I like to add a little red lipstick underneath. Plus, my lips are way soft after using it.

Scent- This lip gloss smells almost exactly like a sample that I have of Coastal Classic Creations Sand Waves Perfume, which is kind of a great thing.

Rating- 8/10. I subtracted 2 points for the ingredient with a hazard score of 4. Shouldn’t a product that I put on my lips, and accidentally end up eating a lot of, have the best and safest ingredients possible?

Would I purchase this item again?- I might try to find something with a lower hazard score next time, but I definitely don’t regret purchasing this product.

She began with mentioning how she stopped using baby oil after her showers upon discovering that it was unsafe on the Cosmetic Safety Database (with it being a petroleum byproduct and all).  While browsing the CSD, she also discovered that the Summer’s Eve Feminine Wash for Sensitive Skin that her friend had been using had all kinds of awful ingredients that you would never want near your nether regions like synthetic dyes, fragrance, and ammonium laureth sulfate (a harsh surfactant). This made my friend wonder, and I’m quoting here, “What the hell can ladies use that won’t cancer up their lady parts?” I found this question to be a very valid (not to mention wonderfully-worded) one, and one that I’ve never heard addressed, so I took it upon myself to find the answer.

I began my quest on the CSD in the feminine care category, but I was soon disappointed when I learned that they had no feminine cleansers in their database with a hazard score lower than a three. No thanks!

One of the first moderately helpful sites that I found listed several easy solutions to vaginal odor and/or discomfort.  This site suggested using inexpensive products that most people already have lying around like vinegar, aloe vera gel, hydrogen peroxide, and slippery elm bark (well, maybe most people don’t have this one lying around)  to clean down there. I must admit, though, I’d be hesitant to put vinegar and especially hydrogen peroxide around my vagina (the former because it seems like it might cause irritation and the latter because it’s linked to cancer, which is what we’re trying to avoid here).

I checked out the green and natural section of drugstore.com, and I literally found only two natural feminine washes. The first is called DivaWash, and while it’s not specifically sold as a feminine wash (the bottle says that it can be used to wash the face or the body), it was located in the feminine cleansing category.

The positives:  It’s free of parabens (preservatives that mimic estrogen), sulfates (harsh surfactants), and petrochemicals (chemical products derived from petroleum).

The negatives:  The ingredients still aren’t awesome. The second ingredient listed is Cocamidopropyl Betaine, which is a synthetic surfactant that’s associated with skin irritation.

The second natural feminine wash that I found on drugstore.com is Natracare Organic Cotton Intimate Wipes.

The positives: They’re alcohol, paraben, sulfate, chlorine, and synthetic preservative-free. They’re also biodegradable.

The negatives: They come in the form of wipes, which seems a little unnecessarily wasteful…even if they are biodegradable.  Also, very little is known about most of the ingredients (ie: datagaps). One of the ingredients that doesn’t have a huge data gap is Sodium Dehydroacetate, which is a preservative that’s linked to cancer. Bummer!

I also found an entire line of organic feminine care called Pink Kitti. The name makes me cringe a little, but what’s more unnerving is that I cannot find an ingredient list on the entire site. Major ingredients are listed but nothing else. Their site does state that their products are paraben and sulfate-free and that the ingredients are 89% organic. Still, I need a little more information about a product that’s intended to clean my vagina. If you have nothing to hide, then you should list your ingredients on your site. Am I right?

I always feel like I am let down when I try to get to the bottom of something, but maybe I’m just not looking in the right places. Do you guys know of any legitimately natural and safe feminine cleansers?  I’ve consistently used whatever soap I’m currently using as a body wash to clean my lady parts, and I’ve never had any problems with it. But what about the people who feel like they need a little something extra down there? Shouldn’t there be a safe and effective product out there for them?

Image Courtesy of Sheamoisture.com

I  bought a bottle of this lotion at Target a little over a month ago and have been using it once or twice a week since; I figured it was time to review it for you guys.

Ingredients (I gave up trying to find these ingredients online after ten minutes and just typed them out all by myself)- “Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Deionized Water, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stearyl Alcohol (Palm Kernal), Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter*, Vegetable Glycerin, Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil*, Essential Oil Blend, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Papain (Papaya Extract), Allantoin (Comfrey Root Extract), Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower, Lonicera Japonica (Japanese Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Songyi Mushroom Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Milk.”

I couldn’t locate this product on the Cosmetic Safety Database, but the ingredient with the highest hazard score is Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, with a four. The rest of the ingredients are either zeros, ones, or twos.

Some great things about this product:

1. It was not tested on animals.

2. It’s free of parabens, phthalates, paraffin, formaldehyde, propylene glycol, mineral oil, synthetic fragrance, synthetic color, animal ingredients, PABA, and DEA.

I didn’t know what PABA was, so I looked it up. Here’s what the Cosmetic Safety Database had to say: “A once-common sunscreen ingredient, now avoided due to allergic dermatitis and photosensitivity. Research indicates PABA has carcinogenic potential. PABA derivatives are now more commonly used, but these too may have health concerns.”

Recyclability- The bottle is #1 plastic, which means that I can recycle it in Lake Charles.  Hooray!

Product Description (provided at sheamoisture.com)- “SheaMoisture’s Coconut & Hibiscus Collection is a bounty of nutrient-rich tropical ingredients high in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids working together to stimulate collagen production, improve skin firmness and naturally smooth wrinkles. The anti- inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of the Hibiscus flower help to maintain the skin’s elasticity, improve skin tone and offer anti-aging effects.”

Price-$7.99 for an 8 oz bottle and $9.99 for a 13 oz bottle

Performance- As far as moisturizing goes, this lotion is a real winner. It makes my skin soft like a baby’s without making me feel greasy. The scent has real staying power too, but I’ll discuss below why that may not be a good thing. I’ve only used this lotion on my neck and chest once or twice, and I felt like it may have been to heavy because of the tiny bumps that appeared on my chest the next day. Bummer!

Scent- I know that the name and ingredient list don’t mention pineapple at all, but this lotion smells a lot like pineapple to me. Maybe it’s the papaya. Does papaya smell like pineapple? Sadly, I often find the scent of pineapple to be overwhelming and a little nauseating. For this reason, and because it caused my chest to break out a little, I’ve been inclined to limit the application of this lotion to the lower half of my body.

Rating- Because this lotion was so reasonably-priced, I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, I cannot get on board with the heavy tropical scent. Rating: 5/10

Would I purchase this item again?: I enjoyed how soft this lotion made my legs, feet and stomach so much that I’d definitely be willing to try another scent, perhaps the Lemongrass & Tea Tree. The fact that this lotion caused my chest to break out isn’t as much of a deal-breaker for me. I don’t mind limiting a product to certain areas of my body if it works really well for those areas.

I’ve recently started carrying a travel-size bottle filled with Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap in my purse. I am no longer faced with either having to wash my hands with anti-bacterial sludge (that contains any number of questionable ingredients) or not washing my hands at all. I should’ve done this months ago; I feel good about life.

Annnnd:

After I find a job and am making money down here in Lake Charles, I’m going to buy all of the containers and necessary ingredients to create and sell my own line of health and beauty products online. I’m keeping a lot of the details under wraps for now, until I get some money and a lot of the kinks worked out. I have a few ideas for appropriate names for the line, but I’d really like your input. Any fun ideas?

I typically shave with Dr. Bronners Classic Liquid Soap (My favorite scents are almond and citrus), but I’m not opposed to using a natural shaving cream if I’m feeling especially adventurous.

Ingredients- (provided at albabotanica.com)- Purified water, isopropyl palmitate, certified organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice(1), tocopherol (vitamin E), simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil, certified organic cocos nucifera (coconut)(1), calendula officinalis(1), chamomilla recutita (chamomile)(2) and camellia sinensis (green tea)(2) extracts, citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil, carbomer, peg-7 glyceryl cocoate, sodium hydroxide, vegetable glycerin, phenoxyethanol, benzyl alcohol, potassium sorbate, and botanical fragrance.

The Cosmetic Safety Database gives this product a hazard score of 4, which is neither great nor appalling. I’m not particularly crazy about benzyl  alcohol or potassium sorbate (both are commonly used as preservatives), and I very rarely use this cream shave for that reason. I’ve done some research on  the ingredients “peg-7 glyceryl cocoate” and “phenoxyethanol” and they’re not entirely safe either. Obviously, however, I’d use Alba every day of the week before using something like Skintimate.

Product Description (also provided at albabotanica.com)-”Enriched with jojoba, vitamin E, and organic botanicals, this highly concentrated, soap-free formula delivers a smooth and soothing shave with lasting comfort. A cool splash of invigorating island coconut and lime will enliven the senses like a tropical sunrise.”

Price- $6.45 for 8 oz. I’ve had mine for over a year, and I’ve only used about half of it. So I guess the price isn’t bad at all. ( Interestingly, the preservatives that make me wary of this product are also the reasons that I can safely use it for over a year.)

Performance- I love how smooth my legs are after shaving with this stuff, but I have to be very careful with the amount that I use. If I use too much, the product clogs my razor and the blades stop working.  A dime-sized portion is usually enough for each leg. It’s probably important to keep in mind that I usually don’t go a day without shaving my legs. Someone with furrier legs might need to use more, which would make it harder to keep their razor unclogged.

Scent- It smells like a fancy, tropical sno cone, and you’ll hear no complaints about that from me.

Rating- 6 out of 10. I subtracted 1 point for the product’s tendency to clog my razor and 3 for the questionable ingredients.