Skincare - Body -Unlisted Brand - Pears - The Original Transparent Soap
Ceci2468 12/22/2009 1:16:00 AM
After reading reviews, I decided to try this soap. Spotted it in Bed Bath and Beyond for 99 cents. I haven't used it on my face but use it for body. It's a fairly large soap, oval shaped and concaved in the middle which makes it easy to hold (no dropping soap in shower). It lathers well and doesn't dry out my skin. I feel super clean with no filmy residue. Also looks like the soap will last a long time. It has a mild pleasant scent. I'm somewhat of a product junkie and use several body soaps at a time (currently have about 5 soaps in the shower) but plan to repurchase. It's inexpensive and worth a try. :)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Coty - Halle by Halle Berry
Ceci2468 12/14/2009 12:51:00 AM
Wow, with all the bad reviews on here I'm glad I checked this out for myself. I love the fragance. A very nice sweet, slightly floral, musk sandalwood smell. It lasts a long time. I love sweet smells and this isn't cloyingly sweet. I also love the scent of musk and sandalwood. A nice inexpensive cologne (I bought it at CVS). I would buy it again and highly recommend. :)
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Skincare - Face -Unlisted Brand - Grapefruit Seed Extract
Ceci2468 11/28/2009 1:12:00 AM
The one I have is NutriBiotic GSE. It's all natural. * From the label: "NutriBiotic GSE Liquid Concentrate contains Citricidal, a natural quaternary compound synthesized from the seed and pulp of organically grown grapefruit. The grapefruit bioflavonoids (polyphenolics) are converted into an extremely potent compound that has been proven highly effective in numerous applications." * There are many uses for this. I haven't discovered them all I've used it for: 1) face wash - Wet my face and apply 3 drops on my fingers and then rub it around in circular motions on my face. Leaves face squeaky clean but not dried out. 2) mouthwash - Add a couple of drops to your mouthwash (or in water) and swish it around in your mouth. Kills germs that cause bad breath. 3) shower spray - Add about 20-30 drops GSE, and 20 drops of tea tree oil to 8 ounces of water in a spray bottle. I like to add 10 drops of lavender essential oil for fragrance. I spray my shower tiles and this cuts back on mold and scum build up. Works great (antibacterial). 4) keeps colds at bay - Add 4-5 drops in orange juice. I take it when I feel a cold coming. * The taste is a little bitter. Not too overwhelming. Orange juice or any kind of juice will mask the bitterness. I picked this up at Vitamin Shoppe (should be able to find it in a health food store). You need very little so it should last a very long time. There are so many uses for this (check out the uses on a google search) it's unbelievable. I'm glad I found out about this. I highly recommend this and would definitely buy again. :) Update: I use my shower spray recipe (see above) for my back (mild back itches/bacne) and it works great. I shake the bottle then spray my back. Soap up my whole body leaving my back for last, rub with loofah and then rinse off. No more itch. :)
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Treatments -Unlisted Brand - Hibiclens
Ceci2468 11/28/2009 12:35:00 AM
I originally bought this to try on my face but haven't tried it for that yet. I had a cesarean over 15 years ago and every now and then the scar itches. I use this in the shower on the scar, then wash it off immediately and itch is gone. Also, sometimes under my breasts itch and I'll use this for that also and itch is gone. I get crazy back itch (but it's not bacne) and exfoliating helps but I tried Hibiclens on it and it worked great. I will not use it every day but maybe once a week. Have been using it for a few months now and so far so good. I can't recommend it for face acne (since I haven't used it for that) but for random body itches, this is HG. :) * Also great for keeping stinky feet under control. I highly recommend. I picked it up at CVS for about $11. A little goes a long way. It's very liquidy but I poured some in a foam pump and that works fabulously.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Queen Helene - Grape Seed Extract Masque
Ceci2468 11/27/2009 11:52:00 PM
Found this mask in Bed Bath and Beyond (first time I've been in the store in years). This mask is thicker than the Freeman peel mask. It was easy to apply though I think I might have applied it thicker than necessary since it took at least 40 minutes to fully dry. I suggest wearing a shirt that you really don't care too much about because it can drip. It stays on shiny and doesn't dry tight. It peeled off easily, painlessly and in one piece. I noticed the pores on my nose were smaller and cleaner and my skin was smooth and soft. After peeling off the mask, I rinsed my face and then used some Thayer's alcohol-free witch hazel then my Dr. Joesoef 8% glycolic acid. The next morning, my face was amazingly smooth and pores hardly noticeable. Some people have mentioned the smell, I found it to have a pleasant smell like grapes and mixed fruit. You do notice an alcohol smell but it's not overwhelming. Did not irritate my eyes or anything else. This product is extremely cheap ($4). I wasn't really expecting it to do much but it didn't disappoint (cleans pores, smooth soft skin). I would buy it again and I highly recommend it. It's a good peel off mask with a pleasant fragrance. Somewhat therapeutic. :)
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Gels/Soaps -Bath and Body Works - Anti Bacterial Hand Soap in Warm Vanilla Sugar
Ceci2468 11/26/2009 8:16:00 PM
I love sweet smells and this smells scrumptious. You don't need much to get a good lather so the product lasts quite a while. Cleans very well. Also makes a great gift. I recommend trying this for yourself. They have many other wonderful scents. :)
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Scrubs -Origins - Ginger Salt Scrub
Ceci2468 11/22/2009 3:39:00 PM
I received this as a gift. There was nothing about this product that I liked. It was extremely hard scooping it out of the jar and I detest the smell. I used it after cleansing my body in the shower and it left my legs feeling like I slathered on something fierce. I don't even know how to describe the feeling except like someone else stated - Exxon-Valdez oil spill!!! I tried to get some off with some soap -- wasn't happening. I was stuck with this crap on my legs and it coated my bathtub (I don't remember how many times I had to scrub the tub to get that stuff off). It's like the super glue of oil. Not even a smooth feeling oil but somewhat grimy without the grit. Totally disgusting. I moisturize my body everyday but this stuff is ridiculous. I can't recommend it. I couldn't even make myself give my jar to someone else. I would have reused the jar (that's the only nice thing = 1 lippie) but it would have been too much effort to clean the jar out. It went into the trash.
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Deodorants -Unlisted Brand - Crystal Body Deodorant Stick
Ceci2468 11/21/2009 2:57:00 PM
This really works! I bought the crystal stone from iherb.com and it's pretty inexpensive and should last close to a year. The stone comes with a little plastic dish. Make sure to use the deoderant on cleaned skin. I just wet the top of the stone with water and rub on my underarms. It doesn't protect against perspiration but it works wonders on odors. For me, the protection lasts all day long. I am so impressed. * I also bought the body spray for my sons (15 & 21). Picked the spray up at Vitamin Shoppe. My 15yo had bad foot odor and now he doesn't. He just sprays his shoes at night and sprays his feet after showering. He also uses it for underarm deoderant and it works great. He's very active and perspires a lot but now never gets odiferous (LOL). My 21yo tried it for underarm but he didn't like it because he claims it drips and takes too long to dry. I must add that my 21yo is not into trying new things and he has no patience. * These products are so inexpensive and last a long time. I also see them at Vitamin Shoppe. It's all natural (mineral salts), unscented (even though I've seen scented ones out there) and no poisons entering the body. It's hypo-allergenic and doesn't leave marks on clothes. I highly recommend at least giving it a try. :)
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Origins - Skin Diver Active Charcoal Body Scrub
Ceci2468 11/17/2009 9:09:00 PM
I actually wanted to buy the body wash but they were out of stock, so I thought this would work pretty much the same. Not. It doesn't lather (not that I expected it to). This is very oily, to the point where it separates from the product and sits at the opening so that the oil is the first to come out. I tried squishing the product around in the container to try to mix it but that doesn't work either. The scrub particles in this do not last very long (dissolves way too quickly) so you really do not get much scrubbing action. So, I usually wet my skin for a while in the shower to get it to soften up and then apply this scrub. I'll leave the scrub on for a few minutes after rubbing it in til the scrubbies are gone (I think it's sugar). After rinsing, the body is moisturized by all of the oils, then just pat dry with a towel. The good thing is, I do not have to moisturize my body after this. I was disappointed in this product, basically not enough scrubbing action and separation of the oils. I wouldn't buy it again but I'd recommend it if you have dry skin and are not looking for a scrub with a lot of exfoliating particles.
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Masks -Origins - Out of Trouble
Ceci2468 11/10/2009 9:36:00 PM
This mask is pretty good. I like that it has sulfur, zinc oxide and salicylic acid in it which are great for acne-prone skin. This mask is thick and textured like toothpaste. I apply the mask thinly and let it dry for about 20-30 minutes (even though it's a 10 minute mask). Usually I remove my masks in the shower but this one you remove using a washcloth (it's hard to remove without a washcloth probably because of the zinc oxide) and I want to make sure I've removed all of it. I'm not thrilled about the camphor (cooling feeling) in the mask which makes a strong smell but that's minor for me. It does dry my skin out but then I have oily skin so it's not too bad. I noticed that less than an hour after washing this off of my face, my t-zone looks like I've moisturized it (has somewhat of a slightly oily sheen) so I only moisturize my cheeks (dry areas). I notice the next morning how soft and smooth it made my skin. Not my favorite mask but I'm a mask junkie and I'd probably buy it again. I highly recommend giving it a try to see if it works for you. :)
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Skincare - Body -Unlisted Brand - Sublimed Sulfur
Ceci2468 11/2/2009 7:05:00 PM
I was determined to make my own sulfur products. I have acne-prone skin and seborrheic dermatitis and sulfur works well for me for both conditions. I purchased 4 oz of this at americarx.com. It was dirt cheap (with shipping it was less than $6). So far I've made a 10% sulfur scalp ointment. I wanted to see how long I could go without washing my hair (usually I have to wash every 3 days). Well, it's been a week and still no itching or signs of flakes, etc (however, I will wash my hair today--I think a week is long enough). I love it. I'll add some to my shampoo recipe also. You can check out all of my recipes on my notepad. The only thing is sulfur is oil soluble. For my face mix that I'm planning to use (also 10% sulfur), I will mix the sulfur in my whipped shea butter mix that I use for my face (see my notepad for that recipe). And my third recipe will be a 10% sulfur spray for body acne. I will probably need to purchase an emulsifier and preservative since most likely I will use distilled water as the base. I also added some sulfur, charcoal and white willow bark extract to some melt and pour soap for my son. He hasn't tried it yet but as soon as he does, I will update with results. Don't be intimidated about making your own products. Mixing is so much fun. You know exactly what's in your products and it's so much cheaper than store bought. Also, I didn't notice any strong sulfur smell with the sublimed sulfur. You can always add an essential oil like orange, lemon, eucalyptus, etc to help if the smell bothers you. Definitely worth a try. I highly recommend. :) Update 11/14/09: I made my 10% sulfur shea mix and so far so good. No break outs or anything. Can't wait to see if it keeps TTOM cyst away. Will update. :) Update 12/21/09: I'm still using my sulfur shea mixes for my face and scalp (in shampoo) and they are working great. Knock on wood, no more TTOM cysts. :) Update 1/21/10: My mixes are still working great for face and scalp. The melt and pour soap is also awesome and easy to make. Just make sure you use a good soap base (check out brambleberry.com or organic-creations.com). I'm very happy I decided to "create" my own products.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -Unlisted Brand - Ivory Soap
Ceci2468 10/26/2009 4:43:00 PM
I haven't used this soap in over 30 years. Unless it has been reformulated since then, this has got to be the most drying soap out there. This soap sucks (strips) the skin (or my skin, anyway) of all oils. Definitely not a good thing. I moisturized with lotion and that didn't help. Back then my parents didn't have a lot of money (and they probably didn't know all the other options) and we used this stuff for everything -- body wash, face wash, dish detergent, hair shampoo. This will strip your hair of everything. I'm African American with natural hair and after shampooing with this stuff my hair did not have good feeling at all (think brillo pad). Back then we didn't even use hair conditioner and I couldn't even handle (manage) my own hair. Had to get others to comb it for me. This soap does not bring forth good memories at all. One positive, it sure did clean the crap off of the dishes. Damn fine as dish detergent.
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Masks -Unlisted Brand - activated charcoal
Ceci2468 10/26/2009 4:01:00 AM
I love activated charcoal. I have tried a few products with it and decided to mix up my own. I've mixed it in various pure clays (French green clay and benonite clay) and in a couple of masks (Origins Out of Trouble and Queene Helene mint julep) and it adds an added "punch" to the clays/masks. Yes, it makes the mask black but who cares. I love it. Detoxifying and pore cleansing. Skin feels super refreshed and clean. I've also used it alone with just water on my t-zone and that works also. It's extremely cheap. I paid $6 for 50 capsules at Vitamin Shoppe. You will not need more than one capsule per mask. Even my 15yo son loves charcoal. I bought a charcoal soap (Origins) and he swiped it from me and asked me to buy more. Charcoal is also great for getting rid of body odor. So, if you work out, this is awesome. The capsules are so easy to use, you can open some up into your body cleanser. Or if you use bar soap, you can open one in your hand and mix some soap with it, then spread all over your body. Also, I noticed no extra mess in the shower when this is used. I highly recommend trying it. :)
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Unlisted Brand - Sea Salt Mask
Ceci2468 10/26/2009 3:47:00 AM
Wow does this stuff sting! I don't know if it's because I mixed it in my African black soap or that sea salt stings all by itself. Anyway, I left the mix on my face for about a minute and then I gently rubbed in circles for a bit before rinsing it off. It rinsed off easily and left no irritations (no redness). My skin was extremely soft, well exfoliated and my pores on my nose (I have large pores in the nose area) was visibly reduced and cleaned out. Because of the results, I would most likely try this again except I might use the sea salt by itself and see if the stinging will be reduced. LOL I guess I can tolerated the pain, it was just so unexpected but the results were worth it. It's very inexpensive (99 cents for Morton's sea salt at Walmart) and worth a try. :) Update 11/14/09: I've used the salt mask mixed with just water and it stung way less than with the African black soap. Just 1 tsp sea salt mixed with a little water in my palm. I spread it on my wet face and rub gently. Same great results -- smooth, soft and well exfoliated skin. HG for me!!!
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Skincare - Face -Garden of Wisdom - Fuller's Earth Clay
Ceci2468 10/23/2009 8:19:00 PM
I love masks and had to try this one. I wanted to buy the Fresh Umbrian Clay mask (which is 100% fuller's earth clay) but it was too expensive ($38 for 7.1 oz) and opted to buy this instead ($10 for 8 oz). The texture of this clay is very silky smooth (not gritty) and light. I mixed 1 teaspoon with 1/2 teaspoon of water. This is enough to spread all over the face. I left it on for about 30 minutes until dry. This clay will flake so do not wear your good clothes while doing this mask. I rinsed it off at the sink and it rinses off very easily. This mask is great if you have oily skin (I don't think this is for dry skin). You can see the oil that was absorbed in the clay as it dries. I was amazed at the amount of oil. The mask doesn't tighten like bentonite and french green clay so it should be fine for sensitive skin. Even though it sucked out all of that oil, my face did not feel dry afterwards. I lightly moisturized everywhere but my t-zone which tends to be oily. I did research on this clay and found that this clay can be used as soap to cleanse the face. I plan on trying it for that. You only need maybe 1/4 teaspoon to use as a cleanser. The claim is that this clay also lightens the skin (I thought I looked lighter after using it but I'm not sure--maybe it takes time). Also, if true this is great for oily skin, Fuller's Earth is said to leave you dramatically less oily for a few days after use. I guess I'll find all of this out with time (and will update if it is untrue). Overall, I loved this clay. It's very mild (I can see using it several times a week). No irritations or tightening. My pores were very clean and looked minimized which is a definite plus since I have large pores on my nose and the skin at the sides of my nose. Also, some got in my hairline and when I rinsed it out, my hair was soft and less curly (I like that a lot - LOL). I'll have to try it as a hair treatment and see what happens. The clay was inexpensive, 8 ounces with shipping came to about $10. Also, shipping was pretty quick. I received my package within 4 business days. It comes in a heavy duty plastic bag instead of a jar but that's o.k. It should also last a long time because you only need a little bit (about 1 tsp/facial). I highly recommend this for oily, normal, sensitive, acneic skins (definitely not for dry skin). :) Update: 11/8/09, still working great. I like to put about 1/4 in my palm and mix with my Dr. Joesoef's sulfur soap or African black soap. Makes my skin feel super clean and moisturized. Update: 1/24/10, still awesome. I mix it with neem powder and aloe vera gel and the results are great. Super clean skin and it lightens blemishes. Yeah. :)
11 out of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No