Cleansers -Derma E - very clear problem skin cleanser
Genia1 7/24/2010 12:35:00 AM
Best cleanser I've ever used. It contains willow bark extract, which is what the exfoliating agent salicylic acid is derived from. This is why it exfoliates so well. And unlike other exfoliating cleansers, it doesn't dry out my skin, it just removes dead skin cells. I have to admit to being shocked that it doesn't dry out my skin, given that cleansers of any sort tend to give me the flakies (I have seborrhea). My skin looks fresher and clearer after using this, and my acne is diminishing. It's working so well that I've also started using the body wash.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Gels/Soaps -100 Percent Pure - Honey Almond Milk Shower Gel
Genia1 5/22/2008 10:15:00 PM
I love this shower gel. I have seborrhea and so have a hard time finding a wash that is gently moisturizing. My skin reacts poorly to overly-moisturizing products and reacts horribly to harsh, drying products. So far, this shower gel is working really well for me. It hasn't caused me to break out, which most products do. I'd prefer a different scent, but that's just because I'm not a fan of almond scents. And it's a little pricey, but you get a huge bottle of it.
Ingredients: Organic White Tea, Jasmine, Calendula, Red Rose Petals, Honey, Almond Milk, Gentle Coconut Cleanser (coco betaine), Almond Extract, Sweet Almond Oil, Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate), Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Natural Food Preservatives from Cranberries and Salt (less than 0.1% of Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate)
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Skincare - Face -100 Percent Pure - Lavender Honey Facial Cleansing Lotion
Genia1 5/22/2008 10:14:00 PM
While I would never use this on my face (I only use soap-free, oil-based cleansers), I LOVE it as a hand soap. It is less drying than other hand soaps, due to the vitamin E, cleanses thoroughly, and smells divine. Additionally, it's the only soap I've used that prevents mineral makeup build-up in my sink. I used to have to scrub my sink, but now there's no build-up at all. It would be pricey to buy as a hand soap, so I'm not sure yet if I'll purchase it again, but I'd definitely like to.
Ingredients: Organic Lavender Honey, Organic Infusion of Green Tea, Lavender Flower, Calendula and Jasmine, Organic Grapeseed, Coco Betaine, Vitamin C (calcium ascorbate), Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Organic Blackcurrant, Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Extracts of Raspberry, Blackberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Lemon, Natural Food Preservatives from Cranberries and Salt (less than 0.1% of Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate)
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Scrubs -100 Percent Pure - Honey Pear Body Scrub
Genia1 5/22/2008 10:09:00 PM
I think this is just about the worst body scrub I've ever used. I should state that this seems odd, given how much I love so many other products by 100% Pure. This scrub is so oily that you might as well just buy a bottle of nut or vegetable oil and apply it in the shower -- it would have the same effect. The sugar granules are so small that they have virtually no scrubbing effect; they neither exfoliate nor remove any of the oiliness of the scrub. I much prefer sugar scrubs that have large sugar granules and that leave you lightly moisturized. I'll stick with 100% Pure's Honey Almond Milk Shower Gel, which I love because it cleanses thoroughly without stripping my skin.
The scrub is all-natural, however, which I appreciate. Ingredients: Organic Cabernet Grapeseed Oil, Organic Rosehip Oil, Evaporated Cane Juice, Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Pure Pear Aroma, Organic Lavender Honey, Extracts of Grapefruit Seed, Pear, Cherry, Pomegranate, Blueberry, Raspberry, Blackberry and Rosemary.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Masks -Unlisted Brand - Lotus Moon Organic Honey Purifying Masque
Genia1 5/3/2008 3:16:00 PM
Lotus Moon's Organic Honey Purifying Masque is a gel mask, and it comes in a 2 oz. plastic screw-top jar. I don't normally use masks because I find them too harsh for my problem skin, but this one, despite smelling strongly of herbs and essential oils in a medicinal way, isn't overly harsh. I suspect that it is gentle enough for my skin because it contains a fair amount of jojoba oil and because it is a gel-like mask. It is all-natural, as is the case with all Lotus Moon products.
I don't use it as a mask, rather I sometimes use it to cleanse my face. When I use it in this manner, I first use Lotus Moon's Green Tea & Lavender Cleansing Milk for the first cleanse and follow that with the mask for the second cleanse. (I always cleanse twice when wearing makeup.)
Ingredients: *honey, *rooibos tea extract, *aloe juice, xanthan gum, *jojoba oil, tocopherol (natural vitamin E), oat extract, *rosemary oleoresin, *neem oil. *certified organic
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Cleansers -Unlisted Brand - Lotus Moon Green Tea & Lavender Cleansing Milk
Genia1 5/3/2008 3:08:00 PM
I've written reviews for many oil-based, soap-free facial cleansers that I like, but up to this point, Lotus Moon's Green Tea & Lavender Cleansing Milk is the best one I've used. I use it twice if I'm wearing makeup, and it thoroughly removes all makeup and oils without drying my face in the least. Sometimes I use it once, and then use Lotus Moon's Organic Honey Purifying Masque for the second cleanse. Both have treated my problem skin very well.
As with all of Lotus Moon's products, this one is all-natural. It comes in a 6 fl. oz. plastic pump dispenser. It's a little on the expensive side, but I don't mind when a product works this well and contains all-natural, high-quality ingredients.
Ingredients: Infused Camellia Sinensis (Organic Green Tea) Leaf Juice Extract, Organic Rooibos Tea, Vitis Vinifera (Grapeseed), Emulsifying Wax (vegetable source), Lactose (Milk), Retinol Palmitate (Vitamin A), Honey, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Distillate, Aloe Barbadensis (Organic Aloe) Leaf Juice, Lavendula Angustifolia (Organic Lavender) Distillate, Anthemis Nobilis (Chamomile) Distillate, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch Hazel), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Extract, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Azadirachta indica (Organic Neem), Salix nigra (Organic Black Willow Bark) Extract.
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Conditioner -Dr. Bronner's - Organic Shikakai Conditioning Hair Rinse
Genia1 3/21/2008 7:49:00 PM
This product is meant to remove the residue left by natural shampoo before you apply conditioner. I don't use natural shampoo, though, and so I've just been using the rinse in place of conditioner, and I actually prefer it to standard conditioner. As a rinse, you're supposed to dilute it in a cup of water and pour it over your hair, but I just put a bunch of it in my palm without diluting it and apply it directly to my hair. Then I rinse it out. When my hair is still wet, it doesn't feel like it's been conditioned -- it actually feels a little stiff. But once I blow it dry, it's so incredibly soft and shiny that I'm sold. Ingredients: Organic Shikakai Powder extracted in Organic Concentrated Lemon Juice, Organic Coconut Fatty Acids, Organic Olive Fatty Acids, Organic Hemp Fatty Acids, Potassium Citrate (made with Organic Lemon Juice), Organic Lemon Oil, Organic Orange Oil.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Scrubs -Unlisted Brand - Miessence Gentle Exfoliant
Genia1 3/17/2008 1:42:00 PM
This is hands down the best exfoliant I've ever used. It is simply perfect for people with sensitive yet flaky skin, precisely because it is so simple. The list of ingredients is short (see below). The jojoba wax beads exfoliate without hurting, damaging, or irritating skin. The aloe juice and natural gum combine to make a cleansing, moisturizing gel, which leaves skin feeling refreshed and not the least bit dry. There is a small amount of honeysuckle extract and lavender essential oil, and lavender is known to be a soothing, healing essential oil. That's it, that's all the ingredients. The price tag is quite hefty, unfortunately, especially for something one could easily make by mixing aloe gelly and jojoba wax beads and a little lavender EO. If I have the money, I'll repurchase, though, for the convenience and because I know the ingredients are high quality and mixed in just the right proportions.
Ingredients: Organic aloe vera (aloe barbadensis) leaf juice, jojoba wax beads, natural gum (sclerotium rolfsii), honeysuckle (lonicera japonica) extract, organic lavender (lavandula angustifolia) essential oil.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lip Treatments -EO - Lavender and Aloe Soothing Relief Lip Treatment
Genia1 2/10/2008 1:29:00 PM
This is my favorite lip balm. It's incredibly moisturizing but doesn't feel greasy. And it smells heavenly; I wish I could find a lavender perfume that smells exactly like this. In fact, it smells so good that I enjoy applying it. Oh, and it's all natural. What's not to love? UPDATE: While I still find the scent sooooo lovely, I've come to think that the essential oils are drying out my lips a bit. Ingredients: Organic Sweet Almond (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) Oil, Organic Beeswax (Cera Alba), Organic Safflower (Carthamnus Tinctorius) Oil and/or Organic Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Oil, Organic Jojoba (Simmondsia Chinensis) Oil, Organic Cocoa (Theobroma Cacao) Butter, French Lavender (Lavandula Officinalis) Oil, Tocopherol, Lecithin, Organic Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis), Stevia Extract.
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Moisturizers -Weleda - Calendula Face Cream
Genia1 2/5/2008 10:35:00 PM
I use this face cream as a night-time moisturizer. I used to use Skin Food, but I find the Calendula Face Cream works just as well without being sticky the way Skin Food is. I have seborrheic (flaky), oily, acne-prone skin, and the Calendula Face Cream is extremely moisturizing but doesn't clog my pores or cause my skin to become any oilier than it typically is. UPDATE: I still like this cream, but I've decided that it is more likely to clog my pores than Skin Food. I've gone back to Skin Food and am just applying less of it and rubbing it in more--now it no longer feels tacky.
Ingredients (INCI): Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond), Water (Aqua), Lanolin, Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Beeswax (Cera Flava), Calendula Officinalis, Xanthan Gum, Fragrance (Parfum)*, Limonene*, Linalool*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Benzyl Salicylate*, Geraniol*.
12 out of 13 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Moisturizers -Weleda - Almond Soothing Facial Cream
Genia1 2/5/2008 10:30:00 PM
I use this facial cream as a day-time moisturizer, which I wear under mineral makeup. It's moisturizing enough to prevent my seborrheic skin from becoming the least bit flaky, but it's not so heavy as to clog my pores or make my oily, acne-prone skin any oilier. And because it comes in a squeeze tube, there's never a mess the way there can be with pump dispensers.
Ingredients (INCI): Water (Aqua), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond), Glyceryl Stearate SE, Alcohol, Hydrolyzed Beeswax, Prunus Domestica (Plum), Glycerin, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid.
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Cleansers -Weleda - Almond Cleansing Lotion
Genia1 2/5/2008 10:23:00 PM
This all-natural, oil-based, soap-free cleanser works better on my oily, seborrheic, acen-prone skin than any other cleanser I've tried. If I use it twice, it removes all the makeup and oils from my face and leaves it clean but not dried out. I like it even better than LUSH's Ultra Bland, which always left a waxy film on my face.
The only thing I don't like about it (other than the steep price) is that it seems to leave my face slightly red for about half an hour to an hour after using it, probably due to the lactic acid or the alcohol. Other than that, it's free of harsh ingredients, including essential oils. Normally, I wouldn't use a product with alcohol, but Weleda's moisturizers contain it, and they work wonderfully for me.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond), Glyceryl Stearate SE, Alcohol, Prunus Domestica, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Lotions/ Creams -Burt's Bees - Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey Shea Butter Body Butter
Genia1 1/21/2008 11:15:00 PM
I use Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey Shea Butter Body Butter for cleansing my face. I used to use Lush's Ultra Bland, which was pretty good. But this body butter does an even better job, because it cleanses really well without drying out my face in the least. It also doesn't leave as much of a waxy build-up as Ultra Bland does. I always have to cleanse twice if I'm wearing makeup, and I find that Weleda's Almond Face Cleanser does a great job of quickly removing makeup, but that it leaves my face a little red if I use it exclusively. So, at night I use Almond Face Cleanser to cleanse off my makeup, then follow that by cleansing again with Burt's Body Butter. In the morning, I just use Burt's Body Butter.
I cut a flour sack towel into facial cloth sized pieces because it thoroughly removes oil based cleanser and is thin enough to rinse well. I run hot water over one of these cloths and use it to remove Amond Face Cleanser or Burt's Body Butter. I just keep rinsing the cloth under hot water and wiping my face until it's clean.
This routine is working really well on my seborrheic, acne-prone skin.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Other -Unlisted Brand - Oshadhi Highland Lavender
Genia1 9/2/2007 3:49:00 PM
This is absolutely the best-smelling essential oil of lavender that I've found. The scent is very floral, and though it is strong (as in you can really smell just a couple of drops in a lamp ring), there's a rounded softness to it. Unlike Spike Lavender or Sweet Lavender, it doesn't have the least hint of bitterness. The scent seems to envelop you.
I've also found it to be very effective for skin care. I add it to a carrier oil for a night-time moisturizer and to floral water for applying to just-shaved legs. It helps heal and calm my skin.
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Lips -Kuumba Made - Lip Shimmers (Sedona)
Genia1 9/2/2007 3:40:00 PM
This is my favorite tinted lip balm. It is very moisturizing without feeling greasy and has great staying power. Sedona is a dark red that goes on sheer. I've found that I can lightly tint my lips so that they look naturally pigmented, or I can layer it so that it looks like I'm wearing lipstick. All-natural. My local co-op doesn't carry this item, so I had to order it online through Kuumba Made's website.
Ingredients: Castor OIl, Candelilla Wax, natural Iron Oxides and Mica (minerals), Vit E, Avocado Oil, Rose Hip Oil, Lemon Myrtle.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No