Thought I’d share some of the natural products I’ve been loving lately; as seen in my older posts (here and here), I try to use beauty or skincare products without the bad stuff (parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol…the usual suspects). I usually get mine from either Target, Sprouts or Whole Foods. Unfortunately, these types of products are not easy on the wallet, comparatively speaking. However, I believe they’re worth it because of my sensitive skin. I’m prone to dry patches on my cheek area but with an oily t-zone and I also get dermatitis from time to time so I have to be really careful of the products I use on my face and body.
For my face, I have been using the Neutrogena face wash ($7) for about a year now and I love it. It does a great job cleansing my face without over-drying it. Coupled with the Burt’s Bees make up remover towelettes ($6), I’m assured a clean face each time. Now the star of my face routine is the Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion ($18) with clary sage. This stuff is magic – I have dry patches on my face but I also have an oily t-zone, so moisturizing is tricky for me. This moisturizes and hydrates like nobody’s business; I used to have drier skin under my eyes to the point that when I apply make up or concealer in that area, the lines are visible. With this, I’ve noticed a significant difference; make up now goes on smoothly and my skin just looks more supple. Clary sage is said to have tons of benefits, especially for maturing or acne prone skin (read here). Love it!! For my eye area and t-zone, I use the Burt’s Bees Sensitive Night Cream ($15). It’s not as creamy or thick as the Intense Hydration version which is why I use it for my t-zone and eyes which also get oily. I highly recommend Burt’s Bees products any day.
My hair is quite oily – I have to wash it every other day, otherwise, it gets greasy and gross. With the Dessert Essence Clarifying Shampoo ($10 at Sprouts), I can get away with third day hair. It gets my hair squeaky clean (I literally hear it squeaking after rinsing) and gets rid of any product build up. Be warned…if you have dry hair or dry scalp but need to get rid of product build up, you can use this sparingly and be sure to condition after. After I wash with Dessert Essence, I follow up with a second washing using the Alba Coconut Milk shampoo ($11)…this stuff smells amazing and leaves my hair soft without making it greasy. I rarely use a conditioner on my hair because of how greasy it can get. What I do instead is spray the Organix Moroccan Argan Oil ($8) on the ends before I blow dry it. I love this product – it keeps the ends of my hair smooth without weighing it down and it’s quite affordable at $8/bottle. It lasts forever which is an even better value.
For body, I picked up the Alba Hawaiian Cocktail Wash in Pina Colada ($8) on a whim – it was on sale at Target and after taking a whiff of it, I was sold. It smells just like the cocktail drink which I happen to love in a virgin version…coming from a nation of over 7,000 islands in the Pacific, guess it’s in my DNA to love coconuts and pineapples. This body wash is a wonderful way to wake up in the shower, it’s not creamy but it does the job. For moisturizing, I use the Alba Very Emollient lotion ($21)- this lives up to its name – Emollient, that is. I hate lotions that take forever to seep into my skin – this stuff soaks in fast and love that it has no fragrance but doesn’t smell like chemicals either. It’s pricey but you get a lot for your money and I usually wait for the recurring sale at Sprouts when all skincare products are 25% off.
So all in all, I’ve been loving my face, body, and hair routine lately using these products. Hope this was helpful to anyone looking to try more natural products.
Dear Boo and Lulu 