Be Mindful Choose Natural Blog
A Blog Centering Around Product Reviews, Informative Topics about Natural Living, and the Truth about Toxins
Natural shampoos and conditioners tend to (unfairly) get a bad reputation, but that's because many people do not find the right ones for their hair. I've tried my fair share of natural haircare products, but the one thing that I can never nail down is a natural conditioner. The conditioners I've tried never seem to quench my thirsty, color-treated strands, but the conditioner game changed with this color conditioner from Just Nutritive.
Having hair that is both dry and colored seems to be a recipe for disaster when trying to treat it. While there are a ton of great natural conditioners out there, there are not a lot of options made specifically for people with dry, color-treated hair like myself. I bought this conditioner after reading all of the great testimonials it had, and of course loving the natural, fresh ingredients that are in each of the brand's products. However, I was definitely skeptical at first considering I've had brittle hair with each and every conditioner I've tried - natural or conventional. I was impressed with this conditioner before my hair even dried, mainly due to the fact that it had great slip when I was washing my hair. My hair, like most long hair, gets very tangled, and most conditioners lack the ability to slide through it without ripping out a fistful of hair along the way. Just Nutritive's conditioner, though, glided through my knotty hair with ease and with minimal shedding. Coloring my hair over the years has made my already-dry hair even drier, so it's always important that I maintain it correctly. With that said, having healthy-looking, soft hair was another outcome I was looking for from this conditioner, in addition to keeping my color bright and vibrant. This conditioner checked both those boxes, but I was especially impressed with how it made my hair feel when it dried. It made my hair feel softer than it has in five years - even before I started color-treating it. None of the 10+ conditioners I've tried in the past few years have been able to deliver on their promise of soft hair, but this one did. In addition to the satiny texture of my hair, my color was brighter than it had ever been, coupled with lots of shine. For the first time, my hair is moisturized beyond belief, mainly due to the plethora of natural, nourishing oils that take up most of the ingredient label, something that chemical-ridden conditioners tend to lack. This conditioner is amazing for my never-satisfied hair, so I highly recommend this to anyone looking to moisturize dry hair or brighten up their color. Just Nutritive is incredibly inclusive in that they address all types of hair issues through their products, therefore, any hair type can benefit from the many different conditioner options that are available on their website. Just Nutritive has changed my hair for the better, and I hope their products will change yours, too.
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Lip balms may be the one product that is a staple in everyone's life, regardless of gender or age. For that reason, everyone can benefit from an amazing, natural lip balm. I personally love lip products, from lipsticks to lip balms to lip glosses. With that said, I consider myself a little bit of a lip balm snob. Since they're relatively inexpensive, I love to try out new lip balms all the time and rank my favorites for when people ask me which natural lip balms they should buy. I know I'm not the only one who keeps lip balms in every bag i own, so it's important to make sure you're buying a quality balm, especially since it's usually used daily and can be ingested since it's application literally goes on your mouth.
I have a wide range of lip balms, but Treat Beauty's Jumbo Lip Balm in the flavor "Birthday Cake" really takes the cake (pun intended). Not only is it ginormous in size compared to other lip balms, hence the title "Jumbo Lip Balm," but it's also incredibly moisturizing due to it being chock full of nourishing ingredients like coconut oil and cocoa butter. A common problem with most lip balms is that they wear off quickly or do not hydrate your lips enough, and end up making them more chapped. That is never an issue with this lip balm, as my lips always remain. quenched and un-chapped for hours after applying it, even when I'm drinking or eating during that time. If you're looking for a toned down sheen, you only have to apply a little bit of the balm, but if you're a lip gloss enthusiast (like me) you may want to put a smidge more of the balm on your lips to get a slightly more shiny effect. Not that the flavor of a lip balm should be the main selling point, but I can't not mention that it smells just like birthday cake, making the pet name "sugar lips" literally applicable in this situation. Besides that flavor, Treat Beauty has lip balms in tons of other decadent flavors, including Pina Colada, Rainbow Sorbet, Angel Food Cake, Wedding Cake, etc. That's really what makes them stand out; their innovative flavors along with their "jumbo" size (0.5 oz). If you're looking for a lip balm that has a delicious scent/flavor, lasts a long time due to its size, and hydrates your lips all day long, Treat Beauty's Jumbo Lip Balms are your new go-to's. It's no secret that Cocokind is my favorite skincare brand, mainly because I recommend all of there products on the "Skincare Product Recommendations" tab. Not only do they have affordable prices, but they are always transparent about their ingredients as well as their initiative to continually increase sustainability within their product packaging and ingredient sourcing. I can't say enough good things about them, but, without further ado, onto the review.
There is constant debate about whether a cleanser is an important step in a skincare routine or if it's just a "blah" step. Well, I'm here to clarify that, as cleansing is one of the most important, if not the most important steps of a skincare routine. It doesn't matter what fancy elixirs you're patting into your skin if you have not properly cleansed your skin to rid it of dirt, grime, and excess oil. Think of it as the process of painting a canvas. You can use all of the most beautiful paints you want, but if you're not working with a fresh canvas, then you won't get the desired outcome that you're looking for. With that said, I put a lot of thought into choosing a cleanser for my oily, acne-prone skin, not only because it is an incredibly important step, but because my skin tends to have a tantrum with certain products. Since I was using other cocokind products during my search for a good cleanser, I knew I had to purchase Cocokind's cleanser when it launched. Most people with oily skin are hesitant about using oils on their skin, and understandably so, but oil actually dissolves oil, so oils are essential for those with oily faces. With that logic in mind, I immediately ordered the Oil to Milk cleanser and eagerly ripped the box open when it arrived. The interesting thing about this product is that it starts as an oil, and with water, transforms into a milky texture. This is very innovative on their part because most people who don't like oil-based cleansers note that their dismay comes from the fact that oil cleansers have a tendency to stay on the skin, even after washed off. This is where Cocokind's genius comes in, because once you cleanse your dry face with the oil cleanser, you wash your face off with water, thus transforming the oil into a milk, allowing you to wash the product off like a regular water-based cleanser so that it does not leave an oily residue on the skin. This was an important part for me, mainly because I didn't need any more oil clinging to my already-oily skin. In fact, I was very surprised when the product changed textures and left my skin squeaky clean and free of excess oil. Another amazing aspect of this cleanser is that it is formulated to protect and nourish the skin's microbiome. The skin's microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that live in a certain place, and these include mostly harmless bacteria and fungi. According to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe, "Our skin’s microbiome is a rainforest of diverse organisms which live in and on your skin’s various layers, from the deep-down fat cushion all the way up to your epidermal cells up high. In fact, there are more than one trillion bacteria in the skin, originating from approximately one thousand different species.’’ In other words, the skin's microbiome is essential as it has millions of helpful bacteria that keep away the yucky stuff that can cause inflammation in the skin and lead to acne. Therefore, it is clear why it is crucial that the skin's microbiome be kept in tip-top condition. To do this, Cocokind infuses their cleanser with fermented oat for extra nourishment and to balance the microbiome while allowing the healthy bacteria to thrive. Clearly, Cocokind's Oil to Milk Cleanser does it all, from cleansing the skin to hydrating it to protecting the skin's microbiome. For all the makeup lovers out there, oil is amazing at dissolving makeup, so add that to the list of this cleanser's abilities. Do yourself a favor and add this cleanser to your skincare routine. Sources: https://www.cocokind.com/collections/cleansers/products/oil-to-milk-cleanser https://www.dermstore.com/blog/top_ten/what-is-skin-microbiome/ Feeling that mid-summer sun? Don't reach for a carcinogen-filled sunscreen. Try the Babo Botanicals Sheer Zinc SPF 30 Sunscreen instead. Using zinc oxide as its active spf ingredient, this product is great for those looking for a natural mineral sunscreen that you can spray on. Since it also contains soothing ingredients such as hydrating oils, it is perfect for sensitive skin.
For those wondering what the difference between a mineral sunscreen and a chemical sunscreen is, a mineral sunscreen is a product that utilizes minerals, hence its name, to shield UV rays from penetrating the skin, while chemical sunscreens absorb those UV rays and then filter them out before they damage the skin*. The issue with chemical sunscreens, though, is that their active ingredients are extremely harmful to both the human body and the ecosystem, specifically coral reefs. It's best to stay away from those ingredients, such as Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Octocrylene, Octisalate, Homosalate, and Octinoxate. With the common and most well-liked version of sunscreen being in spray form, it's even more imperative that the ingredients in sunscreen are safe due to the reality of ingesting them through inhalation when they are sprayed around and on the body. This tends to be more harmful to the human body than the concerns surrounding sunbathing, but that's a discussion for another time. I started using Babo Botanical's sunscreen when the summer sun started to kick in during June since I knew pool days would soon be a regular thing. I hadn't used a sunscreen as natural as this one before, so I was worried that it would leave an obvious white caste on my skin due to the zinc oxide. When I applied it for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised how, though it came out as a white spray, it rubbed in without much effort at all. Even better, I've been using this sunscreen every time I go to the pool, for hours at a time, for the past month and a half and I've never been burned (knock on wood). Personally, I don't burn easily, but I usually would have gotten some kind of burn by now, but not with the use of this SPF! Another plus of this sunscreen is that it doesn't stain any clothing, including my all black bikini, with its white color, as this can be an issue with some mineral sunscreens. This sunscreen has left my skin free of the classic white caste that comes with mineral sunscreens. and it has kept me completely sunburn-free, more than any chemical sunscreen has ever done, all while keeping me healthy and safe from the carcinogenic ingredients in mainstream sunscreens. Try this sunscreen out next time you're spending the day at the beach or sunbathing by the pool; you won't be disappointed. *Source: https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/skin-cancer/prevent/sun-protection |
AuthorIt's me, Jenna Kshatri! These posts are based on my own personal experiences in conjunction with research done on certain topics to bring you the most truth and authenticity possible. ArchivesCategories
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