Some years ago, I learnt about some of the horrible chemicals that goes into most skincare like EDTAs, parabens, etc. A friend had a lump in her breast, and that was probably the spark that triggered me to be healthier (together with the fact that I once had a lump in my armpits - very likely due to the off-the-shelf deodorant that is filled with loads of nasties...).
So now the first thing I usually do (if i don't go gaga over their beautiful bottles and lose my logic!) - is to scan the ingredients list. Not a bad thing actually...cos' most of the time, I have to put the bottle back on the shelf! Definitely helpful in controlling my lust!
I have dry skin, and these months, the weather in Singapore is a bit crazy hot and I can literally feel my skin dry and slightly painful. my skin's already dry and with the drier weather, I need help to moisturize my skin! and to top it off, my eczema on my finger is back!:( boo hoo! (read somewhere that eczema is amongst other factors - also due to a lack of omega 3 fish oils. didn't do much research, but since I have fish oils in my fridge, I'm popping one everyday now! will see if it helps alleviate it!)
So in recents weeks, I slather on some body cream / oil / mositurizers.... so here is what's in my cupboard now!
1. Naked Organix - Sea Buckthorn body Butter
Sea Buckthorn, Shea Butter, Coconut oil, Jojoba Oil, etc....the ingredients seems promising, so I got it on iherb. .
Price: Fairly priced ~ USD10 for a small (107g) bottle.
Usage: It's warm in Singapore so the body butter while solid is fairly easy to apply. I would imagine in cold countries, it probably would be hard to dig into the solid butter!
Smell: I find the butter....too food like! not something i fancy (I also tried coconut oil directly...and definitely not a fan of food smells on my body). A few times I used it before going out, and it made me self conscious. While the label reads "naked with nothing to hide" - I definitely felt like hiding when I had this on my body! I probably smelt slightly weird! So now I only use it at night just before I sleep. so well...if I smell funky, only at night!
Moisturizing effect...it helps prevent my skin from getting drier, but nothing amaze balls....but i admit I'm a hard customer to please.
Order again? While I love the ingredient list, I don't fancy the smell at all. Personal preference. I'll just finish this bottle and try something else in future. Highly unlikely to order again.
2. Soapwalla's Luxurious Body Oil
Then I ordered Soapwalla's luxurious body oil from Living Naturally (p/s: Living Naturally has really good prices on brands that are hard to get in singapore! not a wide range, but i go there for my soapwalla deodorant which I have since switched to Schmidt! Really decent prices! I am comparing it with the normal retail price that the brands usually go for)
Price: Luxurious indeed! I find it expensive for a small bottle ~ x3 times of the Sea Buckthorn Body Butter! But I loved Soapwalla's deodorant and it was the FIRST natural deodorant that kept me from stinking super badly, so I decided to try their body oil.
This is what is mentioned
" a little goes a LONG way so start out with only a few drops. I don't use any preservatives in my products so they are much more concentrated than the usual skincare items you'd find on the market. Literally one drop will moisturize your hands and keep them protected yet grease-free for hours. This bottle will last for months."
Usage: I think either I have very dry skin that greedily absorbs the oil or I might be using it wrongly? I use it as a body oil, so minimally 5-6 drops for each limb (hey, I have long arms! and dry skin!) - and at the rate I'm using...about 20 drops each night - i think the bottle might be gone in slightly more than a month.
Scent: when i first opened the open to sniff the oil...i was super disappointed. it wasn't amaze balls for the price (the price probably goes to the quality of the oils used...but it isn't exactly cheap so also did expect more scent wise too). Surprisingly when I applied it - it smelt way better! Don't really know how to describe the smell cos' it isn't a familar scent, but it doesn't smell funky like the Sea Buckthorn body butter!
Mositurizing effect: ok. better than not using any body oils...but my skin isn't baby soft and silky after using it. just normal. disclaimer though, i do have quite dry skin...so this might work for someone who has more normal skin.
Order again? Probably not cos' it is expensive for me. And I will try to see if i can find other body creams / butters. The most I will use just coconut oil on my skin (while i don't particularly like the smell, for the price, I will slather it on when my skin cries DRY!)
3. Origins - Ginger Souffle, Whipped Body Cream
This was gift from the sister-in-law for Christmas. A quick scan of the ingredients didn't yield anything that screams terrible. I'm no expert at reading ingredients, so if it doesn't have any crazy EDTA, parabens or weird names, I will use it.
Price: Not sure since it was a gift, but I would guess it would be a bit pricer since it's a well known brand and goes by a fancy schmancy name 'Ginger Souffle - whipped body butter'
Usage: Easy to use and apply! Used it only maybe 3 times (that's why the bottle still looks so full!) until I got my soapwalla body oil.
Scent: Very gingery! Great if you like the smell. I was partial to it, but after a few times of using the other Ginger body wash and scrub, I actually quite like the smell!
Order again? I will finish using this. Will definitely use if given as a gift...but to buy it myself - not so sure. I love trying new products and brands...so probably prefer to find some other items to test! But definitely like it so far the few times I used it.
4. Bio Oil
I bought this as I have a scar I want to get rid of/lessen the darkness. A few friends swear by this, so I got it.
Price: ~SGD15 for 60ml. Reasonable.
Usage: Easy to apply...like any oil. Absorbs easily too. Not greasy.
Scent: Smells alright! i quite like it.
Effectiveness: It does work to lessen my scars - especially during the itchy months where my allergies flare and I scratch like mad - and my skin tears (dry skin tears easily!) and bleeds. While healing, I apply the bio oil and really...the skin recovers well and the scarring is a lot less obvious than if i had not used it. So it works if it's 'fresh' wounds. my old scar.....seems to still be there, but seems to lighten a bit.
Disclaimer: it contains mineral oils which some purist health advocates condemns. While it works to lessen the scars, it seems to irritate the eczema on my finger, so I now apply only to the areas I want to lighten any scarring and the rest of the body.... I use other butters / oils.
5. DIY Body Butter
I DIY my own body butter after reading a few blog posts online. Seems easy enough so I mixed coconut oil, shea butter, jojoba oil, cocoa butter, hemp seed oil and geranium essential oil. You can use just coconut oil with shea butter - i added the rest cos' i had the ingredients so just dumped it in. Mostly melt the butters and whip in a stand mixer. Google 'diy body butter' and you will see a lot of pages will coming up with beautiful photos and instructions. Mostly the same process - melt and whip.
Price: Most of the items I already had. But I reckon not too expensive cos' the basic ingredients you can get in a supermarket and your local pharmacy for the EOs.
Usage: Very oily. I felt like a grease ball after I apply my own DIY body oil. But could be my proportion. Also due to the hot weather in Singapore, it is a little liquid like. probably more shea butter to solidify it would work.
Scent: Smells decent cos' of the geranium essential oils that masked the coconut oil and cocoa butter!
DIY again? for the greasy result, I reckon I will just use coconut oil directly (even though I don't like coconut oil! ) cos' no effort on my part needed (read: lazy).
Disclaimer: If you have any medical conditions, please do read up on the essential oils if you plan to use them! Some are not good for you if you are pregnant or have other medical conditions. Also importantly, please read up on the dilution cos' too much EOs can burn your skin. Remember EOs are highly concentrated, so please use with care. And do not use on your pets without first researching!
So...as you can see, i'm still on the look out for a great body butter / moisturizer / oil / cream. whatever you call it!
