Open Comment Response to Neil Regarding "How to Tell if Olive Oil Soap is Fake?"

Neil:
regarding "fake soap..."

(I'm having to reply to a commenter via a blog post because Blogger is an asshole about letting me comment on my own freaking posts. So, here's my rather lengthy response to Neil who wanted to know if you could tell if an olive oil soap really contained olive oil. Here's my 'brief' answer. Honestly, it's brief because there are a lot of things to look out for, so this topic could in fact go on further & I'll be happy to discuss it in more detail with you, if you like..._


That is a tough question! I do not have a way to contact you, so I hope this finds you well...

It can be tough to tell if a soap truly contains what the label claims, but usually, with enough research, you can find out. Sometimes. Could you give the name or brand or what the label says? I will gladly look into it for you. We could contact the manufacturer even and usually, that's one sure fire way to get an answer. If they cannot absolutely guarantee you that they have olive oil in their soap, then you can pretty much bet it's a lie. At the very least, if a company can't guarantee it in some way, then it's best to not even bother doing business with them. That's what I've learned.


Aside from contacting the company, sometimes there are some "hints" you can find that will stand out to you as the soap being shady, if you read the label. If it says "glycerin" as the first ingredient, it's probably a mostly glycerin-only soap. Can you check the label and see where "olive oil" is listed? Usually, the way labeling works is the ingredient the product contains most of is listed first, and it goes in that order. So, when you see an olive oil soap with "olive oil" listed near the end of the ingredient list, basically, it's probably got so little of it that it may not even count!

Your best bet with this sort of thing is to opt for a soap that has as few ingredients as possible! Really, a good, high quality olive oil soap from an honest company will have only a few ingredients. For instance, the Olivella I was using had like 3! That's the best kinds because they aren't loaded with other fillers and chemicals and parabens...

Also just by looking through a manufacturer's website can tell you a lot about the quality of their product. Certified organic soaps are trustworthy and will gladly give you plenty of information regarding the ingredients and how much goes into each bar.

I've searched high and low and have tried so many soaps it isn't even funny. Some of the best, most trustworthy I've tried have been reviewed here. For instance, one company I trust fully and am 100% sure uses organic, totally safe ingredients is by Herbaria. You can check them out online & see all their proof of being organic, which is what convinced me in the first place. Only downside is they are expensive and of course, organic doesn't last as long. For teeth only though, it will last for a very long time.

I will say, all the natural & organic bar soaps I've used tend to run out or use up much quicker than your typical store-bought bar soap. Unless you keep it out of the shower when you aren't using it, anyway. I've found that a large bar of 100% organic ingredient soap lasts at least a month LESS than the crap soap. I guess that's how it goes. However, I can't say much about Olivella as I never used it in the shower, so perhaps not all natural soaps would, but usually, a totally natural or organic bar will last a significantly shorter period of time when used as a shower soap, so keep that in mind, too. If it lasts as long as your typical drug-store soap for shower use, then that could be a red flag, if all the other "signs" are pointing to "fake," too.

Look for these words: "Cold-pressed," "Organic," and you can be sure they're safe.

Another helpful hint: it's illegal (supposedly) for soap-sellers to put the word "soap" on their bars! Interesting, huh? So, if you ever see one that says "moisturizer bar" or "beauty bar" or something else that sounds shady and is not "soap," then that's their little loop-hole. Pretty much it's a way of tricking us. It's shady and unethical.

Okay, one more thing that may help you: if you want to test your soap to see if it's "real" or just a bar of glycerin, you can do so by cutting a chunk off the bar and putting in the microwave for 10 seconds. If it turns liquid really quickly, within those 10 seconds, it's probably not the "real" stuff. If it takes longer to liquify, that's a good sign it's the real deal, but keep in mind, this is no for-sure thing. And I wouldn't want to cause a  real good soap a bad name based off this test only, so just keep your eyes opened for other signs too (like the ingredients label.)

Hope this was helpful, Niel!  If you'd like to discuss it further, or dig deeper into that label, email or comment back & I'll do my best to help.

Green Street Luxuries

Green Street Luxuries skincare

 

For the past week, I have completely changed my skincare routine & I wanted to share what I’ve been doing and the results with you guys. I want to start off by talking about my new skincare routine, and then I will go into detail about the specific products I have used and how they work (not all in one post.) I’m going to focus on one product for the time being though – a fantastic exfoliator from Green Street Lux. It’s called Organic & Natural Exfoliance Radiance and Facial Cleanser. This stuff is a God-send! 

P.S. You can also watch my video (will be published in a separate post title "Green Street Luxuries -- My New Skincare Routine) where I'll be speaking just a little about all the skincare products. Mostly, I did the video in case all this writing was too much for some of you to read through. It's just a brief little bit on each product and what I think, how it works, what it does, etc. 

My Old Skincare Routine was basically washing with a natural bar soap. The problem is that I have what I consider high maintenance skin and a simple bar soap just doesn’t do everything my skin needs. The bigger problem was that I’d tried a bazillion different products and none of them were helping! You guys know most of the products I have used because I like to share with you what I do, what works and what doesn’t. My biggest problem was, I’d get a facial cleanser or moisturizer or exfoliant or all and they would work nicely for the first couple of days, then my skin would go right back to having the typical problems, which I will describe below.

The Exfoliance Cleanser up close

What the cleanser looks like

The Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser has tiny grains in it, as you can see in the photo above, that help remove dead skin. 

My Skin Problems:

My skin is shiny on the “T-zone” area, right in the middle of my forehead, nose and chin. Then, the rest of my skin like a patch on my forehead and cheek is dry and flaky. This makes things nearly impossible because I always must use moisturizer because of the dryness and also because it’s a habit I like to keep since it can benefit my skin in the long run. Well, the moisturizers would always be too oily where my skin was oily! Most all of the cleansers I was using would leave my skin dry in some areas. Some of them even caused breakouts for me.

Another problem is a few small, but noticeable scars on my left cheek from a breakout a while back. I haven’t been able to get rid of those scars for the life of me. And then I have the breakouts on top of it all.

So if you have skin like me, you understand how stressful it can be! It’s a lot of work and you just can’t ever seem to use the right stuff.

Now that you know my own skin troubles, I will tell you what I’ve done for the past week to improve (drastically!) it.

I already drink lots of water and that is one of the only things that prevent my face from being even worse dry and even worse broken out. So we have that, and it’s important, but it wasn’t giving me results as far as acne and scars or the oily t-zone is concerned.

The first day, I use this exfoliator/cleanser on my face. I told you earlier, but will tell again – it’s called Organic  & Natural Exfoliance Radiance and FacialCleanser and it’s from Green Street Lux. I definitely needed to exfoliate and since I was just beginning an entirely new skin care regime, I figured the best way to start was by exfoliating well.

I had actually spoken with Candy from Green Street Lux and got some advice for my skin first. She took a look at my skin and told me exactly what I needed – which was really amazing! It’s hard to know what is best for your skin when there are so many products to choose from. She also told me what kind of routine I should be using (a life saver!) So here is what she came up with and this is the routine I’ve been following for a little over one week now:

Evening: wash with Tea Tree Soap (LOVE  this stuff!).

After shower, but before bed: Use a product called Stunning (I will explain how each of them work later.)

Candy also told me that your body heals in the first three hours of sleep, so this is why it’s important to use products that aid in healing before bed and not in the morning. Very helpful tip to know!

She also advised me to use the Acne Toner for spot treating acne.

Then the Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser. This is to be used twice a week.

Morning: Shea Butter Soap Wash.

Then after the Shea Butter Soap Wash, the Day Face Lotion.

So the first day I just used the exfoliator first, but then I followed the routine exactly as Candy advised, using the exfoliator only twice a week.

I was really excited to try this new routine & at this point, desperate enough to do anything. So I stopped everything I was doing/using before, including my regular moisturizer. As soon as I looked at the labels on the new skin products, I had no qualms tossing my old crap. The label that lists the ingredients on all the products I was about to begin using was so exciting. Tea tree oil and all sorts of really amazing herbal and natural ingredients only. I knew from looking at the ingredient list that these were going to be great because I’d known the benefits of some of the ingredients listed. Moving on though. I will get to that in a moment.

How To Use The Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser

After applying the Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser, you leave it on for 5 minutes, until it’s dry. Then, while in the shower, use circular motions to exfoliate the skin. So I did this, massaging well all over my face. Then rinse. Pretty simple, and before I even had it all rinsed off my face, I noticed such soft, silky-ish feeling skin! 

After the Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser, I used the Day Face Lotion, which also has fabulous ingredients. This made my skin even softer.

After my very first use of the Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser, I noticed less of those tiny black heads that tend to hang out on my chin and nose and are such a pain! I also had tiny bumps on my chin that wouldn’t really have anything come out when squeezed, and these were not on my chin after the first use of the exfoliating cleanser. 

Ingredients in Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser:

Water, Decyl Glucoside, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, Jojoba Oil, DMDM Hydantoin, Citric Acid, Triethanolamine, Cetearyl Alcohol (emollient), Ceteareth-20 (emulsifier), Glycerin, Aloe Vera, Pineapple and Papaya extracts, Rose, Lavender & Tea Tree Grains, Sunflower Seed Oil, Shea butter, Cocoa Butter, Palm Oil, Glyceryl Monostearate (preservative & thickener), Coconut Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, .Phenoxetol (preservative), Vitamin E, Sodium Citrate, Carbomer (thickener)

The Exfoliance Radiance Cleanser is:

•  Vegan

• Safe for all skin types
• Paraben, SLS and Gluten-free!
• Contains amazing, beneficial ingredients such as organic papaya extracts, pineapple and  more.
• Contains coconut oil, which is healing for skin and leaves is very soft, smooth and moisturized. Coconut oil also anti-ages.
• Leaves skin super clean and smooth and very soft!
• Reduces the look of my enlarged pores & ahem... blackheads.

• Contains  ultra-fine exfoliating Organic Lavender, Rose & Tea Tree grains and a blend of pineapple and papaya extracts - nature’s enzymes that will gently slough off dull skin layers and remove impurities.

               The green bar of tea tree anti-septic soap I talked about in the video:

The Shea Butter Bar:

Herbaria -- total heaven!

 

 Herbaria Soaps http://www.herbariasoap.com/is a fabulous store that sells the best quality soap/personal care items, natural soaps included, I have ever used to date. I was introduced to Herbaria Soaps a few weeks ago and when I visited their site myself, oh sweet Jesus! It was like heaven. I love a good, quality, relaxing soap that's super safe, effective and leaves that amazing herbal clean scent behind. In fact, the herb stores are my favorite to visit because of their smell! My mom used to take us along with her on her trips to the herb store and I've always walked in inhaling. I love the scent. She'd buy all kinds of lovely herbal products including this lemon grass soap, and ever since those days, I've been in love. With both the soap and the herb store's scent. Oh how we loved our natural lemon grass soaps. One day though, they stopped carrying it and for years my mom and I have looked for a soap as good as that old bar of lemon grass. We've bought tons of herbal, natural soaps and many in lemon grass, but they never quite measured up. 

And now. That lemon grass soap I used as a kid has met... its... match! Holy sweet mother of pearl, I never thought I'd say it! Herbaria's bar soaps (and the deodorant, which I'll discuss too) has totally put every single other soap out there on the same level as dirt. I am now confident that there is nothing in the world as good and perfect and wonderful as Herbaria's impressive products! 

While I really was discussing the natural soap bars, I want to make a quick topic switch only because I've been so ecstatic about their spray deodorant that I can't think straight. So I'm going to tell you lovely people about the Lavender Deodorant from Herbaria Soaps. 

No, I'm not so ecstatic about the deodorant because I liked it better than the soaps, but the reason I'm so ecstatic over it is because it totally blew my mind as a deodorant, and I never liked anything besides my Dove, so I can't help but be a little crazy over Herbaria's liquid spray deo. I truly did not expect to like it.

I've been picky, picky about deodorants. I'm allergic to Suave, the majority of the deodorants on the market stink or either they mix with your sweat and really stink because they're not truly preventing odor/sweat. Or they just plain feel weird on. I'm a freak about any weird residue between my fingers or on my pits. 

When I seen the Lavender Deodorant was liquid spray, I'll admit, I expected to really not like it. Not because I didn't love the ingredients or believe it'd be effective really, but because I was just certain that it'd leave my pits feeling weird. When I've showered and waited a while to apply my deodorant, my skin on my arm pits feel weird. Sticky maybe? They just feel grabby or something. It's terribly hard to explain, but it will drive me to a blind rage. So being that the creamy bar of Dove is what I'm used to, I didn't think I could be satisfied with the feeling of my arm pit skin after using a spray deo. 

Holy dangit!  I am so glad I decided to give the natural Lavender Deodorant a try just for one night. See, I really wanted to try it badly, but was worried that I'd still have to apply my Dove in order to keep that weird feeling of no deodorant away. 

So I showered one night, and sprayed the Herbaria Lavender Deodorant about 4 times on each arm pit -- wanted to be sure I covered the entire surface. 

I was going to bed right away, but I always read until I fall asleep. This can last anywhere from 3 minutes to 4-5 hours, depending on how tired I am and how into the book I am. It was about 15 minutes before I fell asleep, but I went ahead and grabbed my Dove deo figuring I'd notice that weird no-deo feeling and need it. 

I woke up the next morning, and seeing the Dove deodorant made me remember -- I used the Lavender Deodorant and forgot all about deodorant! It didn't feel funny at all. I hadn't noticed anything really besides a comforting scent of Lavender. That feeling I get when I go with out deo, not the oh-my!-I'm-gonna-stink-now feeling, but the weird sticky-ish skin feeling -- never happened! Lavender Deodorant worked wonderfully.

So I had no hesitations in tossing my Dove to the bottom of my vanity and using the Lavender Deodorant. You know, when you make such a big change in a routine that you've been used to for years, it's hard! Just think about going from using toothpaste all your life to using soap! That is still tough. And the same goes with deodorant, for me anyway. You get used to the way a certain deodorant feels and then nothing else quite cuts it for you. 

I went on this hunt a while back looking for a natural deodorant after learning the serious and scary dangers of regular deo. Never could adjust to the one I tried. You guys remember me trying another really strong deo? I loved the strength of it, really, but it was tough because it felt funny and smelled manly. 

I was stuck on Dove. I've worn the same original Dove deo since high school. Once  I tried the scented version (grapefruit or something) and was furious when I kept smelling something funky and couldn't figure out who it was. Then I realized it was me. The same deodorant, just a different scent and it still drove me mad. So you see, I'm strictly a Dove girl and it's only because those minor things that make me crazy, that I just can't adjust to. Until now! Forget Dove. Dove who? What Dove? 









What I figured, is the Herbaria Soaps natural Lavender Deodorant would certainly work for eliminating odor and likely to prevent perspiration, but I didn't think it'd work any better than your drugstore brand. I honestly expected mediocre. I knew the benefits of switching to a natural deo would be huge in terms of health and all, but I just didn't think it'd be easy to adjust to. Sorry to keep on like that, but I'm really so impressed with it that it's hard not to.

After about a week of using the Lavender Deodorant, I noticed something... It was making me sleepy! When I first applied it, which is after showering and before bed, I'd get sleepier quicker than usual. And I've figured out that it's the Lavender in the Deodorant! It only makes me relaxed and sleepy when I'm already tired at the end of the day. The next day, while still having the application from previously, it doesn't affect me. 

So, a few days ago, I'd shaved my arm pits too roughly and decided to use the dove deo instead so that it wouldn't burn, although the aloe in the Lavender Deo would've been better because it soothers and all, but you get my point. I'd began having trouble sleeping and it kept happening for three days in a row, I'd sleep a few hours and wake up and not be able to go back to sleep at all until several hours later, which is bad because that much time passes and it's time for me to get to work and get a move on. So I'd be exhausted by that time. I go through these weird spells about every 3-4 months where I'll spend a week exactly only sleeping for 4-5 hours, no more and no less and then not being able to go back to sleep for the life of me. It's been happening for a few years and it's so weird. I've no idea what it is, but it always happens around 3-4 months and I always get 4-5 hours of sleep. Same exact patterns and everything. 

When I began this faze of no sleep again this week, I was dreading it because I knew it'd screw up my entire week. The third day though, when I woke up and knew the routine I'd deal with for hours, I remembered how it seemed the Lavender Deodorant made me sleepy. So I sprayed my pillows and bed with it, and I'm telling you, I yawned immediately and was passed out in less than 20 minutes! Slept for a good 5 hours too! So I've been doing that everyday this week, and things are back on track. This is the first "phase" I've had that didn't last exactly a week! How awesome? I've even tried chamomile teas and all kinds of things. Sleeping pills for crying out loud. It never worked if I was having one of those phases, but this Lavender has really been a God-send. I'm back to normal and doing fine.

Now, besides the alternative use I found for it, let's discuss more about it.

Remember I mentioned how I shaved and worried about the spray burning? It does feel cool and a little noticeable at first if I use it after shaving too close, but it lasts for less than 30 seconds, and I don't have the rawness the next day when I've used the Lavender Deodorant. I'll only feel the tingly sensation when I first spray it on after shaving and then I won't notice any other signs of razor burn. I have the aloe Vera to thank for that. Herbaria really knows what they're doing with ingredients! You guys know how I take my aloe seriously. I was even recommending it to a friend today. I'm happy to have aloe in any product, even if it's just eating the plant -- which has been a miracle for my stomach issues.

So, no worries about razor bumps or razor burn. You won't sting and be raw when using the Lavender Deodorant. It's all natural ingredients, and yes, the alcohol is what causes the slight cool/tingly right after shaving, but it's more soothing than anything once it's dried.

Guess what else is wonderful, besides the fact that you're no longer putting extremely harmful chemicals into your skin when you choose to go with Lavender Deo from Herbaria -- no more white deo stains on your clothing! That's right. 

The Lavender Deodorant is a slightly off clear color, it has a yellowish tint to it, but is mostly clear and is liquidy like water, hence the spray bottle. So it won't stain your clothing at all. It won't leave your arm pit folds filled with white clumps. It's not noticeable to the touch or eye. Your skin feels softer and there's a chance your pits won't endure as much irritation from everyday habits or just your clothing.

Why is the all-natural Herbaria Deodorant Better than others?

-No faux fragrance oils! That is why the scent of the lavender made me so relaxed that I could sleep. It's real essential oil, which I say is just awesome. It's a rare thing to find a company like Herbaria.

-Don't forget, essential oils have been used in Ayurveda and for home remedies for thousands of years because each, including lavender essential oil have their own special properties - such as the lavender relaxing me, relieving anxieties, helping you sleep, etc. It's been said that in the old, old, old days people used to spray their sleeping areas with lavender essential oil to ensure a good night's sleep and some even believed it warded off nightmares. I can't say for sure if that's totally true though. I do have nightmares very frequently. Almost nightly. I actually haven't had but one this week though, so perhaps! 


-Since Herbaria's deodorant is in a spray, liquid form, it's going to likely last far longer than a stick of solid deodorant. I go through a stick in about 2 months, maybe three because I use it until it's totally empty. Herbaria's deodorant comes in both the 2oz. or 8oz. Judging by how little is gone from the bit I've used lately, I have a feeling it will outlast a deodorant stick by miles. I will have to update you guys when I actually have used so much of Herbaria's that it shows a smaller amount left. 

However, it will depend on how much you use. But if you're using a spray, even if you totally saturate your pits, you're not going to use more than 4 sprays at the most. I have used 3 before because I often don't get the nozzle aimed correctly, but two suffice when I do. 2 sprays will cover my entire arm pit surface perfectly.

When I'm using the stick deodorant, I swipe it up and down my arm pits about 6 times to get enough there.

-Aloe Vera has a soothing and many other benefits. People with any/all skin conditions benefit greatly from applying aloe, and since Herbaria uses natural, you can expect to see soothing, softer skin, less irritation, etc. 

Also, even better, Aloe has antibacterial properties and sort of acts like a natural antibiotic, so certain conditions could improve greatly and this also ensures less bacteria and odor! 

-No rubbing alcohol, Herbaria uses denatured grain alcohol. Don't even think about drinking it now! Ha. Ha. But it's much safer. 





Fragrance
Herbaria's Deodorants are all natural. They come in different scents, which means different scents contain different essential oils, since Herbaria does not use those awful synthetic fragrances, but essential oils which like we talked about, are so far much better! This one, clearly is the Lavender, which produces a long-lasting, clean and relaxing aroma of lavender. It's a beautiful smell. It's a tad strong for the first minute, but quickly turns into a light, subtle scent that you notice every so often like when lifting your arm, and it's the kind of scent that perks your ears and makes you smile when catching a whiff. I do love that about this, and that's something no other deodorant can offer.

Oh, I was going to tell you what scents are offered: Lavender, Key Lime and Vetiver. I'm assuming they all smell fantastic! 

While you guys may be thinking these are women-only fragrances, don't be deterred! The Lavender could certainly be used on a male without smelling overly feminine. It's simply an herbal-y, lavender scent, which is neither masculine or feminine. It's not what I'd call florally, but fresh indeed. It wouldn't hurt to try it. I know I wouldn't think anything if I got a whiff of a man wearing this particular scent of deo. The other scents will work for men as well.


Entire Ingredients:

Grain alcohol (denatured with lavender (Lavendula officinalis) Essential oil  (SDA38B-LAV), Aloe vera, distilled water, Lavendar Essential oil (Lavendula), Patchouli Essential oil (pogostemon cablin).



How it compares in other ways to regular stick deo

I'm sure someone out there is still wondering about just how this holds up compared to your regular strong deo. I can say one thing: if you're used to using any drugstore bought deodorant, male or female, the Lavender Deodorant will surely exceed the strength, durability and be longer lasting. I don't think there's a brand I've not used, and this by far exceeds any drugstore brand in numerous ways. 

I'm not a huge sweater, but I have light perspiration, and it seems when I'm really cold, it's happens just as if I'm hot.. With my Dove for example, I can wear it, then tan later and I'm absolutely going to smell funky a little at least. Happened just the other day when I used the Dove again. It's not like the strong BO, but there's a light bit of sweat odor mixed with my Dove and it smells bad when it's mixed because the dove scent becomes sweet and bitter -- just not pleasant. 

Herbaria's Lavender deo will hold up through my tanning bed session without me ever smelling of sweat afterwards. I've yet to have any odor or perspiration while wearing it, except I did sweat a little while tanning, but other than that, I've been able to wear it and not shower for 30 hours and still have no odor at all. 


Herbaria is a  wonderfully amazing company! I am totally sold soap wise and deo-wise. I know I didn't manage to mention how the soap works out today, but stay awake because I will in the next day or two. I, however, can say that I absolutely love their soaps too, so if you're anxious about those and are considering purchasing any of their soap at all -- don't hesitate. I'd give their soaps, just like their deo a 10/10 and am sure that both products are far better than anything else. This is coming from someone who has been using Olivella, which stinks to high heavens as you remember me saying. So yes, I even recommend Herbaria over Olivella -- the benefits of Herbaria's ingredients exceed those of Olivella. If you have eczema, skin irritations/conditions, go with their oatmeal bar, but all of their soaps will be fabulous for any skin issues. So, there's you a brief for now. I'll be bringing you loads of really exciting, outstanding information about Herbarias' soaps asap!


Much love, cleanliness, health and... soaps and deodorants! Smell lovely and remember to laugh, laugh, laugh!
  
Kendra

My PeArL of the day ~ brown sugar & lemon grass - it gets me going!

   Hello my sparkling little kittens,
I'm here again to bring you my luxurious, mouth watering, get-you-going PeArL of the day...

  First, I'll let the picture do the speaking.

This is the Brown Sugar Body Scrub from http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/ it contains brown sugar and butters! How amazing does that sound? Multiply that by 10. I have never in my life used or even known of a body scrub like this. It's truly mind blowing!

   The smell of it alone just gets me going. It smells like a very rich desert, you can definitely smell the ingredients. It has a hint of lemongrass scent too. It's enough to make my mouth water. It's extremely rich. I loved that it wasn't "just another one of those body scrubs." This one was much more than that. It's a pretty powerful little scrub. Many scrubs tend to make you soft, but they don't always seem to be very cleansing. This one, I found to be all.

   PROS:
1. Cleansing with the perfect level of exfoliation, not too rough, not too subtle.

2. It gets the job done, but leaves a beautiful scent. Perfect for a relaxing shower.

3. Leaves your skin more beautiful than ever, glowing, so soft. It doesn't leave a single patch of dead/dry skin behind and still leaves your skin flawlessly smooth. I actually said "My legs look gorgeous!" to the B/F after I showered. If you know me, you know I don't say things like that often.

4. Thick & rich. When I say rich, I mean rich like gourmet chocolate!

5. Results are not temporary. Most scrubs I've used end up being good until a week later, it seems they just don't quite stick to their job & they only keep your skin smooth for a few hours. The Brown Sugar Scrub from http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/ will never slack on the job! It has kept my entire body, (keep in mind this body goes through quite a bit of tanning bed visits) flawless & 100% smooth.

6. A scent so rich & luxurious.

7. The only way I know how to describe this scrub is to say it left my skin like silk and that is an understatement!

  The only thing I didn't care for was that it did seem to clog my razor, but it the company did not claim that it wouldn't so by no means do I blame them.   

   I can truthfully say the scrub is more promising than it claims. The razor clogging was more than likely from the scrub being so rich, not greasy. Had it not been, it probably wouldn't do as great of a job; a little razor clogging is totally worth it.

 The search is over. I have found 2 of the best sugar scrubs ever. This is certainly one of them.
 
  Go ahead, see for yourself. http://www.justnaturalskincare.com/

Much love to y'all. Check back for my upcoming PeArL. HINT: Lemongrass, baby!

-Kendra 

Valentine's PeArLs - Tom's of Maine (Ladies and men)

  Hello my sparkly little rock-stars! That one really works for me.

I've got one of my best PeArL's of the day all for you.  

This one is from http://www.tomsofmaine.com/products 

  I have the natural soap bar and just by looking at it, I had no idea what a great product it was until I stepped into my shower.

 "Our Stewardship Model Standards for Natural, Sustainable, and Responsible guide our ingredient selection and formulation development." Stated on Tom's of Maine's online store.

 

  I have to say, the above quote from their site, is true. One use of their product and you can literally feel how much effort & care was put into their products. And that's far more than I can say about most. Yes, I am picky about what products I use on my body and face.

   A lot of people see "all natural products" and think nothing about it. I used to until recently when I tried Tom's of maine's soap and the last review I stated I had used another all natural product and these two products are what made me a real believer in the importance and quality of natural products.

 If you're picky like me about the products you use on your face and body and the quality, then I hope more than anything that you'll check out these. Take a closer peek here: http://www.tomsofmaine.com/products

  Now for the Pro's and Con's list:

PRO'S

1. It's all natural ingredients.

2. Cruelty free. I don't know about you, but that is a make or break for me. I respect any company who chooses not to be cruel to animals.

3. Contains Vitamin E which contains Antioxidants which I love becuase of their wonderful powers like anti-aging. Contains jojoba, olive, palm and coconut oils! I love coconut more than anything. I love the taste, the smell, the look and all. All of these ingredients have some of the best skin healing and protecting properties.

4. It smells oh so alive! It smells fresh, you know? Not like most soaps Tom's Of Maine's has a very fresh and beautiful scent.

5. One of my favorite things about the bar of soap I used was that it didn't leave a weird residue like every single bar soap I've ever touched in my life! I don't know if you've ever noticed the film-y residue it leaves behind. You can actually feel it. And I hate the smell of most bar soaps. This one does NOT leave a pasty, nasty residue. You actually ARE clean when you wash with it. It doesn't just give you a nice cooling sensation that says I may have done my job and got you clean, but you'll never know. It cleans ya.

6. Moisturizing! Yall know the trouble I've had with dry skin and products that claim to moisturize until lately.

7. It is milled four times for premium quality. See, I told yall I bring you nothing but the best!

8.  You know what you get. Tom's of Maine provides you with a  full list of every ingredient in the product.

I could go on & on about this one.

CON'S

There are no con's on Tom's of Maine's soap bar. The only thing it didn't do was grow a set of arms and scrub me itsself!  As pleasant as that sounds, I can not complan! lol

  Another thing that I love about Tom's of Maine is that it isn't just soap, you can find just about all of your basic need products, all natural! They have everything from toothpast to deodorant! I should also mention that you can choose from frangrance or frangrance free. I like a little scent so I'll always choose frangrance.

  I hope you decide to check these out too! I truly believe Tom's of Maine's products are worth your while. They were worth mine. I don't think I'll ever be able to care for regular old drugstore brands! I can't get over how wonderful the quality of a bar of soap can be.

You can check them out at: http://www.tomsofmaine.com/products  

  Men, just because it's bath products does not mean it's ladies only! You can also get the "Relaxing bath Bar" as well which will be the next sparkle in my shower. Sounds like a great valentine's gift doesn't it?