I’ve always been a beauty product junkie.  Anyone who has seen my classic-iPhone-mirror-progress-pictures can attest to the amount of crap on my counter.

 

This is literally less than 1/5 of my collection of products!

This is literally less than 1/5 of my collection of products!

 

My love for beauty products started at a very young age.  In fact, my first full phrase was, “I wanna take a bubble bath.”  And I may or may not have been the Bath & Body Works Customer of the Month when I was 8.  I even have a bitchin’ long sleeve thermal with their old logo on there to prove it.

However, as I have gotten older and become more health conscious, I have realized that a lot of beauty products contain harsh chemicals and dangerous ingredients.  I like to think of my beauty products this way: if I’m not willing to eat the product because of the chemicals it contains, why would I put them on my skin?  The products you use absorb through the skin and get into your bloodstream anyway, right?  Just something to think about.

Of course I’m not perfect.  I love my MAC makeup, my “it’s a 10” leave-in hair treatment, and my Tresemme dry shampoo on occasion (although I try to use a cornstarch based product if I remember), but overall, I do my best to decrease the amount of crap I put on my skin and in my hair.

That being said, below are some of my absolute favorite beauty products, what I like about them, what I don’t, and where you can get them.  Some of them I am very passionate about, while others I don’t necessarily love, but I am just grateful to have a more ‘natural’ option.

 

 

These are a few of my favorite things...

These are a few of my favorite things…

 

In part 1, I’ll talk about skin care, and in part 2, I’ll address mouth and teeth care, and some miscellaneous items.

Check it out:

 

1. Nubian Heritage Honey & Black Seed Soap

This company is absolutely fantastic!  They make wonderful products and seem very passionate about the integrity of their products.  I’ve only seen lotions and soaps from them so far, but I hope they expand their line in the future!

– What I love about this product:  It smells amazing and it leaves your skin very soft and clean feeling.  Not filmy.

–   Where you can get it:  I got it at my local co-op, but it seems to also be available at select Whole Foods stores, and you can find it online.  CLICK HERE.

 

2. Brown Sugar and Vanilla Body Scrub (homemade)

My cousin gave me this for Christmas and I was instantly hooked!  It came in a cute little glass jar, and was a perfect gift for me!

– What I love about this product: It’s a great natural exfoliator, it smells delicious, leaves your skin super soft without being oily, and if you ever get stranded in the bathtub without food…well…just sayin….

– Where you can get it:  HOME!  CLICK HERE for a how-to guide to making your own.

 

3. Sumbody Bathmilk

This was also a gift, a stocking stuffer I believe, and I let it sit and collect dust for a while before trying it out, which turned out to be a big mistake!  This stuff rocks!

– What I love about this product: It dissolves completely in your bath and doesn’t stain your tub, it smells nice, and it leaves your skin super soft.

– Where you can get it:  CLICK HERE to buy the bath milk.

 

4. Mercola Anti-Aging Skin Care Kit

After almost a decade of abusing my skin and allowing myself to be burned to a crisp, I am now a complete freak about skin care.  I don’t avoid the sun completely, as I think consistent and moderate amounts of sunshine are very nourishing.  However, I do avoid getting burned at all costs, and I use this anti-aging skin care every night.  You do have to allow the serum about 15-ish minutes to soak in before putting the lotion on, and I usually give the lotion about 10 minutes before putting on the anti-wrinkle cream, so it takes a little planning, but it’s become such a normal part of my bedtime routine that it’s no hassle at all.  If I don’t have time however, I’ll simply put the serum around my eyes and on my forehead, and about 5 minutes later, put the anti-wrinkle cream everywhere.

I realize that Mercola is a controversial figure in the health and wellness industry, but I can vouch that his products are top notch.  A friend of a friend used to work for a company that sourced materials for his products and they said he was the BIGGEST pain in the a$$ they had ever worked with in terms of the quality of his ingredients.  Sucks for them.  Awesome for me.

 – What I love about this product:  My face always feels really soft and smooth after I use this stuff, and I love that it doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals.  I have been using it for almost 3 years now, and my face definitely looks better than it did before I started using it.

– Where you can get it:  CLICK HERE for the anti-aging skin care package.

 

5. Mercola Body Butter

I have extremely dry skin naturally and in combination with my Hashimoto’s (autoimmune hypothyroidism), I need something pretty impressive to keep my skin happy.

– What I love about this product: It’s super, super moisturizing.  It’s not the most user-friendly (you have to rub your hands together to warm it up and liquefy it, and it doesn’t go on very smooth, and it’s a bit oily for 10-15 minutes after you use it) but if you can deal with those small annoyances, it definitely gets the job done.

– Where you can get it:  CLICK HERE to get the body butter.

 

6. Tea Tree Therapy Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil has been used for centuries to treat many common ailments.  Because of its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties, it has been used to treat everything from sore throats, to athlete’s foot, to bronchitis. I’ve only used it to treat the occasional blemish, but it can be used for all sorts of purposes.

– What I love about this product:  It’s relatively inexpensive, you only need a little bit, and it works like a charm.  It’s pretty stinky and it takes a few minutes to soak in, but all in all, it’s worth it.

– Where you can get it:  You can get tea tree oil at almost any health food store, but it may be cheaper online.  CLICK HERE to get a good price from drugstore.com.

 

7. Nubian Heritage Coconut and Papaya Body Lotion/Hand Cream

I already talked about how much I love this company!  I really do hope they expand and start making other products very soon!

– What I love about this product:  It’s moisturizing but not greasy, and the scent is really nice.  A lot of “natural” products make you smell like old hippie (no offense intended, my parents are old hippies and my Mom wore patchouli for years!) but I still don’t want to smell like one!

– Where you can get it: I got it at my local co-op, but it seems to also be available at select Whole Foods stores, and you can find it online.  CLICK HERE

 

There you have it!  7 of my favorite products to keep your skin soft, smooth, and youthful for years to come!  Stay tuned for part 2, where I talk about my favorite lip balm, a way to whiten your teeth naturally (and for cheap!), and much more.

8 Responses to My Favorite All-Natural Beauty Products: Part 1

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