Badger Moroccan Mint Face & Body Soap

Reading more about the palm oil industry has left me wanting to switch away from products containing this ingredient, or at a minimum, to use only ones that contain palm oil that is sustainably sourced.  First on the list to change: bar soap.

I like to use bar soap both as hand soap and to wash my face.  I know a lot of people are concerned about using bar soap on their face, but it's what I've used for the last several years without issue.  Sure, it's not super luxe, but it gets the job done and it's incredibly affordable to boot!  I was excited to stumble across Badger's bar soaps, since before that, I didn't realize the company even made soap.  The line is made up of six kinds: three body, one baby, and two face and body.  The soaps are made with mainly organic ingredients, and although they do contain palm oil, it is sustainably sourced.  

I suspect most of the line could be used on your face, but I wanted to try one of the designated face and body bars.  I chose Moroccan Mint, which contains kaolin clay and mint and citrus essential oils to help control oil production, and is recommended for normal to slightly oily skin.  Mint is usually a pretty safe scent for me and this one is no exception.  It smells mostly like spearmint - kind of toothpastey - but it's not an overpowering scent.  I haven't noticed any difference in terms of oil production, but then I don't have very oily skin to begin with.

At night, I do an oil cleanse first to make sure all my makeup is removed, and then I use the soap, and in the morning, I just cleanse with the bar.  It easily creates a rich, creamy lather and leaves my face feeling cleansed but not stripped.  After the first couple days I did notice a couple small pimples on my forehead and I almost gave up on the soap entirely, before remembering that kaolin clay is known for drawing out toxins and impurities.  My skin has since cleared up and looks better than ever, so I think this was just a brief adjustment period.

The bar soaps are pretty unsung compared to Badger's balms and sunscreens, but they're equally great.  If you're looking for soap, either for your face, hands, or body, they're definitely worth checking out.  I kind of want to try all the other scents now! 

Where to Buy: $5.59 from Vitacost, $5.84 from iherb, $6.49 from Badger

Ingredients: Saponified oils of *cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, *olea europaea (extra virgin olive) oil, *elaeis guineensis (palm) fruit oil, *elaeis guineensis (palm) kernel oil, *ricinus communis (castor) oil, *cera alba (beeswax), kaolinite (white clay), *butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter, and essential oils of *mentha viridis (spearmint), *citrus aurantium dulcis (sweet orange) and *mentha piperita (peppermint).  * = Certified Organic

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DIY Pressed Blush

Even more exciting than my experiments with pressing eye shadow are the two blush palettes I recently made.  These were the main reason I ordered from TKB Trading and I'm so excited about them!  I've only started getting more into blush over the last few months and in this case, I really prefer pressed over loose.  I'm quite fair and I find pressed easier to apply and less prone to over-application or streaking.    

There are, of course, companies that sell healthy pressed blushes, but needless to say, I was still inspired to make my own.  Unlike the shadows, these are colors I mixed up myself, which makes the end result that much more satisfying.

To make these, I used approximately a 2:1 ratio of pigment to base.  The base improves adhesion and slip and also helps prevent streaky colors.  Keep in mind that the base ingredients will lighten your colors, as well as determine how pigmented the final product will be, but you can control this by playing with the ratio of base to pigment, depending on your desired result.  For my base, I used TKB's Matte Texture Base for Eyes, which is a combination of titanium dioxide, mica, and magnesium stearate.  I like my blushes to have a sheen, but nothing too overpowering or shimmery, so I was hoping the Matte Texture Base would help tone down the shimmer without making them completely matte.  I also added a small amount of kaolin clay, which helps with wear and oil control, and I'm quite happy with how the combination turned out.

Once you've mixed up your dry ingredients, the process is identical to pressing eye shadows.  I used 36mm pans and about 6 drops of fractionated coconut oil per blush.  Then I added 99% rubbing alcohol until I got my desired texture.  You'll be able to see in the above photos that many of the edges of the pans don't look perfect.  I find it easier to press with a crumbly, wet sand texture, as opposed to anything wetter, but it does make it more difficult to get a perfectly smooth edge on your pans.

The Colours

Dusky Pink

This was the first one I made and it's literally just TKB's Be My Valentine mica (plus the base ingredients.)  Be My Valentine is a super pretty, dusky, rosey pink with gold shimmer.

Pale Pink

Again, not my most creative colour, but one of my favorites nonetheless.  For color, I used only Apple Blossom mica, which is a soft pink with a low sheen.  It looks incredibly pale both in the pan and swatched, but on my fair skin, it gives a lovely, natural flush.  For me, it's definitely not one of those blushes that are so pale as to be invisible, but I'm not sure how it would fare on darker skin tones.  

Orange/Terracotta #1

Peach and coral blushes are usually my favorites, but I guess I didn't buy the right micas for those, as all I can seem to come up with are these orangey/terracotta shades.  Still pretty, don't get me wrong, just not exactly what I was aiming for.  This one was made with a combination of Bolera and Cloisonne Red micas.

Bronze/Gold Highlight

I wanted to make a highlighter shade, but again, I don't think I picked up the ideal micas for what I was going for.  Even sheered out, this is a little too dark for a highlight on my fair skin, though it does makes a pretty eye shadow.  I used a combination of Apricot and Bronze Fine micas.

Bright Pink

I don't think any blush palette is complete without a bright pink and this one certainly delivers.  I used Cloisonne Red mica combined with a sample of Shiro Cosmetics' Because We Can eye shadow.  The result is a hot pink with a small amount of silver shimmer.  This is one of the more pigmented blushes I made and it's one I make sure to apply with a lighter hand!

Pale Violet

I love pink lip colors that have just a hint of purple, and I was going for the same thing with this blush.  I used Pink - Red/Blue mica, which is a pink with a blue/purple duochromey glow, and toned it down a little with some Apple Blossom mica.  The result is gorgeous, if I do say so myself.  At first it looks like your average light pink, but when the light catches it, it gives off the prettiest violet glow.  

Red

In trying to make a well-rounded array of blushes, it seemed only natural to make a red-toned shade.  I used Cloisonne Red combined with a sample of Detrivore Cosmetics' Hemoglobin eye shadow.  I love how this turned out, though I haven't quite worked up the nerve to wear it on my cheeks yet.

Orange/Terracotta #2

For my second attempt at making a coral shade, I went about things differently, but still ended up with a pretty similar color.  I used a very small amount of Bolera mica with a sample of Shiro's Mew eye shadow and a smidge of Concrete Minerals' Napalm eye shadow.  I like this one more than the first try - it's a little more orange and a little less pink - but they end up looking pretty similar on the cheeks.  

And that's all the pressing I've done so far!  Overall, both were a success, but I definitely reach for the blushes a lot more than the eye shadows.  They're pigmented, but not overly so and they blend nicely without any streaking.  I do find some colors have better longevity than others, but all of them last pretty much the whole day.  

I still want to make a highlighter that's more suited to my light skin and that illusive peach blush, as well as maybe a bronzer shade or two, so I wouldn't say my pressing experiments are over just yet.  Perhaps halted though, since I think I'll need to pick up some different ingredients before attempting those.

If it wasn't obvious already, I'm on a bit of a blush kick, so I have to ask - what are your favorite blushes?  All the better if they're pressed, but I'm open to any and all suggestions!

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DIY Experiments in Pressing Eye Shadow

A few weeks ago I set out to try my hand at pressing eye shadows.  Using loose shadows isn't a problem for me, but there are definitely times when having a compact palette of pressed shadows is much more convenient.  Plus, there's something really aesthetically pleasing about looking at the colors all together in a palette.  

The Basics
Pressing eye shadow is awesome because you only need three ingredients: loose shadow, fractionated coconut oil, and rubbing alcohol.  Fractionated coconut oil is coconut oil that's been expeller pressed and refined.  It's food grade, but it has a longer shelf life than unrefined coconut oil and it stays liquid, even in colder temperatures.  You could definitely use another oil, but FCO is great since, with its indefinite shelf life, you don't need to worry about it going rancid.  I used 99% isopropyl alcohol to press these, but anything over 70% should be fine.  You don't want to introduce too much water into your shadow, so I wouldn't recommend going below 70%. 

I bought most of my supplies from TKB Trading, though the alcohol is from the drugstore and the loose shadows I already had in my stash.  In the two palettes I made - one neutral and one with brighter, more fun colors - most of the shades are colors I created by combining multiple shadows, but I didn't make any completely from scratch.

Since a lot of the shadows I was working with were samples, I used small, 15mm pans.  They're roughly the size of a dime, so pretty tiny, though you'll still need a good amount of shadow to fill them - between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon.  The amount varies because shadows from different companies will have different ratios of pigment to base ingredients, which makes them compact differently.  In loose shadow terms, a 3-gram jar holds roughly 1/4 tsp, and a 5-gram, 3/4 tsp, so you'll need, at minimum, the equivalent of a 3-gram jar.



Getting Creative
I think the best part of the whole endeavor was taking colors from my collection that I don't use much and turning them into new favorites.  For example, I mixed Noella Beauty Works Milk & Honey, which I find a little too yellow and Silk Naturals Cloudberry, which I've always wanted to have a little more pizzazz and created a warmer, more metallic peach shade.  Neither of these shadows were big hits on their own, but I really like how they turned out blended together!



Does Pressing Change Colors?
When I first started talking about pressing shadows, a couple people asked me if it altered the colors, but I haven't found that to be true.  I didn't have loose leftovers from all the colors, but I've compared those I had, and while the pressed ones are perhaps slightly darker, I don't think it's enough of a difference to be noticeable on the eye.  The pressed also adhere a little better without a primer, as you can see in the below photo (all swatched over bare skin.)  The top row is the shadows after being pressed and the bottom is in their original, loose form.

(L to R) The Starshine Company Sea Foam, Madd Style Cosmetics Hold Fast, Cheeky Cosmetics Sun Goddess, Shiro Cosmetics Master Sword, Shiro Cosmetics Vileplume

The Bottom Line
I'm really happy with how this experiment turned out!  The whole process was a lot easier than I expected and the shadows are smooth and creamy with awesome color payoff.  They do tend to kick up a bit more powder than your regular, silicone-filled pressed eye shadows, but I've found the same thing to be true of natural pressed eye shadows I've bought. 

I'd originally hoped to include some kind of photo tutorial of the process with this, but I didn't manage to get it together in time and I didn't want to delay the post any longer.  Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing a more in-depth tutorial in the future.  In the meantime, Oxana124 has a video on pressing with fractionated coconut oil that you can check out.  I followed the same process, but I used much less oil - only 2-3 drops per shadow, compared to the 12-14 she uses in the video.  

Mixing colors was fun and I have this compulsion to press all my shadows now!  I love looking at the finished palettes, but aside from that and the obvious ease for travel, in a lot of ways I prefer using loose shadows.  What do you think of pressed vs. loose shadows?  Have you ever tried pressing your own?  

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Favorite Spring/Summer Lip Colors

I've seen a bunch of these posts pop up on different blogs over the last few weeks, and I figured I'd join in and share my top lip picks for spring and summer.  In the warmer months, I'm more drawn to brighter lip colors, but at the same time, I prefer lighter products that are a little bit sheer.  I've narrowed it down to these six favorites.

(L to R) Silk Naturals Crazy Love Vegan Lipstick, Silk Naturals Twirl Kissable Cream Lip Gloss, LUVU Beauty Peppy Lip Gloss, Revolution Organics Freedom Lip Gloss, My Beauty Addiction Party Girl Pretty Lil' Puckers Lip Gloss, Osmia Organics Lip Luster

Silk Naturals Organic Vegan Lipstick in Crazy Love

Shrieking Violet is one of Silk Naturals' more popular lip glosses and Crazy Love is what they came up with when a lot of people, myself included, requested a more opaque, lipstick version of that gloss.  It's perfect for when you want a bright, stand-out pink lip, but it also has a slight bit of purple/berry to it as well, which I find makes it a lot more wearable than a straight up hot pink.  

Silk Naturals Kissable Cream Lip Gloss in Twirl   [Review]

I was reminded shortly after I'd taken these photos that Silk Naturals has discontinued their Kissable Cream glosses, so this one is, unfortunately, not available anymore.  These were a lovely formula, but hopefully Silk Naturals will release a similar color in one of their other lines as Twirl really is the perfect milky coral.  

LUVU Beauty Lip Gloss in Peppy 

LUVU Beauty's lip glosses are one of my favorite products from the brand, and Peppy really is the perfect color for spring.  It's a bright coral/poppy color with a small amount of shimmer, though the shimmer is not very noticeable on the lips.  LUVU's glosses are scented with tangerine essential oil, so they smell delicious.  They're also on the thicker side, which means they last really well on your lips too.

Revolution Organics Freedom Lip Gloss in Freedom
Revolution Organics' glosses are super hydrating and feel incredible on the lips.  Freedom is perfect if, like me, you're a little shy of wearing full-on red lips.  It's a gorgeous classic red, but it's sheer and has a bit of pink to it too.  

My Beauty Addiction Pretty Lil' Puckers Lip Gloss in Party Girl   [Review]
The Pretty Lil' Puckers glosses are super shiny and Party Girl is a great bright, mauvey-pink.  My only complaint with these glosses is that, as you can see in the swatch of Party Girl, they've started to separate.  I love the squeeze tube, but I may end up just dumping it into a pot so I can stir it back together!

Osmia Organics Lip Luster   [Review]

In the swatch, this looks darker than Freedom, but on your lips, it's a lot more subtle.  The formula is intensely hydrating and melts into your lips, leaving you with just a slight, hint of color.  

Do any of these catch your eye?  What are your favorite lip products for spring and summer?

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Osmia Organics Active Gel Nutrient Serum

Makeup has been a favorite of mine for quite some time, but it's only in the last six months or so that I've become more interested in skincare.  It's amazing how much of a difference a slightly more involved routine can make!  A couple months ago, I won an Osmia Organics lip gloss in a Facebook giveaway and Sarah, Osmia's owner/formulator, kindly included a sample of the Active Gel Nutrient Serum as well. 

"This gentle face serum provides an extra layer of soothing moisture, with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to help maintain intracellular water in the skin cells.  White tea and aloe comfort the skin, and rice protein acts to smooth and support the collagen structure of the skin.  This gel serum is meant to be used as a middle layer, between washing and applying a moisturizer or an oil serum.  Think of it as a multivitamin for your face."

Osmia recommends applying the serum to moist skin, so after cleansing, I mist my face with George's Aloe and make sure to rub the serum in while my skin is damp.  It absorbs quickly and unlike a lot of other gel serums, it leaves no film or tacky feeling on your skin.  I prefer my morning skincare to be quick and with fewer steps, so I usually only use the serum at night, but it does work well under makeup too, should you want to use it during the day.

The first night I used it, I did a double take over how much more plumped and firm my skin felt only a few minutes after application.  At 25, I think I still have fairly young skin, but I can't remember my skin ever feeling as firm, plump, and lifted as it's become since I started using this product.  In the beginning, this feeling would last until the morning and then my skin would seem back to normal, but once I hit about the 3 week mark, I noticed that my skin seemed to be retaining the extra moisture better and feels this way all day long.

The serum is also fantastic for fine lines.  Some of you may recall my struggle with the two small lines between my eyebrows, and Osmia's serum has made a real difference with them.  I've tried a few different products in the hopes of targeting this area, and this is the first one that's given real, visible results.  I know hyaluronic acid can sometimes reduce the appearance of lines just by plumping the surrounding area, but I think it goes beyond that, as the lines definitely seem shallower and less pronounced, even up to 24 hours after using the serum.  Makeup also sits better on this area and I've had less problems with it settling into the lines throughout the day.  

I've been using the sample once a day for about a month and I've still got a little left.  A full size retails for $55, and considering how potent the serum is and how far the sample alone has gone, it's something I do think I'll be purchasing in the future.  I'm so impressed with the results I've gotten from this product!  Osmia's Active Gel Nutrient Serum is a light serum that's equal parts gentle and effective, and I think it would suit a lot of different skin types.  

Ingredients: aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, glycerin*, camellia sinensis (white tea) extract*, calendula officinalis extract*, hydrolyzed rice protein, oat beta glucan, leuconostoc/arundinaria gigantea ferment filtrate, niacinamide (vitamin B3), sclerotium rolfsii gum, hydrolyzed oats, hyaluronic acid, proprietary blend of essential oils*.  
[*certified organic ingredient]

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April Empties / Products I've Used Up

Doing regular empties posts has made me a lot more aware of consistently using products until they're finished and I've actually managed to use up a good number of things this month.  I even somehow managed to finish four (!) different lip balms!




Face Naturals Vanilla Mint Body Lotion (sample)   [Review]
This is one of the best lotions I've used.  It doesn't contain any water, just lots of nourishing oils and butters, so it's intensely hydrating.  It also absorbs quickly and doesn't leave you feeling greasy like a lot of other water-less lotions.  It's a little pricey at $25, but you need less product, so I figure it basically evens out.  This sample of the Vanilla Mint was included in one of my orders and I'm a little mixed on the scent.  I loved it in the jar and I think it'd work really well for something that gets washed off, like shower gel, but it became overly sweet and cloying on the skin. 
Repurchase? Yes, but not in this scent.

Sassy Minerals Eye Shadow in Panache (sample)   [Review]
Sassy Minerals isn't around anymore, but they used to be connected with Lauress Cosmetics and last I heard, some of the Sassy colours were now available through them.  Panache is a pretty peach that used to be a favorite, but when I pulled it out again this month, I found it leaned a little too orange for my liking.
Repurchase? No.

Shiro Cosmetics Intertube in Longcat   [Review]
Longcat is a white/silver shimmer in a clear base, but I used it more around the house as a lip balm than as a lip color.  I've gone through several tubes before and never had this issue, but in this one, the shimmer wasn't incorporated evenly.  It was very light at the top and then full of shimmer and gritty towards the bottom.
Repurchase?  Maybe.  If Shiro releases more dye-free colors, absolutely.  Otherwise, probably not, since I've found other, cheaper lip balms I like just as much.  I also still have one more backup of Longcat to get through.

Silk Naturals Vegan Kisser Slicker in Shine
This is another lip gloss-type product that I used in place of a lip balm.  The Vegan Kisser Slickers are very moisturizing and amazing for winter chapped lips, though they have a really soft consistency that makes the tube disappear quickly.
Repurchase? Probably not.  I like it, but again, I've found other, cheaper lip balms I like just as much.  I also still have one more of these to use too.

Badger Creamy Cocoa Cocoa Butter Lip Balm
I only discovered Badger's Cocoa Butter line this past winter, but they've quickly become my favorite lip balms.  (It even made its way onto my list of 15 products I'd repurchase.)  These are almost twice the size of an average tube of lip balm and I managed to whip through this one in under three months, which I think says a lot!  I love cocoa butter, both for its moisturizing properties and because of the smell.  The Creamy Cocoa is unscented, so that delicious chocolate smell comes through unimpeded.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Balm Balm Fragrance Free Multi Purpose Lip Balm   [Review]
This was another new discovery this winter.  It can be used as a lip balm, but it also works great for lots of other things.  I used it on my rough elbows and even slathered it all over my face a couple times.   You can see I cut open the tube to get to every last bit!
Repurchase? Yes.  

Young Living Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier
I'm not really big on hand sanitizer, but it does have its moments.  I mostly use it at work, since I can't always get to the bathroom to wash my hands normally.  Young Living uses alcohol and essential oils instead of antibacterial nasties like triclosan.
Repurchase? Yes, I already have.

Blûm Naturals Fragrance Free All-Purpose Cleansing Wipes   [Review]
I don't use wipes much on my face and I'm not sure it's worth having these around just for cleaning up blog swatches, but that's what they end up being used for most.  The canisters do tend to dry out if you have them open for too long, so next time I think the individually wrapped ones will be a better choice for my infrequent use.
Repurchase? Maybe, but not right away.

Egyptian Magic (sample)
Egyptian magic is a popular product, but it's one that I really don't understand the hype about.  I used it on my feet, and while it did leave them soft, it wasn't anything spectacular.  Plus, the smell was horrible!  I'm not sure if my sample had gone off or something, but it just smelled bad and sort of fermented.  It also didn't soak in well and made my feet feel uncomfortable and tingly.  I have another sample hanging around here and I don't even want to touch it.
Repurchase? No.

Weleda Weather Protection Cream (sample)
The Weather Protection Cream is from Weleda's baby line and just as the name implies, it's intended to protect your baby's skin from harsh weather.  I used it on my feet instead, and it worked really well for that too.  It took a while to sink in, but I just threw on socks before bed and woke up to incredibly soft feet.  I think it'd be perfect for protecting my hands in the winter too, as they usually end up getting dry and chapped.
Repurchase? Yes, but probably not until next winter.

Weleda Skin Food (two samples)
Skin Food is another very hyped product in the natural beauty world and this time I completely understand why!  It's a heavier lotion, so not something I'd use all over, but it's perfect for those extra dry spots like your feet and elbows.  I find a lot of Weleda products are too heavily scented for me, but happily, I don't have any problems with the Skin Food. 
Repurchase? Yes, I already bought a big tube.

I also gave my makeup a bit of a spring cleaning this month and a few things are headed for the bin.  I figured I might as well include them too!



SweetPea and Fay Ultra Pigmented Lip Glosses   [Review]
I don't think SweetPea and Fay makes these anymore, but I really liked them!  I hadn't reached for them in a while and when I pulled them out this month they were completely dry.  I've never had lip gloss dry up like that, even after more time, so it's a little odd.  

Darling Girl Cosmetics Lip Balm (sample)
I got this in a blogger sample pack and I guess it didn't impress me, since I just never reached for it.  It's started to smell funny now, so it's got to go!

Burt's Bees Cream Eye Shadow in Trust
This is from Burt's Bees' old makeup line, which I think is from way back before the company was bought by Clorox, and it's just dried up now.  I don't use them much anymore, but I'm still hanging onto a couple of the old lip shimmers from the same time period (they seem fine, honest!), but the metal tins aren't very airtight, so they're definitely drying out too.  


It feels great to use all these things up and get rid of some products that just aren't good anymore too!  Have you tried any of these?  Does anyone else remember Burts Bees' old makeup line?  And am I the only one who did not like Egyptian Magic?  

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Inika Crème Eye Shadow

One product I've never been fully satisfied with are highlighters.  Either they're too shimmery and you look like a disco ball or they're too subtle and I can't even tell I've applied one.  With that in mind, you can imagine how excited I was to discover these two highlighting gems in a most unexpected place - my own eye shadow drawer!  Inika sent me two of their crème eye shadows to try, and while they're lovely as eye shadows, where they really shine, if you'll excuse the pun, is as highlighters.

First, let's talk packaging.  The crème shadows come in small squeeze top bottles and are very easy to use.  I like to squeeze a small amount onto the back of my hand and then use my fingers to apply it to either my eyes or the high points of my face.  You can also mix a small amount into your foundation for an all over glow.  

I received Champagne and Pink Cloud, two beautiful light shades.  Champagne is a pale gold and Pink Cloud is an icy, cool-toned pink.  Both of them have a luminous, satin finish without any actual glitter particles.  I've never before understood that natural, 'lit from within' glow that people talk about with highlighters, but these really do deliver just that.  On me, Champagne blends seamlessly and looks the most natural, but I could see Pink Cloud being a good match for some skin tones too.

(L to R) Inika Cream Eyeshadow in Pink Cloud, Champagne

(L to R) Inika Cream Eye Shadow in Pink Cloud, Champagne (blended)

Even though I use these most as cream highlighters, they're also lovely as eye shadows.  I find they work best as a light, sheer wash of color, since when you build them up, they become more difficult to apply evenly and can start to look a bit patchy.  If you want more opacity, your best bet is to apply multiple thin layers, allowing the shadow to dry in between each one, but even then, it can be tricky to get an even color.  I should also mention that, like a lot of other natural cream shadows, these are not crease proof.  I've worn them both with primers and without, and while I experienced some creasing either way, I get better results when worn over bare skin.  

The Bottom Line
If opaque, crease-proof shadows are a must, these may not be the product for you, but if you don't mind a little creasing or are in the market for an everyday highlighter that perfectly straddles the line between subtlety and glitz, Inika's crème shadows are definitely worth a look.  The only downside I can come up with is the $25 price tag.  They're definitely on the more expensive side, but since they do double duty as both a highlighter and eye shadow, I do think they're worth the money.  

Have you tried anything from Inika?


Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Mica, Glycerin, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Butyrospermum Parkii(Shea) Butter, Cetearyl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Natural Tocopherol, Simmondsia Chinensis(Jojoba) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Persea Gratissima (Avocado)Oil, Macadamia Integrifolia Seed Oil, Prunis Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Iron Oxides(CI 77491), Iron Oxides(CI 77492), Ferric Ferrocyanide, p-Anisic Acid, Water, Sodium Hydroxide

Disclosure: Product provided for my honest review.  I was under no obligation to write a positive review in return for free product, nor was I compensated for this post.  All opinions are my own.

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Intelligent Nutrients Perfect Hold Hair Spray

One product I've been missing for a long time is hairspray.  It's not something I use all that regularly, but it's still a product I like to have on my shelf for those occasional styles that demand it.  Mainstream hairsprays are arguably some of the most toxic cosmetics out there, full of plastics, petrochemicals and phthalates and linked to eye and lung irritation, so I wanted to find a healthier option to have on hand.  

As you may already know, Intelligent Nutrients is one of my favorite hair care brands.  Their products consistently have very clean ingredients and many of them even carry USDA Organic certification.  Certified Organic Perfect Hold Hair Spray is one of the original products that the company launched with and is so pure that Intelligent Nutrients' founder, Horst Rechelbacher (also the founder of Aveda) has even been known to drink it!  While I have no interest in tasting my hairspray, with that in mind, I feel pretty safe using it on my hair.

Let's start with application.  Perfect Hold comes in a regular spray bottle.  The mist is less even and a little heavier than an aerosol hairspray, but it's still very functional.  It may make your hair feel damp for a minute or two if you get a lot of product in one spot, but it dries quickly.  In the bottle, the hairspray smells very citrusy, but when I spray it on, I mostly smell alcohol.  The smell dissipates as soon as it dries and doesn't leave any noticeable scent on your hair.  

Sprayed lightly, Perfect Hold gives a lovely medium hold.  Used this way, your hair still moves and is very touchable.  If what you're going for is a firm hold, you'll need to use more product, which can leave your hair feeling a little crunchy.

Like I said, I don't use hairspray regularly, but this is a perfect product for the occasional times when I feel more adventurous with my hair and need something to hold a style in place.  It is a little pricey, at $29 for 6.7 fl oz/$12 for 2 fl oz, so perhaps not the most economical option if you're an everyday hairspray user, but I do really like it.  If you want a firm hold without any crunchy feeling (though I've yet to actually find that in a natural product), you may want to look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a healthy hairspray with good, pure ingredients and are willing to spend the money, this is a great choice.

Ingredients: Water/Aqua, Alcohol Denat.*~, Acacia Senegal Gum*, Glycerin*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice*, Ethyl Palmate*, Nigella Sativa (Black Cumin) Seed Oil*+, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Oil*+, Rubus Idaeus (Red Raspberry) Seed Oil*+, Vitis Vinifera (Red Grape) Seed Oil*+, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil*+, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Peel Oil*, Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom) Seed Oil*, Citrus Noblis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil*, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Oil*, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil*, Vetiveria Zizanoides (Vetiver) Root Oil*, Cymbopogon Martini (Palmarosa) Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil*, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil*, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil*, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Peel Oil*, Limonene*^, Linalool*^, Geraniol*^, Citric Acid, Tocopherol (Vitamin E) | * Certified Organic, +antioxidant Intellimune™ Seed Oil Complex, ~denatured using certified organic Bergamot essential oil, ^Naturally occurring component of organic Essential Oil blend

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