Bar Soaps
I'm a fan of gentle bar soaps, especially through the winter months when my skin is more prone to drying out. The Mamma Oceania Antioxidant Soap, SBT Seabuckthorn Berry Bar, and Rocky Mountain Soap Pumpkin Soap were my favorites of the bunch -- all three are very gentle, palm oil free, great for sensitive skin, and made by fantastic Canadian companies. On a Branch's Apple Cider Soap -- also Canadian and palm oil free -- had the most amazing spicey cinnamon scent, but the bar got a little gloopy and melted away quicker than I would have liked, even left to dry in a draining soap dish. I did have this particular bar hanging around for a good while before I used it, which could maybe have impacted it. The Graham Gardens Lemongrass Milk Soap, sent to me by the lovely people at The Choosy Chick, smelled wonderful too and produced a great luxurious, rich lather, but it's one that I likely would not repurchase since it does contain palm oil.
Body Wash
I'm not sure why I've never used Acure's body washes before, but they're really lovely! They have the feel and lather of a traditional shower gel, but leave skin feeling a lot softer and more hydrated than most gels. I didn't notice any significant formula difference between the two, just the scents -- the Clarifying Body Wash is minty and fresh, while the Cell Stimulating Body Wash (now the Energizing Body Wash) smells like almonds. If you're familiar with Acure's hair care, the body washes smell exactly the same as the Volume and Ultra-Hydrating hair products.
Nourish Organics' Moisturizing Cream Body Washes are a longtime favorite of mine. They have a creamy/milky consistency and are extra gentle on the skin. Wild Berries was discontinued last year, but I still have a couple bottles stashed away. I also like The Honest Co.'s Honest Shampoo + Body Wash, mostly for its yummy orange-vanilla scent. This mini came in one of the company's trial kits, but I've also bought the full size before.
Moisturizers
The Savannah Bee Company's Unscented Honey Body Lotion is a fantastic unscented lotion. It's rich and nourishing but doesn't leave you feeling greasy or slippery, or take forever to sink into the skin. No odd 'unscented scent' either, if you know what I mean. I also really loved the Duckish Lavender Lotion Stick. It's solid in the tube, but melts into the skin immediately on contact. Rocky Mountain Soap's Dry Skin Butter is a similar concept, but the actual product is much more solid and slightly waxy. It does a good job treating dry skin, but doesn't feel nearly as luxurious as the Duckish.
I held onto this bottle of Rachel's Plan Bee Body Oil for far longer than I probably should have, but I really did love it. It's pretty much the perfect body oil in terms of feel and consistency, but I couldn't always tolerate the scent, which is why it lasted me so long. It's an undeniably beautiful orange-vanilla fragrance and completely essential oil-based, but it was a little too strong for me a lot of days. As I've told Rachel before, if she ever creates an unscented version, I'd be all over it! The Honest Co. Organic Healing Balm, from the same trial kit as the body wash, didn't make a strong impression. It's a fine product, but I think there are better balms out there, so it's probably not something I'd purchase again.
Teeth
I'm pretty set on keeping my mouth care completely free of glycerin and the Miessence Mint Toothpaste is a new favorite. It tastes a little salty, but is very minty and leaves your mouth feeling super fresh. I wish Miessence was a little more accessible -- the only reason I haven't replaced this already -- but I'm sure I'll place an order eventually. Tierra Mia Organics Healthy Dent Tooth Regime, on the other hand, didn't work for me at all, at least not as toothpaste. Teeth felt clean after using it, but the mint was so subtle as to be undetectable, so all I got was a strong soap taste that would not go away, even after multiple rinses. No exaggeration, it lingered in my mouth for hours! Since they're basically just shreds of bar soap, I ended up adding the tooth chips into loads of laundry, just for the sake of using them up. They actually worked great in that capacity and I'm totally sold me on DIY/bar soap laundry detergents now!
Essential Oils
Clearly essential oils don't sit unused around here! Thieves is great for boosting the immune system and overall health through cold and flu season. I like it as a preventative and also used it to help kick a flu bug I caught early in the fall. Peace & Calming is one of my favorite blends to use before bed, particularly if I have trouble winding down or falling asleep. Lastly, Orange and Cinnamon Bark (along with Clove) were frequently enjoyed in my oil diffuser through the fall months.
Stay tuned for makeup empties over the weekend -- the last of this ginormous batch of empties!
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