Naturalla Beauty

Next up, hair empties!   I never go through a ton of hair stuff and it's a bit of a random batch this time as I've been making a concerted effort to use up all the nearly finished bottles of shampoo and conditioner lingering in my shower.  



Shampoos
I liked all three of these (and their matching conditioners too!)  The Griffin Remedy Volumizing Shampoo doesn't dramatically impact volume, but it's a great everyday shampoo and smells wonderful.  After the matching conditioner ran out, I used it to clean my makeup brushes a few times too.  Broo's Malted Mint Invigorating Shampoo uses craft beer in place of water and is incredibly gentle and hydrating.  I tried Broo's old formulas a few years ago -- when they came in bottles rather than tubes -- and had problems with the scents, but this one has a much milder fragrance.  It smells a little like mint and a little like beer, but neither scent lingers at all once hair dries.  The Andalou Naturals' Argan & Sweet Orange Shampoo is another good one, although like I mentioned in yesterday's skincare empties, Andalou has reformulated most of their products with what I consider to be inferior ingredients.  I managed to snag a couple backups of the old formula shampoo and conditioner, but after those, I won't be using Andalou's hair care any more.  

Conditioners
I can't quite wrap my head around Intelligent Nutrients' prices here in Canada, but if money was no object, I'd probably exclusively use their products on my hair.  That said, the Harmonic Conditioner is not one of the company's top standouts for me.  I adore the matching Harmonic Shampoo -- which I used up many months ago -- but the conditioner is just so-so.  It smells great and works well, but I'm not convinced it performs significantly better than less costly options.  The Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner is something of a cult favorite, in the green community and beyond, but I can't deal with its strong scent.  I couldn't even get through the entire mini.  I like some coconut scents, but the DE is verging on synthetic sunscreen coconut to my nose and I'm not a fan.  Beyond the fragrance, the actual conditioner works well, so I ended up replacing it with the Italian Lemon instead.  It has a much milder fragrance and is scented only with essential oils.   

Styling + Extras 
I've gone through countless bottles of the Kinky-Curly Spiral Spritz Styling Serum over the last few years and I've got another one on the go right now.  I prefer lightweight products that defines my curls without any stickiness or crunchy feel, and that's exactly what the aloe-based Spiral Spritz does.  It's a great no-frills products for me.  Chorus Supernatural's Moor Clay Mask is technically a face mask, but I loved it even more as a clarifying shampoo mix-in.  (I have an entire post on how I use it HERE.)  I've since replaced the Moor Clay with a different clay, but it's not working nearly as well, so I may circle back to this one again in the near future.  

I bought Rainbow Henna's Persian Burgundy Henna over two years ago, but never quite worked up the courage to use it until this past December.  The color was not at all what I was originally going for, but I ended up liking it a lot nonetheless.  This was my first time dying my own hair, so it was a learning (and a bit of a PITA if I'm completely honest) but the results are great, so I think it's worth the hassle.  One pot of henna was enough for one full dye job and one root touch up on my medium-length hair.  I'm debating dedicating an entire post to my henna experience, so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in seeing!

I was contacted a couple months ago by Chorus Supernatural, a British Columbia company making natural skincare, hair care, body care, and wellness products.  Like most Canadians, I get pretty excited about Canadian companies, and with an extensive range of products and items for kids and adults alike, Chorus Supernatural is a great discovery.  



The entire line is free of synthetics and made with 100% naturally-sourced ingredients.  The "Supernatural" part of the company's name relates to the 4 "supernatural" ingredients that Chorus includes in every product they make.  These 4 ingredients are:

Lithia Mineral Water - Chorus uses water from an untainted hot spring in the Canadian Rockies.  This water is rich in naturally-occurring lithium and has been shown to offer skin revitalizing benefits beyond that of ordinary distilled water. 

Moor Mud - also known as Heilmoor clay, moor is a nutrient- and mineral-rich peat formed by thousands of years of decomposition of herbs, flowers, grasses, and other plants.  Chorus's moor is sourced from remote locations in B.C., far from any industrial activity, ensuring that it remains pure and unpolluted.

Giant Kelp Seaweed - hand-harvested off the northern tip of Vancouver Island, giant kelp absorbs nutrients from the ocean and is rich in potassium, iodine, and 70 other nutrients, including iron, zinc, copper, cobalt, manganese, boron, and a variety of beneficial enzymes and proteins.  Chorus uses a liquid seaweed extraction that preserves the chemical composition and nutrients of the seaweed better than dehydration processes that often require a lot of denaturing heat.  

Clay - also sourced from Vancouver Island, Chorus uses clay with a unique blend of minerals, vitamins and crystalline gemstone substances.  It starts out a dark green clay when wet, but dries down to an aqua blue color.  

Chorus kindly sent me a few items from the line to try out.  Let's jump into the products themselves!



CLEANSE Cleansing Gel* ($19.90 for 4.5 oz)
Cleanse is described as a low-foaming cleansing gel for normal to oily skin, but I haven't found it to be stripping or drying, so I think it could suit most skin types.  With a unique, pearly-gel consistency, it glides effortlessly across the skin and rinses away cleanly.  The instructions recommend using the cleanser on a cotton ball, but I much prefer using my fingers, as you would with most cleansing gels.  The cleanser does a fine job removing face makeup, but I prefer to use something else around the eyes.  

POLISH Facial Scrub* ($24.90 for 4.5 oz)
Polish is an extremely gentle scrub made with jojoba beads.  It has a jelly-like consistency, and while the jojoba beads are noticeable, I don't feel like they do a very thorough job exfoliating my skin.  I generally prefer scrubs that are a little more abrasive, but if you're looking for something extra gentle, Polish might be just the ticket.  I did enjoy the relaxing chamomile-lavender scent and the fact that it didn't irritate or dry out my skin.  

MASK Facial Mask* ($22.90 for 2.9 oz)
My favorite of the bunch, Mask is a facial treatment made of just 100% pure moor mud and lithia water.  I've used other moor mud masks in the past and the rich peat is excellent for gentle detoxification and cleaning out the pores.  Without any additional ingredients, the mask smells quite earthy - like, well, mud - so I like mixing in a drop or two of a skin-friendly essential oil like lavender or frankincense.  The mask always leaves my skin looking fresh and glowy and is more gentle and less drying than other types of clay.  The tube needs a good shake before each use, as the water and mud have a tendency to separate, but they blend back together easily, so it's no big deal.  Both the fact that it's ready-to-go in a tube and that it only needs between 3 and 10 minutes on the skin, make this mask a great option for pampering in a hurry!

The Bottom Line
I love Chorus's affordable price point, that they're a Canadian company, and that they make a point of sourcing healthy, natural, and local ingredients for all their products.  Of the three items I tried, I'm most smitten with Mask, an excellent gentle detox mask that's especially great when you're short on time.  Cleanse is a good, non-drying cleanser that I think could work for a lot of different skin types, and while I personally would have liked a little more abrasiveness in Polish, I can see it being a hit for ultra-sensitive skin.

Have you tried anything from Chorus Supernatural?