And here we are at the end of October somehow and I realized I haven’t shared any monthly faves since July! I’ve definitely been trying out products since then, but time has just slipped away from me. Summer always goes way too fast – I blinked and the leaves are falling, the trees look naked, all the sudden I’ve got a coat on and I’m shivering a lot more often. Ugh. But there is a bright side: this change in seasons usually means a change in products to keep up with the change in air and humidity and I love trying new things out so I’ll just focus on that every time I catch a glimpse of a dreary day or *gasp* a snowflake. Since there’s a lot of that white stuff in the winters here I’m sure I’ll be trying lots of new things out and will be gathering several more favorites that will be coming your way soon, but in the meantime enjoy these that I’ve gathered from the last month or two.
Milk + Honey Regular Strength No.9 Deodorant
I have a few deodorants that are my absolute favorites but I also end up collecting others to try out here and there that I like to give a go between uses of my go-to. This was one of those deodorants. I ended up getting it through a beauty box and didn’t really know what to expect, as I’ve come to know all natural deodorants are not created equally, but this one surprised me.
It’s an aluminum-free natural deodorant made with clean and organic ingredients. The regular strength version is made with baking soda but they have baking soda free options if you’re sensitive. The scent I got is No.9 and is lavender and tea tree and comes from added essential oils. It is a light scent that’s clean, refreshing and calming. I really like it and don’t find it to be over-powering at all. The performance of this deod is great! I rarely notice sweating when wearing it, maybe only a few times and I remember being frazzled and stressed in those moments so that would explain that. Regular, every day use has kept me dry and comfortable. It’s easy to use in it’s twist up tube (that admittedly isn’t the most environmentally friendly as it’s made of plastic, but it’s just so convenient). Sometimes I find the product a bit hard to get started on the swipe so I do as the instructions suggest and hold against skin for a few seconds to warm it up for swifter application. At $20/tube this is a bit on the pricey side but I’ve been using it for probably at least 3 months now and there’s still enough left that I can’t see the end on the twist up so it feels like a good value to me.
Lua Skincare Love Your Face Cleansing Oil
Surprisingly this is one of the only true oil cleansers I’ve ever tried. I generally shied away from trying them as I always assumed that oil was acne causing but a recent facial inspired me to believe otherwise. She said my skin was parched (who knew?!) and that oil cleansing could help calm the inflammation and oil production down so I gave this cleanser a try. For those not familiar with the oil cleansing method, it works because like dissolves like so the oil cleanser grabs and dissolves the unwanted oils and dirt on your face while leaving the healthy and needed oils behind to keep skin hydrated- it’s a double whammy type of cleanser.
It’s made with the lightweight grapeseed & hempseed oils along with sea buckthorn berry oil & lemongrass, orange, peppermint, tea tree and rosemary essential oils. It smells citrus-y, sweet and cool and leaves my face feeling clean, brightened and refreshed. I don’t use this at every cleansing, but it is gentle enough for everyday/every cleansing use. I like this one especially because the oils are lightweight and safe for acne prone skin (won’t clog pores).
Seed Phytonutrients Moisture Leave-In Conditioner
I’m always on the hunt for products that can tame my fine and wavy hair without weighing it down. I need something that reduces frizz, refines the waves and doesn’t make them look like the start of greasy dreads. This product has become a fave for managing to check all the boxes. I don’t have overly curly hair, it has more of a beach wave texture so I need products that can help the wave stay rather that fight against it. Since my hair is also fine, it will just give in if the product is to heavy for it. I actually got this as my free gift with order from Thrive Market awhile back and I didn’t have high hopes. I assumed it would be like most leave-in creams and make my hair limp and weighed down, but it didn’t!
It’s called a “leave-in conditioner” and I would definitely classify it as more of a conditioning cream. Leave-in conditioners to me are more of a watery textured spray, this is definitely a cream. It’s made with a blend of organic meadowfoam seed oil, shea and mango butters to hydrate the driest hair and is scented with a handful of essential oils. It really does make my hair feel moisturized and less frizzy.
The scent is nice, really light and not offensive at all. I actually hardly notice it. The packaging of this product is unique in that the outer vessel is made of paper product and can be recycled or composted while a plastic bag on the inside holds the product. This greatly reduces the plastic waste. The only downside is that if it gets wet it gets a bit soggy so you have to be mindful of where you set it. An upside though, is that there is a seed packet inside the outer container (hence the brand name) which is a fun bonus.
And there’s my recent faves. Hoping to get back to you with more favorite products next month. We’ll see how that goes with the busyness of the holiday season creeping in though! Stay tuned…
