My primary rules for health and beauty products are simple: the company must be cruelty-free and the product must be 100% vegetarian and contain no palm oil. Secondary rules include: as many natural ingredients as possible and somewhat affordable. (Although I am willing to pay extra for items that meet my requirements.) Here are a few of the products I love:
Coalface Cleanser, LUSH
The first time I washed my face with this soap, I felt as if I’d washed off five years in the process. Maybe my previous soap was just terrible, but still. A-MAZE-ING.
Angels on Bare Skin, LUSH
This is more of an exfoliant than the coalface soap. I love the smell and texture, and I love that it doesn’t even sting if I get it in my eyes. The first time I used this after washing with coalface, my skin was so soft and smooth, I didn’t even recognize it. Plus, a tiny bit goes a long way, so it’s easy to take with you on trips.
Aloe & Green Tea Oil-Free Moisturizer, Alba Botanica
I can’t quit this moisturizer. I keep trying to find cheaper ones, but nothing else comes close. I love the smell and feel of this product. It energizes me. I find myself looking forward to putting it on. And best of all, it keeps my face moisturized far longer than other products.
Feel free to share your own favorites!
The last time I went to get Angels on Bare Skin they talked me into Dark Angels on Bare Skin instead, which I think has black sugar and coal in it and is even MORE exfoliatey than the original. I use it about a week and a half a month and it seems to keep breakouts at bay. But if I use it the rest of the time, it's too harsh.
For awhile I was using DHC's Q-10 milk as a lotion, and I love love loved it, but I can't get their stuff in a store and it's too pricey, esp. with shipping.
I don't think I'll try Dark Angels — my skin only wants regular Angels a few times a week as it is. Although I love the name "Dark Angels on Bare Skin," so I may have to get a smidgen and try it just for that.
My shower features a fugly bar of Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil soap. It's dark. It doesn't lather. Heck, it's not even soap–it's olive oil pressed into a soap-like cake. Seriously fugly. But my skin loves it. Trying to talk my sensitive-skin father into trying it.
Currently moisturizing with Boots Botanics Organic Hydrating Day Cream, which was great in the winter, but I'm going to switch to something less emollient for the duration of our humid summer.
Wow, I've never even heard of olive oil soap before! I'm sure it's good for you, but the idea of it doesn't appeal to me. Maybe because I favor an oil-free moisturizer. That would just be too hypocritical if I were using oil as soap. :-D
Haven't heard of "Boots Botanics," but I'll check them out! Never really gets humid here, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Boots is the UK chain of pharmacies and personal care products. A year or two ago, Target began carrying some of their skin care and makeup. "Botanics" is one of their lines.
I just bought some coalface for when I travel. My cleanser is liquid in a foamy dispenser bottle and it's not in a travel size! So I always have to check my bag in. But I don't want to check it in for a piddly 2 day trip.
I use Ole Henkriksen African Red Tea facewash (This is really creamy and doesn't make me break out) and the sheer transformation moisturizer (totally light and pretty much scentless. I don't smell anything, but I may be used to it). It's an all natural, cruelty free brand (though I don't know if they're vegetarian). They're a little bit pricey, so I'm always looking for good alternatives!
I actually clean my face with olive oil, which seems counterintuitive if you have oily skin, but I've been doing it since last August and you know those two vertical lines you get in between your eyebrows when you're always skeptical? Those have COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED. I can't even feel them anymore.
I used to love Lush's green facial soap that I can't remember the name of right now, but I'm kind of sold on this OCM thing (Oil Cleansing Method; it's a real thing, not made up by me. Google it and you'll get a ton of information–it's basically olive oil or another carrier oil to moisturize and castor oil to clean, and it totally works and does *not* make your skin oily)