Beauty

[KrissieK]

I received the exfoliating foaming cleanser in my Birchbox a few months ago. It was amazing. The sugar exfoliated nicely and in combination with the foam, my face was cleansed and exfoliated but not stripped. It smells good too.

However, I couldn't purchase it again knowing that it was just soap, sugar and rice powder for that price. It does have extracts and essential oils so if you choose not to use EOs and/or plant extracts or have sensitive skin, you may not like it or want to try it.

It did give me and idea to create something like this for myself. I just haven't gotten around to it.

[Sammijo10]

On 1/12/2014 cassiem said: I have done a lot of research on natural products. Suki is a great company with high quality products. My skin doesn't tolerate essential oils well, but there are a few Suki products I keep in my rotation. The balancing oil for oily skin is truly amazing. If you call of email them, they will help custom design a regimen.

What items do you use? Anything else besides the balancing oil?

[Sammijo10]

On 1/12/2014 KrissieK said:

I received the exfoliating foaming cleanser in my Birchbox a few months ago. It was amazing. The sugar exfoliated nicely and in combination with the foam, my face was cleansed and exfoliated but not stripped. It smells good too.

However, I couldn't purchase it again knowing that it was just soap, sugar and rice powder for that price. It does have extracts and essential oils so if you choose not to use EOs and/or plant extracts or have sensitive skin, you may not like it or want to try it.

It did give me and idea to create something like this for myself. I just haven't gotten around to it.

thanks, Krissie, good to know about the cleanser. That was one of the items that interested me as well. I don't usually have an issue with any essential oils, just alcohol and preservatives.

[suzyQ3]

On 1/12/2014 BellaCarro said:

On 1/12/2014 HappyDaze said:

Bella, when alcohol is listed in the ingredients as just plain "alcohol" it is almost always (in fact I personally have never seen it otherwise) the drying type of alcohol (ethanol, I believe is the chemical name). Now that you mention it, if I remember correctly, this is why I didn't try the products in the past.

Geez, another case of messing up an otherwise really great ingredient deck. Why, oh why do that?!

And that toner that has "alcohol" as its second ingredient is the toner recommended for "normal/sensitive" skin when you do a "shop by skin type."

Not only that but it has lavendar oil and fragrance.

It really does confirm my opinion that so-called "natural" or "organic" does not necessarily mean gentle and probably doesn't necessarily mean more safe or effective.

[Shelbelle]

SHOP HQ has a 6 pc. kit on clearance for approx. $35. Only gets 3 stars on the reviews.

[HappyDaze]

On 1/13/2014 suzyQ3 said:

On 1/12/2014 BellaCarro said:

On 1/12/2014 HappyDaze said:

Bella, when alcohol is listed in the ingredients as just plain "alcohol" it is almost always (in fact I personally have never seen it otherwise) the drying type of alcohol (ethanol, I believe is the chemical name). Now that you mention it, if I remember correctly, this is why I didn't try the products in the past.

Geez, another case of messing up an otherwise really great ingredient deck. Why, oh why do that?!

And that toner that has "alcohol" as its second ingredient is the toner recommended for "normal/sensitive" skin when you do a "shop by skin type."

Not only that but it has lavendar oil and fragrance.

It really does confirm my opinion that so-called "natural" or "organic" does not necessarily mean gentle and probably doesn't necessarily mean more safe or effective.

I really do not get the inclusion of the drying type of alcohol in products. What purpose does it serve? I don't like most essential oils in my skincare products either but I know most add them in for scent or because of supposed claims of "invigoration" (I say, irritation), etc but why drying, irritating alcohol (or even witch hazel)??

There are so many potentially great formulations out there that would be so amazing if they would cut out drying alcohols and essential oils and irritating extracts (like from spices).

[Sammijo10]

On 1/13/2014 Shelbelle said:

SHOP HQ has a 6 pc. kit on clearance for approx. $35. Only gets 3 stars on the reviews.

I didn't realize it was sold on Shop HQ. In fact, there is only a 'try me' kit there (which didn't have even one of the items I'm considering!) and the three star review is one purchaser who thought the bottles were too small for the price. Nothing in the review about the efficacy of the product. Guess they have the same issues with unhelpful reviews as the Q does sometimes.

[suzyQ3]

On 1/13/2014 Sammijo said:

On 1/13/2014 Shelbelle said:

SHOP HQ has a 6 pc. kit on clearance for approx. $35. Only gets 3 stars on the reviews.

I didn't realize it was sold on Shop HQ. In fact, there is only a 'try me' kit there (which didn't have even one of the items I'm considering!) and the three star review is one purchaser who thought the bottles were too small for the price. Nothing in the review about the efficacy of the product. Guess they have the same issues with unhelpful reviews as the Q does sometimes.

SMH at that kind of review. So helpful, eh?

[suzyQ3]

On 1/13/2014 HappyDaze said:

On 1/13/2014 suzyQ3 said:

On 1/12/2014 BellaCarro said:

On 1/12/2014 HappyDaze said:

Bella, when alcohol is listed in the ingredients as just plain "alcohol" it is almost always (in fact I personally have never seen it otherwise) the drying type of alcohol (ethanol, I believe is the chemical name). Now that you mention it, if I remember correctly, this is why I didn't try the products in the past.

Geez, another case of messing up an otherwise really great ingredient deck. Why, oh why do that?!

And that toner that has "alcohol" as its second ingredient is the toner recommended for "normal/sensitive" skin when you do a "shop by skin type."

Not only that but it has lavendar oil and fragrance.

It really does confirm my opinion that so-called "natural" or "organic" does not necessarily mean gentle and probably doesn't necessarily mean more safe or effective.

I really do not get the inclusion of the drying type of alcohol in products. What purpose does it serve? I don't like most essential oils in my skincare products either but I know most add them in for scent or because of supposed claims of "invigoration" (I say, irritation), etc but why drying, irritating alcohol (or even witch hazel)??

There are so many potentially great formulations out there that would be so amazing if they would cut out drying alcohols and essential oils and irritating extracts (like from spices).

That's exactly how they work. From Beautypedia:

Ingredients such as menthol, peppermint, camphor, and mint are counter-irritants (Sources: Archives of Dermatologic Research, May 1996, pages 245–248; and Code of Federal Regulations Title 21—Food and Drugs, revised April 1, 2001, CITE: 21CFR310.545, www.fda.gov). Counter-irritants are used to induce local inflammation for the purpose of relieving inflammation in deeper or adjacent tissues. In other words, they substitute one kind of inflammation for another, which is never good for skin. Irritation or inflammation, no matter what causes it or how it happens, impairs the skin’s immune and healing response (Source: Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, November–December 2000, pages 358–371). And although your skin may not show it or doesn’t react in an irritated fashion, if you apply irritants to your skin the damage is still taking place and is ongoing, so it adds up over time (Source: Skin Research and Technology, November 2001, pages 227–237).

Yes, I guess they serve some supposed purpose, and if in very minor amounts, they're probably not going to cause much trouble. But alcohol (the drying kind) seems unnecessary. I wonder what the reasoning is for its inclusion.