Natural Skincare Loot for a Weekend Away

Last weekend's new loot for the farm trip to Quezon was composed of Brown Belly's all natural coconut shampoo, Alba Botanica's natural very emollient facial sunscreen SPF 30, Dr. Woods Pure Black Soap, Neolia's Body Soap and Ilog Maria's feminine soap. Read my reviews per product below.

Brown Belly's island coconut shampoo (P150) feels like coconuts were personally bottled for your hair. Lathers quite well and the scent is just marvelous for anyone that loves the beach as much as I do! I even tried using this as a body wash and for emergency purposes (let's say you forget your liquid soap), you can definitely use this as well! To order, email brownbelly@gmail.com

Alba Botanica's natural very emollient facial sunscreen SPF 30 (P300+) is 100% vegetarian, has "powerful antioxidant rich Green Tea, Grape Seed Oil and Vitamin E nourish skin while Aloe Vera, Lavender and Chamomile moisturize and smooth" I've been an Alba Botanicals fan since I've used their Lavender Sunscreen for the body. Available at Healthy Options Bonifacio High Street branch.

Dr. Woods Shea Vision Pure Black Soap (P200+) is 100% natural and vegan. "The Black Soap formula is a gentle, daily exfoliant for all skin types. It contain gamma tocopherol, botanical extracts and organic shea butter to neutralize free radicals, heal blemishes and regenerate skin cells." I rarely wash my face because I feel it dries my skin BUT after a full day of errands, teaching yoga, being out in the polluted city - I feel that my face deserves some cleansing. So, here is my addition to my skincare ritual. The Shea Butter is what drawn me to buy it because it has moisturizing powers. I wash my face before/after hitting the shower with this product and moisturize with cold-pressed VCO (virgin coconut oil) at night or facial sunscreen above if during the day. Available at Healthy Options Bonifacio High Street branch.

Neolia's Body Soap (P120)  is made from Organic Extra Virgin Italian Olive Oil and Aloe Vera. I like how the bar lathers on my skin and gives that soft sheath after bathing. And who doesn't love the smell of olive on the body? Just not too sure if this is 100% natural because it doesn't list ALL ingredients in the box nor in their website. Available at Rustan's or Shopwise groceries.

Ilog Maria's Feminine Soap (P49.50) is a must have for every woman! It has peppermint oil for a cooling effect but the key ingredient here is the bee propolis extract which has anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Pure sampaguita oil is also added as a natural fragance. It is recommended for women to use if they want to feel clean and fresh all day long, naturally :)\

When I got home from the trip, I was pleased to see these Hurraw lipbalms (P250 - P350 each) come in from the mail. The Washington post calls them the holy trinity of lip balm!

Plus points for being all natural, organic, raw and vegan! For someone like me who's constantly under the sun, I need extra sun protection (I can already hear my mother's voice nagging me for it) and it's so awesome that Hurraw has a lipbalm with SPF15

"Non-nano zinc oxide that lends a broad spectrum, clear, completely natural sunscreen base to Hurraw! Antioxidant busters pomegranate seed and sea buckthorn oils protect and nourish. Red raspberry seed oil gives an even more protective punch! Juicy Tangerine and calming Roman Chamomile extract make it delish for your lips! " 

And yes it does taste good enough to eat! I'm going to have to stop myself from licking my own lips...

Too bad these lipbalms didn't make it before I left but can't wait to start using them especially during my FLOW weekend retreats! Oh my! I just checked their international website and saw that they have Ayurveda-inspired: Pitta, Kapha and Vata lipbalms! The yogini in me wants these too!

All Hurraw lipbalms with assorted flavors are locally available at Cutieverse.