Month: March 2020

No Pong Deodorant Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

No Pong is an all-natural, aluminum-free deodorant (not antiperspirant). No Pong started in Australia and then set up manufacturing and shipping in Canada. No Pong comes in baking soda and baking soda-free versions. No Pong claims to last 12 hours while reducing underarm bacteria that causes odor, absorbing sweat and allowing skin to breathe.

Ingredients (original): Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Corn Starch, Beeswax, proprietary blend of 100% pure, Canadian certified organic essential oils consisting of Lemongrass Organic, Orange Sweet Organic, Vanilla Oleoresin (4 fold) Organic, Cedarwood Organic, and Geranium Organic

Ingredients (baking soda-free): Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Oil), Magnesium Hydroxide, Diatomaceous Earth, Beeswax, reduced concentration of proprietary blend of 100% pure, Canadian certified organic essential oils consisting of Lemongrass Organic, Orange Sweet Organic, Vanilla Oleoresin (4 fold) Organic, Cedarwood Organic, Geranium Organic

According to the No Pong website, the scent is citrus with a hint of vanilla. To me, it had a very mild lemon grass/citrus scent. I think I read on Instagram that the baking soda-free version has half the amount of fragrance to the baking soda version.

Directions: Apply a pea-sized amount to the underarms to create a thin, invisible layer.

Having recently run out of my Kopari deodorant, I thought I’d try No Pong as I kept seeing this on Instagram ads. It comes in a little tin and should last about a month. Having used Routine Cream with baking soda, I found my skin does not like baking soda and my underarms turned quite dark with use, so I got the No Pong baking soda-free version.

No Pong is a very thick cream deodorant that is applied with the fingers. I applied a pea-sized amount and rubbed in, let it warm up, and rubbed in a bit more. Once rubbed in, it is invisible. It does not transfer to or stain clothing. The scent is very subtle and the scent itself lasted about 4 hours. After the 4 hours and continuing to about 10 to 11 hours just hanging out at home, my underarms were not stinky, so the ingredients continued to reduce underarm bacteria even though the scent did not last. I applied 2 hours before a workout and after exercising the fragrance faded, but there was no underarm odor. Continuing through the day, the deodorant continued to be effective. While No Pong claims to absorb some sweat, I’m not sure I was any less sweaty than usual.

I usually have a shower in the evening and apply deodorant at night also, as I can get relatively sweaty/stinky through the night. No Pong was not effective at night to reduce underarm odor; the Kopari deodorant worked very well for this purpose.

I do not like the packaging. The deodorant is filled to the top of the tin and being a cream that is not solid, the lid and outside the tin gets messy. I like the jars with the screw-top lids that Routine Cream has.

No Pong deodorant is quite effective, however, I wish the fragrance lasted longer and that the tin was not so messy.

Update (April 1, 2020): After posting a photo and mini review of the product on Instagram stating how messy this product is, the company sent me a message saying that it looks like I received a tin that had been repeatedly frozen and thawed during shipping, which has happened a few times. The softening does not affect the effectiveness of the product, but does affect texture as there are no chemical stabilizers. They kindly offered me a replacement. I declined because the effectiveness is unchanged and I imagine the same thing happening. I notice too that when it is warmer in my house, the oils in No Pong separate, so if shipped in warmer weather with no repeated freezing and thawing, there would be separation.

This is not my favorite deodorant that I’ve tried, but it is effective and I might consider repurchasing. Thank you for reading.

First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 12 Comments

KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub by First Aid Beauty is a scrub that contains pumice as a physical exfoliant and 10% glycolic and lactic acids as chemical exfoliants. This is safe for all skin types and is fragrance-free. This claims that the AHAs loosen the top layer of skin and decongest pores, while the pumice sweeps it away, helping improve rough, dry bumps and dry skin, revealing smooth, healthy-looking skin. Despite this product being called KP Bump Eraser, this makes no claims on nor mentions keratosis pilaris on the packaging or website.

Ingredients: Pumice, Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycolic Acid, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Lactic Acid, Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hydroxide, Palmitic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Sorbitol, Colloidal Oatmeal, Tocopherol, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Salix Nigra (Willow) Bark Extract, Bisabolol, Hydrogenated Coconut Acid, Xanthan Gum, Steareth-20, Steareth-21, Myristic Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, EDTA.

Bisabolol and colloidal oatmeal soothe the skin. Feverfew and licorice root can help red irritated skin.

Directions: Using one to two times a week, apply to wet skin and massage on affected areas. Rinse and pat dry. Follow with a moisturizer. Do not use on the face.

Keratosis pilaris is the result of a buildup of keratin that clogs the opening of the hair follicles and causes bumpy, rough skin, often affecting the upper arms, thighs, buttocks or cheeks. KP is also called chicken skin or strawberry skin. There is no cure or preventative, but the skin can be made to look better by exfoliating and moisturizing.

I have had KP on my upper legs and upper arms and small pimples and whiteheads on my chest for the last 10 or so years and bought KP Bump Eraser in hopes of smoothing and improving the appearance of my skin. I used once a week for a month and then twice a week for the remaining 2-1/2 months. After massaging, I let this sit on my skin for a couple minutes while washing my hair to get the benefit of the AHAs, and followed with a moisturizer.

The product has fine-grain pumice that is not irritating when massaging on the skin. It has a mildly acidic scent. This rinses off well in the shower.

From the first use, my skin felt very smooth. I use sugar scrubs regularly and while my skin feels smooth, the KP Bump Eraser works so much better to exfoliate the skin because unlike sugar, pumice does not dissolve in water so it can be scrubbed for longer. My arms had some improvement in overall skin tone and smoothness of the bumps. I was hoping for more improvement for the breakouts on my chest. My legs, being the most affected, had the most improvement in redness and overall appearance of the bumpy skin (the worse the skin is, the more noticeable the improvement will be). My shins are often quite dry and this sloughed off the dry skin.

I wonder how much the AHAs in the scrub have an effect on the skin, being a rinse-off product, and if I would get the same results without the addition of the chemical exfoliant. I’ve just purchased the Skin Smoothing Body Lotion with 10% AHA from Reversa to see if I get further improvement.

With First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser, the smoothness of the skin is very good, the look of dry skin is improved, overall skin tone is a bit better and bumps are generally improved. I would repurchase.

Thank you for reading.

The Chemistry Brand Heel Chemistry Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 3 Comments

Heel Chemistry is a lotion by Deciem’s The Chemistry Brand that can be used on the heels and other areas that are very dry. This formula claims to hydrate cracked skin and provide hydration below the surface to improve hard skin, while providing a cooling effect, with results within 2 weeks.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Propanediol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Alanine, Proline, Serine, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopherol, Betaine, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Acrylates Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Cellulose, Xanthan Gum, Menthol, Menthyl Lactate, Methyl Diisopropyl Propionamide, Ethyl Menthane Carboxamide, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Linalool.

Heel Chemistry contains a marine complex proven to improve skin texture and hydration and counteracting extreme dryness. Calendula provides healing and regeneration for short term and long term results. This does not contain urea or acids.

Directions: Apply to dry areas twice a day for 14 days and then as-needed thereafter. This can be used on heels, hands, elbows, knees and other very dry areas.

This is a thicker cream that has a minty scent. It is not oily or greasy. It absorbs after a couple seconds and has a cooling effect from the menthol and menthyl lactate.

I have very dry feet and heels with layers of hard skin on my heel and a callous on my big toe. I used Heel Chemistry twice a day all over the feet for about 17 days and once a day for the remainder of the month.

I didn’t take a photo at 14 days, but there was improvement in hydration and the rough feeling of the skin.

At one month, my skin felt softer, more hydrated and the roughness was gone. The callous on my big toe was more hydrated and softer, but still felt thick.

Heel Chemistry comes in a 100 mL tube and lasted me one month, using as above. I hope Deciem makes a larger size at some point. Once I ran out, after a couple days, my heels started getting a bit drier and a bit rougher. Overall, the results are pretty great and I will repurchase.

Thank you for reading.

Your Best Face Skincare Refresh Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

Refresh from Your Best Face Skincare is their mid-range eye cream that is lightweight and claims to de-puff, brighten dark circles and reduce appearance of fatigued skin.

Ingredients: reverse osmosis water, ceteareth-6 olivate, ethylhexyl palmitate, REGU®-AGE (glycine soja (soybean) protein (and) hydrolyzed rice protein (and) superoxide dismutase), EYEDELINE™ (butylene glycol, water, plankton extract), Eyeseryl® (water (and) butylene glycol (and) acetyl tetrapeptide-5), Collageneer® (helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil and lupinus albus seed extract), Haloxyl® (hydroxysuccinimide, chrysin, palmitoyl oligopeptide, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3), Leucidal® (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate), cetearyl olivate (and) sorbitan olivate, chicory root extract (Ichorium intybus root oligosaccharides, caesalpinia spinosa gum, water, glycerin), caffeine, hydroxyethylcellulose, Sepilift DPHP (dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline)

Refresh contains a number of peptides and actives. Renu-Age is said to reduce puffiness and dark circles while protecting and strengthening the skin. Eyedeline is a marine ingredient that reduces extra fluid and boosts elastin and collagen synthesis. Eyeseryl is a tetrapeptide that reduces puffiness due to poor lymphatic circulation, and dark circles. Collageneer is an antiaging and firming ingredient. Haloxyl reduces under-eye circles. Caffeine is toward the end of the ingredient list and reduces under-eye bags. Chicory root increases collagen production and smooths fine lines. Sepilift DPHP smooths fine lines.

Directions: Apply a small amount and massage into entire eye area including eyelids.

I have dark circles, puffy eyes, some fine lines and generally look tired all the time. The ingredients and mechanism of ingredients sound promising. I’ve used this morning and evening for the last 5 months.

Refresh is a lightweight, serum-cream with no scent that applies easily and doesn’t leave a greasy or heavy feeling. It absorbs quickly and leaves the skin feeling immediately smoothed and moisturized. Makeup applies nicely over this.

Above, there might be a very slight reduction in puffiness and the dark circles look maybe a bit less blue, but I’m not sure if this is due to difference in lighting. This is a nice moisturizing cream and the eye area feels hydrated. On the side view photos, there is a reduction in fine lines and the skin has a generally smoothed appearance.

I think Refresh would make a nice preventative to target loss of elastin and collagen and is generally a nice moisturizer.

For me, I think I might need to make peace with the realization that my dark circles are genetic (so not much I can do about that), but I was hoping for more reduction in puffiness at least. I likely will not be buying the more expensive eye creams that claim to reduce dark circles, and should probably focus on hydration and prevention of fine lines and wrinkles (Refresh did a good job hydrating and reducing fine lines).

Thank you for reading.