Body Products

Drunk Elephant Sili Body Lotion Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 2 Comments

Sili by Drunk Elephant is a body lotion that claims to restore moisture, lock in hydration and improve dry and dull skin.

Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Squalane, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Coconut Alkanes, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Pentylene Glycol, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil, Schinziophyton Rautanenii Kernel Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Citrullus Lanatus (Watermelon) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Sodium PCA, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Allantoin, Sodium Lactate, PCA, Alanine, Arginine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Proline, Serine, Threonine, Valine, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Seed Extract, Behenic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Adansonia Digitata Seed Extract, Beta-Carotene, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Pulp Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Linoleic Acid, Ceramide NS, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Ceramide NP, Ceramide EOS, Cholesterol, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Pulp Extract, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Sorbitan Isostearate, Ceteareth-25, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 60, Caprylyl Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin

Sili is made up of plant oils and butters, amino acids, antioxidants and five ceramides to moisturize, provide a protective barrier and nourish and rejuvenate the skin. For a moisturizer to be complete and effective, it should contain an emollient, an occlusive and a humectant, all of which Sili is formulated with. Ceramides are lipids found in the upper layers of the skin forming a protective barrier, protecting against moisture loss and damage from the environment.

Directions: Massage over body until absorbed. Can be used on wet skin and can be used on the face as well.

This is a light-weight lotion. Like Drunk Elephant’s other body and hair products, Sili has a sweet almond scent (think almond extract); the natural scent of the product as there are no added fragrances. The scent lasts for only seconds.

I have dry shins and normal skin elsewhere on the body, other than very dry hands. I’ve used Sili daily after showering for over a month now. On application, the skin has a smooth, soft and silky feeling, with a light protective layer left behind. It is not heavy or greasy and absorbs quickly. On application to the hands, the skin has a silky feeling with relief of the dryness for about 10 minutes. After this, the skin feels dry again, but still has the silky layer that lasts on the skin over a couple light hand washes. After a month of twice-daily use as a hand lotion, there is some improvement of surface hydration, but nowhere near the improvement I would expect (the skin still feels dry, though does not really look dry). My shins are dry (not visibly excessively so, but feel dry to the touch compared to the rest of the leg) and I have to use quite a bit of product for the skin to feel moisturized and protected and even after a month, while softer, the skin still feels dry. Elsewhere on the body, while there is not much difference in terms of hydration, the skin is softer. The skin has the smooth silky feeling for a few hours after application. I used the lotion a few times on my face. I have oily skin and this provided moisture and a protective layer over the skin.

Over the last week, I have been adding a couple drops of moisturizing oils (trying squalane, rose hip and the Briogeo hair oil) to the Sili, then applying to the hands and body and this seems to increase hydration and protection of the skin immediately and throughout the day, so Sili just is not moisturizing enough for dry skin. It maintains normal skin, however.

Drunk Elephant Sili Body Lotion absorbs quickly, is not greasy, improves softness of the skin and leaves a silky protective layer, preventing water loss, however, is not very moisturizing. This would better suited to the face and neck (I use on my underarms as well) and normal skin with very minimal dryness and would provide light hydration in warmer weather. I do prefer Sili over the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream in terms of softness and silkiness of the skin. I likely would not repurchase.

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.

Bushbalm Body Polish and Nude Oil Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

Bushbalm is a Canadian company, based in Ottawa, Ontario, that makes body scrubs and oils for the bikini area (but can be used anywhere on the body and the oils can be used on the eyebrows, lips and scalp hair as well). These products are said to soothe irritation and redness, prevent ingrown hairs and clear pores while shaving or waxing.

I generally shave most/all the pubic hair, so I get irritation, red bumps and razor burn. I use the Sweet Escape scented oil and scrub. I’ve never noticed ingrown hairs, so can’t comment on the effectiveness of the oil and scrub on treating/preventing these.

Exfoliating Scrub:

The body polish claims to exfoliate, remove dead skin cells, soften skin and help prevent ingrown hairs. As a note, it looks like the packaging for the scrub has been changed since my purchase (probably a good change, as I can never get the jar threads to fully seal).

Ingredients (Sweet Escape): Sugar, Jojoba Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Vanilla Extract, Tangerine & Tea Tree essential oils 

Jojoba oil is an emollient oil, similar to the sebum on the skin. Grapeseed oil is a light moisturizing oil. Tea tree oil has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, said to calm redness, inflammation and swelling.

Directions state to rub a handful of the scrub in small circular motions on wet skin anywhere on the body.

The scrub smells very good; like a creamsicle. The scent is light. I use this on the bikini area and my underarms before and/or after shaving, about every 4 days. It is not too harsh on the skin. It exfoliates well and my skin feels smooth and moisturized after using.

The scrub isn’t particularly different or better than other sugar scrubs I’ve used, but I like that the scent matches the oil and it is nicer than my DIY sugar scrub.

Nude Treatment Oil:

The oil claims to soften skin and hair, prevent and soothe ingrown hair and help redness and irritation along the bikini line.

Ingredients (Sweet Escape): Jojoba Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Copaiba Balsam Oil, Vanilla Fragrance Oil, Tangerine Oil.

Copaiba balsam oil is used for healing the skin, reducing inflammation and soothing irritation. The oil is said to smell woody, earthy and resinous (like tree sap).

Directions state to apply 3 to 4 drops to the bikini area after showering and/or shaving, trimming or waxing.

On opening the Sweet Escape bottle, it smells a bit like cinnamon to me, and applied to the skin, like a creamsicle with a hint of resin. The scent is light, and does not last long on the skin. The oil absorbs quickly with no heavy, oily or sticky residue.

The bottle the oil comes in has a dropper that is pushed down rather than squeezed to get the product out. While it looks nice and different from most other droppers, I find the squeeze dropper easier to use especially when handling with wet/oily fingers.

I’ve used the oil every day after showering for about a month on the bikini area and the underarms. The skin is moisturized, soft and smooth and this feeling lasts all day. Shaving with the direction of hair growth, razor bumps and irritation are reduced by 75% when using the oil. I get a bit of itchiness/irritation on regrowth of the hair around the third day, and this was reduced as well. Shaving against the direction of hair growth causes a lot of irritation and many razor bumps, and I wanted to see how the oil performed in this scenario, and there was about a 25% reduction in this case. On third day hair regrowth, there is a lot of itchiness/irritation and the oil helped this for about 10 minutes. So, this product performs better on milder irritation.

I’ve tried the Bushbalm oil on my hair, rubbing 3 drops on the hands and running through the hair to smooth fly-aways and leave behind a light tangerine scent. The oil softens and moisturizes the cuticles on fingers and toes. I tried a drop on my lips as well; it felt a bit heavier and not as moisturizing as the squalane oil I usually use and I’ll stick with the squalane oil for my lips.

A long while ago, I used a bikini area spray called U-Fresh by Prairie Bliss Botanicals, claiming to reduce irritation and ingrown hair, and Bushbalm works better than U-Fresh.

I would repurchase the Bushbalm oil and exfoliating scrub.

Thank you for reading.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ 1 Comment

The Ultra Repair Cream, Intense Hydration, by First Aid Beauty (FAB) is a moisturizing lotion for all skin types to be used head to toe and claims to provide immediate and long term hydration for dry, itchy, eczematous skin. It can even be used on baby’s skin.

Ingredients: Colloidal Oatmeal 0.50%,Water, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Squalane, Allantoin, Sodium Hydroxide, Dimethicone, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Chrysanthemum Parthenium (Feverfew) Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Butylene Glycol, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus, Ceramide 3

Colloidal oatmeal has anti-inflammatory properties, reducing redness and itchiness while locking in moisture and protecting the skin barrier. Glycerin is a humectant. Glyceryl stearate and stearic acid are emollients. Shea butter and dimethicone are occlusives, sealing in moisture. Feverfew extract can reduce the appearance of redness and irritation to the skin. Ceramide 3 is the last ingredient, a lipid naturally occurring in skin. Squalane is moisturizing, also naturally occurring in the skin.

For a moisturizer to be complete, it needs a humectant (draws water to the skin), emollient (moisturizer) and occlusive (sealing in moisture). This FAB cream contains all three.

Directions state to apply from head to toe once or twice daily or as needed.

This has a light whipped texture, but I don’t find it a particularly rich or heavy cream. It has a light eucalyptus scent.

My hands get very dry every couple months, no matter the season. This dryness lasts a few weeks, progressing to redness and peeling. I also used the FAB cream on my hands, as well as heels which are dry and cracked, and all over the body after showering. I didn’t intend to use the lotion on my face, but tried it once.

The lotion spreads easily and absorbs immediately with no greasy feel.

Above, the hands immediately felt soothed and smoother, but 5 minutes later felt dry, not to the touch, but on opening and closing my hands. I was surprised by how dry my hands looked after 30 minutes, but they were quite dry before.

I used this on my hands twice a day for 3 weeks. While they look better after 3 weeks, it looks like the lotion improved surface hydration, but there are still dry patches in the creases and my hands still feel dry on opening and closing.

I used this on my heels for 4 weeks and, like on my hands, improved some surface hydration, but the heels are still very dry and do not feel much more moisturized.

On application to the body, the lotion absorbs immediately. It is not greasy, heavy or oily feeling. There is no residue left on the skin, but unlike most lotions I’ve used, there is no nice butter-like or silky feeling on the skin, but almost a friction-like feeling. The skin felt no softer or hydrated after 4 weeks’ use. I have mildly dry skin on my legs and felt like I had to use quite a bit for the skin to feel any sort of hydration. For this reason, I’ve been going through the 8 ounce tube quite quickly.

I didn’t buy the FAB Repair Cream for use on the face as I am using another cream at this time (and the Repair Cream doesn’t smell or feel like something I’d want to use on the face), but tried it once after my skin felt quite dry after a shower. This felt completely different on the face than on the hands and body. My skin felt moisturized and soothed and while the lotion absorbed fully, it left a light, smooth, protective layer over the face.

I would expect better results after a few weeks’ use on the hands, feet and body, and I did not like how the FAB Repair Cream felt, so would not repurchase for that use; however, it performed quite differently on the face and I would consider longer term use for this purpose. Next I’ll be using the hand and foot lotions from Deciem’s The Chemistry Brand and the body lotion from Drunk Elephant; stayed tuned for those reviews.

Thank you for reading.

Boo Bamboo Natural Sunscreen Spray Review

~ Michele Raiyne ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been looking for a natural spray sunscreen and found Canadian company Boo Bamboo’s Natural Sunscreen Spray in SPF 30. This is a broad spectrum UVA/UVB sun protection that uses zinc oxide. Boo Bamboo says this product is non-nano, non-whitening, unscented and vegan.

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Medicinal Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 16.5%

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aqua/Water/Eau, Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Caprylic-Capric Triglyceride, Dilauryl Citrate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Gluconolactone, Glycerol, Hydrogenated Methyl Abietate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Lauryl Glucoside, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Methylcellulose, Octyldodecyl Citrate Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyglyceryl-4 Laurate, Populus Tremuloides Bark Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sodium Lauryl Glucose Carboxylate, Sodium Phytate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sorbitan Laurate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum*

*I bought this sunscreen at Well.ca based on the above ingredients. When checking Boo Bamboo’s website, the ingredients are very different than those on my sunscreen canister and Well.ca, and state the product contains zinc oxide 9.5%, octocrylene 6% and octisalate 4% as the active ingredients and uses a few different inactive ingredients as well. About a month ago I emailed Boo Bamboo asking why the different ingredient lists and which list is correct, and have yet to receive a response.

The sunscreen I have is 30 SPF and uses 16.5% zinc oxide that sits on the skin to reflect the sun’s rays. These types of sunscreens are called physical sunscreens, as opposed to chemical sunscreens that absorb the sun’s rays.

To go over some of the more unfamiliar ingredients – Bambusa Arundinacea Stem Powder (bamboo) is rich in minerals and protein and is used as a moisturizer and can restore elasticity to the skin. Hydrogenated methyl abietate increases viscosity. Ethylhexylglycerin is a surfactant and preservative enhancer, used as an alternative to parabens. This sunscreen has radish root ferment and phenoxyethanol as preservatives.

The packaging offers a continuous spray that is thicker than that of the chemical sunscreens, so sticks a bit to the spray nozzle after use. It’s unscented, so has its natural scent which is kind of like a plastic-y plant maybe. It’s not a wonderful smell, but once rubbed into the skin (which only a takes a few seconds), doesn’t seem to linger too long. Also once rubbed in, it has a heavier feeling on the skin to the touch, but has no white residue.

I spent a lot of time outside this summer in 29ºC and 30ºC full sun weather, and the Boo Bamboo Natural Sunscreen Spray works. At the beach my kids and I used this sunscreen whereas my husband did not, and he was the only one that got reddened skin. I got a bit of a tan on my chest area, but also didn’t reapply the sunscreen every 2 hours as directed.

I will definitely purchase Boo Bamboo’s Natural Sunscreen Spray again (and hope that the company gets back to me regarding the ingredients).