Brand Focus: Sempirra

Whoa, has it really been two months since my last blog post? Summer/work/life/the usual has been crazy! I'm happy to be back and have several posts coming at you over the course of the next couple of weeks. Promise.
A long while back, on Instagram, I started following Sempiira. They posted a picture of their Patchouli Lime Deodorant. Right away I commented on how delicious it sounded. Being such a huge fan of patchouli (total hippie), and loving the refreshing scent of lime, how could one resist? One could not. They reached out and offered to send me a deodorant, but surprised me with a cleansing oil and serum as well. P.S. Does anyone else find the labels exotic, Moroccan almost? I love it.

Sempiira: A large fire deliberately set for a constructive purpose

We are longtime best friends dedicated to creating luxurious organic health and beauty products using only the highest quality ingredients. All of our products are free of pesticides and preservatives and we use only pure essential oils for scent. Everything is handmade in our studio in Williston, Vermont. We value and support local, fair trade, and sustainable practices.

Read more by about Sempiira here.

*Patchouli Lime Natural Deodorant ($16.50 usd/75ml): Coconut oil’s natural anti-bacterial properties prevent odour while arrowroot and baking soda absorb odour and wetness. Pure essential oils keep you smelling great all day.

This deodorant smells like a friggen hippie dream! The patchouli and lime combo is so delicious, you have to smell it. Sadly, it didn't work out for me. With ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, arrowroot powder, baking soda, and the essential oils, I thought for sure it would keep me dry, stink free, and smelling..well, delicious. It made my underarms feel wet and sticky upon application, and I was stinky within an hour of application. After trying it for a week, I gave up.

*Cleansing Oil ($28.50 usd/100 ml): Our balancing facial treatment gently dissolves makeup and impurities without disrupting your skin's natural moisture balance. Castor oil cleanses and fights inflammation while safflower and jojoba nourish skin without clogging pores. The natural anti-bacterial properties of frankincense and lavender prevent blemishes as rosewood soothes redness and irritation for radiant, healthy skin.

Cleansing oils are amazing. They break down makeup and sunscreen beautifully, leaving your skin clean and refreshed. This cleansing oil is housed in a clear glass bottle, with a pump and plastic pump stopper (to prevent bag pumping while travelling). It's definitely thicker than most, probably because of the high castor oil content, and the frankincense essential oil dominates the lavender and rosewood. Because of the high castor oil content, which is known for its deep cleansing and detoxifying ability, this cleansing oil dries out my already dry skin. I tried it on and off for about a month before calling it quits. Would recommend to those with acne prone, oily, or normal skin.

*Matte Hydrating Serum ($26.50 usd/25ml): This silky green serum high in chlorophyll and omega fatty acids provides daily moisture without an oily feel. Great for all skin types. Our non-comedogenic serum helps to eliminate blackheads and reduce pore size with its high linoleic acid content. Hemp and rosewood are anti-inflammatory, reducing redness and evening skin tone. Argan oil’s high tocopherol and fatty acid content nourish and protect for soft, glowing skin.
I didn't have the opportunity to try this serum (housed in the same clear glass bottle with a pump) as my skin hates argan oil, but my mom absolutely loves it! She says that it leaves her skin hydrated, but not greasy, and it sinks in like a dream. She also mentioned that a little goes a long way and would totally repurchase (which is a big deal since she's an even bigger skin care junkie than me).
All in all, this brand didn't work out for my skin/pits but the beautiful minimal ingredients are sure to be a hit for many. Get it here: Sempirra

*Products provided for review consideration. All opinions are entirely my own

Patchouli Lime Natural Deodorant Ingredients: Organic Shea Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Arrowroot Powder, Baking Soda, Beeswax, Organic Essential Oils

Cleansing Oil Ingredients: Organic Castor Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Jojoba, Organic Frankincense Essential Oil, Organic Lavender Essential Oil, Sustainably Wild-Harvested Rosewood Essential Oil

Matte Hydrating Serum Ingredients: Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Argan Oil, Sustainably Wild-Crafted Rosewood Essential Oil, Non-GMO Vitamin E Oil

Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Cream in Lavender

Anyone who has ventured into the world of natural deodorants knows that it's entirely based on trial and error, and it takes time. A very long time. I know that I have a sensitivity to baking soda but am determined to find a deodorant that contains it without irritating my pits, smells nice, and is easily available in Canada. With the glowing reviews that Meow Meow Tweet received, I decided to buy a jar from Well.ca.
Meow Meow Tweet was created by Tara and Jeff in Brooklyn, NY. Each product is hand crafted in small batches using a variety of delicious organic ingredients and love. It is entirely vegan as well as environmentally friendly through it's limited plastic content and biodegradable labels. To read more about MMT, click here. 

Description: Our completely natural underarm cream is a simple recipe that is safe, effective and will leave you smelling fresh all day. Organic coconut oil combined with baking soda is antibacterial with a sweet and pleasing aroma. Arrowroot powder and clay will help to keep you dry. To use, gently rub a dime-sized amount into each armpit with your fingertips (don't push hard, those pits are sensitive!).

I adore the packaging, the fun label design and colours and glass jar. Although, glass is never travel friendly in my books. That being said, the texture is so creamy that it would be easy to scoop some into a small container for travelling. The scent is lovely! I love the coconut lavender aroma that hits my nose as soon I open the jar, and how well it lasts throughout most of the day. This deodorant does contain baking soda but only irritates my underarms a little and only in one area, the crease. Sounds sexy doesn't it? Basically the fold, if that makes any sense. It's chock full of nourishing ingredients like organic coconut oil, jojoba oil, and shea butter. It keeps me stink free almost all day, however, towards the evening I can definitely smell BO shining through. On a super hot or active day, I need to reapply mid-day. It works the best when applied to a freshly washed underarm and the irritation is even less when I apply a bit of the NBW Healing Balm or alternate with a baking soda free (Aubrey Men's) deo. Also, I want to note that a little goes a very long way. I've had this jar for 2+ months and haven't even used half of it. Of all the cream deodorants that I have tried, this one has been my favourite because of the fact that it doesn't irritate my underarms as much as others.

Retails for $15.99 CDN for 68 g. Can be purchased through Meow Meow Tweet, Well.ca, and any of these retailers.

Ingredients: *virgin coconut oil, *jojoba oil, *shea butter, *arrowroot powder, baking soda (naturally mined), kaolin clay, lavender essential oil 

*organic ingredient

Brand Focus: New Leaf Naturals

A few months ago, I was contacted by the super sweet Shawna who owns New Leaf Naturals. They are a USA based small business that hand makes (in small batches) all natural, tea inspired bath and body products. In love with the extensive range of products and the sound of the scents, I happily offered to provide some feedback.

Shawna was kind enough to send me a full sized *Chai to Relax Foaming Hand Soap, samples of *A Hint of Mint, *Chamomile Lemongrass, and *Lovely Lavender Foaming Hand Soap, *Stink Stopper Natural Deodorant, and three lip balms; *Honeyed Grapefruit, *Peppermint Stick, and *Lime in the Coconut.

 

Foaming Hand Soap: After long hours deliberating with our legal, marketing, and communications teams, we have gained a consensus on the following description of our foaming hand soaps: they are soaps, and they foam. Ok, that's not entirely true...we don't have a legal team, and I am the marketing and communications team. In truth, our soaps are handmade in small batches with the highest quality ingredients we can find so that they are tough on dirt and germs, but gentle on your skin.  

Available in: Chai to Relax, A Hint of Mint, Lovely Lavender, Chamomile Lemongrass, and Orange You Glad. Retails for $7 USD for 8.75 oz. Click here to view ingredients.

ha! Soaps that foam, there ya have it folks! Love their wit. These soaps are lovely for getting off dirt or, in my case, makeup. Since castile soap tends to irritate and dry out my skin with continued use, I only use these when my hands need a deep clean. While all four scents are nice, my favourite has to be A Hint of Mint. I've been digging the minty scents lately, they're so refreshing. In terms of fragrance, they're all lightly scented and don't linger. Personally, if something smells nice, I like it to linger a bit. While that's a downfall for me, I know that there are many who would appreciate the faint/light fragrance of each of these.

Stink Stopper All Natural Deodorant: A natural deodorant that works! Tamanu and Coconut oils lend their anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties to a skin pampering body butter base. Add in some bakng soda and tea tree and lavender essential oils, and you have an all natural deodorant with some serious stink stopping power.  

Retails for $7 USD for 1 oz. Click here to view ingredients.

This is the very first baking soda containing deodorant that actually works, for me, without irritating my pits! It's always creamy, no stirring required, and applies easily under the arms. The texture is actually whipped, like a whipped mousse or something. Ready for it? I'm not a huge fan of the scent. It smells like cilantro, which I know one of my good pals just loves. I got used to it for sure, I just wish there were more scents available. On really hot days, this deo did need at least one reapplication. For the most part though, it stands up to stink well! Another thing to note, it has a light green colour to it (thanks tamanu) which can transfer (a bit) on white clothing. So when I wear white, and sweat, it turns the under arm part a little green. Luckily, it washes out but I thought I'd let you all know. This is my absolute favourite product of all the ones sent to me by New Leaf Naturals and one to check out!

 

Lip Balms: Winter's cold, dry air taking its toll on your lips? Our natural lip balms, made from beeswax and mango butter, will help to heal and protect them. Keep those lips healthy, soft, and kissable!  

Available in: Honeyed Grapefruit, Peppermint Stick, Lime in the Coconut, Chai to Relax, Orange Smoothie, and Chocolate Covered Orange. Retails for $3 USD. Click here to view ingredients.

I have really mixed feelings about these lip balms. The texture and formula is spot on; smooth and creamy. It's, once again, the scents that don't do it for me. All three smell exactly like you think they would but, the scents have changed over the last couple of months. Peppermint Stick smells stale (might be the vanilla), Lime the Coconut smells like nothing, and Honeyed Grapefruit smells like a very faint sweet grapefruit/orange. All of the balms were never strong in scent to begin with, but they shouldn't have changed. So while I enjoy the formulas, the scents need work.

My American friends can purchase New Leaf Naturals directly from their website. Anyone outside of the USA can contact Shawna for an estimate on how much shipping will cost.

 

*Products provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Brand Focus: Schmidt's Deodorant

There has been a boat load of buzz surrounding Schmidt's and so, naturally, I was extremely excited when Jaime (Creator and Founder) offered to send me a jar. My journey for the perfect, or close to, deodorant has been tough. I definitely sweat but, it's the under arm odour that bothers me most. Being an aesthetician, it's important that I stay fresh all day. I mean, nobody wants to catch a whiff of BO while getting a facial. Jaime was kind enough to send me *Bergamot Lime and *Lavender Sage.

Bergamot Lime: Reminiscent of a summer’s day with its bright citrus scent, Bergamot + Lime is a true pleasure to wear. The essential oils lend additional disinfectant and skin healing benefits.

Lavender Sage: The clean, herbaceous fragrance of Lavender + Sage is tranquil and soothing. Antioxidant and antiseptic properties complement this top-selling deodorant.
While I haven't actually tried the Lavender Sage scent yet, both smell incredible. Their descriptions are spot on and you can be sure that you'll get the scent that you were expecting. I love the glass jars and labels, though they are slightly heavy. The product itself is as fabulous as the rave reviews claim. It keeps me stink free all day long, even on busy days at the spa. Sadly, it irritates my underarms with continued use. Not nearly as bad as PurelyGreat, but enough to need to rotate it with a baking soda free deodorant. I did try using an apple cider vinegar and water solution prior to applying the deodorant and it worked, but I'm too lazy to keep that up. I also tried applying a thin layer of coconut oil first, that didn't work for me. In terms of application, an adorable baby spatula is provided to help scoop out the rather firm product which then takes a little warming up between the fingers to soften. Obviously, it then gets applied to your lovely pits! A whipped textured deodorant would be ideal, however, I'm not bothered by the firmer texture since it's all skin loving goodness (aka shea and cocoa butter). Now that I think about it, it could probably be put in a traditional deodorant stick. Hmm. All in all, I'm super impressed! These bad boys contain great ingredients, smell delicious, work to keep stink away, and are reasonably priced.

Retails for $9 USD/$10 CDN for 2 oz. Can be purchased through Schmidt's and any of these retailers.

Have you found your holy grail deodorant yet or will you be giving Schmidt's a try? What scent appeals to you most; Cedarwood Juniper, Ylang-Ylang Calendula, Lavender Sage, Bergamot Lime, or Fragrance Free?

This is how much I use for both of my underarms. If I didn't react to baking soda, I'd likely apply a bit more.

Bergamot Lime: Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot) powder, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, Citrus bergamia (bergamot) essential oil, Citrus aurantifolia (lime) essential oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Humulus lupulus (hop) extract

Lavender Sage: Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot) powder, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, Salvia sclarea (clary sage) essential oil, Lavandula (lavender) essential oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Humulus lupulus (hop) extract

*Product provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Aubrey Men's Stock Natural Dry Deodorant Review

Finding a natural deodorant that works is really hard. Before I went to Jamaica, I had a bad reaction to a baking soda deo and knew I had to pick up something else for my trip. What better time to test it out than in a hot and humid climate right?

Description: Natural herbal extracts keep you fresh-smelling all day without harsh ingredients or preservatives.

I wouldn't say that it keeps me "fresh-smelling all day". I definitely need to reapply, whether in Jamaica or not, because I'm a stinky person. The scent is amazing though! Pine has never been a favourite of mine but, somehow Aubrey makes it work. It's strong, masculine, and lingers throughout the entire day; something to be aware of before you decide to try it. For someone who isn't stinky, like me, this would be a fantastic deodorant. It also doesn't leave any marks or residue on clothing and dries quickly. The ingredients list is short and fantastic. Despite the first ingredient being alcohol denat, it's never irritated my underarms or dried them out. That's probably because all of the other ingredients have soothing and healing properties, like calendula and arnica. My only negative is the sprayer on the bottle, it acts up from time to time. All in all, a stellar product and very likely one I'll continue to repurchase.

Retails for approx. $9.99 CAN for 4 oz. Can be purchased through Aubrey, Whole Foods, and select retailers.

INGREDIENTS INCI: Alcohol denat., hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) extract, arnica montana (arnica) extract, calamine, tocopherol acetate (vitamin E), calendula officinalis (calendula) oil, pinus sylvestris (pine) oil.

PurelyGreat Citrus Cream Deodorant Review

My search for a deodorant or combination that works is ongoing. This may be a little too much info but, my pits stink....always. I'll be the first to admit that it's gross and I wish that I could find a deodorant that keeps me stink free all day or almost all day. It's one part of my journey into natural products that I'm not enjoying at all. It was Lisa, from Serenity on the Humber Day Spa, who first told me about PurelyGreat. She swore up and down that it actually works, so I reached out to them and Debbie was kind enough to send me the *Women's Citrus Cream Deodorant.

Description: 
• No more worrying about long-term affects that using aluminum may cause!
• Keep your lymph nodes healthy and let your pits breathe and release those toxins!
• Our natural deoodorant for women is effective, keeps you smelling great and uses natural ingredients
• Essential oils used are good for hormone balancing and deodorizing
• No need to reapply during the day or worrying that you smell!
• Our natural deodorant for women is packaged in eco friendly glass jars
• Purelygreat deodorant is vegan friendly
• Each jar lasts about 2-3 months

First off, this smells like Fruit Loops!!!! Omg, best smelling deodorant ever! Second, it actually works! I was overwhelmed with joy to have found a deodorant that keeps me stink free all day long, whether I'm active or not. Even though many have had a bad reaction to baking soda, I didn't worry or think too much about it. After a week or two in (can't remember now), I experienced inflammed and pissed off pits. I couldn't use any deodorant for almost a week and instead slathered on SBT Diaper Rash Salve, which luckily reduced the redness in 3 days. Lisa had experienced the same thing, must be the baking soda. Ugh, isn't it so sad when you fall in love and the feeling isn't mutual? I like the eco friendly jar, however, it needs to be stirred before each use which can be annoying. Application can be a little gritty and chalky, but it immediately blends into the skin to neutralize odours. To be totally honest, had it not irritated my skin, this would have been holy grail status. I only use this a couple of times a week now, when I know I have a long day at work. Pemberley Jones had mentioned balancing the PH of my pits, via Crunchy Better, which she says has been working for her. Haven't tried it yet, but plan to at some point. I'm not giving up on this deodorant just yet. If you can use baking soda, give this a try! If you can't, join the club of miserable stinky people with me.

Retails for approx. $15 CAN for a 45g jar. They have cream deodorants for men, women, teen girls and teen boys in a variety of scents. Can be purchased through PurelyGreat or you can use their store locator to find a location closest to you.

What deodorant or combo works for you? Can you use baking soda?

Ingredients: natural soda-sodium Bicarbonate U.S.P., corn starch, vegetable glycerin
Essential oils: grapefruit-citrus paradis, orange- citrus sinensis, geranium-pelargonium graveolens, lime key-citrus aurantifolia, cypress-cupresus sempervirens, coriander-coriandrum sativum

*Product provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Crawford Street Lemon Deodorant Cream Review

Since running out of my (failed) DIY deodorant, I decided to give this little guy another go since it's been sitting around since my April Seasons Box came in. It's been super hot here, like 40 degrees hot with nothing but humidity, what better time to test out the power of a deodorant? I'm the first to raise my hand, or maybe I shouldn't, in admittance to having pit odour. I don't sweat TOO much but I do stink, especially in warm temperatures. Did this keep me stink free? *enter suspense music*

Description: This citrus scented cream deodorant is completely natural and it works! It includes over ten essential oils that are deodorizing, antibacterial and antifungal. No aluminum, no parabens, no yellow shirt stains! Crawford Street Lemon Deodorant Cream is mentioned in Gill Deacon's book: "There's Lead In Your Lipstick"

I really wanted to love this Canadian made deodorant and really wanted it to work for me, but it just didn't. For starters, I don't enjoy the strong herbal lemon scent and find it smells weird when it mixes with my "natural scent". On a mildly hot day, it keeps me stink free for a couple of hours without needing to reapply. On a hot 30+ degree day, it keeps me stink free for all of a few minutes of being outside. I guess since it has moisturizing ingredients, it just gets really wet and sticky. When I combine this deo with Dr. Mist, it lasts most of the day. What a lovely surprise! I guess it does work, sorta, just not on it's own. The formula is really nice, it's creamy and applies beautifully on the skin. It didn't leave any white residue under my arms or on my clothing. Who wants deodorant marks on their clothes? Nobody! Or maybe you do, maybe you like that look and that's fine. No judgements here. All in all, this deodorant just isn't a winner for me. Since I've heard of others having good luck with it, I do recommend giving it a go if you are in the market for a new deodorant. Plus, we're our own worst critics and I'm super paranoid about BO.

Retails for approx. $12 CAN for 60ml. Can be purchased through Crawford Street or their other retailers.

What deodorant works best for you in the brutal summer heat?

Ingredients: Cetearyl alcohol, Sodium cetearyl sulfate, Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea butter), Theobroma cacao (Cocoa butter), Sodium bicarbonate, Cornstarch, Citrus limonum (Lemon) oil, Citrus racemes (Grapefruit) oil, Citrus aurantifolia (Lime) oil, Citrus sinensis (Sweet orange) oil, Lavandula angustifolia (Lavender) oil, Pelargonium graveolens (Geranium) oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea tree) oil, Coriandrum sativum (Coriander) oil, Cupressus sempervirens (Cypress) oil, Syzygium aromaticum L. (Clove bud) oil, Origanum compactum benth (Oregano) oil.

Lafe's Crystal Deodorant Stick Review

Most green beauties will tell you that an effective natural deodorant is hard to find. It's true. We all have different needs for it; limit sweating, prevent odor, both, and some just don't need deo at all. If you're one of the lucky ones, that doesn't need it, I hate you (with love of course). I personally need something to keep me smelling fresh for as long as possible. Dr. Mist was my go to for months, however, after going through two bottles I thought it was time for a change. Crystal deodorant sticks have long intrigued me. Enter Lafe's Crystal Stick.

Description: 24 hour deodorant protection made with natural mineral salts that eliminate odor-causing bacteria. Convenient package makes using a crystal deodorant easy while protecting the crystal from breakage. The smaller size is ideal for travel.

The Good:

• mini travel size
• no residue or white marks
• effective in keeping me odor-free and dry
• stick lasts a long time
• easy to find in stores
• affordable

The Bad:

• most effective when applied after a shower or on freshly washed underarms, not as effective when reapplied
• need to keep another deodorant around to freshen up
• if you drop it, you're screwed

Verdict: It works! I mean, it's not warm or hot here just yet so I can't say that this holds up in the most extreme of heats or through an intense workout. I do like, that it keeps me dry and stink free for almost 24 hours, it doesn't leave any marks or residue on my clothing and it's affordable.  What I don't like is that it does nothing when reapplied. I tend to shower after school (anywhere between 3 -5 pm), apply it and go on with my day. By noon the next day, I can notice a slight odor beginning and if I reapply, there's really no change in the odor. I tend to keep a regular natural deodorant stick to freshen up, when needed, in my bag. On the odd day that I do shower in the morning, this stick works all day long. Another thing to be cautious of is not dropping the crystal deo. I dropped mine, on carpet, and a tiny piece broke off. I found it when I stepped on it, OUCH! That little bastard hurt. Can you imagine it was dropped on a solid, hard surface?! It's like a stick of tiny glass pieces waiting to prick the bottom of your feet. It's worth trying out. Would I repurchase? Not sure. We'll see how it holds up when the weather gets warmer.

How to apply: wet the stick and rub under one arm (I rub until it's dry). Then, wet again and rub under other arm. Ta-da!

Retails for approx. $3.69 CAN for 2.25 oz. Can be purchased at most health food stores or through Lafe's.

What do you think about crystal deodorant sticks? Love em or hate em?

Ingredients: Potassium Alum (Natural Mineral Salts)