REVIEW #12: Pura Naturals Cupuacu Hair Butter (Lemongrass)

NOTE:  I am not paid to review this product.

Purpose: Moisturizer

Ingredients: Theobroma grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Butter, Astrocaryum Murumuru Butter, Mangifera indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Shorea stenoptera (Illipe) Seed Butter, Organic Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit , Organic Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Organic Pouteria (sapote oil) Sapota, and Herbal extract blend (horsetail, nettles, and burdock root).  

Number of trials: Numerous (until I finished the product)

How I used it:

Applied on freshly washed and conditioned hair.

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THE REVIEW:

The cupuacu butter is divine.  It is really rich, thick, and moisturizing.  A little bit of the product certainly goes a long way; the sample lasted me much longer than I thought it would.  The lemongrass blend smell (while I like it) may be a bit strong for some, so I suggest trying the unscented version of this butter.

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PROS: moisturizing, natural, a little goes a long way

CONS: a little expensive

RATING: Overall, I give the Pura Naturals Cupuacu Hair Butter 4.5 out of 5 stars.  

REVIEW #11: Karma Organic Nail Polish

NOTE:  I am not paid to review this product.  This product was purchased via my own pocket and curiosity.

Ingredients: unknown. 

Number of trials: 3 to 4

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THE REVIEW:

The nail polish was true to the colors presented online and coated well with just 1-2 applications.  I was fairly impressed.  With the help of the 2-in-1 base coat, it lasted up to week, which is good in my book.  The only negative I really have is that the polish is expensive.

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PROS: many color choices, true to colors, coats well, no toluene, no formaldehyde, no DBP 

CONS: expensive for a little bottle

RATING: Overall, I give the Karma Organic Nail Polish 3 out of 5 stars.  I'll explore other "natural" polishes, like Zora, before committing to Karma.

May be purchased at Karma Organic.

REVIEW #10: Karma Organic Nail Polish Remover - Unscented

NOTE:  I am not paid to review this product.  This product was purchased via my own pocket and curiosity.

Purpose: To remove nail polish from nails.

Ingredients: propylene carbonate, soybean oil methyl ester, tocopheryl acetate (i.e, vitamin E oil). 

Number of trials: 3 to 4

How I used it:

• Apply to cotton ball

• Then wipe polish off nails

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THE REVIEW:

It's official!  I really like this nail polish remover.  There is no strong, chemical smell like most nail polish removers you find on the store shelves.  In all honesty, I do not recall smelling much of anything while using this remover.

This nail polish remover is also very moisturizing.  Most commercial removers that I've used leave my nails feeling extremely dry.  In contrast, this remover leaves behind a light oily film which hydrates the nails.

Lastly, I like that this remover works on both organic and non-organic (e.g., Revlon) nail polishes.   It wiped away both sets of polishes more so effectively than commercial removers do.  A little remover goes a long way.

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PROS: moisturizing, no strong smell, may be used to remove non-organic polishes as well, a little goes a long way, more effective than commercial nail polish removers I've tried, the quality fits the price

CONS: none

RATING: Overall, I give the Karma Unscented Organic Nail Polish Remover 5 out of 5 stars.  

May be purchased at Karma Organic.

SHORT REVIEW #9: Egg Blackhead Remover

Purpose: To remove blackheads (and whiteheads).

Ingredients: egg white

Number of trials: 2

How I used it:

• Wash face as usual
• Apply egg white to face liberally

• Place toilet paper pieces on face to make a mask (avoid eyebrows)

• When dry, remove toilet paper, and wash face as usual

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THE REVIEW:

This at-home facial did not remove my blackheads instantly; I saw a few skin particles but did not see any blackheads in the tissue as described in the tutorial below.  The day following the facial, however, I did experience slight blackhead reduction in a few areas.  On a scale of 1 to 5, I give this facial a 2.  It's a bit messy and uncomfortable, but it's worth a try.

FACIAL INSTRUCTIONS & TUTORIAL: video

MORE on Natural Nail Polishes + Future Review

I ordered nail polish, nail polish remover, and a 2-in-1 base coat from Karma Organics.  The package is on the way, and a review will be posted in June.

Why I chose Karma Organics?
A good combination of price and color choice.  They had more colors from which to choose than the other places I checked.  Next on the list would be Zoya.

Meanwhile, ...
The top three supposedly unhealthy chemicals contained in certain nail polishes are toluene, formaldehyde, and dibutyl pthalate (DBP).  (For more details on these ingredients, check the links below.)  Some companies, however, appear to making efforts to eliminate one or more of these chemicals.  After looking at the back of a few polishes I own, I learned the following:

• Revlon is Toluene, DBP and Formaldehyde free - that's good news
• OPI is Toluene, DBP, and now Formaldehyde free
• NYX is DBP free, but contains Formaldehyde and Toluene - argh

MORE READS:
TOLUENE
FORMALDEHYDE
FORMALDEHYDE IN NAIL HARDENERS
DBP