3 natural skincare product reviews. In this blog post I review the Chamomile Cleansing balm from Bee Happy Hive, the sunscreen cream from Badger, and mascara from PHB Ethical Beauty.
Are you an experienced natural skincare lover who’d love to try new products? Or are you a newbie in the natural skincare world and haven’t got a clue where to start?
Let me help!
I occasionally review natural skincare products that I’ve tried. To make things easier for you. Like my We Love the Planet deodorant review, my favourite shampoo and conditioner review, or my natural skincare products for sensitive, normal skin.
Because once you’ve made that switch (or have decided to), things can get really overwhelming really quick. Because greenwashing is a thing people.
And if you not only want find toxic free products but also would like them to be eco-friendly, affordable, or based in the UK. Then it sometimes feels like a mission impossible.
I am by no means a professional but the products that I share have passed the Clean Beauty app check. Which is my favourite app for identifying harmful ingredients or allergens in beauty products. And of course I always make sure to use a product for a while before I review them.
Over the past months I’ve incorporated quite a few new products into my skincare routine and instead of reviewing them all separately I decided to put them together in this blog post.
So without further ado, let’s get to those natural skincare product reviews!
CHAMOMILE CLEANSING BALM
I absolutely adore the chamomile cleansing balm from Bee Happy Hive. I’d been meaning to buy it for a while and finally did three months ago.
This is the first cleansing balm I’ve ever used and at first I had to get used to the feeling of it. Now I just love the way the balm melts on my skin and rinses all the grime away.
I have normal, sensitive skin and in the beginning I had multiple break outs. Since I’d never used an oil cleansing method before and wasn’t as thorough with cleansing my face before using this balm, I fully believe that those breakouts were caused by the impurities ‘coming out’ as it were.
After a month, those blemishes were gone and my skin looked better than it has for a while! No more ‘bumpy’ skin for me and the pores on my nose and chin are less visible as well.
I did notice that my skin ‘prefers’ it when I only use this in the night (I just rinse my face with cold water in the morning) and I do a double cleanse in the evening on the days I wear make up!
It’s a lovely sensation to wash the balm off with hot water on a muslin cloth. My skin feels so healthy and clean after 🙂
I definitely will buy this again once my current one runs out. It has already lasted me over three months and probably will for another month. So the price is definitely worth it!
SUNSCREEN CREAM
When you do research online, the opinions about the use of sunscreen differ. Some sources say to wear it every day. Others say that you shouldn’t wear it because you need your daily dose of vitamin D.
I fully agree with this article from Hello Glow and believe that it’s all about balance.
It’s best to avoid the sun altogether between 11 am and 2 pm. If I can’t avoid the sun during that timeframe. Then I’ll make sure to wear sunscreen and when possible to wear a hat!
I recently bought this straw hat from Billabong and I feel more prepared for the summer than ever. It’s a bit on the bigger side but I’ve already noticed that I manage to sit outside longer because I feel comfortable (not too hot) in the sun.
The early hours are safest when it comes to catching your daily dose of sun, so I usually won’t wear sunscreen then. Later in the day, if it’s very sunny, I’ll again make sure to wear a combination of sunscreen and a hat.
Most sunscreens are very effective but have always felt so chemical to me (which is logical because most of them are!). So last winter, I did some research to find a non-toxic sunscreen for this summer.
I eventually found the brand Badger and read multiple good reviews about them. I ended up buying the unscented SPF 30 sunscreen. Now I have to admit, it’s a bit pricey. But a little goes a long way.
This sunscreen is great because it doesn’t irritate my skin and it doesn’t give, especially my face, a white sheen. I make sure to apply it on the back of my hand first, to rub it out a bit, and then to apply it to wherever I intend.
My face looks a bit shiny at first but that could be because I use face oil before. I just make sure to rub my face again after 5-10 minutes and the shiny-ness disappears.
MASCARA
When I don’t have to go to work or have a date night for example, my absolute favourite thing is to be able to walk around with fresh clean skin all day. No make up for me!
But when I do want to wear some make up, these three items are often all I use. A little bit of lip balm on my lips, a toothbrush to style my eyebrows (a recommendation for a natural eyebrow gel anyone? I’ve tried aloe vera gel but that didn’t work very well!), and my natural mascara.
The PHB Ethical Beauty All in One Natural Mascara is my latest purchase when it comes to natural self care. I am aware that it’s really a beauty product rather than skincare but I felt it was worth mentioning here.
To find a natural mascara that I felt confident about and that was fairly priced was so difficult. I found a different brand at first but I’m afraid the web shop ran out of stock before I could purchase it!
I eventually ended up choosing this mascara that was available on Holland and Barrett. Holland and Barrett is one of my favourite shops to go to for natural products in case you hadn’t noticed yet hehe. I do usually try to go for smaller brands but when I fail to find something good, H&B is there to help.
I am very relieved that this mascara works so well. Before this, I used the Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme mascara for years. It was hands down the best ‘chemical’ mascara that I’d used.
But as you can see, it was chemical. And I could tell that my eyes would get irritated at times at the end of the day after taking my mascara off. It didn’t feel right that I was putting something so chemical on such a sensitive and important part of my body.
With this mascara my eyes rarely get irritated and I still feel like my lashes look long and natural. When you apply the mascara, you’ll need to adapt the right method. Make sure not to pump the brush too often because you might get clumps. Also, take the time to apply the mascara in layers.
I don’t miss my previous mascara at all and I highly recommend this one if you wish to use a natural mascara!
