**REVIEW** Piping Rock (Oils, Herbs & Supplements)

UPDATE 3/8/20

I ordered something from Piping Rock the other day. I had not been back over there in a while due to a lack of good customer service and standing behind their products. It's very hit and miss. I had that one really bad experience, then I had an okay experience, but I'm still not trusting their customer service. You just never know...

I peruse the site every now and then, but... Anyway, I noticed that the shipping on this latest order is by FedEx - not USPS - and it looks like it's going to take a while. I ordered on March 3rd and didn't get tracking info until the 7th. The package is estimated to arrive on the 13th (which is a day earlier than the first notice I got) - as far as I know, because at the time I am typing this, FedEx's tracking is temporarily down. I hate to say this but I really dread seeing that FedEx is the shipper when I order something. They are slow and careless. There is a problem almost every time I get a package from them.

Piping Rock often has cheaper prices than elsewhere but sometimes the quality reflects that.

I will let you know how this latest order turns out.



NOTE: I actually wrote this review a while back and it didn't publish for some reason. I have updated it a bit and am sharing it with you all now. My oops.

Piping Rock is a recent discovery for me. I needed a place to get some oils, moisturizing butters, and other hair and skin products at prices more affordable than those offered at my usual shopping sites. The thing is,  I want affordable prices,  not cheap quality. So far, I have been 90% pleased with Piping Rock. I will tell you later about that other 10%. For now, let me tell you about my overall experience with the items I've ordered.

Since I found this site back sometime during the deep of winter, I ordered some of the oils I use to moisturize my skin and hair. Among my most pleasant experience, I've ordered Pumpkin Seed, Watermelon, and Abyssinian oils along with some lip balms. The Iowa winter kicked my butt!!

The packaging was amazing. Everything was sealed and very well-cushioned to prevent any breakage or spillage. The only thing that was a bit frustrating to me was that it seemed to take forever to receive my order. I ordered the items on 4/11 and received them on 4/17. On the other hand, I have to stop being so critical because the shipping costs were very reasonable, and there was that awesome packing job they did. As far as the shipping time, I think it's just that Amazon Prime has me spoiled.

This is the packing material my items were protected by:

Thick cushioning!

Also, let's talk about how much I love the Pumpkin Seed and Abyssinian oils. I have used Pumpkin Seed oil before so I know what to expect from a good quality item. This one was wonderful and came in a larger bottle than I can usually afford when I order elsewhere. The Abyssinian oil is something new in my hair and skin care regime so I had to do a lot of reading up on the benefits before I tried it. After having used this for about 2 months, I can tell you that my skin adores this oil. It's touted to add shine and hydrate the scalp without clogging pores. It lived up to the hype for moisturizing, but I have to say that it did a better job of adding shine once I cut my hair and got rid of all those dead, split ends,

I have told you all more than once I believe Pumpkin Seed oil is like a miracle for dry skin and hair. I love having this larger bottle to refill my dropper bottle from time to time. I go through this oil like crazy. I got a 16-ounce bottle from Piping rock for less than what a 4-ounce bottle of the other brand was costing me.

Piping Rock is always having sales so unless I am totally out of and in dire need of an oil or supplement, I wait for one of the major price drops.

For the most part, P.R. has good products and prices, careful packaging, and reasonable shipping and handling costs. So, you might ask me what's not to love? Well...

The first (and so far, the only) bad experience I've had so far with a product's quality was with a Tonka Bean oil. Tonka Bean oil is best known for a lovely aroma that I describe as "warm and spicy vanilla".  It can put you in the mind of a decadent dessert or a type of perfume. As a matter of fact, Guerlain (which makes my beloved Shalimar) has a fragrance called Tonka Imperiale. Someone in my family needs to gift me some of that in a full-size!

When I ordered a bottle of Tonka Bean oil from Piping Rock, I couldn't wait to try it out as a personal fragrance and to add it to my oil warmer. What a huge disappointment! This oil smelled nothing like Tonka Bean and was actually a bit unpleasant. I wondered if I'd had gotten part of a bad batch. When I complained, Piping Rock responded that they checked and the batch was fine. They did tell me that I could return the bottle (at my own expense). Well, boo-hiss to them.

Where I had started out rating Piping Rock at 5 stars for products and prices, I had to drop them down a half star for the Tonka Bean oil and a half star for the nonchalant customer service. I will still order my usual oils from them, but I won't trust them with the more exotic things. By the way, I am still in search of some reasonably priced Tonka oil. The sellers on Amazon are too expensive or non-Prime.

In summary, if it's standard oils and supplements you want, Piping Rock is worth checking out. For the quirky stuff - like Tonka - maybe look elsewhere.

By the way, for those of you who hunt online for these types of ingredients to use in making your own concoctions (like I do), make sure to also check out MakingCosmetics. I've used them in the past and have reviewed them here before.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Abyssinian Oil

Abyssinian Oil (I love the name) is also known as Crambe oil.  Crambe abyssinica is an annual oilseed crop of the family Brassicaceae.We're not going too deep down the road of boring, but I just wanted to give you the names so you could do your own research later. Basically, you may hear Abyssinian oil called Crambe seed oil or Abyssinian mustard. Now you know that.

This is the oil I am using.

 I got this from Amazon but my angel sponsor and I have started to look more at Piping Rock for products, especially oils. Products are cheaper and, so far, I've not had a bad experience in quality or service. By the way, I have written a review of Piping Rock and will publish it soon...

Another quick note about the oil is that it's native to Abyssinia (formerly Ethiopia), but can also be found across other parts Europe and the United States. Eastern Africa is where it originated.

I had heard so much about this oil in the past few years, but when I was looking for something to add shine to my hair, the name popped up again. I've been using it for a few weeks now and I can tell you some of the benefits I read about and some of the benefits I've personally experienced.

• Adds a good non-greasy shine to my hair without inhibiting the styling and curls. 
• Makes my hair feel good. Even with my super-curly style, the strands feel smoother. The oil worked better for me after I had deep-conditioned my hair.
• I noticed a lot less breakage after the first few days. I still lose hair when detangling and styling but nowhere near as much as before using the oil.
• My hair is becoming less dry the more I use the oil to style it. I usually need to reapply a lot of my hair moisturizers every day; since starting with the oil, I can go 2 and sometimes 3 days before I get a lot of drying. I'm trying not to let it go that far, but when I do, the oil is helping.
• Makes my styling easier and longer lasting. I use some water first, then the oil, before I flat-twist or Bantu knot my hair a for overnight. The curls are lasting longer. I think this is due to better moisture retention.
• This stuff seems like it's great for all hair types, from 1A to 4C. Someone I know has 2A hair and I have told her about this. She currently uses a very popular (and expensive) "silk" oil treatment. The Abyssinian oil seems as if it could totally replace that other stuff with all the many ingredients. I'm suggesting the same for my niece, Gabby, who has her mother's type of 2C hair but always wants more shine and split end protection.
• I can use it on my skin as well as on my hair. I don't use it on areas affected by psoriasis, but I like using it on my face and neck.
• The oil is one of the most absorbent I've used on my skin. I like to dampen my face and neck, then apply the oil. Afterward, I don't need to use anything else. I will add sunscreen if I'm going to be outside.
• Some people recommend using it on the cuticles. I have not tried this yet, but the next time I give myself a manicure, it's on the list.
• Another way I plan to use the oil is by adding it to my conditioners. Apparently, the oil is high in erucic acid (which gives products a lot of "slip"). It's also said to mimic the effects of silicone. That's great in a natural oil.

Abyssinian oil has been compared to Argan oil but I find that I like the texture of the Abyssinian for my hair while Argam is thicker and, IMO, better for problem skin areas. Also, I think that this could be used by folks with 1A and other straighter hair types as a leave-in and shining treatment where Argan can weigh down some of those hair types. I also don't want to forget to mention that Abyssinian oil is touted to have a long shelf life - as long as up to a year after being opened.

So, yeah, this is a nice oil to have in your arsenal. If you go over to Amazon and price several brands of the oil, then check prices at Piping Rock, I think that you will do what I did and go with P.R. I can't wait to publish the review I've written about that site. 

After I post this, I will be doing a light trimming of the ends of my hair, then treating them with Abyssinian and Pumpkin oils. If I'm really good, I will actually tie on my silk scarf before I hit the pillows!

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I have learned that Broccoli Seed oil is another hair oil with lots of benefits. If anyone has tried that oil, let me know about it.