**REVIEW** goPURE Naturals Fractionated Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is one of my favorite natural ingredients. I like using it for my food and for my skin. The one drawback to coconut oil is that it will stain fabrics. Also, even though I love the smell, there are times when I'd rather not have it.

Fractionated coconut oil is starting to get popular for some good reasons. It doesn't stain clothing and there is no scent. This is one I just got to try out and it's nice:

100% Pure Fractionated Coconut Oil by goPURE Naturals.

Another reason I like fractionated oil is because it tends to absorb so much better than the oil I like using in my food and coffee. It's light enough to even use on my hair. I'm not big on using too much oil on my hair because I don't want the greasiness or the weight. I tried this one as a scalp oil and on my wet hair to calm down the natural frizz. It worked, as long as I didn't use too much. If I overdo it on my hair, I lose some of my curl definition.

My favorite way to use the oil? On my skin after a bath or shower - especially when I am in a hurry and don't have time for my 10-minute lotion routine. You can literally drench yourself in this oil and, before you finish brushing your teeth and toweling your hair, it will have absorbed enough for you to dress without worries.

Also, like "regular" coconut oil, it makes a great makeup remover and, um, personal lubricant. Because it doesn't stain fabrics.

You know the makeup hack we ladies use of putting a little Vaseline on our teeth to keep lipstick stains off them? Well, this oil is also great for that. It doesn't leave that thick petroleum jelly film on the teeth, but it works to keep the lipstick were it belongs: on your lips and not on your teeth. (I have a problem with lipstick, so this is my new thing.)

I don't know if I talked about this before so I'll mention again the difference between fractionated coconut oil and the regular variety. Actually, I'll just let you get that info from WiseGEEK.

For those of you who, like me, are into using a lot of the more natural ingredients for your lotions, soaps and fragrance items, this oil is great as a "carrier oil". Just recently, I've been experimenting with tea tree oil. Initially, I was using an argan oil with the tea tree for a chapped lip remedy. I have now found that the coconut oil works just as well in place of the argan oil.

Since the fractionated coconut oil is fragrance-free (and so light), it works really good with my scented essential oils. I love Sweet Orange, Vanilla and Bergamot oils in place of store-bought perfumes. I had been using some of my heavier carrier oils with the scented oils. Guess what I just realized? Because the coconut oil is lighter and really absorbent, it is a better carrier for those scented oils. The coconut oil helps me get more body coverage with the fragrant oils. I can't really tell yet if it helps the scent last longer or not, but I'll keep an eye on that.

Now, some big Pros for this brand:

• Produced in small batches for control of quality and freshness
• Has excellent shelf life
• 100% Natural, Paraben Free, Phthalate Free, Free of Any Fragrance or Color

What it is & what it isn't

Because the fractionated oil is getting so popular, there are a lot of brands out there. Some oils are not the best quality. You will want to do a smell-test to check for any rancid odors. I like this brand because of the quality of the oil and goPURE is associated with a business I have worked with previously and I can tell you that their customer service is top notch. And, in my opinion, most important is that they offer a 1-year Money-back Guarantee. By the way, you can check out their Facebook page if you want to keep up with them.

If you have been wanting to add some natural oils to your own beauty routine, this a a great one to start with. Keep in mind that this is not meant to be ingested. 

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW* Adovia Dead Sea Bath Salts (UPDATED)

Since I have tried (and mostly love) many Adovia products, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one:

INSERT PHOTO

Ta-da! Adovia's Dead Sea Bath Salts.

Nice, big, 1.75lb pouch. At least I could tell that was the weight when I weighed the bag for myself. You see, there was no label indicating the weight on the package. I also had to rely on the product page to get any information on how best to use the salts.

But.

Once I did get the information...

"The mineral rich salts of the Dead Sea are wonderful to use when attempting to naturally soothe aches and pains from dry skin disorders, joint pain disorders, and muscle pain disorders. They're also great to use when unwinding from a long stressful day or week and your body has been overexerted. Salts of the Dead Sea have been used for centuries to provide soothing relief and now you get to enjoy the benefits of the Dead Sea, too! Use them to sooth painfully dry skin due to Psoriasis, Dermatitis, or Eczema. Use them to relax after a long day at work. Use them to sooth overexerted muscles after a long workout at the gym. And you could even use them to sooth pains from Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. This natural muscle soother is even perfect to use when creating a spa like setting in the comfort of your own home. All you have to do is set the mood in the room where you plan on soaking in the Dead Sea salts, fill the tub, pour in the salts, soak and enjoy. Using Dead Sea salts to soothe dry skin, joint and muscle aches and pains is a fast, effective, and natural way to find relief. Did you know that you can soak in a tub full of these natural salts and warm water to find relief from stress and insomnia as well? Directions for Use of Dead Sea Bath Salts 1. To use these natural bath salts, simply pour 1 cup of salts into a bath tub that is filling with warm water or that has already been filled with warm water. 2. Allow the salts to dissolve before getting in to the bath tub. 3. Get into the bath tub, relax and soak for about 20 minutes. 4. Follow-up with a warm rinse. Dip your body into a Dead Sea salt enriched bath tub every evening before retiring to bed, or at the end of a very long week at work. Use them every day or as needed. The choice is yours. One thing's for sure, regardless of how often you use these naturally soothing bath salts you'll never regret their investment thanks to the many rewards you'll discover." (straight from the product page at Amazon)

...I was happy to see that the salts "Contain absolutely zero additives, colors, or scents. Higher Level of Minerals and Relief than Epsom Salts", but I was still curious about the "over 26 essential minerals the body needs for natural soothing and relaxation" and such. I want a list of the minerals.

If something has great ingredients and there are different ways to use a product, I want to know without having to do a lot of research. Basically, with this product, I wish that all the information had been printed on a cheap piece of paper and slipped inside the bag of salts. Or taped to the back. Or stapled to the bag. Something. You know? (I'm having issues lately with products not coming with adequate information included. Just a peeve of mine.)

Anyway, I don't suffer from any serious skin conditions and I don't (thank goodness) have problems such as Arthritis or Fibromyalgia. What I do have is (selfishly) a love of soft skin. And feet that are more high maintenance than a trophy wife.

Now, my feet are doing better (thanks to a nifty little item I found at a local store, but that's for another post), but I decided to treat them with a soak using these salts. (Okay, here's the deal: I already had a shower today and I'm too lazy to do the whole-body bath thing this late at night.)

So... I tested the salts on these troublesome dawgs of mine. Since I was just doing my feet (and using a foot tub), I went with a quarter cup of salts dissolved in very warm water. I soaked my feet for about 15 minutes. I would have gone the whole 20, but my phone battery was going low and I was expecting an important call. Whatever. 15 minutes or so was apparently good enough because, wow. My feet came out so soft. Actually, I got my feet and ankles, which is good because the backs of my ankles get so dry and irritated from my footwear that the skin is always flaky. (And now you know too much.)

I don't know and cannot tell you if these salts work for the more serious issues addressed in the product description but, baby, if you want something to soften your skin - well, these salts will do it. My feet are like the go-to part of my body for testing a product! If these can soften my feet, well...

Another benefit to these salts is that they actually softened the water. When I lived in Arizona (and some parts of Texas), the water was so hard that you could almost beat someone with it. Here in Alaska, we have some of the best water in the world, but these salts did give the water a soft and almost silken feel. That's going to be heavenly when I take a nice, long bath.

If I have one caution, it's this: I know that some people use Epsom salt to get rid of excess water (by ingesting or by soaking). If these salts do the same thing, just take precaution when using. Besides, I'm not sure what all 26 minerals are involved.

Adovia is great about standing behind their products, but I didn't see any kind of guarantee on the product page. However, this is set at a great price (about $12) for such a hefty bag of salts.

Enjoy!

Peace
--Free

P.S.: The temps here have been sticking at single digits here for the past several days. I have a nasty cold and the chills, so I took a nice, hot soak in the tub last night. Added about 1 cup of the bath salts and fell asleep for about 40 minutes. (Yes, 40 minutes. No kidding. When I woke up after the first 25 minutes, I just added more hot water.) The rest of my body love these salts as much as my feet do. One other thing I noticed: when I moisturized right afterwards -and promptly went to bed - my skin stayed better hydrated throughout the whole night. I don't bathe often in really warm water because it's not good for my skin and I have to double-down on the moisturizer. This bath was long and warm, but I made it to late morning before I had to re-moisturize. Last of all, I don't think I slept any better than usual, but the bath was relaxing.

**UPDATE** I forgot to add something. This tends to leave the skin ashy and dry. Make sure to rinse your body thoroughly and moisturize very well after using.

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Adovia Anti-Wrinkle Facial Moisturizing Cream

First, let me tell you how much I like the previous products I`ve tried from Adovia. I adore their conditioner and shampoo (even though I never did get my promised free bottle of conditioner :-) 

Now, about this anti-wrinkle moisturizer: our weather up here in Alaska is getting dryer and colder as winter creeps up. My skin is not happy with that. Also, I have to point out that I have been trying some facial products with Vitamin C in them, so that could account for some of the effectiveness of this Anti-wrinkle Facial Moisturizing Cream.

love the Dead Sea minerals

The ingredients: Demineralized water & dead sea water, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol. butylene glycol, propylene glycol & charmomile (anthemis nobilis) extract & algae extract & papaya (carica papaya) extract & aloe vera arbadensis gel, sweet almond (prunus amygdalus dulcis) oil, caprilyc/caproc triglyceride, glycerin, dimethicone, carbomer, benzoic acid, chlorphenesin, dehydroacetic acid, benzalkoinium chloride, urea, vetiver, myrrh (commiphora myrrha) extract, rose absolute, lactic acid, dead sea salt, retinyl palmate.

This does moisturize a bit, but it worked better on my neck and (man, how I hate using this word) "jowl" area.  ('Jowl'. Ewww, right? Who wants to admit to having 'jowls'? Sounds like I have a face like a hunting dog. There's gotta be a better word than 'jowls', but I'm  just  too lazy to go look it up.

Anyway ...

So the cream was fine on certain parts of my face but didn't moisturize my forehead and inner facial area  as well. I had to  reapply  it a couple  of time  throughout  the day - which  was  a pain because  it   meant  having  to  touch up  my makeup  also. To compensate  for the moisture  problem curing  the  day, I made sure to do a liberal  application just before bedtime . 

What I do like so much  about this cream is what I  like about Adovia products  in general: it has a nice faint smell, good ingredients and is mild on sensitive  skin. Also, the company  has good customer service   (money back guarantee  ) and good practices (no animal testing). You can check out Adovia products either here on Amazon or on Cleopatra's Choice. Be sure to look into the incentives they offer, such as free shipping on certain orders, samples and referral rewards.

Finally, another note about what may have  affected  my results with this cream: my skin is in flux. I have a product that I have used for years because it works really well for me. Every now and  then, I have to take a break from that product and use something else for a while. Well, right now, my skin is craving that product  - probably  because  of  the  weather. In another  month or so, I will probably be able  to  use this Adovia  cream with better results .

I'd  recommend  this cream for someone with  sensitive to normal skin and living in a climate not as dry as mine is.

Peace
--Free

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Mineral Eye Gel by Adovia

Once again, I am having the chance to try a product by a favorite company. I'm not being generous with my praise for any other reason than I really enjoy everything I've enjoyed from the Adovia brand. They use Dead Sea minerals in their products and, apparently, it's doing good things for my skin. I'm 53 now, and I think my skin is pretty good, but my illness and the meds have taken a toll. I have to do a lot more to maintain moisture and fight off sun damage. I like that Adovia products have minerals and natural oils in them.

This time, I am using their Mineral Eye Gel. It's labeled as being ultra-light and quick absorbing to provide hydration all day.  Other claims are that the gel will reduce the appearance of lines and wrinkles.

After a couple days' use, I can verify the claims of hydration are certainly true. I had to ask my family and friends about the lines and wrinkles. They tell me that I don't have a lot of those in the first place. Good. Thing is, I want to prevent as many signs of aging as I can, so I am going to keep using the gel.

Here is where I think the hydration comes in: this gel really is very hydrating. As soon as I used it around my eyes, I had to stop myself from dabbing some on the rest of my face. It's a little too pricey for me to over-use like that!

Made in Israel

Like what it's supposed to do

For all the skin creams and oils I have tried, I haven't specifically concentrated as much on the eye area. I once used an Avon eye cream, but found it to be too oily. I already have problems with my eyeliner and shadow oiling up. The Mineral Eye Gel is nice because I could feel the moisturizing effects immediately. I didn't have to use very much - which is nice because, like I said, the gel is pricey.

I let the gel "set" for a bit before I applied eyeliner and shadow. Really like that, while the area was still "hydrated", there was no oiliness to ruin my makeup. (I really do want to use this all over my face!)

As with most Adovia products that I've tried from Cleopatra's Choice, the ingredients are fairly straightforward:

Demineralised Water & Dead Sea Water, Stearic Acid, Propylene Glycol & Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis) Extract & Algae Extract & Papaya (Carica Papaya) Extract & Aloe Vera (Barbadensis) Gel, Caprilyc/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sweet Almond (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis) Oil, Glycerin, Carbomer, Olive (Olea Europaea) Oil, Geranium Maculatum Oil, Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis) Oil, Urea, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Keratin, Peach (Prunus Persica) Kernel Oil, Cornflower (Achinicea Pallida) Extract, Lactic Acid, Hydrolized Collagen, Benzoic Acid, Chlorphenesin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzalkonium Chloride, Propylparaben, Dead Sea Salt, Exotic Verbena (Litsea Citrata) Oil, Ginseng (Panax Ginseng) Extract, Soybean (Glycine Soja) Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Retinyl Palmitate (my emphasis)

The one thing missing in this (and other Cleopatra's Choice products I've used) is sunscreen. Granted, most of my foundation makeup includes sunscreen, but there are times when I go makeup-free.

As for the price, yes, it is up there, but the quality is so good that it's justified. The fact that it only takes a tiny dab of the gel to use around each eye means that the 30ml jar will last for weeks. Also, the standard 60-day return that Adovia offers is great if a customer decides they don't like the gel. You can also get this product on Amazon.

I like this one a lot. I like this one lots more than I like the Mineral Lift Serum.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE NOTICE: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

*REVIEW** Adovia Mineral Lift Serum

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Have been using another product from one of my faves: Adovia. This time, I'm trying out one of their face care items. It's Mineral Lift Serum and it's formulated for all skin types.

I've used Olay's Regenerist serum in the past and I like it okay, but my skin needed a break from it. The Mineral Lift Serum is a nice change. The texture is not as thin as Olay's.

Here are the things it's supposed to do:

• Firms and Tightens skin with a visible lift that can be felt immediately
• Highly concentrated serum infuses skin with Dead Sea Minerals, Green Tea, Seaweed, Vitamin C and much more.
• Protects skin from pollutants and weather damage that can clog pores and cause wrinkles and breakouts.
• Feeds skin the nutrients it needs to look youthful and naturally beautiful

You can "Use as a base under your moisturizer or anti wrinkle cream for maximum anti aging effect or use just the serum".

I chose to try it both ways: under my moisturizer and alone. With my moisturizer, it was fine, but I didn't really notice any drastic difference in the way my skin looked. When I used it solo, I found that it didn't moisturize enough because I tend to have drier skin. I did get a very faint sensation of tightening, but not much. I like the way it feels going on because it's lighter than other serums I've used and it didn't leave a sheen/shine to my skin. One thing I did see an immediate improvement in was how my skin looked without foundation makeup. That's a big one for me.

This is only Day Two, so I'll update the review in a couple of weeks. Like I mentioned, I do like that my skin looks pretty good without my foundation. Saves me some time and money.

The ingredients list is lengthy, but I always like to show what's in something:

Demineralised Water (Aqua) & Dead Sea Water,
Butylene Glycol,Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, 
Propylene Glycol & Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis) Extract & Algae Extract & Papaya (Carica 
Papaya) Extract & Camellia Oleifera Extract (Green Tea) & Aloe Vera (Barbadensis) Gel, Glycerin, 
Sodium Lactate, 
Lactic Acid, 
C 13-14 Isoparaffin, 
Polysorbate 20, 
Polyacrylamide, 
Urea, 
Peg-12 Glyceryl Laurate, 
Peg-36 Castor Oil, 
Farnesyl Acetate, 
Silk Amino Acids, 
Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Farnesol, 
Ethyl Linoleate, Laureth-7, 
Phenonip, 
Pvm/Ma Copolymer, 
Panthenol, 
Benzophenone-3, 
Saccharide Hydrolysate, 
Evening Primrose (Oenothera Biennis) Oil, 
Magnesium Aspartate, 
Glycine, 
Fragrance (Supplement), 
Sorbitol, 
Tea-Lactate, 
Serine, 
Creatine, 
Alanine, 
Orange (Citrus Aurantium Dulcis) Extract, 
Triethanolamine, 
Allantoin, 
Dead Sea Salt, 
Lauryl Diethylenediaminoglycine, 
Lauryl Aminopropylglycine, 
Benzoic Acid, 
Chlorphenesin, 
Dehydroacetic Acid, 
Benzalkonium Chloride, 
Hyaluronic Acid

Whew! Like I said, lots of stuff.

You can get the product at Cleopatra's Choice (where you can read more reviews) or via Amazon. I am pretty happy with this one and can't wait to see if I get more results over time.

Finally, I have to mention one more thing about Adovia/Cleopatra's Choice: the customer service there is excellent. They respond immediately to any questions. There aren't a lot of companies I can say that about recently.

Peace
--Free

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Mineral Balsam Conditioner (by Adovia)

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Remember this post about the Dead Sea Mud Shampoo by Adovia? No? Then, if you have hair, go over there and read that post.

Done? Good because I have found the perfect conditioner to pair up with the shampoo.

The Mineral Balsam Conditioner (MBC) is sub-labeled: "with Dead Sea Minerals, Chamomile Extract and Vitamin E". Whatever. All I know if, this is some of the best dang conditioner I have used in.... ever. And I have tried a lot of conditioners to deal with my dry and nappy hair.

Once again, let's whip out the photos:

This is my hair on its regular shampoo/conditioner:

You can almost hear the tumbleweeds blowing through here...

This is my hair on the Dead Sea Mud Shampoo/no conditioner used:

This is my hair (immediately after a dye job & water-rinse/no shampoo) on the MBC.

No moisturizers & sun-dried.

Dang, right? Right? Yep. I applied no other products because I wanted to show how nicely conditioned my hair is hours later (and after being under a very warm sun all day). Of course, I will be putting in some of my regular moisturizers before bed tonight. But you see my point: this conditioner is the bizness, especially for my thirsty hair.

Now, if this conditioner can do this for my hair - and by "this" I mean keep it from drying up and blowing right off my head - imagine what it will do for a less damaged grade of hair? Matter of fact, I have hopes that my moisturizers are going to work better after this. I will certainly not need to use as much since my hair is less dried out to start with.

I also noticed that my hair felt less fragile than it does when I use other softening conditioners. That's another Plus.

So, yeah, this right here is some mighty fine conditioner for all hair types. Here's a list of the ingredients:

Demineralized water and Dead Sea water, cetyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride 29%, mineral oil, isopropyl myristate, glycerin, lanolin, fragrance, polyquaternium-7, propylene glycol and chamomile extract and algae extract* and papaya extract and aloe vera extract. (* I find that to be an interesting ingredient because of my Google searches on its effects on hair.)

You can, of course, get the conditioner on Amazon, or you can get it (or with the shampoo) via Cleopatra's Choice where there's a 60-day "Easy Return" policy cited.

Peace
--Free

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.