**REVIEW** Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil (Majestic Pure)

Cinnamon essential oil was never on the top of my list of things to try. Then I heard about the benefits and I jumped at the chance to try this one from Majestic Pure. (Also, y'all know I have a thing for M.J. products, so...)

Here's the other thing: I had never paid attention to the fact that there is a cinnamon leaf oil vs cinnamon bark oil. Huh.

I had to get some clarification and this is what I came up with:

Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil - This one is steam distilled from the leaves of cinnamon. This is yellowish in color.

Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil - This is steam distilled from the bark of cinnamon. It is slightly reddish in color with a hint of brown.

Both of these essential oils have some differences in their chemical composition, obviously because they come from different parts of the same plant. However, their health benefits can be quite similar... (source: Oil Health Benefits)

Well, now I get it. From what I can tell, EO of the bark is generally more expensive**. Okay.

This one I have from Majestic Pure is Cinnamon Leaf EO. (I'll try later to try some from the cinnamon bark.) While I've heard of Ceylon Cinnamon ("true" cinnamon) and Cassia Cinnamon (common), this bottle is labeledC/O (country of origin) India. 

Majestic Pure pricing and service

I've got a history with this brand. I trust their products, quality and customer service. I've never had problems with M.J. but, if I ever do, they have a full refund policy in place.

This particular item is currently $18.50 with my Amazon Priime. The bottle is a 4 fluid ounce size, which is going to be a good value with the use I'll get from it.

What does the EO smell and feel like?

The fragrance is, of course, cinnamon, but it's not overly "hot" smelling the cinnamon-flavored candies are, if you know what I mean. Because the fragrance was so pleasantly "easy", I almost made the mistake of testing a drop of it (undiluted) on the back of my hand. I always like to know what an EO feels like on the skin. Good thing I followed the rules of diluting this one with a carrier oil. I used 2 drops of castor oil and the barest drop of the cinnamon. At first, there was nothing. Half a second later, I could feel the warmth.

This is some strong stuff! This leads me to the next part.

What are the uses and benefits supposed to be?

When I was young, I heard elders say that cinnamon was good for the circulation. I don't know if they meant the oil or not. I do know that it was common for people I knew to chew on pieces of cinnamon.

I couldn't really find anything science-based on just why cinnamon is supposed to improve circulation. I'll keep looking. For now, here are some of the benefits I see listed all over the Web:

• Improve the immune system
• Oral health and hygiene
• As a massage oil (diluted with other oils!)
• Mosquito repellant
• Air freshener
• Aromatherapy 
• Antibacterial and anti-fungal
• High in antioxidants

How I am personally using this.

I have grown to trust the Majestic Pure brand and I'm really enjoying this oil. I do have to take more care in using it because of its potency. (All EOs need to be treated with caution, but something like cinnamon definitely packs natural "heat".)

I added about 3 drops to some of my homemade toothpaste. I already had a batch made with coconut oil, rice powder and clove EO. I replaced the clove with the cinnamon in a new batch before I realized I could have just merged the two. Oh well.

Since cinnamon is supposed to be good for circulation, I decided to try some on my scalp. (I'm still regretting that last hair cut!) This is when I really found outjust how potent this EO is. I mixed up three types of oils - Kukui, Emu, and coconut - and added just ONE full drop of the cinnamon EO. I used an extra dropper I have to apply this blend to different parts of my scalp. Withing a few seconds, I felt that cinnamon warmth. Thank God I used so much carrier oil! The warmth lasted for a good half and hour before it abated to nothing (or I just got used to it), so that tells how little cinnamon oil it takes to get an effect.

I have not (and don't plan to ingest this) because I need to check with my doctors first. I do use it in the humi-diffuser (I should patent that term!) in the evening. It's got a nice scent when I add some grapefruit EO. Seems to aid alertness.

The last way I tried this the first night was for my shower. I put a couple drops in a glass and sat it off to the side while I showered. When I was getting ready to rinse off a body scrub I was using, I poured the EO on the floor of the tub (away from my feet). The fragrance was yummy.

There are a lot of sources online for you to start research on cinnamon benefits. Use your own common sense when you do your research, people. Here's a list to get you going:

• Authority Nutrition
• How Stuff Works
• Organic Facts
• Science Daily (this was very interesting)
• A discussion on benefits for hair (a forum)

UPDATE: I forgot to add my most useful application for this... Duh. Because of my weak immune system, I try to stay clear of both germy thing and  the things normally used to get rid of germs. You know, chemical sprays and cleansers. This EO is great for wiping down surfaces and sterilizing my items. Just be VERY careful to spot test for damage. Also, dilute, dilute, dilute with water first!!!

Peace

--Free

** I did a quick general search and found a variety of prices on Amazon Prime items labeled as "Ceylon" cinnamon bark EO. I didn't find the prices outrageous. The big thing is to find a brand/supplier that you personally trust.

DISCLOSURE:
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or at a discount using AMZ Review Trader. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**REVIEW** Majestic Pure Pale Pressed Castor Oil

Yes, I know. I just did a castor oil review a couple days ago. That was for what's called a "cold pressed" castor oil. This is for a "pale pressed" castor oil. Specifically, this one:

                    Majestic Pure's 100% Pure Castor Oil (cold pressed & hexane-free)

I have to admit that, before now, I never paid attention to the different oil "pressings". What I did notice immediately when I got this pale pressed oil is that it's so much thinner in texture.

When I saw just how thin this was, I worried that it wouldn't be a "good" castor oil. Except for Jamaican Black Castor Oil (BJCO), all the castor oils I've used have been either thick or super thick. This one was as thin as table syrup. I love me some Majestic Pure, as you guys know, but I was trying to give this item the side eye at first!

Because I was curious about this (and the color, which is a yellow-ish hue), I went looking for info. All I could come up with was that different "pressings" produce differences in oils.

Okay.

To be honest, I really only care the most about whether this would be moisturizing. It is, and the good thing about it's thinner texture is that it makes a great skin moisturizer.

Thick castor oil (like the one I just recently fell in love with) is great for dealing with hair and skin at it's driest. Because a thick oil is heavier, it takes more time for it to absorb. What I learned using this thinner oil is that it's easier to apply on my skin in place of lotion because it absorbs much faster. It still does a the job of moisturizing my skin (and holding in more hydration from, say a shower or bath).

When I applied this to my hands, it only took a couple of minutes before it was absorbed and I could touch paper without staining it. Cool.

I decided that there's a place for both types of oils in my routine. Still, I wanted to understand more about this whole "cold vs pale" pressing thing. I'm no expert, so take what I learned with a few grains of salt:

• Cold pressing leaves the oil more "virgin" because there's no heat used in the process.
• Pale pressed oil has a lower acidity. Pale pressed oil is from the first pressing of the castor bean.
• (source for info includes this specific page)

Um, that's about all I learned! Sorry. Hahaha...

If any of you know more about the subject, be sure to fill me in. 

For now, I am loving this oil. I like the fact that I can apply this to my hands and the rest of my body just before I get dressed. I like that it absorbs almost like a lotion (I just need to fill a small bottle to fit in my purse and gym bag), and most of all, I like that it really does work.

One warning: Don't over-apply. Just because this is thinner, I went a little overboard when I put some on my hair. My body heat begin to warm the oil and I had it dripping down my neck! A little bit goes a looong way, trust me.

Again, I have to say that I've used quite a few products from Majestic Pure by now. They seem to be a real stand-up brand and they do stand behind their products. By the way, this castor oil, other than being "pale pressed" is also hexane free.  There is a 100% refund guarantee.

Peace
--Free


Disclosure: 
In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using AMZ Review Trader. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

**REVIEW** Indian Healing (Bentonite) Clay

This Indian Healing (bentonite) Clay product by Majestic Pure is to detoxify and cleanse the pores. I've heard about clays for this purpose and there are supposed to be many benefits to using bentonite in face and body care. This brand of clay is supposed to be more detoxifying. (NOTE: This clay is not labeled for internal use/ingestion!)

(My jar was damaged in transit. I'm sorry that I didn't get a photo of the clay itself, but I notice that this blogger did in her review of this same product. I hope she doesn't mind my linking to her page. I love her blog's name!)

 I never understood exactly what bentonite clay was so I had to do a little checking. Wikipedia describes it as an "absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate, impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite". Of course I didn't look up all those words, but I get the gist of the description. What I didn't realize is that there are different types of bentonite - each type depending on their dominant element.  I think that your chosen clay type would depend on what your skin type is. This particular clay that I reviewed has is a sodium bentonite. From glancing at characteristics of the 3 types of the clay, I gather that sodium bentonite expands when wet; calcium bentonite absorbs fats and oils; and potash (potassium bentonite) is potassium rich.

Like I said, I had heard of clay being used for skin care. I remember that, years ago, my mother mentioned that "bathing" in clay was good for the skin. Of course, my mother also used to eat clay dirt so...

Anyway, getting back to this particular clay, I did use it as both a facial mask and as a body treatment. I mixed water to make a paste for the facial and, for my body, I did more of a scrub. I was too impatient to clean up the mess I'd make by doing a whole-body mask.

As a facial treatment, it worked well. The mask didn't get rock hard and uncomfortable the way most drying/drawing masks tend to do. Rinsing it off wasn't too tedious either and I got the extra benefit of some exfoliation in the process. When I used it in the bathe as a sort of scrub (mostly just using a wet washcloth to run the clay over my torso, elbows and knees), I didn't get as much benefit as from the facial. I probably should have stood in the shower first and done a more thorough scrubbing. Sitting in a bath, the clay just made a muddy mess to sit in.

As you can see from the photo on Dreadfully Divine's page, this clay is super, super fine-grained. One of the things that would have made it easier to use/dispense would have been a handy scoop. I also had a bit of frustration in trying to get the right balance of water and clay to make my mask. So maybe I should say that a measuring scoop would have helped. I eventually stumbled upon a good consistency for a facial mask, but I didn't keep track of the measurements so I'll have to go through the same thing next time.

My preferred way to use this is to make a little paste in the palm of my hand and then use it as an exfoliating cleanser. One reason for this is that it's easier to get a usable consistency with this method. Also, I don't always want to do a mask treatment - waiting for it to set and dry, then rinsing.

The clay did make my face feel good. I plan to do the next body treatment as a oil-and-clay scrub, and this time I'll use the shower method.

Like I mentioned, the drawback is that, with such a fine grained clay, there's potential for a mess. On the upside, the customer service team is responsive. The jar I received arrived with a cracked lid. Some of the clay was silting out into the mailing container. Someone got back to me immediately and offered to replace my jar. I haven't heard back from them yet, but I am waiting.

If you are unhappy with the product for any reason, contact the Seller within 60 days for a 100% guaranteed refund.

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** Majestic Pure Rosehip Oil

A 100% organic, cold pressed Rosehip Oil from Majestic Pure

Let me start this post with a little bit of a rant about my phone... Somehow my photos of this product was lost in that thing that I use to do almost everything but make phone calls. That's why I had to snag a product photo.

There. Done. Now on to the review:

It may not sound very objective of me to say how much I like the products from this company, but it's the truth. The reasons: the quantity and quality as compared to a lot of similar products from other brands. Majestic Pure is pretty consistent with what they put out there. That's important. This, straight from their site

Majestic Pure Cosmeceuticals  essential oils are 100% pure with no diluents or additives. We provide high quality organic and/or 100% natural botanicals to the public at very competitive prices, with an emphasis on the pure aesthetics and freshness. We have always put an emphasis on conducting business in an ethical, responsible, clear, and ecological way. 

Some of you know that I have a love/hate thing with Rosehip Oils. It's the smell that puts me off. A while back, when I was still getting used to R.O. in general, I almost couldn't stand it. But the benefits to the skin and hair are so good that I have tried different brands. I really, really like this one by Majestic Pure.

This R.O. feels thicker, or heavier, to me, which is good. That odor is still there but it fades fast (or maybe I am just getting used to the smell after using several brands). Because of the thick texture of this one, I came up with a really good use for it on my hair (especially natural, kinky/curly types) and on my hands.

For the hair:

1. Shampoo the hair and rinse really well. (I find that the better I rinse out the shampoo, the better the rest of this treatment works.) 
2. Get ready a small size plastic bag (trash or grocery) and some really warm water (not boiling!) so you can use it in a moment.
3. While hair is still very damp (just "squeezed dry"), rub the R.O. on your palms. Pat palms on your hair. Add more to the ends of your hair (and to the more damaged areas).
4. (Optional) Instead of wiping your hands free of the R.O., moisturize the edge of your hairline - and the backs of your ears.
5. Soak a towel (or, as I prefer, a t-shirt) as wet as you can stand to have wrapped around your head.
6. Fit the plastic bag over your towel-covered head and...
7. ... Relax. for a while. I like waiting for about 15 minutes before I rinse with lukewarm water.
8. Couple tips: for different textured hair (fine or not as kinky/dry), you might want to rinse with warmer water, or just use less oil - concentrating on ends and damage. Also, I have done this after just rinsing my hair instead of washing. Whatever works for you.

For the hands:

1. Use this - instead of or along with- regular lotion before wearing gloves out in cold, dry weather. 
2. Use after shaving, exfoliating, masking or konjac sponging the skin. You can coat the skin, then blot or wipe clear, or just leave on for soothing effects.
3. This can be used (very lightly) as a facial moisturizer if you allow time for it to absorb, then blot. At least it works when my skin is super dry. I don't know how it will work for those with different skin types.

The ingredients? Just one:

Like I said, this is a really nice oil. Rosehip seems to be one of those oils that actually provides most of the benefits we hear associated with it.

Finally, Majestic Pure offers a guarantee: they will refund your entire purchase price if you aren't happy.

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** Majestic Pure Therapeutic Grade Lemon Oil

Yes, I know. I'm getting as wild about essential oils as I've always been about moisturizers. I keep getting to try such good quality oils that I am starting to come up with my own recipes for using them in all kinds of ways.

I LOVE this one by Majestic Pure

I am thoroughly enjoying the benefits of their fractionated coconut oil, so I wasn't surprised to be so pleased with this product. It's their Therapeutic grade 100% pure lemon oil.

Okay, so one of the ways that I used this oil (and this is a new use for me) is to moisturize. I know that lemon oil is not the first thing most people might think of as having a moisturizing effect, but... As you know, I've been on a weight-loss journey. I'm really happy to say that I am getting into the best shape I've been in for about 4 years. Like with most people who lose weight, I have to work at keeping toned. Also, I want to keep my skin in good shape, so I moisturize like crazy.

Here is my favorite way to moisturize (and de-stress) using the lemon oil: I put a couple drops of the lemon oil in my palm and add a couple drops of one of my other moisturizing oils (coconut, black castor, argan or rosehip). I rub that mixture onto my belly, the backs of my legs and my thighs just before bedtime. The lemon oil really does seem to give my skin a revitalized look. The fragrance is amazing. And very soothing. Also, it feels so good when my legs are a little sore from any exercise. The whole experience - the massage, the fragrance and moisturizing - is great for relaxing the mind and body after a stressful day. And, whoo! I have had some stressful days recently!

Of course, it's no big secret that lemon is a wonderful scent, but this oil is also good at clearing away other smelly odors around the house - where shoes are stored or garbage is collected or where dirty laundry is stored.

The other way I used this oil was by putting a single drop (seriously, just one) onto a damp towel to toss into the dryer with some of my clothes. I'd left some clothes in the washer for a couple hours and  wanted to see how the oil worked as a fabric freshener. It was pretty nice. You get that really clean, fresh scent without having to use dryer sheets.

So, yes, this is another oil I am adding to my "staples" of natural products.

Oh, and, just so I could add to this blog post, I tried using the lemon oil with some raw sugar as a lip scrub. It works great. I went very light on the lemon oil - just a dab onto my finger - and I made sure to use some coconut oil also. Nice.

Finally, I can tell you that the lemon oil makes for a great household cleaner. I haven't gone crazy in the cleaning department yet, but I did try the oil out in the bathroom. What I did was put a couple of drops on a really warm wet cloth to wipe down the sink and counters. It was a little embarrassing that this cleaned some spots that I missed with a regular cleaning just a day or so before. The best thing about using the oil to clean sinks and countertops is the smell that is left. Normally, we use a lot of spray-on products with added bleach for the sinks and counters. The lemon smells way better and is safer.

The dropper is a great way to dispense the oil. I've figured out how many drops to use for most uses. I can add just about 3 or 4 drops to a 6oz spray bottle to use as an air freshener. For moisturizing , I can use about 3 drops mixed with another oil to treat my body from the shoulders down. I am more careful with my face - just using a dab on my finger for my forehead and neck. Also, I only do this at night because I worry about sun exposure. (I haven't gotten up the nerve to use the lemon oil on my hair yet, but I bet I could get some streaking going on! LOL)

 As with other products that supply the information, I like knowing what the manufacturing date and shelf-life is.

I love  this oil. I like the good quality, I like the size it comes in, and I like that there are so many ways to use it. My next recipe is to mix a little bit of this lemon oil with some of my peppermint oil into my drinking water...

Majestic Pure will refund your total purchase price if you are not happy with the product.

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 that I believe will be good for my blog readers.

**REVIEW** Fractionated Coconut Oil by Majestic Pure

Since I'd never heard of a "fractionated" coconut oil before this one, let me explain what that is. Enter the trusty old copy/paste method of gathering info from the product description:

 Fractionated coconut oil is a fraction of the coconut oil from which almost all the long chain triglycerides are removed, thus leaving mainly the medium-chain triglycerides and making it an absolutely saturated oil. This saturation gives it a very long shelf life and greatly increased stability. In addition, fractionating raises the comparative concentration of Capric acid and Caprylic acid, thus giving it more of antioxidant and disinfecting effect. (my bold emphasis)

If you checked the links I provided for the different triglycerides, you probably were thinking, "Who knew?" (Or who cares, maybe.) If you are like me and always want to know a little bit more than your brain can absorb, you can also check this link that talks about MCTs vs Coconut Oil. I'll leave that right here for you. For now, let's move on to what I found in actually using this particular product.

 This is Majestic Pure's Fractionated Coconut Oil (or Cocos Nucifera if you like sounding well-read).

Apparently the whole thing about long shelf life is true. A label was attached showing the manufacture date and the shelf life of my product. I placed my order December 30 so I got a pretty fresh batch.

I got a little tangled up with all the information provided in the links about fractionated oil and maybe you did the same thing. I'm going to point out right now that this particular product is NOT intended for anything but external use. So don't go drinking it or cooking with it.

Since I can't drink or cook with it (heh heh), I have so far used mine in 3 ways: on my freshly washed and conditioned (and damp hair), on my freshly showered body and as a makeup remover. The hair use worked so-so. I think I overdid it. More about that in a moment. First -

As a Body Moisturizer:

When I used this after my shower, I wanted to see which way would work best. First, I used it on my still damp arms and upper body, then I used it on my towel-blotted lower body and legs. I actually like it both ways. Of course, it was a little bit easier to massage in on the dried parts. I have to admit that, when I had to blot after applying the oil to my still-damp skin, I was worried about my towel. No problem. Just as promised, the oil didn't stain the towel and it later washed just as clean as the rest of my laundry.

I love the way this made my skin feel right after showering. It's really, really lightweight, which is a nice change from some heavier oils that tend to sit on this skin and have to be blotted before you can dress. I like this better than cream-like coconut oils I've used because it's much easier to apply. It also is lighter and better absorbing than the jarred coconut oils. I actually liked the way my arms and legs felt after using this.

By the way, when I used this as a sort of lotion/regular moisturizer, it worked well, but it does leave a sheen for the first couple of minutes. I liked it okay, but not on my face just prior to applying makeup.  And this was great as a lip moisturizer!

As a Hair Moisturizer:

Remember that I used this on my hair right after washing and conditioning? Well, that might have worked better if I hadn't gone overboard.

When I put just a little (maybe a dime-sized puddle) in my palms, then rubbed my hands through my hair, I liked that it wasn't greasy. And I should have just stopped right there. I have a suspicion that I might have ended up with soft and moisturized hair, but I can't report that because... I always go one step too far. For some reason, I just had to add another couple "puddles" of oil to my hair. By the time my naps dried, I had a stiff and slightly oily mess. So, yeah, I think next time, I will stick with one "puddle", let my hair dry, then see what the results are. As it happened, I ended up just covering my hair with a scarf until I could re-shampoo. (I haven't had the chance to try the oil again because I just finished reviewing a hair dye and didn't want any more oil in my hair for that...)

I do want to try using this again on my hair because it's supposed to stimulate hair growth.

As a Makeup Remover:

One word for this one: Amazing. Seriously. It's light enough that you don't feel you are gunking up your pores when you slather it on. I generally apply a little to my fingertips and massage into my face, let it sit for a minute, then wipe with a baby wipe. It takes one application for all over and another just for my eye-liner and stuff. Best thing, my face is still moist from the baby wipe so, if I hurry, I can dab a little of the oil on to finish drying with the dampness. That's one way I can use the oil and still apply more makeup within a couple minutes. (Maybe I should always use a little water with the oil when moisturizing???)

The nice thing about removing my makeup with this is, if I'm lazy, I don't even have to apply my nighttime face cream after. The oil doesn't dry out my skin and, so far, it has not clogged my pores.

In Summary:

This oil does lack that delicious coconut fragrance. Of course, that is also a plus in some cases. Sometimes, you just don't want the fragrance.

You can't ingest this oil, so you don't get the "multi-use" factor that you can with "regular" coconut oil. (On the other hand, you can just keep this in your bathroom, dedicated to your skin care use.)

When I ordered this, it was priced at around a dollar an ounce. An ounce will go a long way and, then there's the whole 5-year shelf life thing. That makes it worth it for me. I can keep this in my bathroom without worrying about it spoiling. Then there is the guarantee:

(and the "external use only" warning!)

I like this for body moisturizing and makeup removal because it's not staining sheets and towels. It works great and the price is right. If you are into essential oils (as you know I now am), this is perfect as a carrier oil. I have not yet added it to my existing lotions and creams but I plan to try it. I want to see if it helps me stretch some use out the the ends of my lotions and such.

This is the first product I've tried from Majestic Pure, but I see that they have some other items I might want to check out.

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.