In an attempt to personalize HealthyFellow.com, I’m going to invite you all into a part of my world that only my wife and select family and friends ever venture into: our bathroom. Don’t be scared! There’s a perfectly logical reason for this. If you’re anything like me, you probably stare at the seemingly endless wall of natural hair and skin care items at your local health food store with a perplexed look on your face. The good news is that this very expression often attracts the cosmetics attendant on staff to try to rescue you from your daze. The bad news is that I rarely feel like I end up walking out of the store with exactly the type of product I was looking for. But through much trial and error, I’ve found a group of products by a single manufacturer with which I’ve experienced some success. I’m not trying to sell you anything, but rather hope that this information will assist you in finding cleaner products at a fraction of the cost and time.

Several years ago I was working as a consultant for a ritzy health food store. My primary function was to assist the owner in selecting products to stock. But what would often happen is that I’d also provide information to the customers and staff about why and how to use natural remedies to support their health goals. I had absolutely no problem doing that with the food and nutritional supplements, but had a harder time with the “cosmaceuticals”. I frequently found that the most popular “natural” hair and skin care products were often filled with suspect ingredients - mostly harsh cleansing agents, preservatives, synthetic colors and fragrances. These are substances that I personally try to avoid because they may very well pass through the skin and into the body. (1,2,3)

Fortunately, I recently discovered a reasonably priced line of holistic products by Aubrey Organics that suit my sensibilities quite well. Before I go any further, please allow me to make a few statements of fact: 1) I have no financial or other affiliation or relationship with this company whatsoever; 2) All of the products discussed here today have been purchased on “my own dime”. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the nitty gritty:

Shampoo - Calaguala Fern Treatment Shampoo

• Key Features: Most importantly, it leaves hair looking clean without drying out the scalp. It has a pleasant scent. A little bit goes a long way, which makes it cost effective. Several of the ingredients possess hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties (calaguala extract and organic evening primrose oil).

Lotion - Ultimate Moist™ Green Tea / Rosemary / Mint Hand & Body Lotion

• Key Features: Its primary ingredient is coconut oil which is an excellent moisturizer with antiseptic side benefits. (4,5) Most of the other components are organic. This lotion is also rich in skin protecting antioxidants such as matcha green tea powder. (6,7,8) The scent is mild and it absorbs well without the slightest hint of skin irritation.

Deodorant - Men’s Stock Natural Dry Herbal Pine Deodorant

• Key Features: This deodorant actually works! It has a masculine scent that isn’t overpowering. I like that it’s delivered via a spray bottle because I find most stick deodorants irritating. The odor fighting effect lasts a long time. It’s an excellent deal for the money.

Lip Balm - Treat ‘Em Right Lip Balm

• Key Features: Virtually 100% organic. It’s base consists of organic beeswax, organic coconut oil, organic olive oil and organic hemp oil. It does any excellent job of taming my chap prone lips. The flavors I’ve tried (spearmint and peppermint/tea tree) were both well balanced.

In the past, I was a big fan of Aubrey’s Vegecol sensitive skin lotion, but no longer need to use it now that my eczema and psoriasis have cleared up. Vegecol is considerably more expensive than the Ultimate Moist lotion that I currently use for both my face and body.

I’m not an expert on this company but, as far as I can tell, they appear to pride themselves in operating an ethically sound business - no animal testing, environmentally responsible production practices and support for independent health food stores.

I don’t have many reservations about the Aubrey Organics products I’ve tried. I will tell you that a few of the shampoos have a scent that I don’t personally care for. So, if it’s at all possible, test the scent before buying. Apart from that, they’re not the cheapest hair and skin care products on the market, but I think they’re fairly priced. As with most natural health items, you often times will find better prices when shopping online.

Be well!

JP

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