Natural Potions LTD Review- Natural Potions Body Butter, Cleansing Balm, Lip Balm & Natural Potions Nourish & Strengthening Hot Oil Treatment

Natural Potions LTD Review- Natural Potions Body Butter, Cleansing Balm, Lip Balm & Natural Potions Nourish & Strengthening Hot Oil Treatment

Today I am reviewing some products from a company called Natural Potions Ltd which offers natural handcrafted skin (and some hair) products. Behind this brand is husband and wife Fatimah Anwar and Mohammed Kolia who had their vision for their natural skin care company in the middle of the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania (Read their story here, they've even included a picture of this crater, it's beautiful!). As a Cosmetic Science student with knowledge of making products myself, I find it interesting to review natural companies because I want to know what separates them from other similar companies and also what they can offer- that I could not make myself. With DIY's and easily accesible information from the internet there are so many natural companies created by people who are not more qualified than any other person (no disrespect to them, but it just means you could easily do what they do). However, I was very impressed to hear that this husband and wife duo have between them; degree in Organic Skin care, Law Degree, Pharmaceutical experience (qualified pharmacist with experience working in Boots).

They decided to start off with 6-8 anhydrous products (meaning they do not contain water & also therefor do not need to contain preservatives) and I have had the chance to review four of these; Natural Potions Body Butter, Cleansing Balm, Lip Balm & Natural Potions Nourish & Strengthening Hot Oil Treatment. Most of their ingredients are certified Organic, Vegan and Fairtrade and you can read more about them here.

Natural Potions Body Butter £6.99, 50g.

"A rich & deeply mositurising body butter which hydrates your skin for a smooth and supple finish."

Now for the first product which is a body butter. Although it doesn't say, I believe (I could be wrong) this is a whipped butter with oils, it has a light and fluffy consistency similar to that of whipped Shea Butter. However it doesn't contain Shea Butter but instead Cocoa Butter and Mango Butter. The first thing I noticed about this was how light it felt when applied to my skin, it melts immediately and spreads very well which was very impressive. In addition to the butters it also contains Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil and Sweet Orange Essential Oil which gives it a really nice fragrance. Sweet Orange Oil is actually my natural fragrance of choice and if you go to the DIY section of my blog you can see that I have used it multiple times.

Key ingredients and their properties: 

Cocoa Butter: A butter high in fatty acids and antioxidants, hydrating the skin deeply & helping to reduce signs of ageing, wrinkles & stretch marks (information from Fatimah, one of the owners)

Full ingredient list: Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citrus sinensis (Sweet Orange) Oil Sensitisers: Limonene, Linalool

Natural Potions Cleansing Balm, £6.99, 50g.

"A nourishing cleansing balm that clears face of dirt, grime & make up resulting in a radiant & illuminating glow. For all skin types. "

Now here is a product which I have never tried before, a cleansing balm. I do enjoy natural products and have tried a lot of them, especially when it comes to using oils for makeup removal. The products I've tried before are Cleansing oils (emulsifying oils) and natural oils using the Oil Cleansing method. Now this cleansing balm would be quite similar to the latter, as it contains oils and butters only and no emulsifying agents (agents that will make the oils mix with water and rinse off, like in the DHC cleansing oil). The directions say to massage the product into your face to melt away the makeup, excess oil and grime and then remove buy holding a warm muslin cleansing cloth over face before wiping away (I assume they mean Muslin cloth soaked in hot water, at least that is how I do it). This is an amazing way of removing makeup and the only downside to this method is having to use a face cloth every single time. If I have worn makeup, I remove it using the method just described and afterwards I use my normal face wash followed by my face toner (the last two steps are optional). To my suprise, it really did leave my skin glowing and despite me using quite a strong face cleanser afterwards my face was still soft from the cleansing balm. This product doesn't contain any essential oils as fragrance but it has a very pleasant smell although I am unsure how to describe it. My only guess is that the scent is coming from either the Rosehip Oil or Kukui Seed Oil as I know the other oils don't have a scent.

Key ingredients and their properties: 

Argan Oil: Argan Oil has anti aging properties and has firming qualities due to its high content of essential fatty acids. It is also anti inflammatory and reduces irritation on the skin

Rosehip Oil: Rosehip Oil is also high in Vitamin C and as a result has skin brightening properties, helping the skin tone to become even (a huge concern with skin that is not Caucasian).

Both Argan Oil and Rosehip Oil are know for their skin regenerating properties as well their function to remove scars and blemishes.

Both ingredients were chosen for their ability to heal the skin and brighten its tone. (information from Fatimah, one of the owners)

Full ingredient list: Argania Spinsosa (Argan) Oil, Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui) Seed Oil, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Rosa Canina Fruit (Rosehip) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Beeswax, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

Natural Potions Lip Balm, £3.49, 15.g

"Description A conditioning and repairing lip balm."

I really like the formula of this, compared to other natural lip balms I'd say it's quite oily in terms of Butter/Wax to oil ratio which just makes it really soft on your lips and shiny and it smells of Lemon Oil! Only criticism I have about this would be the size of the packaging, it's rather large for a lip balm. I don't really mind but I guess a smaller size would be preferred just because it's more convenient to bring along with you in your bag or pocket.

Key ingredients and their properties: 

Sweet Almond Oil: Has anti inflammatory and moisturising properties

Coconut Oil: High in essential fatty acids making it the perfect emollient for lips and is anti inflammatory, perfect for those with sensitive lips

Castor Oil: Thick and heavy making it a rich moisturiser but also gives the lip balm a glossy feel keeping it on the lips for longer 

Full ingredient list: Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Beeswax, Sunflower Lecithin, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil Sensitisers: Limonene, Citral, Linalool, Geraniol

Natural Potions Nourish & Strengthening Hot Oil Treatment, £7.99, 100ml

"An intensive treatment to enrich your hair with essential vitamins, conditioning & firming your locks to give them strength & shine. "

A hot oil treatment for your hair is definitely a good idea if you want your hair to get some extra nourishment as well as protect from the harshness of your shampoo when you're washing your hair (If used as a pre shampoo treatment). The way I use it is dividing my hair into 8 sections, sprizing some water and then applying the oil while finger detangling. As the top ingredient in this is Coconut Oil, it is a solid, in a bottle which is definitely a minus in my opinion as it means you can't get any product out unless you heat it somehow. I placed mine in a bowl of boiling water and although it did liquify completely straight away, it's pretty inconvenient. However, if you want to use the oil warm (as in hot oil treatment) then you would have to do this step anyway. The oil worked well with finger detangling my hair and after shampooing, my hair still felt soft and not dry at all. The smell is Ylang Ylang from Ylang Ylang essential oil, this is another one of my favourite essential oils so I was happy with the scent.

Key ingredients and their properties:

Coconut Oil: Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal (very good for scalp problems), anti-inflammatory & very rich in fibre, Vitamin E (a natural anti-oxidant), Vitamin K and Iron. It has also been shown to be able to penetrate the hair shaft due to its fatty acid structure.

Argan Oil: Contains unsaturated (contain double bonds) Omega 3 and Omega 9 fatty acids so it is able to penetrate the hair shaft and repair damaged hair follicles, provide nutrition to the hair and restore its shine. 

Avocado Oil: high in vitamins and fatty acids, giving it a reputation of having a higher degree of penetration into the dermis than most carrier oils. It boost scalp health by helping clear scaly skin and increasing hair growth

Ylang Ylang essential oil: Research has suggested that it has influence over normalising sebum secretion thereby stimulating hair growth and ensuring that the scalp is moisturised reducing hair loss and dandruff. It therefore is very functional without compromising on scent. 

Full ingredient list: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Argania Spinsosa (Argan) Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Cananga Odorata Flower Oil Sensitisers: Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Farnesol, Geraniol, Benzyl Salicylate.

Check out Natural Potions:
Website~Twitter~Instagram

Have you tried this brand and 
what are your favourite natural skin and hair care products?

xx

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L.O.G Cosmetics Hair Care Review- Heads Up Shampoo, Hair She Goes Leave in Conditioner & Tickle Tickle Deep Conditioning Pumpkin Spice Puree

L.O.G Cosmetics Hair Care Review- Heads Up Shampoo, Hair She Goes Leave in Conditioner & Tickle Tickle Deep Conditioning Pumpkin Spice Puree

Hi Everyone! I am so excited to share this review of L.O.G Cosmetics hair care products. It's a brand I have been trying out for a few months and I have just posted my video review/demo which you can watch below. If you do, please show some love and like & share the video!


Now, L.O.G Cosmetics is a brand which uses a lot of high quality natural ingredients. They do makeup and hair care products but I will only be reviewing their hair care range today. I mentioned in my video that a lot of the hair care products have Aloe Vera Juice as the first ingredient (the ingredient with the highest concentration) instead of water which definitely shows that they use high quality ingredients.

£16.99 Tickle Tickle Deep Conditioning Pumpkin Spice Puree

"Our Pumpkin Spice Protein Puree is a creamy conditioner that is designed to strengthen weak hair cuticles, prevent damage, and tantalize the senses. It is guaranteed to repair brittle hair textures with its amazing blend of pumpkin extract, cinnamon, nutmeg and organic pumpkin seed oil."

First up is this deep conditioning treatment. I was so impressed by this as a lot of fully natural conditioners tend to have little to no slip (in my experience), and I have tried a lot of products! You can even see in the picture how creamy it is. It has a subtle vanilla scent and contain a lot of amazing ingredients like Aloe Vera Juice, Shea Butter,  Natural extracts (Yucca, Horsetail & Nettle), Natural Oils, Vitamins, Hydrolysed Keratin. I do suggest you watch the video so that you can see  how shiny my hair looked after I had used this and also how easily it spread when I applied it. With any conditioner I always have to use a ton, but I really didn't with this one. It's not a massive jar and despite that, I got 4 uses out of it.

£15.99 Hair She Goes Cocoa Latte Leave in Conditioner  

"Say no to dry brittle hair! HAIR SHE GOES is guaranteed to nourish your curly or dry brittle hair.Its made from coconut milk and moisturizing cocoa butter, very light weight leave-in and promises to rehydrate even the driest of hair types leaving your hair soft and manageable."

Now to the leave in conditioner, called "Hair She Goes". This too contains Aloe Vera Juice as the first ingredient, followed by Coconut Oil then Behentrimonium Methosulfate which is used to give the product more slip. Overall this didn't give me too much slip as in I would use it to detangle, this wasn't a problem though as I applied it onto already detangled hair as you can see in the video. It made my hair soft and I actually blow dried my hair with this in as I was just about to put braids in.

£15.99  Heads Up Shampoo

"Heads up for Our 100% natural shampoo is enriched with a soothing blend of organic peppermint and sweet essence of dark chocolate. Got naturally kinky hair? We’ve got you covered with our 100% natural conditioning shampoo your hair will be cleansed, revitalized and ultimately moisturised."

This actually isn't a shampoo as it doesn't contain any synthetic cleansing agents like Sulfates. It is a castile soap but it is so rich and creamy that I would say it pretty much looks like it could be a conditioner, until it comes in contact with water and starts to lather (if you want to see exactly how much it lathers please check out the video). I guess another way you could describe the formulation is more of a cleansing cream or Co-wash. It reminds me a little bit of the Curls cleansing cream that I used years ago when I was relaxed/transitioning. I way very impressed by this product because it really did cleanse and condition my hair at the same time, if you watch my video review you can see that after I rinsed the product out, my hair actually looked not only conditioned but also had a healthy sheen to it- something I don't see a lot with the bleached parts of my hair. Sometimes I do detangle with Shampoo and you can see in the video that due to this shampoo being so creamy it was very easy to detangle.

These three products can be bought separately and I have included the price and direct link if you want to check them out on the website. You can also buy them in a set called "Itchy Scalp Trio" for £47. Overall I was very impressed by the quality of these products, they are all quite pricey but you literally get what you pay for. I do get quite a few Nigerian ladies on Instagram (@Yolandaas) asking me about natural hair products so I am happy that I finally have some products I can recommend for my naija sisters, as these are available in Nigeria. To purchase in Nigerian you can contact them via telephone 09084991140 or check out their Nigerian Instagram page.

Hope you enjoyed this review guys and if you are interested here is where you can find L.o.g Cosmetics online: 

Website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Nigerian Instagram


What is your favourite natural hair care products?

xx

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(*) These products were sent to me to review. This is not a sponsored blog post, but it includes a sponsored video.

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UFit High Protein Health Drink Shake Review- "Milk with added oomph!"

 UFit High Protein Health Drink Shake ""Milk with added oomph!"

Hi Everyone! I am so excited to be back with another fitness post as it has definitely been a while since I posted one. I am more active in the gym than ever so definitely expect more fitness posts in the future. If you want to check out my older fitness post you can check them out here.

I went to a blogger's event a few months back and was lucky enough to meet the people behind the UFit drink, the Protein drinks company. They were super friendly and told me about the concept behind the drink and let me try all the different flavours. As I really liked it, I am so glad I got the opportunity to proper review them and try some more.

Now why would you need a drink with extra protein? Most of us are familiar with gym goers drinking or eating extra protein to build muscle. This is the main reason that I drink and eat protein personally. However, in addition to building muscle protein can provide you with energy, benefit your hair and nails and also make you feel more full. In other words, whether you go gym or not this is a great drink to just bring along with you in your bag, or pick it up from the shop if you do not have time to make a smoothie or mix a protein drink in a shaker. When I was trying out these drinks I was going through a tough term at University and towards the end, exams. So even on the days when I didn't go gym I found it very convenient to bring one with me in the morning if I didn't have time to make breakfast.

What does it taste like? I remember being told at the event that the Strawberry one was their best seller, and I did try both flavours there and then. But as chocolate is my favourite flavour I still thought that would be my favourite. I have to admit that I found myself reaching for the Strawberry one and I also ran out of them before I ran out of the Chocolate ones. The taste is quite similar to Yazoo milkshakes and there is no taste of any protein or any "grittiness" in the drink at all. In fact, it's pretty watery (in terms of consistency not flavour) and very smooth which is a huge plus compared to other protein drinks. They both taste pretty sweet, but not too sweet. In my opinion, some protein drinks and snacks can almost feel too heavy but this went down very easily and once or twice I actually had two in a day just because they taste nice.

"UFIT is our best selling high protein nutrition drink, specifically formulated with passion and goodness to support active and healthy lifestyles! UFIT comes in a delicious chocolate or strawberry flavour and is bursting with 22g of protein and added vitamins and minerals. Just pop one in your bag or grab one at any time during the day for the healthiest, high protein snack."- http://theproteindrinksco.co.uk/product/ufit/

What are they ingredients? They both contain 22g. of protein and 3.2g of dietary fibre as well as added Vitamin D, E, C and Selenium and Calcium

Picture borrowed from: http://theproteindrinksco.co.uk/

UFit High Protein Health Drink Shake Chocolate flavour ingredients:

Ingredients: Skimmed Milk, Water, Whole Milk, Milk Protein, Dietary fibre, Fat reduced cocoa powder, Vegetable oils (Sunflower, Corn), Beta glucan, Trisodiumcitrate, Stabilizer: Carrageenan, Dextrose, Salt, Flavour, Sweetener: Sucralose, Vitamins & Minerals: Sodium ascorbate, Vitamin E acetate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3.

Picture borrowed from: http://theproteindrinksco.co.uk/

UFit High Protein Health Drink Shake Strawberry flavour ingredients:

Ingredients: Skimmed Milk, Water, Whole Milk, Milk Protein, Dietary fibre, Vegetable oils (Sunflower, Corn), Beta glucan, Trisodiumcitrate, Stabilizer: Carrageenan, Dextrose, Salt, Flavour, Colour: Carmin, Sweetener: Sucralose, Vitamins & Minerals: Sodium ascorbate, Vitamin E acetate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin D3.

Pros & Cons

It's tricky to write up pros and cons as it just varies depending on your personal opinion. The drink contains no added sugar like a lot of other milkshakes and protein drinks, however it does contain the sweetener Sucralose.  It is ready made which I am sure would be a pro to most people as this is very convenient. Another pro is that it is quite readily available and stocked in a lot of "normal" stores compared to some fitness products which are only stocked in health or fitness stores. You can find the drinks at stores like Superdrug, Tesco, Holland & Baretts and Ocado. However, I actually found it available at my local corner shop and I believe it is stocked at my local gym too!

Check out the protein drinks company on social media if you're interested:

Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Have you tried this drink and what do you think of protein drinks?

xx

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(*) This product was sent to me to review

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