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).
"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:
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Have you tried this brand and
what are your favourite natural skin and hair care products?
xx
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Wow , they are an amazing couple, i would love to try the body butter, anything that moisturises the skin and has natural ingredients works for me. Great review,and very affordable too.
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