BODY CARE ESSENTIALS

I've gotten a few requests to talk about the beauty products that I use to take care of my skin, body and hair. So I thought I'd start with the necessities that I use either daily or weekly, starting with the body. I personally love taking a peak in other people's skin care and hair care routines. Click Read more after the image to see my essentials.




Coco Mademoiselle Shower gel - Never really cared for shower gels. That's a bad way to start a post, but it gets better right away, I promise. It's just that, I haven't crossed paths with a shower gel that disappointed me with its less good cleansing properties. I feel like the only thing different from one shower gel to another is the fragrance and its staying power. I try to use mild and natural shower gels, but I dug up this Coco Mademoiselle shower gel, a present from my brother. After about a year, it was time to stop "saving it". I'm sure you know the feeling of saving a luxury product by leaving it sit deep in your drawer because it's too precious to use it. I own the Coco Mademoiselle perfume as well, so this smell is just as dreamy as the perfume, and the gel's staying power is as fantastic as the perfume's is. I can still smell it on my skin the day after I take a shower.

Bipa MY body sea salt peeling - Plain ground coffee is usually my go to peeling, but this scrub is truly great. A good body scrub will scrub away all dead skin cells, prepare your skin for a smooth shave and leave your skin super soft. I always wanted a very rough scrub because most peelings don't posess enough scrubbing power to do the job properly. This body scrub is plain salt enriched with menthol, a very "spa" like fragrance. I use this about twice weekly.

Virgin Coconut oil - since I mentioned shaving in the paragraph about the fantastic body scrub from Bipa, I'm also including my shaving oil. I assume you didn't expect the word oil following the word shaving. Coconut oil is the best shaving cream out there. And a fabulous hair oil as well. I'll feature it again in my hair care essentials and write more about it there. Make sure you buy 100% organic, unrefined, cold pressed, virgin coconut oil. I, unfortunately, cannot use coconut oil as a body lotion, which saddens me deeply. Its smell turns into a rancid stink on my skin. My skin most likely has a high level of acidity because certain fragrances just don't work well on it. I have to be very, very careful about body lotions. I have given away many because of this problem.

Treacle Moon Body lotion - the funny thing about this body lotion is that its synthetic coconut smell doesn't turn rancid on my skin, and original, natural coconut scent does. Go figure. I picked this one up because I liked the pump and it didn't contain any parabens, mineral oil or silicones. Simple.



Venus Embrace Razor - My legs have gone through bloody patches from using cheap razors, some took actual skin layers off so I walked around with a bunch of white spots on my legs until I discovered Venus Embrase. It's pricey, but it just works. They last for a really long time if you take good care of them and desinfect them every now and then. I cannot imagine exposing my legs to more cuts, they've had enough. :)



Lavera Basis Sensitive Zahncreme - I honestly had no idea that tracking down a toothpaste that doesn't contain flouride would be a hard task. The potential toxicity of fluoride has been researched a lot. I personally try to avoid fluoride because research has shown that toothpaste containing fluoride didn't help prevent tooth decay any more than fluoride free toothpaste, and many studies have shown that it is potentially harmful, especially for children. I've been re-buying this toothpaste for quite some time now and I am very happy with it.

Curaprox Toothbrush - my aunt, who is a dentist, gave me one of these toothbrushes years ago while I was still wearing braces and I have been using them for the majority of time since then. I usually stock up on them in Croatia because they aren't available in regular drugstore chains in Austria, so you end up paying much more when ordering them online. These toothbrushes are much softer than regular toothbrushes - your gums will fall in love instantly. Instead of nylon fiber, they combine a large number of special, densly packed bristles with a minimalisticly designed compact brush head to give you the best cleaning experience. The more bristles, the softer the toothbrush. Currently, I am using one of their softest version with 5,640 bristles. I highly recommend checking these out. They don't cost much more than regular toothbrushes but you will immediately feel the difference. Flossing after these is a breeze.



Borotalco Invisible Stick Deodorant - this is another product whose specific-ingredient-free version I have spent many months searching for. The main ingredient of deodorants and anti perspirants is Aluminum Chlorohydrate, which not only prevents bad body odour, it prevents sweating in general. It is also linked to high risk of Alzheimers disease. You might consider me a hippie for avoiding these products when so many other products and the very food we eat contain a huge amount of toxins, but I feel better knowing that I'm at least trying to avoid as many as possible.

This was a long one. I would love love love to hear about your body care essentials, things you use in the shower and out of it!