Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics - Pomegranate & Lychee

Do you need to take your bathroom fragrance from drab to fab? Finding a natural scent to put down the loo is something of a rarity. In our search in the office bathroom looking for a product to cover up the delicate issue of ‘nasty smells’ at best, all we could find was some rather unpleasant cheap air freshener that filled the place with fumes, that when you accidentally breathed them in, they almost made us choke! At The Amazing Blog we were thrilled to be given a natural aromatic deodoriser that delivers botanical freshness and neutralised unwanted pongs - leaving the bathroom smelling sweet. We often talk about essential oils; however, this one from Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics is specifically designed for one purpose – the loo!

Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics is a British brand that is formulated by Bruce Green who is also known for his skincare brand SOS Serum Skincare which we have reviewed here. Green specialises in skincare and is a chartered scientist, a chartered chemist, and a fellow of The Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a man with great expertise and has contributed to the formulations of many cosmetic brands in the UK & North America, and he also sits on several EU advisory committees. This brand is his first foray into the world of bathroom fragrance. These Essential Drops are excellent for eliminating unwanted and unpleasant smells, helping to maintain a fresh sweet fragranced bathroom by only using natural essential oils. This means that there are no artificial ingredients, they’re cruelty-free, vegan and locally produced. By sourcing their ingredients from reputable local suppliers, they can deliver high-quality products every time. We also like that their glass bottles are recyclable. They currently have a range of three different scent combinations: Grapefruit & Kumquat, Ginger & Black Pepper and Pomegranate & Lychee (which we are featuring today). 

The Pomegranate & Lychee comes in a frosted recyclable 50 ml glass bottle with a pipette top. Each bottle can last around 50-100 uses depending on the frequency and amount you use. You can either drop one full pipette or 3-4 drops directly from the bottle into the bowl before or after flushing. If you want to make your bathroom smell more like an at-home spa, you could use the Essential Drops in both your loo and hand basin, bringing an uplifting fragrance to the entire room. These drops create an almost like a film-like surface (which flushes away) allowing the water to trap the unpleasant odours whilst releasing the good ones! We love that there are only three ingredients here in total, with the essential fruit oils of pomegranate and lychee in a grapeseed oil base. To get rid of those lingering bathroom whiffs and start your lockdown spa day at home, purchase your Essential Drops Bathroom Aromatics in Pomegranate & Lychee here for £18.00 or £50 for the full collection of all three here.

Black Ink - CBD Infused Coffee

We’ve previously introduced CBD oil, skincare and a few edibles; today we’d like to talk about another way of getting your daily dose of CBD, that we’ve been experiencing at The Amazing Blog. It’s one that’s perfect for the coffee enthusiast, or for those who want to try CBD, but dislike the earthy taste of hemp. Welcome Black Ink CBD Coffee.

Black Ink CBD Coffee is founded by Irish entrepreneur Gavin RC Moore and is now one of the leading CBD coffee brands here in the UK and Ireland. It owes its reputation to its premium-quality organically certified Arabica coffee beans, and its full-spectrum infused European CBD. The coffee beans are grown on the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, which is what gives the beans their world-renowned flavour. You’re probably wondering what purpose there is to mix CBD and coffee. Well, CBD and caffeine each have similar beneficial properties, some of which include mood-lifting and antioxidant effects. Because of these shared properties, caffeine and CBD enhance each other. As most of our regular readers will know, the real benefit of taking CBD is to calm anxiety and nerves and help soothe pain, as it has a ‘relaxing’ effect. As surprising as it may be, this is where the CBD comes into play; its relaxing effect balances the stimulant of the caffeine, helping to eliminate the jitters and anxiety. Now, you might be wondering how you are going to get your usual morning pick-me-up if there is CBD inside. Rest assured, the CBD will not completely overpower the caffeine, so you will still be able to get that alertness from your morning coffee, the caffeine’s ‘drawbacks’ are simply balanced. The result is a pretty good feeling of being energised but relaxed all at the same time, a sort of ‘serene concentration’.

The girls at the office have been having this as their morning coffee, and say that the coffee tastes rich and smooth with a touch of very well-rounded nuttiness and subtle berry flavours. However, interestingly not with a trace of hempiness! It’s an almost identical match to pure Arabica coffee, with no bitter aftertaste. On the safety and ethical sides, you’ll be pleased to know that this product is third-party lab tested, that the grains and hemp used for the blends are organic and that their packaging is entirely recyclable. Each pack has 200g of CBD-infused ground coffee beans and should make about 20 cups. A cup of coffee includes approximately 10mg of CBD which provides you with your morning wellness nutrients (it takes about 20 minutes for these to spread through the body).  We used our trusty Aeropress for single cups. They suggest brewing your coffee in a cafetiere, by adding about 10-15g of Black Ink CBD Infused Coffee per person, pour near-boiling water, stir, and cover. Wait about 3-4 minutes, then push the strainer down. Your CBD-infused cup of coffee is now ready! Even though this is the traditional way to make it, you can also drink it as a cold brew. Like any other coffee, it should be kept in a sealed container in a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight to last. Remember, it needs to be consumed with three weeks from opening to get the full benefits from the fresh ingredients. If you want to make BLACK INK CBD Infused Coffee part of your morning routine, you can purchase the pack of 200g for £30 here. You can also turn it into a monthly subscription and save up to 10%.

KLEAF - Hair Care

When we say ‘hair care’ one immediately assumes that we’re talking about just a shampoo or conditioner. What we forget here the most essential step, which is taking care of the scalp. Scalp exfoliation is not a subject that is often talked about in the glamorous world of beauty, but we think that this is where the journey to having beautiful hair starts. A few weeks ago, at The Amazing Blog, we were kindly sent a set of KLEAF which are an extraordinary Scalp Optimizing Trio that we want to share with you.

KLEAF is a Malaysian hair care that is part of Luxurcraft PLT who are a GDPMD certified and approved company that distributes and exports premium sulphate-free scalp care products. KLEAF focuses on offering safe, cruelty-free and natural hair care. Their primary mission is to free scalps from parabens, harsh sulphates, and the ever-so-famous silicones that are still very present in the haircare industry today. Are silicones that bad? Even though they have not been proven to cause any harm to our skin, in the long run, their use becomes counterproductive as they leave a water-resistant film on the hair strands and scalp that doesn’t wash away easily. But I hear you ask; doesn’t this film benefit the skin as it protects it from pollution and retains hydration? At first yes, so short-term, your skin and your hair will look shiny and healthy. Except that as it does not rinse off with ease, it ends up retaining dirt, pollution, and dead cells; thus causing more build-up, therefore interfering with cell-renewal and eventually making your hair look dull and feel heavy. You might have noticed that when knowingly using make-up with silicones, it’s more difficult to remove. The residue is still there the second time around and sometimes even the third! This is because of the silicone coating. But that’s not all. This protective film also blocks the skin from all nourishing ingredients that are supposed to penetrate the skin or the scalp. Plus, research has shown that silicones are not the best thing for the planet, taking up to 500 years for them to biodegrade. KLEAF formulas, which were originally conceived in France, have succeeded in producing an all-natural trio of hair care alternatives to free hair from unwanted chemical residue. What impresses us is KLEAF's transparency here, as a responsible committed and sustainable business, that also prioritises their ingredients to be environmentally friendly.

This is where the KLEAF Scalp Purifying Exfoliator comes into play. Everyone who is beauty-aware knows the importance of exfoliating their skin regularly to get the best results. The scalp being nothing more than the skin on top of our head (and under our hair) which needs the same! When switching to an all-natural hair care routine, the exfoliation will help remove all residue from silicones that have been sitting on your scalp. In this formula, with its micronized walnut shells unclog the hair follicles by freeing them from build-up and product residue, while the small Himalayan salt crystals detoxify the scalp, and the sweet almond and basil oils gently purify whilst nourishing the skin. Like your usual skin scrub, you can use this exfoliator once or twice a week (maximum), before your shampoo, or instead of your shampoo. On the scalp, the solution feels cool and tingles slightly. Massage for about 3 minutes, then rinse away. After use, our hair felt incredibly clean and light, and we noticed a little more volume than usual and a scalp that was less itchy.

Next, we have the KLEAF Scalp Optimizing Shampoo, which is a plant-based stimulating shampoo. In this product, piroctone olamine’s anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties are used to reduce hair loss and inflammation. At the same time, the caffeine stimulates the follicles and strengthens the hair, extending its life cycle. These allow the hair to be efficiently cleansed while the basil, argan, and sweet almond oils nourish the hair to keep it healthy and supple. Again, on the scalp, this lotion-like shampoo feels cool and refreshing, and the basil smell (almost licoricey) is to die for. Our hair looked healthier and lighter and with more volume. To use, massage on wet scalp and leave on for 2 to 3 minutes.

The third product of the set is the KLEAF Hair Strengthening Conditioner, which helps the hair stay silky smooth, healthy, and resistant to breakage without the use of any silicones. In this thicker formula, the glycerine and jojoba & basil oils ensure that your locks are deeply nourished, without leaving any excess. We think that it has a delicious fresh basil fragrance and used it as a regular conditioner after shampoo. They recommend avoiding the scalp, leaving it on for about 2 minutes and then rinsing thoroughly. Afterwards, our hair smelt almost garden-fresh and felt clean, light and shiny with our curls that looked more naturally defined.  This is definitely one of our top hair care #amazingfinds for 2020. In the office, we had to toss a coin to decide who got to keep this set – that’s how much we loved it!

For optimal results, KLEAF advises combining these three products. You can purchase the set for 255 AED (approximately £48) on their European distributor’s website at Advik Beauty’s here who very kind to send us these products.

Oh My Garden - Balancing Facial Oil

Although we think that ageing gracefully is a beautiful thing, we always use a daily skincare to enhance and protect our complexions at The Amazing Blog. As this is our favourite time of year to use face oils, today we are featuring a new brand Oh My Garden with their natural Balancing Facial Oil.

Oh My Garden is a Canadian natural beauty brand. The story began when after spending almost, a year following a 10-step skincare routine, the founder Togzhan Jumagulova was astonished to learn how much plastic was used in these products. As a researcher with a PhD, her curiosity led her on to research further the effect not only on the beauty industry but on the environment. She was horrified to learn about the microplastics and silicone build-up, plus the toxicity levels of some synthetic compounds, and the unsustainable practices within the beauty industry. She wanted to make a difference, which is when in 2019 Jumagulova created this skincare line of Oh My Garden. The brand’s goal is to provide environmentally conscious and scientific-based ingredients for the consumer that are natural, vegan and cruelty-free. As Jumagulova says, “Beauty is more than maintaining good looks. It’s about self-care, it’s a ritual of self-love. It’s about staying healthy and saying “thank you” to our bodies. Textures, subtle natural aromas, colours, and packaging - everything we create we design to add vibrancy and excitement to your everyday life.”  Oh My Garden believes that skincare should be an expression of self-love and the Balancing Facial Oil here is one of four products in their collection.

This Balancing Facial Oil can be used by all skin types; however, it is formulated for combination and oily skin. The golden oil used just by itself gives the skin a glorious glow. The main use of this oil is to balance sebum production in the skin. The skin’s response to dry skin is to produce more oil for the moisture lost, which then results in oiler skin, leading on to more problems. Jumagulova explained the benefits of using this Facial Oil: “This might sound counterintuitive, but the great solution for this issue is rightly chosen facial oil. The plant oils form a breathable occlusive layer that stops water from evaporating and also gradually restore the skin barrier and calm irritations. As a result, the skin stops losing the moisture and the sebum production naturally regulates back to normal.” Let’s look at the key ingredients starting with the Abyssinian oil which is rich in an array of vitamins such as B1, B2, A, B6, E and C. It is considered one of the best moisturisers because it locks in hydration and eliminates dead skin giving a youthful look. The argan oil contains antioxidants such as polyphenols and vitamin E, which help brighten the skin and protect the skin from sun damage (although you still need to use sunscreen). Meadowfoam seed oil’s most significant benefit is to bring balance to the skin (our photo above is with the Meadowfoam flower). Squalane can help with hydration, boosts collagen giving the skin a firmer feel, and contains anti-inflammatory properties that reduce redness and swelling. The raspberry seed oil helps control oil production, fights against wrinkles and acne. Sea buckthorn oil helps skin elasticity and regenerating cells. The prickly pear seed oil contains high amounts of antioxidants which can help prevent skin damage, ageing and breakouts. Tocopherol (AKA vitamin E) has properties that defend the skin from pollution and environmental stressors. Ylang-ylang here is considered an essential oil and in skincare, it regulates oil production while soothing irritation and inflammation. Similarly, tea tree oil soothes redness and is also an antimicrobial. This Balancing Facial Oil is lightweight and absorbs quickly, the fragrance is neutral, if anything we detected a slight delicious nuttiness. We applied a few drops directly to the face, which we then massaged gently in. It didn’t feel ‘oily’ at all, in fact, now the sun strength has gone and we’re moving towards winter, we’d be happy to use this alone (or under SPF), it also makes an excellent primer for makeup. To purchase a 30ml bottle Oh My Garden Balancing Facial Oil for $45 see here.

Naturopathica CBD+ Turmeric Capsules

We’re back again on the CBD trail, this time at The Amazing Blog it’s with a range of capsules that have just launched. However, these are not just any capsules they are CBD+ Turmeric combined from Naturopathica.

In a partnership between CBD brand Elixinol and supplement brand Pharmacare, they created  Naturopathica with a range of CBD+ capsules. These are a selection of six different CBD + products, each one has a different health benefit and also addresses a specific issue, i.e. they’re appropriately named Digestion, Mind, Night, Wellbeing, Turmeric and Unwind. With 5mg of CBD per capsule, they say that these are ‘super-concentrated’ with full-spectrum CBD that’s sourced here in the UK. It’s worth remembering that the optimal dose of CBD to take will always depend on a range of factors: Bodyweight, the condition being treated and the individual’s body chemistry.

We chose the Naturopathica CBD+ Turmeric which focuses on healthy joint and cartilage function. Both turmeric and CBD come from plants with a long list of impressive qualities.  Taking this supplement is a must for anyone who has an active lifestyle or suffers from arthritis. Other than the CBD, the two main ingredients are curcumin and vitamin C. Curcumin is found in turmeric which contains over 100 different chemical compounds. However, one that stands out is the curcumin, it’s proven to alleviate both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and has both antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. The vitamin C here is one of the most important vitamins for helping maintain a healthy body function. It has numerous benefits including boosting the immune system, lowering blood pressure, collagen formation and reducing fatigue. Naturopathic even have a lab report that you can read on these ingredients here. Probably the best-known beneficial effect of the combination of this 5mg CBD and 265mg of turmeric is their mutual ability to quell inflammation. We have only taken this supplement for 30 days and can’t honestly say that we’ve noticed any difference, we think that it needs at least 60-90 days to be able to monitor properly any changes in the body. The capsules are easy to take, and as a regular curcumin capsule-popper, I might be persuaded to swap my daily 500mg with this; however, I might have to double the dose!  If you’d like to try these, then see here to buy the CBD+ Turmeric Capsules at £39.99 for 30 capsules.