Cannabina: CBD Beard Oils Honey Oak & Cedarwood

If you’ve been reading The Amazing Blog  for a while, then you’ll know that we like to try lots of different topical and skincare products that contain CBD. Today we are looking at two grooming products, the CBD Beard Oils by Cannabina  from The Legal Hempire a brand we have previously featured here.

Cannabina is founded by Gemma McKay, and is a brand that specialises in all kinds of healing products infused with hemp-based broad-spectrum and THC-free CBD ingredients. These products have been created foreveryone to enjoy the healing and soothing benefits of CBD. Cannabina offers a variety of CBD infused items from skincare, tinctures and edibles. McKay’s passion and interest in cannabis are the motivating factors behind the brand’s mission to improve the quality of life for their consumer, through this incredible plant's relieving and healing properties. McKay commented, “It’s only relatively recently that CBD and cannabinoids have caught the public imagination, but the positive health properties of non-THC hemp have been a part of my upbringing. For me, being able to be involved in this feels totally logical and instinctive.” Cannabina is an all-natural CBD brand where the products are free from harmful chemicals, pesticides, solvent residues, chlorophyll, fats and lipids. There are no preservatives, sulphates, mineral oils, parabens, artificial colouring, flavours or perfumes. The brand’s products are also cruelty-free and are tested and certified by both US and UK laboratories. The brand’s products are also cruelty-free and are tested and certified by both US and UK laboratories. Cannabina also has a strong sustainability ethos with its recycling and asks customers to return their product empties, for which they’re rewarding with a 5% discount on further purchases. McKay also recently launched her own shop, The Legal Hempire, a specialist hemp and wellness store, which currently includes over 10 of her tried and trusted CBD brands. “I know that things can get tough, mentally, and also what it takes to find ways to heal yourself. Healing should be built into how we live much more naturally, and CBD and other plant medicines have so much to offer when it comes to both physical and psychological healing properties.” This is where Gemma wants her customers to benefit from the knowledge and insight she has gained and used in her own life.

These CBD Beard Oils are available in either 10ml Honey Oak or 30ml Cedarwood  fragrances, both are designed to help soften and men’s facial hair and beards. These Beard Oils are infused with 50mg of active CBD, which helps to soften, strengthen and promote hair growth. They are lightweight CBD Beard Oils, which contain are vegan and cruelty-free ingredients which include jojoba and argan oils, fragrance oil and cannabis sativa (CBD) extract. When combined, these offer a hydrating yet non-greasy formula, that takes care of anything from a day’s stubble to unruly wizard whiskers. We have it on good authority from our tester that when used regularly he found that his follicles grew slightly thicker and less brittle. Plus, these oils reduced his ‘bristle beard’ making it soft to the touch, and even added moisturise to his skin. The favourite here was the Honey Oak oil for its mellow and sweet fragrance. These are both available in 10ml for the price of £13.00 in Honey Oak here and 30ml Cedarwood here.

ESPÉRER Skin Care : Anti-Aging Night Repair Serum & Anti-Pollution Night Repair Serum

Here at The Amazing Blog, you may have noticed that we’ve been featuring a few different serums this month, as for us, there’s nothing better than using the clean, natural and botanically based ones. We believe that simplicity is best, which is why we were very happy to discover two night serums from the new luxury botanical brand ESPÉRER Skin Care,  who offer just that. 

ESPÉRER Skin Care was launched in December 2019 by Dina El Adlani. As is a psychologist with an MSc in psychoanalytical psychology, she also studied and researched the anatomy and physiology of the skin. This was when she became aware that many skin issues are often related to overall lack of self-esteem, confidence and even mental well-being. Dina commented, “My background in psychology and dermatology helped me create ESPÉRER Skin Care, and the ingredients that I have chosen are not only beneficial to the skin but have been proven to improve overall well-being, reducing anxiety, bringing forth a feeling of calmness and positivity.” She discovered various natural ingredients when travelling to her country of origin, Morocco, and from there also got her inspiration for the brand name of ESPÉRER which means ‘hope’ in French. For Dina, this means hope for better skin, hope for better well-being, and hope for a better future.  After discovering, from personal experience, the devastating damage that chemical-based skincare can cause, she only wanted to use entirely natural ingredients in her skincare. Therefore, the ingredients ESPÉRER uses are 100% natural, cruelty-free, vegan and free from any preservatives, synthetic fragrances, alcohols and chemical toxins.

We were also interested to learn that Dina together with some of her associates, have created the Dahlia Mental Health Foundation. It is a charitable foundation in the process of being registered here in the UK. She told us that a large part of this Foundation is built around mental health, as well as skin health, as they believe the two go hand in hand. Once the charity has been set up, they will be open to the public to take donations. In the meantime, for every ESPÉRER product sold, £1 goes towards this Foundation. They aim to build psychological/mental health and well-being centres in developing countries. Places that have experienced war and famine receive food and water supplies, but they do not have access to mental health support, which they believe is just as important. What an amazing charity!

The first product we tried was the Anti-Aging Night Repair Serum  which is part of the collection ‘Beauté de la Nuit’. This oil serum is made with ONLY two natural ingredients: The argan oil and rose absolute, both of which are sourced from the southern region of Morocco. Argan oil contains vitamin E with the fatty acids omega 3 and 6, which provide the main moisturising properties. This is where the oil molecules are so tiny that they can penetrate the deeper layers of the epidermis, improving moisture levels and reducing signs of ageing. Argan also has numerous benefits for acne and damaged skin, and reduces fine lines, irritated skin, and lessens age spots. The rose absolute is extracted from rosa damascene blossoms, a rose only native to Morocco, and has anti-ageing and rejuvenating qualities as well as being anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and hydrating. We loved using this rich amber coloured oil serum. The fragrance is intense with the soft, sweet floral rose absolute which is so uplifting, and with thicker viscoscity of the argan oil, it only needs two or three drops to massage into the face and the neck. When applying ESPÉRER Skin Care very sensibly advises waiting 30 minutes prior to bed, for this Serum to absorb into the skin (rather than the pillow!) We found that it left our skin looking plumped up and glowy by the morning. You can purchase the 30ml Anti-Aging Night Repair Serum here for £33.

Also part of the ‘Beauté de la Nuit’ collection, but offering different benefits, is the Anti-Pollution Night Repair Serum. Again, this too has only two ingredients: French lavender and almond oil. This oil Serum has detoxifying and calming properties. Lavender is known for its antimicrobial properties, preventing bacteria from growing on the skin as well as for its detoxifying and anti-pollution effects. Not only that, lavender offers a calming effect on the nervous system. The almond oil, is rich in vitamin A and works as a powerful antioxidant, protecting and repairing skin cells. When these two ingredients are combined, they moisturise, repair and protect with the added benefit of an antibacterial effects from the lavender oil. This Night Serum is designed to calm and repair, offering skin protection from daily pollution. We found that with the almond oil as a base, it was lighter in texture than the Anti-Ageing Repair.  The lavender fragrance was also less intense than that of the rose absolute, and this time, we found that we needed more like four of five drops to massage into the face and neck. With lavender oil often hailed as a hero botanical, we understand its presence here in this Serum, where it works as a healer and antioxidant fighting free radical damage and pollution. When using this Anti-Pollution Night Repair Serum, it certainly did help to calm and balanced skin as well reducing any redness and blotchy patches. You can purchase the Anti-Pollution Night Repair Serum here for £27.

It was hard to chose a favourite between these two ESPÉRER Skin Care Serums. However, if pushed, we’d have to say the Anti-Ageing Night Repair, but only because rose absolute is, one of our very favourite essential oils to use.

HÆR: SUSINUM Luxuriant Hair Oil

It’s been a while since The Amazing Blog has featured a hair oil, and as our regular readers will know, ones that don’t leave an oily residue on the hair are few and far between! That’s why we want to share another of our #amazingfinds with the non-greasy SUSINUM Luxuriant Hair Oil,  by HÆR which is good for even damaged or coloured hair.

HÆR is a British brand and newly launched by Rámon Taitz. It’s a new luxury haircare brand that offers this their award-winning SUSINUM Luxuriant Hair Oil. And what a product! Rámon worked in the hairdressing sector for over 20 years before deciding to take a leap of faith and create his own brand. His inspiration came from wanting to find products that didn’t contain artificial silicones or petroleum-based ingredients. The natural and organic hair products that he did find, were generally too oily for styling. Hence, he devoted five years to studying the origins of Egyptian and other ancient hair care ingredients to find his formula. Rámon said: “It became my wish to fuse these two life-paths and create hair care that combines the natural botanical medical wisdom of our ancestors with sustainable modern scientific practice, to create 100% naturally-derived, ethical haircare for today.” HÆR hair care is cruelty-free, vegan (registered with the Vegan Society), GMO-free and certified organic. It is also made with natural and sustainable ingredients which are biodegradable, renewable and kind to the environment.

HÆR’s firstborn (as they call it) and hero product is the SUSINUM Luxuriant Hair Oil which has recently been awarded with an Editor’s Choice in the 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards. This has been created by adapting, modernising, and naturally enhancing a formula, documented nearly 2000 years ago, which had ingredients like: One thousand blue Egyptian water lilies (aka blue lotus), steeped in antique balanos oil and perfumed with several aromatic botanicals such as cinnamon, myrrh, saffron and cardamom. However, this has now been modified by HÆR to make it light in texture, non-greasy and has the addition of 18 botanical ingredients. These key ingredients include: Egyptian blue lotus extract to help increase the volume, body and elasticity of brittle hair. Rich in palmitic acid, an emollient fatty acid, it prevents moisture loss and increases natural shine. Black seed oil, for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Moringa seed oil, also full of antioxidants, with the addition of bio-actives with vitamin B, C, and minerals to revive the hair. There is watermelon seed oil, an ultra-light oil with an abundance of antioxidants to help boost scalp circulation, and pomegranate seed oil, rich in nutrients to revitalise dry and damaged hair. There’s also squalene, frankincense, myrrh, cardamon, cinnamon, black cumin, cedarwood, vetiver, geranium, linden blossom, ylang-ylang and hazelnut - what a list! This formula is completely without synthetics or chemicals and designed to leave hair nourished, glossy and easy to style. We initially used this on clean damp hair, rubbing a few drops in the palm of our hands then gently massaging it into the scalp before running it through from the hair shaft to the ends. It felt more like a hair tonic than an oil as, there’s no greasy residue left on hands or hair. The scent is divine and exotic, where we detected a very subtle and fragrant fusion of ylang-ylang, cardamom and vetiver.  The scent and performance were outstanding; we also used it on dry hair for styling, and loved how it instantly smoothed down any annoying flyaway strands. This is now one of our ‘empties’, and we’ll certainly be buying more. You too can purchase HÆR: SUSINUM Luxuriant Hair Oil here for £39 - deliver within the UK only. 

Spruce: Multi-Purpose Starter Kit

The world of cleaning products is at last changing, and thankfully there is now a choice of natural cleaners with plant-based ingredients to make our homes sparkle.  For too long, products with harsh chemicals, leaving toxic residue on our counters, floors and even on our hands, has dominated. Although these natural products aren’t cheap, at The Amazing Blog we think that when it comes to buying safe, eco-friendly and non-toxic household cleaning items, these are a wise investment. Today we take a look at a Multi-Purpose Start Kit from Spruce.

Spruce, is a British cleaning brand recently founded by Mahira Kalim. They have launched with two products made from non-toxic ingredients and without any single-use plastics. After suffering from health issues, possibly due of the toxins in household products, Mahira realised that the market was filled with cleaning products that use single-use plastic bottles with 90% water, toxic chemicals, artificial dyes and fragrances. So, she decided to create a brand that offered safe, natural, and eco-friendly choices for consumers; “without compromising on convenience, effectiveness or aesthetics”. Having launched Spruce in the midst of the pandemic, Mahira has “put people and the planet over profit”. Therefore, she has developed her products to be entirely cruelty-free, vegan, and safe for pregnant women, children, and pets. Their product packaging, including the reusable aluminium bottles and the refill sachets, are all plastic-free, recyclable, FSC-certified, and printed with biodegradable ink.  Sustainability is at the heart of the brand. With the one-time buy of the aluminium bottle, it’s the world's most recycled material with 80% of the aluminium in use today which is recycled.  Their lightweight refill sachets have a concentrated powder and only weighs 4 grams, which is 140 times less than a typical cleaning bottle that weighs 560 grams, plus these are completely biodegradable!  Refills fit through a letterbox and get delivered with a significantly low carbon footprint. They also offer a flexible subscription which can be changed or cancel anytime.

The Multi-Purpose Starter Kit  is one of Spruce’s best-seller. The brand has already gained consumer recognition having been shortlisted by Dezeen Awards for their Sustainable Design and an Eco Lifestyle Winner at 2021 Beauty Shortlist Awards. We initially found Spruce at its inception on Instagram and have been itching to try their cleaners ever since. The Kit comes with a lightweight aluminium Spruce bottle and a plastic-free Multi-Purpose cleaner refill sachet. The refill sachet is made of plant-based or food-grade powder ingredients highly rated for their environmental and human safety on Environmental Working Group (EWG) and by the  European Chemical Agency (ECHA). The plant-based ingredients include sodium coco-sulfate (a surfactant derived from coconut) and alkyl polyglycosides (sugars). Whereas the food-grade ingredients include citric acid, potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate and sodium bicarbonate. Plus, there are locally sourced essential oils which contain antimicrobial properties. They are quick to point out that their surfactants work differently from toxic antibacterial agents (pesticides) that kill the bacteria. Also, a point to remember is that antibacterials are effective against bacteria, not viruses. Anyway, we couldn’t find any nasties here! We found it is gentle on the nose, where it left only the slightest residue of a mild spa-like geranium fragrance. Happily it also made swift work of removing lingering food stains and greasy marks from kitchen and bathroom worktops. To turn this Kit into a cleaning solution, you simply add the refill sachet into the bottle and fill it slowly with tap water- easy! This Multi-Purpose Kit has won us over as being not only good for the planet, but also great for our pocket; it lasted over a month, with regular use, which for us makes economic sense when this one product can replace at least three of our current others. You can purchase the multi-purpose starter kit here for £12.00 and refills at £9.99 each.

CBD Leafline - Skin Therapy: Cellulite Toning Body Lotion

Have you been sorting out your summer clothes and dreaming of getting back into your swimwear? We have! By doing this during #lockdown, it became apparent to some of us at The Amazing Blog that we needed to start toning up our tums, bums and thighs! And what better way to get started than by using a Cellulite Body Toning Lotion. This is from one of our favourite award-winning CBD skincare brands CBD Leafline from their range of Skin Therapy. You may remember that we’ve reviewed some of their products here.

CBD Leafline was founded in 2018 by CBD enthusiasts Paul and Sonia Shrive. Having had a lifesaving encounter with CBD in Africa during his youth, Paul wanted to create quality CBD-derived products for others to share the same benefits of wellbeing. Thanks to their experience in manufacturing, distribution, and wholesale; and Sonia’s expertise in marketing and customer service, they finally launched. And after further research and development their first CBD-infused skincare line, Skin Therapy made its debut last year too. Studies have demonstrated that topical use of CBD has helped regulate the sebaceous glands, and reduce inflammation. All products in the CBD Leafline range  are natural and combine high-quality whole-plant hemp oil containing broad-spectrum CBD (THC-free) with cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, omega 3/6 and amino acids which interact with other vegan ingredients. These are derived from plant and fruit extracts, such as marine collagen (always seaweed not fish), retinol, hyaluronic acid and pro-vitamin B5. All CBD Leafline products are independently tested (see here) and the brand is a CannaPro certified business.

Let’s talk about cellulite. In simple terms, it’s a build-up of fat under the dermis combined with weakening of the connective tissue, which in turn creates an orange peel ripple look on the body. It is a harmless and natural condition that affects about 9 out of 10 women - and some men. This is where CBD Leafline’s Cellulite Body Toning Lotion comes into its own. The antioxidants in the 100mg of CBD here, helps the production of collagen in the skin as well as reduce the appearance of stretch marks on the body. Not forgetting that the cannabidiol neutralising free radicals and the rich antioxidants help the skin stay youthful for longer. The carrier oils are olive, coconut and apricot kernel packed with fatty acids and further antioxidants that work to rehydrate and slow down skin ageing. Together with the ‘triple fruit extract’ of melon, strawberry and papaya, work in synergy to tone, tighten and exfoliate. The melon fruit extract is rich in vitamins A and C offering yet even more antioxidant compounds. When vitamin A and C are applied topically, they too are good at hunting down and neutralising free radicals and, most importantly, reduce the appearance of ‘orange peel’ skin. Strawberry fruit extract soothes and tones the skin and reduces the size of pores by tightening and firming skin. Whereas the papaya fruit extract also contains vitamins A and C that brightens and tones the skin giving it a natural lift whilst soothing, softening and promoting new skin cell growth. Finally, the four essential oils of orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit release a soft, fresh citrus aroma and they cleanse, purify, nourish and protect. CBD Leafline suggest applying this once a day to the cellulite-prone areas (in our case, thighs!) and gently pinching and massaging the area to stimulate circulation and blood flow. We found that by using this Cellulite Toning Body Lotion in the morning, after exercise and shower, was the best way for us to get optimal results. Then we used a wooden hand massager to gently stimulate the area, and as a final step, applied the Cellulite Toning Body Lotion. Yes, we have achieved smoother and less bumpy thighs but what we really noticed was how soft and hydrated it left our skin. It’s another one of our #amazingfinds of the week and also a must-have, if like us, you’re preparing to get your body bikini-ready after this very long #lockdown. To purchase CBD Leafline’s Cellulite Body Toning Lotion in 100ml for £34.99, click here.