Pure Anada - Fresh Cucumber: Hand & Body Wash and Cocoa Body Butter

As regular readers will know, at The Amazing Blog natural products are our thing. And in the wake of the global pandemic, we ‘ve noticed that more consumers are now mindful and ingredient aware when it comes to making their skincare purchases. We’ve also recently received lots of enquiries asking us to advise on the best natural skincare to buy etc. So, in our search for something new to share, we’ve turned to one of our favourite online stores Live In The Light; where they kindly sent us a selection of products from an organic transatlantic brand, the first of which we’re featuring today, meet Pure Anada.

For Candace Grenier, the Canadian founder of Pure Anada, it all began in 2003, when she started a family and changed her way of living into a more environmentally friendly one. This began with changing her household cleaning products and went right the way through to all her cosmetics. Candice discovered a niche in making her own, “I made colours for myself, friends and family.  I was surprised to learn how many ladies were sensitive to traditional cosmetics.  It seems as if our bodies are just saying…’enough already with the chemicals’!  Even more fascinating was that the products I was creating from organic botanicals, and food-grade minerals didn’t irritate their skin at all!” Having always been passionate about creating her own products, she went on to launch a very successful business, making a variety of organic household and personal care products. Candice has high ethical standards when it comes to her products and ensures that there is no child labour or discrimination against women. Pure Anada avoids using toxins and other ‘dirty dozen’ and try to maintain a clean formula with each product they make. All their products are free from common allergens and are derived from natural or plant-based origins; as well as cruelty-free, they don’t test on animals and most of their ingredients are vegan. They have an open appreciation for nature giving their brand transparency through all their products. Today we’re featuring  Pure Anada’s Fresh Cucumber Hand & Body Wash and Fresh Cucumber Cocoa Body Butter.

The Fresh Cucumber Hand & Body Wash is free from silicone, artificial ingredients and fragrance. What we love in this Hand & Body Wash is that this has biodegradable surfactants that are derived purely from sugar and coconut oil making it rich in elements that help to heal dry skin. This gentle Fresh Cucumber cleanser also contains cetearyl olivate extracted from olive oil, which is not only an excellent antioxidant but also a brilliant skin protector. There’s sunflower oil which acts as an anti-inflammatory agent and contains fatty acids like the omega-6, vitamin E. Finally, the other more unusual ingredient here is the leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate which provides mild protection against bacteria, mould, and yeasts. Radish root is a great natural alternative to synthetic preservatives. There is no overpowering scent in this Hand & Body Wash, we could only just make out a subtle cucumber fragrance. It applied like a milky lotion but created a good lather to clean and left our skin soft and moisturised. It comes in a convenient 300 ml size and costs £9.50 here.

Next, we have the Fresh Cucumber Cocoa Body Butter which echoes similar ingredients to the Hand and Body Wash. it’s super-rich in sunflower seed and coconut oil, as well as shea and cocoa butter; which will provide your skin with all the protection and moisture it’ll need. Deeply hydrating, it’s the perfect partner to go with the Hand & Body Wash. We loved using both in equal measures - so no particular favourite here. With the summer now upon us, we suggest starting your day by using these in tandem, that way you stay fresh and fragrant all day long! The Fresh Cucumber Cocoa Body Butter in 125ml costs £8.00 here.

Bao-Med UK - Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil and Food Supplements: Hair Skin & Nails

They say that hair is a woman’s ‘crowning glory’ (a phrase that dates back to Biblical times) and we at The Amazing Blog couldn’t agree more.  After all, when you have a full head of shiny and voluminous hair, it makes you feel glamorous and feminine. Today we’re going to introduce you to two products that will help to put that va va voom right back into your hair with the main ingredient focus being from the baobab fruit.  Meet The Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil, and the Food Supplement: Hair, Skin & Nails from Bao-Med, they both work well alone or when used in tandem.

We have introduced Bao-Med previously on in our features here, where we have written about their Pure Soap and Pure Oil Bodywash. So, we were excited to try out more from this brand again. Bao-Med offers natural products with baobab fruit as its key ingredient. Baobab is known as a ‘superfood’ because of its highly nutritious values. The baobab powder is very rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin C, making it an ideal choice for your hair health. The baobab tree can live for up to 3000 years and Bao-Med practices sustainability by only collecting the fruit that has already fallen on the ground, thus not damaging the tree. By doing this, the tree will continue to be a great source of the fruits for many years to come. Bao-Meds’ Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil recently won an award in The Beauty Shortlist Award in 2020. What we particularly like about this brand is that all their products are organic and come with international certification. As mentioned previously, Bao-Med's products are made from pure baobab seed oil and vitamin and mineral-rich white powder from the fruit which is used in their Food Supplements. The oil from the nut of this fruit has softening, protective and restructuring properties and which are excellent for skin and hair, often used for stretch marks or dry and damaged hair. This brand’s products have been created to help promote healthy skin, scalp, hair and nails; as the baobab seed oil is renowned for its hydrating and healing properties.

Let’s start with the Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil which is extracted as a cold-pressed oil from the baobab seed. Golden in colour, with the addition of a light fig fragrance, it’s made up of 99.8% baobab and 0.2% of natural fig perfume.  They tell us that 33% of the baobab seed consists of oleic and linoleic acids to soothe and protect.  We found it to be a bit of a ‘wonder oil’ where it protects, heals and repairs with its multipurpose use. Apart from scalp and hair (where it did very efficiently come to our aid of split ends and itchy scalps) it’s also great for skin, nails and lips; where we found it relieved dry skin and quickly absorbed leaving it deeply moisturised.  The oil is rich in omega 3, 6 & 9 and it has the added bonus of these great anti-ageing properties. We loved using it to rehydrate dry and frizzy hair working it into the ends after washing, and lightly massaging into the scalp to help reduce itchiness. You can purchase your Pure Skin, Scalp & Hair Oil, which comes in a 30ml bottle here for only £ 25.00.

Then we have the Food Supplements: Hair Skin & Nails, which helps to maintain a balanced body. The key ingredient again is the baobab powder which is combined with other ingredients such as biotin, zinc and, folic acid, making it the ideal supplement for healthier hair. Biotin, in particular, is critical to healthier hair growth, keeping it strong and shiny. This Supplement is rich in prebiotics too, which helps with gut health and supports a good digestion. Did you know that the baobab powder has four times vitamin C than oranges? Which when you put all this together with potassium and calcium for the wellbeing of kidneys and bones, plus the magnesium which balances the metabolism and prevent diabetes and osteoporosis; by taking just two capsules a day with food - you get full body benefit with just one supplement! You can buy the 60 capsules of this Food Supplements: Hair Skin & Nails here for only £ 25.00. 

ULU (U Love U) - Revitalise 5% CBD Serum and Happy 1% CBD Body Oil

We like to support all things CBD and at The Amazing Blog we search out the very best that we can find. Today at The Amazing Blog we want to introduce you to ULU (U Love U), a newcomer that produces CBD oils and skincare. We like that their motto is ‘love your life’ and as we all know, the pressures of everyday life can often lead to anxiety and stress and ULU are here to help break that cycle. CBD has become more and more popular here in the UK and we’ve been featuring it here for a while now. We’re always curious as see to how products from this humble hemp plant can play a positive part in our lives. 

Founded by Paul Hembery, whose background is motorsport, where he worked in a high-pressure and stressful environment. After having discovered the merits of CBD products, he wanted to provide a solution for other people experiencing similar challenges. He believes in spreading positivity and wellbeing, “I was studying a life course in California with the Bob Proctor Institute and was struck by the need to increase positivity and confidence in people and life in general.” Paul went on to say: “Combine that with the opportunity CBD is providing and my personal mission to provide high-quality solutions, I decided to create ULU. You only get one life. So, above all, I want people to love it.” All of which proved to be his inspiration to venture into the world of CBD. ULU offers THC free full-spectrum CBD products (we recently explained THC-free full spectrum process in another CBD feature here). Their product range includes skincare, pet supplement oils,  sublingual oils, capsules, combined amino CBD and vapes.  They are made in Germany and are herbicide and pesticide-free. Today we are reviewing two of their skincare products Revitalise 5% CBD Serum 750mg and the Happy 1% CBD Body Oil 750mg.

Indeed, CBD oil has numerous ‘positive’ properties and one of the many adverse effects we’ve felt from this quarantine/pandemic has been stress, and this stress is reflected immediately on our skin; whether it’s an acne breakout, skin redness, or dehydration.  The Revitalise Serum offers the skin relief and protection against environmental pollution and free radicals. A powerful and natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, the CBD here is broad-spectrum and THC-free (confusing, I know when they tell us they’re full-spectrum, perhaps it’s only the sublingual products?) The CBD is the key ingredient in this Serum, where it helps purify the skin and offers some great anti-ageing effects too. The Serum has 5% of CBD (750ml in this 15ml bottle) making it and the Body Oil, the highest concentration of organic broad-spectrum CBD in skincare, here in the UK. However, don’t be concerned it is very gentle on the skin despite its strength, we found that it suited all our skin types and really plumped up the skin. Their organic cannabidiol here is combined with organic aloe leaf juice an antioxidant-rich in vitamins and known for its legendary heal properties. There is organic coconut oil and sunflower seed oil, which are rich in vitamins A, C, and, D. Plus the red raspberry, blueberry, and cranberry extracts that shield the skin and act as a cell regenerator, encourages cell growth and boosts the collagen levels in the skin.  We think that this Serum is ideal for dry skin with its addition of organic neem seed and rosehip seed oils which even out skin tone and rebalance any redness. This Revitalising Serum is available for here in 15ml for £41.

The second product from ULU we tried is the ULU Happy 1% CBD Body Oil is a deeply hydrating body oil which contains 1% of CBD (750mg in 15ml). What better way to leave your skin with velvety result than by using this Body Oil. It contains jojoba seed oil that will help soothe your skin and leave it glowing with the Meadowfoam seed oil which will help prevent loss of skin moisturisation. The avocado oil will make sure your skin gets all the vitamins and protein it needs to keep it healthy and protect it from UV rays damages. This Body Oil also contains sunflower seed oil, neem seed oil, and organic coconut oil and has a natural slightly zesty aroma to keep you smelling fresh and feeling energised. They recommend using this also on eczema and acne. With a name like HAPPY who could resist? Quickly added neither of these products smells even the tiniest bit ‘hemp-y’ - which we’ve heard as a common complaint with some CBD skincare. See here for the ULU Happy 1% CBD Body oil in 75ml for £44.

Chuckling Goat Kefir Lotions

We’re fans of goat’s milk and one of us here at The Amazing Blog drinks it regularly on a daily basis. Did you know that unlike cow’s milk, the enzymes in raw goat’s milk aids the digestion process? Thus making it more tolerable for not only humans but dogs too! So, we’re pleased to introduce you to our latest #amazingfinds with Chuckling Goat and their Kefir Lotions. These are a series of four different skin lotions which are good for using on the face and body that contain the same award-winning kefir and raw goat’s milk.  

It all started when the founders Shann and Richard Jones were trying to find new ways in which to help their son Benji, who was suffering from eczema and chronic bronchial infections. This is when they discovered that by feeding him goats milk it helped his allergies, and so they went and bought their very first goat! The rest, as they say, is history and in 2014 Chuckling Goat was born. They have found themselves being hailed as gut health specialists, and now have 23 team members, 15 barn cats, 50 goats, and more than 200 000 pleased customers from 56 different countries from all around the world.  They are a UK market leader in the production of raw goat’s milk and kefir which for those of you who are new to kefir, it’s a great immune booster and contributes to functioning the nervous system. Not only that it maintains the normal function of bones and skin and also reduces fatigue and tiredness. We love that Chuckling Goat has already donated more than £100,000 worth of their products to the NHS as part of their appreciation to those on the frontline. These Chuckling Goat Kefir Lotions are all handmade, cruelty-free, and suitable for pregnant women and children over 3 years old. All products are unisex and are primarily composed of goat’s milk, kefir, Finnish oat oil, rice bran oil and olive oil, and are either pure or with a specific essential oil. They are made in small batches by hand on the farm and made from food-grade ingredients. 

First, we tried the Sensitive Kefir Lotion. Made with their raw goat’s milk, it contains valuable minerals, enzymes, and vitamins that help nourish your skin. Its key ingredients are goat milk, kefir, oat oil highly concentrated in antioxidants, and vitamin E, it softens and smoothens the skin. It also contains water and olive oil, this natural oil helps to decrease acne, hydrate, and moisturise the skin, and also contains antioxidant properties, therefore fights the bacteria along with other vitamins such as vitamin B5. This Sensitive Kefir is the only one of the lotions not to contain any essential oils (in case of skin sensitivity).

Next up, we have the Soothing Kefir Lotion this has the inclusion of a rosemary essential oil that acts as a refreshing astringent that helps the skin cells contract and also balances the skin tone. It has an antimicrobial benefit on the skin which helps prevent future breakouts, as well as vitamin B5. The smell is a very subtle rosemary.

The third product to try is the Calm-Down Kefir Lotion which is differentiated from the others because it contains lavender oil. The latter works to kill bacteria on the skin and therefore fights acne and other skin breakouts, it also is known for its ability to soothe eczema and help with dry skin conditions thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties. This amazingly fragranced lotion is ideal dry skin and was our favourite with the lavender fragrance which is so calming.

Last but not least, Break-out Kefir Lotion contains the divine tea tree oil which is known for its focused anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that can help to reduce swelling and aid in giving a smooth and crystal-clear skin. This fourth Kefir Lotion contains thyme essential oil, a true skin fortifier which offers itchy-skin relief. Studies have shown it to be was more effective against acne bacteria, than the chemical ingredient benzoyl peroxide. The tea tree oil is also believed to be highly antibacterial and is commonly used to treat acne, athlete's foot, lice, nail fungus and insect bites.

With all these lotions having raw goat milk and kefir, it makes them ideal for keeping the right pH balance of the skin with the added benefit of the good bacteria. Let’s not forget to mention that these are free from phthalates, petrochemicals, parabens, dyes or artificial perfumes. These four handmade all-natural Chuckling Goat Kefir Lotions, each comes in 2 different handy sizes, 50ml and 150ml, and cost £8.95 and £17.95 respectively. Or you can buy the full set of four here for £26.95.

Danilo Manco - Gustoso Organic Apple Vinegar

Summer is really here (in between the rain showers!) and what better way to enjoy our new outdoor life than with a gorgeous salad (or a cocktail*) with Gustoso Organic Apple Vinegar.  At The Amazing Blog, all the girls and I love to try new products that have a twist, and we certainly haven’t tried an organic apple vinegar before… 

Sent to us by The Olive Oil Company, this organic apple vinegar is produced by Danilo Manco in Italy. The term ‘vinegar’ actually refers to the two-step process of fermentation from a carbohydrate to an alcohol and then to acetic acid. Sugar is converted into alcohol, which is then fermented into vinegar. This vinegar comes from the wonderful Modena area in the Emilia Romagna region Italy; and has been made from organically grown apples and then stored in wooden casks.  This process concentrates the flavours while allowing the microorganisms necessary to convert the apples into vinegar to enter the barrels. The longer the ageing time, the better the end product is. The mother apple vinegar (a substance composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops naturally during the fermentation process) turns the alcohol into acetic acid with the help of the oxygen present in the air. NB this is not apple ‘cider’ vinegar it is a pure apple vinegar made in the balsamic style. In order to maintain the delicious taste and natural antioxidant properties of the vinegar, it only contains the best selection of Italian organic apples. These are then turned into a concentrated apple juice and mixed with the mother organic apple vinegar.  The result is both yummy and healthy!  No wonder it received the Great Taste 3-star award in 2019.  

After all the baking and snacking we’ve been doing, a salad which only needs a dibble this apple-based balsamic vinegar is perfect for helping to shed the any extra kilos that might have crept on during our recent lockdown. You can taste the apple making it sweet, tangy and bursting with flavour. Dark brown in colour it is thicker than an ordinary vinegar and has the consistency almost of a balsamic glaze.  So a little goes a long way which is good as this is a luxury item. It combines well with scallops and prawns as well as adding it into strews.  Also, perfect drizzled on strawberries or in *cocktail such as this ‘Apple Vinegar Vodka Sipper.’  Take 30g of apple juice, 30 g of vodka and one teaspoon of GUSTOSO Organic Apple Vinegar. Add crushed ice and mix in a cocktail shaker, then serve and garnish with grapes on a cocktail stick. Delicious! So go forth and take the flavour of your next salad to a new level by buying a bottle here for £13.50 (200ml) of the Gustoso Organic Apple Vinegar.