Aubrey Organics Jojoba Meal and Oatmeal Mask and Scrub

photo courtesy of Aubrey Organics

I got this mask before my excursion into baking soda, because I wanted a scrubby mask.  I chose this, even though it’s meant for dry skin, because this is the only Aubrey mask that is also a scrub.

I mainly used this as a facial scrub, and it did a great job.  This isn’t a rough scrub because the scrubby bits are ground up really well.  Unlike the apricot kernel or almond scrubs you may have used in the past, this isn’t going to scrape your face up and make it sting.  Used as a scrub, I would recommend this for any skin type, though people with sensitive skin might want to avoid it.

I only used this as a mask once or twice.  Like the other Aubrey masks I’ve reviewed, this one doesn’t dry on the skin, so it’s easy to remove–especially if you then scrub it off gently with water.  After use, my skin was soft and moisturized, and no oilier than normal several hours later.  And this didn’t cause my skin to break out.

I don’t remember much of the fragrance.  It wasn’t offensive, and I think it’s slightly herbally, much like the other Aubrey products I’ve used.

Jojoba meal and Oatmeal Mask and Scrub, $9.43, 4 ounces.

INGREDIENTS INCI: Aqua, alcohol denat. (38b, lavender*), simmondsia chinensis seed powder*, cetyl alcohol, avena sativa kernel flour, glycerin, citrus grandis seed extract, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl linolenate, triticum vulgare germ oil, rosa rubiginosa (Rosa Mosqueta®) fruit oil*, persea gratissima oil, tocopheryl acetate, hamamelis virginiana water, pimenta acris leaf oil, cymbopogon nardus oil, ferula galbaniflua oil, lavandula hybrida oil, citrus limonum peel oil, evernia prunastri extract, mentha piperita oil, abies sibirica oil, rosmarinus officinalis leaf oil, aloe barbadensis leaf*, ascorbic acid, fucus vesiculosus extract, laminaria digitata extract, glycine soja oil, daucus carota sativa root extract, beta carotene.

Aubrey Organics Natural Baby and Kids Bath Soap

photo courtesy of Aubrey Organics

First, I will give you the usual warning about this not being a tear-free product.  if you are going to use this on a baby or very young child, please cover his or her eyes when washing and rinsing with this soap.

The smell of this liquid soap is very light; it reminded me slightly of the usual baby wash fragrance (think Johnson and Johnson’s), though much lighter in intensity, and maybe a little more herbally or floral.

While it doesn’t lather as much as I like (I can’t help it, I like my bubbles), it cleaned Liam’s skin well without drying it out.  Used on a mesh sponge, it doesn’t take much of this to get a small child clean.

Natural Baby and Kids Bath Soap, 8 ounces, $8.98

INGREDIENTS INCI: Aqua, sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, oryza sativa (rice) syrup, coco glucoside, glycerin, xanthan gum, aloe barbadensis (aloe) leaf juice*, citrus grandis (grapefruit) seed extract, glyceryl linoleate, glyceryl linolenate, alcohol denat. (38b, lavender*), helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil*, cinnamomum zeylanicum (cinnamon) leaf oil, citrus sinensis (orange) oil*, cymbopogon martini (palmarosa) oil*, aniba rosaeodora (rosewood) oil, citrus aurantium (neroli) oil, vanilla planifolia oil, pelargonium graveolens roseum (rose geranium) oil, tocopheryl acetate, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) water, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), foeniculum vulgare (fennel) fruit extract, humulus lupulus (hops) extract, melissa officinalis (balm mint) leaf extract, viscum album (mistletoe) fruit extract, chamomilla recutita (matricaria – German camomile) extract, achillea millefolium (yarrow) extract, glycine soja (soybean) oil, daucus carota sativa (carrot) root extract, beta-carotene.

*Organic

Aubrey Organics Vegecol Alcohol Free Toner

photo courtesy of Aubrey Organics

I used to have oily skin all the time, even up until I was about 29 or 30 years old.  After I became pregnant with Liam, my skin went from oily to normal almost overnight, and stayed that way the majority of my pregnancy.  After Liam was born, my skin stayed normal for a little while, then drifted back towards being combination.  Now, like many women, my face gets oilier or drier with the season.  In the spring and summer, I tend to me more oily all over my face, and in the fall and winter, my skin moves more towards combination.  I used to think it was weird that people would switch their skin care regimes depending on the season, but now I have become one of those people.

I bought Vegecol last winter when I knew I needed a toner, but my face was getting dry and itchy so I didn’t want one with any alcohol in it.  I am so pleased with everything about this toner, and it was a great discovery.

First, the smell is very light and slightly herbally.  Even though it contains lavender water, the smell is only slightly reminiscent of lavender.  It has always bothered me when I used a toner or astringent that had a heavier fragrance that I could smell all day long, and that isn’t a problem with Vegecol.

Because it’s alcohol-free, it won’t sting sensitive skin, or even skin that’s a little drier than normal.  And even though it has no alcohol, this is a good toner for those of you who have oily skin, because the witch hazel serves as a natural, but mild, astringent.  It removes the last traces of grime, cleanser, and makeup without stripping skin.

Vegecol with Aloe Alcohol-Free Facial Toner, 8 ounces, $9.92

INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Organic Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel (natural herbal extract), Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E), Lavender Water.

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner

photo courtesy of Aubrey Organics

I am crazy about the smell of Japanese honeysuckle.  About a block from my house, on my walking route, there is a fence that is covered with Japanese honeysuckle, smack dab between two of the cutest houses in the neighborhood.  In mid May and early June, the honeysuckle blooms, and if the breeze is just right, we can smell it in our backyard.  I’m always sad when it quits blooming in the spring, but right about the end of October–surprise!–it blooms again.  So I get out and spend about five minutes with my nose buried in the petals on my way out and back.

So yes, I originally bought this conditioner based on the smell alone.  I walked around smelling honeysuckle all day long.  The best part about the fragrance is that it’s scented with honeysuckle oil, so it’s a true honeysuckle, not some plastic-y honeysuckle wannabe.

I really liked how this worked the first two bottles I used.  It did a good job of moisturizing my hair, which was soft (and smelled good!) and easy to comb through after using.

What I don’t like about this conditioner is that it takes a long time to rinse out of my hair and I have to use very hot water to get it completely rinsed out.  I don’t know if it’s the cream base, shea butter, or both, but it was difficult for me to rinse this, and if I didn’t rinse long enough, my hair was limp.  I tried a third bottle not long ago, and gave up on it because it simply took too long to rinse out of my hair.

Still, I would recommend this highly to anyone based on how well it works and the smell.  Just be patient with the rinse time and remember to use hot water.  And if you have really dry or coarse hair, this might not be a problem for you at all.

Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner, 11 ounces,  $10.93

INGREDIENTS: Coconut Fatty Acid Cream Base, Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Shea Butter, Wheat Germ Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Organic Rosa Mosqueta® Rose Hip Seed Oil; Extracts of Fennel, Hops, Balm Mint, Mistletoe, Camomile, Yarrow, Chrysanthemum, Angelica, Forsythia and Magnolia; Honeysuckle Oil, Carrot Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

Aubrey Organics Green Tea Clarifying Shampoo

Photo courtesy of Aubrey Organics

I purchased Aubrey’s Green Tea shampoo not in an effort to find a new clarifying shampoo, but to find a new shower gel for my husband.  I was in the process of switching all of our toiletries over to ecofriendly stuff, and the search for a shower gel for him was driving us both nutty.  A shower gel might smell good, but left a residue on his skin.  Or he hated the smell.  Or it didn’t create enough lather.  Etc., etc., blah blah blah.

Fortunately, this last-ditch effort worked for him.

If you haven’t ever used an Aubrey shampoo before, you need to know that they are really thick, which is great if you are using it as a shower gel, because you add it to a mesh sponge, add water, and lather up.  A little bit truly goes a long way, and Jeff can get about four months of use out of an eleven ounce bottle.

Don’t expect the typical green tea smell from this though.  Instead, the smell is herbal and fresh, though slightly sweet.  It’s not sweet enough that the men-folk say, “nuh-uh, that’ll make me smell like a girl!”, and the fragrance won’t cling to your skin and interfere with lotion or perfume scents.

Like any liquid soap, it cleans well, and it doesn’t leave a filmy feel on the skin.

As a shampoo, I like this less, but it’s still a good shampoo for people with oily hair.  Lathering up with this isn’t quite as easy (from a long hair point of view) because while it will lather up well, getting it dispersed all over your head takes some serious work.  You have to add quite a bit of water because it’s so thick.  But if you only use it once or twice a week as a clarifying shampoo, this isn’t as much of an issue.

And it does clarify.  This left my hair squeaky clean without any build-up feel.  However, having somewhat dry hair, I had to make sure to use a little extra conditioner after this shampoo.

This is a great product and I highly recommend it.

You can purchase at  http://www.aubrey-organics.com/ProductInfo/122.aspx.   11 oz, $10.93.

INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Coconut Oil-Corn Oil Soap, Organic Green Tea Extract (Organic Green Tea, Organic Nettle, Natural Grain Alcohol), Organic Aloe Vera, Carrageenan, Organic Lemon Peel Oil, Almond Protein, Organic Blue Camomile Oil, Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E).

Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Seaclay with Goa Herb Oil Balancing Mask

For some reason, I’ve always liked trying masks more than anything else.  I guess my brain seems to think that a treatment like this is going to have instant effects, making me more beautiful or something.  But I do enjoy the way my skin looks and feels after a mask, and it’s nice to have an excuse to just sit and read for a few minutes.  (“Honey, can you get the phone?  I’m masking.”)

I’m used to masks that dry.  Aubrey’s Herbal Seaclay Balancing Mask doesn’t dry.  I discovered to really great things about this: first, it’s SO much easier to wipe off my face.  Second, my face didn’t feel all dried up after I took the mask off.  It felt cleaner and looked fresher, but without that parched feeling some masks for oily skin can leave you with.  The directions say to use a thin layer, so I did.  This spreads wonderfully, so a bottle of this will last a long time, even if you use it a few times a week.  The smell is herbally without being pungent or offensive.

I’ve only used this once, so the verdict is out on how it works in the long term, but if you have oily skin, definitely give this a try.  I think you’ll be happy with it.

INGREDIENTS INCI: Glycerin, kaolin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice*, aqua, oryza sativa syrup*, cellulose gum, simmondsia chinensis seed oil*, prunus amygdalus dulcis oil, citrus grandis seed extract, fucus vesiculosus extract, hedera helix extract, spiraea ulmaria extract, clematis vitalba leaf extract, equisetum hyemale extract, laminaria digitata extract, mentha piperita oil, styrax benzoin extract, citrus aurantium dulcis oil, cananga odorata flower oil, carica papaya fruit extract, alcohol denat. (38b, lavender*), tocopheryl acetate, hamamelis virginiana water, ascorbic acid, andira araroba, glycine soja oil, daucus carota sativa root extract, beta carotene.
*Organic

Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Facial Astringent for oily skin

Water, grain alcohol, and witch hazel are the major ingredients of this astringent, which gets all the remaining cleanser off without leaving my skin feeling tingly or dry.  I usually try to steer clear of astringents that have a lot of alcohol in them, but Aubrey’s herbal astringent feels more like water on the skin than anything else.

The smell is herbal, but not strongly so, and evaporates soon after application, so it won’t stick around to haunt you all day long.  Oily skin can handle the alcohol and witch hazel in this product without a problem.  I haven’t noticed an upswing in oil production on the days I use this instead of Aubrey’s Vegecol toner (that is alcohol-free), so you shouldn’t have a problem with oiliness during the day.

INGREDIENTS: Aubrey’s Herbal Base: (Deionized Water, Natural Grain Alcohol, Witch Hazel [natural herbal extract], Vegetable Glycerin; the following whole herbals: Organic German Camomile Flowers, Calendula Flowers, Organic Lavender Flowers, Organic Peppermint Leaf, Organic Coltsfoot Leaf and Organic Nettle Leaf; Extracts of Roman Camomile, Linden, Sage, Clematis, Coneflower, St. John’s Wort, Watercress, Burdock Root, Lemon, Ivy, Soapwort, Meadowsweet, Bladderwrack, Horsetail, Blue Mallow, Pellitory Root, Cucumber, Elder Flower and Arnica; Aubrey’s Preservative [Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E], Organic Lemon Peel Oil), Organic Aloe Vera, Horse Chestnut Extract, Vitamin A, Inositol, Linoleic Acid (Vitamin F), Panthenol (Vitamin B-5), Biotin, Fructose, Glucose, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Nicotinic Acid, Calendula Oil.

Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Facial Cleanser for Oily Skin

This review will be the start of several for Aubrey Organics, and I find it odd that my first review for Aubrey is for a product that reminds of something I used when I was 15: Noxema.

Aubrey’s herbal facial cleanser for oily skin isn’t Noxema, though it smells, looks, and feels like it.  It has eucalyptus, menthol, and camphor oils for the same bracing smell and skin tingle.  It’s a lot creamier than Noxema, but other than that, I keep wondering if it can be applied to a sunburn…

Anyway, before I get silly with this, let me tell you that this seems to work well for oily skin.  I don’t feel dried out after I use it, just super tingly.  And it doesn’t take that much to cleanse your whole face either.  If you loved Noxema as a teenager and want to try something similar, definitely try this, especially since most of the ingredients are organic.

INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Coconut Fatty Alcohol, Witch Hazel (natural herbal extract), Natural Grain Alcohol, Castile Soap; a special blend of Organic Eucalyptus Oil, Camphor Oil and Menthol Oil; Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E), Organic Rosemary Oil, Organic Sage Oil, Panthenol (Vitamin B-5), Organic Aloe Vera.