Hi Lovelies,
Welcome back! And welcome if you are new here xoxo
How are all of you? I hope you are well? First of all, I want to say Thank You Love Lula – you must have read my mind and fulfilled my wishes before I even asked!
You see, after starting being interested in the scalp health (after ignoring it for nearly forty years, no less) I went down the rabbit hole of searching the most natural products for it, read books, dozens of blog and magazine articles, looked at products until my eyes crossed over & have decided I wanted to go the most natural route of using the most nourishing oils and all these natural herbs like shikakai, amla, bhringraj, tulsi, neem and so on. I was able to find one online shop who carries those powdered ingredients I mentioned, but they were all individual powders (at around 4-6€ a pop) with vague explanations, so immediately my mind started producing loads of questions – how do I use them? How do I mix them properly, some claimed they need to be rehydrated overnight, some can be used after just a few minutes. How do I choose the right ones for my hair? How do I mix them at the right proportions (some are drying) and how do I know what the proportions are? And so on and so forth – my mind is very good at that kind of thing! I also wanted to find an affordable natural line who would do natural single ingredient oils & other products at affordable prices. Guess what? While I was doing mental calculations what and how many powders to buy and what else I could add to get to 65€ free shipping limit, Love Lula solved all my puzzles in one go! They have introduced Aymi! I have spotted the line even before it was announced and let me tell you, I almost started doing cartwheels when I saw them! Henna together with 9 other Ayurvedic herbs – big yes please! All natural oils at really affordable prices? Come this way! You get the drift, I am excited. Not only that, but they are also making other products like scrubs, shampoos, creams and so on. Now, before we get really excited, let me tell you, not everything is purist – level natural, so be sure to peruse ingredients before you buy and then you will be able to make a decision for yourself. For example I noticed a lot of products contain phenoxyethanol, which is not natural and is classed as an irritant for sensitive skin. My skin is exactly that, so I made sure to choose the products I can wash off, nothing that actually stays on the skin. I will make sure to update you on everything I own to the best of my ability and I am happy to say my skin wasn’t irritated at all, but you do you boo, try to secure samples if you can. The way I see it, it is not a big loss even it is won’t work out for you – nothing in the line is over 9.99£, with most of the products being at 3.99£ – 6.99£ range. You can always swap it or pass it on to your family or friends. I am keeping all mine, mind you! With plans to go back for more – I noticed Love Lula have added some soaps, conditioning treatment & I have decided I want a couple of body oils after all.
Let’s see a bit about the company?
Ayumi is a natural skincare brand, inspired by the ancient principles of Ayurveda. A holistic brand, lovingly made in the UK, Ayumi is certified as both vegan-friendly and cruelty-free.
Dating back approximately 5000 years, Ayurveda is an Indian system of health and wellbeing with the aim of reaching a state of content. Now, however, it is more difficult to maintain a balance in our new, urban environment. This is what Ayumi stands for – maintaining balance in our new surroundings. Ayumi is committed to making natural and mindful living available to everyone, bringing back the natural environment even to the busiest of cities. Bursting with aromatic essential oils, organic extracts and Ayurvedic ingredients, Ayumi is designed to balance the skin and the mind.
I think we have established that I have changed the way I blog when it comes to all things Love Lula*. Up until now I used to collect a few products over time for a one brand review, but now that they want us to blog about the products in the same month we get them, I have decided to do a reveal-and-first impressions post on what I pick for said month, all while giving my honest feedback on the last month’s products. You guys seem to love it, Love Lula gets what they want, and I am happy to be accountable – a win win if you ask me 🙂
*sadly Love Lula is no more. Sob!
As you can see, I have completely bypassed The Organic Pharmacy Stabilized Vitamin C serum I was after last month – all because I was so excited to try this new brand. Let’s get started, shall we?
AYUMI BIO ACTIVE GROWTH HAIR OIL*
You get a very generous amount of this at very affordable price. The description promises a thickening and strengthening of hair, the formula seemed gorgeous on paper – oil has a combination of ancient Ayurvedic remedies renowned for their hair strengthening properties and ability to minimise hair loss, we blend antioxidant and vitamin-rich Bringaraj, Amla, Shikakai and Aritha in a base of Organic Coconut Oil to help thicken and volumise thin and damaged hair. Carrot seed oil, Bhrahmi and Methi are traditionally used to induce hair growth, improve circulation and rejuvenate hair follicles for long and lustrous hair. How can you say no to that? Right?
I have only used it once or twice, but I have to say the first impressions are good, the oil seemed to make my hair lustrous and shiny, reduced the scalp sensitivity – all that and my hair is definitely not oily post wash. This is definitely heaps better than the last hair oil I had, I am very happy with it.
INGREDIENTS: Sesamum Indicum (Sesame)Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Almond) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Organic Coconut )Oil, Ricinus Communis (Castor)Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Oil, Amyris Balsamifera Oil, Canarium luzonicum (Elemi) Oil, Cedrus Deodora (Cedarwood Himalayan)Oil, Helianthus Annuus Seed (Sunflower) Oil, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Oil, Daucus carota Sativa Seed (Carrot) Oil, Centella asiatica (Brahmi) Extract, Eclipta Alba (Bhringraj) Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica (Amla) Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Extract, Sapindus Mukurossi (Aritha) Extract, Trigonella Foenum Graecum (Fenugreek) Extract, Acacia Concinna (Shikakai) Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Oil, Cinnamyl Alcohol , Cinnamal, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Farnesol, Limonene, Linalool *no mineral oils within products.
AYUMI SANDALWOOD BODY WASH*
I have to say I really enjoy this, the scent is something I really like, it lathers and washes the body really well and is not drying at all. The bottle is half gone by now due to my overzealous family members, I am seriously considering body washes quotas in our house, lol! They seriously use way too much.
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Parfum (Fragrance Essential Oil blend), Glyceryl Oleate, Glycerin (Vegetable Origin), Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Pogostemon Cablin ((Patchouli) Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Orbignya Oleifera (Babussa)Seed Oil, Santalum Spicatum (Sandalwood) Wood Oil, Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Extract., Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Bark Extract, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
AYUMI SANDALWOOD BODY SCRUB*
Same smell, OK formula – and by that I mean this does it’s job, but I would like to see more scrubby bits. This is a bit too gentle for my liking, so I have to use more of it to get the job done. Very foamy formula, I haven’t come across many scrubs like this – you certainly won’t need a body wash when you will use this!
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Pumice, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Coco-Glucoside, Parfum (Fragrance Essential Oil blend), Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Olea Europaea (Olive) Seed Powder, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Santalum Spicatum (Sandalwood) Wood Oil, Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Extract., Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Bark Extract, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Linalool, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
AYUMI ARGAN SANDALWOOD HAIR SHAMPOO*
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Parfum (Fragrance: Essential Oil Blend), Glyceryl Oleate, Quaternium-80, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Panthenol, Acacia Concinna (Shikakai)Fruit Extract, Sapindus Trifoliatus (Aritha)Fruit Extract, Polyquaternium-11, Phyllanthus Emblica ( Amla) Extract, Cyperus Rotundus (Java)Root Extract, Eclipta Prostrata (Bhringaraj) Extract, Argania Spinosa (Argan) Kernel Oil, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Jasminum Grandiflorum Flower Extract., Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Leaf Oil, Santalum Spicatum (Sandalwood) Wood Oil, Sodium Levulinate, Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Cinnamomum Zeylanicum (Cinnamon) Bark Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
AYUMI TURMERIC HIBISCUS SHAMPOO*
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water), Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Coco-Glucoside, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Acrylates Copolymer, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance Essential Oil blend), Glyceryl Oleate, Quaternium-80, Sodium Chloride, Citric Acid, Panthenol, Acacia Concinna Fruit Extract, Sapindus Trifoliatus Fruit Extract, Polyquaternium-11, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica Extract, Cyperus Rotundus Root Extract, Eclipta Prostrata Extract, Carica Papaya Fruit Extract, Cucurbita Pepo Seed Oil, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Sodium Levulinate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia Fruit Oil, Citrus Nobilis (Mandarin Orange) Peel Oil, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Limonene, Linalool, Hexyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citral
I have only tried the sandalwood shampoo, so I can only talk of my first impressions of it, not the turmeric hibiscus shampoo as yet. It is only been a couple of weeks of me having all these goodies, I only wash my hair every three to four days, so it is only so much I have tested them yet, plus I grabbed my trusty Rahua shampoo (review) once on autopilot, completely forgetting I was supposed to be testing new products. #reallifemoments I can say that I like the formula of the sandalwood shampoo, it leaves my hair bouncy and shiny, no dandruff as yet (99% of shampoos give me that) and I am happy enough, except that I have to wash my hair much more frequently, every second day or else the hair falls flat and the roots get oily. I will make sure to update you guys on all the products – mainly in my IG stories for now and so much more in depth in next month’s post.
AYUMI COLD PRESSED CASTOR OIL*
Another product I am yet to try, can’t decide should I use it on my hair or in DIY oil cleansing formula?
INGREDIENTS: 100% Cold Pressed Pure Castor Seed Oil (Ricinus Communis)
AYUMI COLD PRESSED SESAME OIL*
I was interested in trying this to see if it has that specific sesame oil smell to it – you see, after reading Radical Beauty book by Kimberly Snyder & Deepak Chopra (review) I learned that I need to switch body oils according to the seasons, it turns out it is wrong to use coconut oil in winter as it has cooling properties to it. Sesame oil is recommended instead, and after purchasing regular sesame oil with intentions to use it as a body oil, I nearly gagged at the smell of it & have been searching for scent free sesame oil – until now. Thank you Love Lula, you have just the right thing!
INGREDIENTS: 100% Cold Pressed Pure Sesame Seed Oil
AYUMI HERBAL HENNA 9 HIMALAYAN HERBS*
Well, I don’t even know where to start with this & that’s exactly why I left it to the end. Please go back to the very top of this post to read my enthusiasm about this product. I have been researching all these hair strengthening slash washing powders recently, namely shikakai, amla, brahmi, tulsi and a few more, but as a novice I simply don’t know which ones of them tint the hair (or not). So when I found all of them (plus henna) in one formula, I have ordered it straight away. The instruction says apply it and leave for seven hours & hints it may tint the hair in unpredicted fashion, so naively I was assuming I won’t get much tinting if I leave this for only half an hour. Right? Wrong! In just a couple of minutes this tinted my hands bright orange, so I hurried up the application and rushed to wash my hands – the instructions don’t mention plastic gloves or anything like that – and seeing the colour does not come off one bit, I hit the shower straight after that. When I stepped out I didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry – my hair was bright ginger and my hands still orange! My family teased me that I blend in with the Irish very well now ( I am Lithuanian originally) & now one week later I am still ginger. Knowing I can’t wash it off or colour it over any lighter than it is now, I am now considering my options – I don’t want to go darker as brown/ red or black hair really does not suit me & I don’t see any ways to go lighter, so I am kind of at a loss of what to do. Hat & sunglasses for the rest of the summer? Pixie cut?
INGREDIENTS: Henna, Brahmi, Amla, Shikakai, Jatamasi, Tulsi, Aloe Vera, Bhringraj, Neem, Hibiscus.
And now let’s see my thoughts on last month’s products, shall we?
KIMBERLY SAYER ULTRA LIGHT ORGANIC FACIAL MOISTURIZER SPF 30*
Although I never reviewed this product on it’s own, this is my staple and favourite product for the last four years. It is also one of the products I recommend on Love Lula Bloggers Recommend page here. I also talked about this product in numerous favourites type of posts over the years & I just talked about it some more in my recent 18 Natural & Organic 2018 Favourites I Still Use Daily. A first facial SPF not to break me out, do not clog pores or make me sweat AND no dreaded whitecast either! I use the one in a pump bottle, even though it is not designed for my skin type (which is dry and sensitive) for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have tried a few samples worth of Kimberly Sayer Anti-Oxidant Daily Moisturising Cream SPF30, which is aimed at dry and sensitive skin, and I didn’t see much difference between the two if I am honest. Second reason is a practical one – you get double the amount of the product and the bottle with a pump, which I love for sanitary reasons. I don’t know how about you, but I don’t want germs and bacteria in my face products, especially having in mind that three of us are using the same product, including my now 6yr old princess – and we all know kids are notorious when it comes to germy fingers! (Do you want to know what products she uses? See here). The product lasts for absolutely ages, so you will get your money’s worth for sure. As I mentioned, three of us are using it all summer long and one bottle will see us trough, so it is well worth the money in my opinion. Just please have in mind that I use it as a city SPF product, I would not rely on this alone if I were on a beach holidays. I am not much in the sun anyway, so I wouldn’t be able to tell if the product holds up in the 40 degree heat, you know – Irish summer time is more like 16*C. I’d say do proceed with it, but apply common sense and caution & reapply after swimming and every hour or two, you know? If any questions, do not hesitate to contact the brand.
HURRAW SUN PROTECTION BALM SPF15*
Another one of my long standing favourites, Hurraw is one of the best lip balm on the market! I always have multiple ones on the go, their Moon Balm is replaced before it runs out, while all the others are kind of in rotation. I have had Sun Balm in the past too, and if you want my impressions of it, I am happy enough. As a lip balm it is nice and nourishing, but I will admit it does a slight white cast, although I should say I apply twice. One of the things I love about Hurraw is that they are as good as new many months later, I have found old misplaced ones months and months later and they weren’t dried out or smelled weird or anything like that. Worth every penny in my humble opinion. You might balk at the price if you are new to the green beauty and are used to “3 for 1.50€” kind of prices, but let me tell you, your lips and your health in the long run will love you for it.
ALTEYA ORGANICS CERTIFIED ORGANIC ROSE SPF15 LIP BALM (TINTED)*
This too isn’t new to my stash, but it is only second tube of it. I got one last summer, didn’t use whole lot of it because soon after getting this, I acquired Coola Lip Lux. which is similar, but some reason I used it more and kind of left this little guy. I recently found it when I was clearing out my stash and was kind of excited all over again, except I found it gummy and kind of dried up when I went on to use it. So what kind of lesson do I take away from this? Use your products! No stashing things away for the next summer. My bad. I will make sure to use this product to the fullest this summer and I advise you to do the same!
Oh, and a little note about Alteya Organics as a brand – I really recommend you check them out. The brand captured my attention as soon as they appeared on Love Lula and as soon as I learned they grow their roses in the famous Bulgarian Rose Valley, I knew I wanted to try their products asap. I am really impressed with what I have tried so far, which are Rose Otto Cleansing Milk, SPF30 Facial thing, Rose Otto serum, and infamous rose water along with camomile water. I really recommend all of these products and want to try more! Newly launched rose shampoo and conditioner are next on my list, as well as lip balms with zravietz. I need to know, damn it ? As soon as I will work my way through some of the skincare stash (seen here) I will try some more skincare too. So far I only reviewed their facial mists (here) and Rose Otto Cleansing Milk (here), other products are still waiting for their turn.
NATURA SIBERICA OBLEPIKHA & HONEY BODY SCRUB*
I have known about the brand Natura Siberica for a while now, I have read they use extracts of wildcrafted plants that grow and actually survive in Taiga (think extremely harsh winters, Canadian type ones) so I was really interested to try the products thinking to myself they must be similar to the ISUN with a bargain price point to boot. Let me cut to the chase here – they aren’t on the same level, far from it. Even though the wildcrafted plants and extracts are there, but the base ingredients are cheap and they are packed full of fragrances that are way too strong to be natural. I have tried a bunch of their products and I now only use the ones that I can wash off, nothing that actually stays on the skin. This body scrub is one of them and I like it. Nice user experience and would you look at that colour, will you? As a scrub it works very well, I have no complains about it. Budget price point pleases me too.
NATURA SIBERICA OBLEPIKHA SCALP SCRUB*
Did I mentioned that “oblepikha” means sea buckthorn berry? I have to say that once again I am was apprehensive about this Natura Siberica product, but I guess curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go for it. Scalp scrubs were all the rage in the conventional beauty world, but in the green beauty I only knew of this product and nothing else before ordering, so that’s the primary reason I got this to try. More for Mr. Green Life In Dublin than myself, I didn’t expect this to work for me much as I have long hair. Mr Green Life has a Vikings style man tail going on, as well as some weird acne on the scalp that he can’t shake off, so I am hoping that this product will make some sort of a difference in some small way? My impressions of the product is positive, as you can imagine it is quite difficult to get it onto the scalp with long hair, but I don’t have any problems rinsing it out – which was my main concern.
ORGANII ORGANIC COTTON PATCHES
This brand and the patches are nothing new to me (see review here), so when I realized I was running low, I added this to my blogger order. They are a permanent fixture in my natural kit and I never want to be without them. All of us are allergic to the clue in the conventional plasters, plus I apart from the medical ones in the strip, I never found patches that would actually stay put. I got them back then and never expected them to be any good, so much to my surprise everyone in my family commented on how good they are, even hubby, who works a physical job. I knew I am onto a good product there and then and I make sure I am never without them! In all honesty I stick to adult version, they do have kids variety pack too, but I find they disappear the same day on me – only to be found out on all of the dolls in the house hours later. I wonder who could be behind this, hmm? ?All in all, I really recommend them to everyone – especially if you have kids or work in a physical job. Or any job for that matter.
*Update a month later – these are very well used in the house, this has been a month of cuts & scrapes, I haven’t got that much left. Stocking up in my next order for sure. A must.
So, that is all for today my darlings, thanks so much for reading! Stay tuned for Love Lula May Box & April Box products reviews, this post will come next Tuesday if not sooner.
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