The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Wash: Improved My Acne Prone Skin!
Written: Nov 18 '03 (Updated Nov 18 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Improved my skin, reasonable price, nice scent
Cons: Can only be purchased at The Body Shop stores or by a consultant.
The Bottom Line: It's definitely worth a try for $10, but don't pass judgment until you've used it at least 6 weeks!
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| chrisceb's Full Review: The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Wash |
I have dry, acne prone skin. I break out easily, and the skin on my face is way sensitive. I've used more prescription, drugstore and counter acne products,than I can count. I'm a sucker when someone says, "it got rid of my pimples".
At a recent Body Shop Home Party, the consultant and I were hashing over our skin care problems and realized our skin is very similar. She said that once she started using The Body Shop Seaweed facial products, she didn't have to use her prescription acne medications anymore! I wasn't all over that at first because she WAS the consultant and she WAS selling product. But after talking to her (and finding out she's a preacher's wife) I was hoping she was telling me the truth and I laid down yet another $50 on skincare products for my unruly skin.
The Product:
The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Wash is specifically targeted to normal to oily skin. It's an oil-free gel, which gently washes your face, but also retains key moisturizers already in your skin. In other words, you don't squeak after you rinse.
It comes in a 3.4-oz tube with a flip top lid in which you squeeze out the product into your hand. Wet your face, and then massage the product over your wet skin, then rinse. This product is very concentrated so you don't need a lot. I use a pea size amount for my whole face.
On the bottle The Body Shop claims this is a soap free product, however Sodium Laureth Sulfate (a sudsing agent) is the third ingredient. Things that make you go hmmmmmm?
Ingredients:
WATER, COCOMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, SORBITOL, COCO GLUCOSIDE, PHENOXYETHANOL, SUCROSE COCOATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, CITRIC ACID, METHYPARABEN, PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE DIOLEATE, FRAGRANCE, BLADDERWACK POWDER, POLY SORBATE 20 DISODIUM EDTA, BENZYL ALCOHOL, BLUE 1.
I tend to have issues with skincare products that contain glucosamine and lanolin. This product doesn't have either. Although there's one ingredient called Glucoside that I question, but it hasn't seemed to mess with my skin, so I'm not too concerned about it.
You can purchase this cleanser at any Body Shop retail establishment or you can contact a Home Party Consultant through The Body Shop web page (www.thebodyshop.com ). You can also email me and I can give you the 800 number to 'my girl'. I bought my cleanser in a set, so I don't know the exact price. But there's a sticker on my bottle of cleanser that says $10.00.
My Experience:
I've been using Cetaphil Cleanser to clean my skin. I love how it feels (yes that took some getting used to!). I also like that it's not soap, it doesn't have parabens, glucosamine and lanolins. However, it's not the best at cleansing the skin, and there are no suds. I like suds. I miss my suds. But I like how gentle the Cetaphil is on my delicate skin.
I have to say; I'm pretty impressed with The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Wash. The suds in it are GREAT! But they aren't overly drying. This cleanser is just that, it cleanses great too! I also bought the toner, and when I use the toner find there's no left over makeup residue after I've cleaned my skin. Something I couldn't say about Cetaphil. Another wonderful aspect about this wash is it doesn't dry out my skin even more. I never see flakes on my nose like I used to. My skin does feel just a tad tight after washing, but a little Cetaphil Moisturizer is just the trick for nighttime. Now, when I wash in the morning, I used my tried and true Cetaphil Cleanser, only because I don't really need to remove my makeup, I just need a clean face. Then I apply my Body Shop Seaweed moisturizer.
So I tweak my routine around a bit to get the best routine for my face.
Has The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Wash (and other products) improved my skin? I have to say yes! It's taken some time to actually notice it. I've used half my cleanser bottle in about 2 months and it's taken me that long to decide. But overall, yes, my skin does look better. The dryness is controlled. The oil is controlled. However, I still do use a prescription exfoliant. I haven't been able to give that up.
My skin looks cleaner, fresher and has an overall better tone to it. I highly recommend The Body Shop Seaweed Purifying Facial Wash for people with not only normal/oily skin as the bottle says, but those with dry skin should be able to use this also. You'll need a good moisturizer, but you can still benefit from the "wild harvested Irish seaweed to cleanse and refresh your skin'.
Now, this is the first time in the review I'm mentioned the 'seaweed part' of the product. Based on what I've read from the Paula's Choice website (www.paulaschoice.com) seaweed has antioxidant and anti-inflammitory properties. Seaweed is actually a form of algea. Taken from the Paula's Choice site:
"algae- Algae are very simple, chlorophyll-containing organisms, in a family that includes more than 20,000 different known species. A number of these have been used for drugs, where they can work as anticoagulants, antibiotics, antihypertensive agents, blood cholesterol reducers, dilatory agents, insecticides, and anti-tumorigenic agents. In cosmetics, algae are used as thickening agents, water-binding agents, and antioxidants. Some algae are also potential skin irritants. For example, the phycocyanin found in blue-green algae has been suspected of allergenicity and of causing dermatitis on the basis of patch tests (Source: Current Issues in Molecular Biology, January 2002, pages 1㪣). Other forms of algae, such as Irish moss and carrageenan, contain proteins, vitamin A, sugar, starch, vitamin B1, iron, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and calcium. These are all useful as sources for skin care, either as emollients or antioxidants (Source: Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry, February 2002, pages 840𤴽). However, the claims that algae can stop or eliminate wrinkling, heal skin, or provide other elaborate benefits are completely unsubstantiated."
So that's just a bit of extra info for you based on the ingredients in this wash. It helps me believe in a product when I know a bit about the ingredients. So don't ick-out because you're washing your face with seaweed...it really can improve your skin!
Recommended:
Yes
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Member: Chris B
Location: Florida
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