I have perpetually dry skin. Most of my life, I sported the ashy look, thinking it was completely normal. I used lotion occasionally, like when my hands felt like they were going to crack into a million pieces on dry winter days, but no one had ever really taught me differently. When I got into high school though, I started noticing girls putting lotion on constantly. After gym class, in the hallways, during lectures... You'd have thought that lotion was as essential as breathing if you watched them for long enough. I started to wonder. Was I missing something?
On a weekend trip to Bath and Body Works with friends, I bought my first real lotion. Sweet Pea. After smelling it and trying it on, I finally realized why everyone loved lotion so much! You mean, I can make my skin look nice and smell good all day?! Sign me up!!
Unfortunately, since that day, I've learned all about the "ick" that is usually found in traditional lotions. Things like fragrance, retinyl palmitate, methylparabens, and so much more. Luckily for us, however, the demand for healthier products has shot up over the last few years, and many alternative options are available. One of my favorite natural lotions is the one I'm reviewing today, by Everyday Shea. The company itself is fantastic:
"EveryDay Shea is an extension of Alaffia Sustainable Skin Care. Alaffia was founded by Olowo-n’djo Tchala, a Togolese native, as a way to generate funds to conduct community enhancement projects in his home country and other West African nations in order to reduce poverty and gender inequality. Olowo-n’djo believes that Africans can mobilize their natural resources in a sustainable manner to empower their own communities, and that this is a more sustainable avenue towards reducing poverty than waiting for outside aid or for corrupt governments to fall. Alaffia and the Alaffia Shea Butter Cooperative were founded in order to trade the indigenous resource – Shea Butter – in the West to raise proceeds which are then returned to Togo in the form of community projects"The money from sales goes to Bicycles for Education, Maternal Health, School Supplies and Repairs, and Reforestation. Being a birth worker, knowing that some of the money is going towards helping women get proper maternity care makes me very happy.
Ingredients: Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) Extract (aqueous), Shea Leaf (Butyrospermum parkii) Extract (aqueous), Handcrafted Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii) Certified Fair Trade, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Palm Stearic Acid, Red Palm Oil (Elaeis guineensis), Essential Oils (scented versions only), Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Limonene, Ascorbic Acid
The only two ingredients I have any problems with are the phenoxyethanol, and the potassium sorbate. Both are preservatives, and have the potential to cause allergic reactions. However, neither of them accumulate within the body like other preservatives, namely parabens. Any lotion that uses both oil and water is going to need to be preserved with something to prevent rancidity, and I would much rather it be preserved by those.
Scent: The scent is a deep lavender, with a background of unrefined shea butter. There is no artificial fragrance, so it is mildly earthy but pleasant. The scent goes on strong, but fades to almost nothing within 30-60 minutes.
Application: This lotion goes on very easily. No white streaks, and the feeling of the lotion is not oily, just moisturizing.
Availability: I found this lotion at my local Sprout's Farmers Market, but if you don't have one of those near you, it can also be found at Whole Foods, or bought online here.
Price: I got the lotion on sale for $9. Each bottle is 32 fluid ounces. Not bad! The lotion retails online for $10-14.
Overall: I would definitely recommend this lotion! The price is great, it works well, it smells good, and the money goes to a good cause. Everything I look for in a lotion is right there.
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