cruelty free

I have been using a new organic range as part of my beauty routine for a while now. I have reviewed quite a few of InstaNaturals products now (find the blogs here and here) and I have now tried out some of their Argan Oil products.
As a 43 year old who wants to look 33 (!) I do make sure I follow a good beauty regime and InstaNatural say their products are great if you have sensitive skin as the entire product line is made without alcohols, parabens and sulfates that can be irritating to the skin and none of the products are tested on animals. In todays blog I share my thoughts on 3 of their Argan Oil based products…InstaNatural Organic Argan Oil Multipurpose mosturiser for hair, face, skin & nails – £16.95/120ml

Details: 100% pure and Eco certified Moroccan Argan Oil.

I have been using Argan oil for a while now and really like its simplicity and multi usefulness…well I did until I realised the cheaper ‘Argan’ oil I was using had 9 other non natural (ie chemical) ingredients in it! This oil from InstaNatural is 100% pure, in a large size (which lasts ages) and is in a nice glass bottle with a pump. It feels great and worked wonders taming my thick curly hair particularly before blow drying. Use it sparingly as (maybe because its so pure) a little goes a long way and needs to be able soak in…otherwise it will make hair greasy. InstaNatural say it is therapeutic for every skin condition and also great for Acne, dry scalps, split ends, frizzy hair, stretch marks, nail cuticles & more! I used it on dryer areas of my skin too – knees, elbows etc and it softened them nicely as well as creating a nice ‘glow’ of my skin, great if you’re going out and showing a bit more skin than normal. With this being 100% organic/ natural there is no perfume to it, in fact it smells as you’d expect – slightly oily, but I’d much rather that than use all the chemicals I was inadvertently using before.

Argan Oil Leave in hair treatment – £11.95/120ml

Details: 100% Pure & Organic Argan Oil, Coconut Oil & Carrot Seed Oil.

Having quite thick wavy long hair, Argan oil is something I do often use in my hair to try to tame the frizz. Used sparingly this treatment by InstaNatural can be really beneficial for dry hair, or dry/split ends in particular. However if you use too much your hair will end up greasy – it took me a while to get the amount right as you don’t need more than two pumps of product to make your hair feel soft and shiny. If your hair gets tangled easily after washing I’d recommend this too.

This is an easy to apply lightweight oil which comes in a large pump action glass bottle and is filled with ingredients such as grapeseed oil, olive oil, jojoba oil and shea butter and has a mild scent. Overall I liked its effects and would recommend as a twice weekly treatment rather than daily to create shiny, frizz free, nourished hair.

InstaNatural Superior Hydration Argan Oil Hair Mask – £14.94/240ml

Details: Organic Argan Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Vitamin B5 & Green Tea.

This is a deep conditioning hair mask in a large tub with a screw on lid. The conditioner is thick but easy to apply from the tub – I worked it through my long hair paying particular attention to the ends as these are quite dry and left it on for about 10-15 minutes. The product has a lovely sweet smell to it, and it rinsed out well and did not leave my hair feeling greasy at all. Afterwards my hair was left feeling very soft and smooth. The hair mask has ingredients such as Argan Oil, Japanese Green Tea, Amino Acid Complex, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil and Vitamin B5 and is totally organic like all InstaNatural products.

Overall I liked its effects and would recommend as a weekly treatment to create shiny, frizz free, nourished hair particularly if you blow dry or straighten your hair a lot. Its gorgeous aroma lasts and was remarked upon very positively by my partner which was nice too!

The range is sold exclusively in the UK via Amazon.co.uk – find the full range here. All prices correct on Amazon at time of posting.

All products – InstaNatural via Amazon*

I have been continuing to use a new range of face and body products as part of my beauty routine provided to me by US organic beauty company InstaNatural. I have reviewed a few of their facial and body products now (find my last blog here) and today I share my review of their much praised 2.5% Retinol facial products.

So firstly – what is Retinol? Well it is not for the faint hearted! While it’s true there is no magic bullet when it comes to perfecting skin, this one ingredient comes pretty close. It is a Vitamin A derivative which is proven to increase skin cell turnover and stimulate collagen synthesis as well as creating a skin tightening effect. With consistent use of a topical Retinol you can see improvement of fine lines, dark spots, texture, and tone. Most over the counter products have a 0.5%-2% concentration but the stronger stuff is where its at (usually via a cosmetic doctors prescription). Both these items from the InstaNatural range are 2.5% Retinol so on par with any cosmetically prescribed products on the market.

InstaNatural Advanced Action Retinol Moisturiser Cream – £17.95/100ml

Details: 2.5% Retinol, 10% Vitamin C, Vegan Hyaluronic Acid, Shea Butter & Jojoba Oil, Green Tea.

Although it’s a fairly thick cream this absorbed into my skin very easily with no residue. It makes your face feel so smooth within a couple hours of applying and isn’t drying as some Retinol products can be. It also made my skin feel tighter and look clearer and has dramatically improved my fine lines and also has proved great for a base for my make-up.

I love the packaging this comes in as you don’t have to dip your fingers in to get the cream out, it comes with a pump top that dispenses just enough cream to cover both your face and neck. As well as the instructions on the packet I was also emailed instructions re exposure to the sun which I thought was very good. It is also probably double the size of many competitors products. It is scent free (as far as I can tell) which some people might not like, but this is definitely a powerful little cream.

InstaNatural Age Defying 2.5% Retinol Serum – £17.95/30ml

Details: 2.5% Retinol, 20% Vitamin C, 10% Hyaluronic Acid, Astaxanthin, Niacinamide, COQ10.

This is another winning product for me! A strongly orange smelling and coloured serum (well it is 20% Vitamin C) that absorbed into my skin easily, it makes your face feel so smooth within a couple hours of applying and isn’t drying as some Retinol products can be. Its a bright orange colour but this fades very quickly as its absorbed. It also made my skin feel tighter and look clearer when used daily.

I loved the packaging this comes in too – a glass bottle with pipette – very scientific and clean looking! As well as the instructions on the box/bottle I was also emailed instructions re exposure to the sun which I thought was very good. Overall this was a very quick working and powerful product – this is definitely one of my favourite InstaNatural products I have tried so far particular when used with the Retinol Moisturiser. You don’t expect age defying products to work and you feel kind of shocked when they do…and quickly!

img_2058-1

I don’t usually rave about products but these definitely WORK! Give them a go – I definitely think I’m looking younger, my skin is looking brighter and dark spots are fading. They are strong and you need to be careful with them but used carefully I really think these are two of the best age defying products I have tried so far!

Please note – although this prescription-strength product works fast and has great effects, it can cause irritation, redness and peeling so anyone with sensitive or drier skin might want to proceed with caution. It also must be used carefully if you then have contact with direct sunlight.

The range is sold exclusively in the UK via Amazon.co.uk – find the full range here. All prices correct on Amazon at time of posting. Have you used any of the InstaNatural range? I’d love to know your thoughts on it…

All products – InstaNatural via Amazon*