Beauty Boxes (monthly subscription) DISCUSS HERE

purplebutterfly

cookinmummy wrote: »

PB - can I ask do you add the argan oil to your hair wet or dry before bed? And do you just put a towel over your pillow? And what is an SLS-free shampoo? Thanks

Hi hun, I use the argan oil on dry hair before bed so that it doesn't wet the bedding. I rub it into my hair a bit at a time rather than pouring it all over (too expensive for that!) and it absorbs fairly well because my hair is really really thick and porous.

I don't bother covering my pillow because I don't find it is a problem and I can always just chuck the pillowcase in the wash the next day. That obviously depends on your hair type and how much oil you use though. It isn't really a "miracle" instant treatment like you would see from a silicone-based serum but it does help with frizz. Although for really bad hair days I rely on a bottle of Kerastase Fibre Architecte which is just a shed-load of silicone in a bottle :rotfl:

SLS is sodium lauryl sulphate or sodium laureth sulphate (American spelling is "sufate"). This is the foaming and de-greasing agent used in everything from washing up liquid to shower gels, shampoos, car washes and industrial de-greasers in factories.

It basically breaks down oil and grease and gives you the frothy foam which we tend to believe means something is working well.

The problem is that the oils on your skin are SUPPOSED to be there as protection and if you continually strip them away with a harsh agent then you can end up with dry skin, skin problems like psoriasis and no protection for your skin.

SLS-free soaps and shampoos use a different cleansing agent - normally derived from coconut. Sometimes they don't foam as much which puts people off because they think that products NEED to foam to work properly. This isn't true.

The problem with using SLS shampoos is that they strip all the natural oils from your scalp and the hair shaft. So if you use any oil or conditioning treatment before washing your hair, most of that is going to be stripped away by the shampoo.

Oily scalps in particular can react badly to SLS - the same way that oily skin can. If you remove all the natural oil from the skin, the skin then works twice as hard to replace it! Which means it gets even more oily in the long term.

If you Google SLS you will find lots and lots of stories linking SLS to cancer, hormone problems etc etc. I tend not to bother about this stuff to be honest. If you look hard enough you can connect pretty much ANYTHING to a health scare.

I stick to natural products because they have improved my skin and hair immensely over the last 5 years and because I have incredibly sensitive skin which is often very painful and prone to Lupus rashes.

It's everyone's personal choice what they want to use but I always suggest people give natural products a chance because most people are surprised when they do. After a month or so of using natural soaps, shampoos, face creams etc you find that you open a bottle of Pantene etc and literally gag on the smell. It smells like a chemistry lab!

You can find SLS-free shampoo all over now. L'Oreal have brought them out and I was sent the Eversleek range to try - it's really quite nice - or Boots also sell the Naked range which I haven't tried. I'm pretty sure that Superdrug sell a couple of SLS-free brands too. You can pick them up as cheap as "normal" brands now - unless you WANT to buy the pricey ones that is!

If you Google SLS free shampoo you'll find loads and loads of it. It's the same as any shampoo though, not all brands suit your own hair type, so you need to find one that is right for you.

Hope this helps sweetie xxx

gentleorange

I got my SSB box today Contents and thoughts below in white

I feel a sense of deja vu with this box, like people have already talked about it? Maybe it's that the same brands are going round and round!

My favourite things are a can of St Tropez tan for legs (I'm pale but I want to see how I look with walnut legs!), and a sachet of BB cream, I like trying those.

Then I got a small bottle of Elemis bath soak, I can't decide if I like the scent or not.

Then another pair of 'Let's Go' false lashes, I have quite a collection of these by now, must try using them at some point! And a Mischa Barton body butter in lemon zest. Not really keen on the scent but it will get used.

And finally a Yardley perfume fragrance which will go into the shoebox of perfume samples I really have to start using up.

So all in all I'm happy!

Missli

I'll have a look gentleorange when I've received mine. I take it the smiley face means good?

I had an email from Amarya offering 3 samples with purchases until Midnight Friday 15 June.

http://www.amarya.co.uk/index.php/products/special-offers/3-free-samples.html

purplebutterfly

SSB for Jubilee code subscribers is the June box that regular subscribers got a couple of weeks ago.

That's why I'm not too excited about it - I'd already read the reviews on here before I signed up with the code so I know what's coming There are two variations and I bet I get the one that I don't want! :rotfl:

I wish they wouldn't do that, you know, send out boxes with different products in. I mean, fair enough if it is specifically tailored to your profile but they do seem to be completely random.

gentleorange

Lol I thought it seemed familiar!:D

I got my simplyargan argan oil delivered the other day, thank you for the link! I've had a dry itchy scalp for a while and the usual things aren't working. I massaged the argan oil into my scalp when I got home from work yesterday then washed it out this morning and it feels much better. I regret only buying one bottle now!

cookinmummy

Thanks PB for explaining all that - you're a star for writing all that! :kisses3: Going to try the Argan oil tonight and see if it helps my wild tresses!:rotfl: Going to be checking the contents of my shampoos (as any fellow compers will know you end up with quite a few) and I will see which are SLS free.

Not rec'd my SSB box yet....I remember people saying there were 2 variations but I can't remember what and I'm not reading back to maintain an element of surprise for myself.

I shall be donning one of my pairs of falsies (eyelashes ) on Saturday - so am youtubing for some good application tips. I tend to end up pulling them on and off umpteen times before I get it right normally!:o

LP87

Gentleorange - I had that box a couple weeks ago so (as someone said above) I'll expect they just sent the new subscribers for the jubilee code the old box - I hope that no one unsubbed and resubbed just to get the box though because it might mean them getting the same box twice. My box was exactly the same as yours though - I was quite pleased with it but it wasn't amazing. Nice though :-)

grannyx2

LP87 wrote: »

Gentleorange - I had that box a couple weeks ago so (as someone said above) I'll expect they just sent the new subscribers for the jubilee code the old box - I hope that no one unsubbed and resubbed just to get the box though because it might mean them getting the same box twice. My box was exactly the same as yours though - I was quite pleased with it but it wasn't amazing. Nice though :-)

I had a 3 month sub that ended in June so resubbed using the Jubilee code and am pretty convinced I'm going to get another June box. However, at the price I paid I don't really mind and the products were definitely worth more.

Am hoping I get the alternate items this time round though.

BFN Grannyx2 x

evilsquid1603

cookinmummy wrote: »

Thanks PB for explaining all that - you're a star for writing all that! :kisses3: Going to try the Argan oil tonight and see if it helps my wild tresses!:rotfl: Going to be checking the contents of my shampoos (as any fellow compers will know you end up with quite a few) and I will see which are SLS free.

SLS is in pretty much everything now, not just shampoos and shower gel. it really is an uphill battle to completely clear it but your skin will thank you.

I'm still on the lookout for a good SLS free toothpaste if anyone knows one got the lavera one lined up to try next. i changed to SLS free toothpaste and haven't had a mouth ulcer in ages even though id done things like bite my tongue. i switched back to one with it because i wanted to give my tooth whitening a boost and the only good whitening ones all seem to be full of SLS (:mad:), bit my tongue and gum and had horrific mouth ulcers. they cleared up within 2 days of me switching back to non SLS. usually ones that size would hang around for at least a week and they hurt like hell the first day they had the SLS one near them, about half the pain if that for the SLS free one though!

purplebutterfly

evilsquid1603 wrote: »

I'm still on the lookout for a good SLS free toothpaste if anyone knows one

Have you tried Green People? I haven't had their toothpastes but their moisturisers, aftersuns, body washes and cleansers are good, so I can vouch for them being a quality brand.

You can find them cheaper than buying from Green People direct though - for example Naturisimo sells it for £3.15 delivered