Clearly if you’ve read anything here before, you know I’m rather passionate about good, clean food. I care a lot about what my family and I put into our bodies. We’re far from perfect, but I believe that putting forth effort to do the best we can makes a big difference.
Lately my interests have expanded from feeling good about what I put IN my body to also trying a bit harder about what I put ON it. I’ve long proclaimed my love for coconut oil as an after-shower moisturizer and love the benefits I’ve received from using it.
However, if I am being honest, my facial skincare “routine” –if you could even call it that- needed some serious attention.
I was an avid whatever-is-on-sale cleanser person. I was bad about reading labels. I was blessed with pretty good skin (thanks, Dad!) and never had a big problem with acne so I figured I could get away with using whatever bar soap was in the shower on my face and calling it a day.
However, now that I’m 30 (wait, what??) and becoming more conscious about chemicals on our skin and in our environment, I wanted to make a change.
I asked around (FYI, my friend Erin at The Grass Skirt is a great resource for natural beauty product tips!), did some research and fell promptly in love with a natural line of skincare from Sibu.
Sibu just does it right. They are
-certified GMO-free
-cruelty-free
-vegan
-fair-trade certified
-paraben free
-gluten free
-completely safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding
-sustainably sourced
Their products are derived from Sea Buckthorn Berries harvested from the Himalayas. I hadn’t heard of this little miracle fruit before, but after a little research I felt like I’d been left out of a big secret- this berry has been used for over 28 centuries for health and beauty. It naturally contains vitamins A, C, E, K, minerals, carotenoids, flavonoids, antioxidants, polyphenols, phytosterols and omega fatty acids, including omega 7s.
What? Omega-7s? That’s a new one!
It was to me too, but these elusive fatty acids help improve membrane function (gastrointestinal, urinary, cardiovascular) and help with tissue and skin hydration and elasticity.
Ok, ok, enough about the background. You get it- it’s legit. But what about the actual products effectiveness?
That’s what I wondered, too. I actually reached out to Sibu about a possible sample, but we got to talking and they ended up really hooking me up with the full experience!
Balancing facial cleanser, age-defying eye cream, clarifying toner, replenishing night cream
Of these, I’ve fallen in love most with the facial cleanser. It smells phenomenal, like the faint scent of an orange tic-tac. I really mean that in the best way since it’s one of my favorite smells! It is gentle, yet manages to completely remove my make-up (eye make included!). It has tiny microscrubbers (a word I made up according to spell-check) and my face truly feels so clean afterwards.
I’ve used the toner on occasion because honestly, as a new-to-facial-routine gal, I’m not sure what it does. I can tell you that there is no stinging and it also smells pretty great!
The eye cream is wonderful, too. I can actually tell a difference in the morning between nights that I’ve remembered to apply it and nights I’ve forgotten. The mornings I remembered are a bit less scary.
I’m trying to work on being better about using the night cream. I’ve used a few times and can tell you it feels luxurious, but I’m still trying to get used to remembering to put something on at night.
Cleansing face and body bar, purifying mask, hydrating serum, facial cream, moisturizing body cream
I’ll be honest, I haven’t yet used the bar of soap. It looks so fancy and smells so good, I want to put it in our guest bath to impress our guests. Or maybe once I finish up my Burt’s Bees, I’ll rip it open to use for myself!
The purifying mask is a lot of fun! It’s gentle and has micro-exfoliants that left my skin feeling refreshed and smelling yummy. Best of all, no burning that I remember from masks I used in high school.
I have not gotten much use from the hydrating serum on my face, but used it a few times on the back of my hands with hydrating success!
I use the facial cream every day. It glides on and absorbs so easily and feels really fresh. I’m not sure if it has SPF (I’m checking on it) so I make sure I put other SPF over it for now.
Though I still use coconut oil for my main moisturizer, the Sibu body cream smells fantastic and I grab it when I’m in quick need of some non-greasy moisture. It absorbs quickly and, like everything else, smells so darn good.
Sibu also sent me some Monkey Balm. It’s an all-natural moisturizing stick for kids’ dry skin and eczema. Hailey actually had a patch of dry skin pop up above her belly button so we got the chance to use it. She loved being able to apply it herself and within 4-5 days, the patch was gone! I’m going to love having this on hand during the winter.
The Seed Oil and Cellular Support Supplements were great to receive, but I haven’t used them. The seed oil can be used on rashes and skin irritations and I plan to use it if one pops up. Though the supplements sound enticing, my wariness of supplements in general hasn’t allowed me to try them yet. Maybe one day!
Whew! Still with me?
It was quite the breakdown, but I am really overjoyed to find a product that actually works that is all natural. Sibu provided me with these products, but I 100% plan to reorder my favorites with my own money when they run out.
I was checking out their Facebook page and saw that they are running a special right now, in case you are interested! One copy and paste later, here it is:
Let’s chat:
Do you have a skincare routine?
What products do you use?
Is a natural product important to you?
Karen says
I am turning 30 in January and was just thinking I need to take more care of my skin. I am going to start looking for natural products as I feel it’s important.
Chantal says
We try to use more natural and organic products on our bodies too. Though we haven’t found a shampoo that helps my husband’s head better than Head & Shoulders!
Jen says
Oooh this looks tempting. My skin care routine is basically non-existent. I obviously need to take better care of my skin and would love to go a more green route. Thanks for sharing!
Maria says
I try to stick to products that are natural and most importantly, for me, fragrance-free. Perfumes give me the worst migraines, so I figure they can’t be good for me! I do find though that when a product has a naturally derived scent, I usually don’t have a flare-up, so I’d be willing to give this tic tac scent a try 🙂
Ali says
This looks like a great line of skincare. I used to not pay attention to any ingredients that were in any hygiene products and in the past 9 months or so, I have really tried to avoid using non-natural products both on my skin and hair and household products. I make my own household products and have started buying “green” beauty products. The first thing I cut out was deodorant with aluminum in it.
Gina says
Off subject but I am really surprised you don’t use cloth diapers. There are soooo many checmicals in disposable diapers, not to mention how long they sit in landfills. Just something I have always been curious about! I have used them on both my kids (still using them on my youngest) and have been using them for over 3 years now!
Brittany Dixon says
I think cloth diapers are great! I briefly looked into them before Hailey, but it just wasn’t an option that was going to work for us. We’ve really liked our disposables and haven’t had any issues with diaper rash or irritation. Perhaps if another baby comes along, I’ll revisit the idea, but as for now, H will hopefully be all together diaper-free soon!
Danica @ It's Progression says
You have no idea how lucky you are that your skin is acne-free…the things I would give to have clear skin! 🙂 I found that Sibu has a line/kit for acne-prone skin though so I may have to check that out! Thanks for sharing!
Danielle says
This post couldn’t have come at a better time. I have difficulty with my acne and have been thinking about looking into different products to use. Most of the products I have used dry out my face, which is okay since its oily, but I have never paid much attention to what’s in the products I’m using.
Erin @ The Grass Skirt says
Yes! I am SO SO SO glad that you’re on the Sibu bandwagon. I absolutely adore their products, and they have such great customer service. 🙂
The Grass Skirt Blog
Kathy says
I really enjoyed this post. I too try and go the most natural/healthy way. But so nice to find a new brand to look at when someone else has done the homework. THANKS! I am going to look into this.
By the way, I have been cleansing my face for some time now with coconut oil–love it. I do it mostly in the morning but with winter coming will do morning and evening-it feels great!
I learned here: http://barefootessence.com/2013/01/16/how-to-wash-your-face-with-coconut-oil/#.UlVZrEPD_cs
bonnie says
I cannot believe any of you ladies havent mentioned Arbonne. Its a health & wellness company thats been in business for over 30 years!!
First let me say that, yes, I am an Arbonne consultant… and yes it is a home based business (like Pampered Chef or Mary Kay).
I usually do not mention Arbonne in my posts & dont use my website address in my posts either, because I dont want anyone to think Im trying to sell to them but in light of this topic I figured I would share…
These products are amazing (which is why I started selling them !)
I am a Registered Nurse and am so impressed with this company & its products! Arbonne makes anti-aging skin care as well as products for acne, extremely sensitive skin (or rosacea),cosmetics, mens products, nutritional products, whole baby line !! and tons more… over 400 items!!
Here are a few facts about Arbonne:
Botanically based, swiss formulated & made here in USA.
Vegan Certified, (no animal products or animal testing, we do independent testing on human volunteers !!)
Formulated without,
– Parabens
– formaldehyde,
– any petroleum-based ingredients (including, mineral oil, benzine, petrolatum, phthalates, or toluene)
– PABA
– artificial colors,
– artificial flavors
– artificial fragrances (except a few products in our Holiday Line that are clearly marked)
– artificial sweeteners
– Cholesterol
– trans fats
– gluten free
– ingredients that contain GMO
We also use Sea Buckthorn Oil which is antioxidant w beta-carotine which supports supple tone & smooth skin as well as hundreds of other botanically based ingredients.
Since Arbonne is sold in USA, Canada, England & UK and Australia we abide by global rules & regulations set by the US FDA, Health Canada & by the highest standards of cosmetic standards by The European Union Cosmetics Directive.
Believe it or not our standards are way less then what is accepted in Europe…. our FDA is too busy making big pharma & the huge conglomerates (that pay to have people in government approve their products) happy to really oversee our personal care products….
Arbonne is a green company. Our certified UPS carbon neutral shipments benefit carbon reduction thru forest conservation, biogas-to-energy, and landfill greenhouse gas projects worldwide.
Our customer service is second to none… we offer an unconditional 45 day refund policy for ANY reason…
We use recycled, soy based inks for 80% of our printed materials.
Use FSC -certified renewable sources for 100% of our paper packaging.
90% of our personal care product packaging is recyclable.
OK phew that was enough to make my head spin !! Oh and I forgot, Arbonne is a wonderful business opportunity especially for woman who want to stay home w their kids but still make money !!!
As you can tell I am VERY passionate about Arbonne products!! Age 30 is when its recommended you start using skin care to target aging. You may think your skin is great now but if you dont start to take care of it now (with Arbonne or another brand with equal standards… read your labels !!) You will regret it later on… lol !!
Brittany, I would love to send you samples to try Arbonne’s “Pure, Safe & Beneficial” products !! Please contact me at Besterow@aol.com so I can get your info.
Here is my website you can check it out….
http://www.BonnieEsterow.MyArbonne.com
I will give a 20% off discount to anyone that orders & mentions A Healthy Slice of Life !!
Enjoy life 🙂
bonnie says
Sorry my previous post was so long I kinda got carried away…..
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