Lotions and potions

It is a truth universally acknowledged that women over the age of 30 must be in want of a good moisturizer.*

Recycla is indeed a woman over the age of 30 and therefore desperately in need of good lotions and other potions. She only uses eco products, so as to avoid exposure to chemicals and other scary ingredients. This has lead to much experimentation with a variety of products, and Recycla will share her successes and failures with you now.

(It should be noted here that Recycla is not employed by any of the companies mentioned below, she was not paid to review their products, and she has not received any free samples.)

Going from head to toe…

Burt’s Bees Royal Jelly Eye Creme — This is a lovely lightly-scented creme for around the eye area. A little goes a long way, so it lasts a long time. If your skin is particularly dry in the winter, you’ll want a different product (see below).

Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Night Creme — This is a heavier creme and definitely better for dryer skin. The scent is also heavier and Recycla’s husband is not wild about it, although Recycla is not offended by the strong floral scent.

Burt’s Bees Carrot Nutritive Day Creme — Yes, another one from Burt’s Bees, however, the company is one of the few companies with products that don’t contain yucky stuff AND is available in a variety of stores. This is a nice lotion that moisturizes and absorbs quickly. That said, Recycla loathes the scent, as it’s too sweet, and she will not buy this again.

Avalon Organics Lavender Hand & Body Lotion — Recycla loves loves loves this lotion. She slathers it on from neck to toes and it goes on nicely, without leaving a sticky residue. The lavender scent is light and not at all overpowering.

Indigo Wild Zum Body Lotion (lavender-lemon scent) — As with the Avalon Organics lotion, Recycle loved the way this lotion spread on easily without leaving a sticky residue. The scent was nice, although the lavender did have a slightly woody whiff about it.

Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme — This particular item is nice, as Recycla is a gardener and invariably forgets to wear her gloves when she works outside. She spends much of her spring trying to undo the damage of hard labor and this salve does the trick. This is also a good product to use on dry cracked feet, elbows, or knees. Be advised that the lemon scent is a bit heavy and also reminiscent of furniture polish.

Badger Balm Healing Balm — Recycla spends the cold months of each year trying to keep her hands from cracking and bleeding. This is the one product that does the trick and this year, for the first time since Recycla was a little girl, she didn’t spend much of the winter with bandages on her fingers. The scent is light and not at all noticeable; however, the balm is a bit greasy and it takes several minutes for it to fully soak in. Given how well this product works, Recycla doesn’t mind the wait.

Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme — Recycla just started using this lotion and she absolutely loves it already. It smells like marzipan, which is one of her favorite treats, plus the thick lotion moisturizes nicely without leaving a greasy film on her skin. A little of this goes a long way and it’s equally effective on hands, elbows, knees, or feet.

Burt’s Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic Honey & Bilberry Foot Creme — Recycla has been using this for a few weeks but will not buy more when her supply runs out. The smell is heavy and cloying and Recycla really doesn’t think that it does a better job than other lotions. In fact, she fails to see what makes this product any different from a generic body lotion.

There you have it folks — some of Recycla’s favorite (and not-so-great) products. There are many more out that that Recycla has not tried, so she seeks input from her readers. Let her know what has — and has not — worked for you.

* With apologies to Jane Austen.