Black people place a high value on our melanin and now more than any other time I can recall, we are mindful or what we put in and on our bodies. Our skin care regimens and routines have become ritualistic. We cleanse, moisturize, and maintain our skin in partnership with exercise, rest, and diet to enhance our overall health and wellness.
I myself have moved further and further away from chemical-heavy, toxic-prone beauty products as apart of my holistic living, peace-seeking, head-to-toe healthy lifestyle. My search for products to review and incorporate into my BUY BLACK approach to consumerism, I discovered a company I had been following on Instagram had rebranded. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to try their products.
Rochell Selvey, owner of R. Drew Naturals, formerly Karess Krafters responded to my request for an opportunity to collab. She sent me a full range of full and sample sized natural skin and personal products to try. To say I was excited would be an understatement!
First, I love about sample sizes are the ability to try products without wasting a lot of money.
Second, I love the packaging. The clear bottles make the product more appealing and you can see the product you are getting. The labels are not cheap as well, which gives the brand a professional appearance. That adhesive does not wear off and the ink did not bleed.
Third, I loved the products are handmade. All natural products are not made equal. There are private label natural products, meaning, anyone can start a "natural" beauty business by purchasing pre-made products. If they are pre-made, they chemicals in them that afford them a longer shelf-life... that ain't natural. Some brands are formulated by laboratories that allow you to pick ingredients from a menu. They mix it for you, some will even add your labels to the product, and BOOM, you are in business.
Don't be fooled when you see a natural ingredient that’s being hyped in the product’s name or packaging. It may very well be listed last on the ingredient list as "a dab of [insert whatever oil black women are using that white companies are selling to black women] oil". A product can legally flaunt that itself as a “natural product, rich in [whatever black women have made popular] oil.” True story
R. Drew Naturals ain't that. I have watched Rochell mixing and formulating her products on Instagram so I know exactly what I am getting and when applied, what is being absorbed into my bloodstream.
Ingredients:
R. Drew Naturals is made of nothing but nature's bounty. For instance, the Yoni Sacred Feminine Oil is made of:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Organic Coconut Oil
Almond Oil
Aloe Extract
Calendula Extract
Chickweed Extract
Comfrey Extract
Marshmallow Root Extract
Plantain Extract
Neem Extract
GOM & Gluten-Free Vitamin E
Lavender Oil
Helichrysum Oil
Geranium Oil
Peppermint
How to use:
Each product I received had specific directions and if used properly, the benefits are extraordinary!
Review:
I received a variety of oils, body polishes, deodorants, a hand sanitizer, cleansing grains, and a milk bath. Click here for my review on YouTube to see how each product performs.
Retail:
Natural products can be costly and some would say they aren't as affordable. No doubt, products made with natural ingredients yield much higher price points. BUT keep in mind, products that are produced with more natural ingredients perform higher, so expect to pay more. Synthetic products cost less because they are made with cheaper ingredients. Also consider the fact that drugstores and big box retailers buy in bulk to cut costs; they buy cheaper products at wholesale prices and turnaround and sell you "affordable" products that are really harmful to you and the environment.
On my YouTube channel, I reviewed:
Body Oil Sampler Set (Tranquil Body Oil, Sacred Yoni Oil, Lucki Body Oil) $16.50
Body Scrub Sample (Cacao Mint, Detox, Pink Himalayan, Tumeric Poppyseed) $19.99
Clear Skin Facial Serum - Sample $8.99
Milk & Honey Facial Cleansing Grains - Sample $4.00
Mini Natural Deodorants Sampler (Mint Julep, Citrus Lemongrass, Rosemary Lavender, Orange Ginger) $14.99
Coconut Rose Milk Bath - Sample $4.50
Paying more for your wellness is going to be a personal choice that aligns with your long term vision for your life and your wallet. Thirty years from now, I don't want to discover I have a debilitating disease caused by years of playing cheap with my skincare products. Being pretty can kill you, read about it here.
We really need to start questioning the products we are putting on our skin, and not just assume that the chemicals in them are safe. When you purchase products from R. Drew Naturals, you will never have to wonder!
Learn more:
You can purchase your natural skin and personal care items for the whole family from R. Drew Naturals when you visit my Amazon Affiliate store - your one-stop-shop source for Black-owned products available on Amazon.
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