I recently attended the Balance Me #BodyConfidence event at Debenhams on Oxford Street in London where a sea of bright red, cheerful products greeted me upon arrival. I had only tried the Rose Otto Hand Cream from Balance Me so was eager to find out more about the brand and the products.
The first thing I can appreciate about Balance Me is that it started on a kitchen table. Literally. Two British sisters, Clare and Rebecca Hopkins, quit their corporate jobs and started making beauty products in their kitchen. The second thing I can appreciate about the brand is that the products contain no parabens, sulphates, petroleum, mineral oil, silicones, dea, pegs, propylene glycol, artificial colours or fragrances. Whew-that’s a long list! The company uses naturally active botanicals, hi-tech natural formulations and pure grade essential oils in their products. A win for everyone.
A lot of Balance Me products focus on botanical oils.
Here is a mini-tutorial on oils that are used in their products:
Abyssinian Oil: exceptionally smoothing and bursting with anti-ageing long chain essential fatty acids and vitamins which improve skin tone and texture.
Sweet Almond Oil: soothes and smooths. What calming words…
Amazonian Buriti Nut Oil: a luxurious golden oil, highly emollient and works to improve skin tone imperfections, leaving a smooth primed complexion.
Coconut Oil: is firm with a balm-like texture and offers the surface of the skin a rich and highly effective natural protective barrier (great make-up remover!)
Camellia Oil: easily absorbed and full of essential fatty acids. Is conditioning, moisturising and strengthening. It has been used for centuries in the East. Its Japanese name means ‘Tree of Spring’.
Jojoba Oil: amber oil that has a sebum-like composition, ensuring that its powerful vitamins and essential fatty acid properties are more easily absorbed into the skin.
Kukui Nut Oil: natural silicone replacement and leaves a beautiful ‘slip’ finish on the skin as well as helping to protect against the visible signs of ageing.
Rosehip Oil (my personal favourite oil): a powerful anti-oxidant that encourages optimum cell growth and renewal. Also helps minimise the appearance of scars and prevents them from occurring in the first place.
Starflower Oil: rich in anti-oxidants and offers the skin high levels of Vitamin E.
Next it was time to put the products to the test. I used the Super Toning Body Wash (which is unisex) and smells of bergamot-yum! There are no sulphates in the body wash so it didn’t foam as easily as regular shower gel. And this isn’t a bad thing! Shower gels that are full of foam generally contain sulphates which create a lather. However, the effects can be harsh on your skin and strip it of its natural oils.
Next up was the Super Toning Body Oil which was the very first Balance Me oil, created nearly 20 years ago. I used a dry body brush before showering as this increases circulation. Always use a dry body brush before showering or taking a bath to improve skin tone and circulation and to promote natural detoxification. I used the Toning Oil after the shower and while skin was still slightly damp as this locks in the moisture. The oil is full of good fats and vitamins and I found that it sank in easily, even on dry skin so I believe this does work also as a dry body oil.
I spent the rest of the morning giving myself a Balance Me facial. I used the Cleanse and Smooth Face Balm to start. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a multi-tasking product. It contains oatmeal powder as an exfoliator. Most balms don’t have exfoliators in them so another win.
I followed with the Radiance Face Mask. This has kaolin clay to suck out dirt and it is also an exfoliant so again, another great multi-tasking product.
I followed with the Rose Otto Oil which I would recommend using at night as I always find facial oils hard to use with make-up during the day. I absolutely adore one at night though and Rose Otto and Rosehip are my favourites.
I finally finished with the Wonder Eye Cream-this is meant to be applied with a light tapping motion to stimulate circulation and reduce dark circles. Let’s hope it gets working on it!
