Source Naturals | MSM Cream
I recently got into MSM to boost collagen production as I’m undergoing a few treatments to treat my acne scarring. As I was researching MSM I came across this article of a woman who swears that MSM cream reduced her acne scars. Even the comments on this article seem convincing.Whether it’s snake oil in a jar, I don’t know. But for the price, I thought I might as well just try it, can’t hurt right? I still don’t think creams, serums, and all that topical stuff can replace the surgical treatments for reducing acne scars or be as effective, however, they might work great together.
The cream most people refers to for acne scars is the MSM cream from MRM, though looking closer at its ingredient list I saw that it contains non-vegan vitamin D and also petroleum jelly, which is an ingredient I try to avoid. So I was glad to find MSM cream from Source Naturals that uses D2, as well as a much cleaner inci. It’s slightly more expensive, but still under €10 and you get a big 4oz jar. This will last me for quite some time.
This cream is really full packed with all the things you’d want from a cream! Besides from MSM and vitamin D, it has a blend of Aloe Vera leaf gel, vitamin E, vitamin A, vitamin B5; as well as extracts from grapefruit, chamomile, ginkgo leaf and ginseng root.
The cream is thick, but sinks in quite fast and dries out matte. It still can feel a bit on the heavy side and like it’s sitting on top, so I use it only as a night cream and only on areas where my scarring is. After a few weeks use I stopped using it on my face. I believe it was causing a few minor pimples, but I will have to reintroduce it again to be sure it’s not just some temporary hormonal-thingy. We girls don’t have it easy!
In the meantime, I’m using it on my bum and thighs as I’ve read some saying it to reduce the appearance of stretch marks and other bumps. While a lot of the cellulite has gone since removing dairy, adding more fiber into my diet and biking, I still have a bump on one of my cheeks that I’m very self-conscious about. I’ve also managed to lift my butt thanks to biking and Tracy Andersson’s butt workout, but the creasing from where my bum ended before is still visible. I know these things takes years and patience, but hey, let’s do this experiment!
▸ Green Juice For Better Digestion & Clear Skin (w/ MSM Powder)
INGREDIENTS MSM CREAM: Purified water, methylsulfonylmethane (15% msm), aloe vera leaf gel, stearic acid, caprylic/capric triglyceride (emollient), vegetable oil, lecithin phospholipid, glycerin, sweet almond oil, jojoba seed oil, cetearyl alcohol and ceteareth-20 (emulsifiers), phenoxyethanol (preservative), tocopheryl acetate (vitamin e), retinyl palmitate (vitamin a), ergocalciferol (vitamin d), panthenol (vitamin b-5), aminomethyl propanol (solubilizer), grapefruit seed extract, chamomile flower extract, ginkgo leaf extract, ginseng root extract, xanthan gum, and rosemary leaf oil. Contains tree nuts (almond) and soy.
Clif Bar | Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch
I and my boyfriend wanted something for a post-workout snack or just in-between errands. Bars are pretty expensive here, and we don’t care so much about the protein content as for the energy-content. So finding a more high carb snack is even more difficult when you live in a country that’s all LCHF/Paleo-oriented, and where 99% of bars contain some kind of whey protein/non-vegan substance. Clif bars aren’t necessarily low in fats, but you get quite the bar for your money. It’s also enriched with a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals, making it kind of a vitamin supplement in a bar-form.
We’ve tasted four different flavors, including these ones, and I can’t imagine Clif bars tasting other than great! Most of the ingredients are organic and non-GMO, and if you are allergic to some ingredient, they got an easy allergen table to scroll through to be on the safe side.
All-in-all, it’s a true energy bar made for active people on the go and that’s delicious without being too “filling”. It’s not a weight-loss bar. But truly, there’s no such thing as a weight-loss bar. I can attest to that as I’ve gained weight on them in the past, but that’s another story for another time…
Dr. McDougall’s | Ramen Chicken Flavor
I was originally going with Mineral Fusions Sheer Moisture Lip Tints, but my order would’ve then gone over my budget. Seeing this product in one of Hannah and Derek’s taste tests, and not having to enjoy these pre-packed ramen in years, I felt like a funny thing to throw in my shopping cart instead – the lipsticks can wait.
Sorry for the scrunched up package, Peter went to throw it before I even had the chance to make a picture! Anyhow, when I got my package I was sad to see that I’ve only gotten 1 soup container, as I remembered ordering 2 (one for me and Peter). I went back to my receipt only to feel silly, seeing I somehow only ordered 1! So yeah, while Peter did get to taste, he had to go without…
Don’t be fooled by the “Chicken Flavor”, this product is all vegan!
I’m not the one to indulge in salt, quite the contrary, however, I just felt like this did not taste. Anything. At. All. Okay, there was a vague flavor, but nothing making me feel like “Shit this is tasty!” When I sprinkled some herbal salt in there, the flavors came out and it was much more enjoyed. But nothing special, not like the old ramen packages… Although, I do like the option of controlling your own salt-intake.
And what’s up with calling the whole package 2 servings? You must be on a calorie restricted diet to call that 2 servings?! Nonetheless if it were sold in my local grocery store, I’d probably buy and eat it at least a couple of times a month, as I do love me some ramen!
Now Foods | Probiotic-10 50 Billion
One thing that’s quite expensive, but the only superfood you’ll ever need, is probiotics. Now Foods are a really undervalued brand. They surprisingly do have good quality products for a much cheaper price than the competitors (especially buying from iHerb). I’ve been wanting to try some different brands of probiotics and thought I’d start with the cheapest.
However, these aren’t really for me, but for my boyfriend. Last year he went on the Holistic LactoVitalis for 1 month with me but didn’t feel any difference. Mind it was his first time even taking probiotics. Since then I’ve done even more research on gut health and gut bacteria, and I came across a few studies done on probiotics and seasonal allergies. My boyfriend suffers from hay fever, and for some reason, he got “cured” the year we went raw (probably because of the overload of oranges we ate), but we haven’t been able to replicate that year since then we added more cooked foods. From what we know, allergies have something to do with the immune system, and most of our immunity is controlled by our gut health.
In short, I’m putting him on a strong probiotic cure, as well as a 7-day colon cleanse, to repopulate and rebuild his immunity. As the probiotics of another brand I’ve been taking starts to come to an end, I’ve been taking the Now Foods occasionally and noticed quite the boost in my skin, more so than the other ones I’ve been taking. Note, it takes about a month before changes do take charge. While it’s good to cycle different’ probiotics, I’ll be ordering more and maybe the 25 billion to keep a maintenance as the price is just right. Looking at the more expensive brands, in short, it’s the same thing. However, I do want to try the Soil-Based probiotics from Prescript Assist in the future, but they are super pricey.
PS While on the subject of probiotics: Derek from Unconventional Living/Life Inside A Box actually listened to my advice about taking probiotics and he’s seen some major improvement with his acne! YAY!
He and I went through such a similar path – being both drawn to a raw food high fruit vegan diet to fix our acne and not really seeing the results we hoped to see – that I kept leaving him messages to try probiotics as I just felt it would help him majorly too!
On the flip side, I’ve taken his tip about taking Betaine HCL to increase my stomach acid as that could also be a culprit to acne as well as many other diseases. :)
▸ Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis with Probiotics
▸ Probiotics May Ease Hay Fever Symptoms
California Gold Nutrition | LactoBif Probiotics 5 Billion
These probiotics came as a sample for just $1, and I thought, why not? So I added them to the cart. Packaging may be good when traveling for a short amount of time and want to keep your gut in top notch.
I can’t comment on the effectiveness as I feel like most probiotics with a level count of 10 or below don’t affect me as much anymore, except keeping me healthy… I guess? I’ll maybe use them to make my own cultured yogurt or kvass.
Mychelle Dermacuticals | Sun Shield SPF 28 Unscented
So, with the on-going acne scar treatments, I felt the need to invest in a proper sunscreen for the face. So far I’ve been using one for the body from Eco Cosmetics, that I bought for the men to use when working outside in the summer. However, it’s far too sticky, leaves a white cast, and only has protection against UVB…
Read the rest of the review here.
MyChelle Dermaceuticals | Hydrating Cactus Mask
I have more face masks than other skincare products, and except for the Pai Rapid Radiance Mask, most of them are clay masks that don’t focus much on moisture. I’ve been wanting to invest in a good hydrating mask, and while discovering MyChelle products I came across their Hydrating Cactus Mask…
Read the rest of the review here.
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