iHerb Haul: The Real Truth About Powdered Peanut Butter

Aubrey Organics | Chia Detangler

★★★☆☆

All Hair Types

I was quite sad to see that Aubrey had discontinued the Sea Buckthorn Leave-In Conditioner & Curl Activator, which I enjoyed and loved the smell of. I’m not so much for using products in my hair on a daily basis, but I recently cut my hair and for some reason, it became unmanageably static! And considering the winter dryness, my hair might need some love and conditioning this season. I know I could just as well use oil, but I’m yet left to find an oil that works with my hair.

It seems as if Aubrey replaced the Sea Buckthorn with a new styling series, with Chia Seeds as the active ingredient. I’ve seen people making homemade hair gel and conditioner out of flax seeds, so I’m not surprised to see the use of Chia considering the similar coagulating and high omega 3 properties.

Now, I know some of you will react to one of the first ingredients on this product, which is Alcohol (also listed in the middle of the list). From my understanding, Alcohol is a very common ingredient in detangling and conditioning products – I may even recall the Sea Buckthorn hair spray having some of it! And yes, it’s the “bad” form of alcohol that can cause dryness.
While it may seem kind of contradictory to add alcohol to conditioning products, it somehow seems to work the opposite for most of the time. Otherwise, I guess all of these hair companies would be out of business if their products wouldn’t deliver?

For more information, I found:
▸ What is alcohol denat. (38b, lavender) in Aubrey Organics?

Besides alcohols, the list contains 70% natural and organic ingredients, and most importantly, chia seed oil isn’t on the bottom! Other special ingredients worth a mention is: Quinoa seed extract and different tea blends. It is described as a “Lightweight ant-frizz conditioner” that smoothes out tangles and enhances shine while protecting the hair from breakage and heat damage.

This product has a vague but fresh and calming scent of Lavender and citrus, but I wish the eucalyptus would be more prominent. The scent is not overpowering and goes away quite quickly.

How does the Chia Detangler compare with the Sea Buckthorn Conditioner & Curl Activator?
Well, it’s basically not the same product. I guess they kind of cut it in half, so instead of having a 2-in-1 product, they made the Chia Detangler for conditioning and Chia Salt Spray for texture and waves. I plan on getting the chia salt spray near the summer, as it is usually around that time I like to play with the beach look. I’m also curious how it will hold up to the infamous Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray.

SUMMARY

It definitely calmed the static immediately after I sprayed this on my hair – which was the sole purpose of this purchase. However, it’s not as moisturizing as I’d like it to be, but not as drying as you would assume with the alcohol being in it. If it makes the detangling easier, it’s a bit hard for me to say for. I use a Tangle Teezer brush which makes it easier to detangle my hair overall, but after a few uses, I do have to admit that I can see how it may protect the hair better than trying to detangle the hair dry… But I don’t find the product necessarily works to prevent future tangles.

In all honesty, I find the Chia Detangler kind of boring. I could have wished it added some definition, or at least more moisture. But maybe the Chia Serum would’ve been a better option then?
The problem is that I wanted a spray product similar to the Sea Buckthorn Curl Activator, and the Chia Detangler wasn’t really anything similar. As a detangler, it works, but I’m unsure if I’ll repurchase it when I rather have a 2-in-1 kind of product.

– While writing this review I came across Reviving Tonic by the brand Beautiful Curls, which sounds much more like the product I’m really after and it’s in the same price range! So I’ll be looking it up next time I order from iHerb!

INGREDIENTS: Aqua, alcohol denat.* (38b, lavender), aloe barbadensis leaf juice, oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oil, salvia hispanica seed oil* (chia), citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel oil, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) oil, chenopodium quinoa seed extract, alcohol, citrus aurantifolia (lime) oil, citrus limon (lemon) peel oil, eucalyptus globulus leaf oil, alcohol, camellia sinensis leaf extract (black tea), hibiscus sabdariffa flower extract, aspalathus linearis extract (rooibos tea), camellia sinensis leaf extract (green tea), citrus limon (lemon peel oil, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) flower/leaf/stem extract, salvia officinalis (sage) flower/leaf/stem extract. Organic

Pacifica | Tahitian Gardenia Solid Perfume

★★★★☆

I’m not very much a perfume person, but selling off my small collection of Marc Jacobs perfumes was what inspired this purchase.
Pacifica’s got a lot of different natural perfumes to choose from. I got the Tahitian Gardenia scent, which sounded exotic and it seems to be the favorite scent of many beauty bloggers around. It’s smaller in size than what I expected actually, but I guess will last a long time.
Pacific describes the scent as:

“A heady, vintage-inspired blend of intoxicating gardenia, jasmine, orange flowers, tea leaves and ylang ylang.”

I wish I had read that word, “vintage” because it’s awfully vintage-y. Not. My. Thing. In other words, it gives me a headache, so I’m not going to rate this product after scent, but on its other qualities!

I read a few reviews saying the solid perfumes haven’t a much lasting scent, and I don’t agree! When I read that, I thought they meant the scent goes away after 10 minutes to 1 hour.
First of all, perfume isn’t for you to smell, at least I think. Second of all – this may just be the Tahitian Gardenia scent – the smell is pretty over-powering and strong, and it has lasted about 3-5 hours from my experience. You can even smudge it on clothing and it will last for quite some time.

Yes, at the end of the day, you may want to reapply it, but I don’t know any perfume that lasts a whole day?! My opinion is that this is a good quality perfume, it doesn’t smell synthetic at all and lasts a good amount of average time, it’s not better than the conventional or liquid perfumes, but it’s definitely not worse!
While I expected a bigger tin, I’d say it’s a good size to have in your purse or pocket for little touch-ups or either to elongate the scent of the spray perfume. And I shouldn’t be fooled by its size, to compare it with similar products, I could bet this will last me a long time!
It’s also vegan, cruelty-free and doesn’t contain any nasties!

SUMMARY

Whether I’ll come to like the scent as I’ve done with the Nubian Heritage body wash, or give it to someone else because it gives me a headache, we’ll see. It’s hard picking scents through Internet, and unfortunately, Pacifica Perfumes or their make up collection hasn’t reached the physical stores of Sweden yet. And aside from the scent of the Tahitian Gardenia, this product really impressed me! So I will just have to go through some frogs until I find one I like. Next time, I’ll go with something mild and fruity!

INGREDIENTS: Organic cocos nucifera wax (coconut), organic glycine soja wax (non GMO soy), perfume (Pacifica’s own perfume blend with natural and essential oils), prunus armeniaca wax (apricot wax), Caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut source).

Coconut Secret | Coconut Aminos Teriyaki Sauce

A year ago I tried the original Raw Coconut Aminos Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce (review here) and maybe you remember I wasn’t much impressed by it as a soy substitute and wrote that I wasn’t going to repurchase it. Well, after six months of use and finishing it off, I surprisingly missed it in my kitchen!

I ended up not using it as a soy sauce but as a sweetener in dishes. We eat a lot of woks and curries at home, and I like them rather sweet than salty, so the coconut aminos was a great addition to my cooking. And recently my hubby got hooked on teriyaki sauce, so I figured, why not test this one? Not to mention, they also have a garlic sauce!

But to warn you, the Coconut Aminos Teriyaki sauce has a lot more sodium than the original or even the garlic sauce, so just be aware of that! And I have to say that I personally like that addition, it was just the thing that was missing in the original that made it kind of bland.
For being a teriyaki sauce it’s not your typical viscous sauce but has the same consistency of soy sauce.

I’m enjoying it over rice, noodles and just about anything that could do better with a little bit of Teriyaki!

INGREDIENTS: Organic coconut sap, sea salt, organic ginger, organic onion, organic garlic, organic cayenne pepper.

Lotus Foods | Organic Millet & Brown Rice Ramen

I’m still asking myself the question: why buy noodles all the way from the US? Like, of course, we have noodles in Sweden!
But unless you’re living in Stockholm, the rice noodle variety is quite boring. When I’m there I stack up on the different kind of noodles that I can find at Gryningens and Paradiset – which you should check out if you’re ever passing by!

I originally wanted to go with the Organic Forbidden Rice Ramen, because of course… It says “Forbidden”.
Unfortunately, it’s not a joke. When I tried passing the checkout, the red text said under it “Note: Due to special ingredients in this product, this product can not be shipped with Air shipping services.” LOL And I’m like, what’s so dangerous about an ingredient list that reads: organic black rice flour, organic brown rice flour and organic white rice flour? Now I’m really interested! Just imagine the headlines: “Plane Crash – Due To Ramen Noodles!” Or are they afraid of misplacing the black box with black ramen… (Note: the black box isn’t even black!)

By this time it was getting pretty late, so I just clicked the simple rice and millet ramen into my virtual basket and got on with the exchange of services.

You get a pack of 4, 1 cake is told to be 2 servings.
I haven’t had the chance to try them yet, so I can’t really know if the portion size is accurate. But keep your eyes on my Instagram feed, it will surely pop up there together with the Teriyaki sauce! I mean, like how special could these ramen noodles be…

INGREDIENTS: Organic brown rice flour, organic millet.

Bell Plantation | PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter

This is a product that’s very common in the HCLF community. For the longest time I thought it was just regular plain peanut butter, so I didn’t get the hype. Now after learning it is a powdered product and has had its fat reduced, I get why high carbers would turn to a product like this instead of plain regular peanut butter.

So, just after receiving this package I found an article by Food Babe with the title reading “The Truth About PB2 & Powdered Peanut Butter”. While she may seem like she comes up with some valid points… I must disagree with her.

Not that I wanted to make a whole post on it but… (sorry I had to)… I feel the need to resolve a few issues I have with the original post.

Food Babe writes: “I know I’d rather have the fat vs. the sugar and salt”
My response: It’s the fat and sugar ratio we should be worried about. Either you eat a diet high in fat or high in carbohydrates. We also know that a mix of 50% sugar and 50% fats is addicting and unsatisfactory, it screws with our ability to feel fullness (and very few if not none in nature is made by that ratio). Yes, the nutrient density may play a huge role, but I don’t even mind the added sugar and salt. Not like I’m going to have this daily. – People with Candida issues might feel differently until problems get resolved.
What I’m trying to say, it’s not about what you’d rather have, but what your body metabolizes the best, added sugar and salt don’t come as a huge problem as long as the fat is low. Today’s standardized diet isn’t a carbs and sugar issue, it’s a refined sugar with high-fat issue!

“Added salt”… Again, considering that you won’t whip up half the can and eat it, and that you can’t compare a powdered product to a solid… The PB2 powdered peanut butter contains about 0.78g of salt per 100g. The whole can that I bought contains 184g of powdered peanut butter, one serving is according to the company 12g = 2 tbsp which is about 94mg of sodium. Now lets’ compare 2 tbs of real peanut butter… you’ll get about 147mg of sodium! So now the 94mg doesn’t sound that much or does it? And if you’re like me who don’t eat a lot of overt salt during the day, that’s totally manageable!

Food Babe Writes: “PB2 Is Not Whole Real Food”
My response: Oh, I can give you a whole list of foods that are not “whole” but are still very healthy for you, like smoothies, juices and cooked foods (cooked foods has had their moisture reduced/removed). Apple Cider Vinegar isn’t real either. Hopefully, you’re not basing your whole diet off of powdered peanut butter, but aiming for a whole foods nutrient dense diet.

This product has had its fats reduced, not removed completely! Therefore it is more real and whole than plain vegetable oil! I totally agree on the fact that we should be consuming whole real foods, but this one isn’t so damn unrecognizable different. Unlike oils, that are 100% fat with no fibers, and there’s nothing naturally growing in nature that’s made out of 100% fat. Think about it. Nothing.
And by looking at this post, Food Babe does indeed have NO problem with consuming or even promoting unreal foods, so why does she have a problem with PB2?! Just saying she should have her facts straight about what is REAL and WHOLE before bashing a product that’s more natural than the precious coconut oil that she promotes.

Food Babe Writes: “And… Almond Butter is Better For Your Health”
My response: It’s not the same product, you can’t compare the two. Also, peanuts are technically a legume and taste-wise, they do not taste the same.
I can’t argue, that nutritionally, Almond butter wins the fight. It’s an amazing alternative, it doesn’t even need salt to taste good because it has its own sweet taste. But I guess, most people like peanut butter solely for the salty taste. Is it wrong to like it and consume it?

SUMMARY

I think it’s an amazing and fun product. Will I use it daily and a lot? Nope, just like I don’t use any nut butter daily! I mostly bought it because my boyfriend likes peanuts and it’s a good way to add peanut taste to smoothies and other recipes. And you won’t die from eating 2 tbsp of this product… unless you have a peanut allergy of course.
I don’t see this as a health product, it’s still peanut butter and it’s not like it’s a low-fat product either, it actually contains 13g of fat per 100g. Though it will be fun to use it in my Asian cooking, I’ve been avoiding recipes that call for peanut butter sauces, while I enjoy fatty foods I don’t like the feeling after… I will also try to play with it as frosting and filling. It seems to be a very versatile product!