Sticking with skin products, I’m going to move on to body care and hair care favorites for 2012. I do not really have a whole lot of stand-outs in these categories, so it should be relatively short. If you missed my 2012 favorites in skincare, you can find them here. If I have reviewed a product previously on the blog, the product name is linked to it so you can easily find more information about it. So let’s get on with some more favorites!
Starting with body products:
First, I love the Buffy Body Butter from Lush. It is a solid bar of vegetable butters with chunks of various scrubbies that you use while in the shower. To use it, I step out of the water stream and rub the bar over my skin. Then I get back into the shower stream and rinse off any bits of exfoliants that may remain. Done! It exfoliates wonderfully, while moisturizing my skin. When I get out of the shower, I don’t need to add any additional moisturizer! My main complaint with Buffy is that the bar disappears rather quickly – definitely get one of the Lush tins to keep it out of the water when it’s not being used!
My next body product is not really specific. It is simply antibacterial liquid soap. I use the Bath & Body Works Deep Cleansing or Moisturizing Soaps. The reason I’m including plain old antibacterial soap is that I use it religiously just for shaving my armpits – well, I use it to wash my hands as well, but not in the shower. Bacteria is what causes armpit odor and, though I’ve never had too much trouble with odor, I would rather be safe than stinky! J I love the scents from Bath & Body Works which is really the main reason I use their soaps. If you are planning to use these soaps for the body, I would NOT recommend getting the Foaming version because it evaporates rather quickly. It also does not create much of a barrier when shaving, but the regular pump versions work just great!
Finally, I would highly recommend the Nubian Heritage Hand Creams. They are all great, but they are slightly different. The scent varies between each one as does the consistency. My favorites are the Mango Butter Hand Cream and the Olive & Green Tea Hand Cream. These creams absorb into the skin almost immediately and they hydrate hands beautifully. I do find that I need to use them more regularly than some other hand creams, but I don’t mind because they are not even remotely greasy. Some of the scents are rather strong, but they will fade after awhile. The Mango Butter Hand Cream probably has the least noticeable scent – it smells of oranges – and it is a bit thinner than some of the others, so you don’t need too much. The Olive & Green Tea Hand Cream is a bit thicker and has a refreshing green scent – maybe bamboo? (I know that’s kind of a weird description, but it’s the best I can do!) It is also not one of the stronger, more prone to linger scents and it is very nourishing. These are beautiful hand creams that absorb into the skin better than any I have come across – and no grease!!!
Moving on to hair products. To keep my hair in the best shape I can, there are the products I’ve found to be lifesavers this year:
Once I ran out of my prior Leave-In Conditioner, I started using the It’s a 10 Miracle Leave In Product. It detangles my hair better than anything I have ever tried. My hair is left more manageable without being greasy, and I really don’t think I could get a brush through my knotty mane without this stuff! Most of the year, I used the Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner which is also great, but once I tried the It’s a 10 Treatment, I haven’t gone back!
I’ve been using the Macadamia Natural Oil Nourishing Leave-In Cream on and off for most of the year and it definitely makes a difference in my hair. I use maybe a nickel to quarter-size amount and run it through damp hair before spritzing with the It’s a 10 Treatment. The Macadamia Treatment seems to help my hair dry faster and helps control frizz. It also helps any heat-styling hold better and last longer than without it!
If I’m planning to heat-style my hair, I like to mix some Straight Sexy Hair Darn Straight Straightening and Polishing Lotion with the Macadamia Oil Leave-In Treatment. This works for curling hair as well as straightening it! It helps to protect the hair from heat, keeps my hair a bit more manageable, and holds the style longer.
And those are the products that stood-out in 2012 for hair and body!