October 27, 2010 : The Quirky thought of Retro Girl

Bee Good To Yourself.....Beecology Review

The Quirky Thoughts of Retro Girl

I was recently venting on Twitter...(yeah, what's new?! lol. Can't help it. I'm a redhead. We say whatever comes to mind.). I'd purchased a skincare product online and was not too happy with the company's service and shipping and Tweeted about it. Some little bee out there heard my frustration and offered me a peek at a fabulous line of products and a company who cares about their customers and the world we live in.

That was the day I found out about Beecology. I had heard the name before but I didn't really know much about them and had never tried their products. The little bee offered to send me some samples in exchange for my honest opinion, which I am happy to share with you. (My hubby would say - "when is she not happy to voice her opinion?" lol Again, it's a redhead thing I think!)

A little about Beecology first.... They're a farm family turned beekeepers (thanks to a friend) who made it their business to learn all about bees and how their world relates to ours. They decided to use the honey, beeswax and other natural ingredients to make skin and haircare products that are good for humans and the world we inhabit. As part of this whole process of making natural, eco-friendly, renewable, functional products, they made a promise to give back through their charitable organization SweetYear.org. They will give 10 percent (of net profit from all sales) to environmental and social causes. Pretty amazing stuff, from pretty amazing folks, huh?

Well, on to my review. The fine folks at Beecology sent me a nice sample pack of their products to try - Bodywash, shampoo, conditioner, hand/body lotion and lipbalm. I love the Beecology logo and love the looks of the packaging. I read the labels and list of ingredients and had to open everything right away to smell the products. Mmmm! The words clean, gentle, natural, relaxing, and essential oils describe what I smelled. There was absolutely none of that over-fragranced perfumey smell of so many skin and hair products have today. I couldn't wait to give each product a try.

The very first thing I had to try right out of the box without delay is the Buzz Balm Super Sting Peppermint lip balm. I always have such dry lips thanks to living in the very windy 'burbs of Chicago. The smell is intoxicatingly good - I especially love the mix of peppermint and clove oil. This stuff is so soothing and makes my lips so soft! I love the tingly good feeling! This lip balm would make the best stocking stuffer. It even comes in a 5 pack gift tin that would make a great gift.

I also received a sample size of the Original Honey Body & Hand Cream which I had to open and try immediately. The first thing I noticed is that this lotion did not have a perfumey scent - the scent is only from the natural ingredientswhich include Cupuacu (koo-poo-ah-sue)--from a tree in the Amazon Basin, Honey, Shea Butter, and olive oil. It smells simple, natural and clean. A little bit of this lotion goes a long way. It really makes my skin feel soft and smooth and not greasy or coated like some lotions. I've been using it on the dry skin on my feet and could immediately see and feel a difference. My skin wasn't as ashy and scaly feeling, as it usually is from going barefoot too much on our slate tile floors.

Then came the fun part of trying out Beecology....The shower gel, shampoo and conditioner! I love a good long hot shower and pampering myself with good quality skin and hair products.

Beecology offers 3 varieties of All Natural Body Wash - Peppermint & Honey, Grapefruit & Lemongrass, and Lavender & Bergamot. All three have a base of coconut, olive oil and hemp oils and are free of synthetic fragrances, harsh sulfates, artificial coloring, and chemical preservatives of any kind.

I was thrilled to receive a full sized bottle of the Lavender & Bergamot body wash. Of course, the first thing I had to do was smell it. Mmmmm The natural essential oils make this smell incredible, and so relaxing. In aromatherapy, Lavender is used to fight stress and fight infection when applied to the skin, and Bergamot is used to treat anxiety, stress, depression, and PMS among a host of other things. For me, the pairing of these two essential oils together makes for one relaxing, decadent shower or bath. I found a small amount lathers quite nicely on a shower puff. It made my skin so soft and smooth. It made shaving my legs in the shower very quick and easy. The scent lingers lightly in my bathroom afterward and makes it smell so nice. However, one thing to note that I found to be a positive -- the scent of this shower gel wasn't so strong or overpowering that I couldn't use my own perfume later. My mom came to visit last weekend and I let her try the shower gel too, and she really liked it as well.

Lastly, I also received sample sized bottles of the all natural shampoo and all natural conditioner. They both contain natural oils, no artificial fragrances and are gentle and moisturizing. A nickel sized amount of the shampoo made a nice lather and it rinsed really well. I have really thick, coarse, color-treated hair and it soaked the conditioner right up. Afterward I my hair felt nice and soft and easy to style - not weighed-down feeling or waxy and coated as some other conditioners have left my hair. In fact, I felt like the Beecology haircare products might have actually removed some of the buildup in my hair left behind from my styling products.

All in all, my favorite items were the Lip Balm and the Lavender & Bergamot body wash. I love the scents and how softening and pampering they feel. Looking at the Beecology website - I honestly expected the products to be more expensive than they are. I am impressed with the pricing, quality, the all natural eco-friendly ingredients, and the company's comittment to social responsibility and their charitable spirit. Their website is user friendly and easy to navigate, and their products would make excellent gifts for any occasion.