Monday 11 March 2013

Bio2You Organic Omega 3-6 Revitalising Serum and Organic Hand Cream with Seabuckthorn – Review


Since I started Sophia’s Choice in October last year (2012), I have learnt so much more about the mainstream products we use, the chemicals that are in them and the effects they can have on our bodies particularly once you understand that 60% of what we put on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream. I will be writing a post about these chemicals and which ones we should ultimately be avoiding in a future blog post but the whole process has really made me think about my own collection of skincare, bodycare and make-up products. Slowly but surely I am replacing them all with new “free from” options, some of which I have until now found hard to find replacements for. But actually if you really want to find alternatives they are out there and it has astounded me the number of companies there are, both large and small, all making an impact on this ever growing side to the cosmetic & skincare industry.

I’ve been very much focused on the girls for the most part and what’s best for them, but we as adults are just as important and as women who also have the potential to have babies, we cannot underestimate the toxicity that can build up in our own bodies and how this can transfer to some degree to the developing foetus growing inside us. Pregnancy is a time when I believe many of us think long and hard for the first time about what we are eating and drinking, the exercise we take, and maybe also what we are putting on our growing bump. And I believe this is a good thing but that maybe we actually need to be thinking about this way before we make that decision to try for a baby. I’m learning about ways we can do this and hope to share some of this information in future posts, but for now I’m pleased to be able to introduce two more “free from” products I was given the chance to try out from Bio2You courtesy of Daisy Green who have a great magazine helping to showcase many different products which are Ethical, Eco and Green.



I was sent a 100ml tube of Organic Seabuckthorn Hand Cream and a 15ml bottle of Organic Seabuckthorn Omega 3-6 Revitalising Serum to try out and I’ve been very impressed with the results so far. All their products are free from alcohol, artificial colours, and animal by-products, parabens and SLS. They are also not tested on animals.

Seabuckthorn is a berry and the healing juice is extracted and can be used in nutritional supplements, food recipes, juices and skincare products. The more I read about this wonder berry the more special it sounds. It is a strong antioxidant with a higher concentration of vitamins than many other plants. It has 3 times more vitamin A than carrots, 10 times more vitamin C than oranges, and 4 times more vitamin E than sunflower seeds.



As taken from their website, Seabuckthorn has the following effects/benefits:

Seabuckthorn has 190 bioactive substances
  • Many strong antioxidants
  • 18 amino acids
  • 14 vitamins (A, B group, C, D, K, P)
  • Provitamins
  • 11 micro elements (zinc, calcium, iron, etc.)
  • Phenols
  • 42 types of lipids
  • 22 fatty acids, including:
  • Omega 3
  • Omega 6
  • Omega 7
  • Omega 9
  • 36 types of flavonoids
Benefits of Organic Seabuckthorn Products:
  • Revitalises your skin, regenerates and improves elasticity
  • Strong antioxidant
  • Delays aging, renew the cells
  • Moisturises and nourishes
  • Responsible, environmentally friendly harvesting methods
Pretty impressive credentials and I have to say that having used the skin serum for about 4 weeks now (I like to test run some products for slightly longer particularly skincare products for the face, to get a realistic idea of the benefits), I’ve definitely noticed a marked improvement in my skin which is combination; oily and normal. When I was a teenager I had oily skin and suffered badly with acne. It was a difficult time for me as many teenagers will tell you. It’s the one time in your life when having spots, greasy skin and looking like a pizza is really not the look you’re aiming for ! I have struggled at times with my skin over the years and even now at 40, I still get occasional breakouts of spots in the typical T-zone. However, the flip side of that is that as my skin is more on the oily side, I haven’t suffered with half as many wrinkles as my contemporaries. I suppose there are some small mercies!



The skin serum is a blend of oils including borage, avocado, macadamia ternifolia seed, olive, rosa moschata & jojoba in addition to seabuckthorn. You apply at least 5 drops of the oil to your skin twice a day and then put on your normal moisturiser after that. I have used it every morning for 4 weeks and then used my normal moisturising toning gel from Green People which I have been using long term so the serum has been the only addition/change in my skincare routine. This has allowed me to notice any real changes or benefits to my skin.

After about a week of using the serum, I noticed that the skin around my chin area broke out in spots and I wondered if this was due to the added oil I was adding to this already oily area. But I persevered and within the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed that my open pores around my nose, chin and forehead area have closed up considerably. This is a big thing for me. I have always suffered with slightly larger pores than most due to the acne years and the oil production my skin makes. I’m always a bit tentative about putting more oil on those areas, but this serum is absorbed really well into the skin and doesn’t leave any greasy residue. My skin has started to look much more even, dewy in appearance and definitely the pores have shrunk and smoothed out. The skin feels nourished and my skin tone is evening out. I’m impressed. Have I said that before? Probably, but really, I am. And I will definitely carry on using it for the foreseeable future. I’m definitely a convert.



And so to the hand cream. Both hubby and I have been trialling this one and again I’m impressed. I don’t normally use hand creams simply because most I’ve used in the past are greasy and leave an annoying film on the skin which makes your hands slippery and then it’s simply washed away when you next wash them. If my pores are blocked with cream on my hands I sadly then suffer with clammy hand syndrome; not the most pleasant affliction, so if I can avoid this I do. Hubby is always using his hands as his work is in the building and carpentry trade. His hands get a battering so he’s a good guinea pig to help trial this hand cream too.

The first thing that struck me is the aroma. It has a lovely “earthy” smell to it which I really liked. It contains seabuckthorn, shea butter, jojoba, bran, almond, sunflower, and sesame oils, mallow, aloe vera, honeysuckle and spelt. It smells really natural, as if it’s doing your skin good. I like that. It sinks into the skin well and doesn’t leave any residue behind. Your skin absorbs it as it should and my hands felt silky smooth with no sticky, clammy feel to them. Hubby was impressed too. It’s the first “free from” hand cream he’s used and he said that on a scale of 1-10 he’d rate it at an 8. It sinks in well and as he normally puts on two applications of hand creams as his hands are just so dry from his work, the fact that no greasy film is left behind is a plus. You can pick up your glass, use things or type without everything slipping around or becoming covered in a film of cream.

All in all I would definitely buy these two Bio2You products again and in addition I’d like to try out more of their range too. I like the feel of the company too. They seem to come from the right space and seem pretty transparent in their approach.

If you would like to know more about their product range then pop across to their website: www.remedynaturalproducts.co.uk, their Facebook page or you can follow them on Twitter: @Bio2YouRemedy

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Disclaimer: I was given a Bio2You Omega 3-6 Revitalising Serum & Organic Handcream to try out, keep and review for this post. All thoughts, feelings and opinions given are my own and no one else's. I always give my honest feedback.

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