Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Review: Nothing But…Goodness


I have really oily skin. (I thought I’d start you off with a little TMI. You’re welcome.) Mother Nature hasn’t really been too responsive to my protestations that I’m too old to rock the pizza-face look. I’ve been using a knock-off of the triple-step face stuff to no avail, because the real stuff is pretty expensive and apparently the cheap stuff doesn’t work.

Soo…my new hairdresser lady told me this thing about sulfates in your shampoo (and skin products and whatnot), specifically that they really irritate and dry out your skin. This can turn sensitive skin into a hot mess, because one of the lovely side effects of irritated, dry skin is causing it to overproduce oil to compensate.

Problem is, sulfates (and in particular, SLS or sodium lauryl sulfate) are in practically every cosmetic or self-care product that produces bubbles—soap, toothpaste, shampoo, detergent—unless otherwise stated. Their purpose is to produce lather, which we associate with “clean”. In reality, though, bubbles don’t necessarily equal clean, and sulfates can be irritating to those with sensitive skin. So why not, I decided after our talk, I’ll give this no-sulfates thing a whirl.


Shortly after this conversation took place, I got a lil’ package in the mail of Nothing But…Goodness “Olive My Skin” body wash (Morning Sunshine-scented) and “Love Your Body” Moisturizing Oil (Honey Citrus & Fig).

Ralonna Williams, founder of Nothing But…Goodness makes her products with nothing but…well, goodness.

She tries to keep the ingredient list as short, natural, and pronounceable as possible. Naturally, (hur hur) this means her products are sulfate-free.

As such, the body wash doesn’t lather like a sulfate-containing product, but that’s cool, because I can toss those bubbles right out the window if it means my skin won’t blow up.


A lot of “natural” products (look at the labels, you may be surprised) will advertise “SLS Free!”, etc., but upon closer inspection of the ingredient list, you’ll notice that it just has some other chemical (e.g., ammonium lauryl sulfate) in its place. Technically it’s not false advertising, but you’re getting the old bait and switch.


So anyway, I tried the “Olive My Skin” body wash for a while and stopped using the knock-off face stuff--and my skin has cleared up considerably. The fragrance was light and refreshing, not overbearing. I only got a small bottle, but I’ll probably be going back for more.


At $8.50 for a 12 oz. bottle, the price is comparable to what you’d find in the “natural” section of the grocery store, maybe a bit more reasonable. I’m intrigued by this African Black Soap stuff she has, as well as the “Olive My Hair” shampoo.

With the oily skin thing, I don’t usually have a serious need for lotions except for on my hands. I have to wash my hands a lot at work, and in the fall and winter, that means the skin on my hands will probably start to crack and bleed. (Gross. You’re welcome, again.)

Contrary to what you might think, the “Love Your Body” moisturizing oil ($8 for 8 oz.) is not oily-feeling at all. You don’t have to use very much of it. I was expecting it to be somewhat like baby oil but it soaks right in and doesn’t get all over the place.

My only gripe with it is that the fragrance was really sweet and strong, and I don’t like sweet smells, so next time I’d get one of the seven other varieties available.


5 comments:

  1. At 35, I have really bad breakouts too. I'm intrigued by this and might just have to give it a try. Thanks for the tips!

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  2. This is something my sister would especially love! She puts a high priority on products that are all natural and healthy and she also LOVES lavendar!
    manifestmiracles@live.com

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  3. Love natural products. Thanks for linking up to #brilliantblogposts x

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  4. Awesome review! I am definitely going to have to try these products.... I have the same issues!

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  5. I really want to start using more natural toiletries. Sounds like a great company to go with!

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