Review: Andalou Naturals 1000 Roses Colour and Correct SPF 30

I brought Andalou Natural''s CC Cream in the shade 'sheer nude' online at iHerb after spending hours online researching natural face sunscreen options. It seemed to meet all my requirements; it gives SPF 30 coverage purely with zinc oxide, it is suitable for sensitive skin, and it only contains low amounts of coconut oil (an ingredient prevalent in so many natural sunscreens, and one that causes me to break out). I have been testing this cc cream for seven weeks now, long enough to have a fair idea of how my skin responds to it. Upon opening it and smearing it on my hand, I was initially worried about the yellow tone in the shade, as yellow shades don't tend to match my skin very well. However, it rubbed into my face quite easily, despite its thick consistency, and I found that you could hardly tell I was wearing it. I have found myself wearing this on an almost daily basis to protect my face from the elements. I love the beautiful rose fragrance it carries, although those with scent sensitivities and those that dislike the smell of rose should know that the scent is quite strong. As a rose lover though, I am in heaven!

I wear this on it's own underneath makeup, or over the top of moisturiser on days that my face is craving extra hydration. I have really dry skin, and although this CC cream has amazing hydrating ingredients such as Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Vera and Rose Oil, due to the high zinc content I find it a tad drying sometimes. As I mentioned above, I bought this product for the sole purpose of providing a sufficient sun screen, and I feel like I should mention that although it is marketed as a CC cream, I found that it didn't seem to cover any skin imperfections I had. Instead, it just gives this perfect healthy skin glow, so I'm not complaining!

Finally, I didn't experience any irritation or breakouts from this product, despite having extremely sensitive breakout-prone skin. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a new face sunscreen to add to their arsenal, and someone who isn't fussed about skin coverage. Andalou Natural's 1000 Roses CC Cream will be a permanent staple in my beauty routine.

Ingredients:
Zinc Oxide 20%, Aloe Barbadensis Juice*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) and Helianthus Annuus (Sun flower) Oils*, Sorbitan Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, PhytoCellTec (Alpine Rose, Malus Domestsica, Solar Vitis) and BioActive 8 Berry Complex*, Soothing Complex: [Hyaluronic Acid, Magnolia Of cinalis Bark, Phoenix Dactylifera (Date) Leaf Cell and Boswellia Serrata (Boswellin) Extracts], Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Distillate*, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) and Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Oils*, Algae and Cucumis Melo (Melon) Extracts, Iron Oxide, Magnesium Sulfate, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch*, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea), Aspalathus Linearis (Rooibos) and Hibiscus Sabdariffa Extracts*†, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Phenethyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Oil*, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Oil

Review: Andalou Naturals Healthy Shine Sunflower and Citrus Shampoo

A few months ago I placed my first order at iHerb, and at a whim, added this shampoo to my cart because my current favourite shampoo has recently been reformulated (boo!), and now contains ingredients I try to stay away from, and I was/am still on the search for a replacement. Also, it didn't hurt that it was only around $3.

So. First. The Ingredients List is amazing. It boasts lush ingredients such as black cumin oil (which I have raved about here), hyaluronic acid, chamomile extract and pro-vitamin B5, to name a few. It features aloe vera juice as its first ingredient, instead of plain water like so many other shampoo brands, which I love as aloe is extremely healing and soothing to an area of skin as sensitive as a scalp. It is also cruelty free, fair trade, gluten free, non GMO and doesn't contain nasties like parabens or sulfates.

To shampoo, I squirted a generous dollop into my palms and massaged into my scalp. (I never shampoo the ends of my hair, and I recommend that all long haired folks out there avoid shampooing their ends as well, as all it does is dry them out.) At first it lathers into a thick foam, but as I keep massaging the foam starts to disappear, which is a little odd, but I figure its to do with the gentler cleansing agents found in this product.

It rinses out completely, with no residue, which I love, and my hair looked shiny. However to my disappointment, as my hair started to dry I noticed that my strands felt just a tad dry. Not overly dry, but enough for me to notice. To be fair though, Andalou Naturals does not make any claims about it being suited to dry hair, so I might be better trying one of their shampoos better suited to my hair type. Due to this, I will not be repurchasing this shampoo, but I recommend it to those that have oily hair and need a good cleansing shampoo.

Unfortunately it looks like I am still on the hunt for the perfect shampoo. Now I have started trialling a new way of cleansing my hair. More to come in a future blog post on that though.

Full Ingredient List: Aloe barbadensis juice*, sodium laurylglucosides hydroxypropylsulfonate, sodium cocoyl methyl taurate, helianthus annuus (sunflower) and linum usitatissimum (flax) oils*, vegetable glycerin, nigella sativa (black cumin) oil, cyamopsis tetragonolobus (guar) gum*, chamomilla recutita (chamomile) extract*, pyrus cydonia (quince) extract, fruit stem cell and bioactive 8 berry complex*, hyaluronic acid, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), tocopherol (vitamin E), aspalathus linearis (rooibos) and hibiscus rosa-sinensis extracts*†, allantoin, sodium benzoate, citric acid, potassium sorbate, ethylhexylglycerin, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) and citrus tangerina (tangerine) oils*

Have you found your holy grail shampoo? Do you use natural shampoo/no poo? Let me know in the comments section.