Green Beaver: Dry skin therapy body lotion

    

     The search for a hand lotion may have finally ended.  Over the past year I have been searching and researching, trying to replace the hand lotion I have been using for years manufactured by Neutrogena.  What sparked my search was not dissatisfaction with the product's performance; but the fact that it contained Parabens, one of the many endocrine disruptors that I am trying to avoid.  For years I have used Neutrogena on my hands and lips in order to keep my skin from cracking and lips from chapping when the air gets dry.  As I am getting older, I'm finding it more challenging to keep my skin moisturized with alternative products.  Determined to find a replacement, I have tested products by Coastal Classic Creations in California, Nature Clean's unscented "Moisturizing Lotion", coconut and olive oil.  Nature Clean mailed me a bottle of their Hand Lotion months ago as a complementary "Thank you" for my customer loyalty; and as a sample for my boyfriend to try, who suffers from very dry skin.  While I was very impressed with their product, it worked well and did not leave an oily residue; unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a store which carries it in Ottawa.  I have looked in Terra 20, Lablaw, and Natural Food Pantry and none of these places which stock Nature Clean products carried their "Moisturizing Lotion".  If any reader has been able to locate it, I would love for you to leave a comment below and notify me where you purchased it.
      After having started my journey of discovery with Coastal Classic Creation's "Hand Nurisher", which is all natural oil based product, I opened up to the use of straight-up olive and coconut oil.  Although, I personally found the usage to be adequate for it's purposes, I was ultimately disappointed.  After years of experimenting with alternative products, I have grown accustomed to the inevitable, "Adjustment period", where you and your skin or hair goes through an awkward transition of getting used to using a new product.  Understanding this reality, I never hit my stride with the "Hand Nurisher", coconut or olive oils because I could not get used to the feeling of oil on my hands.  Many of my friends have had better luck than I with using coconut oil; however, the skin on my fingertips often cracks and bleeds, and it appears that I require something stronger and with more ingredients.  After two weeks of constant use with the coconut oil I became discouraged.  The cracks on my fingertips were continuing to form and I was becoming frustrated.  I would like to add that in no way do I wish to discourage anyone from using coconut or olive oil.  What does not work for me, may work for you and the benefits of using cleaner and more natural moisturizers has many benefits.

     My journey led me to The Natural Food Pantry in Stittsville, Ontario; where, while investigating some of the shampoos they carried, I saw a bottle of Green Beaver "Dry skin therapy Boreal Body Lotion" staring at me on the shelf.  Green Beaver was the company who first introduced me to natural shampoo.  I chose their product because they are made in Ontario and they possess some of the "scent" I was used to using (my transition to unscented has come recently).  They have changed their shampoo/body lotion formulas and packaging over the past four years; and, because of this I decided to pick this bottle up and inspect the ingredients list and what I found surprised me. 

The Good

    
     On the back of the bottle it is clearly advertised that the product does not contain "silicone, petrolatum, paraben, phenoxythanol or formaldehyde releasing preservatives, artificial fragrances, dyes, pthalates, sulfates or ingredients generating carcinogenic nitrosamines".    This product is also biodegradable and gluten-free.

The Bad 

    Beta-sitosterol (ingredient): is a plant based sterol with a similar chemical structure to cholesterol.  They are a white waxy powder with a characteristic odor and are soluble in alcohol.  It most commonly occurs naturally in foods such as avocado and pecans, pumpkin seeds, rice bran, wheat germ, corn oils, soybeans, and dandelion coffee 1.  It is also used as a medication to treat a variety of conditions including high cholesterol and heart disease and to reduce muscular pain and swelling when applied to the skin.  However, due to insufficient testing and knowledge about this product and it's effects on unborn and newborn infants, it has been suggested that B-sitosterol to be avoided during pregnancy and breast feeding 1.

The Ugly

   Green Beaver is not a "Leaping Bunny" approved company and I was not aware of this when I purchased this product.  On the back of the bottle the phrase, "NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS" is printed in capitols.  A phase, according to leapingbunny.org which means that the final product is not tested on animals and that each ingredient in the product might be.  This phrase is often used to mislead the consumer into thinking that the product is completely cruelty free, but in actual fact might not be. Unless it carries the Leaping Bunny seal of approval, be ware.


     Aside from the obvious concern that this product might not be completely cruelty free, it is the best that I have been able to find in the Ottawa area.  However, if you can find Nature Clean's "Moisturizing Lotion", which is Leaping Bunny approved, it is a good buy and will also be effective.