Skin Care

Top 10 Skincare Products For Fall

It’s here. Fall.

If you live anywhere in the Northern hemisphere, you know the climate is about to get a little drier. If you live anywhere in, say, Colorado, you know your skin is about to become a parched wasteland of a desert. As glorious as the low humidity may be, let’s be honest — it does a number on our skin. You may wrap your body in a butter-soft Body Bark top, but without some serious moisturizer, soft skin will be elusive throughout the fall and winter months.

If you’re anything like us, you’ll probably have to try a few products to see what works for you with this change of season. And you’ll have to use them in different ways (tip from experience: use lotion right after you get out of the shower to lock in moisture, rather than waiting until your skin is totally dry and tight!). But with any luck, a few of the following products will have your skin happy and healthy for the new season!

Ready to discover this fall’s best skincare products? Keep reading!

Bag Balm

This three-ingredient Vermont original has been used by farmers for over a hundred years to heal cracked hands. This is a product you’ll want for your feet (rub some on at night and wear socks to bed), elbows, knuckles and — for a nice soft gloss — lips.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray

If your skin feels dry and tight in the middle of the day, there’s an option for you that doesn’t involve slathering lotion on and ruining your foundation. Give your face a spritz of this aloe-and-herb-infused mist — right over your makeup.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap, Baby Unscented

Soap may seem like an odd choice for a moisturizer, but this version of the classic Dr. Bronner’s has twice the olive oil as the rest of the soaps, meaning it’s a good way to get time-tested moisture with your clean.

Burt’s Bees Facial Cleansing Oil

Burt’s Bees calls this product a “natural superfood for your face.” It’ll remove your makeup without clogging your pores; it’s 100 percent natural; and 100 percent of reviewers recommend it. Win-win-win.

Lush Luxury Bath Oils

For a decadent bathtime indulgence, try one of Lush’s bath oils. The fresh, ingredient-conscious options include butters and oils to moisturize your skin and relax your senses.

Lush Shaving Creams

OK, we know these shaving creams are made for men, but who says women can’t use them to prevent dry skin after shaving your legs for a fall skirt ensemble? Get the best of all worlds: skin that’s both smooth and hydrated.

One Love Organics Skin Savior

Morning. Evening. Moisturizer. Foundation (when used with mineral powder). Skin Savior does it all, with natural ingredients. (One reviewer credited it as a lifesaver during Burning Man, the desert music festival, proving it really works for any situation!)

One Love Organics Vitamin E Eye Balm

You can put a touch on in the morning under your makeup, but this little powerhouse really shines as an overnight mask, allowing the delicate skin around your eyes to drink in moisture all night long.

SheaMoisture Raw Shea Butter Anti-Aging Moisturizer

Certified organic shea butter, along with frankincense and myrrh extract, leads to a rich all-over moisturizing experience. (Check out the story behind this company — it all started with an entrepreneurial young woman in 1912 Sierra Leone!)

EO French Lavender Body Lotion

Treat your mind as well as your skin with jojoba oil and calming lavender essential oil. Read more about EO’s commitment to keeping their products non-GMO, synthetic-fragrance free, cruelty-free, and standing by other pillars of integrity.

With fall here, it’s important to go through your skin care products and routine and make sure you’re keeping up with the best products for the change in season!

September 13, 2017 0 comment

Beauty Skin Care

9 Organic Ways to Save Your Skin From The Sun

Raise your hand if you love summer!

Here at Body Bark, we sure do. We especially love a good day at the beach, or pool, or lake, or park, or mountains. But with all that time out in the sun — and even in the shade or by a window — we know we need to make sure we’re protecting our skin from those UV rays. No one wants un-induced skin damage, so whenever we head outside we arm ourselves with the basics: Sunblock? Check! Hat? Check! Sunglasses? Check! SPF clothing? Check! Beach umbrella or shady pavilion? Check!

But we also want to make sure we’re only putting the best, safest products on our skin. So as you gear up for a sunny summer, here are a few of our favorite organic sunscreens and products that will allow you to enjoy the outdoors without sacrificing your skin’s safety.

All Good SPF lip tint

Protecting your lips from turning bright red and looking like you’re ready for the red carpet doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive, thanks to this little powerhouse from All Good Products. (This is a good option for everyday use, but for more intense sun exposure, consider using a higher SPF.)

Beautycounter Protect sunscreens

This sunscreen — which comes as a stick for your face, a liquid for your body or a tube for your lips — is moisturizing and packed with zinc oxide to block the UV rays from your skin and leave it feeling soft and refreshed.

California Kids super sensitive SPF 50+ sunscreen

If you or your family members have sensitive skin, this is the product for you! It’s non-greasy, allergy-tested, and doesn’t have any added fragrance so it won’t sting if it gets in your eyes, which is a win all around.

California Kids super sensitive SPF 30 sunscreen

This is similar to the SPF 50+ California Kids sunscreen, but we love that this comes in a handy pump container. So when you’re lathering up a posse of kids, plus yourself, you’re not left with a messy bottle or rogue spray.

Goddess Garden sport sunscreen spray

If you’re headed to a vacation spot that requires reef-safe sunscreen, try this biodegradable sports spray option from Goddess Garden.

Goddess Garden kids sport sunscreen stick

When you’re on the go (or if you have young kids who aren’t ready for spray-on sunscreen), this sleek tube is a great option — stick it in your purse and always have it on-hand.

Kiss My Face Organics mineral continuous spray sunscreen

When you’re in a hurry, sprays are often your best friend. There’s nothing faster than spray, rub in, and go. This fragrance-free, aloe-and-tea-leaf-extract-filled spray is one of our favorites.

Physicians Formula tinted moisturizer

Have a work lunch where you’ll eat outside? A long commute where you’ll drive or sit near a window? Sunscreen doesn’t always mean smelling like the beach (although we’re all for that) — we like to wear an everyday SPF moisturizer under our makeup year-round.

Helen Kaminski Tahani organic raffia big-brimmed hat

Finally, sun protection is about so much more than sunscreen. Other essentials include sunglasses, shade, and — you guessed it — hats. Try this classic floppy wide-brimmed hat made with organic raffia.

Have questions about a certain product? Check out the Environmental Working Group’s website, where you can find ratings for a slew of sunscreen brands and read any toxicity concerns for each ingredient in each product. EWG, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, provides research and consumer guides for a variety of everyday products to allow families to make their own decisions on the healthiest products for themselves. You can also use their mobile app to scan products and read up on their ratings.

July 5, 2017 0 comment

Anti-Aging Beauty Skin Care

10 Dry Skin & Hair Remedies For Your Winter Recovery

At Body Bark, we know that wearing the very best fabrics against your skin is useless unless you’re starting with soft, hydrated skin. So as the northern hemisphere begins to thaw out, give your winter-dry skin some love with these luxurious, ingredient-conscious products.

Nourish your skin while you remove makeup with this cleansing balm. The best part, besides the three-fruit mix that leaves your skin bright and hydrated? Beautycounter has a blacklist of 1,500 harmful or questionable ingredients it pledges to never use, leaving women confident that what goes on their faces actually belongs there.
Smooth your lips, soften your cuticles, freshen underneath your eyes and minimize fine lines with this do-it-all lip and skin balm, packed with silky oils (most are certified organic) and butters.
Give your skin a natural glow with this reparative moisturizer. Mix it with your foundation in the morning, or massage it in before bed for an all-night complexion booster.
Even out your skin tone with this paraben-free, sulfate-free and phthalate-free serum. The antioxidant properties of its grape seed extract lead to better cell health and elasticity, as well as providing UV protection.
Use this organic enriching face oil on its own or under your daily moisturizer to leave your skin feeling soft and thirst-quenched. If your face dries out during the day, bring it along to the executive suite or the playground and dab a bit over your makeup for a midday pick-me-up.
Refresh and cool your skin with this plant-based calendula and aloe soothing mask — perfect at the end of a long day when you need a few moments for yourself.
Smooth this body oil on your arms and legs after a bath (or, for a truly luxurious experience, mix a few drops into the bath itself). The oil doubles as a perfume, so whenever you need soft skin and a soft scent, this is your product.
Target tough dry-skin holdouts (heels, elbows, hands…) with this whole-body cream, appropriately named Skin Food.
Include your hair in your moisturizing campaign with this hair oil, made from 99.9 percent natural ingredients. Add shine and fight frizz, brittleness, and dry ends with one simple product.
When in doubt, go with organic coconut oil, the product celebrated its versatility in moisturizing skin and nails, removing makeup, and smoothing hair.

March 13, 2017 0 comment