Collective Haul | Natural Beauty + Health Products

It's been s pretty long time since I've shared a haul on my blog. This one might be pretty boring- there's no makeup or things that I usually share in my hauls. But I do have some natural products to share that I've picked up in the last month or so- mostly body and health products, so if you are interested then keep on reading!

First up is the Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap in Lavender. I was looking for a new body wash and came across this at target. I've heard of Dr. Bronner's before but never gave it a thought until it was in front of my face. And this stuff is amazing! It's made with tons of awesome organic and fair trade ingredients. The best part is, that it's an all in one soap. You can use it for practically anything (face body, laundry, dishes, etc.) I haven't tried it for anything other than body wash, but I've been super intrigued.

Next is the Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner that you guys have heard me talk about probably a thousand times. Last time I purchased this I tried out the lavender scent, and it was okay, but the Rose scent is definitely my preference.

Last in this photo is the Nourish Organic Deodorant. I was on a hunt for a new natural deodorant. This one doesn't have baking soda in it, which is what I was looking for, but unfortunately this deodorant was a no go for me.

Speaking of deodorant, I picked up this bag of Arrowroot Powder at my local health foods store to try and make my own. I use this arrowroot powder, coconut oil, and some essential oils. It turned out nice, and smells amazing.  If anyone wants to know the recipe, I will do a separate post on it!

Next is the MegaFood Balance B Complex Vitamins. I haven't taken vitamins in a very long time, and I did tons of research before I bought these. I wanted to make sure I was taking a whole supplement, and one that was good quality.

I picked up two types of herbal tea. Both brands are organic and also from a local health food store. The first one is a Tulsi Tea from Organic India and I chose the peppermint flavor. If you read my November Favorites, I mentioned that I was really enjoying peppermint tea right now. This one is super good, but not as pepperminty as other brands I've tried. The other brand of tea I picked up is from Gaia and this was kind of an impulse buy because I saw that it was called Sinus comfort and I was sold. It has a ton of different herbs in it and I wasn't sure if this would be good or not, but it is.

I picked up a new jar of Coconut oil, and embarrassingly surprisingly I have never used the unrefined kind before! I've loved coconut oil for many years, but I always stuck to the refined kind because if I wanted to cook with it, I didn't want my veggie stir fry to taste like coconut. I bought the unrefined kind this time to use in my DIY deodorant, and I'm hooked and never going back. This stuff smells so amazing, just like fresh coconut!

And last is the Tom's Natural Toothpaste. I've finally made the switch to natural toothpaste and am never going back either. Tom's wasn't my first choice in brand, but I kept seeing it at target and kept wanting to try it. I'm obsessed. I was worried that natural tooth paste wasn't going to foam up like regular kind does, and that my teeth weren't going to feel clean. This foams up super nice and my teeth feel amazing, super fresh, and definitely clean. I have never used a better tooth paste before. I picked a whitening one and I immediately saw results with it whitening my teeth, so much more than the Crest Whitening ones ever has!

And this is all for my little natural beauty and health haul. I hope you guys enjoyed! If there's anything on here that you'd like a review or more information about, let me know!

InstaNatural Peppermint and Lemon Essential Oils Review!

Hello everyone! I'm super excited to do this post today because I had the opportunity to try out some essential oils from a company called InstaNatural! This is my first experience with essential oils but they are something that I have been interested in trying out for a long time!

*This post is sponsored by InstaNatural and powered by BrandBacker. All opinions are my own!*

Both bottles are 4 oz (120ml) and I was shocked at how big they are! I thought these were going to be sample sizes, so I really want to thank InstaNatural on their generosity for sending me full size bottles.

About InstaNatural

From InstaNatural.com 

"InstaNatural was started as a small local business in Florida with a vision to provide safe, effective, and affordable skin care products - without sacrificing quality. InstaNatural is constantly in search of wonderful wholesome ingredients to enhance the natural beauty that is often lost due to various external and internal factors. The product line was developed by focusing on using premium organic and natural ingredients in their formulations without the use of harmful alcohols, parabens or sulfates.

All of InstaNatural's products are produced in small batches and packaged in FDA-certified facilities in the USA to ensure freshness and safety for customers."

Along with Essential Oils, InstaNatrual offers a verity of skin care, body care, hair care, and supplements.

About the Peppermint Oil

InstaNatural’s Peppermint Essential Oil is a multi-purpose oil that cools, energizes and refreshes the body and mind. This steam-distilled oil is extracted from dried or fresh leaves from the Mentha Piperita herb, giving it a sharp, menthol fragrance. Its pleasantly sweet and minty aroma makes it a premium choice for aromatherapy to improve the mind and lift the spirits.

Peppermint oils are really great for a wide verity of things. Its menthol properties make it great to use when you are sick, and since I was last week this was a big help. I used the oil on my chest like I would a Vics Vapor Rub and it gave me really good relief and helped me breath better. I also used it on my temples to relieve headaches, etc. It's good to use on sore muscles, and it also has a calming effect. I get bad anxiety at night time so its been really great for that too! You can use this in a diffuser as well. 

About the Lemon Oil

InstaNatural’s Lemon Essential Oil is extracted from the rinds of lemon, which lends its fresh citrus fragrance. This cold-pressed oil has a strong bright scent that is both refreshing and uplifting. Its astringent and purifying properties also make it a great aid to help cleanse and tone the skin, while delivering a boost of Vitamin C antioxidant benefits.

Lemon oil also is great for a lot of things. You can use to to clean and freshen up the house, it makes a great skin toner and cleanser as well. I'm going to make my own facial toner using this oil, water, and apple cider vinegar. Like the peppermint oil, you can also use this in a diffuser.

They also offer Lavender Essential Oil as well, which is next on my list to try!

These oils retail for about $20.

My Overall Thoughts

-I'm really enjoying using these oils and I'm really excited to get more into them and try different ones out!

-They smell really nice, but I will warn you that the smell of them is super strong. When I first opened the box I smelled them both right away and the scent was so strong that I thought one of the bottles was broken open. I keep them both in my bathroom and when I open the door, I can smell them both. I like both these scents so it doesn't bother me, but if you are sensitive to scents then these might be to strong.

-I really recommend these oils for anyone who wants to try them! InstaNatural seems like a great company and I can't wait to try more of their products. 

-My only complaint about these oils is that they are for external use only. I would really like to try some that you can consume someday. I would like to use Lemon Oils in my water, and be able to cook with it! 

Have you ever used Essential Oils before? Let me know what ones are your favorite in the comments!