My love affair with Tea Tree Oil! (Apothecary Extracts)

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I have been a fan of Tea Tree oil for a few years now and The body shop makes some of my favorite Tea Tree Products. However, I find their bottle of Pure Tea Tree oil really tiny and I decided to try this giant bottle that was sent to me by Apothecary Extracts. Here's a list of how I use my Tea Tree oil and these can serve as ideas for you! I have combination skin which can get dry in some patches at times but is mostly quite oily. The excess oil produced by my skin and sometimes even the mattifying makeup I use results in breakouts occasionally. I found that Tea Tree oil helps balance the sebum produced by my skin and makes it softer. It also helps fight the dark spots left behind by breakouts.

In a Face Mask: I have a favorite Tea Tree Mud Mask (I forgot which brand it is but I'm sure many brands probably make this) that I use regularly. since this mask can get quite dry in the pot, I take the quantity I require for one application and add a few drops each of water and tea tree oil to liquefy it a bit. I apply a smooth layer all over my face and then go over particular problem areas with a little extra. Wait till the mask completely dries so the tea tree oil has had time to absorb into your skin and then wash it off!

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In a night cream: I used to mix a few drops of tea tree oil in my favorite night cream (it was a toning cream with cloves) and apply it every night before I go to bed. It's the perfect amount of hydration and smells divine! However, since I'm testing out a new night cream for an upcoming review, I haven't done this in a while.

By itself: Dilute a few drops of tea tree oil in coconut oil and apply it in spots with a Q-tip on blemishes and breakouts.

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While I do like the Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree oil, I didn't quite see results as powerful as I do with the one from the body shop. However, this might just be because the body shop probably adds other ingredients in their oil and this one is 100% pure. I recommend this bottle if you're trying out tea tree oil in a face mask or night cream but not by itself.

Do you use Tea Tree Oil or have you used it in the past? I want to know all about your experience so share with me in the comments below! 

Tanaya

*Sample sent for review. All opinions expressed in this article are honest and unbiased.

Garnier Pure Active Neem Face Wash Reviewed!

It's been taking me a while to get around to posting on this blog recently and I really don't like it. I'm going to try and post every week starting now and hopefully stick to that schedule because I love writing these posts. Quite a few weeks ago, while I was in India, Garnier Pure Active sent me a lovely package with their new neem face wash. If you follow me on Instagram you probably know how long it's been since I received the package (why do I delay these posts? ).

Packaging: It comes in a pretty standard tube and the only part that really annoys me with many tubes is the twisty cap which comes off completely. I read that many people have tubes with the twisty cap but mine wasn't so I'm happy. I prefer these flip-top tubes since they're convenient and you don't have to struggle with trying to hold the cap and not misplace it. Since I've left the actual tube back in India I had to turn to google images for some help. (See how the google image has a twisty cap and a different design on the packaging? They must have repackaged these!). I do really like the look of the tube though. It's simple, clean and neat.

Texture: It's a clear gel-like texture but too runny to really be classified as a gel I think. It has a lime green color and I'm not sure what I think about that. Some days I love it because it's bright and fresh but on some others it reminds me of those disgusting snot-like slime things little kids play with. I guess it just depends on your mood. It foams up pretty well and smells really good. I can't describe the smell exactly but it has hints of neem and something fruity in it.

Results: You don't need a lot of this product since it foams up and spreads very evenly on the skin. Once you wash it off, it leaves your skin feeling really soft and moisturized. Garnier claims that it fights bacteria, fights pollution and removes oil. My skin definitely feels cleaner after using it and I've seen neem products work very well on most people with acne-prone skin. However, neem products seem to hate me and give me more breakouts. I was hoping that this one would be different and to a certain extent it was. I just loved the smell and the fresh/clean feeling after using it so much that I hoped it would be good for my skin. It took a few weeks to start giving me breakouts which is a good sign because it means the face wash wouldn't be harsh on someone else's skin (someone whose skin doesn't react to neem in a bad way).

I believe it costs INR75 for a 100ml tube which is extremely affordable so you should give it a whirl if you have acne-prone skin. If this one doesn't do it for you, I recommend the Garnier Pure Active Daily Scrub with Salicylic Acid. That face wash has my absolute favorite for years now and even though it's marketed as a blackhead scrub it works amazingly well on acne.

Extras: That Garnier pen and notebook came in so handy especially since we were making notes, reminders and lists while planning events. Thank you for those Garnier if you're reading this! However, may I suggest changing the graphics on the notebook? The animated pimple-covered faces made me cringe and not want to use it so I tore out those pages while using the notebook.

I hope you guys found this post helpful. If you've used this product before or plan on trying it out, I would love to know more in the comments below. You can also head on over to twitter where you can follow me at @Thesecretlife_T and Garnier at @PureActiveIndia . Tweet us with your opinions about this product in particular or anything else from the range!

Tanaya <3