[Hair Therapy for Brunettes and Redheads]

I first discovered Tamara’s shop when I was doing a search for handmade shampoo. At the time, she didn’t have any shampoo listed in her shop (she does now!) but she did have a hair treatment called Hair Therapy, that comes in special formulations for blondes and brunettes/redheads, as well as a basic one, which I bookmarked to buy later.

Right after that I put in an Alchemy request for a facial scrub/cleanser and moisturizer for my very particular needs. I have a skin condition called seborrheic dermatitis, which is caused by an allergy to a specific yeast/fungus that normally lives on everybody’s skin. My skin can be very oily and very irritated and flaky, all at the same time, if I don’t treat it well.

Tamara was one of the many great people who responded, and one of the four whose bids I accepted. She sent me some information about her Blooming Beauty Toner. I have never been able to use toners in the past, but she explained that it was gentle, healing, and actually moisturizing. I honestly had my doubts about it, but because Tamara offers samples of most of her products, I decided to order samples of the toner and the hair treatment I’d been eyeing.

[Blooming Beauty Face Toner]

I was completely amazed at the quality of the products I received. The toner lived up to everything I’ve been told, and my skin is so much healthier since using it. I have only gotten a chance to use the hair treatment once (The first thing that falls by the wayside when I have too much on my plate is finding time to take care of myself, and although I have adapted my schedule to make time for my skin, my hair hasn’t been so fortunate as of yet.) but I really enjoyed the experience of using it and it did seem to improve my hair.

Since that first happy purchase I have also ordered some different body scrubs and bath salts as Mother’s Day gifts. Tamara continued her excellent customer service with this order, and kindly added a gift note for me. My relatives loved the package they received, but I haven’t gotten a chance yet to find out if they’ve used the products!

Alas, my supply of toner is rapidly dwindling, and so I am now trying to decide what I will throw in with my next order! Here are a couple things I definitely have my eye on:

[Garden Goddess Face Masque]

[Cherry Cream Herbal Tea]

First, on the recommendation of Chicky Bandita, I placed an order for some of Rose of Sharon Acres’ Tooth Chips. They come in many different flavors,including anise and orange cinnamon (the latter being my favorite!) and offer a couple different sample pack options, so it was really easy for me to give them a trial run.

The tooth chips are basically little shavings of a soap that’s specially made for teeth. You just put one piece on your moistened toothbrush, and start brushing away. The idea of literally washing your mouth out with soap takes a little getting used to, but although you can tell that the soap is soap, it doesn’t taste bad like putting a bar of Dove in your mouth, or something–just a little odd. The chips immediately lather up as soon as you put brush to tooth, but it’s not the thick foam you get from toothpaste. It’s just like regular soap lather. I liked that because I hate feeling like I’m drooling while I’m brushing. The tooth chips made me feel very fresh and clean. When you’re done brushing, you’re supposed to rinse three times, which felt like just the right amount for me!

After I ordered the chips, I thought I’d do a search and see what else Etsy had to offer in their vein. The other item I found that looked really interesting was Bloodroot’s Toothpowders. I chose a (very affordable and generously-sized!) sample amount of the ginger toothpowder.

The tooth powder is, literally, a powder, that’s comprised of various herbs plus baking soda. You wet your toothbrush, sort of dunk it in the powder, andget to work. When I first tried brushing with it I was a little surprised by the taste. I think I was expecting an unsweetened herbal powder to taste like a ginger snap cookie or something, which was my problem, not the product’s. It actually tasted quite good. I was totally shocked at how fast my teeth got clean–they felt squeaky before I’d barely begun to brush! At first I found the texture of ground-up herbs to be a bit odd, but I quickly adjusted. It was also a little weird to see my mouth full of greenish-brown foam, but everything washed away easily when I was done, and the results certainly didn’t lie. This stuff works great!

I liked the both of these so much, I may have to order full-sized amounts of each, and then alternate between them based on my day’s scenario. If I’m gonna be snuggling with the boyfriend, I’d rather have my breath smell like ginger than faintly of soap, but if I’m getting ready to go out and I’m wearing a light-colored shirt, I’d rather brush with white lather over earthtones, just in case I make a mess

These are both great products and I encourage you to try them out if you’re looking for a better option than regular toothpaste, or even if you’re just curious or adventurous. These are also awesome examples of the neato things you discover when you choose to buy handmade!