Paula from Naturally Paula (or @saints09chick in the Twitterverse) may kill me for saying this, but I am so glad the winter has made a reappearance because that mean I can share with you the perfect moisturizer for the weather: The Green Cream by Graydon.
This past winter sucked all of the moisture from my face. I was constantly sipping on warm lemon water (obsessed with it now), regularly spritzing my face with a toner, running my humidifier all night, layering various oils–to no avail. I looked and felt dry. Two things fixed this. The first: when I had my first facial ever (a Valentine’s Day present to myself), my esthetician recommended I up my exfoliation routine (from a flaky 1 or 2 times a week to 3), and this I did (stay tuned). The second: this moisturizer arrived in the post.
After a couple days of regular application, I wasn’t feeling dry anymore throughout the day. I was spritzing my face less during the day (and thank goodness, because my R.L. Linden & Co. mist was draining fast), I was waking up with less dry spots, most notably, less tight cheeks. And this was before the weather faked spring on us. Applying this cream is like giving my skin a glass of lemon water to drink. One pump of this green (yep, it’s actually green-colored, see soon-to-be-uploaded Instavid), lightly-textured cream is more than enough for my face and neck, and leaves my skin feeling plumped, sated, moisturized, and none in the least greasy. Also, no breakouts or irritation.
Because of the debate of whether moisturizers should go before facial oils (water before oils) or after facial oils (oils have smaller molecules), I’ve tried both ways, and honestly, both made my skin happy–day or nighttime application. That said, when the weather faked spring and I was waking up sweating, I was feeling moisturized enough with an oil alone, so I would pen this one as a heavier (only in terms of moisturizing), winter cream, but I think it can be used in the warmer months, just maybe less of a pump and alone without an oil.
So, what’s in this salad of a cream? There’s aloe vera juice, which helps to improve skin hydration, and moisturizing olive and jojoba oils. Avocado oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, various vitamins, and provides moisture and anti-inflammatory benefits for the skin. Broccoli seed oil is how I heard of this cream (check out this video of Clementine Fields and Graydon talking about it) and one of the first ingredients I got excited over in green beauty, partly because it was the first vegetable I could say that I liked as a kid, but also because it’s moisturizing, protects from UV rays, anti-inflammatory, and is nature’s silicone–a smooth finish without the pore-clogging ‘cones. Read: makeup goes nicely over this.
The color owes its greenness to the chlorophyll, which is a nontoxic green pigment (and the food of plants) that also apparently provides detoxification, and the scent comes from a blend of essential oils: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme. In addition to being anti-acne (remember when thyme was proclaimed as good as an acne fighter as benzoyl peroxide?), they provide a very fresh scent that I quite like. It’s not floral, it’s not musky–it’s just fresh and herby to me.
If you’re wondering about cetyl alcohol, sterearyl alcohol, and sodium chloride, according to EWG, they are all rated at a 1 or 0, seem to play a part in the texture, and are all derived from plants according to the ingredients list (as opposed to animals). I believe the grapefruit seed extract (antimicrobial) and airless pump keep the cream fresh and free of bacteria.
tl;dr Quenches the skin’s thirst for moisture thanks to avocado and broccoli seed oil. Woke up with less or no dry cheeks, spritzed toner less during the day during the winter as a result. May be too heavy for warmer months. P.S. The Green Cream is actually green.
Have you tried this moisturizer? What are your thoughts? If not, what is your current favorite cream moisturizer?
Ingredients: purified water (aqua), aloe vera juice (aloe barbadenis), avocado oil (persea americana), cetyl alcohol (coconut oil), stearyl alcohol (mixed plant), broccoli seed oil (brassica oleracea italica), vegetable glycerin, olive oil (olea europaea), jojoba oil (simmondsia chinensis), sodium chloride (mixed plant), chlorophyll (chlorophyllin), grapefruit seed extract (citrus grandis) in a blend of pure essential oils and nothing else!
Disclaimer: Victoria from Claythorne Communications, Graydon’s PR, graciously sent me this product for review through Clementine Fields (who is their sole shipper to the US. Any US retailers want to stock Graydon? :D). Thank you, Victoria and Ingrid! Regardless, all thoughts and opinions are my own. I am in no way being compensated for the love I have for this product.
Additional sources:
DalBelo, Susi Elaine, Lorena Rigo Gaspar, and Patrícia Maria Berardo Gonçalves Maia Campos. “Moisturizing Effect Of Cosmetic Formulations Containing Aloe Vera Extract In Different Concentrations Assessed By Skin Bioengineering Techniques.” Skin Research & Technology 12.4 (2006): 241-246. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
It's official, my complaining about this winter weather has hit such an epic level that I'm ending up referenced in blog post. Well, I do say it's well deserved when Canadians tell me, wow, it snows a lot where you live. SMH. I would love to try this and other Graydon products (heard a lot of positive reviews about their Hair Smoothie). Do me a favor, don't wish winter on us unless you are willing to fly over here and shovel snow for me. I'm done.
This cream sounds amazing! I'll have to bear this in mind for next winter when my poor face falls victim to the weather xx
Wow this sound sooo nice, I'm really intruged by it! 🙂 And can't wait to read about your exfoliation routine 🙂 xx
Hahaha, I really hope the snow stops for you soon, Paula! And I promise, no wishing winter on you. But if I'm in the area, I would gladly shovel snow for you 🙂
Hope you give this cream a try–I'm on the fence about the Hair Smoothie, but mostly on the positive side. I would also love to try other Graydon products–they have a couple more delicious-looking creams and I've heard good things about their sunscreen.
Hope you give it a try when winter comes! x
Thank you Jana! Hopefully I will have that up soon, maybe within a month or so.
I was reluctant but soon found out increasing the number of times I exfoliate during the cold months help a lot with congestion! Now that Spring is kinda officially here I think I can go back to doing it twice a week. I'm also trying out the Pai cream cleanser every night with their muslin cloth which is very scrubby but so far no problems!
Me too! My skin became a lot happier once I started exfoliating more. I found Pai's muslin cloth a little too scrubby for me (obsessed with how soft Aurelia's is) and while I liked the feel of their cleanser, my skin wasn't so happy with it 🙁 Hope you continue having good results with it!
I have really dry and itchy skin. I have tried nourishing and moisturizing toners, sunflower oil, and different organic moisturizers but still, my face gets dry. This post makes me really interested in this product.