Clinical Strength

After a pretty long hiatus, I am back. My family and I relocated from Northern Virginia to Cary, North Carolina and things are just settling down. The kids are in year round school and I have some quiet in the house.

Today I want to talk about those Clinical Strength deoderants out there. Now, usually, I'm not one who needs to use these stronger versions...however, it has been way to hot lately and once that heat shows up I actually find I do need them. I'm actually going to compare/review the last two brands that I've tried...there is a distinct difference in quality. So, before you spend anywhere between 7-12 dollars on deoderant please read my post.

I do believe Secret was the first "ladies" brand to come out with a clinical strength deoderant that you could buy OTC. I'm using the Secret version now because I had a coupon (silly isn't it what we buy cause we have a coupon). It's about 1.6 ounces and yes I bought the smaller one, they do make larger sizes but the price is higher. It has a small container that is not the easiest thing to hold and the dial you need to turn to get the stuff out is a little stiff. There's maybe 5 holes up top where the product comes out and it does sometimes come out uneven.

The brand I had before I ran out was Dove. The Dove version, which I think is a recent product..I usually use Dove deoderant anyway and had not seen the clinical strength till I bought it. The Dove version is about 1.7 ounces, has a larger and easier to hold container than the Secret. Also, the dial is much easier to turn and the product comes out smoother, more even. There are multiple holes in the top for the product to emerge from..both large and small so you get a more even amount for application.

The product basically feels the same no matter what brand you use and they do all have the same main ingredient. But, I found that the Dove product dried quicker and stayed dry..even after showing the next morning. The Secret does not dry quickly and throughout the day it feels wet and like I need to reapply the stuff. Now, of course I plan on finishing the Secret even though I don't like it as much, I don't like to waste stuff. But from now on, I plan on sticking with Dove, coupon or no coupon!

More Happy Feet

You all know me and my foot issues. I hate my feet. So, you also know that when I get ahold of a great foot product..I become happy and like my feet. A couple weeks ago, Lisa Brown from Spa Secrets, sent me two of her new foot products. A scrub with Pomegranate oil and a Cuapuacu Butter Foot Cream. I am very happy with the results!





The foot scrub is made from a base of salt instead of sugar. Normally, I'm not all that keen on salt scrubs..usually I've got a hang nail or shaving mishap somewhere and I get all stung up by the salt. For whatever reason, I did not have any problems with the salt. This scrub is loaded with all kinds of nice oils (Pomegranate, jojoba, avacado, shea butter etc). It's got a good grit to it and it has the consistency of wet sand. So even though there's alot of oils in it, you don't get them floating around on top, nor does the scrub feel greasy. It also has a nice rosemary/mint fragrance which is ever popular in foot products. The thing that impressed me was how soft my feet felt afterwards. Now, I'm not talking about feeling with my fingers. When I got out of my shower and walked on my carpet, I said to myself "The carpet has never felt soft before what's going on?"..then I realized wow it's the scrub. I felt like I was walking on silk. Very nice results and good moisture in there even though it's a salt scrub. The scrub will run you $10 for a 4 ounce jar.



I have never heard of Cupuacu Butter before. Here's what it says on the website in regards to Cupuacu butter: "Cupuacu butter adds softness and elasticity to the skin." In addition to the Cupuacu butter there is also mango butter and shea butter. This is a rich, thick foot cream. Which makes me glad because that's what I think a foot cream should be like. It absorbs quickly into the skin and considering how tough the bottoms of my feet are, this is an amazing feat! But, it really does moisturize my feet really well. I've tried other foot lotions and after like a half hour they're dry again. This cream is very long lasting! Again, $10 for a 4 ounce jar...but I just took a peek at Spa Secrets and it says that with a purchase of the Cupuacu Butter Foot Cream you will get a free 4 ounce jar of the Foot Scrub. That is a very good deal.




There's alot of other products on the site and they also sell some other well known Indie products such as KLEAN and Bidwell Botanicals. I highly recommend these two foot products, they really work well and even better when you use them together.