Skin care withdrawl

A little disclaimer to start: I have been an Arbonne consultant for three years, but this is not quite about that.

How many people out there have a favorite body wash, shampoo, deodorant...whatever? I do, and I'm pretty loyal to it. I LOVE my Arbonne FC5 body wash, but that's not the point. I ran out of my body wash about two weeks ago. Now the women out there will attest that this can be one of the most traumatic events that occurs in the shower. You haven't been paying attention to how little was in the bottle, you forgot that you put water in the bottle day before yesterday to make it last just that much longer, and suddenly you are standing in the shower, pouf in one hand and an empty bottle in the other. Now my body wash gets mailed right to my door, but it takes a few days and being a nursing mom, a few days without my shower (ie. my ME time), well, that just wasn't an option for me.

So after gritting my teeth and grabbing my husband's bar of Irish Spring, I finished my shower and went to the local health food store to see what they had that fit my vegan, cruelty free, no PABAs, or added fragrances (yes I know, I pamper my skin, but it is SO worth it) standards. So I did find one, and it was a comparable price point to my FC5. I was curious as to how it would hold up, and so being the comparison junkie that I am, I thought "Hey let's give this a try and see how it stacks up"!

Now, one day I will learn. I don't know about any of you, but sometimes I hear this little warning klaxon go off in my head whenever I think thoughts like that. And true to form I ignored it, bought it, and put it in my shower.

Two weeks go by and I am chomping at the bit for this bottle of stupid "Extra Moisture" body wash to be empty. My skin is moisturized sure, but it is also pebbly, and has little break outs, and I look like I have roseacea on my body instead of my face!

This has proven three things to me.

One, Arbonne's products last FOREVER in comparison. I only have about two weeks more of the crap from the store but my FC5 lasts me two months or more, easy, before I have to replace it! I don't know if that is package design, (the new stuff spills all over the shower it comes out so fast!) or if I just have to use more to feel clean. Whatever the reason, it would not be sustainable, cost wise, long term.

Two, the results when you compare the two products are night and day. My skin is soft, smooth and healthy with the FC5. As I mentioned earlier, the new stuff left my skin bumpy, red and irritated. Now before you say that I must have been allergic to it, let me tell you that I read labels religiously. That's what happens when you have food allergies and sensitive Irish skin. There was nothing in this new soap that should have irritated my skin unless coconut and botanicals are suddenly unhealthy...unlikely.

Three, quality is so important. I was firmly in the "cost is a major factor" camp, and I used the FC5 because I liked it, and I got it at a great discount as a consultant. But now I understand. The formulation of the FC5 is so concentrated, and effective, that you don't have to use as much! Quality is a game changing difference here.  And I don't mean results quality, I mean the basic product quality.

So now I have about two weeks left of this bottle and four weeks before we move back to CA. The big question is now - "Do I order a new FC5, and then worry about packing it? Or do I just make this crap last. I can water it down toward the end right?"

Is anyone hearing alarms?

...Nature girl