It seems like kind of a no-brainer that natural ingredients would work with your body to yield better results, but I’m always surprised at how often people I know stick to their old chemical-laden standbys because they don’t think it will be as “powerful” or “work” as well. I am pretty sure that any person who has made the switch would never go back, and with the truly vast and market for eco-friendly, organic, and natural products widely available; there really is no excuse for these kinds of attitudes. I, personally, am a firm believe in natural products after seeing skin and hair troubles I have had for years clear up or disappear completely in a matter of months. As Sumbody CEO and founder Deborah Burnes (and author of Look Great, Live Green) says about the matter, “People tell us everyday that they’ve tried everything on earth. But, then I ask, ‘Have you tried the earth itself?’”
Sumbody definitely uses a wide range of resources in their products, which I think is the root of their effectiveness. Their Coal Train Detox Cleanser uses things like charcoal for buildup, witch hazel water for redness, and various plant extracts (Japanese honeysuckle, lemon, Chickweed to name a few), for deep pore cleansing. I had really never considered something like charcoal (theirs comes from sawtooth oak) as a skincare solution, but for the sake of my pores, I am really glad they did. Their Milky Rich Sumsoap for face is also luxuriously moisturizing. With goat milk, coconut oil, and safflower oil, it has a light vanilla scent with hints of citrus, perfect for treating your skin at the end of the day and forgetting your stresses once you get into bed. Before trying out any of the natural ones, I had previously sworn off all bar soaps because I figured they would all leave my skin dry, but this is one that I can especially get behind. While Sumbody offers great facial care solutions, that is not all they are limited to. Their Citrus Splash Salt Scrub exfoliates with solar-evaporated Pacific sea salt and moisturizes with various oils, including the Sum essential oil blend and orange peel that you can see right in the jar.
Written by Sumbody founder, Deborah Burnes
One of the products I was most excited and intrigued by was the bottle of Expelling Perfecting Granules. I am no stranger to dry cleansers or scrubs, but with Pacific sea salt, kelp extract, Kaolin clay, mustard powder, and coffee as some of the ingredients, it’s not really like any other scent I have found in a beauty product, which is not to say it is unpleasant. In any case, it certainly gets the job done. Reminiscent of the beach, the granules sort of resemble sand, but then dissolve as you massage it onto your face (which is nice, if you ask anyone who has gone to the beach and then found traces of sand for days after), leaving you with unbelievably pure skin.
It is really no surprise that Sumbody is able present us with effective answers to our skincare woes when it seems like they have taken the best things the earth has to offer, added them all up, and shown us the sum of that. Before any skeptics decide to give up on eco-friendly or natural skincare solutions, I challenge them to shake up their routines and compare these results with any of their old products.
This post written by Bernadette Silva, intern for RenataHelfman.com.
Bernadette Silva is a student, animal lover, and intern for RenataHelfman.com.
