Ren Products at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh

When you roll with Nadine Jolie, you roll in style.  So when Nadine came to visit the UK earlier this year, I was happy to accompany her (read tag along with her) to Edinburgh.  We stayed in a suite at the amazing Balmoral Hotel where JK Rowling finished her last Harry Potter book in 2007 in room 652.  See Nadine’s video of our suite at the Balmoral here.

Apart from being a gorgeous hotel steeped in history, I was very impressed with the complimentary bath and shower products from REN.  Glad to see a luxury hotel embrace natural beauty products!

Here's the list of what Ren products don't contain: Petrochemicals, sulphates, parabens, synthetic fragrance, synthetic colours, TEA, DEA, Glycols, silicones, PEGs, et al.  The lack of these synthetic nasties makes me very happy.

Oat and Bay Conditioning Shampoo left my hair very soft the first few times I used it although over time the effect faded.  The smell is light, fresh, and citrusy.  Towards the end of the bottle I started washing my hair twice with it to make sure it was really getting clean.  I was fine with this though because I really enjoyed using the shampoo.

Pro-Vitamin Hair Conditioner works well as a conditioner and also as a natural shaving cream.  Leaves hair and skin moisturized without silicon or petrochemical build up!

Neroli and Grapefruit Body Wash although I've long detested the way neroli smells, this body wash changed my mind. The pairing of neroli and grapefruit zest is a match made in heaven.  It's light and refreshing and a delight to use in the shower.  Afterwards I felt invigorated!

Natural Beauty Products for Travel

Did I tell you I was going on holiday?  Kidding!  My last two blogs were about preparing for my Caribbean holiday.  This one is about all of the lovely natural products I used during my holiday.  I take the opportunity every holiday to stock up on sample sizes less than 100ml so that they fit in my little plastic baggy.  I fill my baggy to its limit in case something happens to my checked luggage then I've still got enough products to get me through until my luggage arrives.  For the first time ever I had to test that practice when my suitcase didn't make it on the London - Antigua leg and I had to wait until the same flight the next day to go and pick it up at the airport. 48 hours in the same clothes = not fun. 

In no particular order here are my favourite products:

Gagnon Therapies Emu Oil – 50ml

This is a lovely thick oil which I used as a moisturiser before I go to sleep.  It spreads like butter on your skin.  I also combined it with lavender essential oil and slathered it on the worst sunburn I've had in my adult life.  Within 3 days I was good to go again.

Neal's Yard Lavender Essential Oil – 10ml

Lavender oil is not the best essential oil for everything, but it does work well on the most conditions.  In my case I applied it neat to spots, bug bites (I got more than 30!), and occasionally the aforementioned sunburn.  I also mixed it with the emu oil and Shea Butter body cream to cover large scale areas (bug bites and sunburn).  To think that I almost didn't bring it but thank god I did!   A real aromatherapist never leaves home without it.

Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer – 30ml

I originally packed this just to use as a tonic for my face.  I was sent the full size version but I keep refilling this travel size and I take it everywhere.  It's great as a refreshing spray at the end of a hot day.  It's great to use after cleansing and before moisturising.  And as I discovered its organic aloe vera, calendula, and cucumber are guess what?  Fantastic on my sunburn!

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