Vaseline Cocoa Butter Petroleum Jelly / Review

Today I had to go to the pharmacy to get some essentials. When I do, like most of us, I think, I always like to snoop around and see if there are any new things out. Makeup, nails or skin care, we are pretty spoiled when it comes to the choices we have. Long gone are the days when drugstores had only cheapo brands to offer. These days we get to chose between Avène, La Roche Posay, Biotherm, Dermaglow and Lise Watier to name only those.

So, what did I find this time? Petroleum Jelly!!!

Exciting isn't it?

Sorry about that. Petroleum Jelly is nothing new, in fact it's been around forever! Well almost!

A bit of history

The raw material was a paraffin-like substance that formed on the first oil rigs in Titusville Pennsylvania. causing them to malfunction. Once removed it was used by workers on cuts and burns to hastened healing. A young chemist, Robert Chesebrough took the unrefined black substance called " rod wax" by the drillers and figured out a way of distilling the black raw material to end up with a light colored gel. Chesebrough later opened his first factory in 1870 in Brooklyn using the name Vaseline. The process of vacuum distillation of the crude material is what made Vaseline famous and was patented by the chemist in 1872.

 Old Vaseline tins

So, why the excitement? Cocoa butter!!!

Vaseline just came out with a Cocoa butter line of products and has included it in a new version of it famous petroleum jelly. Smart!

Who doesn't own a jar of petroleum jelly? It's a go to for so many things. Some remove makeup with it while others will apply a thick layer on their cheeks to protect them from our harsh below zero Winter temperature. On hands and feet, on actually any dry spots, it can work wonders.

You do know what cocoa butter smells like, right? CHOCOLATE!

Forget the fact that cocoa butter is a rich emollient with healing properties, it smells like chocolate, period!

Does the inclusion of this dreamy ingredient make it better, I'm not sure but what I do know is that last night I fell asleep with the taste of chocolate on my lips and that made me happy!

Top 10 of current drugstore favorites for Fall & Winter

There are some basics for which it's not necessary to spend a fortune. I thought it would be fun to do a top 10 list. These are my current favorites from the drugstore.

Nivea Extra Nourishing Body Milk $9.99
2x a day for continuous moisture. You can read my review of it here.

Dove White Beauty Bar $1.99
I've started using this again recently after years of sobbing it. Super cheap, I like it for either hand washing in the bathroom or for the shower. Available fragrance free.

Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash $10.00
Non drying, a cream gel formula that lathers lightly. Great option for when winter skin gets dry and itchy. Available fragrance free.

Eucerin Foot Cream 10% Urea $17.99
For extremely dry feet, color and fragrance free. Worth every penny. I didn't pay as much for my tube. If I remember correctly it was about $11.00.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter $9.59
Favorite shade, Pink Truffle. On me, it looks very natural. Like an improved version of my natural lip color. Not exactly a lip balm, but less drying than a regular formula.

Petroleum Jelly $1.00 and up
This is a must have. It's easy to keep a small jar in our purse. On super cold days it can easily be applied on nose, cheeks, anywhere that needs to be protected from the wind and the cold. You can get some at the dollar store but if you prefer, there's a non petroleum product available, Live Clean Baby Non-Petroleum Jelly for $7.49.

Head & Shoulders Classic Clean 2-in-1 $7.99
I tried last spring to change. No go! If I want to keep my sanity, not itch, this is what I have to use.

Distilled Witch Hazel $3.99 for 100ml
Morning and night, my favorite toner ever. I've written an article about this marvelous potion. You can read it here.

Unscented baby oil (light grade mineral oil) $3.00 for 592ml
This would be the generic version. All the major drugstore banners have it. Great to use on wet skin after showering to seal in moisture. Just pat dry. You may not even have to use a body lotion with this. In Summer I rarely do but in Winter I do so most of the time. Now of course you can go for any scented baby oil. It's just that last Spring I kind of got sick of the fragrance so I opted for unscented.

Garnier Nutrisse Cream Hair Color $11.99
Just a few months ago I was still using a hair color by L'Oréal. I was not satisfied with it anymore because after just a few shampoos I could see some grey reappear. As if the color had not penetrated the hair properly. Garnier gives me better results for less. Most of the time, you can find it for under $8.00 a box which is good since I need 2 to cover my thick long hair.

All the prices listed are from Well.ca. Most of these products will, I believe, be less expensive at your local drugstore, plus, they're often on sale which is nice. For all the major banners, you can have a look at their weekly flyers online on their respective sites.

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici.

Best Lip Balms

Which are the best?

Winter!

Playing in the snow, skiing, skating & shovelling. Those are some of the fun activities we enjoy, the last one being our second national sport after ice hockey. For all of us who enjoy, or not, spending time outdoor there are some consequences: dry skin & dry lips. Lip balms are, for many of us, an essential part of our daily routine. The wind, the cold as well as indoor heating can all make our lips extremely dry, especially since they are deprived of sebaceous glands. Since they're more sensitive to climate changes, we need to give them some good protective moisture.

With all the options available to us, how can we chose only one?