Product Review - Burt's Bees

Over the past year or so, I noticed that my skin has become more sensitive to many things, fragrance in particular.  I can no longer wear perfume.  I turned 43 a few weeks ago, so I wondered if I was having some hormonal changes and if anyone my age, or older, had experienced this.

Well, where else do you ask these questions but good old Facebook?  I posted the question and got several responses, but the one that helped me the most was from my friend Amber, who happens to be much younger than me and isn't thinking about menopause even a little bit.  She told me to find a fragrance free soap without lauryl sulfate.  OK, I can give that a try.  Yeah, right.  I stood in the body wash aisle at Walmart.  I picked up bottle after bottle to find it contained the dreaded lauryl sulfate, or some variation thereof.

I returned home, frustrated, and began to research this dreaded sulfate.  Well, there's a good reason it's in everything.  It's the stuff that makes those bubbles we love so much.  After some more research I discovered that Burt's Bees does not contain the dreaded sulfate.  I ventured over to Target and spent time looking at the product.  I found a very simple body wash. The back very clearly showed no sulfates and boasted this as well.

I made my purchase and decided to give it a shot.  Am I glad I did.  Within a few days my skin started clearing up.  My chest and arms were covered previously.  I had used a product from Dove that I really liked and everything was fine.  It was lightly scented, but I didn't have a problem.  I ran out and bought a new bottle and broke out within a couple of days of using it.  Some brand, same scent, just a different bottle, but enough to cause problems.

Since the body wash was a success I also purchased a facial cleanser.  I am now sensitive to metals as well.  My beloved cross necklace that I wore every day for years, now makes me break out.  Hooks from earrings touching my skin causes breakouts.    In the past I had always used a cleanser with salicylic acid since I have oily skin.  I took a chance and bought a cleanser without it, and it's working just fine.  It has a tingle to it, which I discovered is probably from alcohol in it, but it cleans great.

In my research on the dreaded lauryl sulfate, I discovered that this stuff is in everything.  Even toothpaste.  People who are sensitive to it can develop canker sores.  Lo and behold, a couple of days ago, guess what starts forming in my mouth.  Luckily, I had received a sample of Burt's Bees toothpaste as a freebie, so I will be trying that tomorrow.  I will be switching my shampoo and conditioner as they run out as well.

A couple of months ago, I also received a freebie of Burt's Bees new tinted lip balm and I'm very pleased with it.  And this wasn't a sample size.  A full size tube of the lip balm arrived in my mail.  What's not to love about that?

If you're having issues with your skin, I recommend trying out the Burt's Bees products.  Yes, they are more pricey than other products, but they are working with my newly sensitive skin and I'm happy with them.  You can always e-mail them and ask for a sample.  They seem to run freebie give aways on a fairly decent basis.  It doesn't hurt to ask, right?!