Monday, March 3, 2014

PRODUCT REVIEW

By Lynda Castonguay


Bio-Oil - Tried, Tested & True

Photo courtesy of Bio-Oil


The beauty market isn’t short of products making bold claims of being able to reduce the appearance or rid you entirely of wrinkles and stretch marks. In the end, though, everything ends up being just a pipe dream - their claims unsupported and the consumers’ hopes shattered. But, from time to time, there comes a product that does in fact deliver on its grand statements. One of these promising products is Bio-Oil - a multi-purposeful oil that has changed my body. 

Bio-Oil has a long enough list of ingredients, most popular of which are the natural chamomile, calendula, lavender and rosemary oils, vitamins A and E, and their cadillac of ingredients, PurCellin Oil. The latter is a breakthrough ingredient that reduces the viscosity and stickiness of the blend and gives it its dry oil feel for better application and better absorption, and makes the product oxygen free therefore allowing it to live, also, preservative free. 

Side note: Tastes and objections to ingredients in beauty products do vary from person to person. I suggest reading up on their ingredient list to make an informed decision (see list below)*



Photo courtesy of groupon.co.uk


Bio-Oil can be used in many ways - as eye makeup remover, as anti-aging and uneven skin tone support, as facial and body moisturizer, as nail, cuticle, and hair treatments, and, as what I used it for, a topical treatment for scars and stretch marks. I chose to concentrate the oil on my stretch marks, more specifically, those on my hips. I wish I could say they came from something as remarkable as child birth. But they are from rapid weight gain in high school when I was too lazy to be active but energetic enough to eat my face off. Thankfully that has all changed. I’m 50 pounds lighter but the damage is already done.

It’s recommended to apply the oil twice daily on a cleansed body. That didn’t quite fit in with my schedule, so I applied it every other day after my shower. I performed this until my bottle was dry - give or take 3 months - and there were definite results much earlier than this. The stretch marks I was applying them to were white in colour, textured and pronounced. After a few weeks of using Bio-Oil, I noticed a difference. It changed my skin in such a way that I could no longer feel my stretch marks. It made my skin soft and supple and very healthy, and as a result, it reduced the appearance of my stretch marks tremendously. I once looked down to analyze the oil’s effect and note any progress on my hips, and to my ridiculous surprise, I couldn’t spot my marks right away. That was a moment. For me, myself and I. And now, you readers. 


Photo courtesy of amazon.com


The reviews on this product range from total love for the product to complete dissatisfaction. Like any beauty product of this kind, it won’t succeed on everyone. As a skeptic, I can now say that this product has been tried, tested, and true and even truer is how I plan on keeping this product in my arsenal of beauty treats.

Available for purchase at the following retailers: Jean Coutu, Lawtons, Loblaws, London Drugs, Pharma Plus, Pharmasave, Rexall, Shoppers Drug Mart, Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, and Uniprix.


Photo courtesy of Bio-Oil (Click to enlarge)


*As promised, the ingredient list:

Botanicals
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract (Calendula Oil)
Lavandula Angustifolia Oil (Lavender Oil)
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil (Rosemary Oil)
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil (Chamomile Oil)
Vitamins
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) 
Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E)
Oil base
Paraffinum Liquidum 
Triisononanoin
Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate 
Isopropyl Myristate
Glycine Soja Oil
Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil
BHT
Bisabolol
Fragrance (Rose)
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone 
Amyl Cinnamal 
Benzyl Salicylate 
Citronellol
Coumarin
Eugenol
Farnesol
Geraniol
Hydroxycitronellal
Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde
Limonene
Linalool
Colour
Orange: CI 26100 (Red 17)
Pink: CI 26100 (Red 17) and CI 60725 (Violet 2)


Useful Tip:

Photo courtesy of Bio-Oil

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