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Christina Alyce Beauty

Testing and reviewing the best of clean beauty.

A couple of months ago, I had to do a complete overhaul of my skincare routine. I had been using exclusively Lush products, but if you've taken a peek at my previous post, you will know why I stopped using their products. After lush, I had a very brief foray into Korean skincare because I had heard glowing reviews about so many products, but my experience ended up being completely frustrating, with the worst breakouts I have experienced in my entire life (which is really saying something, as I have struggled with hormonal acne for the past few years). So after giving K-beauty a fair try, I returned the products that I could, and decided to go back to absolute basics. I wasn't wearing makeup, I cleansed with water only, I toned with a mix of apple cider vinegar and water, and moisturized with a homemade mixture of aloe vera gel and oils. Slowly, my skin started to improve, but I had to admit, I needed a better method of cleansing.
Over the winter when I was very much into Lush, I followed quite a few Lushie instagram accounts, one of which was Erica, @thedirtygoat. I had actually purchased a Lush scrub from her, way back then, but knew she also made her own products for skin, hair, and body, as well as wax melts and even the occasional product for pets! By the time needed a skincare revamp, I had been following her for a few months, and her delectable products would pop up on my feed from time to time, and I knew The Dirty Goat had to be my first stop.
It was really quite difficult deciding what to get on my first visit, because not only had I been depriving myself of new skincare products for weeks at that point, but she just had such an array of beautifully photographed products tempting me on the site. I selected three items for my first order: the Gentle Facial Cleanser, Method Oil Cleanser, and the trial size Probiotic Deodorant in Yuzu scent. The latter two products will most definitely be reviewed in future posts, but today we will focus on the Gentle Facial Cleanser, because it was the item I had initially set out for.
The liquid cleanser comes in a 2.45oz plastic bottle, which is lasting me quite a while, because I mostly only use it in the evening, and you just need the smallest amount. It is a castile soap and shea butter based cleanser, and it does need a good shake before each use. As stated in the product description, it does not contain surfactants, which is fantastic. Surfactants are what make a product lather and foam, and will strip away your natural oils which will leave you face, hair, or whatever you use them on dried out, unbalanced, and will most likely lead to an overproduction of oil (that's how we get caught in the vicious cycle of needing to wash our oily hair everyday, or finding our faces an oil slick by noon- surfactants!). This cleanser, on the other hand, cleanses with castile soap, which lathers enough to get you clean, but won't leave your face a desert. The shea butter offers a lovely creaminess and some extra moisture, while orange extract dissolves sebum, evens out skin tone, and combats acne. Goji berry extract contains vitamin c and amino acids to help the skin retain a youthful, plump glow.
I really like this cleanser. It leaves me feeling clean but not dried out, and it keeps my skin clear and radiant. I really look forward to future purchases from The Dirty Goat, (I've already been back once!) because she has such a great selection, including a soapless cleanser that I would love to try for my morning cleansing.
Overall, I am incredibly happy with the quality and ingredients of everything I have tried, and she gives out generous samples too!


Please feel free to join my new Facebook Group, where we can talk about clean beauty! - Non-Toxic Beauty Lovers 



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To say I was unsure about truing a solid facial soap was an understatement. Basically, everything you learn about bar soap in Esthetics school is that it is bad, and you shouldn’t use it on your body, and you most certainly should never use it on your delicate face! Of course, these warnings are aimed more at traditional, harsh soaps with damaging ingredients, that Lush tends to leave out of their products. The composition of Coalface is very far from that which makes up a standard drugstore brand soap- Lush does not use tallow, lye, lauric acid, titanium dioxide, or any other ingredients that are still used in soaps that cause dryness, irritation, and not much benefit. Instead, the majority of ingredients in Coalface are very natural, and boast many benefits that not only cleanse the skin, but improve the overall condition. 
First on the list is liquorice root decoction. Liquorice root is known to be  antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and moisturizing, which means that it is fantastic for treating acne (which is essentially a clogged, infected pore) by killing the bacteria, soothing swelling and redness, as well as keeping your skin from feeling stripped. This soap also contains rosewood oil to act as an additional antiseptic, as well as add an uplifting aroma.  
Rapeseed oil and coconut oil are two oils that are fantastic for moisturizing the skin. Of course, coconut oil is pretty comedogenic for some skin types, so if you are prone to acne, this may prove to be a problem. I have had good luck so far, despite being acne prone, and I have not noticed any increased clogging- but we will get to that in a moment. 
Powdered charcoal is an ingredient that has become increasingly popular in recent years for it’s oil absorbing properties. In this soap, it also lends a slightly rough texture which means you’re also getting a gentle exfoliant along with your cleanse. Sodium Chloride (or salt) also acts as an exfoliant, while cleaning the skin. It’s also used to formulate the soap base.
Of course, Coalface is not 100% natural. It does contain  a few humectants such as sorbitol and glycerin, to give the soap a consistency that spreads easily on the skin. Sodium Hydroxide to react with coconut oil and rapeseed oil to create a soap base, instead of a more traditional combination such as tallow and lye. SLS, while not the best ingredient because it can be drying and irritating, produces a foamy, cleansing lather. EDTA and  Tetrasodium Etidronat safely preserve the color, scent and consistency of the product.
So looking at the ingredients, quite a few jump out to prove this is a good choice for those with oilier or acne prone complexions. While I do not have a particularly oily face, I do suffer from some truly awful hormonal acne, that until now, has been very difficult to improve. I have tried many different cleansers and other skincare products that have claimed to work wonders on acne, but they did not do much for me. Hormonal acne comes from under the skin, so it’s not just as easy as washing your face to get rid of it. Luckily, Coalface is one of few topical products that has actually made a difference in my skin. I started using this facial soap while I was in the middle of one of the worst breakouts I’ve ever had- my jawline and chin was completely covered, I had mountain ranges on both temples, and a smattering of spots on my cheeks and forehead. My skincare at the time was obviously not effective, so I was so glad once my order containing Coalface finally showed up. 
I washed my face with Coalface, and was a little concerned with how stripped my face felt while rinsing, but luckily once I patted myself dry, my skin felt supple again. I spritzed my face with my usual toner and put on my moisturizer, and went to bed. In the morning, I did notice my acne was reduced. Most of my spots had shrunk noticeably, and redness and inflammation was improved. I decided to continue washing with coalface once each day, and over the next week, my skin cleared by about 80%. 
I have been using Coalface for about 3 weeks now, and my skin has not yet returned to the awful mess it was before. My face is not completely clear by any stretch, but I have not broken out once on my forehead since I’ve started using this, and I never have more than 4 or 5 pimples at any given time now. I do not notice my skin becoming any drier, or more oily since I have started using this, so that is fantastic. I am really glad I have introduced this soap into my routine, and I hope it continues to improve my skin.
Rating: 4/5
Price: 
  • UK - £5.25/100g, £13.10/250g, £26.25/500g
  • US - $13.95/ 3.5oz
Status: Permanent
Vegan?: Yes
Would I repurchase? Yes
Ingredients: Liquorice Root Decoction, Propylene Glycol, Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Water, Perfume, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Powdered Charcoal, Sandalwood Oil, Rosewood Oil, Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, *Geraniol, *Linalool, Silver Edible Lustre. 
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Herbalism Face and Body Cleanser
The name Herbalism certainly suits this product to a T. Upon opening my generous sample, I got a lovely whiff of a very green, herbal smell, from the combination of rosemary, sage, nettle, and chlorophyll. Herbalism isn’t a typical facial cleanser, instead of being a liquid, it is a moist powder, exactly how you’d imagine the texture would be for a mixture of ground up herbs, almonds, and clay. To use, you scoop out a generous amount for my face, I use about a teaspoon worth of the product, and mix it with a few drops of water until it forms a milky paste. Apply the paste to your damp face, massaging in circular motions, outward from the nose, then rinse off.
In theory, this is a fantastic cleanser for tackling acne. It has antiseptic, astringent, and anti inflammatory properties from the sage, chamomile blue, nettle, and rosemary.Chlorophyll regulates sebum production, so this is fantastic for those with oilier skin. Kaolin and ground almond exfoliate, while vinegar balances the pH of the skin.
I felt that while this was very softening, balancing, and moisturising, it was “soapy” enough to cut through makeup, so I would highly recommend using this in conjunction with a makeup remover, or, since my current makeup remover doesn’t quite do the job, I reserve this for use in the morning when I have nothing on my face except the previous night’s skincare. I didn’t find that this particularly helped with acne, I actually think I might’ve broken out a little more after use with this, which was really disappointing. My skin is currently undergoing some changes, and I am incredibly acne prone a the moment, so while this was not the perfect fit for me now, I hope to pick up another sample in a couple of months and try again. This was a very natural feeling cleanser with a lovely exfoliant, so I really hope I can get along with it in the future.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Price: Small -  $13.95 for 3.5oz / £6.95 for 100g Large -  £17.35 for 250g / $33.95 for 8.4oz
Status: Permanent
Vegan?:Yes
Would I repurchase? Not until I sample it again
Ingredients:  Ground Almonds, Kaolin, Glycerine, Chlorophyllin Water, Nettle, Rosemary and Rice Vinegar Extract, Rice Bran, Gardenia Extract, Rose Absolute, Chamomile Blue Oil, Sage Oil, Perfume.
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Welcome to my world of green beauty! I'm Christina, a twenty-something esthetician with a passion for natural, non-toxic, and effective products.

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