I need a quick pick me up Scrubber - NOW (Burts Bees Citrus Facial Scrub)

Member Name: Sarccyslayer

Product:	Burts Bees Citrus Facial Scrub
Date:	15/08/08 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smells lovely, works really well, natural ingredients, easy to buy

Disadvantages: None

Having sensitive skin, I am often left in a quandary as which products I can use on my skin without causing any further irritations and my options are limited as to what I can and cannot use. One of the reasons I tend to opt for Lush every time is because no product has ever irritated my skin. A friend of mine who is a qualified beautician also finds herself in the same situation as me, but she hates Lush, disgraceful in my opinion, and she suggested that I tried some of the Burt's Bee's products which are readily available and kind to the skin and seen as though she had no problems with using their products then I shouldn't either.

My local pharmacy sells the entire range of Burt's Bees products, not something I have ever noticed before probably because I've never looked properly, but I did find myself looking at the Citrus Facial Scrub of which they had a small trial sized pot for £1.99. Always up for a bargain I quickly purchased the scrub and went home to try it.

I have to admit I wasn't aware of Burt's Bee's products until the recommendation to me nor had I ever used anything from their range. Research says that they were born in 1984 when the company got into selling beeswax candles and by 1989 they had grown as a company and began to make cosmetics, starting with soaps and perfumes and today they sell over 150 plus products around the world. Like many companies within this market they use as much natural ingredients as they possibly can and most of the packaging is created from recycled materials as far as possible. You can now find products from Burt's Bee's for your lips, face, body, hair, hands and feet, for men and for babies to name but a few, so there is definitely something for everyone.

I've mentioned on many occasions that living in London does play havoc with your skin. I am not someone who has an issue with spots, I've always been lucky in that respect but I do suffer from patches of dry skin on my cheeks and forehead which can be a pain to shift and whilst I know I can combat it, I tend to stick to the same products and sometimes it is nice to have a bit of a change.

Burt's Bees Citrus facial Scrub is usually sold for £8.95 and for that you get a glass tub weighing 0.2kg. The tub itself is a slightly off yellow colour and the lid which is a brighter yellow has the company name Burt's Bee's clearly written in orange along with the name of the product, so you definitely are aware of which product you have purchased.

The Citrus Facial scrub itself promises to gently exfoliate and leave the skin clean, clear and moisturized. When I removed the lid from the tub inside was an off white thick cream inside which smelt absolutely delightful of almonds and oranges and the smell was clearly distinctive and that is mainly sue to the ingredients within which it contains.

With any exfoliating product there has to be one ingredient which is responsible for the removal of dry, dead skin cells and different products use different options. Burt's Bee's have chosen to use quite a mixture of ingredients within this product. For the exfoliant there is a mixture of ground oats, almonds and pecans which are not harsh on the skin when used, they are ground down into a fine sand like texture and mixed within the cream, they provide very gentle exfoliation and can be used on all types of skin. Then to look after your skin as it is being exfoliated there is Sweet Almond Oil which helps to protect the surface of the skin whilst soothing and softening it. In this type of product an oil such as this is important because the oil gradually soaks into the skin to protect it. Next we have Rose Oil which is used to moisturise and hydrate the skin and help keep it feeling soft and smooth. For anyone who has dry skin, this oil is known for helping to soothe dry, irritated skin. Finally there is Orange and grapefruit oils help to detoxify the skin and within this product it helps to remove any traces of dirt , makeup and other harmful things left behind after cleansing to leave you with soft, smooth, free breathing skin.

For a further list of ingredients, they can be found on the Burt's Bee's products or on the webpage.

When it comes to using this cream it is relatively easy to do. Whenever I use a product like this I always wash my face beforehand to remove any surface dirt to allow the exfoliating cream to work deeper into my skin. Then I always put some water within my sink basin which isn't hot, it needs to be slightly warm and then using a small blob on this cream, no bigger than a 50p piece, onto your palm and then mix with some of the water to form a paste, but don't make it too runny. The cream itself is quite a thick texture. Once you have made your paste massage in gentle circular motions over your face but make sure that you avoid your eyes (because it does sting). As you are rubbing the cream round your face you should feel a slight roughness but not an uncomfortable feeling on your skin as the dead skin is removed. Once you feel you have finished you simply rinse the cream from your face and then using clean, warm water re-wash your face to ensure all traces of the mixture have been removed and pat your face dry.

With my face having dry patches I was quite interested to see how a non-Lush product with deal with it. I have had no problems with using anything from Lush and the soaps and face masks that I use always work, but because I had run out of my usual products I needed something to use in the meantime. I have to say I was impressed with this face scrub, immediately after patting my face dry and touching my cheeks I could feel an instant difference, there was no sign of any dry skin whatsoever and my skin did feel very soft and smooth to the touch and I could still smell the almond oil and orange but it wasn't too overpowering.

Since buying Burt's Bee's Citrus facial Scrub I have used it 4 times now and my little pot is now almost empty, so it does last for quite a long time and I have since invested in a larger pot which costs £8.95 for a 2oz tub.

Overall I was really impressed with this product, it is something I will definitely keep in my cupboard or on my shelf for emergencies should I run out of my favourite products because it is definitely a good back-up product to use and because the container that I have is relatively small it is great to carry around in your cosmetic bag should you need a quick pick me up or if you are going away for a few days and don't want to be carrying a lot of other products around with you.

Summary: A Citrus smelling facial exfoliant from burt's bee's