I’m always on the lookout for new skincare and hair care products that are gentle yet effective; ones that use primarily natural ingredients as cleansers, moisturizers, and overall skin restorers. So when Carapex sent me a few of their natural skin care products to try out, I was anxious to see if I’d notice a difference in the look and behavior of my skin, scalp, and hair. Keep reading for my first impressions and overall Carapex Skincare review.
A Little Bit About Carapex Skincare
Carapex natural skincare products are created using botanically-sourced ingredients, and contain their exclusive Carapex Complex formula. Here’s a summary of what you’d expect to find ingredient-wise in their products (from on their website):
“Carapex products are formulated with natural and nutritious ingredients to help balance the body and the senses. We use natural and wildcrafted herbs and essential oils from their native regions around the world. We only use the strict minimum amount of artificial ingredients necessary when no natural option exists. A majority of their products contain no dyes or perfumes, synthetic chemicals, harsh detergents, or chemical preservatives.”
I had the opportunity to try out a nice variety of Carapex’s products, from body and facial care, to hair care (including a few from their BC Bud Natural Hemp Skincare range). I’ve been using all the products for the past several weeks now – here’s a little bit around my experience and results using each one.
Carapex Botanical Facial Moisturizer
The Carapex Botanical Facial Moisturizer is a nutrient-rich cream that contains hyaluronic acid, which helps to reduce the signs of fine lines and wrinkles, as well as restore a youthful fullness to your skin. The formula also contains a blend of 5 natural oils (avocado, olive, sunflower, grapeseed and sweet almond), along with mango seed oil and shea butter to increase skin’s elasticity while helping to eliminate dryness. Combined, these ingredients help to moisturize, nourish, and protect your skin without clogging pores. It’s non-greasy, gentle formula contains no fragrance, no dyes, no toxic chemicals, making it perfect for sensitive skin. The product is made in Canada with natural elements, and is paraben-free, harsh chemicals-free, and cruelty-free.
Carapex Facial Moisturizer Review
First off, this moisturizer feels very rich. It’s not watery or lotion-like, but instead has a silky smooth texture – I love it! The formula is also non-greasy, absorbs quickly, and helps my makeup go on smoother.
My previous go-to moisturizer was the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ (another 100% fragrance free formula, and a staple for many people), yet I noticed that it always left my skin a feeling slightly greasy/oily afterwards. Oily skin in general became a daily problem for me, which told me that my moisturizer wasn’t doing its job and looking in moisture. Surprisingly, when I switched to the Carapex Natural Facial Moisturizer, my oiliness actually went away, and my skin felt much more balanced overall.
As mentioned above, this moisturizer has no scent, which is great for me personally as I have allergies to some scented products. The ingredients are also amazing, with the 5 natural oils that really help to seal in moisturize. After each use (and yes, I’ve been using this everyday since I got it!), my skin is always left feeling soft and hydrated, and even a little plumper! It’s a great moisturizer for both day and night.
Bc Bud White Volcanic Lava Exfoliating Hemp Shower Gel
The Bc Bud White Volcanic Lava Exfoliating Hemp Shower Gel is an exfoliating, cleansing, and soothing shower gel. It contains very fine lava particles that exfoliate without harshness, plus it has a mild foaming formula, hence it works great as a daily shower gel. The natural hemp oil helps to soften and hydrate skin, and the fine lava particles provide a light scrubbing action to buff away dirt and dead skin. There is no residue left behind, just soft, nourished skin. This Hemp shower gel is made in Canada and contains natural based surfactants and aloe vera leaf juice, which also helps to sooth itchiness. It is paraben-free, SLS-free, cruelty-free, and harsh chemicals-free.
Bc Bud Exfoliating Shower Gel Review
The formula of this shower gel is quite creamy and rich – not runny or watery at all – so you don’t need to use a lot. Since the formula is made without the use of any harsh detergents (the first thing I avoid in all my bodycare products), it does not dry out the skin. Surprisingly, it seemed to moisturize my skin, while exfoliating and cleansing at the same time, thanks to the hemp oil (I love this oil – it can really do wonders for your skin!)
The exfoliator contains extremely small and gentle lava particles, which are barely noticeable, but they’re there! The particles aren’t rough or irritating to the skin (what a nice change from my usual Apricot Scrub!) They are however very effective at removing dead skin and smoothing the surface. Overall, after showering, my skin was left feeling soft and moisturized, and my knees and elbows didn’t show any signs of dryness, which they usually do after my showers.
Bc Bud Hemp Shampoo
The BC Bud Hemp Shampoo is a mild vegetable based shampoo that’s designed to thoroughly cleanse, nourish, and strengthen your hair, without any waxy build-up or greasy residue. It’s specially formulated with hemp oil to condition and moisturize both your hair and scalp, as well as omega 3 to strengthen your scalp and hairshaft. Together, the ingredients promote shiny, soft, and voluminous hair, and a nourished scalp. The shampoo is made in Canada with natural elements, and is petrochemical-free, sodium lauryl sulfate-free, paraben-free, and cruelty-free.
Bc Bud Shampoo Review
The Hemp Shampoo lathered surprisingly well for a natural, SLS-free shampoo. It has a clear formula with a very light scent (from its natural ingredients, not from fragrance additives). It only takes a small amount of product to cleanse the scalp and all over the hair, so you get a lot of use out of one bottle.
After rinsing out the shampoo, my scalp and hair felt thoroughly cleansed, yet not over-cleansed (meaning it didn’t strip my hair/scalp of all of its natural oils). As a result, my usual scalp oiliness wasn’t brought on after the first day after washing (which I often find happens with sulfate-containing shampoos, and even some natural shampoos like Burt’s Bees).
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’m really impressed with Carapex’s skincare & bodycare products – two of which (the facial moisturizer and the exfoliator) have already replaced my previous ‘holy grail’ products. Between the quality, natural ingredients, absence of harsh detergents/sulfates/etc, and the fairly low cost (~$15 average cost per product), their products are an amazing value!
Carapex’s products are available on Amazon (and ship free if you have Amazon Prime).
Have you tried Carapex’s skincare products? What are your favorite natural skincare products?
