Review :: Escape To A Tropical Oasis + Re-Hydrate Your Skin With Joia Botanicals Organic Body Care

My uncle who lived in Michigan for many years said that the key to surviving frigid Midwest winters was to plan a trip somewhere tropical every February.  Its the month that locals seem to be officially "over winter".  Any nostalgia or holiday charm of snowflakes and everything draped in white has worn off and now dirty snow, salty cars and gray days are the norm.  It's also a time when the sun deceives; it can be shining brightly and appear to be warm out even though it may just be a measly ten degrees outside (like it is today).  Just this morning in the kitchen when I went to let the dogs out, I found myself extending my cheek close to the window to feel the sun's warm rays.  Any hint of sunshine is welcomed and I seem to crave it.

After surviving three Midwest winters, we still haven't been able to take that tropical trip yet, but I have found an organic body care brand that helps transport me to such a place.  Some place where sand, bikinis and drinking out of coconuts is the norm.   

I've been enjoying Joia Botanicals organic bodycare since October, but only now, in the midst of severe winter storm warnings and at least a foot of snow on the ground, do I truly appreciate how it reminds me of somewhere tropical.  And my dehydrated skin appreciates how it infuses moisture back into my dermis.  If you're in this climate too, you know that your skin is always thirsty, can't seem to get enough moisture and needs all the help it can get with hydration. 

I'm a big fan of body oils and Joia's Tropical Organic Cocoa - Brazil Nut - Vanilla Body Oil is no exception.  If you want simple, pure straightforward ingredients - go for a body oil and ditch the lotion.  Afterall, lotion is mostly water and contains emulsifiers and preservatives that are likely not so natural.  When you opt for a body oil or body butter you are paying for actual ingredients, instead of water.  The aroma of this oil reminds me of those not-good-for-you suntan lotions that smell like summer.  Goodbye scale-y, flake-y leg skin.  Hello silky smooth appendages!

Ingredients: organic jojoba oil, organic babassu oil, organic cupuassu butter, organic brazil nut oil, organic passion fruit oil, organic coconut oil, essential oils, vitamin e, and nothing else. 

I'm always on the hunt for the best natural + organic lip balms and I'm a bit of a junkie connoisseur if I do say so myself.  I can't handle the thin, greasy types that slide outside my lip region, no matter how pure they may be.  I'm happy to report that Joia Botanicals Cocoa Mango Lip Balm has gone on my lip balm faves list.  The taste, consistency and performance is quite fabulous. 

Ingredients: organic cocoa (cacao) butter, organic babassu (babaçu) oil, beeswax, organic jojoba oil, organic cupuassu (cupuaçu) butter, organic buriti oil, organic passion fruit (maracuja) oil, vitamin e, natural flavors, and nothing else. 

The bar soaps were okay. They lathered decently and I approve of the ingredients, but the scents are very faint and interesting, and the bars are smaller/don't last as long as others.  We were sent both the Acai/White Clay/Rosewood bar soap and Yerba Mate/Brazil Nut/Lemongrass bar soap to try.  I thought the Lemongrass version would be my favorite since I love lemongrass, but it smelled more like green grass than lemongrass to me.  If I had to pick my favorite of the two it would be the Acai/White Clay/Rosewood bar, though it still didn't knock my socks off.  Perhaps the Cocoa Vanilla Honey or Avocado Honey Ginger soaps would have been good ones for me to try instead.



Ingredients: organic coconut oil, organic palm oil, organic soybean oil, organic babassu oil, organic yerba mate extract, organic brazil nut oil, essential oils, and nothing else.

*Note: there is controversy over sourcing and use of palm oil so be sure you are buying products with sustainably harvested organic palm oil.  Learn more about the problem with palm oil here. 

For some reason, we were sent the Tropical Organic Belly Butter for expecting mothers.  Though neither of us are pregnant at the moment, boy did it get people talking when I left it out on the bathroom counter!  But I digress -  this stuff is heavenly.  I emailed my contact to ask the difference between the Belly Butter and the other Body Butters and she explained that the Belly Butter is the same formula as the Cocoa-Vanilla Body Butter with a slightly different scent.  This is my favorite of all the products we were sent.  First, the packaging is totally unique, a completely biodegradable jar that is made entirely of paper with absolutely no plastic or glass so its super lightweight and won't break (perfect for travel).  Secondly, the aroma is divine, an intoxicating nutty vanilla. And lastly, the performance of this butter is amazing and very long-lasting.  My thoroughly dried out skin loves, loves, loves it!  I use it on my hands, arms, legs and feet and it banishes dryness in an instant. 

Ingredients: organic cocoa butter, organic babassu oil, organic cupuassu butter, organic jojoba oil, beeswax, vegetable glycerine, organic brazil nut oil, organic passion fruit oil, essential oils, vitamin e, and nothing else.

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Each Joia Botanicals ingredient is sustainably harvested and creates sources of income for local communities that help preserve, re-plant, and maintain the remaining rainforests in Brazil.  To learn more about their ingredients and sourcing, click here. 







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Disclosure: After we discovered Joia Botanicals online, they sent us the products in this post for an honest and candid review.  To learn more about our ingredient and product review criteria, click here.