UHURU Botanicals – Marula Lotion & Black Soap & Aloe Vera

Autumn is here and once again, we’re upping our skincare game with richer and more nourishing products. Today at The Amazing Blog, we’d like to introduce another of our #amazingfinds with a natural and organic skincare, that has adopted some of the centuries-old West African skincare traditions and made them their own. Meet the award-winning brand UHURU Botanicals. 

UHURU Botanicals was founded in 2017 by Neo Mkwebane Chatyoka, when she was searching for soothing products for her baby who had eczema and couldn’t find the right one. This spurred her on to make her own products using some of the purest and most potent ingredients from Africa, her home-continent. Since then, the brand has grown, finding markets both in South Africa and in the United Kingdom. Today, Neo’s mission is to help everyone who has a persistent skin problem, and regain what she calls “skin confidence”. This philosophy reflects in the word ‘Uhuru’ that she chose for her brand name, which means ‘Freedom’ in the Kenyan dialect Swahili. The entire skincare range is unisex, multi-use, 100% organic, natural, vegan and ethical (even the packaging is eco-friendly), and best of all, it’s ideal for hypersensitive skin.

The first product from their range that we would like to talk about is the Marula Lotion, which won Editor’s Choice in the 2020 Beauty Shortlist Mama & Baby Awards. The main key ingredient of the Marula Lotion is shea butter, which comes from the nut of karité trees that grow in the Savanah of Western Africa. Perhaps best known for its properties to soothe and heal eczema, psoriasis, cracked skin and rashes; the shea butter is mixed with baobab and marula oil from Eastern and South Africa, which help regenerate skin and heal scars. The lotion is presented in a UVA resistant brown-coloured glass bottle. Once on the skin, the lotion absorbs quickly, liberating a fresh and subtle citrusy scent from the lemon, grapefruit and sweet orange oils. These are all rich in vitamin C which helps to even out the skin tone. As it is 100% natural, organic, and free from parabens and chemical fragrance, makes it ideal to use on both body and face. This is a wonderful multitasking lotion that we just couldn’t get enough of and is one of our #amazingfinds for the autumn. The Marula Lotion with vitamin C comes in 200ml, and you can purchase it here for £11.99.

The second product is the Black Soap & Aloe Vera Cleanser which has taken its inspiration from the time-honoured traditions of the West African black soap formula. This natural blend is gentle, effective and cleanses whilst also locking in moisture. It also fights acne, evens skin tone, treats eczema, and minimises the blemishes and scars all at the same time. Thanks to the healing powers of aloe vera, shea butter, and tea tree when combined, they offer a deliver a deep hydrating cleanse. There are coconut and palm oils here, as well as the charcoal powder which acts as an antibacterial removing impurity from the skin. e,e,There is no specific fragrance; we could only detect a very pleasant neutral hint of tea tree. We massaging this cleanser straight onto dry skin in a circular motion, then we rinsed away with warm water. Our skin felt clean, soft and hydrated and it’s so gentle that we used it for both morning and night. NB: As both products a completely organic formula without preservatives, it should be stored away from direct sunlight. These have impressed us and we can’t wait to try more from Uhuru Botanicals. The Black Soap & Aloe Vera Cleanser is available in two sizes: 30ml for £4.00 or 200ml for £12.99 here. 

Amoorra - Bath Bombs for the Shower

We find that there’s a 50/50 split at The Amazing Blog as to whether we’re a shower or bath person. Today we’ve found some rather innovative Bath Bombs for the Shower by Amoorra perfect for perking you up in the morning or winding down at night. We love to try anything new that’ll give us that home-spa experience.

Amoorra is formerly known as SHOBU and is a brand founded by two busy mums who wanted to create a home-spa experience, without all the cleaning up afterwards! Being time-poor, luxuriating in a bath was a complete no-no, hence they came up with the concept of this ‘shower bomb’. These Amoorra Bath Bombs for the Shower tablets are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, natural and all ingredients are ethically and sustainably sourced. They are designed to melt away without any no residue, oils or colour in the shower, while leaving a relaxing aroma that fills the bathroom. It works with the steam to create a home spa experience, meaning that you enjoy eight to ten minutes of steam to help you to relax, refresh and renew. Also, with the added advantage of no fear of slipping on any oily residues. There is a range of six different shower bomb experiences and aromas: Breathe, Refresh, Calm, Peace, Sleep, Awake. There are a range of Mood Booster sprays and oils, which we’ll be covering another time.

We received three of these Bath Bombs for the Shower. The first to talk about is  Peace,  it’s a pale pink speckled tablet with a floral blend of rose and jasmine, inspiring a sense of calm. The rose oil here reduces stress and anxiety;  it stimulates the release of the chemical dopamine, leaving you with a happier mood. The jasmine oil is an anti-depressant, where inhaling the vapours will help to increase positive feelings and uplift energy levels. This shower bomb could be used on either side of the day to inspire and motivate or to give an overall sense of inner peace and calm. The second we tried is Calm,  if you’re looking to indulge yourself with this rich mix of chamomile, clove and cardamom that brings that luxurious spa into the home, then this is for you! In a white tablet form with amber coloured flecks; the chamomile ingredient is famous for its calming properties and is probably best known for being consumed in tea for a good night’s sleep. Therefore, no surprises to find it here.  An anxiety reliever it helps promote sleep can help to soothe irritability, we found that this little tablet created a serene bubble of steam in the shower. It blends well with the clove with its warming aroma which is known to help enrich the mind. Finally, the cardamom has antibacterial properties that help heal breakouts acting as a skin purifier by clearing pores, plus here it works to soothing the respiratory system. This tablet is warming, relaxing and gives a feeling of tranquillity. Last but not least, Sleep, just like its name suggests, this delicate mixture of lavender, bergamot and vetiver is for relaxing the mind and body before a good night’s rest. If you require a little extra help to drift off, then this is for you. The fragrance of the lavender helps in promoting a feeling of wellness and reduced stress. It enhances the healing properties of the bergamot, which reduces nervous tensions and elevates mood. Finally, this blend also contains vetiver, ideal for reducing tensions and anxiety and giving an overall feeling of relaxation, helping you to dive deep into the world of sleep. Something to quickly mention is that these are NOT to be used as bath bombs they’re specifically designed for the shower use only.  Our favourite? It has to be Peace, we’re always won over by the scent of roses and jasmine. Amoora also offers you an extra 20% using the coupon Gift2020 when purchasing here.

Berrichi For Men – Smoothing Age Defence

I’m always a bit flummoxed when it comes to choosing my own skincare, which is why I turn the trusted team at The Amazing Blog to give me a bit of direction. My wish-list isn’t always easy and this time I requested a face cream that would be light enough to absorb quickly, offer excellent protection against the elements, and also must be gentle enough not sting straight after shaving. A tall order indeed! They suggested For Men - Smoothing Age Defence from an award-winning Estonian skincare Berrichi where they recently reviewed their Day Age Defence and Night Power Defence here.

Founded by Berit Joosep, the brand started life with its artisan skincare in Joosep’s kitchen, where she drew inspiration from books on herbal culture and ancient beauty techniques. Today Berrichi is a multi-award-winning skincare brand (see The Beauty Shortlist Editor’s Choice Award here) it has expanded worldwide and is recognised for leading the way with ‘clean beauty’ and its unique botanicals.

This Smoothing Age Defence,  I was reliably informed, is a 24-hour high-performance anti-ageing skincare with unique Estonian ingredients. Reading more about their range Berrichi’s For Men, I discovered that their skincare has powerful algae-based antioxidants with astaxanthin and furchellaran which helps kick into action hydration, protection from UV radiation and slows down skin ageing. Well, that’s ticked off most of my asks! The other key ingredients here are organic oils from avocado and jojoba; plus the addition of apricot kernel, cacay nut oils and aloe vera leaf juice. The quote on their stylish black box also brought a wry smile to my lips: “Age might not bring you wisdom, age brings you wrinkles….” Having put this wonder cream to the test, it performed exceptionally well and had the advantages of being fragrance-free and light as a feather. It comes in an airtight pump bottle, is free from parabens, sulphates and is vegan, natural, organic and cruelty-free. Impressed? Then purchase your 50 ml bottle for 39€ here.

Danielle Creations - Damn Handsome - Gentlemen in D-Stress Emergency Tin

There’s no getting away with it boys, the pressure on us all to present the very best version of ourselves on a daily basis gets turned up a notch every time we step outside. There was a time when a visit to the gym three times a week, maybe the odd protein shake, and the briefest moments spent putting our outfit together for the day ahead would suffice. However, now the girls at The Amazing Blog tell me that we are now in a new world of reality TV, a never-ending stream of must-have products or procedures, and of course devices which capture every untucked shirt, bad shave mishap which can then be splashed across Social Media for our competitors to troll …!

The Gentlemen in D-Stress Emergency Tin from is an invention from Danielle Creations who are best known for their cutting edge make up and grooming kits. They are part of Upper Canada Company a global brand although they based here in the UK. We discovered them as they offer everything from innovative cosmetic accessories to men's manicure and shaving sets. As regular readers will know we’re always happy to discover anything that can alleviate some of that pressure and help us in our quest to keep as much as we can on tiptop form, which is where this, one of our latest #amazingfinds comes into its own.

Simple ideas are often the best and most successful kind, and here we have Gentlemen in D-Stress Emergency Tin from. This is an essential kit of 24 items to choose from and seemingly for every possible kind of emergency! Containing all that we boys could ever need need to keep us as pristine as possible. Utterly compact and certainly portable, this tin will happily slip into a briefcase, gym bag, or rucksack without taking up much room, and give you the chance to remedy any slight mishaps which may occur at the tip of our digits effectively. Measuring 5cm x 9.5cm x 12.5cm, and only weighing in at 146g, it is brilliantly compact.  Within each selection of the tin, we find a collapsible comb, 2 x collar stiffener sets, 1 x glasses cleaning cloth, tweezers, shoehorn, nail clipper, 2 x plasters, 5 x cuticle sticks, a stain remover wipe, a deodorant wipe and a vanity kit including cotton buds, a cotton pad and nail file! In fact, everything to aid a grooming emergency. What we especially enjoy about these inspired kits, is the fact each tin is not rammed full of odds and ends, so the option of adding one or two of our own essentials from the personal bathroom cabinet is available to us also. You’ll find this Gentlemen in D-Stress Emergency Tin here at a mere £9.99 only.

Ramer Sponges - Wet Shave Towel

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of The Amazing Blog to hear that whenever we get the chance to report on a product which will help the daily ritual of shaving a tad more successful, then we are up for it with our razors primed … add the promise of some serious ‘salonesque’ pampering into the mix, and we cannot hold ourselves back. So, when we heard the whisper that Ramer Sponges were set to launch a new collection targeted at us boys, called Ramer For Men, we kept our eyes peeled for the first offerings. Zeroing in today on the ingenious idea of the Ramer For Men, Wet Shave Towel  - although don’t let that put you off exploring their extensive range for boys, girls, grown-ups and little ones alike.

Those of us lucky enough to enjoy the true expertise of a trained barber, will not only know the intense relaxation afforded when having our skin prepared by a professional before the slicing of the blade commences, but also the vital task all that preparation does in opening up the pores and softening the beard. By lubricating the follicles effectively of course we lessen the chance of the dreaded razor drag which inevitably leads to razor rash and burn which is never a good start to the day! And chaps, we need to make a note of the growing trend of losing the hipster beard trend - 55% of us are now embracing a smoother look according to an online poll, and making the most of that precious half hour spent in the barber’s chair. Which is where Ramer come in and present their wonderful option of enjoying the salon experience every day at home with their Wet Shave Towel.

The process with this Wet Shave Towel could not be easier - simply immerse the towel in hot water, squeeze and apply to the face to soften the beard; the heat and moisture will open up the pores, preparing the skin effectively for the razor onslaught.Then shave as we would normally, removing excess foam when complete, and rinse the towel, but this time in cold water. Re-apply to the face to close up the pores, and moisturise, thereby giving us the luxury of a wet shave barber experience, but in the comfort of our own bathroom. To store, we simply rinse again and allow to dry - each towel is super-soft, hypoallergenic, machine washable at 40º and ideal for sensitive skin.

This Wet Shave Towel comes in 3 colours (black, lime green and ultra violet) with approximate dimensions of this new found favourite, is 360mm x 210mm and retails at just £6.99 available here or from John Lewis and Superdrug.  We think that it will be simply a matter of time before this magic towel becomes as indispensable as the razor itself.