I have amazing friends in my life. Sometimes I look at myself and think, my God, would I ever be able to tackle what she has?
One friend, has lived years separated from her husband by over 3,400 miles! I don't know how she does it to be honest; she's so strong. Todd leaves to Ohio for 10 days and I'm an utter mess. Yep, I'm that person.
Another friend, a hairstylist, unhappy with the salon she was employed at uprooted and started her own hair salon business with two of her co-workers. They're in their mid-twenties! I wouldn't know the first thing about starting my own business, let alone having the guts to embark on such a daring adventure. She's one smart cookie. Oh and their salon has the best name ever, Whimsy & Beau, located in my hometown of Palmer, AK. How'd they even come up with that? It's such a perfect name! If you live in the Mat-Su Valley, Eagle River, or Anchorage, there's no better hairstylists or talented, deserving girls out there.
The people in our lives constantly surprise us. So, it was with great pleasure that I got an email from the latter friend, Martha the hairstylist extraordinaire, asking me if I wanted to test and review a favorite hair care line that Whimsy & Beau carries, called Neuma.
She informed me that Neuma was:
- eco-friendly
- completely vegan
- organic
- not tested on animals
- 90% post consumer recycled packaging
- paperless operation
- 100% certified wind power offsets used to used to manufacture products and bottles
Neuma products are clean and transparent as well. They have no:
- synthetic fragrances
- sulfates
- parabens
- phthalates
- glutens
- neurotoxins
- aluminum compounds
- formaldehyde donors
- ureas
- carcinogens
I have naturally wavy hair. It's downright mussy and was once described by a co-worker, "...it feels like straw." Sad face. So, I was shocked at how soft the Neuma ReNue Shampoo and Conditioner made my hair. I wash it at night, and sleep on it wet. When I wake up, I straighten my bangs and head out the door. That's pretty much the extent of my styling. Ain't nobody got time for that! But because my hair wasn't dry and brittle like it usually is, when I woke up I had beautiful curls instead of odd kinks. Wavy hair girls, you know exactly what I mean. It looked liked I had actually lightly curled my hair as opposed to sleeping on a potato crimper.
I'm used to using a lot of shampoo. I must have a ton of suds to really feel comfortable that my hair is super squeaky clean. I know this is illogical, but it's my nature. And I only shampoo like twice per week so it's okay; that's what I tell myself anyway. The great thing about the Neuma line is that you just need a teeny bit for loads of suds. I'm a devoted Paul Mitchell gal myself, so the transition was kind of rough; I had to use an exorbitant amount of that shampoo. It was shameful, really. Maybe that's why they make the bottles so big?
“Why use essential oils instead of fragrance? The word “fragrance” covers over 5,000 known chemical substances. Only 1,500 have yet to be tested for safety – over 850 are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, asthma instigators, etc. By using only healthy essential oils, NEUMA can be truly transparent and show you every ingredient in our product.”
Another thing that I absolutely love about this shampoo and conditioner? The smell. OMG, it' is the best smelling hair product I have ever used. The ReNue line smells like peppermint and vanilla. The best part is that they don't contain any synthetic fragrances! It's delicious smell comes only from essential oils! I find that impossibly important and absolutely incredible.
I also adore their Argan oil. It makes my hair so soft and shiny. I put it in after I towel dry my hair and then brush it through. If I braid my hair or need a bit of texture, I'll run some of their styling clay through. It's great for men too; Todd usually uses a clay when his hair is on the shorter side and he loves it.
The bottom line is that I won't be searching for any other hair care products and I can't tell you how excited that makes me. You know when you're not completely satisfied or feeling good about what you're using and you can't wait until it's all gone so you can go find something else? I don't have to feel like that anymore! Huzzah!
Vegan, eco-friendly, transparent, sustainable products that are naturally and deliciously fragranced and contain no questionable ingredients is a complete win in my book. Neuma is a high quality product and perhaps on the spendy side (for someone who is frugal about that stuff), but I use so little of it compared to most other products, that it doesn't bother me at all. Neuma's tagline should be, "Get those feel-good vibes!" Be sure to check out my dear friends over at Whimsy and Beau too!
Have you used Neuma? What's your favorite hair care line?
*DISCLAIMER* PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.
