Like Butter, Baby! — Nubian Heritage Launches New Patchouli & Buriti Collection
The Tree of Life isn’t just the name of a visually astonishing, conceptually-driven, philosophical and esoteric Terence Malick film — it’s, in fact, the term Baron von Humboldt used to describe the buriti palm tree. Commonly found in the Amazon, the buriti palm tree bears a nutritious fruit that, when ground and pressed, yields an oil rife with palmitic, linoleic, and arachidic acids, along with tocopherols (known for their antioxidant activity) and carotenoids (which transform into vitamin A). In order to give aging skin a new life, then, Nubian Heritage created a line that incorporates regenerative buriti oil: the new Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti collection.
As with all Nubian Heritage collections, this one spans a vast array of categories, incorporating a Bar Soap ($4.99 at ULTA.com), Body Wash ($11.99 at ULTA.com), Body Cleansing Smoothie ($12.99 at ULTA.com), Bath Bomb ($14.99 at ULTA.com), Body Lotion ($11.99 at ULTA.com), Body Soufflé ($12.99 at ULTA.com), Deodorant ($7.99 at at ULTA.com), and Hand Cream ($9.99 at ULTA.com). All of the products in the collection, then, are priced at $15 or less, and they’re all cruelty-free products formulated with ethically traded ingredients and contain no harmful or potentially allergy-causing additives like parabens, sulfates, phtalates, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances or artificial coloring. Instead, they include the aforementioned buriti oil, alongside such skin-loving ingredients as rosehip seed oil, shea butter (all sourced from a conglomerate of 13 women-operated co-ops in Northern Ghana that stimulate the local economy), and patchouli oil.
Now, I had the chance to try three products in the collection: the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Body Lotion, the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Bar Soap, and the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Body Lotion. Out of all three products, I had the most pleasant experience with the Body Lotion — in fact, it’s a product I’m likely to go out and buy over and over again.
But first, let’s go through my experiences with the other two products, shall we? First, the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Bar Soap. Here, I must admit to my own personal bias influencing my judgment since I’m simply not a fan of bar soaps. Maybe I watched too many episodes of Oz or I just associate bar cleansers with my dad’s go-to block of Dial, but I just don’t find bar soaps to provide as pleasant a sensory experience as body washes. Now, technically, this isn’t a “soap” in that it doesn’t contain those detergents (sulfates and such) that strip your skin of its natural oils, making it vastly different from, say, Dial or Ivory Springs bar soaps. And, as far as bar soaps go, this one is gentle yet effective. It’s made with a 100% vegetable oil soap base, and it contains shea butter, rose hip seed oil, buriti oil, patchouli extract, and glycerin in order to remove dirt and grime while also nourishing, softening, and hydrating the skin. It doesn’t leave any film-y residue behind, and it won’t muck up your tub or shower (another of my gripes with bar soap). If bar soaps are your cup of tea, then you’ll likely enjoy this product. But, if like me, you like the fluid consistency of a body wash and think of it as being conducive to a more feminine, sensual, enjoyable tactile and sensory in-shower experience, then you might want to give the Patchouli & Buriti Body Wash a whirl (though, as a disclaimer, I didn’t try that particular product, so I can’t speak with authority on its performance).
Next, let’s turn to the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Deodorant, designed as a natural alternative to mass market deodorants that contain aluminum. Why are natural deodorants even a thing? Well, studies have found that the skin can absorb trace amounts of aluminum and that this can potentially heighten your risk of developing breast cancer. Just reading or hearing the word “cancer” petrifies me so, in all the years I’ve spent covering beauty products, I’ve tried to ditch antiperspirants and go for aluminum-free deodorants. The problem: none of them work for me! I sweat profusely when it’s hot outside and when I’m exercising, so I’m not one of those dainty people who just get three beads of sweat on their forehead when running in 90-degree weather. Given that I sweat more than Heidi Fleiss in the church, then, I may not be the best person to test-run a natural deodorant since, as mentioned, none has had the power to keep me from smelling like rotten onions. Some have been slightly more successful than others — for instance, Lavanila’s deodorants have proved more effective than Toms of Maine varieties — but the point is I can’t squeeze in a 30-minute cardio workout with either of these as my safeguard and emerge without people running away from me in panicked horror. Sadly, the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Deodorant didn’t do much for me either. Sure, it masked the underarm odor a bit but, in the end, my pits just smelled like skunk spray with a hint of patchouli and roses — the antithesis of a come-hither scent. If you sweat like I do, then, this might not be your saving grace. Then again, I doubt many people actually perspire in the grotesque manner in which I do!
Okay, so moving on to the shining beacon in the collection, let’s talk about the Nubian Heritage Patchouli & Buriti Body Lotion — a product that smells delightful and leaves skin soft and smooth. My only concern with this lotion was that the patchouli scent might be too potent. I tend to associate patchouli with the hippie wannabes that I met in my high school days, most of whom were affluent white kids who grew dreads, worshiped Bob Marley, and played hacky-sack with entirely too much gusto. It’s not a scent, then, that I associate with elegance, desire, or seduction. Luckily, the formula contains just enough patchouli oil so that lotion users can benefit from its much-touted aromatherapy benefits (it is known to uplift one’s mood and ease tension) and its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties (patchouli oil can help in the treatment of dermatitis and eczema), but it’s not so dominant as to take center stage on the olfactory front. If anything, the lotion has a slightly nutty, buttery aroma, with just a hint of rose to give it a delicate vibe.
In terms of its performance, the lotion deserves a full-on Harlem Gospel Choir salute — and some enthusiastic clapping from the audience. The formula contains a number of powerful ingredients: shea butter, which is perhaps the most effective emollient thanks to its high concentration of fatty acids (particularly oleic and stearic acids), and which contains antioxidants called polyphenols known to have anti-aging properties; mango seed butter, which is also rich in oleic and stearic acid and which is a rich source of vitamin C (itself known to boost collagen production and to help even skin tone); cocoa butter, another great source of fatty acids and an antioxidant-rich ingredient that strengthens the skin’s protective barrier; coconut oil, which hydrates and nourishes the skin but also boasts antiseptic properties that help to clear away dirt, unclog pores, and even kill some acne-causing bacteria; sweet almond oil, which has a high concentration of antioxidants that protect the skin from UV damage; rosehip seed oil, another fatty acid-rich substance and once that also contains plenty of vitamin A and C, making it an anti-aging superstar; camellia extract, which soothes and softens the skin; and cupuaçu butter, which is derived from the seeds of the fruit borne by the cupuaçu trees found in the Amazon (particularly in Brazil) and which contains oleic, linoleic and stearic acids, as well as polyphenols that act as antioxidants.
This lotion, then, will help to soothe most topical inflammations (from run-of-the-mill cases of dermatitis to sunburns, bug bites, redness, and so forth), hydrate the skin, produce a velvety soft texture, and even tighten the skin ever so slightly. The consistency is rather thick — so thick, in fact, that sometimes it’s difficult to squeeze the product out of the bottle — and it can take a few minutes for the skin to fully absorb all those rich butters and plant oils but, once it’s absorbed, you don’t have to worry about any balminess or greasy residue. Just make sure to apply to your skin after you shower, when your pores are most ready to absorb all that moisture, massage the lotion vigorously, and allow 5-10 minutes for the product to be fully absorbed. Your skin will look, feel, and smell amazing. And why shouldn’t it? After all, it was touched by the tree of life!
