Thursday, July 15, 2021
For some time now, I've been wanting to give Blessed Protein, a subsidiary of EHP Labs, a try. Before Blessed Protein, I had never tried a plant based protein that actually tasted good and didn't bloat or hurt my stomach. One thing that sets Blessed Protein apart from other supplement companies is the range of flavors they offer. Their flavor selections are always appealing and you can always expect them to launch new and appetizing flavors. They don't conform to only providing limited, basic flavors like most supplement companies, instead they're hard at work formulating the next mouthwatering flavor. Currently, Blessed Protein has 9 flavors to choose from with one of the flavors being a limited edition and all of their flavors are naturally flavored.
Before I get into the taste of the Peanut Butter Cups and the Salted Caramel flavors, I'd like to mention a few things. First I tried both flavors out with two kinds of plant based milks. One of the two, was a banana milk by the brand Mooala and I'm telling you, if you like bananas in your smoothies or protein shakes, you'll love this banana milk. The second plant based milk was, an unsweetened almond milk by the Almond Breeze brand. I have no idea what any of these protein powders would taste like with water, I personally don't like drinking anything that's in powder form with water, not even hot chocolate. I'm not about that life. Lastly, I recommend using a shaker cup that has measurements to accurately follow the serving directions on the back of the protein powder container. Not measuring things out as directed can affect the taste, too much fluid and you water down the flavor, too much powder and not enough fluid and it'll taste overly concentrated. Now that I got that out of the way, lets get into these two flavors starting with Peanut Butter Cups.
Peanut Butter Cups
One thing about me, I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, shout out to The Hershey Company for giving us the chocolate and peanut butter combination we didn't know we needed. So when Blessed Protein introduced the Peanut Butter Cups flavor I definitely wanted to try it out. At the same time, I was on the fence about it because I wasn't sure if the flavor was going to have an even balance of chocolate and peanut butter. I didn't want to buy the protein powder and be disappointed if only tasted like peanut butter or straight up chocolate and not both, but I purchased it anyway and gave it a try. I actually wasn't disappointed at all and this flavor quickly became my favorite. The Peanut Butter Cups flavor tastes like a combination of chocolate and peanut butter. In my opinion, you're able to get a taste of both flavors and they don't overpower each other.
Salted Caramel
My go to Starbucks drink is the Salted Caramel Frappuccino, I love that drink. I get that drink so much that I know how to order it when it's no longer in season, shout out to the barista who hooked me up with that info. I think you know where this is going, of course I purchased the OG Salted Caramel flavor. Now let's get into the taste, what does it taste like? in my honest opinion, this flavor tastes like honey graham crackers with a hint of maple syrup. That is as accurate as I can be with the description of this flavor. I didn't really get much of a salty taste but honestly, I did enjoy the taste. Some vegan protein powders taste like v8 even though the flavor on the label says it's salted caramel, chocolate, or vanilla. That's not the case with Blessed Protein, it doesn't taste like a bitter concoction of vegetables and they really try to get as close as possible to the intended flavor.
The Details
I was genuinely impressed with how well Blessed Protein pulled this off, it's such clean protein and it doesn't taste gross. Blessed Protein is an all natural, vegan, pea isolate protein that contains 23 grams of protein in every scoop. It also contains all the essential amino acids with only 4 grams of net carbs, and is dairy, soy, and gluten free. You can purchase these plant based protein powders in two serving sizes. A 15 serving size which retails for $34.95, and a 30 serving size that retails for $49.95. They often have sales but on the regular, you can save a couple dollars by purchasing two or more protein powders at checkout. There's also a 3 pack bundle option for both serving sizes which allows you to choose between all the flavors and helps you save between $25 to $30.
Blessed Protein can be purchased at Ehplabs.com. I'm definitely going to be trying more flavors, so if you have a go-to Blessed Protein flavor, I'd love to hear about it.
Love,
Des.
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Schmidt's Deodorant:
Arm and Hammer Essentials Deodorant:
Most natural deodorants, such as the Arm and Hammer Essentials deodorant use baking soda to absorb moisture in the underarm region. This can cause irritation of the skin for some people. I experienced some irritation when I applied this product after shaving my underarms. I felt a burning sensation strong enough to make my eyes water but it subsided after a few seconds. Sometimes this reaction happens because your underarms are adjusting to the baking soda or because your underarm region was sensitive due to shaving. It has been said that it is safe to continue the use of natural deodorants that contain baking soda, even though a reaction occurred as the pH level of your underarms will adjust. However, if a continual reaction happens and it is painful, discontinue your use of the product. You can opt for the sensitive skin formulas, or the fragrance free options. Both options are normally formulated for sensitive skin.
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
The Dual Action Cleansing Brush comes with one brush head and one foam pad for moisturizing. There was a promotion going on when I purchased this spinbrush, so I grabbed a set of two extra brush heads to use them on my face, neck, back, and eventually my underarms. Just after a few uses, I saw the benefits of exfoliating my skin. My skin was softer, less dry, and looked more alive.
To make a long story short, one day I decided to use my spinbrush to exfoliate my back, as I was dealing with a few breakouts. In the process of doing so my underarm got itchy and I scratched the itch away. Now, I had showered the day before and did not wear deodorant to bed, nor had I applied any yet. Immediately after scratching my underarm, I noticed a thin layer of gunk under my fingernails. I was thrown off because as I mentioned I had showered the day before. I certainly cleaned my underarms to the best of my ability while I was in there, and I didn't wear deodorant to bed. So, what was this waxy, gray, rubbery, gunk that was underneath my nails? You guessed it, deodorant. After I made that discovery, I put my spinbrush to work in my underarm regions and let me tell you, I had no idea how much buildup I had sitting in my underarms from previous applications of deodorant. The crazy thing was that my skin appeared to be smooth on the surface and the buildup wasn't evident at all. I guess this explains why you can see deodorant stuck in-between your razor blade when you shave your underarms, although you scrubbed the area clean prior to shaving.
Antiperspirant deodorants contain aluminum, a chemical that is used to plug your pores in order to prevent you from sweating. Aluminum has been linked to very serious health issues, but because there isn't enough scientific evidence to support the claims they are considered "harmless". At the end of the day everything we apply onto our skin is absorbed into the body and makes its way into the bloodstream. Not every product I use is natural or chemical free but my main issue with antiperspirant deodorant is the fact that it builds up and plugs my pores with the use of chemicals. I for one hate buildup, and I certainly don't want chemicals sitting on my skin for long periods of time especially in an area that has lymph nodes.
For quite some time, I searched and searched for natural deodorants. I tried the TOM'S brand but it didn't work for me. As a result, I reverted back to the use of antiperspirant deodorant sprays and gels versus stick deodorant to reduce that residual buildup. As time passed, I still felt uncomfortable using antiperspirant deodorant because I knew my pores were being congested with the use of chemicals. So after a couple of years, I started looking for options once again. I just wanted to find something natural that worked and be done with it. In my search, I learned that most of the options were pricey and there was no way I was going to spend money on a pricey product, considering the last natural deodorant I had tried didn't cut it. However, I'm happy to say that I found two natural deodorants that work for me, are affordable, and can be found at your local drugstore (most natural deodorants can be found online only). I've dedicated an entire blog post regarding these two deodorants. If you are interested you can read my review on them here: Affordable natural deodorants that work.
