Self Care September with Cedros Bay

Please note that this post is a collaboration with Cedros Bay which means the items featured were kindly gifted to me. However, all opinions are my own... and have I ever steered you wrong? Nope! So let's go!

By now, well… if you read my blog regularly, you would know that practicing self care was initially not very important to me. It was something I did or seemed important only for special occasions. However, fortunately, all that changed since baby girl was born as I became intentional and began prioritizing self care as part of my daily and weekly routine… because your girl needs it! Motherhood ain't easy, especially when it's your first time.

This month is Self Care September and currently, I'm still maneuvering the lovely journey of postpartum (you can sense my sarcasm right?) while being a full-time wife, full-time mom, working a full-time job, producing content and writing my blog. It's alot right?! Amidst all of this, the hormone changes associated with postpartum have been dealing with my otherwise flawless skin... so your girl NEEDS her dedicated self care time. It's a must for my sanity. My favourite self care time currently is my evening shower time. I basically romance myself during this time; I would light candles, play music and spend a full hour in the shower just enjoying myself and my dedicated alone time. Honestly, I really look forward to a long bath after a long day of motherly love or an extremely long day of employment to then return home and enter mom mode. As my daughter quickly approaches her first birthday, she has so much more energy and it's been a big adjustment for me. She's such a busy body now like her mom and I have to admit, I've been struggling a bit with her boost of energy on top of her irritability with teething. Where has my little baby girl gone??

Anywho, so let's talk about Cedros Bay. Now, I've been eyeing Cedros Bay for a while and I have used a few of their products, some of which helped me a lot during my early postpartum... So when they reached out to me, I was absolutely over the moon! If you haven't heard of them before, Cedros Bay is a local brand which has a beautiful array of skin care products from body lotions and scrubs to lip balms and lip scrubs. Their brand promotes self care though using clean, green and sustainable products and thus, their stuff are all-natural, vegan and cruelty-free and their packaging is recyclable, all of which I absolutely love.

I was gifted their Caribbean Escape Soap Set which includes 4 soaps: the Sea Salt & Lime, Charcoal & Tea Tree Oil, Pure Coconut Oil and Turmeric & Lemongrass. I must admit when I initially saw their soaps (on social media), my immediate reaction was "Ughhh! Bar soap!!". Everyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for body wash so I wasn't necessarily thrilled with the idea of using bar soap again. Nevertheless, your girl tried it... not because it was gifted to me, but because I actually do love Cedros Bay's products so I mean... Who says I wouldn't love this too? It wouldn't hurt to try it right?

Ok so firstly, let's talk size... because size does matter (and don't let anybody try to tell you otherwise). Cedros Bay's soaps are noticeably larger than the average-sized soap - like almost double the size. Wowza! This means that it will most likely last much longer than the average usage time for soap and thus, buying soap fewer times. Do I smell savings???

While we're on the topic of smell... GUYS! Each of the soaps have their own distinct smell and none of them have that overly "perfumey"/ chemical detergent scent that many soaps have... you know, the one that our older generations would call, the "clean" scent? Cedros Bay actually uses essential oils and natural scents in their products and their soaps are no different! Upon opening each of the soaps (which absolutely broke my heart because the packaging is so beautiful), I was embraced by each of the soap's auras. They literally transform any space in which you use them into a tropical paradise. The Charcoal & Tea Tree Oil has that gritty charcoal scent which is balanced out perfectly with the classic healing tea tree scent. The Sea Salt & Lime reminds me of sipping a refreshing citrus cooler on the beach (damn you COVID!) - the citrus scent actually tickled my nose the first time I smelled it lol! The Pure Coconut Oil surprisingly has this stimulating peppermint scent that is just pleasant on your nostrils.

I honestly can't choose my favourite scent of the four soaps, but it is definitely between the Pure Coconut Oil and the Turmeric & Lemongrass. Isn't it wonderful (and relieving) to look at the package of a product and you can actually recognize the ingredients without having to squint at the writing? All the ingredients used have healing properties and are known for revitalizing and nourishing the body, especially your skin. It actually has me wondering if I can use it on baby girl now - I might just try it out on her and let you guys know what I think.

Now let's talk texture and feel. As with any product I try for the first time, I did a swab test to ensure no allergic reactions before passing it over my entire body. All lathered beautifully and gave some suds and bubbles as expected with a soap but what surprised me the most is after using the soap for the first time, I felt a difference in my skin. My skin was left feeling soft and moisturized as if I had already creamed my body. *Lil Duval voice* Excusemesaywhat?! Yeah you read that right! The only other soap that has done that for me is Dove, so I never expected it from a local brand (no offense to the other locally made soaps). On top of that, there's this exfoliation thing going on with the soaps. For example, the Coconut Oil soap has little bits of what I'm guessing is coconut, that exfoliates your skin while you soap. It caught me by surprise when I used it the first time, but it was a welcomed surprise.

Everyone takes at least a little bit of pride in our skin. However, keeping up with our skin is not easy for us moms, it takes time and dedication to maintain healthy skin. So when you do get time, it doesn't hurt to know that you're using products are not only good for you but the environment on a whole! Cedros Bay takes the word natural and owns it completely, plus you definitely receive quality in their products. If you're considering trying Cedros Bay's products, I say their soaps are definitely worth a try. After using it and being pleasantly surprised... the real question on my mind right now is "Will Cedros Bay make body wash too?" I guess we'll have to stay tuned and see!

P.S. There's one and half more weeks in Self Care September, so be sure to check out Cedros Bay's Instagram page (<- click there for the link) for their last few Wellness Sessions and you can actually win one of the Cedros Bay Caribbean Escape Soap Sets! So go now!!