Red Flower – review
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Being able to test and write about the latest in beauty is already pretty awesome, but when we received a chance to review Red Flower I was clapping my hands in glee. If you adore high-end, all natural products, you’ll applaud this line for bath, body and home as well. I first noticed this line of luxurious products during a winter stay in Philadelphia. Stef and I love to spend a few days in Center City Philly before the holidays revisiting our old stomping grounds. One year we lucked out with a very fancy hotel suite in a luxe hotel on Rittenhouse Square. Talk about heaven! A huge comfy bed with Frette sheets, fancy cocktails delivered by room service and a humongous bathroom with a fabulous shower with great water pressures. Best of all, was the beautiful basket stocked with the most heavenly smelling soaps and shampoos from the elegant, slightly exotic Red Flower. A beauty loving friend had arranged for the basket delivery so we could relax in luxury. Visions of the line have been in the back of my head ever since!
Since that vacation, I’ve noticed the name Red Flower continually popped up as the featured bath and beauty line at the spas and hotels I dreamed of visiting. After some internet sleuthing, I also learned the line is truly environmentally conscious, sourcing sustainable ingredients, all natural and pure fragrances and using as many organic materials as possible. I also discovered their line of beautiful and fragrant candles were a cult favorite amongst my fellow candle worshippers. So when we received some lovely items from Red Flower for review, I was gleeful at the thought of getting a good look at this gorgeously green and luxurious line.
Launched in 1999 with a collection of six flower candles, founder Yael Alkalay was inspired to create a kind of beauty that is “not easily bottled, one that focuses both on the internal and the external.” She strove to produce flower-based products that “transform everyday experiences to their utmost extreme” and I have to say, mission accomplished. My morning showers have become a highlight of my day since the simple and elegant Red Flower bottles made their appearance!
I have been using (and adoring) the French Lavender Cleansing Hair Wash and the French Lavender Softening Hair Conditioner.
The shampoo gets my normal to slightly oily hair super (almost squeaky) clean but is never drying or damaging. A quarter size dollop creates a soft lather (a plus in natural shampoos!) and rinses clean away. This shampoo also contains lots of natural hair strengtheners and cleansers like soy protein, avocado oil, vitamin E and even vinegar (a natural cleanser, it also adds shine.) The matching conditioner is surprisingly rich for it’s light formula. Containing peppermint and lavender, as well as essential oils of clary sage and rosemary to balance and stimulate. I especially love the cooling tingle along my scalp as the conditioner does it job. After a minute or so, it easily rinses (but the scent lingers all day) and leaves my hair super soft and shiny.
Best of all, I’ve been looking forwards to my mornings! The scent of fresh lavender with a teeny undercurrent of peppermint fills my bathroom, meshing with the steam for a thoroughly relaxing and stimulating shower. Believe me, I am so not a morning person, but after a Red Flower shower, I’m ready to face the day before I had my first cup of coffee.
Are you ready to be invigorated by this fabulous, eco-friendly brand? You’ll find luscious, spa-like products that are free of dyes, parabens, and synthetic preservatives and packaged in recyclable containers. Our testers will be here in the comments to let you all about the Red Flower product they reviewed, including the absolutely stunning petal topped Icelandic Moonflower and French Lavender
candles, the Ocean Body Lotion
and the Guaiac Organic Perfume.
I sampled the moisurizing body lotion in “Ocean.” The scent was wonderfully fresh –naturally fresh–not a manufactured cotton-y freshness. Suffice it to say that it smelled really good.
The lotion itself is light and silky smooth; very effective at moisturizing, but not at all greasy or oily.
Extra points for the eco-chic-ness of the brand.
And did I mention that it smells really, REALLY good? Oh, yeah, but I should mention that everyone around me thought so, too. “What’s that perfume you’re wearing?” they’d ask. It was, of course, not a perfume, just the Ocean Body Lotion. That fantastic scent lingers…just like the taste of salt water on your skin after a day at the beach.
I chose to test the Icelandic Moonflower candle, I couldn’t resist it! (it’s the candle shown above) As T said, Red Flower is a brand that we’ve coveted over the years. Just walking in a store and seeing it on the shelves produced an “oooh!” And rightfully so, beautiful modern packaging, exotic ingredients, organic formulas.
The Moonflower candle is beautiful, this gorgeous periwinkle blue, with bright blue petals on top of it. You remove the petals to light it, I have them in a small bowl next to my bed and they’re still smelling good after 3 weeks. But the candle is the real draw. It FILLS the room with scent. Natural scent too, not synthetic cloying scent. What does an Icelandic Moonflower smell like? Kinda heavenly, I must say! The name gives a real visual, but to me, it smells like a new flower popping it’s head through the snow. It’s floral, but with a clean, freshness to it too.
This is a fab candle from a fab line. And it would be a great “oooh!” producing gift.
I am scent obsessed, incense, candles.. bring it on! So when I got the french lavender little flower candle I was so excited. It’s a lovely candle, complete with red flower matches! A perfect candle to take on trips, and transform any destination into a lavender scented haven. Don’t let its size fool you either. This candle has 15 hours of burn time! Well worth the $12 price tag. This little candle sends out a HUGE scent, and the lavender scent is totally relaxing.
Even when it’s not lit, a faint smell of lavender stays in the air around the candle. I’ve been keeping it by my desk, having a relaxing scent of lavender surely can’t ever hurt! & it really
ads a pleasant note to my hours designing on the computer!
The lavender scent this candle creates is exactly like having a lavender plant around, pure and gorgeous!
I highly recommend this line, and I agree with Stef this would be a major “ooooh” producing gift!
5 stars from me! I will try more of this great line for sure!
Well, as you may have noticed in my write up – I really love my French lavender Shampoo and Conditioner! it’s a nice treat in the morning, to breathe in all that yummy lavender/minty air – I find my showers both relaxing and invigorating!
Also, as a side note, in general I’m not a huge fan of lavender – but this scent is just right. It’s very herbal and natural without that synthetic sweetness I find in lots of lavender scented products. The peppermint undertones are just fab as well!
As far as the actual products (not just the yummy smells) both are top rate for me. My hair feels clean and shiny and bouncy, it’s also super soft without any frizz or static issues. I was pretty impressed with both products and all of the natural goodness, organic content and recycled plastics make this a five star worthy review from me!
.-= Tyna´s last blog ..Win a $50 gift card from BeautyTicket.com! =-.
Update: Red Flower Moisturizing Body Lotion in Ocean soothes psoraisis.
I had to add this last with the declaimer that I am not a doctor and have to valid medical proof of this, but….
My fiance has psoraisis in a localized yet inconvenient area. When he has a flare up, the only thing that EVER helps is his prescription cream. When he suffers an attack and he discovers he is out (he doesn’t always plan ahead), he has tried every over-the- counter remedy from hydrocortisone creams to sprays, creams, lotions and herbal remedies specifically made for psoraisis. NONE work. At all.
So 2 nights ago when my fiance came under attack of the Psoraisis Monster, he pulled out his prescription tube to find nary a drop left. I suggested he try some of the Red Flower I had just reviewed. Both of us doubted it would work, but I knew that it contained some of the ingredients that our nutritional healing/ herb book suggested would be good for his condition. And, knowing the curative powers of the ocean, I thought the blue-green algae couldn’t hurt.
The next morning he surprisingly told me that the lotion worked. He added that it didn’t completely take it away like his prescription does, but the itching was gone and the flakiness subsided. He has used it these past couple of days with amazing results–not even bothering to pick up the prescription he called in.
We are definitely going to have to keep some of this stuff handy for emergency flare ups.
Again, I’m not a doctor, but WOW.
I was sent the guaiac perfume oil to review. It’s the smaller size (10ml), but despite being tiny, the bottle is gorgeous, with red flower’s signature design.
As for the scent, according to the website, it is “woodsy with a touch of tobacco, leather and citrus.” It’s definitely all that!
I have to say, though, it’s not really my cup of tea. It’s pleasant and relaxing – and would be great for dabbing onto your pulse points during a flight (the rollerball application makes it really handy to do so) – but, as much as I love the fact that the ingredients are natural, it’s a bit too natural for me… Also, the smell wears off quickly (which could be seen as a good or bad thing!).
But the brand is intriguing, so I’ll keep an eye out for it (I’ll just have to keep checking into luxury hotels!). The hair products, in particular, sound gorgeous (especially the ‘hair wash’ – no mere shampoos for us!)
… By the way, three stars from me!
Sherrishera – what a cool story about Red Flower soothing psoraisis. If you are going to discover a retail product that helps out with your skin problems, how awesome for it to be something as fab as a Red Flower lotion!
.-= Tyna´s last blog ..Weekly love list – How About Orange =-.
Where would I obtain red flower ocean hair wash?
Hi Mary,
Looks like they have the Ocean hair wash on their website:
http://redflower.com/
They do have the ocean conditioner at beauty.com, so maybe they’ll be getting the wash too. Just click on one of the orange links above to take you there.
Thanks for the question!
.-= stef´s last blog ..We heart Illamasqua, a review… =-.
Hi! I tried this hair wash and conditioner and loved it! But i noticed the hair wash has two methyl- ingredients that I am allergic to; do you know of any products that are similar to the red flower hair wash that I can research instead? Or rather, what products in red flower do you think help clean normal to slightly oily hair? Thanks!