Zim’s Advanced Crack Creme with Hydrocortisone Review

I was sent this product for review, all opinions are honest and my own.

It is almost Summer! That of course means beautiful gardens, plants, flowers, fruits, veggies, and bugs! Bug bites are no fun and although I love plants, there are some of course that can cause extreme irritation and rashes.  A great stand by is always hydrocortisone cream.  A cream that works even bittern than this amazing product is Zim's Crack cream as it pairs this ingredient with other healing and soothing ingredients.

Zim’s Advanced Crack Creme with Hydrocortisone combines Arnica & Organic Aloe with Hydrocortisone to temporarily relieve itching and rashes associated with minor skin irritations such as: Poison Ivy Poison Oak, Sumac, Insect Bites, and Dermatitis.  

My husband has terribly dry and cracking knuckle and hands most of the year.  It is the worst in winter, but he still has problems in the Spring and Summer as well.  This cream has been wonderful for him.  As you can see in my picture, he has used quite a bit of it in the last 3 weeks.

Zim's cream is lightweight and not greasy in any way.  It absorbs quickly.  We like it a lot and recommend it.  It smells nice as well.  I like using it on my hands at night as the cream heals and the fragrance is soothing to my senses.  It is a light spicy scent.  The only thing I do not like is that it has alcohol in it and some other chemicals.  We like 100% natural products when possible.  Despite the alcohol, it does not sting his hands like his old cream, when he applied it to the cracked areas (Working Hands cream by Okeeffe's).  

You can find out more, by visiting the Zim's website, and the Facebook page.  You can purchase this product on Amazon: Zim's Advanced Crack Cream

Active Ingredients: Hydrocortisone 1% (Purpose: Anti-Itch)

Inactive Ingredients: Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, SD Alcohol 3-C, Propylene Glycol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Isocetyl Stearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pimenta Acris (Bay) Leaf Oil, Isostearyl Palmitate, Cetyl Palmitate, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Carbomer, Glyceryl Stearate, Ceteth-20, PEG-100 Stearate, Triethanolamine, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynl Butylcarbamate.

 #crackcreme
Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above in exchange for review.

Reference ID code pm940392f5f32a7ade1cc201767cf83e31

Nova Rechargeable Modern Hair Clipper Kit Review

My husband likes to keep his beard neatly trimmed. It is not excessively short, but it is not nearly as long or as fluffy as the men on Duck Dynasty. His beard always is even underneath as he takes excessive pride in keeping the edges and lines straight. He has been using Phillips Norelco for years. While we have been married these last 7 years he has had 2 trimmers. The first Norelco still works, we just replaced it as it was dropped and a big part of the plastic broke off of the hair catching area.

We were sent a review clipper from Nova. I have not heard of this brand but was excited to have him try it out. This is a hair, body, mustache, and beard trimmer. It is a modern looking design, and comes with ac adapter, dock, 4 trimming attachments and cleaning brush. The set is supposed to come with oil as pictured in the Amazon listing, but sadly we did not receive any with ours. We thought it worked decently and does trim the hair, however what we really like with his Norelco is the fact that it has a turbo vacuum and catches/sucks the lose hair as it trims. Most of the hair is caught in the storage, and less hair is in the sink, floor, or counter. I think we have been spoiled by that feature and now we expect and miss it.

This trimmer does work. It does feel and look a bit on the lower end, as it is very lightweight and the plastic parts and body are not the best. It is stainless steel on the blade. It comes with 3 trimmer attachments in the sizes: 3mm, 6mm, & 9mm. We like how the adjustment on his Norelco can accommodate 18 different length settings, needs no oiling or maintenance for the blades, and has the vacuum feature. There are multiple length settings that start from 1 mm up to 18 mm. It has a turbo setting, for a faster trim through thicker hair, and better suction. Obviously a $60 trimmer will preform better than a $25 one. For the price, the Nova works, but i am not sure how long it will last. As I mentioned, his first Norelco still functions well, it just was dropped on a concrete floor and the door for collecting the hair broke. It did last 6 years before we replaced it with the new one.

Please do not think I am bashing the Nova. It does what it needs to do, it does not have the bells and whistles, but it is a decent trimmer. If you are on a budget and or go through trimmers quickly with wear and tear, or need a travel trimmer, this would be perfect. It is priced right so that if it does get lost you can replace it. The company does offer a 2 year guarantee if it has any issues.

This has an operating time of about 45 minutes, and does need 8 hours to charge.  I am not sure of the  charging time for the Norelco.

*I was sent a Nova trimmer for review, this is my opinion of it.

Scarlet Detangler and Black Satin Paddle Brush by Hair Symphony Review

I was sent a brush set for review from Hair Symphony. The set comes with a satin matte finish red and black detangling brush that has flexible pins, and a large square paddle brush with ball tips. The detangling brush is the one that gets used most. I have only used the large brush 2 or 3 times as although it is nice, it seems like most other brushes I have tried and does not work well on my four year old daughters super fine and long hair (bottom length). She likes how the detangling brush easily glides through her hair without tugging. It is always a struggle brushing her hair as during the day she likes me to put it in a high top knot ballerina style. She plays and naps on it, and sometimes we go a day or 2 without brushing her hair as she does not sit still for long.

This detangling brush is gentle, but you do need to go slow and start from the bottom and go up, in small sections at a time. It can be used wet, but we prefer to use it on dry hair as hair is more fragile when wet.  I usually have her do a puzzle or color at the table when I brush her hair as it is usually at 20-30 minute ordeal.  It still takes as much as 15-20 minutes to brush her hair, but it is a much more relaxing and calm time.  She is not constantly trying to get away from me (due to it hurting) and he and I can have a conversation about something instead of her crying or fighting the brush.

The brushes came with a black bag but ours was very unappealing as it had a messily printed logo that was badly smeared and so sadly we had to throw it out.  Other than the bag being a disappointment, the brushes work well for both our hair types.  Her hair is very long, fine and straight.  My hair is wavy to curly in some areas, very thick and long.  My hair does take longer than hers (usually mine takes 30-45 minutes no matter what brush I use).

I do prefer my Mason Pearson Mixed Popular in Pink, but of course that is not an equal comparison as the MP is nearly $200 depending on where you get it. :)  Mason Pearson brushes have been around a long time and are an investment.  I obviously won't travel with it or keep it in my purse as I would not be able to replace it.  I like the Hair Symphony brush due to its small size that can fit in my purse or the glove compartment of our suv.  It can easily for replaced if lost.  It works well for us and we like it a lot.

* I was sent this Hair Symphony Brush set to review, this is my honest opinion. The brush set is available on Amazon: Hair Symphony Brush Set

Attached are pictures of my 4 year old's hair.

Matcha Gift Set by Matcha DNA Review

I drink a lot of tea whether it is iced tea sweetened with several lemon slices, hot herbal tea with a few drops of raw local honey, hot matcha lattes, or a frothy matcha tea smoothie. I was happy to be sent a Matcha gift set to review from Matcha DNA, a company I reviewed last year. This set contains everything you need for to make a traditional cup of Matcha green tea. It is a beautiful set and since the main aspect of Matcha tea is the respected and soothing art of making it, it is nice to finally have everything I need. I had been using a whisk, however it was a stainless steel kitchen one and did not lend the overall traditional feel.

This set arrives in a sturdy and attractive gift box that is well padded and acts as a storage case for the items when not in use. The set includes 1 oz of USDA Organic Matcha Green tea Powder in a resealable bag. The bag does have a flat base for ease of setting on the counter, however I would have preferred it to come in a tin like my ceremonial matcha from a different brand.

The set includes a handmade matcha tea bowl that is just the right size for traditional Matcha tea preparation and fits comfortably in my palm.
There is a bamboo Matcha tea whisk that is handmade with sustanablly grown bamboo. The whisk holder is a lovely light green shade, and reminds me of my Matcha smoothie shades. This holds the whisk during tea preparation and drying and helps keep its shape. The whisk originally comes in a clear plastic cylinder and that is where I keep the whisk when it is done drying. The case is a hard plastic and protects it well. You can also display the whisk with the base in the stand.

I love how there are directions on the inner flap of the box on how to successfully prepare Matcha for single serving or the larger 18 oz serving.  I enjoy my Matcha in a smoothie best, so I generally prepare the measured amount (1 tsp) for the 18 oz variety. I do not use 18 oz of water, but instead I fill the bowl with the hot water and then use the whisk in a "W" formation. I let the tea cool then add equal parts of skim, 1, or 2% milk, 1 tsp real vanilla extract, about 2-3 tablespoons of frozen Cool Whip (extra creamy variety) 1 tsp of sugar (you can use more if you need it), a few ice cubes and blend in my 1000 watt blender. I then pour into a glass, then top with some milk that I made foamy with my milk frother stick.

This is from my Ceremonial tin.

 

 

*I was sent the gift set with 1 oz of Matcha, this is my honest opinion.

The matcha taste delicious and he loved it. He has gotten frozen ones from Starbucks a few times, but was very impressed with mine. I loved being able to make it with the proper items. It really is relaxing to make tea this way. I did notice this brand of tea (culinary grade) is a darker color than my ceremonial Matcha from my 1 oz.

This is a great set and I recommend it as nice gift or a treat for yourself. This is available on Amazon: Matcha Tea Gift Set