Burts Bees: Milk & Honey Review

Introduction

Even though I have been aware of the Burt's Bees brand since they were first introduced via their now famous lip balms back in the early 1990s, I didn't really use the products on a wide scale basis until HairBoutique.com started to carry the line four years ago.

(Image of Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion - all rights reserved).

I have always been a fan of the lip balms but when my husband started to use the Milk & Honey body lotion on his hands, feet and face a few years ago, I was intrigued by the incredible aroma. The first time he used it, I was struck at the vibrant freshness and sweet coconut oil infused aroma and the fact that it seemed to last for at least one hour. Even better, his skin felt silky smooth.

Following his lead, I started to slather the Milk & Honey all over my body after a shower or bath. Though my skin tends to be delicate and prone to breaking out, when I use harsh products, I was able to use the Milk & Honey Body Lotion on every part of my body from my face to my tootsies with superb results. Anyone with an allergy to a strong scent or a sweet scent might not appreciate the Milk & Honey but for me, it was a feast for my nose.

Why It Works For My Delicate Skin

Rosemary Leaf is also used in the recipe which explains why I can use the cream directly on my face and around my delicate eye areas. Rosemary is famous for providing relief for acne and any type of skin blemishes. It also is known to improve circulation to the surface of the skin and helpful with reducing the appearance of broken capillaries. It even will help with some types of varicose veins.

Rosemary and Rosemary Leaf is often used in hair care formulas because it normalizes excessive oil secretions.

Contains Real Milk & Honey Ingredients

The good folks at Burt's Bees advertise the fact that the moisturizing and emollient ingredients in the Milk & Honey Body Lotion nourish and soothe dry skin. For me, that was definitely true. Even more significant for me is the fact that the lotion really does contain milk powder and honey ingredients. It also contains coconut oil, which produces the heavenly scent and Vitamin E which is great for anything related to healing the skin.

Coconut oil, which is a popular ingredient in many sun care products, is made from the flesh of the coconut and is very rich in emollient fat. When it is pressed and formed into a solid it produces a sweet, super moisturizing oil that easily melts onto the skin. It protects skin from environmental elements by forming a thin film on top of the skin. Coconut oil is great as an after sun oil and even will work to revitalize some types of dry tresses.

I found the Milk & Honey to be a total body lotion formula that worked really well for every part of my body. The creamy almond white lotion added instant moisture and softness to my face while helping to smooth out any stubborn calluses on the bottoms of my feet. Although the lotion is thinner than you might expect from a body lotion, it is non-sticky and is absorbed quickly into the skin. There is nothing worse than a sticky or gloopy lotion as far as I am concerned.

Since I love to experiment, I even used a teeny tiny dab of the lotion on the very tip of the dry ends of my strands when they felt crunchy. The Milk & Honey worked fine. Now don't get me wrong, it was never my plan to use the Burt's Bees lotion on my hair, but in a pinch, it worked.

Although my husband and I would share the 7 ounce bottle, I think that Milk & Honey would work for just about any type of skin from young to old.

Naturally Preserved Ingredients

Besides the obvious great results, the other thing I like about Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion is the fact that this lotion, along with all of their lotions, is made from naturally preserved ingredients. Instead of using methyl paraben and propylparaben, which many skin care companies might use on their body lotions, the Burt's Bees people use a combo of orange wax, sugar proteins and milk enzymes to preserve the formula.

One of the benefits of orange wax is that it is actually derived from orange rinds. The wax is known to contain antimicrobial, emulsifying, stabilizing and emollient properties. All those benefits from the outside of oranges is amazing to me.

The Milk & Honey lotion is truly healthier that other commercial lotion formulations that you might find at the cosmetics counters. I also find that the moisture enhancement that it provides is long lasting.

To be clear about how natural their ingredients really are, the Burt's Bees folks list the percentage of natural ingredients right on the outside of the bottle along with a detailed list of what is actually in the formula. In the case of the Milk & Honey, as of 2005, it is listed as 96.77% natural.

Ingredients For Milk & Honey Body Lotion

If you stopped and researched each of the ingredients listed below that make up the Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Lotion, you would be amazed at the thought and consideration put into the formula.

The Milk & Honey Body Lotion includes the following ingredients:

Filtered water, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, vegetable glycerin, stearic acid (vegetable fat), beeswax, fragrance, phenoxyethanol, glucose, honey, milk powder, orange wax, tocopheryl acetate & tocopherol (vitamin E), rosemary leaf oil, sucrose, stearate (sugar emulsifier), xanthan gum (natural thickener), sodium borate (natural borax), vegetable oil & beta carotene, glucose oxidase & lactoperoxidase (natural enzymes).

Packaging Plus

Besides their concern with providing as natural of ingredients as possible, the folks at Burts Bees care about recycling. Their pristine white bottle decorated with an adorable image of a cow, is made from approximately 96% recyclable materials.

The twist open pump applicator makes it easy for you to use just the right amount of lotion. There have been too many times that I tried to apply a skin lotion and got way too much on my hands, my body and the floor. The pump applicator is also very sanitary and avoids the potential of making contact with the lotion source. This means that anyone can share the lotion without fear of finger or other contamination.

When you get to the end of the bottle, you can unscrew the pump and coax the last few precious drops from the bottom. I never want to waste a single drop of this treat for my skin.

Other Considerations

Burt's Bees has become such a popular line that many celebrities are known to use some of the products ranging from the lip balms to the body products. Many of the fashion magazines have awarded some of the Burt's Bees products "best of" for their superb formulas.

The Milk & Honey Body Lotion comes in either a 7 ounce bottle with a suggested retail of $9.00 or it comes in the convenient Burt's Bees Mini Lotion Travel Kit which is priced at $6.00.

The Mini Lotion Kit is one of my favorites because you get three of the Burt's Bees lotions in 1 ounce bottles to try. I love that I can tuck my favorite lotion into my purse of suitcase for a trip. Included in the Mini Lotion kit is the Milk & Honey, the Buttermilk Lotion and Carrot Nutritive Body Lotion.

While $9.00 might seem like a little pricy for the 7 ounce pump bottle version, a little bit goes a long way with this sumptuous mix. It does a great job, it heals dry skin and if you use just a dab, a 7 ounce bottle can last a reasonably long time. Remember, you get what you pay for and with Burts Bees, you are getting the finest natural ingredients, made in the USA and packaged with pride and care. If you look at if from that view, the cost is a bargain that is well worth the investment.

Summary

Whether you take it to the beach to combat the ravages of sun and surf or slather it up to prevent dry winter patches, Burt's Bees Milk and Honey lotion will give you instant relief from dry, scratchy, itchy skin.

The Burt's Bees Milk and Honey lotion has a great aroma, it goes on smooth and instantly softens. It offers such great value because one pump bottle of Milk and Honey works for your entire body, from head to toe. Use it to soften dry feet, hands, elbows and knees. Or apply a little before you do your nightly face and neck massage. You can even use it for split ends....in a pinch...when nothing else is available.

All of the Burt's Bees products are available at HairBoutique.com. Visit our Marketplace 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or call our toll free order line Mondays-Fridays 9-6 CST at 1-866-469-4247.

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