Body Blitz's Blitz on the Go

I have heard whispers about Body Blitz for months now and a friend of mine is absolutely hooked on it. I've never developed that love for spas that seems to come with being a girl - I've never had a facial or a seaweed wrap and only had my first manicures and pedicures about a year ago - so it never intrigued me until I kept hearing girls and women talking about - strangers and coworkers alike. Recently I was invited to a launch for Body Blitz's new product line so I thought, ok finally I'll see what this place is all about. 

It was a cold, drizzly evening when I met up with my friend, the Body Blitz superfan, and we made our way to the spa, located on Adelaide Street West between Spadina and Bathurst. It was a different world when we stepped inside the spa - bright, warm and pleasingly fragrant. We were invited to use the pools at the launch party but only a few brave souls took advantage. Normally, Body Blitz is women-only but for this special occasion men were allowed inside. I hope they considered themselves lucky!

Body Blitz's main space is a large room with one glass wall, wooden beams and lounge chairs and three pools - one large salt water jacuzzi and two smaller pools, one filled with ice water and the other with green tea. Body Blitz offers treatments in addition to the therapeutic waters, such as scrubs, mud masks, scalp treatments and massage. There is also an infared sauna.

It's simple really, Body Blitz is all about relaxation, not trying to sell you on the latest skin treatment or anti-aging wonder product. They do have a product line, newly launched, called Blitz On the Go meant to provide an extension of the spa services.

We were provided with samples of each product to take home and try out. Here are my impressions of each:




The Body Blitz facial line.

 




Balancing Face Toner,  $22

What Body Blitz says: 
Vitamin infused toner helps skin retain its moisture while it balances the skin. The  plant extracts, rich in antioxidants, help revitalize and restore suppleness. Enriched with Moroccan argan oil. Alcohol free. With aloe vera, provitamin B, argan oil and herbal extract of nettle, green tea, saw palmetto and red pepper.

What Beauty Squared says:

I like this toner. It leaves my skin feeling soft and smooth without feeling like it's taken away all the moisture. It smells fresh. It's restored my faith in toner.



Exfoliating Face Wash, $28


What Body Blitz says: 
This gentle exfoliating face wash contains herbal and plant extracts to nourish the skin as it gently cleanses. The apricot seed kernet powder is a very mild, 'skin friendly' natural exfoliate. With sunflower seed oil, shea butter, green tea extract and sea kelp extract.

What Beauty Squared says:

This is a very creamy and luxurious exfoliator that feels gorgeous on my skin. It smells fresh and the apricot seed kernel powder is extremely gentle yet gives and effective exfoliation. This is not a great cleanser for the end of the day however, since it does not remove make-up well. Save it for morning or simply as an exfoliator.

Green Clay Face Mask,  $28


What Body Blitz says: 
This gentle, yet effective mask draws out toxins and environmental pollutants to help revitalize dull, tired complections while giving your face a nice lift and glow. With green clay, sea kelp, green tea and castor oil.

What Beauty Squared says:

This clay mask had an amazingly smooth and creamy texture, not in the least bit gritty or thick. It didn't feel heavy on and had a gentle scent. It was a treat to have on. Afterwards, my skin felt smooth, moisturized and clean and looked fresh.

Replenishing Face Moisturizer,  $45



What Body Blitz says: 
Combining the best of nature and science, this mega-moisturizing, lightweight face cream helps fight all signs of aging. With Moroccan argan oil and RenovageTM, two super-star anti-aging ingredients. With organic argan oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, olive oil, provitamin B and RenovageTM.


What Beauty Squared says:

 Very light and non-greasy, but very moisturizing. A beautiful face moisturizer. A bit too light for me as a night cream in the winter and I would never use this as a daily moisturizer because there's no SPF or sun protection.

Body Blitz Argan Oil Face Serum, $65

What Body Blitz says: 
This high quality Moroccan oil is the world's richest natural source of vitamin E and has remarkable anti-aging properties. At Body Blitz, we only use extra virgin cold-pressed argan oil for our face serum. With 75% organic argan oil, organic olive oil, organic aloe vera and organic rose hip. 


What Beauty Squared says:
I'm a big fan of argan oil. I mix it into my hair product every day, but I've never tried it on my skin. 


This face serum can be used in the hair as well as on the face. I tried it on my cheeks when my skin decided to freak out on me recently, breaking out and getting dry and flaky. The face serum was extremely soothing and gave my skin some moisture without overpowering it.

Mint-Lime Body Wash, $18



What Body Blitz says: 
A gentle wash that soothes and calms skin while the argan oil moisturizes and hydrates the body. Enriched with Moroccan argan oil. With argan oil, aloe vera and provitamin B.


What Beauty Squared says: 
This is a great body wash, very fragrant, however I don't find it all that moisturizing or hydrating. It certainly doesn't dry out my skin, and it effectively lather and cleans but I still need to apply lotion or moisturizer after I shower using this. The scent is wonderfully stimulating and makes it the perfect body wash for summertime. 


Mint-Lime Body Lotion, $22



What Body Blitz says: 
Light body moisturizer that deeply hydrates and nourishes the skin without a hint of greasiness. Enriched with Moroccan argan oil. With argan oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera, caffeine and shea butter.


What Beauty Squared says:
The Mint-Lime Body Lotion has the same scent as the Body Wash - fresh and lively. I had only a small amount as a sample, so I chose to use it on one of my lower legs after shaving. It's winter, so my skin is dry and I anticipated only having enough in the sample for one leg. I was wrong though, the consistency and moisturizing properties of this lotion allowed me to use it on both legs and still have half of my sample left over! It's light, completely non-greasy and probably better suited for more moderate temperatures (or less dehydrated skin) but I was impressed by the silkiness of my skin after using it.



Cute little samples of the new line.

Overview: This is a spa line, so as you might expect, the Blitz On the Go products are luxurious. They did what they said they would and I would recommend each of these products.

So warmed by the humid air, bubbly pools and soothing atmosphere of Body Blitz and refreshed by Mojitos and hand, foot and back massages using the moisturizers of the new line, we headed back out into the yucky weather, wanting to return very soon and get into those healing waters.

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C.

Argan Oil

If you haven't heard of argan oil yet, consider this your moment of enlightenment. Hairdressers, beauty journalists and regular folks alike are all learning of argan oil.

Argan oil comes from the kernels of the argan tree, native to Morocco in northern Africa in a region called Essaouira. The Berbers of Morocco have used the fruit of the argan tree for centuries in cooking and cosmetics, extracting the oils by hand or in a more complex and unsanitary way. Goats eat the fruit of the argan trees when they're ripe and the locals gather the kernels after the goats have expelled the pits which contain the kernels oil can be extracted from. Due to the recent global interest in argan oil's anti-aging and restorative properties, the fruit is harvested and the oil extracted by machine in a much more efficient and sanitary way.

Goats in Argan tree - photo by Lottelies on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76987182@N00/278349036/in/set-72057594063725837/

Argan trees and the production of argan oil is protected and moderated by UNESCO. The Argania species is endangered and UNESCO hopes that the interest in the anti-aging and medicinal benefits of the oil will allow the trees to regain a foothold. So far, this is happening - the trees are being protected from the goats that climb the trees to eat the fruit and the local people understand the value of the trees and aren't chopping the trees down for wood.

Extracting the oil is traditionally the work of Berber women and women-run cooperatives have cropped up in the region. The NY Times did a travel story about argan oil entitled Liquid Gold in Morocco and if you travel to one of Essaouira's argan co-ops you may be invited in to watch the woman extract the oil from the olive-like argan fruit.

Argan oil is lightweight and exceptionally high in Vitamin E, antioxidants and fatty acids which make it excellent for soothing dry hair as well as dry skin. Despite this never use an argan oil product meant for hair on the skin, however unless it's specified that you can use it on both. Often argan oil products are a blend of argan oil and other ingredients (such as silicone) which may make it irritating to the skin. 

Moroccan Oil is the best-known brand of argan oil available. It's being touted by magazines such as Instyle, People and Marie Claire as well as hair stylists. They have a line of hair products containing argan oil including the original Moroccan Oil Treatment, Glimmer Shine Spray, hair masks, shampoo, conditioner, styling cream and curl cream. The Moroccan Oil Treatment Oil is $39 US$ for 100 mL. 

Kiehl's has line of argan oil line products for the skin including the Superbly Restorative Argan Dry Oil, Cleansing Oil, Skin Salve and Body Lotion. Their Argan Cleansing Oil contains salicylic acid which works to slough off dead layers of skin cells as well as the argan oil to soothe and moisturize the new skin cells. Their Argan Dry Oil is $30 US$ for 4.2 oz and $42 US$ for 8 oz.

I stumbled across a drugstore argan oil haircare line recently. Live Clean is available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada, is priced reasonably and their Exotic Nectar Argan Oil line is silicone-free, unlike Moroccan Oil. As well as the Live Clean Argan Oil, there's also shampoo, conditioner and a styling cream. The Live Clean Argan Oil is $11.99 CDN for 110 mL.

There are numerous other brands of argan oil and argan oil products. Here are a few:

• Marrakesh Oil
• Agadir Argan Oil
• DermOrganic Argan Oil
• Aveda's Green Science Line (skincare only)
• Argand'Or 
• Argan Oils

I have tried Marrakesh Oil, Moroccan Oil and Live Clean's argan oil and I'm hooked. My favourite of the three would have to be the Marrakesh Oil. You only need a few drops of this stuff - too much and you'll have heavy, oily hair - and the scent is subtle, very pleasant, natural and exotic, similar to shea butter.

With all of these, I apply a few drops to my damp hair and work it through and then style as usual. Most days, I did not need to put anything in my hair after I'd dried and flat-ironed it and the argan oil made my hair incredibly glossy and smooth. On humid, rainy days, I use a little bit of it after I've styled my hair to smooth away fly-aways and it can be carried with you for just this purpose as well. 

I can only speak for my own (fine, straight, colour-treated, normal to oily) hair but if argan oil does not weigh my hair down, it will certainly not weigh down thicker hair. If it rids my stick-straight hair of frizzies and fly-aways, it will certainly do the same for curly hair prone to frizziness. I say that if your hair is on the dry side, coloured or highlighted, damaged or prone to frizz or if you want glossy, sleek, healthy-looking hair with a minimum of fuss, you MUST try argan oil. It's not called the miracle hair product for nothing!

Have you ever tried argan oil or any of the argan oil products in your hair or on your skin? What did you think?

C.