The Magic Is Gone

It happens. A product I formerly endorsed has been replaced. Hey, I'm Sagittarius. We are a fickle lot anyway. 

Egyptian Magic really is, always will be a great product. But I found it wasn't hard to jump off its bandwagon. After all, even though I went through it so slowly, it's a little pricey. And I just can't get past that plastic jar packaging. I can't. I reuse them, of course, but maybe other people don't. So when I happened to catch this tiny little product in a weird place in CVS, I kind of jumped at it.

"All Natural. The Petroleum Jelly Alternative." Well, I don't use petroleum jelly - the name alone sends me into paroxysms of horror - PETROLEUM... Eww. No thanks. What have we been slathering on ourselves? And this had a really cute bee on it. I looked closer. A glass jar!!! Cool! Ingredients... Organic Soybean Oil, Natural Beeswax, Vitamin E Oil, Organic Rosemary Oil. Well those all sound great. "Waxelene is the petroleum jelly alternative. NO petroleum. Only natural & organic ingredients. Moisturize, protect, and soothe skin all in one!" So far so good!


I went to research it when I got home. Um... I could NOT remember the name to save my life. I tried to search, no avail. I had to wait til I got to CVS again to look for it. Shoot, where was it? Some obscure area. Not with the other moisturizers. Ugh, it must've taken me 3 trips before I got the name to stick in my head! 

I contacted them. They actually sent a jar right out to me. The price point is around 7 bucks for a 2oz jar. Not bad at all. I would have bought it myself, but if they were going to be nice enough to send... well sure! Now I have been told over and again by a few loud people that I shouldn't be using beeswax moisturizers on my face. Generally I ignore this advice because I'm going on over 2 years now using Egyptian Magic, which is all about bee products. My skin loves it. It might clog pores for some people, but not me. I tried Waxelene, have been using it for over a month now, and I'm sticking with it. Actually, I went on a trip and was without it for 4 days, and THAT'S when I had a little break-out. Trip zits. Now, the only thing that would make me change is if someday I made my own. Don't see that happening all too soon. 

So, wait. Soybean?? Isn't that GMO crap? And where is the bee stuff coming from? I asked. Here's what they replied: 

"We buy only non-GMO organic soy. It costs MUCH more than GMO soy - we pay for quality. We source mostly beeswax from the US, but some of it does come from other countries - there is not enough available in the US that is high enough quality."

I'm down with that. And that rosemary oil... JUST enough for a nice pleasant fragrance. And while I loved the ingredients in Egyptian Magic, I totally love that this one has vitamin E in it. 

They are based in San Rafael, CA. And oh - 100% wind-powered facility.

Yeah. The magic is gone. There's a new bee in my home. 

https://waxelene.com/






 

ALL Natural and Very Magical

'Egyptian Magic All-Purpose Skin Cream "The People's Choice" is made with the blessings and guidance of our ancestors and with the following pure ingredients: olive oil, bees wax, honey, bee pollen, royal jelly, bee propolis and Divine love.'

I was intrigued by the wording on their site and their jar. "Life takes from the taker and gives to the giver. Above all, let your word be your bond." Yeah, it says that. Right on the jar. I love the ingredients. I do not agree with vegans who say we should not use bee products. I believe bee products are some of the best things that Mother Nature shares with us. Bee keepers are some of the most Earth-respecting people I ever meet. They are not exploiting bees, they are caring for them and loving them. But I digress from this product.

The nicest person responded to my inquiry when I contacted the company, hoping for a sample to try for myself. Emma sent me an entire 2-ounce jar, plus some sample packets which I happily gave to others, so they could try it, too. I was hoping it would be in a ceramic jar, not plastic, but alas, that was not the case. I wish they would not use plastic jars. The only consolation I have for that is that I reuse those things forever and ever and have many uses for them and really rarely buy anything else in them anymore. I am not defending their choice, but I can live with it if that is how it has to be. (Um, maybe we can write to them to get them to change that?) It helps that this little 2-ounce sample is going to last me for MONTHS. I compare that to other products that don't last nearly as long, so I know I am conserving in the long run. But still. Ceramic or glass, please??

I use an amount about the size of my fingernail for my whole face. It's a lovely solid that liquefies to an oil in your hand. That little bit goes a long, long way. What's left on my hands, I rub off in my hair. I have really oily skin, so I am very picky about what I use. This stuff actually makes my skin GLOW. Are my wrinkles going away? I don't really know. I know my skin is smoother and clearer. I don't really care about wrinkles, so I don't much pay attention to them. I'm OK with my "laugh-lines" and "crow's feet" or whatever. They make me look like a real person. With a real life. But, yeah, I guess my forehead could be looking smoother, and my skin looks more even after using this for about a month. I just plain love it. I can't wait to get it on my skin after my shower. It just feels good.

It's a little pricey, I thought. At first. It's endorsed by celebrities, which is usually more of a warning shot to me than an actual reason to buy. But, using it, And seeing how long this ONE jar will last, and seeing everything it does, I'm Ok with the price. There is not one chemical in it. It's all-natural, and it will keep the bees in business. (Again, contrary to vegan views, that's a good thing. I don't mind if they don't like this product, that means more for me.) The different uses for this stuff are pretty great, check it out here on their site: http://www.egyptianmagic.com/uses.htm.

I was happy to see it on the shelf at Spouts. Love that store. I know I'll be able to get it on Amazon for a good price if a store around me doesn't have it. As a matter of fact... go here: Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream Facial Treatment, 4 Ounce (I know there's a weird block there, I can't get rid of it!!!)

I find no need to look at any other products for my skin. This one jar will do it all. So no little tubes and multiple jars in my bathroom... just my new favorite thing made from beautiful wonderful bees and Nature and Lord-Pharaoh ImHotep-AmonRa, CEO, founder and manufacturer. I'm sold on it, I recommend it, I love it. I'd say I can't wait to buy my next jar of it, but judging from what I still have left, that'll be... another 4 months or so!

Now, if we can just persuade them to ditch the plastic.... :)

Exploit Humans, Not Animals.

Do you reject all animal products because you do not believe in exploiting them? Well, good for you. Are you enjoying that tomato on your vegetarian sandwich or on your Gardein burger with the soy cheese? It's good, isn't it? Hang on a second, it's January. Where is that tomato coming from? It's surely not in season. Your own greenhouse? A local hothouse? Oh, wait, it's OK, they grow them in Florida where they can be harvested all year long, and look! - it gives people jobs, too! Woo hoo economy! Your tomato is giving someone employment! Great.

Let's look at that. Is your simple slice of tomato more humane than my grass-fed cow burger? Obvious answer: yes. Real answer: snort. (Sorry, I could only manage a derisive snort for a second there.) My cow was local and sustainably raised and fed with care and avoiding pesticides and antibiotics at all costs. Your tomato was shipped from miles and miles away and was coated with pesticides and harvested with the cost of human health.

 If you are not aware of where your food is coming from, then you cannot call yourself concerned about the well-being of anything. Do you not exploit bees for honey, or worms for composting, or hens for eggs, or animals for ANYTHING, yet you can allow humans to be exploited because... why? Humans have "free choice" and allow themselves to be exploited? Or, hey, it's a job? People need jobs? Yeah. Check out the book I have put here down below. People are suffering and dying because you have to have a tomato out of season. And this is just a tiny example. Don't tell me you are concerned about other living creatures when you have your head buried in the sand about all else. Oh... sand. Yeah - that's what they grow tomatoes in down there in Florida. No nutritional value from the soil AT ALL.

 The long and short of it is this: unless you are growing all your own food or everything local and eating what is in season and not full of processed crap, then I can't take you seriously. You spout your beliefs but you don't even follow them. Yeah, I'm angry. Don't lecture me about my meat-eating unless you can tell me exactly where what you are eating comes from and how not one thing was harmed to bring it to your plate. I know exactly ONE person like that. He walks his walk. He gets a pass. All you others that feel you can pass judgement on me? Consider yourself served. I got my eye on you, and I know stuff. Bring it. If you don't care about the exploitation of humans, but are all over not using bees... well. All I can say is please don't procreate. Thank you.

 

You Are Still Using Bees

And again.

Bee keeping... I always think of it as one of the best things you can do. Any beekeeper I ever met CARED about their bees, each and every hive, and looked after them with such great care. You have to. Healthy happy bees are the key. And oh do we need bees. Honeybees bother no one in their daily lives, really... only defend their hives. I stepped on them regularly as a child, as they collected among the clover flowers. Ouch. But I also would park myself right outside their hive in the wall of our garage and they simply flew around me with no concern. I just watched them. But, bee keeping is apparently another one of those anti-vegan things. Even though... well, let me get into it.

I'll say up front I am NOT an expert. Most of my knowledge is gathered along the way and some of it is, I am sure, anecdotal. For instance, all bees you see out and flying about are female. They do all the work. Thus: worker bees. The men stay at home and service the queen. Drones. Bees are great. We cannot exist without them. They are the main pollinators of everything we eat. Try as we might, we as humans cannot possibly duplicate what bees do for our food supply. Here's the hardline from the vegan perspective: "In common with other animals kept to produce food products bees are farmed and manipulated, and the honey they produce for themselves is taken from them. Vegans do not eat products taken from any animal, including bees, because it is neither desirable nor necessary to exploit animals in order to obtain food for humans."

Exploit? Aren't you exploiting bees by simply eating ANYTHING? After all, they worked for it. They worked hard. I just want to know where the line is drawn. If you give bees a home on your property, is that expecting something from them in return, even if you aren't taking their honey? Keeping bees is a wonderful thing. I don't eat a lot of honey  myself, but I would keep bees just to pollinate my garden. This, apparently, is not correct. I would be enslaving them. Again, I fail to see how providing creatures with a good place to live and benefiting from their labor is such a bad thing. It's symbiotic.

 Honey and bee pollen is amazing for our health. Mother Nature provides something that is so good for us, but because commercial practices are bad, the whole thing is bad? I go back to the beekeepers I have known. They won't take more than they should, and they are very careful about everything. And I feel they know more about Nature and the ways of things than most "gimme processed soy product" vegangelicals. What if you are NOT exploiting them? What if you have that symbiotic relationship with them? Why is it still wrong? Commercial ANYTHING is pretty much bad, so can we take things case by case and quit overreacting to everything??

Bees need our help. They have problems. How many people know about Colony Collapse Disorder? I do. Beekeepers do. And they try to protect their hives. Isn't that a good thing? Or must all bees be free-range because of that whole expecting something from them thing? Wild bees are in trouble and keeping hives might help. So if it is said that no bees should be kept, yet they all dies because no bees were kept and protected, well then...

Say goodbye to your food. When the cannibalism hits because all plants are dead, certain people will go first.

Just sayin'. :)

You can tell me I'm full of crap and to quit picking on non-omnivores. Fine. I just want answers. Because this defies logic to me, and I want logic. Be logical and I will leave you alone. But right now, I just want answers. Anyone?