So Rain Africa has come to town (Walmer Park Shopping Centre to be exact) and I’m ridiculously excited, so excited I decided to try out three of their moisturisers to see if their handmade products made using natural ingredients with African origins could be the answer to my insanely dry skin.

When I say insanely dry I’m talking, chalkboard ashy. Winter really did a number on me, I have been looking into spa treatments in lieu of a skin transplant.

But before I could get around to it Rain Africa opened in Port Elizabeth and generously became sponsors of #ECMeetup. I had heard amazing things about them up to this point…Like:

– The fact that the company was built with the purpose of providing jobs and skills to people living in poverty, particularly women and the disabled.

-They support small local suppliers and producers.

– Their wild ingredients are hand-harvested by women living in remote areas of Southern Africa where economic opportunities are almost non-existent.

– They are the only Southern African beauty and body product company which is accredited by both Fair Trade in Africa and the international Fair Trade body in Europe.

– The all-natural ingredients we use are harmless to the environment (and your skin), unlike the synthetic chemicals used by industrial manufacturers.

– Wherever possible, their paper and fabric packaging is handmade, natural, biodegradable and recyclable.

– They  use natural fabrics such as wool, felt, linen, cotton and silk, all of which are biodegradable and free of formaldehyde.

– They conserve energy and minimize their carbon emissions by sourcing local ingredients and raw materials and replacing machines with human hands.

And sooo  much more… As a crafter and a big fan of products that take nature and people into consideration Rain was already a win… the question was, would my skin think so…

I had the  Aloe Therapy Body Cream, The Biologie Hand and  Body Lotion and the Bee-Essential Body Lotion in a Box  (thanks to Rain Walmer Park) and here are my honest feelings about it

–          Rain Aloe Therapy Body Cream 

The consistency is like most store bought lotions, which was surprising as the packaging had me thinking “body butter” They never claimed body butter I just thought of it like that. It absorbs really quickly… I thought maybe it was because my skin was at a dryness level that can only be described as Sponge Bob in the sun…So I put some on Aidan’s baby soft skin (and I could easily do that because of the all natural ingredients-you guys know how particular I can be with what goes in and on him) and it absorbed just as easily. The smell reminds me of a fancy spa…Like waiting in a big fluffy dressing gown while sipping green tea and hoping your tummy doesn’t rumble really loud in this serene environment. The smell of the lotion lingered but not in extreme way, just subtle enough to have you sniffing your own arm (or is that just me?)  My skin felt soft and moisturized and although it wasn’t exactly glowing there was no ashyness at the end of the day – GUYS! That is how dry my skin has been, body lotions have been giving up half way through the job!

–          Rain Biology Hand and Body Lotion

I didn’t like this one at first. what? You guys know I’m honest. I found the smell a little overwhelming like the medicine my gran would bring from visits to the farm. Then there was the texture, I seriously had to check that it wasn’t a body wash or a conditioner …like did I grab the wrong bottle…It was thickish and sticky and didn’t absorb quickly. But when it did absorb into my skin! OMW how amazing did my skin feel, soft and not in the least bit sticky. I found myself rubbing my own arms and legs like I accepted some “treats” from a dodgy guy at a club. My skin was super soft and the smell of farm was replaced by dainty botanicals  by the time I left the bathroom. My skin simple loved it.

–          Bee-Essential Body Lotion in a Box

This container is my favourite, it is just so easy and mess free. It smells like honey, not overly so, but recognizable like, THAT is honey. It absorbs quicker than the lotion but not as quick as the cream. It’s got a velvety soft feel and your skin soon feels the same, the tube contains the least amount of moisturiser though which counts against it because I need a tub of the stuff please. It could be the coconut oil in there that attracts me to it, we all know coconut oil gives me life,

What is your favourite Rain product?