Product Review: Gentle Deodorants - Belo and Dove Pure

I have sensitive skin and I've tried several deo products in the market out there. Those that contain whitening ingredients make me allergic in an instant. Once, I tried a deodorant positioned as a 'whitening deodorant' by its name alone caused itchiness so bad it spread all over my inner arm. It was so itchy I couldn't help but scratch it that caused to darken so bad I couldn't wear short sleeves for two years!

Since then, I tried several deodorant both imported and local brands in search for "the deodorant". In my trials, I have discovered that deodorants with scent do not work well in my favour. My body tends to have a negative reaction towards perfume or products with perfume so instead of the deo protecting me from smell, it makes my body scent go ballistic. Since then, I only chose deodorants that are unscented, or if not available, with very mild scent.

About ten years ago, there was this brand called Secret that became available in the Philippines. It was stick and had an unscented variant which really worked well for me. I used it for quite some time but after a few years, it was just gone. Though there were still Secret deodorants available in high-end supermarkets  or duty-free or S&R, the variants left were all with scent. Then I tried Nivea whitening (the only variant that had the mildest scent) and despite my experience on whitening deo products, I took my chance because of its mild scent. I was lucky I wasn't allergic to the whitening ingredient it had. Then after a few months of using it, it's not working that well anymore so I was on the hunt again for "the deodorant". 

Luckily, Dove released Dove Pure deodorant that promises 'No Fragrance,' No Parabens,' No Colourants' and 'No Alcohol' -- all four ingredients that do not work well with my body! Oh I loved it and used it for more than a year! But I guess, like with any medicine, your body becomes immune to it somehow I started to notice underarm sweating again. Then I realise, I have to find a deodorant I could use alternately with Dove Pure so my body would see this alternate as a 'new one' so it won't get immuned to the same brand I'm using. 

A few months ago, I heard Kris Aquino swore by Belo Essentials Anti-Perspirant Deodorant. Though I didn't try it right away, her comment on Belo deodorant stuck in my mind and when I reached that point that I needed an alternative deo, I immediately thought of trying Belo Essentials. It turned to be a good decision as it worked wonders on my underarm! It is also alcohol-free and is hypoallergenic. Perspiration is gone and no matter how hot I feel or how much physical activity I do, I feel fully protected. 

As for the 'whitening' aspect, as mentioned, this is not my top concern due to my previous experience on whitening deodorant. I do something else to ensure my underarm doesn't get dark -- more on that in the next post.

Product name: Belo Essentials Whitening Anti-perspirant Deodorant

Product Description: Anti-perspirant deodorant; alcohol-free; hypoallergenic

Size: 40ml

Price: P93.75 (Robinson's Supermarket)

Manufacturer:Intelligent Skin Care, Inc.

'The Regular Consumer' Rating: Three thumbs up!

Product name: Dove Pure

Product Description: Anti-perspirant deodorant

Size: 40ml

Price:

Manufacturer: Unilever

'The Regular Consumer' Rating: Three thumbs up!

A Year Older at Mesa SkyRanch Tagaytay

Recently, I turned a year older (and, hopefully, wiser too). I refuse to hold 'parties' even small gatherings to celebrate my birthday. I always prefer quiet celebrations with my loved ones and real friends.

This year, as I got a year closer to the big 4-0, I decided to spend it like a normal day, like how I'd spend a weekend with my family. 

I renewed my driver's license in LTO Tagaytay in the morning and thought of dropping by at SkyRanch to grab some doughnuts since my 3-year-old happily tagged along. My Dad, who drove us to LTO, didn't fancy doughnuts (he's diabetic) but we didn't know where else to eat or where else to go (it was 10 in the morning!). 

On our way to the other side to check what others restaurants are there, we noticed Mesa and I thought it wasn't there since I last visited SkyRanch and it wasn't that long!

So we decided to have early lunch. We were the only customers. It was still early for their lunch crowd. Apparently, the Tagaytay branch opened only last December 16 (in time for the big holiday crowd at SkyRanch).

My 3 yr old at Mesa

Since it was my birthday, I ordered something more special which we don't normally eat at home (we're a Kapampangan household and 'weekend specials' in Filipino restaurants are our basic!)

Here's what we had:

Baked scallops

Tinapa roll

Plus Adobong Pusit  on top

The service was excellent (expectedly, because we were the only ones there!)

Tinapa Roll:
 I expected tinapa in my tinapang roll. I didn't realise it was tinapang bangus (it didn't say in the menu) which was fine really. Two things did bother me though: 1) the big chunk of uncooked tomato inside and 2) though the lumpia wrapper is crunchy, inside is still cold which made me conclude it was frozen!


Baked Scallops The Baked Scallops was a hit with me and I find it value for money for its price. The menu showed 3pcs so I thought there were only 3 pieces. To my surprise, it was that many in the photo.


Adobong Pusit
My Dad ordered adobong pusit in squid ink. I didn't fancy that one since we cook that almost every week (not sure why my Dad didn't want to try something else). But they did a good job on the 'lansa' which is expected when you use the squid ink. Serving is big enough too for its price.

To wrap it up,my so ordered ice cream coffee jello which he ate fast enough I didn't have a chance to try.

Mesa SkyRanch Tagaytay. TRC gives it 4 thumbs-up for the food, ambiance, service, and value for money.

TRC Recipe: Steamed Kailaan in Oyster Sauce

I am an advocate of  'Grow Your Own Food' initiative. I am a farmer by heart, grew up in small urban farm, married to a farmer, currently live in a farm (ok, fine, leisure farm), own a farm (a real one this time!), and probably will be a farmer soon. :)

Some of the vegetables we grow in our garden include flat-leaf parsley (see my previous post here), upo, ampalaya, green tea, tomato, lettuce, sitao, and this:

Kailan or Kailaan

It's called Chinese Kailan or Kailaan. I loved this being served steamed with oyster sauce in restaurants in Singapore. Unfortunately, it's not easily available here in the Philippines but I was lucky enough the seeds are!

A closer look at Kailaan

I have been planting the kailaan seeds for two years now and I eat it steamed when I go on a diet as it is filling, fibrous, and yummy too! They grow very easily and you have to harvest the leaves very quickly too as they also mature easily. When this happens, leaves turn hard.

So if you have some spare space to grow kailaan, the seeds are available in supermarkets or agri-supply stores. The brand I use is Ramgo.

And if you have successfully planted and harvested them, try my recipe below:

Steamed Kailaan in Oyster Sauce

• A few leaves of kailaan
• chopped garlic
• Oyster sauce about 1 Tablespoon
• A little oil (best if olive oil)
• water

Procedure

• Heat the pan in low fire
• Put oil and heat a little
• Toss in garlic, let it brown a bit
• Put in oyster sauce and add a little water just to dilute the oyster sauce
• Let it boil
• Add kailaan and stir on one side after a few minutes
• Serve hot

TRC Recipe: Home-Made Garlic Bread

We have an abundance of flat-leaf parsley from our garden these days to my very much delight. I tried cultivating flat leaf parsley last year but, like my attempt with peppermint, I wasn't lucky enough.

This year, finally, I can see stalks and stalks of flat-leaf parsley from our kitchen window abundantly growing in our garden. Best of all, it's organic!

Flat-leaf parsley. Want some?

And since decorating a dish with parlsey is just a waste, I better give it away (to my neighbor's delight too!). But parsley, like any other edible plants, would give you more when you harvest it. So after just a few days, it has given me more leaves!

More parsley being grown at my Dad's DIY Aquaponics

So I thought of buying some baguette at my favorite French Baker and made garlic bread. However, the garlic bread was gone faster than the parsley! Good thing, Shopwise Alabang early this year had a Buy 1 Take 1 deal on baguette for only P35 and I happily bought P200 worth! We made garlic bread from our fresh parsley almost like we were doing it in a factory (in and out! Imagine that many baguette!) and froze it so anyone in the house can just toast it whenever they fancy. Best with coffee!

TRC Tip: Freezing the garlic bread keeps not only its freshness but also it makes the bread extra crispy when toasted

Hmmm...I still have more parsley and that single plant is continuing to grow! What to do with the rest of them? Can I make pesto sauce out of parsley?

I will find out. Meanwhile, try my Home-made Garlic Bread recipe below.


TRC Recipe: Home-Made Garlic Bread

Ingredients:1 long baguette

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed finely
• A few leaves of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
• A dash of salt
• 1/4 bar of butter, softened
• Foil for wrapping

Procedure:

• Cut the baguette into thin slices but leave the bottom unsliced so it will still hold as one piece. You can also cut the long baguette in half and slice each piece as you would a hotdog bun.
• In a small bowl, mix butter, crushed garlic, chopped parsley and salt. 
• Spread the garlic-butter mixture in between the slices of the baguette
• Wrap in foil and store in the fridge if you're not eating it right away
• When you're ready to eat your home-made garlic bread, toast and enjoy with a cup of coffee!

Prepaing for El Nino: Sand Bottles for Flush Toilet

Our electricity consumption is a lot lower than most people I know who have similar type and number of electric appliance. I attribute that to the my refusal to have an aircon installed in our house. 

Ok, before you admire my tenacity (or 'kakuriputan' however you want to call it), it's because we don't really need an aircon. We live in Tagaytay and even summers here are tolerable -- you only need a fan to cool you down.

However, the same cannot be said of our water bill. Our monthly water bill always hits the P1,000 mark with only 4 adults and 2 kids in the house. Ok, I admit, we have a huge vegetable garden that is way more than the average backyard garden of those living in the city and we use clean water to water those plants. 

To help bring down our water consumption (Fine! it's more of the environmentalist in me!), I thought of installing a DIY rainwater collection system in our backyard like this one below. Depending on the set-up, you can save as much water as you can which you can use to flush the toilet or water the plants (not advisable for washing the plates or taking a bath though *wink*).

Barrel Rainwater Collection System (photo from the web)

I am still waiting for the tote bins or blue plastic barrels from a friend who quoted me at way lower than the market price so I will update you on that one once it's finally installed.

Meanwhile, I read in the internet that flushing the toilet is one of the culprits of high water consumption and is, of course, not very environment-friendly! Did you know that one toilet flush can consume up to 7 gallons of water per flush? (Whaaaat?!!)

My hubby works in Africa and he always tells me stories of how the people there take a bath only once a week due to lack of water supply. Most do not even have access to clean, potable water. And here we are, using CLEAN & POTABLE water just to flush the damn toilet?! That sickens me!

To save on water in flush toilet, I taught my two kids not to flush as often as they pee. Yep, you heard me right! I read this in the internet, or something like this:

'If it's yellow, let it mellow.
If it's brown, sink it down.'

However, they always forget! It has been my kids' habit to flush the toilet every after use.

And so while I'm waiting for our tote bins and to counter that annoying water-wasting-flushing, I put these sand bottles inside the water tank of every flush toilet in our house to minimize the amount of water being flushed per flush (stay with me!).

Initially, I put only one bottle but after seeing the tank has still room for more, I added one more sand-filled bottle.

We'll see after a month if it will help me bring down that water bill! Watch out for it.