As I’ve mentioned before, lately one of my consuming thoughts has been how to better ‘green’ my lifestyle. The easiest place to start, I think, is with cosmetics/beauty products. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a girl or guy – it’s very easy to pick up a bottle of earth-friendly shampoo the next time you’re out… versus, say, narrowing down which clothing stores don’t use sweat shops, then further narrowing down which clothing items contain organic, natural materials.

And, to be honest, what girl doesn’t like an excuse to try out a whole host of new beauty products?

It can be a daunting task, for sure. I am so thankful for Skin Deep, though, because it actually makes the search a lot easier. Skin Deep rates cosmetic companies, and individual products, on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being absolutely safe and containing no harmful chemicals…and 10, naturally, being it will melt your face off if it hasn’t already done so.

So to begin my great search, I headed over to Skin Deep…clicked Skin Care…and checked out the best rated cleansers. Suki Naturals eventually came up on that list. I had read about Suki in my Gorgeously Green book so I was happy to see them score such a low rating (some of the beauty products mentioned in Gorgeously Green, while probably not as bad as, say, a grocery store brand, still contain some chemicals that are suspect…so always verify with Skin Deep before purchasing).

I headed over to Suki Naturals to check out their full skin care line. They organize their skin care lines by need, so if you know exactly what you’re looking for it’s very easy to find the products that fill that need. I was immediately intrigued by the 21-Day Dermal Detox kit ($60.00) and that is what I ended up purchasing. The idea is that these products, after consistent 21-day use, will remove toxins from your skin after years of using big-box brands that are chock full of synthetic chemicals.

A good rule of thumb when starting from scratch in your beauty routine is to be able to try as many products from a new line you’re interested in as possible – especially products that are meant to work together.

Always look for samplers, kits, etc…which is why I was so excited about Suki’s 21-Day Dermal Detox Kit. I actually tried this kit after having already tried several other natural cleansers, so my skin wasn’t exactly pumped up with toxins …but even so, I got the kit and waited patiently for it to arrive.

Suki ships pretty quickly (yay!) so I didn’t have to wait long. In the kit, I received all 6 products noted on the website…and all were nicely packed in a cute little zipper pouch, as well as with a sheet explaining about the kit. These are sample sizes so if you purchase this, don’t expect an 8oz bottle of cleanser. I actually kind of doubt whether this would last for 21 days in all honesty…especially the Transformative Cleansing Clay…but there’s no way of me actually knowing because I haven’t used it for 21 days yet.

I’ve tried 5 of the 6 products contained in this Kit so I’m just going to review those 5. I’ll review the 6th product (Renewal Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel) after I’ve tried it. So, here we go!

(Photo credit: Paige Padgett)

Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser – normally $29.95
Skin Deep Rating: 0

This is my most absolute favorite part about the Dermal Detox Kit. It’s not even so much that it works amazingly well – but it does that, of course – it’s the smell. If I could live with this smell perpetually in my nose until the day I died, I would be so, so happy. This cleanser is the best smelling cleanser I’ve ever had the pleasure to sniff. It has a very nice citrus scent, but it’s not biting…it’s sweet.

To use this cleanser, you just scoop a little out with your finger then rub it between your palms. Immediately, you’ll feel the exofoliating beads – and they feel awesome on your palms. Rub it on your face and chest area for some awesome exfoliation action. The directions note you can use this cleanser up to 2x’s daily. I immediately scoffed at this. I have never met an exfoliator that didn’t clog my pores and severely irritate my skin. Until I tried this one! No clogged pores, no skin irritation and, best of all, no gross smell.

Transformative Cleansing Clay – normally $43.95
Skin Deep Rating: 2

I don’t really know what to say about this cleanser. I’ve tried it a handful of times, because I’m more obsessed with the Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser. Also, I feel like the sample-size is too small. I use about a dime-size blob when I do use this – typically in the morning – and don’t really notice too much of a difference. It doesn’t foam, so don’t expect to see anything happening on your face when putting it on there. It will, however, leave your skin feeling very soft and even slightly moisturized.

I haven’t used this yet for all of it’s uses, either. Not only is it a cleanser, but it’s also a mask (leave on for 10-15 minutes, then rinse) and a spot treatment (leave on overnight on your blemishes). So I’m not writing it off yet. Just not as excited about it as I am about the Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser.

Concentrated Balancing Toner – normally $29.95
Skin Deep Rating: 0

What I love about this toner is that it’s in a spray bottle. That means no waste with cotton balls or anything. You just spritz it on and go. Plus, that means you’re more likely to have an even coverage …whereas with a cotton ball, you may not get your entire face.

This contains salicylic acid, which made very happy. One of my concerns of switching to more natural skin care was that my skin would freak out and start producing blemishes like crazy. That hasn’t happened at all…but even so, I’m happy to see my old friend salicylic acid in this toner. As a sweet bonus, the product information notes it’s great to soothe inflammation after sun exposure – and I’m planning on a beach vacation soon!

Balancing Day Lotion – normally $31.95
Skin Deep Rating: 2

I didn’t like this product. As you probably gathered from the Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser blurb…I’m a smells kinda gal. And this lotion stinks.

Looking at the ingredient list, I can’t figure out what it is that makes it smell so weird. It honestly smells like fennel. I can’t stand fennel. I can’t stand licorice either.

Smell aside, it does do what it’s supposed to do. It’s a lightweight moisturizer, perfect for going under your makeup. And that’s all I have to say on that.

Bio-Active Purifying Face Serum – normally $75.00
Skin Deep Rating: not rated, but from the looks of the ingredients, probably a 1 or 2

I really like this serum. It’s meant to treat blemishes, wrinkles and other imperfections. I like how light-weight it is, and it doesn’t have much of a smell at all. It definitely does what it’s supposed to do. Between this product and the Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser, the $60.00 kit more than paid for itself.

The final product is the Renewal Bio-Resurfacing Facial Peel (normally $75.00) which, as I mentioned, I haven’t tried yet. It’s rated a 3 on Skin Deep so that’s part of what I haven’t tried it. But the main reason I haven’t had a time where I don’t have something happening the next day that I wouldn’t mind my skin looking strange in case this peel doesn’t react well with my skin. Hopefully in the next day or so I’ll have a chance to try it out.

So that’s that! I look forward to purchasing the full size of the – you probably guessed it – Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser…and probably also the Bio-Active Purifying Face Serum.

Have you tried any Suki products? If so, share in the comments how you liked – or didn’t like – them!