I’ve been on a natural kick lately (see previous post) where beauty products are concerned. Although having sensitive skin feels like a curse, I think it’s also a blessing because it taught me to really think about what I’m putting on myself and I try to avoid nasties like parabens, alcohol, colouring, and fragrance (well, heavily perfumed products that is, not naturally scented ones).

So when my lovely friend Daphne from Mekhala asked me to try some of their body and hair products, I couldn’t resist.

What’s unique about Mekhala is that they use rice in their products, besides the fact that they do not have any chemical additives.

You can instantly tell from their list of ingredients that their products are very natural because you can understand everything easily. For example, the ingredients list for the Black Rice Shampoo reads like this:

Distilled Water, Hom Nin Rice, Black Rice Extract, Kaffir Lime Extract, Aloe Vera, White Crane Flower Extract, Natural Glycerine, Jasmine Rice Extract

I felt that this shampoo cleaned well and left my hair smooth and shiny after using this everyday for two weeks. There was no residue problem with the Black Rice Conditioner so I know this is a quality product. I find that residue build-up tends to happen fairly quickly with standard drugstore conditioners and that is why I have completely stopped using such conditioners.

I was also pleasantly surprised that the shampoo lathered so much for a natural product but that was due to the kaffir lime extract, I believe, which has natural cleansing properties. Since I’m a fan of non-silicone haircare, this range wins two thumbs up from me. And did I mention it smells just divine? I can’t put my finger on it but it smells like brown sugar with a hint of caramel. It reminds me of Chinese desserts with rice flour balls in clear sweet soup and I love them!

The Young Rice Milk Body Lotion smells similar to the Black Rice range but is slightly less sweet and has subtle accents of floral notes which come from the moringa oil and moke flower extract, I think. This light moisturizer sinks right into the skin and your skin doesn’t feel greasy, but it is too light for winter and I would imagine this to be perfect for hot and humid weather in the summer, or a climate like Singapore’s.

Speaking of which, Mekhala is only available to customers in Singapore but you can email them directly to ask for a shipping quote if you are not from Singapore.

Now I’ve saved the most interesting product for last — the Coconut Soap which is a cinnamon and tumeric scrub and shaped like an open coconut, I might add! I am surprised that there is tumeric because I cannot detect it at all. It’s an extremely gentle scrub as the granules are tiny and quite soft so you can use this daily without feeling like you are exfoliating too much.

The lather is not a lot at all, compared to traditional soaps, but it leaves the skin feeling very clean and it smells just amazing — I keep smelling a pillowy scent that it’s probably from the cinnamon and coconut milk and makes me think of falling into a white fluffy bed.

Even if you are not one to spend more on your own body care products, I think their handmade soaps and beauty range would make great gifts.

Have you tried any good natural beauty products lately? Do share!

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