New iHerb haul! I guess I would be doing frequent hauls at iHerb but at each time, I would try go purchase a product which I’ve not tried before, test out the newest products in store or try out other brands of super foods. This time, I tried a wider range of natural beauty products that are free of harmful chemicals. Read about my reviews for each product below.
Superfood Stash Haul #3
I think it’s one of the largest iHerb haul by far!
This packet of Chia seeds is a steal! It’s way cheaper to purchase Chia seeds through iHerb than at NTUC which sells Chia seeds from The Chia Co.
Vegans have relied on natural sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar, dates and coconut sugar. But I find pure coconut sugar the best alternative because it has this nice hint of caramel flavour that goes really well with any tropical fruits. Dates are great sweeteners too but they comes off as really chunky and it needs to be blended with other ingredients using a blender. It’s way healthier than agave nectar!
This pack of high-quality quinoa (pronounced as KEEN-WAH) is a steal too! It’s my first time cooking quinoa and I love eating quinoa as an alternative to rice. Sometimes, I would cook it with some miso soup and make a bowl of savory porridge. If not, I would whip up a sweet bowl of quinoa with apples and cinnamon. To cook quinoa, use quinoa and water with a ratio of 1 is to 2. Boil it for about 15 to 20 minutes and voila! You could also quinoa to make veggie burger patties and even sushi.
Do you know that quinoa is a seed? I used to think that it is a type of grain that contains lots of starch. But it’s actually the seed of the quinoa plant that we are eating and it’s gluten-free too. It’s dubbed as a superfood because it’s a complete protein that contains all 9 essential amino acids which cannot be synthesized by the body.
It’s as good as oats and I now replace oats with quinoa because it is gluten-free and contains iron too.
Rainbow Quinoa, which I’ve come to learn, is simple a mix of red, pearl and black quinoa varieties. It looks more festive with the vibrant mix of colours.Taste-wise, it doesn’t differ much from the normal quinoa variety.
The mere mention of the word, ‘carob’ draws link to the word ‘carrot’ in my head. But no, botanically, they are not relatives of each other. Carob powder is often used as a raw substitute over cocoa powder which is often roasted. I thought that there would be nothing else in this world that taste like chocolate until I found carob powder and tasted it for myself. It might not have that dark bitter after-taste but it tastes sweet and has this mild earthy flavour.
Unlike cocoa powder, carob contains no caffeine or theobromine (that gives it chocolate a bitter taste). Both of which are stimulants and interestingly, theobromine is what makes the chocolate toxic to dogs. So carob powder is often used in place of chocolate to make flavored dog treats too.
I am not a fan of hemp seeds because of it’s raw nutty taste that I didn’t quite fancy but I bought it upon discovering that hemp seeds could be use to make milk. And it’s terribly easy to make milk with a blender using hemp seeds and water only!
I bought Liquid Aminos because I noticed that some vegetarians and vegans have been using this as a substitute for soy sauce. It might not have that nice caramelized flavor that soy sauce usually have but it does taste saltish on its own. It can be very salty too so use sparingly. I usually add this in soups or use salad dips.
I actually would have bought a smaller sized bottle of Liquid Aminos if I know that I wouldn’t be using it in large quantities. But I probably wouldn’t buy this again as I’m trying to reduce my sodium in take which often makes me bloat!
This sunflower seed bread is lovely and I like to toast is slightly to warm it up and serve it with cut tomatoes and avocados mixed with some balsamic vinegar, pepper and lemon juice.
This is my third tub of chocolate meal replacement powder from Naturade but after finishing this full tub, I decided that I should rely less on such meal replacements and go natural.After a while, I also got sick of drinking the same flavored meal replacement drink. Eating fresh colourful fruits and vegetables is still the best!
Beauty Haul at iHerb
Besides health supplements and super foods, there’s a whole bundle of beauty goodies as well! I am not too sure if all of the beauty products are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free or are made using only organic and natural ingredients. But I am pretty sure most of the iHerb beauty products made use of some natural ingredients along side with other plant derivative chemicals and contain less harmful chemicals than most products sold out there. Out of the beauty heap, I bought some of the best selling beauty products sold at iHerb.
These moisturizing socks and gloves are sold at a trial price and it works great especially if you would just like to sample or test the product out. I actually enjoyed using this two products which works out great but you will need to use it several times to witness its full benefits.
I like using gel masks because it feels more cooling and breathable on the skin. So I couldn’t resist myself from buying these gel eye strips when I saw it under the trial pricing section. The gel strips worked rather well to hydrate the eye area but other than that, there’s nothing much to boast about.
African Black Soap are well-known for its amazing healing properties that could treat eczema, blemishes and other skin ailments. It’s a gentle soap for those with sensitive skin. It consists mainly of a few natural ingredients like Shea butter, palm ash, plantain peel and tamarind. I like the fact that it contains only a few chemicals and other natural raw ingredients.
It’s also cruelty-free!
Made from ethically traded ingredients.
This handcream is one of the best sellers on iHerb and I like using it because it’s thick and rather moisturizing. Though its unscented, it has this light argan nut oil scent.
If not for the nutty smell, it would have been a fantastic moisturizer as I prefer using moisturizer with a slight floral scent.
This organic natural shampoo is amazing but the initial few washes will make your hair feel very coarse and dry because the shampoo formula help strips the chemicals like sulphates off your hair strands. It will take several washes to normalize the hair condition though. It does foams up a little so it does give my hair that clean feel and I also like that fact that it has essential oils in it to soften and nourish the hair cuticle. If you are going green, I would definitely recommend you to try out this organic shampoo!
This is also one of the top selling shampoo at iHerb but I’ve yet to try it. Will keep you updated here!
Go natural! Do pop by iHerb store and check out their interesting health products if you haven’t. It’s pretty affordable too. Use this code RBS682 to get $10 off your first purchase at iHerb!
