Man, lots went on this week. For the first time in months, I felt a time crunch. Like I suddenly went from having all the time in the world for days and weeks on end, to feeling like I didn’t have enough time in the day to get things done.

Baking? Ain’t nobody got time for that!

The week’s really great news is that after eleven months, I was finally approved for Botox treatments for my migraines. Botox for migraines is essentially the last drug treatment that health insurance will cover — after everything else fails.

Thirty-one injection over my entire head, neck and shoulders. Hey, if I can say anything positive came out of my year of chronic migraine, at least my forehead wrinkles miraculously disappeared!

I know that sounds completely crazy, but it is what it is. Not exactly feeling the effects of it yet; I guess that can take something like 10-12 weeks to really become noticeable — to see a real decrease in the number of migraines. But I’m grateful I was finally able to get it done. I’m leaving no stone unturned. And things are definitely improving overall.

This was also the hottest week of the year here in New York City. Orpheus was chillin like a villain in the air conditioning whilst I hustled around the City making the bag. It’s all good though. I feel alive again!

The skincare stuff starts here.

You know I’m always looking for good clean, pro-skin health skin care that infuses skin with everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t. I’ve talked quite a bit about the green, clean skin care from Codex Beauty — including a recent blog article titled, Brands I Love: Codex Beauty – Some of the Best Clean, Natural Skincare for Both Women And Men. If you missed it, catch it here.

So, I’m excited to introduce you to my latest all-natural, clean skincare discovery!

Meet Schăf!

First things first. Repeat after me. Schăf rhymes with laugh.

I was first introduced to this new, clean skincare brand a couple of weeks ago. And I’m excited to say, it’s from my friends up north — the cool (and often cold!) Canadians!

I’ve spent some truly memorable weekends in Canada; three-day getaways over Christmas, New Year’s — and even my birthday 6-7 years ago. Time flies!

Perhaps surprisingly, I’ve also had some of the most memorable meals of my life in Montréal — and none of them reminiscent of anything that remotely resembled poutine. (Sorry, not a fan.) But, I know I’m going to commit something short of a sacrilege here when I say that Montréal bagels are better than New York bagels. If you know, you know!

Schăf was founded by a guy named Peter Schafrick and his wife (I’m happy they cut that short for the brand name!). The couple came to the same realization a lot of us have now had over the last couple of years — that our skin care has been loaded up with all kinds of stuff that isn’t very good for our skin.

“It shocked us to find out we were constantly coating our faces with irritants and sensitizers like synthetic preservatives, sulfates, dyes, parabens, petroleum, mineral oils, silicones, essential oils and fragrances – all the nasty stuff that’s proven to trigger sensitive skin.”
-Peter Schafrick, Schăf Skincare

So they created a clean skincare collection beginning with three products, each formulated with ingredients that are really pro-skin health — and free of silicones, parabens, fragrance, essential oils, artificial colors, sulfates, mineral oil, animal by-products, gluten, GMO’s, and more.

Instead, all Schăf’s clean facial skincare products are loaded up with natural ingredients that skin eats and drinks right up — herbal extracts, plant oils, and vitamins that promote and optimize skin health.

Let’s have a look at Schăf, eh?

Schăf Face Moisturizer

I love a good clean, natural face cream packed with pro-skin health goodness — and devoid of toxins and other known skin irritants.

The Schăf Face Moisturizer is one of the best natural face creams — and now a personal fave of mine. The vegan formula is light, fluffy and legit packed with goodness.

It’s a nourishing blend of natural and organic non-fragrant plant oils like antioxidant Grape Seed Oil, Avocado Oil, Jojoba Oil, and cold pressed Hemp Seed Oil — rich in Omega fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

The inclusion of Hemp Seed Oil is a terrific choice for Schăf’s natural moisturizer for face. There’s been a lot of buzz over the past year about ingredients derived from cannabis, or the hemp plant. Among them, Cannabidiol (CBD), Hemp Oil and Cannabis Sativa (Hemp) Seed Oil.

And there’s also quite a bit of misinformation out there regarding the components of the hemp plant used in skin care. Much of it has been driven by big budget marketers in search of bigger sales and bigger bonus checks.

I wrote an article a few weeks back about CBD in skin care titled, CBD Skincare and the Best CBD Serums for Face from Paula's Choice, Balm Labs, Josie Maran & More! If you missed it, you can catch it here.

While CBD possesses remarkably effective skin-soothing properties and is ideal for sensitive, irritation-prone skin, Hemp Seed Oil is another thing entirely.

Think of Hemp Seed Oil as on par with similar non-fragrant plant oils like Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil and Rose Hip Seed Oil. Simply, it’s packed with nourishment that skin craves — my skin, your skin, Canadian skin!

According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team,

“From the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. Because both hemp and marijuana are from the genus Cannabis, they are often thought (erroneously) to have similar properties. In cosmetics, hemp seed oil is used as an emollient and to supply skin with omega fatty acids it needs to replenish itself and strengthen its surface against moisture loss. Specifically, hemp seed oil contains the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid.
Hemp seed oil also contains beneficial phospholipids, plant sterols, amino acids (it’s especially high in the amino acid arginine) and is a rich source of antioxidant vitamin E.
Another benefit of hemp seed oil is that it seems to enhance the benefits of cannabidiol, also known as CBD. This is likely due to the interaction between trace amounts of cannabinoids in hemp seed oil and pure cannabidiol.”

References for this information:

Frontiers in Plant Science, February 2019, ePublication; Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, February 2018, pages 532-540; Molecules, May 2017, ePublication; Journal of Cosmetic Science, July-August 2005, pages 227-251; Euphytica, January 2004, pages 65-74

The inclusion of multiple non-fragrant plant oils like trendy Hemp Seed Oil isn’t what’s most noteworthy about the Schăf Face Moisturizer, though.

What surprises me about the formula is the high concentration of skin-fortifying peptides. A scan of the INCI and I found two anti-aging peptides in the top ten — Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7.

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 is a peptide found in the popular Matrixyl 3000 complex; it helps to replenish skin and calm signs of irritation in sensitive skin.

Given the attention paid to skin sensitivity in Schăf’s formulation of the Face Moisturizer, I’d venture to say it’s one of the best moisturizers for sensitive skin. Seriously soothing stuff.

I just love everything about it! While it’s heavy on pro-skin health actives, it‘s not at all heavy on skin, making it ideal for all skin types except perhaps very oily.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Schăf Face Moisturizer for $45 here. For a limited time, receive 20% off all Schăf skin care with exclusive code SKINCARMA20. Enter code at check-out.

BUY SCHĂF FACE MOISTURIZER

Proude,.jpg — SHOP THE BLOG:

**Schăf Facial Cleanser**
**Schăf Face Moisturizer**
**Schăf Shave Cream**
**For a limited time, receive 20% off all Schăf skin care with exclusive code SKINCARMA20. Enter code at check-out.**

*WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF SCHĂF SKINCARE - AMONG THE BEST CLEAN SKINCARE PRODUCTS FOR FACE ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**

SUBSCRIBE TO SKINCARMA ON YOUTUBE

Schăf Facial Cleanser

Gosh I gush over a good cleanser! I’m very particular about the cleansers I like. In fact, I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a cleansing snob.

I prefer clean formulas. And, the lower the foaming, the better.

I know, most people love lots and lots of foam. I’ve been to my share of foam parties. I get it. I love foam too. But when it comes to foaming cleansers, count me out.

The more a cleanser foams, the more it strips from your skin. All I want a cleanser to do is clear the slate, sweep away the dirt, grime, pollutants and god-only-knows what else has been trapped in my pores during the day. A good, gentle cleanser simply needs to clear the skin surface so skin benefits from the potent actives in the serums applied after cleansing and toning. Nothing harsh. Nothing nonsensical.

So, a gentle cleanser is everything! I’m most fond of powder cleansers, cleansing oils and cleansing creams. And the Schăf Facial Cleanser is a rich, creamy, milky cleanser. Like the Schăf Face Moisturizer, it’s clean, natural and powered with good-for-skin actives.

Because the Facial Cleanser is formulated with coconut-based surfactants, it barely foams; though it emulsifies just enough to do the trick. It feels more like a cleansing moisturizer — if that were even a thing.

And, true to the Schăf mission of soothing and comforting even the most sensitive skin types, it’s formulated with comforting actives, including organic Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Leaf) Juice, Chamomile Flower Extracts and Cucumber Extract. It’s a rather tight INCI with just eleven ingredients in all. Notably, there’s also a fermented active in the form of Radish Root Ferment Filtrate to nourish skin. Such smooth stuff!

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Schăf Facial Cleanser for $40 here. For a limited time, receive 20% off all Schăf skin care with exclusive code SKINCARMA20. Enter code at check-out.

BUY SCHĂF FACIAL CLEANSER

Schăf Shave Cream

I don’t exactly love shaving. You never get used to scraping your face with a sharp razor blade! So, I’m always appreciative of a soothing, comforting shave cream that buffers my skin from the razor — and prevents nicks.

While I prefer shave creams that numb my face, they’re not very good for the skin — and not quite legal. My favorite shave cream of all time was the original Kiehl’s “Close-Shavers” Squadron™ Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream — also known as “White Eagle Shave Cream.”

I believe Kiehl’s has reformulated it several times in recent years and removed the characteristic numbing agents. If I remember correctly, it was benzocaine that numbed the skin; not long after L’Oreal swallowed up the brand, the medicinal active was removed to comply with FDA guidelines.

Shaving hasn’t been the same since.

If I get lazy and don’t shave for three days, shaving just gets harder and more awful. So, I try to be a bit more disciplined about it. When I’m disciplined and my beard isn’t too thick, the Schăf Shave Cream certainly does the trick! It’s all I need.

Like both the Facial Cleanser and Face Moisturizer, the vegan, natural formula is superbly soothing on the skin — something I certainly want in a shave cream. It’s also got a tight ingredient list with just 14 ingredients in all, including soothing Coconut Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Gel, and Allantoin — a bio-compatible active that occurs naturally in the skin and performs as an effective, skin-soothing and skin-conditioning agent.

The Schăf Shave Cream has quite a rich, luxurious texture that, while it buffers the skin from nicks and cuts, also happens to rinse instantly from the razor, something the Kiehl’s White Eagle Shave Cream was never very good at.

Interestingly, for such a short time on the market, Schăf’s Shave Cream has won two awards for best shave cream, including the 2019 Elite Beauty Award for Best Shaving Cream.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Schăf Shave Cream for $25 here. For a limited time, receive 20% off all Schăf skin care with exclusive code SKINCARMA20. Enter code at check-out.

BUY SCHĂF SHAVE CREAM

I hope you enjoy the week ahead. And, be sure to enter the SKINCARMA x SCHĂF SKINCARE giveaway for a chance to win the 3-product collection — the Schăf Facial Cleanser, Face Moisturizer and award-winning Shave Cream!

🖤 SKINCARMA

SHOP THE BLOG:

**Schăf Facial Cleanser**
**Schăf Face Moisturizer**
**Schăf Shave Cream**
**For a limited time, receive 20% off all Schăf skin care with exclusive code SKINCARMA20. Enter code at check-out.**

*WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF SCHĂF SKINCARE - AMONG THE BEST CLEAN SKINCARE PRODUCTS FOR FACE ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE.**

SUBSCRIBE TO SKINCARMA ON YOUTUBE

The Ingredient List of the Schăf Facial Cleanser:

Deionized water, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Leaf) Juice*, Decyl Glucoside, Sucrose Cocoate, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate**, Glyceryl Monostearate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract (Chamomile), Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Extract. *organic **ecocert

CONTAINS NO: Parabens, Fragrances, Essential Oils, Artificial Colours, Sulfates, Mineral Oil, Silicones, Emulsifying Wax, Phthalates, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Animal Byproducts, Gluten, Petroleum, GMOs.

The Ingredient List of the Schăf Face Moisturizer:

Deionized Water, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Leaf) Gel*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride**, Vitis Vinifera (Grape/Raisin) Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide7, Sodium Hyaluronate, Persea Gratissima (Avocado/Avocat) Oil*, Cannabis Sativa (hemp Seed) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower/Tournesol) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut/Noix de Coco) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba/Tournesol) Seed Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin/Citrouille) Seed Oil*, Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate**, Stearic Acid, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate**, Propanediol (Zemea)**, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerine (Vegetable), Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Sambucus Nigra (Elder) Flower*, Malva Sylvestris (Mallow) Extract*, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Extract*, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Sodium Levulinate**, Allantoin. *organic **ecocert

CONTAINS NO: Parabens, Fragrances, Essential Oils, Artificial Colours, Sulfates, Mineral Oil, Silicones, Emulsifying Wax, Phthalates, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Animal Byproducts, Gluten, Petroleum, GMOs.

The Ingredient List of the Schăf Shave Cream:

Deionized Water, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Aloe Barbadensis Gel*, Vegetable Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Stearic Acid, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate**, Propanediol (Zemea)**, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Cococaprylate, Mixed Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Allantoin. *organic **ecocert.

Use: After washing, or immediately after a shower, massage a small amount (one pump is plenty) of shave cream onto wet skin. Shave. Rinse with warm water.

CONTAINS NO: Parabens, Fragrances, Essential Oils, Artificial Colours, Sulfates, Mineral Oil, Silicones, Emulsifying Wax, Phthalates, Phenoxyethanol, Propylene Glycol, Animal Byproducts, Gluten, Petroleum, GMOs.