Shitaki, portabello, crimini — GIRL, can we just talk about my favorite mushrooms for a minute? (My favorite ones to eat.) I’ve got a small box of organic criminis waiting to be added to an omelet for lunch, yum!
None of these mushrooms have anything to do with the Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief line…but maybe that’s a good thing, because if they did we’d be here talking about truffles (mmm, truffle mac and cheese) for days.
The Mega-Mushroom line
The Origins Mega-Mushroom line is a collection of cleansers ($31 each), a toner ($34), serums ($48-73) and moisturizers ($66 each) for sensitive, dry and red, irritated skin, and, if you’re curious, no, they do not smell like mushrooms.
Essential oils
The three products I tried (the Face Cleanser, Micellar Cleanser and Soothing Treatment Lotion, which is basically a toner) smell lightly of lavender, which I guess isn’t a surprise, since lavender oil is one of the ingredients, along with other essential oils, like orange and patchouli (FYI, I’ve listed the ingredients of the products I’ve tested at the bottom of this post).
Reishi mushroom
The star ingredient, though, is a mushroom called reishi, or lingzhi mushroom, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine for healing and longevity, and it’s supposed to soothe red, sensitive skin.
I know this because Origins has this kick-@ss plant finder for all of the botanical ingredients in their products on their website.
The last time they revamped their packaging, they also revamped their entire approach to the line. Now they place plant-based ingredients front and center, kinda like Aveda does, and they list all of their ingredient on the website, which is SO helpful. It lets you get to know their products on a deeper, more practical level.
So, who’s this Dr. Weil dude, anyway?
He’s an author and celebrity doctor known for championing a healthy lifestyle and alternative medicine, and he donates the profits from the line to the non-profit Weil Foundation, which promotes integrative medicine, or the combination of alternative medical treatments alongside conventional medicine.
Moisturizing
I haven’t had any sensitive, red patches lately (knock on wood), so I can’t assess how well these work to reduce redness and sensitivity, but after steadily using them for three weeks, I can say that my combo dry/oily face is content with the high level of hydration, and the products haven’t triggered any breakouts yet.
