Oh! This line? — YUNI Beauty — has, like, hot Soul Cycle babe written all over it. If I ever go back to Soul Cycle (why is it so expensive?), I’m definitely bringing a couple things from YUNI along with me. Side note: remind me sometime to tell you about the one and only time I went to Soul Cycle and how I had a full-on emotional meltdown on the bike.
No, seriously, I cried like a freaking baby! It’s kind of funny now that I think about it…
“Mindful beauty for an active life”
YUNI Beauty is a small brand that just recently launched at Sephora with six products, and their mantra is “Mindful beauty for an active life.” They have products for cleaning up after your workout, helping your muscles recover, and they also have a hair treatment that you can use while you’re working out, so everything in the line revolves around the idea of active beauty.
Plant-based products
Their formulations are made with primarily plant-based ingredients, and without parabens, formaldehydes, synthetic colors or fragrances.
I’ve tried four of the six products available now at Sephora, and my favorites are the $25 Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment and $18 Chillax Recovery Gel.
Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment ($25)
Hot Head is neat. I haven’t run into anything quite like it before (and I’ve been writing about beauty for 10 years!). Basically, it’s a moisturizing hair treatment with a fresh herbal lavender scent that you spray on your scalp and throughout your hair before you get your sweat on. After working the product through your hair, you put your hair up into a bun or braid — this is key! I’ll tell you why in a second — and, during your workout, your body temperature opens the cuticle of each hair to condition, repair, add shine, hydrate and control frizz and flyaways.
You can keep it in your hair after you’re done with your workout, and go about your business, or, you can rinse it out. I like to rinse it out because it feels slightly greasy to me, and I don’t like feeling that in my hair all day long.
Hot Head Microveil Hair Treatment Ingredients
SD Alcohol 40-b, Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Isopropyl Palmitate, Argania Spinosa Kernal Oil, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Ethyl Macadamiate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Fragrance
The greasy feeling is also why I prefer to put my hair up in a bun or braid when I use it. I wore a ponytail once while I was using it, and my greasy ponytail kept hitting me in the face…which was aggravating.
Anyway, my hair likes it. After I rinse it out, then shampoo and condition, my hair looks extra shiny and feels soft and sensational.
Chillax Muscle Recovery Gel ($18)
The Chillax Muscle Recovery Gel is like a beauty girl’s high-end Icy Hot. LOL! With arnica, menthol, peppermint oil and aloe, among other plant-based goodies, it’s supposed to make muscles feel better.
I dunno… I think it works. I rub it on the arches of my feet after I exercise, and my feet aren’t nearly as sore as they usually get the next day when I don’t use it.
Chillax Muscle Recovery Gel Ingredients
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin, Menthol, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Capsicum Frutescens Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Arginine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Menthyl Lactate, Carbomer, Fragrance, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate
Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleanser ($22) and Shower Sheets ($15)
I feel like these two products are just OK — the Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleanser ($22) and Shower Sheets (which are $15 for a box of 12). Both are designed to remove sweat and stanky workout funk without the need for water.
Flash Bath is a foam that you rub into your skin after toweling off the sweat, and the Shower Sheets are soft, pre-moistened, over-sized body wipes that you just wipe yourself down with to gently cleanse, revitalize and deodorize every inch of your skin without alcohol or harsh chemicals.
Flash Bath No-Rinse Body Cleanser Ingredients
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Polysorbate 20, Decyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Coco-Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate, SD Alcohol 40-b, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Heptyl Undecylenate, Xylitol, Dimethicone, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Fragrance, Gluconolactone, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid
Both smell really good! Flash Bath smells like lavender, and the Shower Sheets smell like peppermint. My skin feels refreshed and quite clean after using them, but after my skin dries, the crooks of my elbows, the backs of my knees and my neck feel sticky…and I can’t deal with sticky skin. It’s one of my pet peeves in life.
Shower Sheet Ingredients
Water, Saccharomyces Ferment Filtrate, Glycerin, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Rosemarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Citrus Medica Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil, Cymbopogon Martini Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Salvia sclarea (Clary) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Bitter Orange) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract, Tocopheryl Acetate, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Polyglyceryl-4 Caprylate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Decyl Glucoside, Diglycerin, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Citric Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
I mean…if sticky skin doesn’t bug you, or if you’re perpetually late for everything and looking to find ways to save time after your workouts, you might still like them because of their fab ingredients and convenience.
You can find YUNI Beauty now at Sephora stores and online.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I take hot yoga and spin classes, so I’ve been eyeing Hot Head for a while now. I have short, wavy/curly hair that I put back in a headband when I work out (it’s not long enough to tie back), so I’ll have to try it and see if it works. I’m a little concerned about the greasy feeling, though.
I love the Chillax muscle rub! It’s great! And funny enough I went to a Soul Cycle class and used one of those shower wipes cause I had a lunch date afterwards. It’s so expensive! I may drop into the occasional class but I already pay for a gym membership and yoga so it really starts to add up!
I still need to test out the flash bath. Reminds me of the foaming waterless dog shampoo I have. Haha.
I did notice this new brand on Sephora’s website! I’ve been working hard to up my fitness game lately (the joys of signing up for Classpass!), and I’m obsessed with anything fitness related, so it’s right up my alley. I might grab that set of minis they have.
The hair treatment sounds like the coconut oil and aloe hair mask I do once a month, just with a lot less effort and without a shower cap involved. I will see if the European Sephora carries it and give it a go to compare.
The muscle relax sounds interesting.
I’m definitely for products that target an active lifestyle but if Hot Head makes YOUR mane feel greasy, I don’t want to think what it’ll do to mine! I could have used the wipes yesterday, though. I only had time to wash my face (and change) before running out the door. Thankfully I’m not a stinky sweater. 🙂
It’s sad we don’t have Sephora in the UK, but will have a look at the one in Athens this week in case I can try this brand 🙂
Those shower sheets sound great. I wish I had known of them sooner. My husband could really use those when out in the field! Much better than baby wipes!
I’d probably use them too. I often only sweat in my business zones, bra line, and pits with light workouts, so if I know I need to get other errands done quickly after a quick light workout I could skip the shower. My skin and hair seem to take forever to dry.