Mother Dirt
As a beauty fanatic, I have a magical elixir for every possible beauty problem stashed away in my closet, but over the past year, I’ve really been examining which products I truly need to use. I used to love intensely exfoliating products that would remove all of my dead skin, but I’ve come to realize that harsh exfoliation only makes my skin dry and inflamed…which makes me need to exfoliate even more. The same concept applies to my new found love for moisturizer. For years, I steered clear of any/all products that contained even a smidge of oil out of fear that it would make my skin oily; however, my skin’s oil production evened out the second that I started to moisturize consistently. I’ve learned that while some products feel good to use in the moment, they only lead to more problems down the road. I’ve recently been trying out a collection of products that leads me to question my beauty routine even more.
Most of the products in our beauty routine are aimed at removing bacteria, dirt, and oil from our skin; however, our skin needs a certain amount of good bacteria and oil to remain balanced and even. is a new brand with a completely different mindset. Their products restore and maintain the good bacteria found on your skin with live Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (strain: nitrosomonas eutropha). Yep, you read that sentence correctly. Their products contain live bacteria. It may sound creepy, but the strain of bacteria that’s within the products isn’t the bad kind. This good kind of bacteria helps your skin maintain a balanced microbiome, which means your oil problems, dryness, and odors will be less of a problem. The concept was too cool not to test out, so naturally I gave all three of their products a try. Let the records state that I rubbed live bacteria all over my skin in the name of beauty research!
The first product I tried out was the . This mild foam cleanser is completely free of fragrances, dyes, or preservatives, and its biome-friendly formula nurtures the Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria. I’ll admit that I was a little bit hesitant to rub it all over my face, but trust me, there’s nothing to worry about. The foaming cleanser was extremely gentle and unscented, and I used it to cleanse my face and my body. I found it removed the excess oil and dirt from my skin easily without stripping away too much of my skin’s moisture. While it seems like a really nice gentle cleanser, it’s cool to know that it’s actually doing more to your skin than what meets the eye.
With continued use, Mother Dirt claims that the active bacteria in their products will improve hydration and balance oil production Their goal is to help solve your skin’s base problems by balancing the microbiome. Once your skin is balanced, you’ll ultimately be able to cut down the amount of products you use on a daily basis. I think this gentle cleanser works well, and I’m excited to continue using it to see how it changes my skin.
While I was excited to try the cleanser, I was PUMPED to test the . Why the excitement? In addition to all of the normal claims of shampoos (soft, shiny, voluminous hair), this product also claims to increase the amount of time between shampoos. The concept is the same as the other products. While people mainly think about shampoo as a product for your hair, it’s really a product for your scalp. By balancing the good bacteria levels, this product aims to control the oil production of your hair and reduce odor.
The shampoo gently cleansed my hair without stripping away too much oil. Like all sulfate-free shampoos, this product doesn’t foam up very well, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t working. Because less oil is stripped away, your hair and scalp won’t dry out or overcompensate with excessive oil production. I found it to be just as effective as a normal sulfate-free shampoo, and I’m excited to see the prolonged effects on my hair and scalp. I have very dry hair, so I did follow up with a conditioner; however, Mother Dirt says that some of their customers skip conditioner entirely. I’m thinking the choice to use conditioner mainly depends on the current condition of your skin in addition to styling preferences, but I’m curious to see if this product will reduce my need for conditioner over time. I’ll keep you posted!
The last product in the collection is the , and I was very skeptical about this product at first. This mist contains live Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (strain: nitrosomonas eutropha), and it’s meant to be sprayed on the areas of your face and body where you tend to sweat. I’ll be honest and tell you that I was highly skeptical of this product, so I tested out this product on a day when I knew I’d be at home…and away from people. I made sure to shake the bottle thoroughly, and then I applied the product to my face, underneath my arms, and along my chest.
The results of the initial test honestly blew my mind. After a full day of office work and running errands in the Florida summer, I didn’t notice any irregular amount of sweat or smell. Plus, I noticed that my makeup didn’t break up throughout the day. While I wear deodorant religiously (for obvious reasons), there’s a lot of scary research about the ingredients in traditional products. I’ve continued to wear this product for the past few days (misting twice daily), and I haven’t felt the need to reach for my heavy-duty deodorants.
I’d like to note that I’m not a heavy sweater to begin with, and I haven’t gone to the gym for the past week. With that being said, I am really excited to continue using this product. In addition to the perks of reducing my use of harsh deodorants, I don’t have another sweat and odor-reducing product that can be used all over your face and body. I really like using this product on my face before applying my serums and moisturizers, and it’s nice to be able to spritz a sweat-reducing product on my chest and arms on hot summer days. I think this product is extremely interesting, and I’m definitely going to use it during my workouts this week.
So what’s my final verdict? I really like these products. They’re not fancy or luxuriously-scented, but they get the job done. I’ve been really pleased with my results, and I’m curious to see the long-term effects. While I don’t think that I’ll ever give up all of my beauty potions and lotions, my thoughts about beauty products has changed substantially. I want to choose product that solve problems instead of using an endless array of products that smell nice but only make my skin’s problems worse.
If you’re someone who’s looking for an easy way to calm their skin’s problems and cut down the time and energy you spend on your daily routine, I think you’ll really like the line. In addition to creating a quick and easy routine, this trio of products can reduce the amount of chemicals that you use on your skin each day. I can’t wait to see how my thoughts changed with prolonged use, and I will keep you posted on any new results!
If you’d like to try Mother Dirt products, use the code for 25% off + free shipping!
