Talk About It - J.R. Watkins

Hi beautiful! Today's Talk About It is a long overdue review of an awesome, affordable, and accessible company you may or may not be familiar with. J.R. Watkins has been around for over 140 years (the company was founded in 1868) and they create and sell personal and home care products in addition to remedies for common ailments and cooking supplements like spices, oils, seasonings, sauce mixes, and extracts. Everything they produce is made with the highest quality natural ingredients.

J.R. Watkins was the very first natural apothecary and product maker. He pioneered the natural lifestyle that is gaining popularity in America today. The company started when J.R. created his original product, Natural Pain Relieving Liniment, in his kitchen, which he sold door to door in Minnesota. Mr. Watkins was far ahead of his time and extremely innovative. He even offered the very first money back guarantee. Now the company has grown to have a catalogue of around 400 products, all created using the same standards that Watkins strived for.

The company's line of personal care products is made up of natural and eco-friendly ingredients that come from renewable and sustainable sources. You'll never find any of the scary stuff like parabens, sulfates, phthalates or the rest of the bad beauty product additives in their offerings. They are even certified by the Natural Products Association. The packaging of their products is recyclable and they never test their formulations on our furry friends.

I love their spices (I have many in my cupboard) and cleaning solutions but today is all about their personal care products. I was so fortunate to be able to try several things and there is not a single product that I dislike in the bunch. First up is the Sugar and Shea Body Scrub in Coconut Milk and Honey – it smells so delicious! This 100% natural formula leaves my body feeling hydrated, supple, and radiant by buffing all of my dead skin cells off while conditioning the skin. I love using it in the shower. It's gentle yet effective and I just adore it. I feel as though I can't stop touching my arms and legs after exfoliating with this yummy scrub.



After exfoliating I have a compulsion to moisturize to really lock in my new found hydration and their Hand and Body Lotion in Vanilla is just perfect. I use it daily, not just after exfoliating, because it's extraordinarily moisturizing while being neither too thick nor too thin. It's the perfect consistency and it leaves me feeling comfortable in my own skin. The vanilla scent is divine - it smells like a tasty cupcake covered in butter cream!



Speaking of cupcakes they make a wonderful Shea Butter Hand Cream that comes in several scents. I got to try out the Lemon Cream (which smells like a lemon cake!) and Mango. Their hand cream formula is rich and thick! It works hard to moisturize and refresh dry hands. It's also wonderful for the feet. The scents of both are great, but they do linger for hours and are very strong so if you're sensitive to smells you might want to skip these.



Another product that I use (almost) nightly is the Lavender Body Oil. I add a little to my warm, nightly bath and soak. My skin absorbs all of the oil and the scent helps me get ready for bed. Lavender is my signal that it's time to settle down and relax. It's a very simple, straight-forward yet fabulous product. A little goes a very long way! You can use body oil in a multitude of ways but I like using it in the tub.



Last but certainly not least are the lip products I got to try. I received two of their Lip Tints in Strike-A-Rose and Stardust. I like these a lot! They're minty, hydrating, shimmery, and tinted. Strike-A-Rose is a fairly pigmented, cool pink and Stardust is a really pretty champagne/clear shimmer. I've gotten more use out of the rose shade but I like both. They go on smoothly and last a long time on the lips too. They have very finely milled shimmer so it doesn't look like you've piled a bunch of glitter on your pout.


The other lip products I tried came in a set called the Lil' Lip Combo Pack. This set came in a little plastic, zippered pouch stuffed with 4 balms - two Weatherproofing Lip Balms in Raspberry and the Natural Beeswax Lip Balm in both stick and tin form. The Weatherproofing Lip Balm is yummy smelling. It's also perfect for the harsh winter months because it forms a moisturizer barrier against the elements. It's not sticky or too thick. It's a great balm but so is their Natural Beeswax version. The Natural Beeswax Lip Balm is packed full of refreshing peppermint scent and flavor. It's also got tons of beneficial ingredients to keep lips soft, full, and hydrated. It definitely helps chase away the chap.

You can check out and purchase these and other great J.R. Watkins products on their website by clicking here. I know they sell their products at my local Fred Meyer and Rite-Aid so check in stores near you to find out if they're available locally. You can even join their Clear Conscious Club to discover members only benefits like discounts, news, tips and advice, and exclusive updates.

(FTC: These products were so generously provided to me for review consideration by the company. I am not being compensated to write this review. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are my own and honest.)