The Whiz Kids

Day 7: Intelligent Nutrients Anti-Aging Mist and Serum
A review by Jessica M

About a year ago, a wonderful aesthetician gave me useful skin advice during a facial treatment. She pointed out that my oily skin was dehydrated and rough, thanks to my overzealous use of benzoyl peroxide and mud masks. She advised discontinuing the benzoyl peroxide and cutting back on my use of mud-based products in colder weather. Instead, she suggested, I should try to do two important things: exfoliate gently but frequently, and get over my fear of hydration.

I’ll probably return to the subject of exfoliation in another skincare post, but right now, I’d like to mention the two products that have helped to soften and smooth my skin without causing any irritation or breakouts. Both are made by Intelligent Nutrients. One is the company’s Anti-Aging Mist; the other is Anti-Aging Serum. Intelligent Nutrients is known for its use of organic, food-grade ingredients, especially its signature “Intellimune Seed Oil Complex, “ a blend of cold-pressed oils from black cumin, pumpkin, red raspberry, red grape, and cranberry. I used to shy away from any product containing any type of oil, but this tasty-sounding blend gave me courage.

Intelligent Nutrients Anti-Aging Mist is a water-based spray that can be used as a facial toner or as a quick skin refresher at any time of day. I’ve been applying it after washing my face, morning and evening. I give it a quick shake and spritz it five or six times over my face. (I wish the atomizer released a more directed spray, but that’s just me being fussy.) The mist is lightly moisturizing and it makes the skin more receptive to any product that you might afterwards. Like all Intelligent Nutrients skincare products, it has anti-oxidant benefits and it’s free of plastics, parabens, phthalates, sulfates, silicone, and petrochemicals. Plus, in addition to the five-seed Intellimune blend, it has other botanical essences (bergamot, geranium, and ylang-ylang) that give it extra benefits and a fresh floral-herbal scent.

In the evening, I follow the Anti-Aging Mist with a dose of Anti-Aging Serum. Two small pumps of the bottle release enough serum to cover my face. I warm the liquid in the palms of my hand for a few seconds, then press and massage it gently into my skin. The serum has a base of safflower oil and contains other ingredients-du-jour, like argan oil and acaí fruit extract, but again, the Intellimune Seed Oil Complex is the heart of the formula. This product is rich in fatty acids, and it seems to “plump” the skin slightly from within, so that skin looks healthier and more resilient with repeated use of the serum. The serum’s scent is a little stronger than the facial mist’s scent, with a more peppery note (possibly from the cumin), but I’ve grown to like it. It reminds me that I’m basically giving my skin vitamins!

The Intelligent Nutrients line is available at the company website (http://www.intelligentnutrients.com), through SaffronRouge (http://www.saffronrouge.com), and at Barneys New York stores. The mist sells for $35 (1.7 oz.) and the serum sells for $60 (1.7 oz.), much less than other high-end, organic skincare remedies! I’ve repurchased the mist, and I’ll repurchase the serum when I finish my long-lasting bottle. My healthy, hydrated skin is grateful.

Disclaimer: Both products were purchased by the reviewer.
Image credits: product photo by Jessica M, brochure detail from Intelligent Nutrients.

Feed Your Head: Intelligent Nutrients Leave-In Conditioner and Finishing Gloss
A review by Jessica M

My hair is temperamental at the best of times: it has a dual personality (part curly, part wavy) and it reacts to changes in the weather with its own wild mood swings. It recently went slightly crazy after I experimented with some products supposedly made for curly hair. Other people have raved about that particular line of products, but they made my hair feel rough and rebellious.

Fortunately, I came across Intelligent Nutrients just after this episode, and I’ve managed to soothe and comfort my hair with a couple of these new products. Intelligent Nutrients is the latest creation of Horst Rechelbacher, the man behind Aveda: after he sold Aveda to Estée Lauder in 1997, he waited out the terms of an eight-year non-compete agreement and then produced this line of certified organic hair and skincare products. Every Intelligent Nutrients formula contains Rechelbacher’s signature “Intellimune” blend of antioxidant cold-pressed seed oils, while excluding mineral oil, silicones, parabens, sulfates, phthalates, plastics, artificial colors, and artificial fragrances. (Whew!)

I’ve been using Intelligent Nutrients Leave-In Conditioner on a daily basis for the past two months, mixing a nickel-size amount with my favorite styling cream or gel, and it has noticeably improved the texture of my hair. It’s hydrating, thanks to humectant (i.e., moisture-attracting) ingredients like glycerin, but it doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. It’s also chock-full of botanical oils and other natural ingredients like rice bran extract. The Leave-In Conditioner’s scent is a bit unusual and intensely herbal, with oregano oil and rosemary (in a blend called “Restore”), but it fades by the time I finish drying my hair.

Intelligent Nutrients Finishing Gloss is a frizz-taming serum, and it has impressed me by doing its job without silicones. Instead of leaving deposits of synthetic ingredients that work well at first, but then end up weighing down (or even drying out) the hair, this light gloss uses jojoba oil, sesame oil, shea butter, and beeswax to condition hair while smoothing the surface. I’ve been putting just a drop or two on the ends of my layers, and the calming effect on my hair is really surprising. (This product can also be used as a spot treatment on dry areas of skin, like elbows, knees, and cuticles.) The Finishing Gloss is scented with a cheerful blend of light citrus notes (called “InnerCalm”).

I’m hoping to try a few more products from Intelligent Nutrients, especially its Styling Cream and Hair Spray, once I use up some of the other bottles and tubes in my arsenal. My hair has been much happier since I’ve added these two styling products to its diet, and the fact that they’re all-natural makes me happy too.

For more information, see http://www.intelligentnutrients.com/

Intelligent Nutrients products are available at Barneys New York, and the phone number for the Intelligent Nutrients counter at the Madison Avenue store is (212) 833-2508.