I love discovering brands like Mioja; those that are proudly South African but totally live up to international ‘standards’. They go a long way in challenging that that stupid ‘it was made by a scientist in France so it must be better’ mindset.  But ja… getting back to Mioja…

Mioja goodies take a holistic approach to your bod and make use of natural ingredients specifically chosen for their skin care benefits as well their effect on your emotional wellbeing. While it’s not a certified organic range, it does make use of a whackload of organic essential oils. It’s also free of sodium lauryl sulphates, parabens, petrochemicals, silicones and artificial colours and fragrances.

I got given a few of their goodies to test drive and, of everything I tried, I was most impressed with their exfoliator; Mioja White Clay and Chamomile skin polish, R265, from the violet range.

In fact, that’s a bit of an understatement; this little darling beats the living shizz out of the last scrub to meet my needs for serious scrubby awesomeness, Dr. Brandt’s microdermabrasion in a jar. It’s also half the price making it my new favourite exfoliator. I LOVE that it’s densely packed with super fine rice grains that manage to remove dry, dead skin cells with ease. Even better? It’s in a kaolin ‘base’ so, once you’re done scrubbing, you can leave it on your skin for a bit to act as a mask. (Kaolin’s great for sucking excess oil and impurities from your pores.) It also makes use of super soothing chamomile oil (this ensures your skin isn’t left feeling dry and tight when you’re done) and spearmint oil that gives it a delish, refreshing scent. Seriously girls, if you’re looking for a new facial exfoliator, give Mioja’s a bash. 

Another goodie? The Cardamom and Orange lip treatment, R155, from the orange range.

This guy’s a moisturising blend of Shea butter and beeswax as well as apricot and almond oil. Also included in the mix are ‘stimulating oils’ like orange peel, cardamom and ginger to help plump up the fines lines around your lips. After first using it, my initial reaction was ‘ja… it’s nice… but I still prefer my AHA-infused Blistex DCT…’ Thing is, it’s been sitting on my night stand and now I’ve become very attached to it after dipping into it all the time… While it doesn’t have the ‘double action’ of exfoliating while hydrating it does have a yummy sweet orange scent while Blistex smells horrendously medicinal. It also feels more ‘comforting’ on the skin which sounds a bit odd, but if you try it you’ll see what I mean.

Texture-wise, it’s very similar to award-winning Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter cuticle balm (no longer available in South Africa). I’ve thus been rubbing Mioja’s lip treatment into my cuticles as well as my lips and love how it leaves them feeling nice and soft. So soft in fact that you can push them back and even remove them should you wish!

I also like Mioja’s Elderflower and Violet body cream, R295, another goodie from the violet range.

This blend of mega-moisturising oils (think jojoba, coconut, macadamia nut etc.), fragrant essential oils like rose geranium and violet leaf extract. The latter is supposed to help ‘facilitate clear seeing, feeling and being’. Does it? I’m not sure, but something about this lotion’s scent reminds me a bit of Clarins Toning body balm which I used to be obsessed with in college. I like to use it at night before bed because, from an aromatherapy perspective, it seems to engender a feeling of calm and serenity. It also makes use of elderflower extract which is supposed to help lighten and brighten your complexion while soothing minor skin irritations.

Anyway, if you’d like to explore Mioja’s range yourself, pop into your local Wellness Warehouse or shop in their online store. I’m sure you’ll love the pretty packaging, gorgeous scents and fab formulations. Also, if rub the skin polish on your hand to test it in store, don’t judge its ‘scrubby effectiveness’ on that experience alone; you need the teensiest tiniest drop of water to really convert it into a lean, mean exfoliating machine…

Love, love

Leigh