That’s right, I said heel, not heal, as in what the Wonderbar does best…HEEL, like the bottom of your foot.  I do a fair amount of working out, or maybe it’s just the fact that I don’t get pedicures unless I’m forced to go out in fancy sandals (which is rare), or maybe I’m just too tired to take the time to get down and scrub my cracked heels.  At the end of the day (literally), the bottoms of my feet aren’t exactly on the top of my list.

However, because they had gotten really bad, and I knew from experience that the Wonderbar healed my swollen toe, I decided to try a little experiment.  I sort of forgot, until the other night, that I was even conducting an experiment- it had become second nature to me, I guess.  Anyway, what I do every, single night is follow my whole Wonderbar face and neck routine, and at the end, instead of rinsing my hands (which I really don’t do, anyway), I rub the extra Wonderbar suds all over my heels.  (Normally I would just leave it to dry on my hands, where, by the way, I have seen great improvement…they are softer and smoother, not to mention, the brown spots have most certainly faded over time.)

Anyway, after about six weeks of treating my heels, I have noticed that they are healing.  They are much softer and the cracks are slowly, but surely going away.  Now, I can only imagine that if I paired this routine with an occasional pedicure, or gave it half an effort and actually did a foot scrub, or even applied a moisturizer once in a while, that my heels would be even better.  For now, though, it’s enough for me.

Next time you apply the Wonderbar and go to rinse your hands…don’t.  Don’t waste a sud.  Use it on a scar, a rough patch, a sun-damaged area, an age spot, a scrape…or any part of your skin that may have been neglected or damaged.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised, and if you make a habit of it, you might even fall head over heels all over again with this little brown bar, that you THOUGHT was only for your face.

This post is sort of all over the map on topics, but lots of action lately, so lots to discuss! Some good questions, some good answers…people are really curious and that’s a great thing! I guess when there is endless debate over what makes a product work so well, it’s good news. I had the opportunity to travel back to New York last week and sit down with several beauty editors to discuss the Wonderbar. And once again, all seemed intrigued and anxious to give it a test-run. It was so much fun to see where everything goes down…makes me want to watch “The Devil Wears Prada” one more time. The first time I tried, I fell asleep before the opening scene. The best question to come out of my desk-side tour came from Vogue and InStyle magazines regarding bacterial growth on the bar. This is a legitimate concern for many and I’m happy to report that the answer is no, bacteria cannot grow on the bar. There are two reasons for this: 1) Moor is anti-bacterial and 2) The pH is acidic, therefore, bacteria die. Very good to know… The second question I want to address today is one that appeared in the form of a debate regarding the claim that states the bar “is effective in flushing out all of these toxins that may have been trapped under the skin for many years.” Some people were misunderstanding this to mean that toxins will remain under the skin for, literally, years, which is not possible. The answer straight from the manufacturer: “Toxins are under the skin cumulatively over long periods of time. Please do not take it literally as years.” So, to further clarify, they do not mean that the toxins stay under the skin for years, but rather, that some of us continually or consistently use toxic products and so there is a steady presence of toxins in our skin. I can definitely see how this would be misunderstood and I misunderstood it myself in the beginning. Hope that helps to clear it up… Lastly, I want to share a good rule of thumb regarding Wonderbar usage. Stick to products with a sole purpose. In other words, moisturizer meant to lock in moisture, powder and foundation (if you simply must) meant to cover and sun block meant to protect. Nothing added- SPFs, AHAs, Acids, Retinols, etc. Once you have adjusted to the bar, you may introduce actives or serums one at a time, so if you have some reaction, you can identify what is causing it. Many people say, “WHAT? I have to give up all my actives and my mineral powders?? I can’t do that!” Well, you don’t have to forever, but if you end up wanting to, now that’s a different story. We only ask that you give the actives and serums a rest while you are adjusting to the Wonderbar. You’ll get to know the bar and how it works best for you personally. Ironically, you might just find that you don’t need to wear makeup once you have adjusted. But the actives and serums? Yes, of course, reintroduce them at your discretion. One thing I learned while in New York is that a new summer trend is the bare look! That’s right; NO base…just a bare face. Well, maybe a little shadow, liner and glossy lips, but that’s it! Simple is in and I think the Wonderbar fits the bill perfectly. Look for celebrities to start going outside fresh-faced! You can join them by letting the Wonderbar address your skin issues so you don’t have to cover them up anymore! Hooray for summer!

We wanted to address some of the questions that have been posted on a few skincare forums regarding the Wonderbar.  We’ve compiled comprehensive information on the product based on input from the creator, the manufacturer, customers, and our own 15+ month experience using Wonderbar. If you have additional questions or concerns, or if you have had issues with Wonderbar despite using the product correctly and consistently for the recommended six weeks, please contact us at info@wonderbarusa.com.

Many users will experience the normal symptoms of the healing phase (dryness, irritation, white bumps, breakouts, brown patches) before achieving the clear, balanced, healthy skin Wonderbar promises. If customers stop using the treatment before the healing phase is complete—or use incompatible products with the regimen—they will not experience the benefits of Wonderbar. It is imperative that users follow the recommended course to accurately judge its efficacy and see the dramatic results Wonderbar delivers.

Like an exercise regimen, Wonderbar requires commitment—if you give up after two weeks or “cheat,” it won’t work. Wonderbar isn’t a quick-fix solution or a one-time-use treatment—it’s as much a part of your ongoing health care regimen as a quality shampoo or a daily multi-vitamin.

The questions:

What is in the Wonderbar and what does each component do?

a) Patented Base: provides a mildly acidic, pH-balanced cleansing environment

b) Moor: provides gentle, natural detoxification

c) Exclusive Microalgae Extract: heals, nourishes, protects and moisturizes while promoting cell turnover

d) Olive and Chamomile Oils: protect and hydrate

What causes breakouts during the healing phase?

a) The Heilmoor clay in the Wonderbar detoxifies your skin and draws out toxins, which can cause breakouts as toxins are brought to the surface.

What are the toxins that the Wonderbar claims to purge?

a) Wonderbar draws out many of the toxins that skincare and cosmetics deposit, which can accumulate over long periods of time. The greater the buildup of chemicals under the surface of your skin, the more severe the healing phase. Thus, children or adults with “virgin” skin will experience a minimal healing phase.

Why does skin become dry and irritated during the healing crisis?

a) Dryness is a sign of skin’s healing process and occurs before skin reaches optimal balance. We recommend that you continue to use the bar during this time and complete the regimen. The dryness subsides with continued use and your skin eventually begins to produce its own moisture, restoring natural balance. A good basic moisturizer can help keep skin hydrated during the dry phase and is safe to use in conjunction with the Wonderbar.

Can the healing crisis cause rough brown marks to appear on your skin?

a) Yes, but these are brown patches of dry skin that eventually come off with continued use.

Does Wonderbar claim to get rid of Melasma?

a) No, we claim that the bar fades hyper-pigmentation. Customers have shared that Wonderbar heals Melasma, but it is not among our claims.

What drives the cell turnover when using the Wonderbar?

a) The Chlorey’nahre.

What is Chlorey’nahre exactly?

a) Chlorey’nahre (CLO) is the name for an exclusive combination of algae extracts combined with hMA, which is extracted specifically to formulate Wonderbar. Chlorey’nahre is the healing component of the product and is renowned for its ability to penetrate and heal the skin.

What happens to your skin if you leave the Wonderbar on too long?

a) Wonderbar acts as a powerful exfoliant, toner and cleanser in one. 3-5 minutes twice daily is all you need to heal and rebalance skin.  Due to the potency of the product, we recommend that you avoid actives such as retinols or other types of “acid” products—the combination is too harsh and irritating.

Have clinical trials been done with the Wonderbar?

a) No, our customer results speak for themselves.

What is Tiffany Masterson’s background?

a) As a partner in Wonderbar Distributors, I have received feedback from hundreds of customers and am extremely familiar with the proper usage and benefits of the bar. However, I am not a scientist or dermatologist; customers should also seek the advice of a dermatologist when necessary.

Is the Wonderbar the same bar as Eumora?

a) No, the Wonderbar is a more advanced and more effective formulation made by the same manufacturer.

WHICH MOISTURIZER AND SUNSCREEN SHOULD I USE?

a) A good rule of thumb in choosing a moisturizer (or sunblock) is to stick with one that has a sole purpose: in the case of a moisturizer, to provide a barrier that locks in moisture, and in the case of a sunblock, to protect.  Plain and simple.  Try to avoid moisturizers with added perfumes and chemicals, SPFs, retinoids, AHAs, Salicylic Acids, etc.  For sun protection, choose a physical sunblock with the active ingredients Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.  This will sit on top of your skin and provide a shield from the sun, as opposed to penetrating your pores.

and, last but not least, this question usually comes to us in the form of a scream through the phone…

WHY IS IT SO SMALL?!?!?

a) Precious things sometimes come in small packages.  The size is not at all indicative of the life of the bar.  It lasts a lot longer than it appears it would and it is not soap, so if thought of as soap, the size might disappoint you.  When people use the bar and see how long it lasts, they are delighted and amazed.

We hope this will answer some of the questions about our rising star, the Wonderbar.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if your question wasn’t answered.  Curiosity is a great thing and when it comes to the Wonderbar, it is clearly peaking off the charts! 

“….Recently I got the chance to poke one of the brains behind Self’s beauty experts. Alex Samuels is an associate beauty editor at Self and she was kind enough to answer my questions about working at Self and what it takes to make it in the publishing industry.

MizzJ: What do you do as a beauty editor?
Alex: I pitch newsy stories for the front half of the beauty section. Once we decide on a lineup, I either research and write the stories, or assign them to writers. I also round up all the product that appear in my stories. Then, I edit the pieces with my top editor (who is amazing), and work with the designers as they create the layouts. I oversee our annual Spa Giveaway in April, our Healthy Beauty Awards in May and our Trend Report in October. I also attend Fashion Week to round up beauty trends for the upcoming season.

MizzJ: Who’s your beauty icon? (that person who always looks just flawless and whose look you love to admire and emulate)
Alex: Jenny Lewis. I used to go see her band (Rilo Kiley) at the Westchester Community College Auditorium when I was in high school and am STILL obsessed with her style. Plus, she has the most gorgeous skin and always rocks perfectly tousled hair.

Thank you Alex for your insightful and interesting answers! You can check out Alex’s latest articles in the May 2010 issue of Self, out on stands now and featuring the gorgeous Zoe Saldana on the cover.”

YIPPEE!  A response many of you will be pleased with!!   The manufacturer of the Wonderbar has removed the talc from our list of ingredients.  The talc is gone.  No more talc.  A.D.I.O.S., TALC!  The reason for this?  Not because they were seriously concerned with the high-grade talc they were using (most of the hype over talc is, in fact, regarding powders that can be inhaled or applied to various body (booty ) parts), but because YOU did not want it in there…and they happily obliged.  I can understand why you didn’t want it in there, and now we can all breathe easier.  No pun intended there, but it worked out that way, didn’t it?

SO, beginning in a couple of months, the bars will be sent out talc-free.  And while we are on the topic of ingredients….in a RELATED story:

Paraffin.  Lots of questions on this as well.  This is their response….”with regard to Paraffin, only a small percentage  of the base is pre-mixed with our very high-grade paraffin (not the kerosene type), plus, our patented base neutralizes it anyway.”

SO, looks like we are nearing “almost perfect-product” status.  Now if we can just get people to quit trying to eat it, we’ll be in great shape. 

I guess it’s good news when other companies out there begin using the words “wonder” and “bar” in their advertising and marketing campaigns more and more…..different combinations like Bar-wonder, Wonder-bar, Wonder Bar, Bar of Wonder.  When we first started, you could google the word “wonderbar” and the only thing that came up was a bar in Asbury Park.  It’s been pretty exciting to watch from my viewpoint, actually, because it means we at WonderbarUSA are making an impact and leaving a strong impression in the market place.    That leads to name recognition, which leads to stronger sales.  We are seeing all of that, so we are very grateful.  :)  These days, my inbox is FULL of questions regarding Eumora and Cor Silver, so I thought I would just briefly respond here. 

Eumora is not the same as the Wonderbar, as seen on our website, wonderbarusa.com.  The two bars are made by the same manufacturer.   The Wonderbar is an improved and more effective version of Eumora.  The ingredients are the same, but the composition is different.  The distributors of Eumora are prohibited from selling the bar here in the United States, as we are prohibited from selling the Wonderbar in Malaysia or Singapore.  There, I said it and I mean it with all due respect. 

Secondly, people want to know about Cor Silver and why and how the Wonderbar is better or different.  They are both “bars”, hence the curiousity, but I think the similarities end there.   As far as I can tell, people love Cor Silver and while  it seems like a good product, I have never tried it myself and cannot speak from an educated standpoint on its effectiveness.  What I can say is that it does not contain the Chlore’nahre, which is the microalgae component that “heals” your skin.  Also, the advertised pH level of the Cor Silver bar is 7.2.   The pH level of the Wonderbar, as you’ve heard me say here before, is around 5.65.  Just to be clear (no pun intended), normal skin surface pH is between 4 and 6.5 in healthy people.   Lastly, the Cor Silver bar does not contain the Heilmoor Clay that detoxifies the skin.  As you can see, the three things that really make our bar wondrous, as they say, cannot be found in Cor Silver.  The two bars are different animals altogether.

SO, as my favorite blogger, Lainey, likes to say…..this is like a big buffet with lots of choices and YOU get to choose what you want.  WE just get to put it in front of you and hopefully……..you’ll make the right choice!

Dear Wonderbar,

“What a ripoff scheme you have going. I was shocked that I paid $40 for a sliver of soap. I have been using it everyday, and all I get is burning eyes. I would love to have my money back!” KW

Dear KW,

I am very sorry you are not satisfied with your purchase.  You are welcome to return the product and we will give you a full refund.  I do want to take this opportunity to clarify a few things.  The Wonderbar is not a bar of soap and if thought of that way, the size would be very deceiving and disappointing. It is made of clay and algae and lasts at least six weeks.  As an all-in-one product (cleanser, toner, exfoliate), it comes out to less than a dollar a day, which makes a lot of sense economically speaking.  Most beauty regimens are much more costly, as you probably know.   I am concerned that you are experiencing “burning” in your eyes.  It should not be used in the shower.  It should be applied before or after you shower in the morning and night, and left to permeate your skin for 3-5 minutes.  Then you should rinse off and apply a plain moisturizer.  If you lather too much and apply too close to your eyes, it might get into your eyes and sting.  If you are using any other products in conjunction with the Wonderbar that have anti-aging properties such as retinol or aha’s, it could irritate your skin and sting.  If you wouldn’t mind sharing with me how you have been using it, I would really appreciate it.  It is very good for us to hear people’s experiences and we welcome it.  The testimonials on the website are genuine. The overall acceptance of the product has been fantastic, but it has to be used correctly.  Please let me know if you get a minute.   We appreciate your business and would love to identify what exactly is causing the problem.  Sincerely, Wonderbar

no response……..flash-forward several weeks:

Dear Wonderbar,

I really love the wonderbar now! I guess I didn’t give it a chance before writing to you.  You are so right about the benefits using the wonderbar. (correctly, not using in shower)  I now see how it is not soap, but as a skin treatment! I have really changed my mind about how great this clay treatment really is! My skin is really looking great! People keep complementing me about how fresh my face looks. After wearing my makeup for more than 5 or 6 hours, people have asked me if I just put on makeup, which I have not!  Love , love the Wonderbar..Thanks so much for following up with me, and making sure I was satisfied with my purchase.   God Bless You!! KW

I’m learning as I go, but did you know that we absorb environmental toxins through our skin and if you don’t draw them out, they’re absorbed into the bloodstream?  These free radicals not only age our skin, but mutate DNA so that it can’t be replicated properly, causing problems such as cancer, migraines, exhaustion, irritability, and more.

We can’t completely prevent it, obviously, because we have a lot of skin, so let’s just start with our face.  Toxins that we absorb from the environment, and even from various skin care products, can be so dangerous.  So it stands to reason that the Wonderbar could potentially reduce the amount of free radicals we contain in our bodies, greatly reducing our chances of significant problems.  What’s not to love about that??  It’s a no-brainer.

And…any product can claim to remove toxins through deep-cleansing….but don’t believe everything you hear.  The product needs to contain mostly natural ingredients, as these are the best and most healing for our skin. Also, a synergistic mixture of ingredients is important.  For example, Heilmoor clay is really effective at pulling out dirt from the skin, and when combined with quality moisturizing ingredients and one or two quality antioxidant ingredients, you have a good detoxifying product.  This is how these ingredients work in synergy: the clay absorbs oils and pulls out the toxins while the moisturizing ingredients protect the skin from the drying effects of the clay. Then the antioxidant ingredients absorb into the skin to fight the free radicals from the toxins left over.  In the case of the Wonderbar, though, all of these ingredients work even better because the added micro-algae has the ability to literally “heal” your skin deep down and the PH level of the bar is around 5.65, which is balanced.  The name Wonderbar is well-deserved…….getting the picture, yet?  I’m gonna pound you until you do! ;)  So buy a Wonderbar, get the toxins out and enjoy the “healthy skin” look.  Foundations and powders are SO 2009.

I know, it’s really incredible and exciting…..but maybe not for everyone.  The nine “top-selling” skincare products on the Sephora website claim to each do one or more of the following things:

fade pigmentation, shrink pores, improve clarity, treat acne, control oil and blemishes, improve appearance of age-related skin issues, reduce stretch marks, restore elasticity, firm and tone skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, moisturize, conquer skin damage……

They might do some of these things, but NONE of them do it all at the same time.  Which means of course that you aren’t getting out the door without two, three or even four products!  That is actually fine for some, people do like products.  The problem comes in when they spend all of that time and money and don’t get the results they are expecting.  At least this is what I’m consistently told by our clients.

Also……on the Sephora website, they have a list of ten areas of concern for the face, which can each be clicked on to show multiple product solutions for each area of concern.  They are as follows:

Enlarged blackheads and pores, breakouts and acne, dryness, oiliness, fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation and uneven texture, loss of elasticity, redness/ rosacea and sun protection! 

Hmmmm, that’s all sounding a little familiar, and for good reason.  The Wonderbar addresses NINE out of ten of them- the tenth is a sunscreen and we just don’t do that- but a simple, effective one is easy to find.  SO, you can choose from HUNDREDS of products which may or may not address one or two concerns each, OR you can just buy a Wonderbar and a plain moisturizer/ sunscreen and be done.  

For now, let’s keep it between us that the Wonderbar is also a shampoo and scalp equalizer on top of everything else, we do NOT want to sound like we’re bragging!

	Sun Protection