Have you heard of the Wonderbar? Supposedly helps melasma
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:04 pm

DarkMoon wrote:

bethany wrote:

It's HEEEEEERE!!!! Very Happy

Mine has arrived and I will use it this evening.

Initial Observations:
- Fast shipping via priority mail envelope
- Nicely packaged (sealed envelope within a little box), but the box got smashed within the envelope and looked rather beat up. So FYI if you are planning on giving these as a gift
- It came with a 1 page instruction sheet
- The bar is gray with very little smell (thank goodness)
- It has an expiration date of 2/2012

Let's hope the poltergeists don't come out to play. Smile

So what is your regime plan with the wonderbar? Are you going to use it with your regular skin care routine or alone?
Either way looking forward to hearing your report on how it works out! Smile

I am currently "wearing" the Wonderbar...

- It is not gritty at all...the lather is very smooth, so there will be no manual exfoliation. Maybe it's dehydration induced exfoliation? Confused

- I can feel my face becoming a little tighter as it dries.
- Unless you spackle it on somehow, it's pretty much invisible, so I can totally see "wearing" this to bed as recommended in some cases.
- I will probably skip my other skin products for a few days just to see how I react to this just by itself.

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:44 pm

bethany wrote:

It's HEEEEEERE!!!! Very Happy

Mine has arrived and I will use it this evening.

Initial Observations:
- Fast shipping via priority mail envelope
- Nicely packaged (sealed envelope within a little box), but the box got smashed within the envelope and looked rather beat up. So FYI if you are planning on giving these as a gift
- It came with a 1 page instruction sheet
- The bar is gray with very little smell (thank goodness)
- It has an expiration date of 2/2012

Interesting Bethany Very Happy

, I received my bar as well and used it for the 1st time tonight. My approach will be a little different knowing my skin type.

I 1st used my OCM. Then lathered the bar, applied to my face avoiding my eyes & let it dry for 5 mins then rinsed. My face felt nice & clean with only a minimal amount of tightness. I have a more oily skin type.

I then applied my P&R CP Cream and a tiny bit of Emu Oil.

I plan on using only once a day and continuing with my basic routine, keeping it away from my Retin-A and other exfoliators.

That is the plan for now, anyway. It may change as I go. Especially if the Poltergeists that DM referred to appear in the night Shock

We'll see?

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:57 pm

I can't wait to hear from both of you and see what results occur, you are taking very different approaches to usage so this should be very informative indeed. Smile

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 7:59 pm

Star Model wrote:

I 1st used my OCM. Then lathered the bar, applied to my face avoiding my eyes & let it dry for 5 mins then rinsed. My face felt nice & clean with only a minimal amount of tightness. I have a more oily skin type.

I then applied my P&R CP Cream and a tiny bit of Emu Oil.

I plan on using only once a day and continuing with my basic routine, keeping it away from my Retin-A and other exfoliators.

When you say that you are "keeping it away from my Retin-A and other exfoliators" does that mean you are going to continue to use them, but at a different time of the day from the Wonderbar?

Editing to add: I will only be using mine once a day too...I'm worried about too much dryness.

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:11 pm

Star Model wrote:

bethany wrote:

It's HEEEEEERE!!!! Very Happy

Mine has arrived and I will use it this evening.

Initial Observations:
- Fast shipping via priority mail envelope
- Nicely packaged (sealed envelope within a little box), but the box got smashed within the envelope and looked rather beat up. So FYI if you are planning on giving these as a gift
- It came with a 1 page instruction sheet
- The bar is gray with very little smell (thank goodness)
- It has an expiration date of 2/2012

Interesting Bethany Very Happy

, I received my bar as well and used it for the 1st time tonight. My approach will be a little different knowing my skin type.

I 1st used my OCM. Then lathered the bar, applied to my face avoiding my eyes & let it dry for 5 mins then rinsed. My face felt nice & clean with only a minimal amount of tightness. I have a more oily skin type.

I then applied my P&R CP Cream and a tiny bit of Emu Oil.

I plan on using only once a day and continuing with my basic routine, keeping it away from my Retin-A and other exfoliators.

Thanks Girls! It will be interesting to see what observations and conclusions you make - both of you being the rather sophisticated skincare enthusiasts that I know you both are.
I'm sure we're all expecting amazing something or other for the cost of these babies.

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:26 pm

sister sweets wrote:

I'm sure we're all expecting amazing something or other for the cost of these babies.

After paying $46 for something the size of my digital camera battery (which may actually be cheaper, lol), I would have to agree with you!

I am thinking positive, but you also know that I'll be upfront about my observations when I'm done. Very Happy

I seldom drink the kool-aid...there are only a couple of things that I have raved about on EDS. (especially long-term!)

free skin care · Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:38 pm

Since I am using the WB only once a day, I decided to let it dry and leave it on for a bit (they do say you can sleep in it!).

When I rinsed it off after about an hour, I was definitely paler Shock

though it was a gray, ashy pale...not a good look unless you are a corpse. Confused

I was told by a knowledgeable forum member that it is not uncommon to have that happen with clay. But exactly HOW does that happen? How can clay make me look like all my blood got sucked right out?

Wed Apr 07, 2010 10:52 pm

oh bethany- I'm pale as it is. I'd look downright terrible. I assume color comes back in morning.

Wonder if you could spot treat with this over night on brown spots?

if I try it, I'm still going to use tret. at night Been using it for anti-aging for over 4 years.

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:15 am

bethany wrote:

I was told by a knowledgeable forum member that it is not uncommon to have that happen with clay. But exactly HOW does that happen? How can clay make me look like all my blood got sucked right out?

I would think that the clay would promote blood flow and leave a rosey look to the face? At least that is my experience with clay products. I hope Wonderbar comes back to explain this, as it would be interesting to hear Why it leaves the face a gray/ashy pale?

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 5:50 am

bethany wrote:

When you say that you are "keeping it away from my Retin-A and other exfoliators" does that mean you are going to continue to use them, but at a different time of the day from the Wonderbar?

Bethany, yes I will continue to use my Retin-A and exfoliators. I plan on using Retin-A tomorrow night. Not sure of my game plan until I actually get there. May use wonderbar in the AM on Retin-A days.

As for my 1st treatment:

I only left it on my skin for 5 min. & after rising thoroughly my skin felt soft and clean. Thumbs Up! I didn't really notice the pale look so much since I followed with my P&R CP Cream which brought instant radiance into my skin. A little Emu on top.

It is defintitely not an "All-in-One" Beauty treatment that is for sure, but seemed very nice as a *deep pore cleanser*. So far so good in that dept.

And yes, I am going to apply my MMUP this AM. Very Happy

I doubt very much that it will interfere with Wonderbar. Too many unsubstantiated claims both good and bad are made to justify it's high price.

I would never use this alone without my other products. Maybe that is for the younger girls?

Anyway, I need to use more then once to make any accurate conclusions. But it is turning out to be what I thought all along. Avery good, but "OVERPRICED" deep cleaning detoxifier.

I will say this, that by using once a day (which is my plan) the small bar should last a long time.

I will figure out it's cost per day once the bar is gone.

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:24 am

I got mine today and yeah, it's small. I plan on using it twice a day and see how things go, then post back.

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:32 am

rileygirl wrote:

bethany wrote:

I was told by a knowledgeable forum member that it is not uncommon to have that happen with clay. But exactly HOW does that happen? How can clay make me look like all my blood got sucked right out?

I would think that the clay would promote blood flow and leave a rosey look to the face? At least that is my experience with clay products. I hope Wonderbar comes back to explain this, as it would be interesting to hear Why it leaves the face a gray/ashy pale?

Same here some clay masks can leave your skin VERY red initially when you first wash them off! I would love to know what in this leaves a "corpse like" look on the skin? hmm

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:36 am

WhiteWolf wrote:

I got mine today and yeah, it's small. I plan on using it twice a day and see how things go, then post back.

I'll be looking forward to hearing your experience using this, Bethany and StarModel have very different experiences with the first use, and very different approaches to what they are using with it. Would you share your plan?

TIA Smile

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:22 am

holy smoke, never heard of such an expensive soap the size of a small battery. What will they come up with next? LOL

Thu Apr 08, 2010 12:41 pm

I ordered the Wonderbar the day after this thread was posted, LOL (after doing a bit of research). The bar arrived yesterday and I used it for the first time last night and again this morning. It did leave my face feeling slightly itchy at first, but also soft. I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to apply it to dry or wet face. The instructions are not clear on that. I put some Atopalm cream on my face afterward. I have lots of moisturizers and creams, but I don't know which to use because I don't really have any moisturizer on hand without chemicals or antioxidants or glycolics or whatever else we're not supposed to use with this bar. When this organic moisturizer I recently ordered on a whim from MuLondon arrives, I'll switch to that and see how it goes. These are the ingredients of the moisturizer: Vitellaria Paradoxa (Shea Butter)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut Butter)*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil)*, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary Extract)*, Vanilla Planifolia (Vanilla Extract)*, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa Extract). Contains no mineral oils, parabens, silicones, emulsifiers or other man-made chemicals. Hopefully it won't be too heavy and occlusive.

For the first six weeks (maybe two months?), I plan to use only the Wonderbar and a moisturizer and a sunscreen. I'm not really sure what kind of sunscreen to use either. I have several choices of separate, stand-alone sunscreens here, but after a while they often break me out so I might not be able to tell whether I'm reacting to the sunscreen or the bar. The sunscreen I was using before, consistently, is a moisturizer/sunscreen combo and is a chemical sunscreen and also has added glycolic. I think I will use the Elta MD UV Shield SPF 45 I have at first, though it is part chemical sunscreen, then maybe next week order the Vanicream sunscreen that is recommended in Wonderbar blog and see how that goes. After the first few days I'll probably incorporate my Clarisonic in the mornings (lather the bar and apply the soap, let it dry for five minutes, wet the Clarisonic brush and use it over my face, then rinse off) because my face doesn't really feel clean, especially around my nose, without some physical exfoliation. I also have some of the Lemon Peel Bioferment that I got about five weeks ago, but I haven't been using that consistently. That's part of my problem--I get things to help and use them for a week or two then use becomes sporadic because I get discouraged when I don't see immediate results, or I just get lazy. But I figure I have to wash my face (at least once a day!) anyway. Since I rarely wear makeup, sometimes I slack in the evenings. So the bar isn't really an extra step since I need some kind of cleanser anyway, so hopefully I will be able to stick with the process this time. Anyway, after a couple of days, I plan to dab the LPB on a couple of spots (the darkest and most recent ones), but not use it all over my face.

I have so many skin care products that I can't imagine not using them, or letting them go to waste completely. I'm always looking for the next best thing, something for added "oomph," so I can't imagine just using this bar and a moisturizer/sunscreen combo for the rest of my life, unless it really does turn out to work miracles. It seems rather boring. If I'm still using the bar after two months, I will slowly reincorporate some of the other products I have, at least until I use them up. From the blog on the Wonderbar site and their Facebook page, it looks like the company may be planning on introducing some additional products to use in conjunction with the bar. I'm a bit suspicious of companies that recommend using only their product line to avoid adverse skin reactions, so hopefully that won't turn out to be the case with this company.

I'm slicing the bar in roughly fourths so hopefully it will last a little longer since the whole bar is not getting wet and dissolving at the same time. The price is certainly nothing to sneeze at. But if it actually works, I don't think it's a bad deal. I know I've spent $120 - $150 before on certain serums and creams that, for the amount of time they last, break down to about $20 a month, which is roughly the cost of the Wonderbar.

I took some "before" pictures but I'm not sure how well they show the condition of my skin. My areas of hyperpigmentation and melasma don't really show up so well on camera--the light seems to diffuse them--and I'm not sure how to get a good photo (especially since I don't want to ask anyone else to photograph those areas for me). But if the bar turns out to make a visible difference, I'll try to take some "after" pictures and post before/after.

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 2:36 pm

Good luck with the bar, Renata! I will be curious to hear your take on it, especially since you plan on using it with only a moisturizer and sunscreen for a few months. Do you have any other issues that you are hoping the bar helps other than hyperpigmentation and/or melasma?

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:40 pm

DarkMoon wrote:

I'll be looking forward to hearing your experience using this, Bethany and StarModel have very different experiences with the first use, and very different approaches to what they are using with it. Would you share your plan?

TIA Smile

Sure no problem. Smile

I'll be sticking to a mild moisturizer (no retinol or acids), sunscreen, and only on weekends liquid foundation. Also will use copper peptides on occasion along with the rest of my bottle of Lemon Peel Bioferment. Oh, and of course I will still use my Lightstim + green tea pretreatment serum.

Off to give it my first try....

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 4:48 pm

There are a few more members giving this a trial so we should have a decent amount of reviews coming up after a while! I will be very interested to see how it goes for everyone. Good luck to all for a positive experience! Smile

thanks all.

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:34 pm

I just read this on the Wonderbar blog..rather disappointing.

I have to admit that if I knew I had to give up all my other products to use this one bar, I would not have purchased it...I really don't think that requirement is sufficiently clear in the marketing materials, and I didn't expect to be publically flogged for 1) using it only once daily and 2) integrating my other products.

This reminds me of using 302 Skincare, except they were far more forthcoming right up front about all the "rules" and they had clinical studies showing results. While the Wonderbar may be a great "basic" routine (especially for troubled skin, just like 302), they have no clinicals SHOWING that this is equivalent to an anti-aging routine.

After reading this, I'm really not sure I feel good about using this anymore. And I definitely don't feel good about a marketing tactic that dismisses what customers think and feel. But I will say that this will fit perfectly into MLM...there are lots of kool-aid drinkers out there!

Quote:

Wonderbar. Moisturizer. Sunblock. Don’t make yourself crazy…just keep it simple.

Have we been brainwashed or what?? What is going on that we feel we have to use 15 products in order to achieve our skincare goals? Why the obsession with covering up the flaws and issues? Why not just address the issues and fix the flaws? Wouldn’t it just be easier to have healthy skin that we didn’t NEED to cover up? We can get our skin to glow by using all of these different products with ingredients that give us a “fake” glow- yuck. And then, we exacerbate our issues and just need more product to cover up our dull, unhealthy skin and make it glow again. The more cover-up we use, the more we need to cover up. It’s a vicious cycle and one that I would love to help put an end to. I do understand that there is trauma associated with having to fight a lifelong skin problem, that there is a fear that it will get worse permanently, and that there is a belief that we can’t leave our house without makeup. We have been told SO many different stories by our dermatologists, facialists, skincare “gurus”, department store makeup ladies, etc., that it’s downright overwhelming. Hearing all of the conflicting theories can be scary, discomforting and…well, suspicious. Sometimes, though, you just gotta go with your gut and step out of your comfort zone…..sometimes it just works out for the best and we learn something in the process. Maybe we even learn how to glow…naturally?

There is a skin care forum out there right now where several people are discussing the Wonderbar. Great, right? Wrong, kind of….while I want people to talk about the product and I want people to question anything and everything they put on their skin, it’s a little worrisome to someone as hands-on as I am when blatantly false info about the Wonderbar is put out there for public consumption. A few of the members of this forum have sort of decided, without ever having tried the product, that they know what it can and can’t do. They have also decided that they are going to use the product with all of their other skincare products, no matter what the recommendations are. Some have decided to use it once a day. Some have decided that it’s not really a cleanser, just an exfoliate. Some have decided that in the midst of the healing crisis, right around three weeks, it’s appropriate to stop. Some have decided that the whole notion of “getting worse before better” is not a good thing and that it’s too risky to push through anything the even remotely resembles something unfamiliar. Some have decided that it’s a huge conspiracy and that we PAY for reviews and testimonials. (That’s my personal favorite and SUCH a great way to spend the company’s money.) I want to step in, but I can’t. We live in a free country and we get to say anything we want. I urge you, though, before you invest in this product, to FOLLOW THE SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS and try not to listen to speculation. If you don’t use it correctly and consistently, it won’t work like it’s supposed to…..if you refuse, if you are SO skeptical that you won’t do it the way it’s meant to be done, if you can’t accept the simplicity, if you don’t want to LEARN about the product, than to you I say (in a loving way): Save your money, put away your credit card, this is probably not for you. Really. I’m just trying to be as direct as I can and I often say it to my own friends. You’re either on board or you’re not. AND, I ask you respectfully, if you are not going to use the product the way it was meant to be used, please do not review it and mislead the people who could and want to benefit from it.

If all of this is falling on deaf ears and you still want to buy the product and use it in a different way, just for your own amusement and/or for experimental purposes- go for it. It is your choice. WonderbarUSA just can’t be responsible for your results.

Before I go, I ask you to consider something. Wouldn’t it be lovely (favorite word) to look in your medicine cabinet and only see three things? Wouldn’t it be nice to have one product that actually works to combat your skin issues? Wouldn’t it be great to have skin that you don’t want or need to cover up?? I have to tell you, it’s not only lovely, nice and great, it’s a LOT easier on the pocket book too. And let’s be honest, I think we ALL can agree that that’s very appealing in this day and age. So quit pulling your hair out, sometimes the solution is not quite as complicated as you’ve been told it is.

http://wonderbarusa.com/blog/

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 7:49 pm

Ouch... and you know, I was thinking about 302 today too! I bought into 302 big time and it didn't do a thing for my skin. Sad

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:35 pm

Got mine today and used it right away. Left it on for 10 minutes then washed it off. Face felt tight and extremely dry. Going to back off and go for the 3 minutes tomorrow. I just read the blog and I am not happy about it. She was very rude IMO.

Since I paid for this bar of gold I am going to continue for 3 weeks using moisturizer when needed and SS.

I bought 4 and am sending one to a friend and give the other 2 for my HB to use when he shaves as its suppose to be great for those that have issues with ingrown hairs, which he is a victim of big time.

Good luck to those that are trying this out. It would be great if it did what it says it does but then again I have heard that so many times that I have a refrigerator full of products to prove it.

Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:00 pm

Wow, I'm very surprised by Tiffany's latest blog post. I only had one brief interaction with her and she seemed very nice. I assume she's concerned that people will report bad results on a public forum, but chastising people like this is not the way to get anyone to try your product. Everyone here who's not using it as recommended has clearly stated that they're not following instructions and I'm sure they would indicate that when they reported their results. Any consumer with a brain would be able to take that fact into consideration when they make a decision whether or not to purchase the bar. Anyway, the tone of her blog post takes away some of my excitement about using this bar or dealing with the company.

rileygirl wrote:

Good luck with the bar, Renata! I will be curious to hear your take on it, especially since you plan on using it with only a moisturizer and sunscreen for a few months. Do you have any other issues that you are hoping the bar helps other than hyperpigmentation and/or melasma?

Thanks, rileygirl. I am mainly concerned with treating my hyperpigmentation and melasma, but I also hope the bar will clean out my pores and get rid of a few blackheads and whiteheads that I have. I also get a breakout on my chin every three or four months. I think it's hormonal, and it would be a bonus if the bar could eliminate that--if I continue to use it.

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:30 pm

It's an easy out to insist that the product only works when people use it exactly the way they're instructed to -- without explaining the significance of the instructions (chemical reactions with product mixes? interference with the bar's only miracle properties?). That way, when the bar doesn't work, it's clearly the customer's fault, not the bar!

It will be interesting to hear if the algae/clay combo has any worthwhile effects at all.

Thu Apr 08, 2010 11:06 pm

I must be nuts. I didn't find any of the comments here offensive at all. Maybe I have thick skin. Had some mean blog posts about my products and you learn to roll with it. (I'm not in the beauty industry.)

I find the reviews here very honest.

And as much as I've done with skincare since I was about 14, I'm still not convinced your skin always has to go through bad before it gets to the good.

Goodluck and I look forward to reading updates. But I'm probably not buying after reading this.

free skin care · Fri Apr 09, 2010 12:47 am

Why cant we buy heilmoor clay itself? I think it's overpriced for a bar of soap.

This bodyshop mask contains heilmoor clay too. wonder if it'll work too?
http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/facial-masks/prod808821

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