Natural Health and Beauty Products in Israel

Again, so happy to be back to Modest Jerusalem. Today I want to share with you some of my favorite, natural and local health and beauty products that I have discovered over the past 6.5 years in Jerusalem.

When it comes to health & beauty products, in recent years I have tried to go the more natural route, for various reasons, which definitely include trying to save money. I found in many circumstances it is just more efficient to make my own products, like my All Purpose House Cleaner and Algae Toner/Spot Cream (for when I broke out in some hormonal acne). I also make my own face exfoliator, foot scrub, deodorant, toothpaste, perfume and face toner. (Will post recipes in the coming weeks)

However, especially when needing the base ingredients for some of these recipes, you must find the best products for the most reasonable prices which is sometimes challenging in Israel. And of course I haven’t yet had the time or confidence to make all my own products, so I have found some amazing local brands that I love and want to share you which products I use from them. Most of these products are available at your local natural store, like Anise or “Nitzat Haduvdevan(Cherry Blossom)“.

First off is the entire line of Schwartz Natural Cosmetic’s TAMAR line, in which all the products are enriched with Date Extract and Vitamin E, and therefore have an amazing smell and texture. I have been using their Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Lotion for at least 4 years now.

Moraz Galilee Medical Herbs is a very popular Israel brand around for the last 25 years, which has a wide range of natural beauty and health products. “Based on unique production methods of medical herbs extraction, mainly the Polygonum, which is grown in the Galilee and Jezreel Valley in traditional and organic methods, Moraz has developed product lines that solve various skin problems and protect and nourish the skin.”

I happen to use only the two creams above, the Polygonum Day Cream and Herbal Night Cream, but I have heard great things about their other products. They aren’t the cheapest brand, but the investment is worth it. The face creams cost around 80-90nis each, but they are the best face creams I have found, probably ever. They are so smooth and cause no irritation.

Omer HaGalil has an amazing line of essential oils and other natural, pure beauty products such as Shea Butter which I use often and is a key ingredient in my natural deodorant.

Pure Oil’s have a wonderful selection of essential oils and base oils, such as Sweet Almond Oil and Jojoba Oil.  I always have their Sweet Almond Oil in the house, which I use in my face exfoliator and foot scrub, in addition to using as a carrier oil when applying essential oils on myself or my children. I also moisturize my face directly with this oil at least once a week in the winter. I couldn’t find a website for them, but you can find them in most natural stores and even SuperPharm.

EcoLove I recently became familiar with because I couldn’t find my usual Schwartz TAMAR line conditioner. I purchased the conditioner above, from their Carrot, Pumpkin and Sweet Potato line. A wonderful product with a wonderful smell. I definitely will be exploring more of their products. (And yes, they are an Israeli brand, though marketing themselves as an International brand.)

Shkedia (which means almond), is more of a food company which sells dried fruits and nuts, and of course other natural products. I happen to love their Rosewater. I use this straight on my face as a toner, and sometimes add a drop or two of lavender oil.

Altman is a vitamin/supplement company, and above is their “9-month prenatal vitamin”. Throughout my first pregnancy, I thought that Solgar was my only choice of a natural, kosher Prenatal Vitamin, which was a shame because it was very, very hard on my stomach and I stopped using it midway. I then changed to Altman, and I found their Prenatal much easier to handle and could actually use it throughout my entire second pregnancy without noticing.

This last product might be a bit controversial, because I know some people who read my blog might not purchase this product, but there is a really wonderful natural Olive-Oil based soap called Nablus Soap, made in…Nablus. Although it sells for almost $8-$9 a bar on Amazon, you can find a bar in Jerusalem for $1 or $2. Obviously not in the regular pharmacy in my neighborhood, but in other places around Jerusalem.  That I will leave up to you to find. In general, most of the Olive Oil based soaps you find around Jerusalem are great, but this one is one of the best.

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*I will note here two other products that I use almost daily (and are in every natural store), but they are imported from Europe. My goal in this post isn’t to promote only local products and companies, but it is great when you can rely on local brands who use various ingredients (not all of course) from the same region in which you live.

For these two products, I haven’t yet been able to find a local alternative that keeps to the same standards.

Weleda’s Diaper Care Cream with Calendula is hands down the best diaper cream out there, globally. It is a bit more expensive then some of the other natural creams available, but this one always (99% of the time) works, within a day or two! It is just amazing.

Jerusalem is really dry, especially during the cold winter. Regular dish soap destroys my hands (after a big Shabbat of dishes, my hands will bleed from dryness), and to wear gloves every time I do dishes during the week is really unreasonable. By a miracle, I found Ecover’s Dish Soap (they are a French/Belgian company) and I was finally able to wash dishes comfortably all year long. I have tried most of the Israeli natural brands for dish soap and they also dry out my hands.

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Thanks for reading and please do comment on any additional, natural products you use here in Israel, or abroad, that you can’t live with out.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.