Hey there!

If you’ve been keeping up with your 2016 intentions, you know that one of mine is to be more “natural” (whatever that may mean in the end. Too much information can lead to organic overload!).

I wanted to review a product I have been using for the past month called AO Biome, a.k.a Mother Dirt. 

There is a lot of new information regarding the subject of the microbiome in our bodies, so I started reading The Microbiome Solution by Robynne Chutkan in order to get some legitimate information on the topic. I’m still in the beginning of the book, but oh my gosh have I learned a lot. And so has Chutkan on her own medical journey; she mentioned she knows way more now treating patients than she ever learned in medical school. She advices people to choose the “dirty” lifestyle we grew up in without sanitizers or over-washing. The nitty gritty of this book suggests we try and not kill our good bacteria through a good gut diet and an external awareness of what we slather on our skin, like soaps, antibacterial gels, lotions, etc. But that is where Mother Dirt comes.

Over a decade ago, AO Biome, now Mother Dirt, began researching products that we use daily and how it affects our skin biome. Now, they are the first product that brings back the “life of dirt” into a bottle: the notion of reconnecting with nature with a simple spray on your body. Within this bottle are the good, live bacteria for you: the ones you kill off by putting drugstore items on your skin. You simply spray on areas that you typically sweat a lot from: scalp, groin, hands, feet, underarms, and face. By doing this, the company has had customer testimonials of changes from their skin: more moisturized skin without needing moisturizer, less acne or blackheads, not needing to use deodorant daily or multiple times a day, and not showering as frequently due to the protective bacteria not causing the typical bad odor. And once adjusted to your personal microbiome (because everyone’s is different due to multiple factors aside from hereditary), the bad odors should go away and you should be cleaner by not washing daily! It’s hard for me to fathom a life without antibacterial wipes or lotions, so I am testing this out.

The packaging was awesome. Simple but yet protective. Our bacteria need to be in a sterile environment, and at first, the company does not want the bacteria to die in heat or extreme cold conditions, so they send your Ammonia Oxidizing (AO) Bacteria bottle in a smart and effective wrapping. It has a cold pack to protect the bacteria and wrapped in yet another silver, special “cold” package.

I sprayed this for exactly one month to see the effects on my own system. I used it twice daily: before going to bed and each time after I showered to put the bacteria back on my skin I had just killed off in the shower by using fancy shower gels (hey, a girl still needs to declutter).

I enjoyed the travel lid for the pump they are now including with all orders of the mist. In January, I went to the gym at least three times a week and found it difficult to travel with the bottle; I feared it would somehow pour out in my gym bag! The spray is a fine mist and sprays evenly. It does not smell like anything and it looks just like plain water.

My personal results:

• My skin was well-balanced; it was not dry with the makeup I would usually wear. I also found it easy to not wear makeup because I saw improvements in my skin.
• Deodorant was still hit or miss. I tried it one day and did not smell at all! I was surprised. But when I sprayed this before running 13 miles, I smelled horrendous afterwards, and I had still applied deodorant that day. I just could not stand to smell myself. I figured the spray would help with that but it has only helped with daily use and I can’t blame the bacteria entirely for not wanting to stick with me for 13 miles in possible extreme-weather conditions for them.
• No pimples for a month. This could also be supported by trying to nurture my gut bacteria with good food.

I love this product! I am on my second bottle and it just makes sense to me. Why would you not want to use less products and keep nurturing your skin biome? They have been so good to you during your life and we need to nurture them! I am thankful for all of the years of research this company has done because it’s paid-off in a wonderful little bottle! I’ve recently started to tell people I spray bacteria on my face, and their reactions are crazy. If only they knew…

xoxo,
Brissa

 

Photos by Jason.