Recently a friend gave me Jurlique's Citrus Hand Cream. I have tried it a few times on my hands and thought it was an excellent moisturizer and that the citrus smell complimented the thick creamy lotion nicely. But I didn't fall in love with it until this morning when I found myself inexplicably out of body lotion. By "out" I mean there are two full containers of lotion under the sink but they are my "break glass in case of emergency" back-ups. These back-up supplies still exist in plentiful amounts only because I do not use them unless I am absolutely desperate. They are full of chemicals and laurel sulfates that make me cringe when I have to put them on my skin. Call me a skincare snob but generally I like my products as chemical free as possible and this morning of all mornings, I need some extra lovin'. I have had the stomach virus from hell since Friday and after what my body has been through there is no way I'm applying white chemical paste under the guise of "reasonably priced drug store lotion" to my already defeated body. So I dug through the beauty-product grab bag otherwise known as my purse and came up with Jurlique's Citrus Hand Cream. "Perfect!" I thought. When my friend gave it to me she mentioned that all the ingredients are grown on a bio-dynamic farm in Australia. I knew this was exactly when my body needed. So I massaged it in from my collar bone to my ankles and it made me incredibly happy. I smell like the freshly cut oranges I used to eat on time-outs during lacrosse games in high school and my skin feels completely pampered and nurtured. Since this hand lotion did such incredible things to my skin this morning I decided to do some research on Jurlique. The back of the hand lotion tube says "A rich protective hand cream in the living energy of tangerine, mandarin, and lemon to deeply moisturise and restore smoothness, leaving hands (and in my case the entire epidermis) feeling soft and supple." The "in the living energy" phrase caught my attention to so I went to their website to see what this company is all about. I discovered that Jurlique shares my beauty philosophy almost exactly and the husband and wife team behind the label have been working since 1985 to bring everything from essential oils, to face wash, baby care, and hair care to others who want effective beauty-enhancing products that avoid the use of harsh chemicals. Jurlique ingredients come from two company owned farms encompassing 165 acres in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia. This is where the roses, lavenders, and bio-dynamically sustainable products that eventually become my morning lotion grow and you can order their products online.