Human Nature Tea Tree Oil, 100% Natural But Not 100% Pure

At PhP295 for 30ml, Human Nature is one of the cheapest brands of tea tree oil in Manila. It is a lot cheaper than my favorite brand, Giga, which costs PhP180 per 10ml bottle. The Human Nature product is easier to dispense since it comes with a glass dropper. The Giga bottle uses european style dropper which is more difficult to control.

The price and the dropper are the main factors that made me consider buying Human Nature Tea Tree Oil. I was majorly disappointed when I got the item and read the label. The oil has an ingredient other than tea tree oil! It is not 100% pure.

The label saying "100% Natural Tea Tree Oil" is so misleading. The more accurate label should be "100% Natural Tea Tree Oil BLEND". I really feel cheated by Human Nature. It doesn't even say how much tea tree oil is in their product!

I understand that using pure tea tree oil can harm the skin. That is why we use a carrier oil. I personally prefer a certain carrier oil that is lighter on the skin unlike the one used by Human Nature. I feel like they have taken away my right to choose the carrier oil I want.

Tea tree oil is useful for different applications like dandruff solution, acne cure, or athlete's' foot remedy. Each requires different amount of tea tree oil. Not knowing how much tea tree oil is in the Human Nature bottle can make the new mixture ineffective.

Related Posts:

Tea Tree Oil

Essential Oils In Metro Manila

Lazada Watch Winder Model JA-1621E

June2021: This is already broken after 3 years. The rotating plastic watch holder became brittle over time and broke.

The problem with an automatic watch is that it stops if it hasn't been worn for some time. When this happens, you'll have to wind or shake the watch then set the time (and the day/date) before you can use it again. This can be annoying especially if you are in hurry. That is why I decided to buy a watch winder.

Rustan's offers a number of watch winders but the prices don't come close to what is being offered at Lazada. Buying online has its cons, however, like the lack of warranty and after sales service.

The item came five days after I placed the order.  It came in a big box, properly padded with foam. I assumed "JA-1621E" (as written on the box) is the model of this particular watch winder as searching this can lead to the GearBest and Amazon ads of similar winders. Inside the box, the contents are further separated in two boxes. The smaller box contains the power adaptor and the battery case. Batteries are not included. The bigger box contains the actual watch winder. The winder has a smooth glossy finish with a wood grain pattern. While the cloth bag helps to protect the item from scratches, there are still some scratches on the acrylic cover.

The operation is quite simple as described in the instruction manual. The slider switches are on the top of the box. One switch is for the direction of the rotation while the other is for the frequency of the rotation. The manual estimates the number of turns per day for each option but I cannot verify if the specifications are met.

The winder operates quietly as it should but I did notice some areas that could be improved, aside from the scratches mentioned earlier. For starters, the plug cannot be inserted completely into the box. I did not try to exert extra force in inserting the plug as it may ruin the winder.

The acrylic cover also does not seal the box tightly. Dust particles can go through. Cleaning the inside of the box can be difficult.

The watches inside are Seiko SNZG07 and Orient Ray II.

The pillow where the watch rests on is made of foamy rubber with a leather texture. It smells bad although the smell won't fill the room. In time, the material can disintegrate. I would have prefered it to be covered in a soft cloth pillow case so that if the foam material disintegrates, the pieces will not be scattered inside the box.

The aluminum sheet for the switch panel does not lay flat on the surface of the watch winder. This could be a starting point for breakage. It seems like the panel could easily be deformed or stripped off from the box.

Despite the shortcomings, I am satisfied with the product so far. I don't know for how long. I will update this blog in case my perception on the product has been altered. This is from an unknown brand so brand reliability is unknown.

This watch winder design comes in four skins. I picked the wood grain skin but it also comes in what seems like leather and glossy black skin. The prices for each vary a little even if they all came from the same seller. 

Casio Standard Solar-powered Watch

Aside from the nondescript look, I wanted a watch with a the light colored dial and black Arabic numerals for readability. A case diameter of 37 to 40 mm is appropriate for my wrist size. I didn't consider buying the Timex Weekender because I don't want to have to change batteries. The solar-powered Citizen Chandler won me over, but this specific Citizen watch is not locally available. That is why I looked for other options.

I was close to buying a Chinese watch with a hand-winding mechanical movement. I also liked its blue hands. I haven't found any reliable review of the Winner watch so I decided not to risk buying a relatively unknown brand. Servicing the watch locally might also be problem for an obscure brand.

Luckily, I found a watch from a reputable watch company that satisfied all my requirements and is available locally! The Casio MTP-VS01L-7B1 model costs a lot less than the Timex Weekender and Citizen Chandler and the Casio watch has an added date complication.

While the Citizen Eco-drive can last for 8 months on a full charge the Casio solar-powered watch can last for only three. The steel hands of the Casio makes it a little harder to read at some angles due to a low contrast with the watch face (as shown in the photo above). It it also difficult to tell the time to the exact minute since there are no minute markers.

This Casio is relatively thicker (at 10 mm) for a quartz watch.  The lugs don't curve down so it doesn't rest well on the wrist. The watch will look chunkier with a NATO strap. Despite the shortcomings, this is still a good buy priced for less than PhP2,000 (US$40).

22Nov2017 Update:
After sitting in the watchbox for a couple of weeks, the battery has been depleted. I thought that it can last for three months. The solar charging works, though. After placing it under a table lamp, the watch worked again.