Along the way to and from Tagaytay via Cavite is a small public secret. Like every tattletale/snitch, I would love to share this secret with everyone! (This is really the reason why I am blogging: to tell everyone the secrets I come to know! :D)
Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm is a sudden turn along the road with just a blue signage to tell you that it's time to go in, followed by a narrow rough road. Curious people who would like to discover this secret should equip themselves with a treasure map just to make sure.
Arriving in Ilog Maria, the usisero people can opt to first go around the farm itself which is basically a field with bee boxes lined up. I didn't usisa since I've been stung by a bee in Thailand and it HURTS!!! No, no, I'd rather be the demure lady who stands to one side, craning her neck for the best view.
The best to usisa is the store itself where you can buy and take home the beauty secrets of many beautiful people.
One secret is every other woman's ultimate secret: the honey feminine wash! It's always sold out whenever we drop by though. A friend of my sister once gave us some and it's feels COOL down there. The Ph Care cool wind is no competition!
Another is the soap. Well, soaps. There are just A LOT to choose from! At Php35 per round piece, it's more expensive than Php60 per half-round bar which lasts longer. There are other kinds that aren't available in the bigger bar however. My favorite so far is the sandalwood and spearmint.
These way too fragrant soaps are made with honey beeswax propolis which claims to be effective exfoliant and deodorizer. Well, no matter, I think everyone buys it just because it really smells good making bathing a different experience altogether. I always feel excited to take a bath!
For the health conscious or looking for herbal therapy ingredients, Ilog Maria also offers honey cider vinegar and bee pollen things.
They also offer honey propolis throat spray which my sister vouches for. Just one spray and any signs of cold and sore throat goes away. At Php75, it sure is worth it as opposed to having to take medicines!
Furthermore, beauty products like glycerin facial soap (Php80), which also smells so good and so far effective in clearing out pimples (for others, I have yet to try), and face scrub (Php140). I've tried the face scrub and it smells like real honey. I feel like I'm putting honey on my face which is probably what I'm really doing. It smells soo good!! Sorry if I keep saying this but I really can't get over the heavenly smell. :)
Bath products are also available! I have tried the Honey shampoo (Php70). It is warm and stays that way even when you put it on your hair. I'm not sure if it has any effect it claims like removing dandruff and grey hairs while lessening falling hair. It's an expensive shampoo though. I prefer to stay with my Herbal Essences. As for the bath salts (Php95), I've yet to try it.
Their line doesn't end with that. They also have products to take care of your stuff like the wood polish and leather balsam.
Another product line that drew my interest are the small bottled essences. There are many variants that have their corresponding effects. This kind of reminds me of my Van Gogh is Bipolar experience where they had teas with different aftermaths.
The Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm is a fun place to visit especially if you're the usisera kind of person like who likes to look here and there, try this and that. The small business has been a hit that they do shipping already! Now you know about this secret, SHHH!!! Don't tell anyone I told you. :)
Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm
4118 Silang,
Cavite, Philippines
My group just came from Ilog Maria and we were really dismayed at how they displayed their products.....in direct sunlight and heat. What was more flabbergasting was the fact that their product literature specifically states for Storage : OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT and HEAT.
ReplyDeleteWhen we called the Shop girl's attention to the fact that their products were displayed in DIRECT SUNLIGHT and HEAT, she did not pay attention to our admonitions. Since our counsel was ignored, I decided to write my comments on Ilog Maria's site. However, the reply of Mr. Joel Magsaysay was "Product replacement and turn over is always done every half of the day." I think that that is most incongruous to their Storage Instructions.
Then today I used their massage oil. Oh my!!! The floral scent was just way too overpowering. I started sneezing and sniffling. I told my masseuse to stop using the Ilog Maria Massage Oil and we resorted to using the Spa's regular oil.
I bought a variety of products amounting to almost PhP3K. I haven't taken any product that needs to be taken orally because of fear that their products may have broken down and its efficacy may have been compromised because of being subjected to direct sunlight and heat.