A New Gift of Beauty for Your Huntress: Scent-free No Longer Synonymous with Dry and Dull!
Becky Lou Lacock 08.21.12
Years ago I remember the dreary fall season, as my Mother’s Day gifts would be gathering dust and Christmas surprises were but a distant hope, it was always the middle of a long dry spell. That is until 12 years ago when I discovered a new season, more importantly, a new gift-giving season, and it shall be called “hunting season”! Now, I hang my backpack by the chimney with care, in hopes that new goodies will soon be in there! My husband always surprises me with something new that I haven‘t seen, or replaces an old worn out gadget I have had for years. This is truly a perk of being a huntress!
This year, the latest and greatest product I have found will surely change the way women hunt as we know it! It is certain to address one of the major issues that I have struggled with every hunting season for many years!
As a new huntress in 2000, I quickly realized that preparing for the hunt does not begin the morning of the hunt. It takes weeks, months, and sometimes years of scouting, clearing, planting, building blinds, erecting tree stands, trimming limbs, bush hogging trails, paying close attention to every detail, so that all of your efforts are not in vain. You work so very hard to find that special place, and when you get the opportunity to actually HUNT that special place, all precaution is taken to carefully and quietly arrive, settle in and wait for the buck of your lifetime, or the doe that will provide some great meals. In short, it gets downright serious. Being scent-free is a vital part of the preparation, and you want to do everything possible to keep a deer from BLOWING your hunt. It’s the final hour.
Learning to prepare for that moment would present some challenges for me, as a girl that likes to look and smell like a girl! I knew very little of hunting animals with a keen sense of smell, and soon learned that it would require using a lot of unfamiliar products that would remove all the scent from my hair, skin, and clothing. Each season would begin the traumatic transition, which I dreaded, as I worked diligently all year to smell like a flower, I would have to now begin scrubbing with some strange soap trying to smell like dirt! Each year I would try to be more disciplined about preparation, while suffering through the sad experience of looking in the mirror with “product-free hair” trying to tuck it all under a cap, dabbing a tiny bit of lotion onto my poor dry little feet and hands, only to get busted when I walked out of the bathroom – “you still smell like a girl!” So I would go back and wash away the teeny drops of moisture from my dry, cracked hands, grab my gear and go. Not feeling very pretty, I would pull up my big girl cargo pants, and think of the bigger picture (one with a monster buck!)
But then a miracle happened…
I met Shelly and Jeff Ray of HERCAMOSHOP.com last February at National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. These are two wonderful people, dedicated 110% to provide the needs of women in the field in all aspects of hunting, hiking, shooting, and also looking good like a girl should! During a social after-hours, I overheard Shelly speaking to someone about scent-free body wash and shampoo, my ears perked up, then I heard her mention conditioner and hair gel, I turned around and when the words “hair spray and body lotion” came out of her mouth I thought I would hug her! They had covered it all! My world was about to change, and I could not wait to try the products!
Fast-forward to the present, August 2012, at which time I have just finished a month long trial of their complete line of bath and body products, and here are my honest opinions of each of them:
HERCAMOSHOP Scent-Eliminating Body Wash: When I first used this body wash it looked like a luxurious lotion, and my immediate thought was, “Wow, this is really thick, and even looks like liquid pearl”. After trial and error I have realized that I only need about one-half teaspoon, with plenty suds for my shower! Even after getting out of the shower and waiting to put lotion on, it does not dry my skin out like previous soaps. I could wash and go easily with this body wash, but if I have scent-free lotion…why should I?
HERCAMOSHOP Scent-Free Body Lotion: The consistency of this body lotion is very thick and silky, almost like a concentrate. I squeezed out too much of the product the first few times, and soon learned that a little lotion goes a long way! The richness of the lotion will provide many applications, and I truly feel moisturized after putting it on. I have to tell you that this is one of the best products that has ever existed for women in the field. If you try nothing else, try this product. It is perfect for my poor skin that is so used to silky indulgence after every bath all year long, now it doesn’t have to suffer through deer season!
HERCAMOSHOP Scent-Free Shampoo: This shampoo is so rich and thick, this bottle may last me for a few years! I am very particular about shampoo, as my hair tends to be dry and frizzy. (No, let’s make that VERY dry and VERY frizzy!) I love the way it rinses clear out, leaving my hair clean but with moisture. This shampoo does not dry my hair at all, my hair is soft and manageable, even when I use it without the conditioner! No buildup, after washing my 3-4 times per week for 4 weeks, my hair is clean and clear, even with using the gel and spray! There are no sulfates – big plus!
HERCAMOSHOP Scent-Free Conditioner: This conditioner has a light, clean feel to it. It only takes a small amount, and if you work it into your hair it seems to double in volume. Truly feels like it is deeply conditioning your hair! It rinses right out without a fight, and I can comb through with no tangles! With my curly hair, that is a very big factor. The shampoo and conditioner work great together. I have shampooed my hair with and without using the conditioner, and although the conditioner is a must for the perfect balance, I could wash and go with no problems with just the shampoo if time was a factor! Another plus, there are no sulfates. Great care for the hair!
HERCAMOSHOP Scent-Free Hair Gel: Ok, now I am starting to feel guilty. Can I really use hair gel now before going into the woods? YES I CAN! With some of the conditions I have hunted in, a little hair gel could have made my day a whole lot better, or at least the pictures! This is almost like a conditioning gel, it is does not get stiff, and just helps control the frizzy freaky fly-aways, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is a feat!
HERCAMOSHOP Scent-Free Hair Spray: You have to be very careful in the presence of many old school hunters, or serious hunters that are extremely strict and set in their ways. It will probably shock them into next week if they witnessed you spraying your beautiful silky hair before heading out to the deer stand…but now you can! I am serious, be careful how you introduce these products for it may blow their minds, but not your hunt!
I have used all of these products, and they have passed the test! The first test anyway, which was the SNIFF test by my husband, and for an old-school seasoned hunter, it took a couple of deep inhalations before he could say that there was no scent, but did leave me with “well, we will see how if fares in the field!”
Guys, if you surprise your beautiful huntress with these heavenly bath and body products for hunting season, she is sure to be happy, and trust me on this, “when the huntress is happy, everybody’s happy!”
Girls, you had better bring plenty of this on the hunt, because if you leave these products in the shower, the guys will use them! There is no scent, so how could they be busted? Possibly for notice of their silky styled hair, and glowing skin?
I will begin using the product long before my hunts, just to be sure to I have washed all those girly smells away. I never thought I would actually enjoy using scent free bath and body products for hunting, but HERCAMOSHOP.com has exceeded my expectations and there are very few products that I could recommend as strongly as these!
Earlier this year, Kirstie Pike, CEO of Próis Hunting Trips, endorsed the line of personal care scent free products as the official personal care products of Próis Hunting Trips! This is a major endorsement by one of the largest and most reputable women in the industry! This should tell you that the products are everything they are cracked up to be, and more! Check out their website, and if you can’t find it, send Shelly Ray a message via the website, and she will find it, or possibly make it herself!
“We’ll hunt for the gear, so you can hunt for the game!”
Born and raised in Louisiana, my Outdoor adventures began just a short time ago, with a weekend workshop, B.O.W. 'Becoming an Outdoors Woman' in the Spring of 2000. A nationwide program , in Louisiana it is facilitated by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Educational Dept. I was feeling a little adventurous, and chose “Intro to Shotgun” as one of my 4 workshops for the weekend. I had never had the opportunity to shoot guns, and decided that this would be the perfect place to give it a shot! This course required a detailed Firearm Safety course held in a classroom the day before various guns handy for some “hands on” instruction. I was very anxious the day of shooting, but as it unfolded, with patient expert instructors by my side, (helping to muffle the voices inside of me shouting NO! NO! NO! You're a Girl! Its gonna hurt!) I hit the second clay target, thus began my passion for Shooting! I absolutely LOVED it!! I have always loved to fish, sharing many hours with the only outdoor influence in my life growing up, my mother Tommie Lou. She and I spent many hours in the Freshwater Marshes of SW Louisiana, searching for that elusive HOG (Large Mouth Bass) but also pulling in huge Redfish, Speckled trout & Flounder in and around the salt water lake "Big Lake". I always joke that we had to use our running lights to get out to the fishing spots, and we had to also needed them to come in, as we would spend all of the precious daylight fishing hard…. the days were always too short. That was the limit to any outdoor activity for me, but shortly after my "Shooting Incident" I met my husband Lou, and was introduced into hunting, starting with a west Texas whitetail hunt, at which point my life took a drastic turn from inside to "EXTREME OUTSIDE"!! Without a doubt, I am all girl, I don't like bugs, critters, or Snakes, but because of my willingness to Take a Chance, I have learned that a little DIRT..or even or a TICK will not keep me from this new adventure!
With the first hunt of my life being shortly after the workshop, I understand first hand the skepticism that some women have to step outdoors, and I believe that most women just need to be aware of the resources readily available to them, along with a little pinch of encouragement. I have been fortunate to have both, for without it I would not be doing what I am today.
With great encouragement from Greg Martin of RealHuntersJournal, an online resource for outdoor information, I began writing, and going to the industry shows such as Shot Show, ATA, NWTF, and others to review the latest and greatest products in the industry. I met several wonderful people, and began to realize that the people behind the products, TV shows, and outfitters were just down home people, real people just like me! I think of it as a large family, and like most, they may not always agree on every method, design, or camo pattern, but all share a common dream, and ultimately work together to make that dream a reality for the rest of us. I have been blessed with a lot of energy and enthusiasm that just seems to spill out onto everyone around me, I love people and Lord only knows how I like to talk, and over the past few years I have been encouraged to take more of an active part to promote women in the outdoors. I was invited on several exciting hunts to experience many new adventures, and share them. With a style all my own, I have really enjoyed writing. Loaded with lots of adventures and information to share, I started my own website in 2009, www.BeckyLouOutdoors.com. The following year I was asked to participate in a Reality Television series with 5 other women, consisting of 11 episodes. Somehow with my determination, some skill, and a lot of luck, I won the first season competition!! The show was a success, and continues on each year for a new season with 6 new contestants and many new challenges. . In 2010 I was honored to be named Pro Staff for Commando Call Products. I do a lot of freelance writing for many websites and most recently InterMedia Outdoors with an article in print for Dec/Jan 2011/2012 nationwide Game & Fish and also Sportsman. I have a trademark phrase, “Camo can be Classy”TM for women like me that are 110% all girl, but can enjoy the outdoors to whatever level we desire! I have grown to believe that if you Love Life it will Love you back! I hope to provide some information, encouragement and inspiration for women to get out in the Great Outdoors. It has made such a difference in my life, and I truly believe that I am Happier and Healthier because of it! Shooting may not be for everyone, but it is definitely worth a SHOT!
