bath products

Glycerin Goat’s Milk Soap

admin — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:22:00 +0000

In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry says, “I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”

One of my simplest pleasures is gained by placing an aromatic bar of soap in my dresser drawer and later slipping on a crummy T-shirt that smells like a lavender sachet in a cedar chest. This has the potential to alter the entire course of my day. Once I finish with my current bar of soap, I unwrap the bar that has already been working so hard in my dresser and place it next to the tub.

The next duty of this bar of soap is to change my early morning shower or post-workout rinse into a luxurious experience. Magically, the smell of oatmeal and almond or sandalwood block out the sound of the subway and erase the nagging awareness that the wooden windowsill in the shower is slowly rotting away. Don’t bother me with these philistine concerns. Can’t you see I’m wrapped in a steamy blanket of lavender and beeswax?

Are my soap standards too high? Do I expect pleasure and transcendence too complex for a bath product to deliver? Unwrapping my cucumber melon soap from Norma’s Bath and Body, I eye it with a bit of suspicion. Will you meet my expectations?

This particular bar picks up on what seems to be the most popular scent of the season: cucumber. From Marc Jacobs to Method’s All Purpose Cleaner, we can douse our lives in the cool, crisp, refreshing scent of this rather unassuming vegetable. Except that capturing such a scent is difficult, and of course, not particularly sweet on its own. Hence Norma adds melon to the recipe to create a bright, sweet smell.

Norma’s soap is smooth as silk, made with glycerin and goat’s milk. The cucumber melon scent was a bit too sweet for my taste, but her website lists many other intriguing scents to choose from, such as Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. In fact, Norma’s website is filled with bath products that are very convincing reproductions of desserts. The cupcake soaps could be fresh from the bakery. Lathering up with a pink-iced cupcake could make my morning shower not only an indulgence, but also delicious. These sweet soaps might even be decadent enough for Oscar Wilde himself.

Written by: Claire Burrows, September 19th 2009

D:tox System

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:01:00 +0000

By Giovanni Organic Body Care

Half a million women in the world die every year from breast cancer. One in eight American women will be diagnosed with some form of breast cancer in her lifetime. Judging from these startling statistics, it’s not difficult to see why corporations that cater to women have begun creating lines of products that support the fight against this disease. Altruism gives you a leg up on the competition.

While Giovanni Organic Body Care’s D:tox System of purifying body care products won’t prevent you from getting breast cancer directly, a portion of the sales of the products involved in this three-step system is donated by the company to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, an organization that funds cancer prevention research.

The D:tox System has three ingredients: Body Wash/Body Bar, Body Scrub, and Body Lotion. If the trio is used properly, the promised results are to provide “a complete purification regimen for mind, body, and soul—and completely touch-worthy skin every day.” With such lofty ambitions, I’m sure you’re wondering what exactly goes into the D:tox System.

The Body Wash/Body Bar uses charcoal and volcanic ash to clean oils and dirt from pores while replenishing your skin’s nutrition with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants from purifying acai and goji berry extracts. The Body Scrub is made of similar ingredients, and does what most scrubs do: it exfoliates to polish away surface grime and bacteria. The Body Lotion is the final part of this equation. Once the skin is fully clean, it needs a little moisture to maintain a smooth softness and healthy glow.

I did a dietary detox once a few years ago. A woman at my local health food co-op explained the process to me: replace food with a mixture of juices for five days. Instead of feeling physically renewed, I ended up with a terrible migraine brought on by caffeine withdrawal, but I stuck it out before reverting back to my old eating habits. I’m not sure the D:tox System resulted in the purification of my mind or soul, but it did the trick for my body. It also allowed me to continue my copious coffee consumption—and, really, that's the most important part.

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, September 14th 2009

Cocoa Butter Body Cream: Vanilla Mocha

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:58:00 +0000

By Alaffia

I love my organs! My kidneys are awesome. As bad as I have been to my liver, it has never let me down. My heart is a hard-working love machine. Although, I must say, my absolute favorite organ has to be my skin, and the best part is that I have lots of it!

My skin has been so good to me, I am certainly grateful that, even after years of long baby oil tanning sessions, it still appears mildly even-colored, and I haven’t attained that proverbial fried-pork-rind look. Still, something tells me that I should start taking better care of it, and that something is my brain, the organ that keeps the others alive, so I probably should listen.

As much as I like slathering my epidermis in an artificially perfumed mixture of aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, dimethiconol, threonine, and propylparaben, it might finally be time for me to start being able to pronounce whatever it is that is going into my still not-so-enlarged pores. And that’s why I’m really excited about Alaffia's Vanilla Mocha-scented Cocoa Butter Body Cream. With a little more than cocoa, shea butter, and vanilla extract, Alaffia has made a magical frosting that leaves my skin soft, not greasy, and smelling so much like a birthday cake that I am afraid to stay in a yoga pose for too long for fear that my classmates will take a bite out of me.

Alaffia is a Fair Trade co-op based partly in Olympia, WA, and partly in Togo, Africa (hometown of founder Olowo-n’djo Tchala). Togo provides the most basic of Alaffia's ingredients: shea butter. The West African members of the cooperative benefit by applying their knowledge of traditionally handcrafting the shea butter to make a fair wage, and since shea trees grow wild and are a renewable resource, it is also ecologically safe for their community. I also think it is important to mention that ten percent of all sales go directly to community enhancement projects in both West Africa and the state of Washington.

Besides the body cream, Alaffia creates lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and other products—all of which are available on their website at alaffia.com. Now, if someone can come up with a better product-benefit combination of having eco-friendly, soft legs and raising AIDS awareness while providing medical and school supplies to African communities, please let me know!

Written by: Laura Koffler, March 19th 2009

Salt

admin — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:46:00 +0000

By Solay Wellness

I had no idea that there was so much you could do with salt. I perceived it as a cooking standard; something for foot soaks, a symbol of hospitality—a traditional Russian welcome is the presentation of salt and bread—there's the well used phrase “salt of the earth,” salt in wounds, sowing the earth with salt; there is a structure made of salt (a hotel in Bolivia) and it's also the title of an acclaimed novel by Earl Lovelace, one of the few books that my long-standing women's book group did not finish at all; usually, at least half the attendees have actually read the book in its entirety. At least I didn’t select Salt and the academic who did admitted that she didn’t finish it. (Our current selection is a biography of Victoria Woodhull. Fun.)

The salt products available at Solay Wellness bring NaCl into service for every aspect of being: salt lamps, salt jewelry, cooking salt, dog cookies, plant food, pillows, shampoo, face masks, and tooth powder. Apparently Hippocrates advocated salt inhalation, and instead of boiling seawater, a pipe for salt-breathing is offered. While I did not have the opportunity to test the negative ion flow that the lamps purport to offer, the cleanser and mud masks are definitely superior. My pores shrank and glowed after a minimal period under the dense olive clay.

The green tea and salt shampoo suds most exuberantly, and rinses well, without a sticky after-coat. As for the cooking salt, my hypertension dictates that I avoid it entirely, and I will pass it along to the chef at the Elevate Difference test kitchens, code name 'Cookie'. Or should it be 'Salty'? Something to consider as I take a long soak in a salt bath—the copy of the Lovelace book has been located. On my 'to read' list along with Jean Toomer's Cane. Maybe that means I need to get a sugar scrub.

Written by: Erika Mikkalo, March 14th 2009

Waterproof Vibrating Body Scrunchie

admin — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 22:36:00 +0000

By Boudoir Essentials

This nylon mesh scrunchie from California Exotic Novelties appears, at first glance, to be a normal scrunchie. Its pastel pink plastic layers disguise a removable cylindrical micro-massager about two inches in length. This softcore scrunchie lightly vibrates at a single frequency with the turning dial situated at one end, requiring two hands to turn the device on and off. However, the scrunchie can easily be held in the palm of one hand if already set to vibrate. As the box advertises, the stimulator is waterproof, holding up well even when immersed. It detaches effortlessly from the ring at the center of the scrunchie and returns to its spot just as easily. Two packs of the needed batteries are included though the exact type of battery needed is not listed on the box. Rather, it features a picture of a woman and man kissing in the shower and states, “Bathing has never been more fun!”

Written by: C. Amber Pearce, September 15th 2007

Shea Butter Gift Set

admin — Mon, 21 May 2007 18:22:00 +0000

By Prairieland Herbs

Packaged in a cute bag, this little gift set arrived smelling great! After a long week at work, a few hours pampering were needed, and this set delivered a great scent and relaxation. Better than the scent is the feeling of soft and smooth skin that comes after a bath using the Botanical Bath Salts, a product that left this woman feeling great. Best of all, this is an all-natural product made from homegrown herbs and natural oils—no preservatives, synthetics or byproducts.

A spa experience in a bag, I started out running my bath with the Botanical Bath Salts. The tiny beads melt quickly into the water, leaving a relaxing bath that ended only when the water grew cold! The Patchouli and Orange Soap left a clean aroma on my body. It has a slightly gritty feel, exfoliating as it cleans and refreshes. The smell of this soap outweighs any that I have purchased in the past, each time I enter my bathroom I can vaguely smell patchouli, and I am loving it! Also of note, these products did not leave a ring around my tub!

I ended my experience by applying the Lavender Body Balm and, after a deep sigh, found myself ready to fall asleep relaxed and smelling great! The balm is thick and powerful, which left me feeling a bit greasy, but put moisture in my skin that was needed after a harsh winter in the Northeast.

The mother and daughter team that have dreamed up these wonderful products is to be commended. They have created a product that is useful, natural and feminine without compromising quality. They have reasonable prices and fast shipping! I highly recommend visiting their site today and finding out more about these great products—and more!

Written by: Angie Dobson, May 21st 2007