Are you a shower or a bath person? I'd like to say I'm both, however not having a bath in my bathroom does hinder things slightly. Instead, I really make the most out of taking a shower. This includes spending an excessive amount of time in there and using a lot of different products - I counted 14 shower gels in there, alone!
So today, while my shower is more overflowing with products than usual, I thought I'd run through some of my favourite shower products right now that also happen to be affordable and easy to pick up.
Come colder weather my love of lotions and potions seems to dramatically change. From preferring gourmand inspired scent over fresh ones and upping the 'richness' of all my formulas so they perform better on my slightly drier skin type.
Below I wanted to share only five of my most used and cherished products for Winter thus far. From a hand cream that makes a visible difference to my most comforting go-to shower product and more. I hope you find a few new products here for the cold months to come.
This blog post has been kindly sponsored by iHerb
For the past few years, I've incorporated self-care into many aspects of my life from how I start the day, to my body care and how I treat my skin. So when iHerb asked me if I wanted to feature a few hair, shower and body products on Makeup Savvy I knew right straight away it would be from the angle of self-care.
Without sounding too cliche or dramatic, self-care even in the simplest form, for example, hair washing, is everything to me. It keeps me on track and feeling balanced and it's the first thing I rely on when I feel a little 'off'. This does mean I often take 30-minute showers and have hand cream in every room of my house... but that's not such a bad thing, right?
Over the past few years I've come to love Lush products! It personally feels like a treat to go into Lush and pick up something new to try out, whether that be for in the shower, my hair or from their skincare range!
With mainly natural ingredients and unique product ranges I'm often impressed with my impulse buys. So today, I thought I would feature seven Lush products which I've been using for the past few months! I hope you find something new to try!
Much like an edited down 'What's In My Bag?' post without the crumpled receipts and minus the *ahem* lady products, I thought I would do the same with my shower stash. Just as much of a chaotic mess with over flowing shelves of too many body scrubs and conditioners my shower does need editing down.
So here are a few favourites from my shower this spring...
Shampoos
When it comes to shampoo I'm strictly SLS-free (due to previous scalp irritation from a crappy Herbal Essenes shampoo and now believe SLS-free shampoos are much better for the scalp and hair) so over the past few years I have tried out quite a few in search of ones that foam nicely and don't strip the hair.
My current favourite for dry/damaged hair is the Macadamia Rejuvenating Shampoo (a huge 300ml for £8.89 - Amazon here) which is a highly nourishing shampoo (the most moisturising I have come across) that leaves my hair so smooth even pre-conditioner. However this does have an unusual feel, almost like a thick serum, which does take time to work into the hair... so for that reason I use this shampoo 1-2 times a week. For my general everyday shampoo I use the wonderful L'Oreal Ever Riche Nourishing & Taming Shampoo (250ml/500ml - Boots here), again a nourishing and hydrating shampoo best for dry/frizz hair. This is another unique shampoo that comes out as a white creme and lathers amazingly well for being SLS-free. The Body Shop Rainforest Moisture Shampoo (250ml/£4.50 - here) also gets used at least once a week.
Conditioners
For my general day-to-day conditioners I'm all about ones from Aussie. I'm currently using the Take The Heat 3 Minute Miracle (250ml/£4.99 - Boots here) to help protect against further heat damage to my hair that I have been noticing recently. However I do prefer Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor (£250ml/£4.99 - Boots here) which has the most addictive bubblegum scent. For a deeper condition I generally opt for Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Intensive Mask (200ml/£4.39 - Tesco here) which leaves my hair soft and smelling of coconut! But for a more intensive treatment Macadamia Deep Repair Masque (100ml/£10.20 - Look Fantastic here) will always be my holy grail.
Hair Extras
When using any deep conditioner I like to comb though my hair with a wide tooth comb (seen above) as I feel this really helps the conditioner work effectively and then I place it up with a large hair clip (seen above) so that the product on my hair isn't against my skin. You can find large crocodile clips like this in Primark for £1.50.
Body Scrubs
One of my favourite body products to use in the shower are body scrubs. I have a tower of yummy more winter appropriate body scrubs but fresher scents are harder to come by. However the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub (300ml/£8.00ml - Boots here) is the ultimate summer scrub! The scent of this is just so zingy and reminds me so much of Diet Coke with Lime! Aside from the amazing scent the scrub is also the perfect consistency and exfoliates the skin well. Another fruity favourite for spring/summer is Melvita Citrus Body Scrub (150ml/£14.00 - Look Fantastic here) which although pricey is the nicest body scrub for day-to-day. The gentle gel smooths over the skin and exfoliates with actual pieces of orange and organic brown sugar. Another amazing smelling scrub with it's real orange scent.
Shower Gels
Shower gels are a shower essential but I make sure to go for organic or natural... which is harder than you'd think! For ease and their enjoyable scents I opt for Organic Surge Shower Gels and have quite a selection in my shower. The two I've been enjoying lately are Citrus Mint Shore Gel (250ml/£4.35 - here) - a refreshing and invigorating shower gel I like to use for morning showers, and Tropical Bergamot Shower Gel (250ml/£4.35 - here) a recent addition that is great for sensitive skin. I also strangely like to use Halos N Horns Gentle Baby Bath & Body Wash (250ml/£2.10 - Boots here) which is the mildest shower gel I've come across!
Would love to hear what your favourite products to use in the shower are come sunnier weather.
Fee xo.
Last week a lovely reader (who writes the blog Peony and Peach here) suggested I write a top 5 body scrubs post like my previous 'top 5' post on body butters here. Which I thought was a great idea seeing that I have so many scrubs in my shower.
Plus body scrubs are especially nice to use in autumn/winter when skin can be feeling a bit dry.
Sara Happ Vanilla Bean Body Scrub 238g
£36.00 - Beauty Bay here
This is my ultimate indulgent body scrub that is like heaven in a tub. Sara Happ is known for her amazing lip scrubs but decided to branch off with one body product and you can instantly tell a lot of time has gone in perfecting this scrub, from the bow detail on the box to the gooey dessert like consistency. Talking of the consistency hopefully you can see from the above image how indulgent this scrub is - gooey, thick and made from crystallised sugar. As for the scent this really does smell edible and so, so yummy - think a sweet caramel and vanilla dessert. Also contains high quality ingredients with no nasties.
Unlike other scrubs I've used this warms up as it's rubbed over the body and the wonderful sugar crystals melt slightly which feels glorious and almost sticky (this of course easily washes away and doesn't leave any residue behind). Absolutely perfect for pamper nights when you want to exfoliate the skin but don't want to be scrubbing away. A total treat and also a perfect present for anyone that likes there body products.
Melvita Extra-Gentle Body Scrub 200ml
£16.00 - Look Fantastic here
My pet peeve when it comes to shower products is synthetic scents and I always find fruity ones to be the worst. Which is why I'm just in love with this body scrub as it's the most natural smelling shower body product I've come across. By natural I'm not talking with a hint of herbal here, I'm talking fresh oranges... this is one juicy smelling scrub! Every time I use this, generally in the morning as it's so fresh and reviving, I just think 'wow' at the fresh scent.
Consistency wise as you can expect it is gentle with sugar cane and orange peel to exfoliate the skin making this a perfect every day scrub or for someone with sensitive skin. It is also held in a lovely jelly that glides over the skin with ease. I've repurchased this 3 or 4 times now and as long as Melvita sell it I shall buy it! A perfect scrub is you like uplifting scents in the shower or as a summer scrub.
Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub Body Exfoliator 300ml
£8.00 - Boots here
I dedicated an entire post to this scrub only last week here so I won't go on too much about this one. To quickly reiterate what I mentioned in review this again is another favourite of mine due the perfect scrub consistency (S&G got it spot on here) and also the wonderful maple/oat scent that is so comforting and yummy.
If you do like your yummy scrubs opposed to sweet or fruity scents then you will probably love this... I haven't found anyone that hasn't loved it! In fact I love it so much I mentioned it in an article in this month's Weight Watchers Magazine (October 2013 issue) which reads - "The smell is perfect - think pancakes with maple syrup and banana - and the grains are just right, not too harsh and not too soft. And the pot is huge!".
Neom Real Luxury Organic Body Scrub 332g
£32.00 - Neom website here
This is the ultimate spa-like body scrub I've come across and for that reason it had to make my top 5 cut.
Made with 97% organic ingredients this feels as it you are using a sophisticated homemade scrub, with natural oils and a heavenly and calming scent of lavender and jasmine. This holds onto the skin as you rub in over the body and really does exfoliate without feeling too harsh. Unlike the other scrubs mentioned this leaves behind the oils in the scrub that coat the skin and eventually sinks in making the skin thoroughly moisturised and feeling amazing. A perfect one for winter nights when you just want to relax or for anyone with dry skin (you will love the oil left behind!).
If you want that spa feel and scent and a scrub that will truly nourish the skin this is the one to go for. Spa-in-a-jar!
Organic Surge Million Dollar Brown Sugar Body Polish 400g
£35.00 (Limited Edition) - eBay here
Arghhh a bit of a fail here! Organic Surge have now discontinued this product, such a shame! But hey-ho you can still find it on eBay if you like the sound of it. This is a very similar body scrub to the Neom one, organic and very spa-esque. Though I actually think this tips it as it's a huge 400g pot and the glass jar is just amazing - such quality!
I'm aware most of these are on the pricey side but if you're after something budget friendly then I recommend Treacle Moon at Tesco and N-Spa at Asda. Both offer scrubs at around £3 in some lovely scents.
I've also reviewed a few low priced scrubs here.
Fee xo.
As some of you may know I like to avoid certain ingredients in skincare/body products - mainly Sulphates/Sulfates (a cheap ingredient that makes a lot of products foam up). Basically think of me as a Pescetarian of the beauty world.
So when it comes to shower gel, shampoo, facial scrubs/washes etc I do avoid sulfates or SLS's as they are often known (you can read about why I avoid this ingredient here). But one thing I have become more relaxed with is soap that contains it for washing my hands with. Meaning now I can indulge in lots of lovely soaps from the likes of Lush and The Body Shop.
Quite a lot of soaps from Lush do contains sulfates though fortunately this specific soap (mainly because it is a glycerine soap) is free from it, meaning I can use it as a hand soap and also in the shower on my skin, which is pretty good as this is such a zingy summery scented soap.
I have been a fan of soaps from Lush for quite a long time now because I find them great value for money and they smell and look so good! I personally like to just buy 100g of a Lush soap and then I cut it up in to four and use one slice/cube next to the bathroom sink, one in the shower and one next to the kitchen sink and then also have a piece to spare or pass on to someone else! So for this specific soap it cost only £2.95! Though you can literally buy as much as you wish as long as it's over 100g.
Bohemian Soap (£2.95 per 100g) is one of Lush's more basic soaps containing mainly Lemon Oil, Soap and Glycerine... but sometimes the most simple of products are the best, which I have definitely found with this soap. As a hand soap it works well as the lemon-y scent wafts up as you wash your hands and they a left smelling fresh and clean. But this is definitely a soap to be used in either the bath or shower as it is zingy and uplifting. So more often than not I opt for this instead of my many shower gels when I'm having a morning shower or I've just worked out (yes, I am trying to get fit for summer!).
Another soap from Lush that is quite similar in that is packs some punch, but is extra yummy smelling, is Rock Star (£3.40 per 100g) which is a more creamy soap but oh, seriously this is one to have a sniff of when you are next passing or shopping in Lush - just amazing!
Bohemian Soap is without a doubt my summer soap now along with Rock Star which I really do need to re-purchase as I'm currently using the smallest piece that I have left.
What hand soap do you normally use?
Fee xo.
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