Beauty Blog » Bath Products

As early as ancient Egyptian Civilizations bathing has been an essential element of one’s health, appearance, and peace of mind.  Bathing is one of the most accessible, exotic and rewarding beauty rituals that you can perform.  Showering will get you clean, but fully immersing your body in water is true bathing.  For me it is a perfect end or beginning of my day.  After a bath filled with lavender and chamomile I feel beautiful, healthy and renewed.  Loving and caring for the body is an obligation and bathing was one of the first ways people began to respond to caring for the body.

Bathing will help you reap the following benefits:

• relaxes tense muscles
• opens clogged pores
• removes dirt, bacteria, and environmental toxins from the skin
• gives strength to your body
• restores moisture to your skin and tissues
• adds a healing dimension to your day
• reconnects you to your body, mind, and spirit

To get the most from your bath time, first of all, prepare your bathroom.  Your bathroom should be clean, fresh, and soothing.  Lighting a candle or incense and playing some soft music may help to set the mood.  Make sure your slippers, towels, and robe are close by.

Next, prepare your tub.  Draw water that is very warm but not hot.  Water that is too hot will actually do harm to the skin. Add natural ingredients to your water such as pure essential oils, salts, herbs, and plant oils like jojoba, avocado, almond, and apricot.  It is important that you use live natural ingredients as they help to keep your skin healthy and alive.  Natural soaps, herbs, sea salts, and clays are also helpful.

Bathing is a healing activity, so you especially want to avoid synthetic fragrances, harsh soaps and other bath additives that will strip moisture from your skin and create a toxic bath. Once you have prepared your bath, dry brush your skin to help get rid of dead skin cells, and to open the skin so that it can absorb the water, and additives in your bath. Soak for 20-30 minutes, taking deep breaths, which help rid your lungs of toxins.  Relax and appreciate the water, and the benefits of the natural ingredients in your bath.  and then use a natural sponge or cotton washcloth to clean your skin.  Massage your skin in a circular motion.  You should also use a foot file to remove old skin from your heels.

Pat your skin dry, and, starting at your feet, apply moisturizer while your skin is still damp.  One of the best moisturizers is raw, unrefined shea butter. When applied to the skin, it’s rich fatty acid and vitamin a content will help to seal moisture into your skin.  This step will help to prevent dryness and cracking and helps to keep your skin from aging.  Pure unrefined Shea butter is available at PrettyNatural-inc.com.

Your mind, body, and spirit all gain strength from bathing. Rediscover the art of bathing.

image: fairygodmotherinc.com

A few short years ago, I had a slight obsession with a certain bath and body store. I’d wait for the annual sales and throw down serious cash for lotions and shower gels that smelled extremely strong in the bottle but never lasted more than an hour on my body. One day while on vacation in Canada I stumbled upon the Lush Cosmetics store and I was forever changed. The smell in the store almost knocked me over it was so strong but it wasn’t an artificial floral or candy smell (like that other popular mall standard). The scent was unique, I smelled rosemary and herbs and a clean soapy smell. It smelled organic and grown up.

So what makes Lush so unique?

“Our Core Beliefs

We believe in making effective products from fresh, organic fruit and vegetables, the finest essential oils and safe synthetics.

We invent our own products and fragrances. We make them fresh by hand using little or no preservative or packaging, using only vegetarian ingredients, and tell you when they were made.”

And you know what? They aren’t lying! You feel the love in every Lush product. Nearly all of their products are vegetarian or vegan friendly. On every bottle is a sticker with a picture and name of the person who made it by hand and the date they made it. Every single product I have purchased has improved by skin, my hair, or my mood. Sometimes all three! Let me introduce you to my all-time favorite:

BIG Shampoo $21.35

“Lemon-lime margarita shampoo adds shine and body to fine hair. The difference between a hefty, healthy hairdo and a lot of limp, lackluster locks? It’s this saucy, sassy, salty shampoo! BIG combines shine-enhancing citrus juices with the beautifying, hair-buffing impact of sea salt and genuine sea water for a body-building regimen your fine hair won’t sweat over.”

This stuff is fabulous. The scent wakes up up and it leaves your hair shiny and soft. You don’t even need conditioner! If I could marry this shampoo I would! Just kidding……or am I?

Shop for more shampoo at Smarter.com.

If none of you out there have ever been introduced to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap…the day has finally arrived. This stuff is amazing, strong, but amazing. I’ve been using Dr. Bronner’s for a few years now, and was introduced to this after a facial piercing phase I went through in college. It’s just a very pure, all natural form of liquid soap that cleans gently but thoroughly. I have a lot of friends that use this soap and love it. It’s basic, and gets the job done. It also comes in neat little bottles that you can bring with you on travels. I only recently started finding the tiny travel sized soaps and mine came in super handy this weekend while I was away. Now, ideally I would love to bring my regular face wash, toner, and luxe bar soap on my trips–but this can be such a hassle. Anyone of you who travels frequently will understand. So instead, I took a little risk and only brought my travel size Dr. Bronner’s, and I used it in the shower, and on my face. It will leave your skin squeaky clean so use sparingly, but it’s a perfect way to simplify your travel beauty routine by bringing this all-in-one. This specific formula comes in several different scents (all natural oils of course), and the peppermint is a popular choice among many. My personal favorite is the almond, it smells sweet and soft.

Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-One Hemp Almond Pure Castile Soap, $1.59

If you wash your face with this soap, try your hardest not to get it into your eyes–since it is pure castile soap, it will sting (just like any other soap would.) On the label you will find the thing that might fascinate newcomers the most, which is the eighteen different uses for this soap: one of them includes washing hair with! A wise thing to do is try a small version of this stuff before buying a big bottle–it comes in a few different sizes. Other scents include lavender, rose, peppermint, tea tree and eucalyptus. Dr. Bronner’s is totally eco-friendly, biodegradable and is packaged in post consumer waste. The organic oils it is made with include organic olive, palm, coconut, hemp and jojoba. This also makes for excellent hand soap in the bathroom. This would also make a great gift for Christmas or just something to stock up on before holiday traveling.

In this age of eco-friendly, I’m sure you all have seen an all natural deodorant out there when browsing the personal care product aisle. Maybe you haven’t, but either way…they’re out there. They being the natural deodorants. I’ve seen crystals, rocks, sprays, solids. All kinds of “all natural” deodorants. The crystals and rocks do not interest me in the least. I know my underarms, and I know a rock that you splash some water on just isn’t going to do it for me. I could be very wrong, I usually am. If you see a post pop up in a few weeks claiming how wonderful and miraculous crystal deodorants are, don’t be surprised. Then there’s Tom’s of Maine deodorants. I bought the gel solid with a lavender scent to it. There’s all sorts including peach too! Didn’t work. In fact, it made the moisture under my arms worse and the lavender didn’t mask a thing. So now I’m back to my good old Soft & Dri with conditioning silk, and even that gives out mid-day. I have not tried spray deodorants. These I am curious about. Weleda makes a sage spray deodorant, and my girlfriend uses this. Never heard a complaint from her, but then again she looks like the kind of gal that doesn’t get very sweaty. I like the idea of a spray though. It looks refreshing. Sephora seems to be up on the natural and organic trend and it was on their website that I found this…

Lavanila Laboratories The Heathy Deodorant in Vanilla Lavender $18

Apparently this stick is 100% natural, but uses a beta-glucan technology. Don’t ask me what this is. The good news is it does not contain aluminum or mineral oils. These ingredients can clog the sweat glands. It’s also paraben, sulfate free and all that other good stuff–Sephora is slapping their natural seal on it. Lavanila comes in a few different scents that sound better than the tired old baby powder scent I’ve been using for years: Vanilla, Vanilla Coconut, Vanilla Lavender, and Vanilla Grapefruit. It’s no mystery why the company is called Lavanila. But $18 bucks? Really? I’m sure it will last long and there will be no irritation under the arms, so it’s probably worth it. Besides I would rather smell like yummy vanilla and know that my underarms are safe from harmful chemicals, trying this would be a fun experiment.

Shop though a variety of deodorant at Smarter.com.

Those of us with dry skin really should invest in this product. The Olay Ultra Moisture In-Shower Body Lotion is excellent because it works with your shower’s steam and heat to give you the most optimum moisture ever. It’s a lotion that you use in the shower. Brilliant. They advertise that in just five days, your skin will dramatically and noticeably improve. I’ve been using it for a few days now and it’s definitely working better than other products.

This isn’t really a cleaning product so you still have to use a shower gel or soap before you apply this lotion. This just replaces the lotion that you would put on after you come out of the shower. This way, you get everything done in the shower and you’re ready to go! I don’t know about you guys, but sometimes I just don’t have time to put lotion all over after I get out of the shower. This makes it easier. You also bypass that heavy feeling of lotion on your skin. At first I was skeptical–why would you want a lotion that rinses off? But in fact, it’s better to use it in the shower because of the heat that causes your pores to open and allows maximum moisture to reach in the depths of your skin. 

Just as heat opens your pores, you should always finish of your shower with cooler temperature water because cold water closes  your pores so you have skin that’s smoother.

Shop for more body lotion at Smarter.com.

Some of you might think I’m crazy for recommending this, but I swear by it now.  Shaving my legs with hair conditioner has changed my life!  As someone with super sensitive skin, it was impossible to shave without getting out of the shower with little red shaving cuts all over both of my legs.  But now!  The difference is amazing!

I used shaving cream for many years, and then made the switch to an eco-friendly shaving cream.  The eco-friendly one, made by Kiss My Face, smelled great but was actually worse on my skin that traditional shaving creams I had used in the past.  I was complaining about my shaving cuts one day when my girlfriend suggested using hair conditioner, I had heard of this trick before but never tried it.  I happened to have an old bottle of Charles Worthington London Moisturizing Conditioner in my shower.  A light formula, it was perfect for shaving and I’ve used it since, with no more cuts to complain of.

How is this eco-friendly?  Well, you aren’t having to buy so many different products, first of all.  You can buy one conditioner and make it last for use on your hair and legs.  This is economical.  Fewer bottles means less waste of course.  Not convinced?  Okay, if you really want to get crazy, go buy a bottle of eco-friendly, natural conditioner and use that for conditioning and shaving.  Whatever you end up using, your legs will be smooth, and I think the shave lasts longer. I  couldn’t find the exact Charles Worthington Conditioner that I’ve been using, I know it’s from Walgreens but it wasn’t on their website.  I did dig up a couple of different ones that can be used just the same…you’ll have to report results now!

Organix Hydrating Tea Tree Mint Conditioner: $6.99

Yes To Carrots Pampering Hair Mud Conditioner, Paraben Free: $7.99

Vitamin Conditioner, Blueberry Avocado: $6.99

These are just a few moderately priced eco-friendly conditioners for normal to dry hair.  You can, of course, go cheaper or more expensive based on what you like to treat your hair with.  $1.99 Suave would probably work great on your legs, but I also know this doesn’t quite do it for every woman’s hair.  As far as razors go, I don’t spend a lot of money on the fancy ones anymore.  Perhaps this is why my legs suffered?  Who knows…but they are happy now!

Most of my beauty products last for a while, but when they do run out its usually all at once.  This means I have to go get everything that I am out of all at once, and that can get expensive.  I hadn’t been to Target in a while, but the trip was taken at the perfect time because that very morning I had run out of face wash.  Well, of course, once there I seemed to realize that I needed more of everything: moisturizer, mouthwash, shampoo and conditioner.  During the beauty product re-stocking bonanza I was on, my attention was suddenly diverted to a new line of natural face and skin care products that Target was now carrying. 

Boots, a UK based pharmacy and beauty retailer, has integrated a few of its skin care lines into the national superstore chain.  What drew me to Boots at first glance was its packaging.  Bottled up like old fashioned fancy bath products, I figured some of the stuff would be a little higher in price.  By that I’m thinking $14.99 for body wash, but prices were lower than I thought and even an extra 15% off.  When an entire line of products is being discounted I tend to become a little suspicious that the store is trying to get rid of those products quickly maybe because they were a bad batch of some sort, but I didn’t let my mind go there.  Instead, I couldn’t decide between the Bergamont and Clary Sage Bath Foam and the Geranium Cleansing Face Milk.  Both were packaged so nicely and at a good price, I decided on the bath foam which smells fantastic.

I haven’t used it yet, but I have set the pretty glass bottle it comes in on my bathtub and get happy just looking at it!

Boots Original Beauty Formula Bath Foam: $12.99 for 8.4 ounces

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more bath foams.
Discounts on bath products.

A friend of mine makes her own all natural skin salves.  Amazing!  I was and still am in awe of this talent she possesses in creating her own moisturizing skin salves from her apartment here in Los Angeles.  I don’t have the details on the exact process or ingredients she uses but I was inspired to go out and hunt down some of my own little recipes for natural beauty remedies and perhaps try concocting a mixture of my own.  After just eating an entire small carton of strawberries from the local farmer’s market, I thought it appropriate to seek out a formula that calls for strawberries and I found a good one for exfoliation:

The Strawberry Hand and Foot Exfoliant:

• First you will need 8-10 ripe strawberries, two tablespoons of olive oil, and one teaspoon of course salt such as sea salt.  You could probably even substitute this with some of the Epsom salts.  I highly recommend Walgreens Apothecary Natural Mineral Epsom Salt.

Buy 2 for $3!

• Mash up the strawberries, and mix with olive oil and salt.  Apply over hands and feet, rinse, and pat dry.

For those of you who like taking indulgent baths, you know…the kind that you see offered at fancy spas with rose petals and stuff like that?  Well now is your chance to create your own!  Creating your own rose water bath is easy.  You will need one cup of rose petals, OR one half cup of rose water which should be fairly inexpensive, and one half cup of coconut milk.

Home Health Rose Water is basic and should do the trick, it usually retails for about $4.69 (Lowest price on Smarter.com).

Add all ingredients to a warm bath and sink in!

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more Epsom salt.
Discounts on Home Health products.

For those of you who don’t indulge yourselves in a hot bath every once in a while, you must start immediately!  Taking a hot bath has become something therapeutic not only for my body, muscles and skin, but for my mental state as well.  I’ve always loved finding great personal care products, but I especially love splurging on sweet smelling bubble baths, soaps, scrubs and bath salts.  You may have noticed these things have become a bit pricier over the years due to the fact that they are getting made with fancier ingredients and have an expensive label slapped on them.  Of course these products usually work fantastically and you feel good using them, but you can also create your own little spa atmosphere at a very reasonable price without sacrificing quality.

After recently using up all of my favorite Maria Evora Beach Rose bath salts (which are fabulous by the way…but also $12 per bottle), I went out late one night to pick up something a little more inexpensive at my local drugstore.  I ended up finding a great bargain:  Walgreen’s Apothecary Epsom Salt Lavender Soak: $3.49

These salts are great! Not only were they dirt cheap, they smell good and work well.  I try to soak in a bath full of these at least once a week…if not for my body, for my own mental health!  Upon returning from a desert camping trip this weekend, I came home grubby!  As does anyone after camping, but the salts worked wonders on ridding the smells of earth, dirt and campfire smoke that were in my hair and on my skin.  For years, epsom salt has been used as a natural remedy for soothing muscle aches, sprains  and stings.  Although these are perfect for the bath, the salts can be used for several different things and are a fantastic ingredient when creating your own products such as body scrubs for the face and body.  They are also perfect for soaking your tired, sore and aching feet in while giving yourself a home pedicure or when you just feel like pumicing your feet.  While soaking in a tub of the epsom salts, which are natural magnesium sulfate crystals, your body will be absorbing the minerals through the skin which will not only draw out toxins and relax your muscles, but will act as a sedative for the nervous system.

All this goodness for $3.49?!  Pick up a milk carton full, it will last long and your body will thank you.

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more bath salts.

You know the process-get out the shaving cream, thoroughly wet your legs, shave, and then moisturize.  I don’t know your process but it seems like every time I realize-”Crap! I need to shave me legs,” I am in a mad rush.  We all know what happens when you don’t take the time to properly wet, lather, and moisturize your legs before and after you shave?  You end up with dry, chaffed legs, but hey! they are shaved after all.  Right?  Wrong!  I have found the perfect solution- the Schick Intuition Razor.  It lathers and shaves in one easy step.  I truly love it and I know you will too!  In fact, I found I shave more now that I know it won’t take long. This razor is great for the on-the-go life we all live.  Has anyone else used this amazing products?  

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop for more razors.
Discounts on shaving cream.