Aveeno Pomegranate + Rice body wash, $6.99

I first smelled this body wash at my friend's house after she had come back from a trip to CVS. I couldn't get the fresh smell out of my nose so I knew I had to pick up my own bottle of Aveeno's Positively Nourishing Smoothing Body Wash in pomegranate + rice. I tend to just use bars of soap but realized that having an exfoliating body wash would probably come in handy when taking care of my dry skin in the colder months.

This body wash smells really good, I don't know if I smell pomegranate exactly but it isn't an overpowering perfume smell or anything. It is nice and mild but lingers on your skin for hours after the shower. It seems like it is saying this smells like pomegranate and rice but honestly there is no rice smell and it is worded a little awkwardly. The bottle notes that rice beads and walnut shells are included in the body wash as exfoliants, not that it is a rice scented.

I don't use this body wash daily but I do use it pretty regularly. I enjoy the light exfoliation that leaves my skin feeling very soft afterwards. If you're allergic to walnuts be careful because there are actual walnut shells in the body wash.

Final verdict:
Cost: The price varies but it is around $5-7 at drugstores depending on where you go/live.
Does it actually smooth skin?: This is a mild body wash that definitely does the job of smoothing your skin but it does it very gently. The exfoliants aren't harsh and neither is the scent.
Repeat offender?: I really like this body wash and I would definitely buy it again.

-M

Trader Joe's Tea Tree Oil Pure Vegetable Soap (bar), $1.50

I went to Trader Joe's the other day and decided to try their Tea Tree Oil Bar Soap. I love TJ's, love their oatmeal soap, and really love tea tree oil. A lot of all-natural beauty products (especially soaps and shampoos) contain tea tree oil--it's a natural astringent, is antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and may even have some of the same skin-clearing benefits of benzoyl peroxide (thanks, Wikipedia!). Plus, it's $1.50 for 2 bars--what do you have to lose?


I loooove the smell of tea tree oil. The first time I smelled it was when I got pure tea tree oil to clean my belly button ring (lol). I opened it and was like, "Whew!" It's strong! But there was something in it that is really clean and natural--nothing smells quite like it. The fragrance is much less intense in this bar soap compared to the pure oil, but still is distinct. The soap smells nicely in the shower but doesn't leave much of a lingering scent.

This vegetable soap is all-natural and contains no animal byproducts (and, of course, there's no animal testing). A lot of all-natural soaps don't really lather that much, but this one soaps up really nicely. I used a loofa (mesh sponge thing) and was surprised at how much lather I got out of it. It left my skin feeling tight and clean--I used it after working out and it felt like it really cleaned away that yucky, sweaty feeling.

Final verdict
Cost: $1.50--are you kidding? That's nothing! Totally worth it.
Smell: I love the scent of tea tree oil, but it may not be so great to everyone. Try smelling some before you buy it. (They have the oil at TJ's, but smell lightly!)
Clean feeling: This soap left me feeling clean and left my skin feeling tight. I think I could probably even use it for my face if I'm feeling really oily (with some light moisturizer).
Repeat offender: I would buy this again. It's a deal and it's a great, cruelty-free soap. Yay, TJ's!

-T

Trader Joe’s Oatmeal & Honey Soap, $1.99

For the longest time I would only use body washes and completely snub barred soap. I thought that soap bars were more prone to dry out my skin and not actually produce a good lather, but I was definitely wrong. I also suffer from really super sensitive skin, and not just on my face. In the winter months my legs get so dry that I feel like ripping my own skin off. I did a little research and found out that oatmeal is a really good “cure” to dry skin so I started my hunt for a soap that contained oatmeal to help with the itching. I went straight for body washes that claimed to be infused with oatmeal to help with itchy skin but none of the ones I tried really helped.

I picked up Trader Joe’s Next to Godliness Oatmeal & Honey Soap on a trip to my former place of employment (I remember stocking the soap on the shelf but I had never tried it!). For $1.99 you get 2 full bars of soap (4 oz each) that are made with just a handful of really recognizable (and natural) ingredients. I didn’t think this soap would do the trick but this mild soap is perfect for those of us with dry skin. Not only is it infused with flecks of oatmeal that are so fine you can hardly tell they are there, but it has a really nice mild smell that leaves you feeling fresh and feminine (don’t worry boys you can use this soap too its not just for girls). The soap builds a nice lather that goes on the skin smooth and once rinsed off you can feel that your skin is moisturized. Without any added perfumes this soap is purely for the purpose of cleaning and soothing dry skin. This won’t replace the need to moisturize with a lotion like this one, but it will definitely help with the itchiness and soothe your dry and unhappy winter-abused skin.

Final verdict:
Cost: $1.99 for 2 full bars of soap (a good deal in my opinion)
Scent: Mild, clean, and soft
Repeat offender: I’ve been using this soap for months, I will definitely continue to (just hope Trader Joe’s doesn’t stop carrying it—they do that sometimes!)
-M

Olay Body Wash plus Tone Enriching Ribbons, $7

As I've mentioned before, I have some trouble with dry skin, especially in the winter--and man, we're really having a winter here! A lot of people who share in my woes will agree that a crucial step in handling dryness begins in the shower. My favorite step 1 is this moisturizing body wash, Olay's Body Wash plus Tone Enriching Ribbons. The soap is layered intermittently with "ribbons" of moisturizer, and when they mix together they form a thick, creamy, and super-lathery product.

There are 5 different Olay body washes with the moisture ribbons: body butter, crème, lotion, exfoliating, and this one, which has mica minerals. I've used the other ones and liked them well enough (though I still don't know the difference between butter, lotion, and crème), but IMO this one smells the best and feels the creamiest, as you're washing as well as afterward. This stuff is so rich I've started using it as an alternative to shaving gel. Since it cleanses as it moisturizes, it can save some time in the shower.

The purpose of the mica minerals, Olay says, is to even-out uneven skin. I honestly can't really tell if they have any effect in that department, but I must admit it's fun to randomly find the tiny little sparkles that get left behind. They're not that noticeable, but you might want to warn your roommates if they're not the kind of people who like to shimmer. (My boyfriend bought this by mistake and I laughed every time I found a little glitter on his arm.)

Final verdict:
Cost: An 18-ounce bottle is around $7, and is available at drugstores, grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. It's well worth it.
Moisturizing: This is one of the creamiest, richest, and most moisturizing body washes I've used. I've used it year-round as a body wash and for shaving.
Does it really even-out skin tone?: Meh, not really. Although, you might find some tiny sparkles on your skin (don't worry, nothing too serious).
Repeat offender: Yessss. It's a great body wash for my dry skin.
-T