Lively Bamboo, Bamboo Charcoal Soap, Lavender and Rosemary

The Lively Bamboo, Bamboo Charcoal Soap is beautiful to look at. A lamp black soap enclosed in thin white butter paper and covered with a thin brown sheet with the soap's name printed in Leaf green. I wish I'd taken a picture of the soap before opening it but I'd been waiting to open it for so long it completely slipped out of my mind.

The soap has a pleasant fragrance unlike the previous lavender soap that I had reviewed (read: http://www.soapnosis.blogspot.in/2012/08/lavender-and-basil-soap-fabindia.html ). The natural heady scent of lavender has not been overdone and is perfectly complemented by the woody fragrance of the rosemary. The fragrance of the soap doesn't lose its intensity even after a whole three weeks. It smells just as amazing as the first time you open it.  Full points for getting the fragrance right.

The soap uses activated charcoal ( a form of carbon that has a lot of pores to increase its surface area so it can help in adsorption in this case, of dirt that lies trapped deep in the pores of the skin) as a "mild" exfoliant. An ingenious use of charcoal with a valid purpose-exfoliation and detoxification of the skin which allows the body's natural oils to moisturize the skin after washing. My experience however tells me that this fine-grain soap is too harsh on the skin and dries the skin out after every wash. You can be sure that  your body will be scrubbed squeaky clean of any dry skin cells or dirt on your body but a wash after this soap will also require you to invest heavily in greasy moisturizer after a bath which is funny because the soap claims that it can "relieve cracked and dry skin".So, even though scrub soaps ought to be perfect for the winters to help exfoliate the skin, I wouldn't recommend it for the winters ,at least not if the winters in your town are any like the one that hits Rajasthan. It might work well in the monsoons though when the weather is still humid so your skin's natural oils can compensate for the dryness of the skin. Lavender is after all, a monsoon fragrance to be enjoyed with a hot water bath.

All in all, this soap is not to be used everyday. It may be nice to use once or twice in a month when you think your skin can do with an exfoliant to remove out all the grime and dirt that lies hidden in the deep pores of your skin and soak in the wonderful fragrance of the heavenly mix of Lavender and Rosemary.

Name: Lively Bamboo Charcoal Soap Lavender

Maker: Auroville Bamboo Centre ( http://www.aurovillebamboocentre.org/commerce.html)

Price: Rs 119 at Flipkart.com

Ice Cubes in your armpits!!

I hear you! Believe me I do. I know how it feels to sit in your desk and appear all "cool" and lady like when really there is a Niagara falls of the worst kind flowing through your armpits or bust line or wherever(lets cut the gory details). You tip-toe to the restroom and try to fix yourself-some perfume here, some talc there. You blot all the 'natural' sea salt spray from your body and return to your AC cabin with a look of delight. You get down to work, humming yourself a track and sipping on some water feeling like your teenage self. Ten minutes later, you feel like a giant sticky note. Argh!

 After a few days you realize, your deo doesn't do it, your bathing bar doesn't do it, your talc, SPF- none of them help!  After having showered in my own sweat almost every summer, the Mint and Tea Tree shower gel by Original Source comes as more than just a relief.
It is a vegan product made of tea tree extracts and mint concentrate which leaves your body with a tingling sensation. The first time I showered with it, I think I saw Alaska. It was 36C already in Bangalore and nothing helped to distract me from the heat. I had picked up the shower gel from the local store (Health and Glow, Bangalore) and had not paid much attention to it. I just thought that the mint would keep body odour at bay but boy, it did so much more!

So, back to my story. I stepped into the shower, poured some gel out and the mint concentrate was just so refreshing and arousing at the same time. Lathered myself up and I started noticing that something was different. Took me about two seconds to realize that there were ice cubes in my armpits, around my neck, ice cubes tucked under my bust line , between my legs and....HOME RUN!!! 

Best bath I'd had in my entire life. Period. *toothy grin*
Moreover, it kept me cool for over 4-5 hours and I felt so refreshed!! I felt like a full 158 cms of chilled  Mojito, loose on the streets of the city. The light green bottle sits prettily too. All this for a price of 200 odd Rupees. Sigh! Life is sorted.

Go then, get your ice cube machine and invest in keeping your own sanity :) And lets hope you hit a few home runs too! ;)

NAME: Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel

MAKER: Original Source, UK.

PRICE: 299 Rs.

AVAILABLE AT: Flipkart and Health & Glow outlets, Bangalore.