Good Clean Fun

Sometimes, it's super-fun getting dirty. Shouldn’t it be as enjoyable getting clean again? With these soap stars, it can be!


Soap Leaves by Trace Elements
Only Mother Nature could form soaps this beautiful. Genuine dried and cured leaves form a pretty, latice frame for a gentle soap resin that has been mixed according to a secret Thai formula. Each honey-scented soap leaf will last for one to two washings. Available in Ivory or Green. Box of 20.


Sapone da Viaggio Assorted Gift Soap Set by Tocca
A charming gift set of three Sapone bar soaps in Stella (Blood Orange), Florence(Orris Rose), and Cleopatra (Grapefruit Cucumber), Sapone Da Viaggio makes the perfect gift. A gentle, moisture-rich bar soap that uses key ingredients like Kukui Nut oil, blue-green algae extract and Vitamin E to hydrate, firm and repair skin, leaving it soft and glowing.


Bar Soap by Pure & Basic
It was only recently discovered that green tea has deodorant properties that are surprisingly effective. In formulating their exclusive soaps, Pure & Basic used Green Tea extracts that provide natural deodorant protection. For the first time, health-conscious consumers can buy a gentle deodorant soap that really works. Ingredients include tea tree oil, lotus leaves, and shea butter. Available in five fragrances: Fresh Fig, Green Tea, Honey Shea Butter, White Tea, and Wild Banana Vanilla (my fav!).


La Source Triple-Milled Soap by Crabtree & Evelyn
La Source cleansing bars are formulated with shea butter to moisturize and condition your skin. The relaxing sea air fragrance smells so good, I get compliments from friends and strangers.


Original Soaps by Fresh
These soaps have a pure vegetable oil base enhanced with nourishing shea butter. Because the bars are milled twice, there are no air pockets - which makes the soap dense, luxurious, and long-lasting. My favorite scents are Verbena, Vanilla, and Mangosteen.


Let's Circulate Salt Rub Soap by Origins
Massaging nubs and purifying Dead Sea Salts buffered in moisture-grabbing Glycerin lather up to release surface toxins and get positive energy circulating throughout your whole being.


Exfoliating Body Soap by L'Occitane
Enriched with exfoliating apricot kernel powder, nourishing grape-seed oil and revitalizing organic grape juice from Provence, this exfoliating soap cares for your skin and reveals all its beauty. It smoothes rough areas and effectively sloughs away dead cells and traces of ink, adhesive bandages, self-tanners, etc.

Making Scents

I realize I just wrote a post about perfume. But let’s face it…when it’s 95 degrees out and there's 100% humidity, sometimes you wish that people would go easy on the perfume/cologne, or maybe not wear any at all. Although I guess that could lead to all other sorts of B.O. issues, being that it’s 95 degrees and 100% humidity. That’s why I’m a firm believer in a good body wash. What’s the difference between a good and bad body wash, you might ask? A good body wash’s scent should subtly linger without overpowering the senses. It should be fragrant, not pungent.

Now although I enjoy many products from Philosophy, their Bath & Body Gels just aren’t up to snuff, in my opinion. When I discovered the brand a while back, I was extremely excited by their variety of body washes. From Cinnamon Buns to Frozen Lemon Custard, Philosophy’s flavors run the gamut. I assumed that because the body wash cost $16, that the ingredients must be more luxurious than, say, Dove. I assumed since they were made by Philosophy, that the scent must have extraordinary staying power. In the end, I learned a good lesson – especially valuable to a beauty addict like myself. The lesson is…just because it’s more expensive doesn’t mean it’s better.

Which brings me back to good body washes. One of my favorite body washes is made by a company called Pure & Basic…and for only $7.99, it is everything I would expect from a high-end product. All Pure & Basic products are made with the highest quality natural biodegradable ingredients, essential oils, and botanical extracts; products are packaged in recyclable containers; they use no FDC colorants; and they don’t test on animals.

The body washes come in nine scents (I heart the Wild Banana Vanilla) that delicately linger, for an understated fragrance. The Pure & Basic line also includes a variety Hand & Body Lotions, Shampoos, Conditioners, and Deodorant – so you can mix and match to create your own signature scent. Pure & Basic is available through select retailers, so check their website to see where they’re sold near you. I usually get mine at TJ Maxx or Marshalls…and at half the price – so check the discount stores before you pay full price or buy online.