Do you prefer a shower or a bath? I’ve always been a bath girl through and through but sadly I do not own a bath (only a shower) making me really savour a good bath when on holiday or staying at a luxury hotel. I love bath time to unwind and de-stress so when I do encounter a bath, I make friends with it very quickly and am in it in no time to soak away the day. I love a good bath product however and I really relish a good luxury body oil or bath salts for the calming effect they have on me. I’ve been trying some amazing ones lately while on holiday and here are a few of the best luxury bath products to de-stress and unwind.
Verdant Alchemy Retreat Bath & Shower Oil
My goodness I love a bath oil. As I said I’m a bath girl through and through and I love to have my lotions and potions on hand to turn my bath experience into a spa-like experience at home. Bath time is calm time for me, a place to quiet the mind and body. In terms of the best luxury bath products, my favourite new bath oil these days is the Verdant Alchemy Retreat Bath & Shower Oil which uses a beautiful blend of lavender, ylang-ylang (the scent helps fight anxiety and stress) and rosewood to soothe the senses. It’s a 100% natural oil as well and if you don’t have time for a bath you can use it in the shower as well by simply rubbing a handful onto your chest and shoulders and inhale the scent in a steamy shower. The oil contains lots of omega fatty acids to help restore the skin barrier and the scent is divine. Bliss.
If I’m not using a bath oil you can bet I’m there with the bath salts. I choose bath salts over oils if I am particularly achy because the salts are great for easing aches and pains. I LOVE the Herbivore Calm Soaking Salts (available at Liberty London). They contain magnesium, selenium, zinc and iron which really help to soothe weary muscles at the end of the day. The scent is also beautiful with ylang-ylang (again great for relieving anxiety) and vanilla – perfect to ease your mind at the end of a long, stressful day.
I love organic body oils – honestly, they are my favourite and best luxury bath products. I’m quite picky about body care and tend to go for organic body creams and oils. The Susanne Kaufmann Detox Oil (available at Liberty London) is a beautiful, indulgent body oil that is simply divine to apply to damp skin after a shower. The organic oil blend contains natural plant-based oils like avocado, rosehip and jojoba to soothe the skin and restore lipids in the skin. The oil interestingly enough also contains medicinal herbs, ginger and birch to help ease the body and it smells incredible. If I am going to splurge on body care, I would choose this.
Upcircle Body Scrub in Tangerine
I try to do a good body scrub once a week after a facialist told me how important it was. I love having silky smooth skin and taking care of your body skin is just as important as taking care of your face skin. I absolutely love a coffee scrub and have just started using the Upcircle Body Scrub which is a coffee scrub made from repurposed coffee grounds from London cafes. I love sustainable beauty brands these days and my goodness Londoners drink enough coffee anyways so why not repurpose the grounds? I like coffee scrubs because they really do get rid of any dead skin cells and leave your skin soft and so smooth. This one has a scent of tangerine and grapefruit in it as well so it’s really uplifting to the senses. If I’m taking a bath or shower I start with the body scrub first to really rev up my circulation and then it’s time to unwind…
Upcircle Face Scrub in Herbal Blend
As I mentioned not only is a body scrub good for you but a good face scrub is too. I like to do a body scrub and a face scrub at the start of a bath so my skin can then soak in all the goodness of the oils and/or salts I add to the bath. The Upcircle also has a Face Scrub with a Herbal Blend that smells incredible and leaves skin feeling soft and smooth. This one is good for oily/combo skin and contains tea tree oil to help combat spots. Again all the scrubs from Upcircle are made from repurposed coffee grounds from London cafes so it’s nice to add a sustainable beauty brand to your cupboard if you can.
Africology Slimming Detox Cream
I was really intrigued by Africology after discovering some of the products. The brand uses natural botanicals and ingredients from the African continent in their creams and elixirs. Now, I’m all about loving the body and I’m wary of any creams that promise you to become slimmer but this is great WHEN paired with body brushing which really helps to reduce the look of cellulite.
As a PRE-BATH OR SHOWER ritual I absolutely recommend body brushing. If you love your cellulite, absolutely fine but if you do want to tackle it naturally (body brushing is also incredible for detoxing and flushing toxins from the skin as well as increasing circulation) then this is a cream to look into. So what’s in it? Well, a potent botanical blend of seaweed, ivy, horsetail, queen meadow and biting clematis. It also contains caffeine, guarana extract, L- Carnitine, cysteic acid and pantetheine sulfonate which work at creating activity in the cell so fat is turned into energy. I would recommend using this after body brushing and only on areas of personal concern such as hips, stomach and thighs (where we all tend to see more dimpled skin).
Post-bath or shower I love a good body oil and one that’s not too greasy because usually I’m off to bed soon after and who wants to ruin silk PJs? I love the Moroccanoil Dry Body Oil for that exact reason – it’s nourishing without being greasy and it’s the perfect post-cleansing ritual before bed. It contains Argan Oil, Olive and Avocado Oils to really hydrate the skin naturally.
What’s your favourite bath time ritual? What are the best luxury bath products that you have come across?
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