Pampering the senses

Bath and body products have gone completely natural

There is a growing body of scientific evidence that the best path to good health is through nature and natural products. Consequently, doctors are putting increasing emphasis on natural ingredients.

One item that is particularly prominent in our daily lives has not lagged behind - common soap. From its humble beginnings as merely a means of fighting dirt, soap has come a long way to its present role as a pamperer of the senses.

Fragrant soaps and shampoos made from natural ingredients have been on the market for a long time, but the latest trend is completely natural bath products. Made the old-fashioned way from natural extracts of almost every imaginable fruit and vegetable, these items are almost tempting enough to eat.

Lush, located in Burjuman and Deira City Centre, is noted for its natural hand-made bath products. The bath section of The One on the Beach Road and The Lifestyle at the Oasis Centre are equally attractive.

The newest bath products have names as imaginative as their scents. Sea Vegetable, Figs and Leaves, Ginger Man, Honeysuckle, Country Apple and Berries, North Woods, Banana Moon and I Should Coco will leave the average shopper reeling in astonishment.

The range is limitless. Shoppers can slice off a chunk of a huge aromatic loaf of their favourite soap or choose a butterball made of cocoa butter, a popular moisturiser. There is also Fizzy O'Therapy, a mix of ginger, cinnamon, clove and coriander which warms, soothes and relaxes the body.

Ballistic balls like Tisty Tosty and Summer Blues from Lush not only sound romantic, but are also full of rosebuds and other flower petals. It is great fun to crumble a rose and lemon bubble bar in the running bath water and watch the foam fill the tub as the scent fills the room.

Natural facial cleansers made from beeswax, conditioners made from tea tree water, moisturisers made from Aloe Vera, rosewater and lavender are fast overshadowing other products. Shaving creams made for sensitive skin and after-shave lotions which do not sting are among the products designed for the avant garde male.

Body moisturising and massage are no longer simple procedures considering the plethora of hand, body, foot and face lotions available.

Face masks, exfoliators and hair treatments are not far behind, nor are massage bars, sprays and lotions for tired feet, stiff muscles, sprains and common aches and pains.

Fragrance, colour and eye-catching packaging can be almost irresistible to many shoppers. There is more variety in soaps and shampoos, and they make superb gifts.

A hamper containing a few bath balls, a couple of massage bars, a few aromatherapy bath gels and some apple-scented loofah soaps makes an attractive gift for a family or individual.

These products turn the average humdrum bath or shower into moments to remember and at the same time help to maintain healthy skin, hair and body.