My 10 Favourite Body Shop Beauty Products Part 1

The Body Shop are and have been one of my favourite beauty brands for almost two decades now. I can remember using their shower gels and body lotions as far back as age ten. I've long admired them for their ethical values, and in particular for the fact that their products weren't / aren't tested on animals.

When I first began shopping with them in the nineties, only a handful of beauty brands were commonly known as cruelty free (to me, at least), but I knew I could go to The Body Shop to buy beauty products with a clear conscience. I've always been against animal testing for cosmetic purposes, and the thought of animals being abused so we can wear make up or strawberry scented shampoo makes me feel ashamed, and disgusted. That's why I love The Body Shop. I can indulge on lovely, frivolous, beauty products and not feel guilty that an animal is suffering for my vanity. Everything is 100% vegetarian, too, and they also trade fairly in a way which benefits communities, so in my opinion, there are so many reasons why The Body Shop are worth shopping with. One being that their lotions and potions smell amazing and work like a dream.

As I use The Body Shop's products more than any other beauty brand, I thought it was time I shared some of my favourites with you. I've compiled my top ten favourites, half of which I'm going to talk about today.

Coconut body butter

I've been using Body Shop body butters for a very long time, and at present, I own the body butters in four different scents, including vineyard peach, satsuma, cranberry and coconut. While I do dabble in the different flavours from time to time, my favourite has always been the coconut, and it's the one I use and buy most often. It's enriched with Community Fair Trade virgin organic coconut oil, and the tropical scent never fails to make me nostalgic for past summer holidays. I like to use it on my legs, feet, and elbows during the summer months because it's heavier than a body lotion, and it works wonders on moisturising those dryer, hard-wearing areas that need a little extra TLC. Each time I use it, I get great results immediately, and I'm left with the softest, smoothest skin. I particularly love using it after shaving my legs because it gives me the silkiest pins I could ask for. And it smells amazing, too.

Coconut lip butter

I get badly chapped lips on a regular basis and have tried countless lip balms over the years but none of them have ever made much of a difference. That was until I bought a pot of the coconut lip butter for the first time last year. Unlike all the others, this lip butter actually hydrates, moisturises, and softens my lips, and that is a bloody miracle! It contains organic virgin coconut oil and has a thick butter-like consistency which work together to deeply nourish even the driest of lips. The butter seems to create a barrier that keeps my lips in shape for a couple of hours after being applied, which may not sound that remarkable, but for a girl whose lips usually become dry and chapped minutes after applying a lip balm, it's extremely impressive. I couldn't live without this lip balm now and always carry a pot of it in my handbag.

Peppermint cooling foot lotion

I have been using the peppermint cooling foot lotion since I was nine or ten, so my love affair with this lotion goes back nineteen or twenty years! I don't use many beauty products today that I was using twenty-years ago, so I think this shows just how much I love this foot lotion and how satisfied I am with it. It's a multi-functioning foot lotion. The mix of peppermint oils and cocoa butter not only smell fantastic, but work to banish foot odour, no matter how sweaty and pungent your feet may be. It cools hot, tired and swollen feet, which can provide some much-needed relief after a long day travelling or on your feet. And of course, it works to keep your feet well moisturised and softened. I like to apply this lotion after soaking my feet in a foot spa for ten or fifteen minutes, and I'll then cover my feet in a pair of cotton socks for a few hours to give the lotion time to sink in and work its magic. It never fails to give me extremely soft skin, but I get the best results when I pop the socks on after applying it to my feet.        

Banana shampoo and banana conditioner

I've confessed my love for the banana shampoo and conditioner before, and I'll declare it again: I love the Body Shop's banana shampoo and conditioner. They both have a nostalgic banana scent which reminds me of banana yoghurt, and I could sit and inhale the aroma all day long. Both the shampoo and the conditioner are made from real banana puree, and they really do smell good enough to eat.

The banana shampoo always leaves my hair feeling beautifully clean, even when I begin the shower with greasy hair. It may be a gentle shampoo, but it's a feisty little thing . Once my hair is dried, it feels incredibly soft and light- not unlike the results I get at the hairdresser's- and every lock looks shiny, healthy and glossy. I often use the shampoo on my fringe in between hair washes, without following it with a conditioner, and it gives the same great results used on its own, too!

The banana conditioner is one of my all time favourite hair care products, and I've only been using it for about a year and a half. The Body Shop describe the conditioner as being "thick and creamy", but I personally think it's quite a light conditioner compared to a lot of others I've tried. Don't let that put you off, though; this conditioner is worth its weight in gold. When I massage it in to my hair, I usually leave it to sink in for a minute or two before I rinse it out, and afterwards my hair feels wonderfully conditioned. It leaves me with very few tangles, so my hair is really easy to brush through before I attack it with the hair dryer. And once my hair is washed, dried and styled, I'm left with the softest, shiniest tresses I could ever dream of having. Not bad for a cruelty free conditioner that costs an affordable £4.50!

I hope you've enjoyed reading about five of my favourite Body Shop products. Keep an eye out for the second part of this post coming up next Monday when I will be talking about another five of my favourites.

What are your favourite Body Shop beauty products?