I was recently sent some products to review from the
Bath & Body Works Kitchen Collection of anti-bacterial hand soaps and sanitizers, and because I use these on a regular basis, I didn't have to prepare myself too much for the review! It also gives me the opportunity to share what some may consider a rather unusual hand treatment, using the hand soap and coffee grounds. First, let me tell you a little bit about this line.
Pictured above are the Deep Cleansing Hand Soap, the Hand Gel Sanitizer, and the Gentle Foaming Hand Soap. This line also carries a Moisturizing Hand Lotion. These products are all designed for use in the kitchen, and they not only kill germs, but also eliminate cooking smells that linger on hands. I used to scrub my hands with salt to eliminate the odor caused from chopping onions, but I no longer need to do that. The Fresh Source odor eliminating technology even eliminates the smell left on my hands from chopping garlic. Two pumps of the hand soap removes all traces of odors for me, and is less drying to my hands than the salt. I find the soaps to be less drying overall, because they contain ingredients such as honey, coconut milk, and olive fruit extracts. Their packaging comes in subtle colors, and the pump-type style is easy to use when my hands are covered in whatever I may be baking. I often use the Hand Gel Sanitizer throughout the day, because it contains Tahitian Palm Milk, which adds moisture to my hands and helps combat germs. These are available in a variety of fragrances, and they retail for $5.00 each. They're often on sale as I believe they are right now, for 4 for $10.00.
I have been using an easy and effective treatment on my hands every night for several months now, and reviewing these products gives me an opportunity to share this with you. After I clean the kitchen up and prepare the coffee maker each night, I scoop a small amount of coffee grounds from the filter before throwing them away. I'd guess that I use between 1/2 and 3/4 of a measuring teaspoon of the coffee. I'm not entirely crazy, because there are many benefits of coffee as a skin treatment.
Below: I then add 2 pumps of the Bath & Body Works Kitchen soap. I prefer the foam type in the kitchen, and the deep cleansing one in the bathroom for no particular reason, but either one works fine for this.
Below: I wash my hands just like I would if I were using plain soap, and massage the grounds around my cuticle area.
Below: After rinsing my hands, I use a small nail brush that I keep in the dish drainer to clean under my nails and around my cuticles, to insure that any stray coffee grounds don't remain.
If you didn't think I was crazy before you read this, you might now! But there is plenty of information available on the benefits of coffee as an ingredient to help exfoliate your skin and remove dead skin cells, not to mention the that coffee bean contains Vitamin E and Magnesium, both thought to be useful as antioxidants to help stimulate collagen. All of these properties combined, aid in keeping your skin smooth and healthy. The granules of coffee also help to remove small pieces of skin around the cuticle before they become hangnails, and work to give an overall look of smoothness to your hands. The odor eliminating ingredients in the Bath & Body Works Kitchen soaps remove any trace of the scent from the grounds, so you don't need to worry about your hands smelling like coffee!
*Bath & Body Works products furnished by the manufacturer or PR firm for review.
The True Blue Spa line at Bath & Body Works offers a great little lip balm that's formulated to protect your lips against the elements, particularly the sun. Watch Your Mouth SPF 45 Broad Spectrum Sunscreen Lip Balm applies nicely without any stickiness, and it's a fairly thick formula that doesn't have a high gloss shine or any color. The scent is light and citrus scented, with just a touch of citrus (primarily orange) taste. I don't know about you, but I often forget about applying sunscreen to my lips. I spend a lot of time outdoors during the summer months, and have had my share of burned lips, which can be quite painful! This product leaves my lips soft and moist, and I don't find myself re-applying very often, because it has good staying power. I looked through at least a dozen lip products that I typically use, and not one of them had any SPF in them, so this product is going to be a useful addition to my summer beauty arsenal.
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