REVIEW: What's in the Bathroom?

I love taking a bath. Who doesn't? Especially in this schizophrenic climate of ours, a good, long bath is just, well, necessary.

I hop in the shower two to three times a day. It's where I mostly do my thinking and rationalizing, and of course, scrubbing. Today, I'd like to share my loyal companions in the bathroom.

Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser. I call it good ol' Cetaphil. Do I need to say more about this product? I started using it since I was 15 because my derma that time prescribed it after I got some nasty chemical burns on my face. (Ouch. Painful story, I tell you.) Ever since, we never parted ways. It doesn't dry me out. It doesn't lather, nor it foams. It's thin. Not a good makeup remover or pimple treatment though but perfect for those with sensitive skin. Sometimes I even leave it on my face for a few minutes without water, especially on days when I need an extra dose of moisture. It's so gentle that I tried tasting it a lot of times and I wasn't harmed not even once. hahaha. =D It's cheaper than most "for sensitive skin" cleansers and you can find it just anywhere.

Dove White Beauty Bar. When I was a kid, I really hated this soap. Why? Because it's too difficult to rinse it off! You know when you're a child, you want to finish your bath in a split second so you can go out and play, taking a bath is the least of your priorities. I started using Dove religiously when I was 21. I had a severe case of atopic dermatitis back then and my derma said I use this soap regularly for maintenance. It's very moisturizing, albeit it's so difficult to rinse off. I use it on my face and body without worry. And I love its smell. But there's one thing I noticed with Dove lately, I dunno if it's just me but the scent has somewhat changed and the latherdiffst aT is somewhat different. Maybe they changed the ingredients or something but for me it really seeaT different than the old ones. Anyway, I still love it. However, I don't use the otherdDove variants, especially the green one, I just don't like the scent of the others.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub Blemish and Blackhead Control. This has been my facial scrub since I discovered the perks and importance of scrubbing. I scrub 3 to 4 times a week. But I like the old packaging, the blue one with the label "Medicated". For me that one does the scrubbing job better. It truly smells more "medicated" and it somehow convinces me that it works. It's thick, smells nice, and the scrubbing beads are somewhat bigger so you can really feel it exfoliating your dead skin. It's not so expensive and best, it prevents break-outs. But since it contains salicylic acid, it tends to dry you out which might cause you pimples in the long run. Just don't use it everyday since it's a bit harsh. Well, you just have to slap on a lot of moisturizer on your face after scrubbing, right?

Aveeno Active Naturals Moisturizing Bar. I love Aveeno - especially this soap. Ooops. It's not soap. It's a moisturizing bar. And of course, it's soap-free. It's very mild but it exfoliates my skin quite well. It has oatmeal, which is good since oatmeal is a natural cleanser and moisturizer. It smells like, what else, but oatmeal bread. It's perfect during my dry days and it's hypoallergenic too. I score 'em cheap compared to otherdstores selling it. I get one bar for only $3!!! (less than 150 pesos). Not all counters or shops sell these babies though. So you might as well look for one that's located near you. (I buy them from Subic Duty Free.) One con about this one is that it doesn't last long, which is a common problem with soap or bars that are dosed with a lot of moisturizer. TIP: I let it air dry first before I cover it in the soap dish.

Aveeno Active Naturals Clear Complexion Cleansing Bar. Just like the oatmeal bar, this one's soap-free, oil-free and great for sensitive skin. The only difference: it contains soy and salicylic acid. Soy to moisturize and salicylic acid to prevent acne. It takes care of the breakouts but tends to dry me out if I use it often. I just use it when there's a "forming" pimple on my face. I love the smell though, better than the oatmeal one.

African Black Soap. I know. I know it looks weird, odd, scary, not soap-y at all. But trust me, this soap is a wonder. The first photo on the left (round shape) is my recent purchase while the photo below (loaf shape) is my first purchase. They come from different sellers (bought them online). So what's with this black soap? It' not even black, it's somewhat brown. It's raw, organic, and doesn't have dye or any fragrance, so what you see is the exact product that came out after "cooking" the soap. It comes from Ghana, Africa. I read that the ingredients of this soap are mainly plant ashes and palm oil and they burn this soap for hours, although I'm not too sure. The smell is... I can't find the exact words, but it smells "earthy", like the soil, you know. But Em said it smells like bread with peanut butter. But nonetheless, it smells yummy. It has shea butter in it but still, it can dry you out so apply moisturizer. Some said it stings on the first use but to me, it didn't. It doesn't claim to clear out pimples and acne, but it made my pores smaller, made my skin less prone to red spots, rashes, and allergy, and really gave me a natural "glow". It also helped in clearing my dark pimple spots. I received a lot of compliments on the first week of using this soap and I really swear by it. However, I think there are different formulations for each and every ABS in the market, since my recent purchase has less effective results than the first one. I'm planning to switch to my first seller and try it out again to see if my thoughts are correct. I'm getting a new bar on the 5th. Yey! The cons? It's quite expensive. A hundred grams or so costs 350 pesos or more and it doesn't last long. TIP: I cut the bar into small slices and roll it into a ball or flat it out like a tiny soap. After using it I let it air dry first and store it in a place without moisture. I buy it online, since it is not readily available in the market. One 135 to 150 gram bar would last me 2-3 weeks. But it's worth it. You should at least give it a try.

Medi Herbs Soap Papaya Plus. I swear, this is better than most Papaya Soaps in the alphabet. hahaha. =) It doesn't come in a good packaging (wrapped only in paper and clear plastic) and you don't see it on billboards and TV ads but this stuff works. If you need serious whitening, I strongly urge you to buy this one. It's natural, it smells good (smells like orange bubble gum), and again, it works. It's cheap and you can find it almost anywhere. I know that there are already a lot who might have "discovered" this wonder because in a matter of months the price shot up from 39 pesos to 54 pesos. Plus the fact that there was a time that I had to wait since the stores selling them are out of stock. It lives to its claim in whitening, so don't think twice.

So there. These are some of the mainstay characters in my bathroom. I didn't include shampoos and conditioners since I change them from time to time. =)

How about you? What's in your bathroom?