Johnsons is one of those recognised brands of parents and non-parents alike. They have been around for many years and have contributed baby products not only to my mum but also my grans generation. This baby oil was one of the things I received as part of lots of gift sets. I was always a bit confused as to why I would need it and it has only been recently in my moneysaving ways that I have come to discover a world of uses for this particular oil.

* Packaging *

The packaging is pretty unisex. It features the trade mark pale pink colouring on a flip cap where there is a small hole to allow the product to be dispensed. The bottle is transparent with a very simple label depicting the product in a sort of mid blue colour and classic logo of Johnson&Johnson. The back label shows an ingredient list and contact details. The bottle is simple but very user friendly. I also feel that it can easily be picked out from a crowd of similar oils on offer. As they say less is more and I definately feel this applies here.

* Price and Availibility *

I have found this product to be available in many different locations from chemists such as Lloyds, supermarkets both large and small, boots, local pound shops, corner shops and so on.

The price I have found varies depending on where you purchase it. There are 3 various sizes that I have seen, a travel, a medium (200ml) and a large. The medium seems to provide most value for money especially if you buy it from the likes of Poundland where it is obviously £1 whereas the supermarkets charge £1.62 for the same size and £2.50 ish for the larger of the three. It is definately not hard to get a hold of. I find that it is located next to other baby essentials such as nappies, bath products and baby foods.

* The Oil *

This oil has no colour and looks almost like water. That's not to say that the texture is the same. It has a thicker feel to it and as you would imagine is very greasy. It has a faint smell to it, that of a newborn baby which personally I love. I could smell it all day. I find that the scent transfers onto the body and gives a very clean smell but it is not strong at all, very subtle.

It is very easy to apply, you would as you imagine tip some out onto your hand and massage into the skin. It claims for babies to:

'moisturise delicate skin and helps protect from dryness. The pure mineral oil forms a silky barrier to help prevent excess moisture loss, and it is great for baby massage and parent-baby bonding'.

When my son was small, it was recommended to me that I should massage a little oil onto his hands and feet to get rid of dry, flaking skin. I found that it worked very well for this purpose. The skin very easily rubbed off and became very smooth from using this. I did find it took a while to absorb and felt rather sticky. After a few weeks I changed to baby lotion and found that much easier to use as it absorbed so much quicker which as he grew up became something of huge importance.

For adults the claims are:

'To lock in up to ten times more moisture on wet skin than an ordinary lotion can on dry skin, can be used to soothe and relieve dry, rough patches, and in addition, leaves skin glowing and baby soft'.

I have to say I only used this a couple of times for myself. I found that although my skin did feel soft it didn't feel anymore so than using a regular moisturiser. The other problem I had was that it took roughly 10 minutes for it to finally be locked into my skin. When you have a baby you just don't have that sort of time to wait. Another disadvantage for me personally was that it felt really greasy and heavy on my skin. It was a feeling that I really didn't enjoy and therefore stopped using it on myself.

* Other Uses *

So being left with umpteen bottles of this product and no use for them I went on a hunt to find alternative options of using them up as I really hate waste and it was cluttering things up. After a quick google search I found that it was a perfect solution to making your sink shine. I have to say that this really works! My sink was dull and lifeless but after using this just once (as you would imagine you rub a little on to a cloth and rub) my sink had a lovely shine to it. I have either this brand or another cheaper version (they all do the same job in my opinion) in my cleaning cupboard now.

A further use I have found is to add a squirt to the bath. Although I was not a fan of this for a moisturiser I did find that by adding just a dash to a full bath both my own and my sons skin gained the benefits without the clogged feeling of the oil. I am definately a big fan of this and it is also great for those days where the little one needs a bath but I just cannot be bothered with the lotion routine as his skin ends up soft and smelling beautiful without the effort.

I came across this use by chance, I had ran out of shaving gel and was in rather a pickle. After viewing the products on the shelf this one seemed like the best option. I felt it would easily allow my razor to remove any hair whilst protecting my legs from cuts. I cannot describe how much this works. My shaving efforts lasted a lot longer than what they do with gel. The cut was much closer to the skin and my legs were silky smooth for a good few days whereas usually I have to re-do them after a couple. They were moisturised and definately feel better than my usual routine. Again this is also perfect for those days where you just don't have the time to have a pamper session.

There are literally tons of uses for Johnson's Baby Oil many of which I have yet to try. These 3 are my most tried and tested methods, hence why I have went into greater detail with them.

* Safety First *

As this is an oil it should be kept out of reach of children, it would be really easy for a toddler to open the bottle and drink or squirt this everywhere considering the rate that the oil flows out the bottle. As it is gresy it would be so easy to slide on this. If you get any anywhere but where you want it to go, clean it up immediately.

It's pretty obvious but this is for external use only. If any is swallowed then please seek medical attention. If a rash or any irritability comes from using the product then discontinue use.

* Conclusion *

In conclusion this is a great product. It may not seem it at the time but there is an abundance of uses and all parents will have a bottle of this lurking somewhere. It definately is not recommended for the conventional use but for any others this is definately a favourite of mine and I always keep a stock. My best use is definately for shaving. It is so much cheaper than the gels and foams out there, moisturises and gives a much better shave than other options. Definately 4 stars from me but mainly for the alternative uses. If you have a bottle of this lying around try some of the various uses. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.