Down with consumerism! (Johnson's Baby Top To Toe Washing)

Member Name: NutNutNut

Product:	Johnson's Baby Top To Toe Washing
Date:	25/03/09 (72 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can be used for EVERYTHING. Doesn't irritate. Doesn't smell like a slapper.

Disadvantages: The bloody pump. Makes travelling with it difficult.

I hope you're ready for this. This product cannot be beaten as far as I'm concerned. If I could take just one bathroom product to a desert island it would be this one. Why? Because it has multiple uses! So technically choosing that as just one bathroom product is cheating. I discovered you could use it for so many things on another site and really wanted to try it as it seemed like a great way to cut down on consumerism which I hate buying into too much, and also cost as it is only £2.40 a bottle and is often going as part of a buy one get one free deal. I thought if I really could use it for so many different things it was an absolute bargain.

I first bought it in Boots I think, but that is pretty irrelevant as it is available everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Boots, superdrug, any of the supermarkets, chemists, little convenience stores and corner shops, garages etc. Plus it's available worldwide pretty much. That might be of no real use to you, but if you went on Holiday or travel regularly it might be. It is useful to me as there is a possibility of emigration being part of my future, and silly as it sounds it is nice to know I could get a familiar product at my possible new location. The price of the bottle may vary by a few pennies in different shops but I know it is around the £2.40 mark and often on a deal.

The packaging is pretty simple. The bottle is rounded, transparent but slightly frosted. It has the name of the product on the front and a list of ingredients on the back. It also has a yellow pump for a lid. I must admit I have never been keen on pump lids because they are not great for travel once they are opened initially as you cannot re-seal the bottle. I could theoretically swap the lid for another one that fits or change the bottle but it's a lot of fuss. I have heard you can get smaller sized bottles with a more convenient flip top lid which would be perfect for travel, but sadly I have never seen these. I will keep my eyes open though. I think the liquid itself is not exactly gel like as it foams easily enough, but definitely not a creamy texture. I have seen people refer to the liquid as yellow but I would say it looks pretty colourless to me. It does have a faint smell to it. It initially bothered me when I saw the label said it contained "parfum", but it is the last ingredient which means there probably isn't much, and the smell is so faint that I don't think it will harm your skin as some stronger fragrances can. I have sensitive skin and it certainly has never upset it. It has a lot less ingredients in it than a lot of cleansers that claim to be "sensitive", which I think may be part of the reason.

So, what do I use it for? Firstly I use it as a cleanser for my face. It has not caused me any problems, either with over-drying or spots or anything. This also applies to it's use as a body cleanser. It leaves me feeling clean but not smelling like a tarts window box due to having so little fragrance. For the record I don't have any body odour issues and I haven't experienced any from using this product. Just because I don't smell strongly of flowers doesn't mean I smell bad, I just smell clean. I use it as a bubble bath as well although admittedly you need quite a few pumps to make a really good foam. Again it doesn't smell strongly, just a light smell, almost like apple pie. I also use it as a shampoo. Shock horror! Now before you shoot me down and tell me it is not good to use baby shampoo on your hair please remember that a.) this is not strictly a baby shampoo and b.) opinions differ. A woman I know who has been doing mobile hairdressing for nearly 30 years has said it is not bad at all as it is milder than most shampoos on the market. What I must point out though is that I don't do anything to my hair. I never dye it, and I have heard of people complaining that baby shampoo is not good for coloured hair so I can't predict what would happen there. I also don't do a lot of things to my hair that a lot of women do daily. I do not own a hairdryer, I wash my hair at night and let it dry naturally. I never curl or straighten my hair. This may explain why I don't have any trouble using this on my hair but I can't say for sure. It seems to make my long wavy hair really bouncy and doesn't weigh it down at all. In fact it seems to "show off" the waves. Lastly I use it for it's purpose, as a baby/child wash. The "no tears formula" seems to work really well although I must admit I have heard rumours that the reason said formula is so effective because it is tested on animals which bothers me no end. I do not know if this is truth or speculation but I hope it is the latter. I have never heard of anything definite regarding this however otherwise I would not have bought it.

There are other things Johsons Top to Toe can be used for that I have yet to try but thought I would list anyway. Apparently you can use it as a make-up remover and cleanser all in one. Now being that the only make-up I ever wear is eye make-up which I remove with something else (although I may try using this for that once I run out) I cannot say on how well this would work, particularly if you wear foundation or powder or anything which I never do. I'm not sure I would feel totally comfortable and clean not removing make-up before cleansing but that could be a personal choice. On the subject of make-up, I have heard it is great for cleaning all your applicator brushes, sponges etc too. If you handwash, particularly if you have delicate items, this is supposed to be good. I guess it would be a good option for handwashing soft toys too. Again the handwashing thing makes it really versatile particularly for travel. Oh and pets! It is good for washing pets in. I wouldn't do this myself however. I don't think my housemates cat would approve.

Johnsons Top to Toe has been my must-have item for a little while now. I love it that just one cheap product can be used by everyone in my house and that it can be used for so many different things. I can buy just one bottle for the majority of my bathroom routine which makes me feel like I'm not buying into consumerism more than is absolutely necessary which is important to me. I love how easily available it is all over the world. I like the fact that my tiny bathroom has no clutter, just one bottle. I would love how great for travel it would be as all I would need to do is chuck in a bottle of this, some moisturiser and clean underwear and be good to go but sadly the pump is a bit of a problem. I could travel fine until I opened the damn pump. It sadly loses one star for the annoying pump. That might seem petty but travel is important to me and it should not hinder me in such a way. How dare it! lol. I will continue to purchase Johnsons top to toe. I remember I really WANTED to love this product. It was a stoke of luck that I genuinely did love it in the end.

Summary: Versatility in JUST ONE bottle