Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel
Product Type: Original Source Bath / Shower
Newest Review: ... stands on its top .The flip lid is easy to open ,even for me,and I have arthritis in the hands. A great looking classic shaped bottle,v... more
Ten Years of Mintiness!
Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel
Member Name: karenuk
Product:
Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel
Date: 13/06/11
Rating:
Advantages: Great smell, established brand, works well, good value for money, great offers.
Disadvantages: None if you like the smell.
Rolling back time to 2001. A relatively new company called Original Source offered free samples....
...
We all like freebies, right? And we all like pampering ourselves, yep? So in that case, the idea of getting eight free samples from Original Source must sound like a dream. I was certainly pleased with the idea, so I checked out the website and registered for the freebies. A couple of days later, my sachet of the Tea Tree and Mint Shower Gel arrived safe and sound.
The idea is that you try out the sample then receive an email from Original Source, asking you to click on a link and leave feedback. This takes only a minute or so. You just write a few lines about what you thought to it in the feedback box, fill in your email address and password and press submit. You are then informed another sample is on its way to you. In my case, I was informed it would be a sachet of Tea Tree and Lemon Shower Gel.
Before I describe my experiences with the first free sample, I want to explain why I fancied trying these products out in the first place - besides them being free, of course! The company is registered by the Vegan Society and is a member of the Aromatherapy Trade Council.
I am a vegetarian myself and interested in using products that are animal friendly. Also being a big fan of Lush, I know just how wonderful essential oils can be. All in all, it sounded just like a company I would like to support.
The website was very inviting too - lots of bright colours, inspiring words along the bottom of the page (like 'refreshing' and 'zingy') and the words 'free samples' and 'competitions' at the same time!
So I registered, the sample arrived - so how was it? Well, first of all, I must admit to rarely having a shower. No, this doesn't mean I don't wash, just that I prefer a long soak in a bath full of Lush bubbles. But in order to test the shower gel properly, I thought I should have a shower!
After asking my son how to use the damn thing(!), I treated myself to The Shower Experience. I'm sure showers are male- it's always too fast and over too soon ;-) But with this shower gel, I wouldn't have fancied hanging around too long anyway. It did seem like I was trapped in a factory that made hard-boiled mint sweets and I would suffocate before escaping.
For some reason, I expected the gel to be milder than it was. I guess the dark green packaging should have given it away, but I was hoping it would be more tea tree and less mint. The whole bathroom stank of mint - chewing gum, sweets, Polo mints and white Tic-Tacs all in one.
The website suggests this shower gel is ideal for hayfever sufferers, as it unblocks your nose. Well, I suffer from hayfever, but I was more worried it was going to give me an asthma attack! It is also supposed to be good for waking you up (I prefer a cuppa myself!), after a session in the gym (!?) or as a hangover cure. (Well, it might make you reach for the toilet bowl, I suppose!!).
To give it some credit, the overpowering smell was the only thing wrong with it. It was a very effective shower gel. It is a fairly thick, bright green gel which lathered well. It felt lovely and soft on my skin and cleaned my body. My skin felt nice and silky smooth afterwards too.
I also used it to wash my hair, as is suggested. The sachet said to only use 'a small quantity' but I found I needed a bit more. It was a bit more difficult to lather than my usual Lush Trichomania and I needed to use a separate conditioner afterwards, but I do have dry hair from dyeing it.
An hour or so later, my hair still smells mildly of mint and so does the rest of me, but thankfully, it's only a hint of mint now, not a great big sack full! Will I be buying this one? A very definite NO! Will I be trying other Original Source products? Oh yes! I love the sound of their orange range, for starters and I think the next sample - the Tea Tree and Lemon Shower Gel - will be much more my sort of thing.
The full size version of this product comes in one of those bottles with a hook for your shower. The tea tree oil in it is apparently a natural antiseptic and the peppermint oil is 'cooling and reviving' - I'd need some reviving if I used this too often!
The Original Source shower gels are available in different varieties. You can buy them in 500ml bottles, 250ml bottles or 25ml sample sachets like I had. The varieties available are Spearmint, Tea Tree and Mint, Orange and Grapefruit, Pure Lime, Pure Lemon, Tea Tree and Orange, Tea Tree and Lemon or Tea Tree and Lavender.
You can buy them from Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Sainsbury, Safeway, Co-op, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Shoprite and Somerfield as well as online. Expect to pay £2.49 for 250ml and £3.99 for 500ml. It does sound quite expensive, but I'm sure if I really liked the shower gel, I would pay this much for it. As 25ml was enough for one shower, presumably a 250ml bottle would be enough for ten showers. (I got O-level Maths on my third attempt!)
...
Forward in time now, ten years later, to 2011...
...
Well, Original Source is now a well-established and popular company. They have increased their ranges to include more scents and more products. As well as shower gels, you can also buy Original Source deodorants, shaving products, hand wash, shampoos, conditioners and bath products. The scents have become more and more exotic, with such products as Black Pepper and Sea Salt shower gel, Orange Oil and Ginger, Summer Australian Wild Berries and Mint and Walnut Super Scrub.
Despite my initial review of the Mint and Tea Tree shower gel being quite critical, this is currently my favourite shower gel and Original Source remains one of my favourite brands. It is also cheaper now, as you can often get special offers, such as Buy One Get One Free, which can work out around £1-£2 per shower gel. We usually shop at Tesco's and got three shower gels on offer recently - the Mint and Tea Tree, Lemon and Tea Tree (two old favourites) plus a new one I was trying for the first time - Black Pepper and Cardamom. All of them are lovely and I change which one I use, depending on my mood. I find them all refreshing, they cleanse really well and the Mint and Tea Tree is great at waking you up.
These days, I much prefer showers to baths, so shower gels are something I regularly buy. They have changing the packaging over the years too. It used to be a slightly different shaped bottle with a hook, but now they are flat and made to stand upside down on the lid. They look classy and are easily discernable, as you can see the colour of the product through the bottle. I also buy the Original Source hand washes and the Tea Tree and Mint variety is my favourite of those too, so you can have complementary toiletries in your bathroom!
On some of the Mint and Tea Tree shower gels, it states on the front (in large, eye-catching print) that there are 7,927 real mint leaves in one 250ml bottle of shower gel. Minty indeed! I love this smell now, but do be aware it is rather tingly, so be careful using it on delicate areas. (Ahem.)
I hope this review has been useful. There are ten years of experience behind it!
...
We all like freebies, right? And we all like pampering ourselves, yep? So in that case, the idea of getting eight free samples from Original Source must sound like a dream. I was certainly pleased with the idea, so I checked out the website and registered for the freebies. A couple of days later, my sachet of the Tea Tree and Mint Shower Gel arrived safe and sound.
The idea is that you try out the sample then receive an email from Original Source, asking you to click on a link and leave feedback. This takes only a minute or so. You just write a few lines about what you thought to it in the feedback box, fill in your email address and password and press submit. You are then informed another sample is on its way to you. In my case, I was informed it would be a sachet of Tea Tree and Lemon Shower Gel.
Before I describe my experiences with the first free sample, I want to explain why I fancied trying these products out in the first place - besides them being free, of course! The company is registered by the Vegan Society and is a member of the Aromatherapy Trade Council.
I am a vegetarian myself and interested in using products that are animal friendly. Also being a big fan of Lush, I know just how wonderful essential oils can be. All in all, it sounded just like a company I would like to support.
The website was very inviting too - lots of bright colours, inspiring words along the bottom of the page (like 'refreshing' and 'zingy') and the words 'free samples' and 'competitions' at the same time!
So I registered, the sample arrived - so how was it? Well, first of all, I must admit to rarely having a shower. No, this doesn't mean I don't wash, just that I prefer a long soak in a bath full of Lush bubbles. But in order to test the shower gel properly, I thought I should have a shower!
After asking my son how to use the damn thing(!), I treated myself to The Shower Experience. I'm sure showers are male- it's always too fast and over too soon ;-) But with this shower gel, I wouldn't have fancied hanging around too long anyway. It did seem like I was trapped in a factory that made hard-boiled mint sweets and I would suffocate before escaping.
For some reason, I expected the gel to be milder than it was. I guess the dark green packaging should have given it away, but I was hoping it would be more tea tree and less mint. The whole bathroom stank of mint - chewing gum, sweets, Polo mints and white Tic-Tacs all in one.
The website suggests this shower gel is ideal for hayfever sufferers, as it unblocks your nose. Well, I suffer from hayfever, but I was more worried it was going to give me an asthma attack! It is also supposed to be good for waking you up (I prefer a cuppa myself!), after a session in the gym (!?) or as a hangover cure. (Well, it might make you reach for the toilet bowl, I suppose!!).
To give it some credit, the overpowering smell was the only thing wrong with it. It was a very effective shower gel. It is a fairly thick, bright green gel which lathered well. It felt lovely and soft on my skin and cleaned my body. My skin felt nice and silky smooth afterwards too.
I also used it to wash my hair, as is suggested. The sachet said to only use 'a small quantity' but I found I needed a bit more. It was a bit more difficult to lather than my usual Lush Trichomania and I needed to use a separate conditioner afterwards, but I do have dry hair from dyeing it.
An hour or so later, my hair still smells mildly of mint and so does the rest of me, but thankfully, it's only a hint of mint now, not a great big sack full! Will I be buying this one? A very definite NO! Will I be trying other Original Source products? Oh yes! I love the sound of their orange range, for starters and I think the next sample - the Tea Tree and Lemon Shower Gel - will be much more my sort of thing.
The full size version of this product comes in one of those bottles with a hook for your shower. The tea tree oil in it is apparently a natural antiseptic and the peppermint oil is 'cooling and reviving' - I'd need some reviving if I used this too often!
The Original Source shower gels are available in different varieties. You can buy them in 500ml bottles, 250ml bottles or 25ml sample sachets like I had. The varieties available are Spearmint, Tea Tree and Mint, Orange and Grapefruit, Pure Lime, Pure Lemon, Tea Tree and Orange, Tea Tree and Lemon or Tea Tree and Lavender.
You can buy them from Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Sainsbury, Safeway, Co-op, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Shoprite and Somerfield as well as online. Expect to pay £2.49 for 250ml and £3.99 for 500ml. It does sound quite expensive, but I'm sure if I really liked the shower gel, I would pay this much for it. As 25ml was enough for one shower, presumably a 250ml bottle would be enough for ten showers. (I got O-level Maths on my third attempt!)
...
Forward in time now, ten years later, to 2011...
...
Well, Original Source is now a well-established and popular company. They have increased their ranges to include more scents and more products. As well as shower gels, you can also buy Original Source deodorants, shaving products, hand wash, shampoos, conditioners and bath products. The scents have become more and more exotic, with such products as Black Pepper and Sea Salt shower gel, Orange Oil and Ginger, Summer Australian Wild Berries and Mint and Walnut Super Scrub.
Despite my initial review of the Mint and Tea Tree shower gel being quite critical, this is currently my favourite shower gel and Original Source remains one of my favourite brands. It is also cheaper now, as you can often get special offers, such as Buy One Get One Free, which can work out around £1-£2 per shower gel. We usually shop at Tesco's and got three shower gels on offer recently - the Mint and Tea Tree, Lemon and Tea Tree (two old favourites) plus a new one I was trying for the first time - Black Pepper and Cardamom. All of them are lovely and I change which one I use, depending on my mood. I find them all refreshing, they cleanse really well and the Mint and Tea Tree is great at waking you up.
These days, I much prefer showers to baths, so shower gels are something I regularly buy. They have changing the packaging over the years too. It used to be a slightly different shaped bottle with a hook, but now they are flat and made to stand upside down on the lid. They look classy and are easily discernable, as you can see the colour of the product through the bottle. I also buy the Original Source hand washes and the Tea Tree and Mint variety is my favourite of those too, so you can have complementary toiletries in your bathroom!
On some of the Mint and Tea Tree shower gels, it states on the front (in large, eye-catching print) that there are 7,927 real mint leaves in one 250ml bottle of shower gel. Minty indeed! I love this smell now, but do be aware it is rather tingly, so be careful using it on delicate areas. (Ahem.)
I hope this review has been useful. There are ten years of experience behind it!
Summary: A great product from a great brand!
