Wash your hands of and not with this! (Dove Cream Oil Body Wash)

Member Name: Rose Pink

Product:	Dove Cream Oil Body Wash
Date:	11/07/08 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well designed packaging

Disadvantages: Unpleasant smell and results

I always like to switch the type of body wash as soon as I finish the bottle I'm using. This helps to, at least slightly, break the unpleasant and monotonous morning routine every once and a while. Previous to buying this I had been using original source mint body wash and I loved the way that it woke me up in the morning. However I was tempted away from buying a similar uplifting product by sheer laziness. I thought that the 'cream oil' of the body wash would allow me to skip the whole body lotion phase and so be a handy time saver. However, quite ironically I was wrong.

The product claims to be exceptionally moisturising yet it can by no means be used to substitute a body lotion. In fact I found that a body lotion was absolutely necessary after using it. The cream oils did not seem to penetrate my skin in the least bit as even after extensive rinsing my skin seemed to be covered with an oily residue for hours afterwards. This left the skin feeling not quite supreme but more greasy than anything else. However, applying a layer of body lotion over the top did stop this being an issue, and had the product had other redeeming features I would have not disliked using it so much.

The smell of a body lotion is always an important feature. The olfactory nerves in the nose which are sensitive to scent are more active in the morning and we are therefore more appreciative of a lovely smelling body wash. This body wash can be described as mediocre at most in my opinion. It is a very feminine smell that lingers on the skin for a few hours after using it and kind of gave me a headache after a while. Whilst using it I didn't feel so much indulged as old due to the old fashioned scent of the product.

Probably one of the most favourable aspects of the product was its packaging. The design is quite handy in that the flip lid is at the bottom of the bottle and so it is easy to get the body wash out at all times which will satisfy the practical ones amongst us. For the more impulsive shoppers the distinctive burgundy colour does catch the eye when on the shelf. It is a sleek sort of bottle in a pretty raindrop sort of shape and it does look attractive sitting at the side of the shower. Its sophisticated appearance is heightened by its pearlescent surface coupled with an area of paler colour in the centre which gives it the impression of the bottle gleaming and further gives a subconscious idea that our skin will do so also after using the product. In a less subtle way the bottle boasts effectiveness with a big 'new stamp' at the top which makes it seem innovative and special and has a design of three drops of oil on the front to emphasise its richness. If this first glance doesn't snare the buyer the back of the bottle offers a selection of well chosen and sensual words which really sexes up the product to make it utterly irresistible.

My opinion is that Dove's budget for this product was mostly blown on the bottle design and it is effective it managed to fool me. However, its by no means enough to convert me to a loyal Dove follower and I shall never buy this product ever again. Instead I wish that Dove had created a body wash where I could have least have finished the bottle. For those who do wish to try it out it costs £2.99 at Boots but I would not recommend this product to anyone and am quite sad that it is so unpleasant but yet so tempting for the first time buyer.

Summary: A cunningly disguised bottle of uselessness