No match for the mighty minty! (Original Source Tea Tree and Lemon Shower Gel)

Member Name: bamamo

Product:	Original Source Tea Tree and Lemon Shower Gel
Date:	24/07/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can be picked up cheap, does its job, smells nice

Disadvantages: No scent remains on skin, lacks any particular wow factor which would lead me to repurchase

In an attempt to make my lovely Sanctuary bath goodies from my birthday last longer, I've decided to start using up some of the many other bath and shower products I have as well. I've got more Lush than you can shake a stick at, and all kinds of other odds and ends kicking around, this being one of them.

I found this shower gel in a washbag, in travel size, and even though I love the Original Source mint shower gel and shampoo, this was barely touched. I decided to give it another go, this time as a bubble bath and to wash my body in the bath.

I'm always a fan of using shower gels as bubble baths, because then I can wash my body with a scent that matches, and I find they usually make just as many bubbles as a bubble bath, if maybe not quite so soft and luxurious-feeling.

As with most Original Source products, this smells fresh and invigorating. It looks, and smells, exactly like lemon curd, a very strong, real lemon scent. I squeezed two dollops into the bath, and dollop is the right word because this is a thick (yep, lemon curdy!) consistency and tends to break itself into little chunks rather than squeezing out until you say "when". It might end up being a little wasteful in that you cant control how much you want, but one dollop on a shower scrunchie should be sufficient.

As a bubble bath, it worked pretty well. A pretty small amount produced plenty of bubbles, and although they weren't particularly soft and fluffy, and most of them dispersed pretty quickly, it was on a par with many bottled bubble baths I've tried (Lush's bubble bars being pretty superior!). The scent, however, was barely noticeable at all in the water, despite being so strong in the bottle.

While washing my body, the smell was much more present, and the citrus scent means that it'd be particularly good on days when you need that extra helping hand waking up, as I did this morning! The consistency is thick enough that you can apply directly with your hand if you wish without losing it all down the plug-hole, and my skin felt clean although I can't say I noticed any other effects in terms of smoothness or moisture. There was no scent detected on my skin after the bath, which was a little disappointing, as despite how strong it is in the bottle, it would be nice to have at least a mildly lemony reminder of my bathing experience!

Original Source claim to use 10 real lemons (as opposed to those pesky fake lemons, I imagine) in each bottle, and you really can smell that. It cleanses just as well as any other shower gel, and is good at helping me wake up. I didn't really get too much of a hint of the tea tree at all if I'm honest, but I'll take their word for it. If I used a shower regularly I might repurchase this, as it's good value for money, with a 250ml bottle at £1.95 regular price, currently £1 at Boots on offer, and these shower gels are always cropping up in pound shops. However, this is no match for the mint version!

Summary: It's okay, yes it smells of lemons, but really not doing a whole lot else for me.