Mutton freshened up into lamb? (Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel)

Member Name: 2Quizzy

Product:	Original Source Mint and Tea Tree Shower Gel
Date:	21/11/03 (131 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great for tired mornings where you need get-up-and-go

Disadvantages: very pepperminty , Not the cheapest of products

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When I first read about Original Source on dooyoo I was thrilled. I suffer from perfume allergies and the big problem is that it takes body warmth to bring the allergic reactions out in me. This means I have to use and wear a product before I can tell if I'm allergic to it or not! I can't tell just by opening the bottle and sniffing it in the shop. This has led to my friends and family being constantly given bottles of shower gel, shampoo and perfume I love but just can't keep wearing. They're happy, but not me! It's very depressing, very disappointing and rather expensive having to keep buying things you can't use.

A chance to try out samples BEFORE I had to pass over money was a dream come true for me and I dashed to the Original Source website and signed up straight away.

I got my first shower gel sample this week. Tea tree and mint.

It says on the packet "the most invigorating, refreshing and totally stimulating stand-up wash you'll ever want!"

Great! I'm NOT a morning person. I get up early only under force, crawl about the house growling at everyone and cannot be considered human until around 10:00 am. Not even coffee works, so if this gel was going to live up to it's promises it would have to be pretty impressive stuff.

The next morning I was up at 6:00 as usual. UGH :( In the shower I reached for my gel sachet. As I opened it the minty smell hits me right away. I was a bit uncertain then as my first thought was "roast lamb" which isn't the best of morning shower images! The smell from the packet definitely reminded me of sweet mint sauce, but once it was on a cloth and lathered up the smell was far less spearmint and much more peppermint. In fact it was intensely peppermint. Like walking through a fie
ld of fresh crushed mint leaves after spring rain. Good, it was making me perkier already!

The gel is fairly thick. It?s a nice soft aqua green colour, like the sea off tropical islands. It comes in a 250ml plastic bottle with a hook on the lid for easy hanging in the shower or you can stand it on a shelf like any normal bottle. There are real essential oils used in the Original Source products. Peppermint to cool and refresh and Tea tree oil is apparently a "natural antiseptic." I can't say if I noticed the smell of it as I have no idea what tea tree oil smells like. I'd say the peppermint was too intense to notice anything else anyway.

As a shampoo and body wash it took a small amount to lather up well and the cool tingle on my skin was very refreshing without getting too burny. In the shower the smell was quite intense and even cleared my blocked (sinus trouble) nose! On the skin it had that cool burny feeling of peppermint that really wakes you up with a ZING.

The smell on my skin after drying was pleasant, but didn't seem strong. I asked my husband what it smelt like as a bystander. After a walk around me he joked the next time he had a cold he could carry me about as a decongestant so I think we can safely say the smell was still strong right after showering! It didn?t last though and within an hour or so it faded completely. I'd say this was a plus as I'm not sure I'd want to walk around all day smelling like a stick of peppermint rock candy!

My skin felt really soft and good and still felt good at the end of the day. Really clean, but not stripped bare or dry. As a shampoo it was very nice and left my hair feeling good and my scalp all tingly clean.

So did it turn the cantankerous old Mutton into a fresh leaping spring lamb? No miracles, but it was great for a tired sleepy morning. It really does refresh, invigorate and get your blood circulating. I'd definitely recommend this gel for those mornings when ge
tting up is hell, but I wouldn't want to smell minty every day of the week. Not my favourite smell. I prefer my mint poured over roast lamb, thank you! :)

Allergy reactions? The first time I used it just as a skin wash I had no problems, but the next day when I used it as a shampoo the scent lasted much longer and I did sneeze once. The third time I used it again as both skin wash and shampoo and had no problems. So seems to be fine.

Original Source products can be found at all the main supermarket chains and Boots.

I was very pleased to see that Original Source products are not tested on animals either. The company also says that it regularly checks its ingredient suppliers to ensure that no ingredients used have been tested on animals. They state: "We only work with the best suppliers of high quality ingredients and are firmly against animal testing." They are registered with the Vegan society as well as the Aromatherapy Trade Council.

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