Takes the Prickle out of Heat (The Body Shop Hemp Body Butter)

Member Name: noodlesandwich

Product:	The Body Shop Hemp Body Butter
Date:	19/07/09 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: soothing, moisturising

Disadvantages: contains some parabens

This is described on the tub as 'Intense moisturisation, protection and repair' for 'extremely dry skin'. It is packaged in a round squat green and brown tub with a picture of a cannabis leaf on the lid. The last time I looked it cost £12 for a 200ml/6.7oz/192g tub, although the Body Shop quite often do offers which it may be worth looking out for.

I bought a tub last year as someone told me that it worked wonders for eczema and my little girl had a stubborn patch of it at the time. I applied it regularly to her eczema but it didn't work for her so I put it to one side, apart from occasionally picking it up and using it on my own dry skin areas, (knees, elbows, ankles), after a bath. I can't say I noticed it having much of an effect, but then as I tend to vary my usage of creams and don't use things regularly it wouldn't be fair to judge it on that basis.

What I have found it useful for lately though, is soothing itchy skin and prickly heat. In recent years I have been having problems with my skin when I've been out in the sun. I do use sun block but still I get a reaction. I get a heat rash on my arms when they have been bare, in the form of tiny little blisters which result in very red and angry looking skin if I scratch at them. I also get prickly heat on occasion which can be pretty sore as well as extremely irritating. When I first picked up Hemp body butter to use on my arms at the end of a sunny day a while back, I instantly felt relief. It feels cold and has a cooling, soothing effect on hot skin. It did need re applying after a couple of hours but it has really had an effect on my arms. I have been using it regularly and I have noticed that my arms look much better now than they have for a few years. For the last few years my arms have been blighted by tiny spots from the first hot weather of the year which only calm down at the end of the Summer, fading over Autumn and Winter. Although they are back again this year, they are now hardly noticeable to the eye. Hemp body butter has helped this more than any other moisturisers or treatments I have tried. It even seems to have helped soften the skin around my elbows. I now dollop this on at the first sign of any rash or soreness on my skin and it always helps.

It is a very thick rich green coloured cream. It slides onto the skin and leaves a sticky sheen on top for a minute or two. It's quite heavy and greasy to put on at first. It has an unusual smell which I quite like, but it's not like any perfume I know of, so it won't be to everyone's taste. I'm not sure how to describe it -my husband says it's definitely a hippy smell, if that helps! I think the scent is quite subtle and has something faintly medicinal about it. It has a hint of leaves or some sort of greenery in there - the label tells me it contains tree moss extract which might be what I am picking up. It doesn't seem to linger for long anyway and I think you could probably wear any other scent as normal after using this. I think of it as a bit different from the other Body Shop body butters as I can't see people buying it primarily for the scent.

The active ingredients would seem to be Hemp Seed Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and Babbassu oil (your guess is as good as mine!). It also has various 'parabens' in the ingredients list. I have heard a lot of talk about the miraculous properties of Shea Butter and have wondered if this is what is doing the trick for me. I might look into getting hold of a purer version of that when this runs out to see if this is the case.

If you ask nicely the body shop sometimes give out small free samples instore, so you can try it out before making a purchase. £12 may seem like a bit of an outlay, but it is a good sized tub so I think it's actually quite reasonable, as long as it works for you obviously!

To sum up then; an unusual cream that seems to have some healing properties for skin troubles.

Summary: a thick, soothing and moisturising body butter