Yet again The Body Shop have brought out new products. I’m enjoying this new direction The Body Shop seems to be taking and I always enjoy seeing what they’ll do next. I previously blogged about their Oils of Life range here and the Drops of Youth range here. The Body Shop has always had tea tree in their range but they’ve added new products to the popular line up. The Body Shop’s tea tree range is designed specifically for people with blemished (that includes black and white heads) and oily skin.

I no longer get break outs like I did when I was younger. I do occasionally get hormonal spots around my jaw line though so I always have tea tree in the house. (In case you haven’t tried it Savlon is also brilliant at tackling spots). What I do get is an oily t-zone with enlarged pores on my nose and some blackheads so I was interested to see how the new 3-in-1 Wash Scrub Mask* would do as well as the Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner*.

I’ll begin with the newest product The Body Shop 3-in-1 Wash Scrub Mask*. For those who love multi-tasking products this will be right up your street. I love multi-taskers, they just save time faffing about with different products. The 3-in-1 wash/scrub/mask contains foaming kaolin clay, volcanic minerals and Community Trade Tea Tree Oil to help cleanse, reduce the appearance of pores/blackheads, and mattify the skin. Initially I was a bit underwhelmed by this product but the more I use it the more I like it. The main problem I had was that there’s very little distinction between the wash and scrub. It’s a manual scrub so there’s little exfoliant particles there which are still present when used as a wash. However! I discovered it’s more to do with how you use it that makes the wash/scrub more distinct. The wash works well with a decent amount of water mixed with around a pea size squirt of product. This gives a nice lather, but it still remains a light scrub. To use it as a scrub it’s best to dampen the face with some water then apply the product in circular motions. I found this needs a good rinse to remove all the scrub after. It’s a good scrub though, my face felt smooth and refined after use with little irritation.

I’ve used The Body Shop 3-in-1 Wash Scrub Mask* a couple of times now as a mask. The first time I used it I put it on my whole face which was a bad move. It was far too strong for my sensitive skin. It didn’t leave it red or anything but it’s strong. So the second time I applied it to my t-zone and jawline which was a much wiser decision. After use my skin felt much fresher and looked noticeably clearer. So if you have sensitive or easily irritated skin I’d do a little patch test first. I think I’d probably use this mask either once a week or once every two weeks as a clarifying mask. But as I said I don’t really get spots so it all depends on where you’re skin’s at on how many times you want to use it. 

Next is one of The Body Shop’s beauty gems Tea Tree Oil*. I love tea tree oil, it’s a brilliant targeted treatment for spots (also works well on cuts and minor infections too). You just need the smallest amount of tea tree oil applied directly to soothe and reduce spots. Also, as the leading facialist Vanda Serrador says you can use it as a pre-treatment for when you feel spots erupting, to use : “pour 2 litres of room temperature water into a clean sink and add 4 drops of Tea Tree Oil. Dip a wash cloth into the water and press it gently against your skin. Once the affected areas have been covered apply the 3-in-1 Wash.Scrub.Mask, leave it for 5-10 minutes and remove with clean water” et voila! the antibacterial properties will help battle breakouts. 

Finally is the best selling product The Body Shop Skin Clearing Mattifying Toner*. I found this toner to be quite a powerful product, so use a little of this initially to see how you fair. I’ve been using this once a day in the morning, any more I think would be too much for my skin. What I like best about this product is that it immediately makes my skin look clearer, it seems to have a noticeable effect on my pores. Also, the warmer weather (and when I’m coming to a period) makes my skin oiler so this toner mattifies nicely. But like I said I would go easy with it initially as it can pack quite a punch.

Are you a fan of The Body Shop’s Tea Tree range?

*PR Sample

Tags: skincare, The Body Shop