Body Cream | LOULOU Editors' Blog

Shutterstock It’s definitely the time of year to think about hydrating our skin. Summer is over, and we’re expecting a dry, cold winter. With this in mind, I sat down with my honey and began to rub various Body Shop body butters onto his strong, virile arms… Isn’t that just the best beginning for a story?

However, instead of the expected spicy continuation, this is where the story shifts into me bombarding him with questions about scents and textures of these delightful moisturizers. “I know you like the cherry, but just feel the texture of the coconut. It smells good, too.” Well between us, “I” narrowed our favourites down. Coconut is first, because it has the best texture–cool and creamy, but light–and it has a nice smell. Next is the cherry, mostly because of its great scent that is sweet but not overpowering. Third, we both liked the shea butter because it has an amazing texture and a light, spicy bouquet. Last, but far from least on our list is the olive butter, which has a forest-fresh scent, and a smooth texture.

Sensuous scents and silky smooth sensations aside, these butters have upwards of 9 ingredients that are purchased by The Body Shop through community trade and women-run co-ops. The virgin coconut oil is from Samoa, where The Body Shop is promoting sustainable groves of coconut trees versus clear cutting by only buying oils produced from sustainable groves. The Aloe Vera is from Guatemala, where it is grown the old-fashioned way by small farmers who do not use pesticides or fertilizers. The Marula oil comes from Namibia where the Eudafano Women’s Co-op produces it. This oil production gives 4,800 women steady employment.

I could go on to describe the practices behind each of The Body Shop’s community trade ingredients, of which there is at least one in every product they carry, but I think you probably get the point. These products are luxurious without being a luxury item. So, enjoy feeling and smelling great while helping women from around the world sustain our world and their own families.

Photo: Shutterstock / Liv Friis-Larsen

This blog was provided by blog contest winner, Sandi Hill who will be LOULOU’s guest blogger this month:

Sandi Sandi Hill is an artist who was born and lives on Vancouver Island. She has a degree with honours, and distinction in Anthropology from VIU with minors in English, Linguistics, and Media Studies. She has won the “People’s Choice,” and “Best Animated Short” awards for her films at InFest, and has created fantasy costumes to raise money for her local art gallery and Haven Society for Women. Sandi is currently working as a Language Arts tutor and a stay-at-home-mom. “The best thing I’ve ever made is my daughter.”