Monday 6 April 2015

African Paradise body conditioner review: "Tropical Hydration"

African Paradise (19.95/225g) is the one of two body conditioners available by Lush all year round.  It was released in the summer of 2014 and what an addition it is to the product line up.  The pot label reads: "full of softening and scented ingredients from Africa" which is true.  The Moringa oil in this is sourced from Ghana.  

The smell of African Paradise is really unique and if I remember correctly, was the first product released by Lush that has this fragrance.  African Paradise has a really floral and spicy aroma which blend together to make a really rich shower product.  It's meant to duplicate the smell of Africa - Africa's calling! - and given that I've never been to Africa, I cant quite verify that.  But I can verify that it's like nothing you've ever smelt by Lush before.  

African Paradise has the same fragrance as the New Charity Pot and Lush's Valentine's Collection 2015 Heart Throb bubbleroon.  I don't think there is anything else... But comment below if you can think of anything! These three products together make a spicy floral overload! But without the bubbleroon and lotion, the smell of African Paradise body conditioner lingers on the skin for hours on end which personally, I adore.  I just wish Lush had a matching shower gel to go with this since whenever I use this, it covers up the fragrance of any shower gel I've used before it.  That is why, when I find the time and know I'm not going to create a global disaster, I'm going to convert Heart Throb bubbleroon into a shower gel.  Yep.   

The benefit of African Paradise is to condition your skin in the shower.  This can be really crucial, whether it's because you're pressed for time or because your skin needs deep hydration.  Containing Almond oil and both Cocoa and Shea butter to condition the skin makes this a very rich product indeed.  There's also Aloe Gel which will sooth and cool the skin which would be excellent for anyone with sunburn or redness from the cold - making it essential in both summer and winter!  Aloe Gel is known for it's healing properties so it will also soften the skin and protect it from (further) damage.   Hidden in African Paradise is the little gem of Mango juice which makes this even more brilliant.  Mangoes are packed with vitamins making it highly nutritious, and full of enzymes which will remove dirt whilst it clarifies and improves the condition of skin.  Can you get anything better?  There are uplifting citrus oils and the addition of sweet vanilla absolute packed in this conditioner but the love this product will give your skin is what makes it special.  What makes body conditioners special.  As I've wrote before, I love my body conditioners and treasure them greatly, using them near enough every time I shower.  African Paradise is a welcomed and fabulous addition to Lush's products.


African Paradise is a really moisturising product and is really good for your skin.  Just slap it all over your body and see the magic happen.  But here's how it goes if you're still unsure... This has a really creamy consistency but it becomes almost water thin in the shower because the butters melt in contact with your skin.  So a little goes a long way!  But it moisturises your skin the way moisturisers do and you can feel the oils all over your body.  This product doesn't lather like buttercreams or shower smoothies, it just spreads across the skin like moisturisers do - which it is meant to do!  Since I don't wash them off because I really want nourishment for my skin, when I get out of the shower I can still rub the oils across my body! My skin is always completely moisturised from head to toe using this, and is left soft and smooth when my skin soaks it all up.

I want to write about something I've experienced with African Paradise here.  It's not necessarily a bad thing but I want to mention it.  I've noticed African Paradise changes colour after a couple of months.  Below are before and after pictures of African Paradise.  The photo on the left is when I just bought the body conditioner and the photo on the right is now, this weekend.  This is about an eight month span.  I bought two pots of this back in August and finished the first pot about a month and a half ago, heading to two months. 

 I've just been so obsessed with Yummy Mummy! I pulled this into the shower this morning and saw the change.  I didn't find anything wrong with the product at all.  It was normal.  The smell is the same, the feel of it on the skin is the same - all that is different is it doesn't have such a runny consistency as it did before.
So, what's the lesson here? Buy as you need.  I didn't need two pots at once but I bought two since they were new products.  Albeit I've found nothing wrong with the product, I'd still rather it fresh and runny the way it once was.  So there's a little advice for you and also for myself!  But if you find yourself in this position - just get something to mix it up and it should be good as new.  I used the base of a fork.  

I really love Lush's body conditioners since they save people time.  The purpose of conditioners is to hydrate the skin in the shower like a hair conditioner.  And trust me when I say, this hydrates your skin! With Aloe Gel this body conditioner is perfect for summer and winter and is definitely going to be a necessity for my shower bag during summer.  I'm a shower bug during summer... The time where baths go on a hiatus and showers are religious, and African Paradise will be there with me.  I recommend this for anyone who loves spicy scents and skin that needs good TLC.  Because what I love about conditioners is when you suffer eczema like I do, this really helps calm inflamed skin in the shower.  Although when it is really flared up I like to use King of Skin in combination with Sympathy for the Skin.  However, African Paradise really helps combat against skin getting irritated by sweating during the hot months.   
So, African Paradise is indeed a tropical hydration with softening and scented ingredients that lets us all believe we are in Africa for two minutes of our day.



Let me know if you if you've decided to try out African Paradise or have your own thoughts on the product.  Or perhaps you like the idea of conditioners but fancy a citrus one like Brightside bubble bar (raises hand), comment below! 

Thanks for reading!

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