Can't stop touching myself

Don't give me that look! I tried a new soap yesterday, that's all.

My friend Jill at Bluebonnet Trails sent me a sample-size chunk of a new citrus soap she's working on. I've been a bodywash-and-poof-and-lotion (especially in the winter) girl for years and years, but recently Jill has been educating me on what makes her homemade soap different from the mass produced chemically business I've been using - and convincing me that with regular use, my lotion bill would go down, too. So when this random chunk of soap showed up in my mailbox, how could I not try it?

So I grabbed the soap and hopped in the shower. First observation: bar soap is slippery! Duh, right? Considering that I evaluate bottle grippyness as a major factor right up there with scent when picking out a new body wash, this was important to me. I applied the soap with my regular body poof, but a washcloth would work just as well - OR, I may try and search out some sort of net or fabric baggie to put the soap in (similar to toddler soap), to both make it easier to hang on to and to eliminate the apply-to-poof step.

(Hint hint, JILL.)

Observation 2: What the hell is this stuff doing to my skin? As whatever parts of my body that weren't directly under the shower spray started to air dry, my skin started to feel almost...tacky. I thought maybe the soap was leaving some sort of film, or hadn't rinsed clean. Then I realized it was actually the exact opposite: my skin was exfoliated(!) and literally squeaky clean.

After shampooing with my beloved overpriced Aveda Scalp Therapy (I wasn't quite brave enough to try the soap bar on my hair, although Jill says you certainly can!) but before exiting the shower, I decided to give the soap a different, but equally rigorous test - I used it on my face. Expensive shampoo, expensive cleanser and moisturizer - those are my personal care indulgences. I always, always, always wash and moisturize my face first thing when I get out of the shower, because otherwise the tight, dry, itchiness of wet-then-dry skin drives me insane. A few minutes after I got out of the shower I did slap a thin layer of moisturizer just on my face, but in retrospect I don't think it would've been necessary.

Observation the Third: Oh. My. God. After about 5 minutes, I ran my hand down my arm just to see how it felt after it was fully dry...my skin felt like silk. I couldn't believe how smooth it was! And if you've ever gotten dressed immediately after putting on body lotion, you know that sort of hyper-awareness of hydrated skin against the inside of your clothes? I had that, too, even though I hadn't so much as looked at my lotion bottle. Now, 18-ish hours later, my limbs are starting to look a little more like their usual winter selves - dry and scaly - but much less than usual and they don't itch, so that's a plus. I may slap a layer of lotion on immediately post shower next time, to see if that helps extend the soft-skin feeling. I can tell my skin is already on the road to recovery, but Jill even warned me that I would start needing less and less lotion, not be able to go cold turkey. It is winter in Minnesota, after all.

Bottom line: Love it. LOVE IT. I'm a convert - no more crappy body wash for me. I'm also SUPER excited to try Jill's Shea and Cocoa Butter Soap, which is designed specifically for folks with really dry skin (like me!)...and I heard a rumor she's working on a true shampoo bar. My Aveda bottle is almost empty, so I might have to give that one a try, too.