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20 March 2014

Chai Shower Gel


Chai Shower Gel was a product that I knew straight away I wouldn't love. As strange as it is to say, I have never understood the English's obsession with tea; it may be nice as an occasional drink, but its definitely not a taste or scent that I would rave about. Yet there are so many people I know that are unable to get through a full day of work without a few mugs of the herbal beverage, and then there are those that would pick the drink over anything else they're offered. It baffles me. 

Having said that, if I was to pour myself a mug of tea, it would definitely be Chai that I pick, which is why I was secretly hoping to fall in love with this shower gel, despite it having the odds stacked against it.

Chai is a Retro product, and has been for as long as I remember, meaning that it is only available online and not in store. Unfortunately, it is only a retro product in a few countries, and England is not currently one of them. So I was super lucky to find an unused 500g bottle on a eBay spree earlier last year. 

Containing tea infusion, cinnamon, allspice and ginger, this shower gel features the key ingredients to make it a warming, comforting scent; one that would go perfectly alongside products such as Glogg Shower Gel, Cinder Bath Ballistic and Melting Snowman Bath Melt. Furthermore, it also contains lemon juice, which gives you that sweetness to help perk you up in the morning.

True to their word, this shower gel really does smell like tea, although I'd argue that it smells more of an Earl Grey than a Chai (although this could be something to do with the product's age.) The cinnamon is definitely the key scent here, although it's followed in hot pursuit by the ginger and lemon. 
The gel is a rich deep red colour and is the perfect consistency, not too thick to lather up but far from watery. You only need a very small amount as the shower gel lather ups very well, making it better value for money than the price would suggest. 

I found the combination of citrusy lemon and warming spices really worked with my senses: I felt much better after my shower and more awake. However, the fragrance wasn't particularly appealing, and my flatmates would often comment that it smelt as if I'd burnt tea granules after I left the bathroom.  

The shower gel didn't actively moisturise my skin, but it didn't dry it out either. This is one of those products that does exactly what it says on the tin, no more and no less. Which is absolutely fine by me, but with so many shower gels that have multiple properties, I think I'll be sticking to my favourites in the future. 

If you're a fan of tea, I would recommend that you try and get your hands on some Chai: it's an unusual and lovely shower gel, and would probably smell beautiful to those with a nose for tea. Sadly it is currently unavailable in most countries, so if you're unsuccessful getting some of eBay, we can only hope they bring it back for you soon.

Quantitative Ingredients: Chai Tea Infusion (Camelia sinensis & Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Perfume, Fresh Lemon Juice (Citrus limonum), Cinnamon Leaf Oil (Cinnamomum cassia), Allspice Oil (Pimenta officinalis), Ginger Oil (Zingiber officinale), Orange Blossom Absolute (Citrus dulcis), Cocamide DEA, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), D&C Red No. 33, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes





7 comments

  1. Hi there!

    I know this might be a silly question but here goes.
    Can Retro be ordered off the UK site? I cannot find a link on the site and found it rather odd as the US site has a Retro section. I'm from South Africa and would love to own some Retro products, but Lush US does not ship internationally. Where else could I get Retro Lush from? (besides eBay - most sellers don't ship to SA)

    Thanks a million, and keep em fantastic reviews coming :)
    Nabeela

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there - that's not a silly question at all!
      For the last few years, the Retro selection has only been available to customers through their website and different countries have had different selections depending on the consumer's needs. However, Lush removed their retro selection in late December last year as they've been working on a new venture which should, if they're working to schedule, be revealed next Sunday. The venture will include retro items and past products brought back for limited release.

      As far as I'm aware, Lush UK does ship worldwide as I've heard a lot of people saying it's actually cheaper to buy from them than buy from their own country's website!!

      Just like most Lushies, I'm just waiting with baited breath to find out what Lush plan on doing and I'm hoping it'll be something to include us all.

      I hope this helps :)

      Delete
    2. Gosh I thought I was losing my mind (xX)
      I've only just recently entered my Lush obsession phase (this January, in fact), and just couldn't for the life of me figure why the UK site has no Retro. I would have thought they'd have the biggest selection. Thanks for letting me know - everything makes sense now! :)

      I better start saving up the monies instead of splurging on the regular range. Thanks a million for replying!

      Nabeela x

      Delete
  2. What a shame that it's so hard to find. I'd really love to try it but not if it's not very fresh. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  3. crying because i know lush will most likely not remake this :'(

    ReplyDelete
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