Battle of the shower gels

Now that we’re well into spring, we’ve packed away our creamy soaps and are opting for fresh shower gels instead. Our editor put four of the latest shower gels to hit the shelves, to the test. Here’s how they compared:

Shower to Shower Stay Fresh Shower Crème in Fresh Powder
Price: R42.99 (available at most major retail stores).
Scent: This shower gel has a warm, powdery scent that reminds me of baby powder.
Texture: Just runny enough, just thick enough, just foamy enough. Great texture and there’s no difficulty in squeezing it out of the bottle.
Overall experience: I really enjoyed using this product. It lathers easily, spreads well and goes a long way. It’s a large bottle at a very affordable price making it great value for money. This scent is 100% “baby powder” to me, which I’m sure will appeal to plenty of moms.

Nature Box Shower Gel with 100% Cold-Pressed Avocado Oil
Price: R69.99 (available at leading retailers).
Scent: I really love the scent of this shower gel. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s fresh and it’s fruity; perfect for summer.
Texture: The gel texture is perfect – not too runny and not too thick.
Overall experience: I was so pleased that this brand is now available in SA, as they make such fantastic products at really reasonable prices. The shower gel is vegan (yay!) and contains 100% cold-pressed avocado oil, which is known to be a source of potent antioxidants and vitamins. Not only is it a pleasure to use, but it’s free from silicones, artificial fragrances and colourants, sulphates and parabens. I can’t wait to try the other variants in the range.

Nivea Fresh Shower Love Fun Times Pink Grapefruit
Price: R59.99 (available at leading retailers).
Scent: This scent is amazing – it’s like liquid grapefruit! The fresh fruity fragrance is uplifting and rejuvenating.
Texture: The bottle is pink, so I somehow expected the liquid to be pink, but it’s actually clear. It foams easily and lathers really well.
Overall experience: This is going to be one of my summer favourites. The scent is out of this world and it lingers on the skin even after you’ve rinsed it off. It contains vitamin C and natural cranberry antioxidants to nourish and protect the skin.

The Body Shop Cool Cucumber Shower Gel
Price: R110.00 (available at The Body Shop and Clicks stores).
Scent: Light and refreshing, this shower gel smells exactly like cucumber!
Texture: This transparent gel has a luxurious feeling to it – the gel feels rich on the skin even though it is not creamy. A little bit goes a long way as even just a few drops lather beautifully on the skin.
Overall experience: This shower gels lathers up instantly and has the most incredible cool and fresh scent. I’m a big fan of The Body Shop shower gels and am never disappointed when I try a new one. I highly recommend this one for summer!