Saturday, April 22, 2006

BATH AND BODY: A Tale of Two Powders

So, after surviving 4 Osaka summers, I've learned the benefits of using body powder in hot weather. Since then, I've been trying a variety of powders in an attempt to find one that works best for my needs. My criteria:
  • The powder can be scented, but shouldn't clash with my fragrance.
  • The powder can contain anything. At this point, I'm not sure what is and isn't good for my skin.
  • It shouldn't be too pricey as I use this stuff pretty liberally.
My first 2 experiences:

Crabtree and Evelyn Aloe Vera Talc-Free Body Powder


Aside from being the longest title for a body product, ever, this powder is made with finely milled natural corn, rice and oats. Described as feeling like "spun silk", the un-scented product sells for $12 for 75 grams at UncommonScents.com. Aside from the fact that the lid would not close properly, causing everything in the same bag to become coated with, as the customs officer put it, "a suspicious white powder," the product did go on easily and did feel quite "soft." However, it seemed to disappear from my skin quite quickly and never really helped my skin stay dry. I liked the fact that it was scentless and the fact that it's talc free must be important...though I have no idea why. It just didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Johnson Medicated Baby Powder

For my next experience, I decided to go back to basics - good old Johnson's Baby Powder. Though I felt a bit odd perusing the shelves of baby powder, me, a 31 year old man with a shaved head and army fatigues, I simply pretended as if I was shopping for darling baby, little whats-his-name, the joy of my life. I decided to try the medicated powder with Aloe and Vitamin E and zinc for its ability to heal minor skin irritations. It was $3.99 for 15 ozs at Walgreens.com and worth every penny.

Not only did the powder smell great (I'm a sucker for powdery smells and recently received a bottle of i Profumi Talco Delicato), but the powder seemed to last forever, coated my skin (I'm now at a stage of "too many extra pounds" where I must deal with the ocasional chub rub) and helped keep my skin dry. Hands down, this was the better of the two. I'm using it daily and I LOVE that smell...

Stay tuned for more glorious adventures in the quest for the perfect powder (eeeewwww)! Have a suggestion? Please comment below!

1 comment:

Octavian Coifan said...

the best powder fragrance I've ever experienced is Roberts Borotalco. You should try it too.

http://www.borotalcoroberts.it