Spring has a way of reinvigorating my senses. Cherry blossoms -- fluffs of vibrant pink that stand out against gray Seattle skies -- are a sight for sore eyes, and birdsong, which swells as the season unfolds, is music to my ears. Nature also provides plenty of sweet scents this time of year, but I find myself craving products that are not only fragrant but that will leave my dry winter skin soft to the touch.
Happily, three local companies offer a variety of natural bath and body products to start your spring on a sweet note.
Estrella [1]
Available online [2] in an astounding 20 scents, Estrella soaps ($5 each) are handmade in small batches using all-natural olive, coconut and palm oils. The company uses pure essential oils for the scents, mineral pigments for color and other natural ingredients like loofah, ground espresso beans, poppyseeds, oatmeal and pumice for exfoliating. Standout scents include uplifting Pink Grapefruit, soothing Almond and energizing Rosemary Mint.
Sweet Petula [2]
At its feminine shop in Madison Valley, Sweet Petula offers a full line of beautifully packaged products for the body and bath. Standouts include fizzing bath tablets ($5), mineral bath salts ($4) and luxurious hand and body lotions featuring shea butter and sugar cane ($16). All products are offered in six pure essential-oil blends: the lavender of Provence, slightly spicy Ginger Blossom, refreshing Mediterranean Mint, rosemary- and rose geranium-infused Fleur de Lis and the signature Sweet P, a light, lemony lavender. I can't decide what I like best about Sweet Petula's products -- how they make my skin feel (soft and moisturized), how they smell (Sweet P is my favorite) or how pretty they look in my bathroom.
Rouge Aromatics [3]
Created by certified aromatherapist and former floral designer Kari Morford, Rouge Aromatics is an exquisite, handcrafted skin-care line. Morford has created a line of aromatic balms ($9 each) meant to soothe, heal, pamper and relieve bruised, scraped and otherwise bothered skin. Rouge offers unique products like the Cleanse Me herbal facial cleansing powder ($12), which, when mixed with water or plain yogurt, makes a soap-free cleanser that nourishes the skin. My favorite product from this line is the decadent, rejuvenating, good-to-the-last-drop Rose Me facial elixir ($14) with rosehip seed oil and pure rose essential oil from France. Rouge Aromatics products are available at Bouncing Wall [4] in Queen Anne and online at the shopping site Etsy [5].
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