When I get stressed, I remember why I fell in love with home fragrances to begin with — a gorgeous floral candle, a cleansing sea salt bath soak, or a refreshing citrus or woodsy room diffuser can serve to lift my spirits and help me regain perspective when I return to my apartment after a long and dispiriting day. In fact, I barely consider these items extravagant as they cost less, and last far longer than, say, a massage or a visit to an aromatherapist. This is especially true when you come across a neat little product like Aura Cacia's Aromatherapy shower tablets.
I stumbled across this product in the local organic supermarket the other day. Available in lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint, the idea is simple: to put a little water-soluble tablet on the shower floor which will release its essential oils when hit by the warm water, thereby giving you an aromatherapeutic shower. If, like me, you have tried to accomplish this yourself by dropping neat oils onto the shower floor while showering, you already know that the effect doesn't last as the oils wash down the drain almost immediately. This tablet solves that problem by dissolving slowly throughout the duration of your shower.
I tried the lavender tablets and found them to be quite satisfying, except that they added coriander and patchouli oil to the mix. I couldn't discern the coriander, but the patchouli seemed about equal to the lavender, adding a grounding earthiness and hints of rich dark dirt tones to the slightly herbaceous lavender, making for a rather distinct blend. I'm not particularly fond of patchouli, so for me this was not a plus, but for someone else it might make it even better. I only used half a tablet, and that was plenty for me, but for a longer shower a full tablet might be necessary. I certainly felt immersed in fragrant steam and emerged from the bath surrounded by a cloud of patchouli.
Using this product with something like EO's lavender body wash would make for a true aromatherapeutic shower experience, and I can imagine that both the peppermint and eucalyptus tablets might interact nicely with EO's grapefruit and mint shower gel. Aura Cacia also offers shower gels in ginger/mint, lavender and patchouli/sweet orange (if anyone has tried them, do comment.) But do consider your shower gel in advance, as the gel and the tablets will compete for your attention in the shower.
Aura Cacia's Aromatherapy shower tablets are about $6 per box of three tablets, depending on where you buy them. They make for affordable, quick little mini-spas in the midst of a hectic day. I did find myself fantasizing about other possible blends, such as lavender/neroli, or rose/rose geranium and lemon and hope that Aura Cacia might expand the line. The possibilities could be endless! If anyone has tried the eucalyptus or the peppermint, please do comment! Available at drugstore.com and auracacia.
I’m actually pretty excited about this! The idea of soaking in a tub of hot water fragranced with something deliciously relaxing…is nothing but a pipe dream….who has time for that and I’d end up rashy anyhow. So in the end my jacuzzi tub hasn’t been used in at least 8 years (no, I’m serious). Since I have notoriously sensitive skin, lots of good smelling shower gels are bad news….So a way to have the aromatherapy shower without the itchy skin later—FANTASTIC. Thank you Pia, I will be having some of these !!!
Ditto to all of the above, save for the jacuzzi tub. No room for those in a 1400 sq ft townhouse. I LOVE mini extravagances that keep me from missing the bigger things in life…too much. 😉 Thanks for review!
Mini-extravagances is a perfect word for it…. and they help keep me reminded that pleasure can be found in small ways throughout the day!
Boo-don’t waste a single minute wishing for a jacuzzi tub….takes a ton of hot water to fill, takes up a ton of space, and cost a small fortune to install…I was quite taken by the idea when we had this house built—candles, ferns, lovely smelling oils, a glass of Harvey’s Bristol Cream, leaning back for a relaxing soak with a good book—yeah, well..we’ve been in this house for just over 10 years and that nice little fantasy has happened exactly ZERO times. Twice in all these years I have actually had a bath in that stupid tub! When J was little she liked it because she could completely sprawl out in it…but even that was years ago. It was a colossal waste of money and space. I would have been SOOOO much better off having put more into an elaborate shower enclosure instead of the basic one I have. Sigh, live and learn. But I sure hate the expensive lessons. 🙁
LOL, have to grin at the Harvey’s Bristol Cream image. Sounds grand! At least you can still have that with a good book. 😉
You betcha! I just find the room geographically as removed from the TV as possible, settle down with a million pillows and close the door….sanctuary! you know, until THEY find me….sigh.
LOL!
Daisy, I hadn’t thought of how this could be a good product for someone with sensitive skin, but of course it makes perfect sense! Glad you won’t have to forego your aromatic pleasures! 🙂 I hope it works well for you if you try them…
The idea of having the aroma-experience without it actually touching my skin is the stuff of dreams! I generally need to stick to dye-free, fragrance-free, botanical anything free, detergent type cleansing gels (Suave daily clarifying shampoo is like a miracle) clean without itching (just imagine!) But it has almost no odor whatsoever. bummer. boring.
Hmm, that IS hard when you have to work around those restrictions. I hope this will be perfect for you then! If not, then maybe at least a pretty scented candle while you shower will help create some fragrant enchantment for the bath….:)
Oh, for goodness sakes, Daisy! Take a bath two or three times a year! You deserve it. Not-too-hot water and some Aveeno oatmeal bath powder and you’ll avoid that nasty rash. God how I love soaking in a tub once in awhile — I’d love to own one of those deep Japanese immersion numbers. Baths a vastly underrated cheap pleasure. Add a nice scented candle, dim the lights, and you have your own spa experience.
Seriously, though, I’m surprised with such sensitive skin that most perfumes don’t bother you… or do you get a reaction once in awhile?
I haven’t tried the Lavender or the Peppermint, but the Purifying Eucalyptus is super when you have a cold or chronic congestion like me. It’s got a more subtle fragrance than just the straight medicinal scent thanks to the addition of juniper.
Aura Cacia has a special place in my heart because they’re semi-local to me (Norway, IA). I use their products regularly, especially their essential oils. Have not tried the patchouli & orange products, but I can recommend their bath salts. They’ve got a newer line of bath salts etc. scented with their ‘Precious Essentials’– their more expensive oils: Vanilla, Rose, Sandalwood, and Jasmine. For some reason, I can’t figure out how to navigate to the page, so here it is:
http://www.auracacia.com/dspCatPct.php?ct=anpcpcpe
Caviglia, thanks for pointing out the Precious Essentials line. I haven’t tried any of those, but they look quite nice and since they seem to be single note products, I imagine one could mix and match as one pleased to create a home spa effect. Also good to know the eucalpytus is tempered by juniper, as otherwise it could be an overload of medicinal (although I was keeping it in mind for cold therapy) ! I should probably pick some up before the autumn weather kicks in, lol.
This sounds great for summer, since a hot bath is not very appealing when it’s 90 out (I love my long baths in the winter). I really like the idea of this and the price is right! Thanks for the review!
It’s true–it’s perfect for summer. Wouldn’t it be fun if they came out with seasonal scents? Pink grapefruit and mint, or jasmine and lime for summer….maybe lavender, amber and cardamom for winter? The possibilities seem endless for this little design!
Oh yeah, I love the idea of seasonal scents. Particularly jasmine for summer. 🙂
Maybe they have a suggestion box! I should go check, LOL.
Lush has products like these, if you’re looking for different scents. They call them “Emotibombs;” they’re like mini-bath bombs (bath fizzies). You put them on the floor of the shower, and they release their natural oils with a fizzy action as water droplets hit them.
They have cute names, too- “Up you gets,” “Sex in the shower,” “Too drunk to…” … enough to make anyone smile in the morning.
thanks Contra! I will have to check into these as well. Of course we don’t have a Lush anywhere around here but I’m certain they have an online store.
Those sound fun! I haven’t seen them….but the last time I used a bath bomb I thought my super was going to kill me, lol. I suspect rose petals and cloth butterflies all went down the drain together! 😉 Still though, Lush products are loads of fun.
You do have to use a drain screen with bath bombs!!
Oh good idea! LOL Maybe my super will let me stay in the apartment now. 😉
You can always put the bath bombs in an old stocking and tie a knot at the top. You won’t have the pretty flower petals/butterflies/glitter swirling around you… but you also won’t clog the tub.
My family’s learned that a glittery, flower-filled tub means that I’ll be in a lovely mood for the rest of the week, so they don’t worry about the bath bomb residue. It’s a small price to pay. 🙂
LOL at the glittery tub = lovely mood. I remember one time, on a romantic weekend get-a-way, I unwittingly used one in the bathtub of an old Victorian bed and breakfast with shared bathrooms….I was on my knees scrubbing away at rose petals for what seemed like hours afterwards! I had forgotten all about that episode until my recent bath bomb, but at least I was in my own apt! LOL
You may want to try SudaCare Shower Soothers (made by the Sudafed folks). IIRC, the SudaCare tablets have no patchouli, and they really do work for relaxing and helping to get rid of severe headaches. CVS has a store brand of these as well, making them very inexpensive!
I had no idea those existed! That’s great to know about as well, especially in advance of cold season.
Thanks for this review, Pia. I really like the few AuraCacia products I’ve tried, and these shower tabs sounds interesting. I definitely need to check them out, along with some of the bath salts.
Just wondering: this may sound silly, but do you have to be really careful so you don’t end up stepping all over the tablet? I could just imagine a clutz like me having a big problem with that. I really like the idea of this product though.
Joe, I haven’t had a problem stepping on the tablet–I sort of kick it to one side. They aren’t that large, so it shouldn’t be a problem, and even if you do step on it a bit, it probably just dissolves a bit faster. Careful you don’t slip though! 😉
I think I’m in the minority, but I love patchouli, the dirtier the better. I’ll use patchouli essential oil and my old l’occitane lavendar spray together on days that I need to soothe my jangled nerves.
This lavendar/patch thing sounds AMAZING and I’m running out to the store to get me some right now.
Ooh, I hope you’ll love it then! I don’t think it’s a particularly dirty patchouli, just nice and earthy, but it definitely makes its presence known! If you feel inspired after you try it, do comment…
What a neat idea. I would love to have some of these.
I hope you enjoy them if you try them!