Cheap Thrills - Suave Exhale Calming Body wash Lavender Vanilla

You've seen me in stores. I'm the woman opening the tops of products, creating testers when there aren't any testers. Sniffing at stuff. Discreetly squeezing out a bit to test the consistency and feel. Fragrance is a make or break issue for me since I am fragrance sensitive, especially to chemically created fragrances. Not for me Garnier Fructis, Pantene or Clairol Herbal Essences or VO5 Moisture Milks. So when I find an inexpensive, effective product with a non-irritating fragrance -- happy dance!

I first saw Suave Exhale at Target for around $2.00 and couldn't believe the price. It wasn't on sale. It has a lovely faint soothing scent and lists Vitamin E, Honeybush leaf extract, Provitamin B5, and White Tea extracts in the ingredients. As a body wash it works well; creamy suds that go a long way and rinse off well. And it doesn't dry out my skin.

After using up my bottle I went back for more and couldn't find it, so I bought Suave Naturals Lavender Vanilla Calming Body Wash, thinking it was a repackage. They are not the same. It has a strong bottom note of eau de cheap perfume that you don't want to inhale. Unilever, how dare you!

So has Suave discontinued Exhale, reformulated it, or what? Recently I snagged five bottles of the Exhale at another store so I'm set for awhile. But if they discontinue this in favor of the stinky reformulation, I won't be happy. I saw a Lime Verbena version on the web. Has anyone used it? Check in please.

What's your cheap thrill?

Ingredients: Water, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Glycerin, Fragrance, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea, White Tea) Leaf Extract, Cyclopia Intermedia (Honeybush) Leaf Extract, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Acrylates, PEG 5 Cocamide, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Ammonium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Etidronic Acid, Sorbitol, Sodium PCA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Ext Violet 2 (CI 60730), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)

Going Natural Inside and Out

Is eliminating chemicals from your hair related to eliminating them from your diet? Don’t know for sure, but I suspect they are. Three months after I stopped eating sugar and products with added sugar, I decided to stop coloring my hair. Three months ago, I gave up coffee and Splenda. Except for naturally occurring sugar in foods, I have been sugar free since January 2008 – no ice cream, cake or cookies since then. It took my mind and body four months longer before I stopped craving them. Giving up Diet Pepsi and Coke was no hardship.

Going natural inside has had some real benefits. Eliminating almost all caffeine not only brightened my skin, I no longer have a persistent hip muscle pain -- go figure! Switching from Splenda to stevia with the occasional agave syrup has helped balance my sweet tooth and I hope will balance out my metabolism. I drink natural sodas like Izze that are not sweetened with sugar, or make my own from Poland Springs fizzy water and purple carrot and pomegranate juice. I drink decaffeinated breakfast tea with the occasional cup of Harrogate’s Scottish Breakfast tea – the coffee of teas – thrown in. I sweeten my frozen tropical fruit smoothies with stevia.

Even Product Junkies Need to Clear the Decks

I have limited product space, and just put a shitload of hair products up for swap/sale on Naturally Curly's swap board. Since I'm a member of the frequent buyers' club, (aka Association of Product Sluts), there is not a dog among them. Check them out here

How do you like this beauty from Tomoka's Twists? Yup, it's for sale - SOLD! Check out Tomoka Twists website.