Bisous De Provence Lavender With Flowers Lavande Triple Milled Soap

This is a non-Trader-Joe's-branded product that can be found in the beauty aisle at Trader Joe's.

I'm generally against things being smelly that don't have to be--and by "smelly" I mean either pleasant or unpleasant. I just don't need more scents in my life than will occur naturally. For nearly every product that's available scented or unscented, I choose the latter. That includes soap. My standard is Dove for sensitive skin, which is cheap, mild, unscented, and non-drying.

The bar shown above is the first soap in a very long time that I'm finding I like as much as my usual brand, though it's as different as can be. If things are going to have a fragrance, lavender is about a nice as one could ask for. The bathroom smells nice, but it's sufficient subtle that my nose doesn't feel assaulted every time I go in there.

It's a large bar, really at the top end of what feels comfortable to hold. It's hard-milled, and seems to be lasting forever, yet still lathers easily--an unusual combination.

The really surprising aspect is the embedded bits of flowers, which act as a mild abrasive/exfoliant. As the first of the soap proper wore down and these vegetation pieces became exposed, my initial reaction was to dislike them. They're nowhere near as rough as, say, the ground lava in industrial hand cleaners. But I was used to nothing at all rough on my delicate (yet oh-so-manly) skin, so even these relative soft nuggets felt a little alarming. (I've seen other user reviews online that complain that they're too soft to do any real exfoliating. Perhaps those people should scrub with sandpaper.)

However, after a few days of showering while mentally planning to write a negative review of the soap, something flipped, and I started actually liking the sensation. It felt stimulating. It revealed itchy bits that I hadn't realized were itchy, but suddenly felt good when given the gentle scratching this soap provides--this, while remaining mild enough that nothing emerged irritated or reddened from the treatment.

Try new things, as writing a daily product-review blog compels one to do, and there will be some pleasant surprises. For me, this was one of them.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. I'm not ready to ditch my Dove, but I'm kind of curious to switch back and forth between them for a while and see what preferences emerge with more time and experience.