I don’t usually re-run posts, but this morning I took a shower with some of my favorite bath products and it reminded me of this old post from September 2010. So if you missed this one or if you’re just into post-holiday confessions, here is one of my favorite old posts highlighting some of my favorite things and my burgeoning addiction to all things peppermint. Enjoy!
Is there a 12-step program for bath product addiction? There should be. I have a serious problem when it comes to peppermint scented bath products – I spend too much money on them. It’s a love that apparently knows no boundary. I’ve tried to control it, but I can’t. I’m weak and I know it, but I smell good.
A Peek Into My Minty Addiction - Peppermint Bath Products
I was in San Francisco when I stumbled into an Origins store with bloody swollen feet crying for help or for someone to put me out of my misery. That’s what happens when you wear the wrong shoes to sightsee in San Francisco. (Travel hint: don’t wear brand new leather wedges if you’re walking the streets of San Francisco. Wear running shoes and put a pair of bunny slippers in your purse. Wear the running shoes when you’re in motion and the bunny slippers when you give up and stop for a margarita.) Origins saved my feet and my trip. I bought the 4-piece leg & foot rejuvenation package. I love their clever product names: Foot Rest, Sole Searcher, Leg Lifts and Reinventing the Heel. Don’t let their humor fool you. These beauties are seriously fabulous and effective. Thank you, Origins. Because of you, I was able to leave my heart in San Francisco instead of pieces of my wrecked feet.
My longest lasting peppermint crush (by far) has been the Oatmeal Peppermint bath bar from Garden Botanika. Oh, my…I have loved it for so long. If I had a dollar for every six dollar bar I’ve bought, I’d still be in the hole, but I’d be a happy camper. I love this soap more than life itself. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but I do love it fiercely. The oatmeal chunks set in a creamy peppermint bar will cleanse and exfoliate you like Helga the Baltic spa technician. I’ll warn you – you will look like you lost a cat fight when you first step out of the shower, but your skin will feel as soft as a baby’s backside.
J.R. Watkins Apothecary Peppermint Rejuvenating Foot Cream is my new lotion obsession. It’s labeled as a foot cream but it’s much, much more than that. Because it’s gentle and absorbs very quickly, I use it everywhere – even on my face. That’s saying a lot, because I have sensitive skin and mild rosacea. I can use this product without any fear of breakouts or that greasy feeling you get from some lotions. I put it on and a minute later, my skin feels smooth and dry. I am in love with this lotion. I will even go so far as to say that it has helped reduce the wrinkles on my face and neck over the past year. I put it on every morning before I apply my make-up and every evening before I go to bed. About the only place I don’t use it is on my feet. Go figure.
You’re probably thinking right now “geez…how many peppermint products can one woman use?” But wait! There’s more! My daughter introduced me to the most amazing liquid soap on a shopping trip to Austin’s SoCo district. We were snooping around the Farm to Market Organic Grocery on South Congress when she handed me a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap (certified organic and fair trade). She said it would blow my mind, and it did. For serious peppermint junkies, this is the hard stuff. It is a peppermint explosion in a bottle. Combined with a nice bath scrubbing poof, this will make your heart sing and your body parts tingle. I like to use it first thing in the morning when I need a shower to wake me up, or after an hour in the garage wrestling with my jiggly parts on the elliptical machine. Imagine jumping into a frozen pond. That’s how refreshing I find this soap. And it makes my entire bathroom and bedroom smell pepperminty fresh for half an hour after I shower. Here’s another secret: I use their almond scented soap at night when I want to unwind and smell good. And believe me, it smells really, really good.
Last but not least, I love the Savannah Bee Company’s Mint Julep Beeswax Lip Balm. You can buy it in a tube or in a little metal tin. While I usually favor lip balm tubes, my daughter found a great deal on E-Bay and we split the cost of a 12-pack of the cute little metal tins. I’ll be honest. She had me at beeswax. When they added Mint Julep, I was sunk. This all-natural lip balm is everything you want in a lip balm. It’s creamy, it’s long-lasting, and its peppermint oil content leaves your lips feeling quenched and refreshed. The Complete Package will testify that I am a lip balm addict. I carry 3-4 brands (a quick nod to Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm here – watermelon is my color). I carry it at all times. I use it every 15 minutes. I can’t stop. On the up side, my lips are always lush and kissable at a moment’s notice (the better to kiss you with, my dear!). I know my excessive use of peppermint lip balm is a problem because my (now 5) year-old grandson, Jonah, will now turn to me in the car and say, “can I get some of that?” I’m sorry, Jonah Bear. Nana didn’t mean to start you down the road to peppermint product addiction at such an early age. She should know better. But now that I have your attention, have you seen this peppermint lotion I got? AARRGHHH! Somebody stop me!
{Disclaimer: NanaBread has no ties to any of the products or companies shown above. She is simply a peppermint lovin’ junkie who feels compelled to share that love with her readers. No products appearing in this blog post were given, sponsored or donated even though NanaBread would have died and gone to heaven if they had been. All opinions are strictly her own. Pinky swear.}
Inside NanaBread's Head 
Dry skin? Seems like in winter you enjoy the peppermint lotions more because the house heater dries your skin out. Just an observation.
So true… I am as crispy as a tortilla chip in the wintertime. I would be perfectly happy if we never turned on our heater. Ever. That’s what blankets and sweat pants are for. But until that day comes, I will be happily drowning myself in peppermint lotions. Ahhhh… I love my peppermint lotions.
Ah, peppermint. I love peppermint, too, though I have nowhere near your collection of products. I do love my Bath and Bodyworks peppermint antibacterial hand lotion. My current peppermint collection is food related. But now you have me thinking that I need a good peppermint body wash. Or at least some hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps tonight.
I highly recommend the Bronner’s peppermint soap. It’s refreshing. And that peppermint cocoa sounds awesome, too. One more thing to add to my list. Yes!
Okay, so I remember you giving me a bar of this in Houston years ago. I just bought two bars online tonight! I still use their Almond Cream lotion…
I’d forgotten about sharing a bar with you! At least I’m a generous addict. And I still have that almond hand cream, too. That stuff is great AND smells like cookies. Win/win. Thanks for joining the party, Pumpkin Cake! : )
Mmmm I love me some peppermint products as well. Although, I got an eyeful of the Dr. Bronner’s on accident one day…it burned for several days. Do. Not. Want.
Have you ever used any Origins makeup? I love it! It makes your skin feel happy it’s wearing makeup, without the build up and breakouts. I mean *cough* I’m not an adult who gets breakouts *cough*.
Ooooo….Mads! I’ve done that, too. Dr Bronner’s peppermint in the eye is not pleasant, for sure. You also have to be sure not to leave it on other ‘sensitive’ parts of your body, or you will start to feel the burn (and not in that good calorie-burning way). I do love it, though. Also love the almond version; it’s lovely. I have not yet tried Origins makeup. I’ll have to visit my local Macy’s and try it out. They have an Origins section. I love any makeup that makes you feel like you’re not wearing any AND won’t make me break out. Here’s a shot of irony for you – as a teen, I never experienced breakouts. As a peri-menopausal woman, I have the skin of a teen. My face is constantly breaking out now. For all you who suffered breakouts in your youth, it turns out that karma really is a bitch.
My sweet mom (79) just gave me a jar of peppermint foot cream for Christmas. She said that she knows how much I am on my feet at my job for 8-12 hours at a time and wanted me to be able to sooth them when I get home. She also knows that I inherited her propensity for dry, cracked feet. It was kind of touching, really, that my mom still thinks about my welfare. My little 2 year old grandson loves the cream, too, except that he likes to rub it on his hands. I found a little piece of chocolate cookie in the jar one day, so I suspect that he may have tried to use it as a dip.
That really is sweet, Terri! It’s nice to know your mother is still looking out for you. Once a mom, always a mom. Your comment about your grandson using it as cookie dip made me laugh out loud. That sounds like something Jonah Bear would try at that age. And he’s a big fan of peppermint lotions and lip balm, too. Lilly Bug (at age 2) is all about pink and sparkly lip gloss. And shoes.
Garden Botanika…Hello, blast from the past! Do they still have those? I remember when they opened one at Baybrook Mall and it was a Big Deal and everything I wanted for Christmas that year came from the James Avery catalog and the Garden Botanika glossy flyer. Wow.
Since you like minty stuff so much…have you tried Aveda Rosemary Mint? Oh, man. I think you would love it…most Aveda stuff, in fact. Mmmmm….
Yes, they still have Garden Botanika, although I’ve only seen them online. That said, however, I have a strong aversion to shopping malls, so they may be there and I’m just not visiting malls to see them. I laughed about your James Avery reference, too. I remember when those charms, bracelets and necklaces were all the rage. I have given and received more than a few in my time.
I’ll know when The Complete Package sees your comment. It will be that moment when I hear a random “Oh, crap!” as he realizes someone has just suggested yet another mint product I should try. Thanks for the tip on Aveda. I’ll be looking for it soon. Very soon.
How in the world did I miss this post?! Peppermint bath products are beyond fabulous! I love J.R. Watkins peppermint cream–that’s the stuff happy feet are made of! Not being a morning person, I also adore peppermint shampoo & conditioner to perk me up in the morning.
Well, it was very, very early in my blogging run so 99.9% of my readers missed that one. It was back in the “I can count them on one hand” stage, and my one hand included my daughter, son-in-law, and a few of my sisters. I am still addicted, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. If you love peppermint shampoo & conditioner to perk you up in the morning, you have to add the Dr Bronner’s peppermint castille soap to your repertoire. You’ll love it – especially after yard work in the summer or a long run. It is SO refreshing!