This burning question is an oldie, but a goodie. That infamously gorgeous L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil we all dream of and adore does come with just a small fault – its price. Sure, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg but for a shower thingy we all (hopefully) use on an everyday basis, it sometimes could be too much of a stretch for a regular budget. To be quite honest, I'll never stop repurchasing that delicious shower treat but I do need a little something for those periods when we're taking time off. I must say that the following shower oil isn't an exact true dupe for the L'Occitane offering – it doesn't smell or feel quite same but it's the closest match regarding the performance it provides under the shower and I'm glad to say that its powers are notable even after shower. Balea Duschol literally stands as German for ‘dry skin, back off!’. This shower oil is formulated for very dry skin and I do believe that all skin types (including dry to very dry skin) would find it extremely comforting throughout the year (but especially during winter). I'm glad to report that it's free from paraffin oil – instead, it's based on glycine soja oil and ricinus communis seed oil. Glycine soja oil aka soybean oil is produced from the seeds of the soybean plant. Non-fragrant, it has emollient properties due to its fatty acid components as well as antioxidant properties. Ricinus communis seed oil aka castor oil is vegetable oil which consists primarily of the oils of fatty acids. It has a healing and an anti-inflammatory effect. Not bad for a €2 shower oil, right? It feels viscous but it's not too runny. Leaves a very pleasant effect on the skin and emulsifies when it comes in contact with water. It doubles as a shower oil and a shaving cream – no nicks, no irritations! It doesn't have a prominent scent, that's something where the L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil dominates but be fair, compare the €2 Balea price and the €22 L'Occitane price. Eleven times more expensive for the same quantity (250ml), L'Occitane shower oil definitely is more luxurious, indulging, pamper material-esque but that does have a €22 price tag. I'll stick to this humble little guy until the winter weather ends and will have it in mind whenever I'm experiencing dry skin as it's fab.
- Ovo goruce pitanje mi je postavljeno gotovo prije godinu dana – sve mi zelimo znati sta bi to moglo biti ‘dupe’ (tj.vjerna kopija pristupacne cijene) za nevjerovatno, fantasticno L'Occitane Badem Ulje za tusiranje o kojem snivamo snove i koje ljubimo od dragosti ali ova divota ima jednu manu – cijenu. Ok, necemo sada pretjerivati – ipak ova tusiralica sa cijenom od 34KM ne kosta neoprostivo mnogo. Ipak, mogu razumjeti a i sama sam osjetila kako cak i kao pasionirana ljubiteljica ovog ulja jednostavno nisam u mogucnosti da ga sebi priustim tokom cijele godine. Potpuno mi je jasno sto se vecina vas tako osjeca jer je ipak u pitanju tusiralica, nesto sto (nadam se) sve mi koristimo na svakodnevnoj bazi i sto se trosi brzo tako da 34KM mogu u tom smislu preopteretiti prosjecni budzet. Zbog toga sam svo ovo vrijeme bila u potrazi za slicnim proizvodom koji ne kosta mnogo kako bi ‘uskocio’ tokom pauza od L'Occitane tusiralice. Nisu identicni, postoji razlika u mirisu i osjetu na kozi ali po pitanju efekta – tu su kao sestre. Balea Duschol doslovno na njemackom jeziku znaci ‘suha kozo, odstupi!’. Balea ulje za tusiranje je formulisano za potrebe jako suhe koze i istinski vjerujem da bi moglo zadovoljiti potrebe svih tipova koze (ukljucujuci suhu do jako suhu kozu). Takodjer vjerujem da je pogodno za koristenje tokom cijele godine no uistinu je najveci uzitak koristiti ga tokom zimskih mjeseci. Dobra vijest jeste da ne sadrzi parafinsko ulje vec je Balea tusiralica bazirana na ulju soje (citaj: glycine soja oil) i ulju ricinusa (citaj: ricinus communis seed oil). Ulje soje se dobija iz sjemenki soje, nema mirisa i ponasa se kao emolijens zahvaljujuci visokom udjelu masnih kiselina te djeluje i kao antioksidans. Ulje ricinusa je biljno ulje koje se takodjer sastoji ponajvise od zasicenih masnih kiselina. Djeluje zacjeljujuce i protuupalno. Nije los sastav za tusiralicu od cca 4KM, zar ne? Pod prstima se Balea uljana tusiralica osjeti viskoznom ali nije isuvise vodenaste teksture. Ostavlja jako prijatan osjecaj na kozi i pravi emulziju cim dodje u kontakt sa vodom. Istovremeno se moze koristiti za ciscenje koze ali brijanje – nema iritacija niti sitnih posjekotina (brijac glatko klizi). Nema neki znacajan miris i na ovom polju L'Occitane Badem Ulje za tusiranje u potpunosti dominira. Ali budimo fer, usporedimo cijenu od cca 4KM i 34KM. Osam i pol puta skuplje za jednaku kolicinu proizvoda (250ml), L'Occitane ulje je neuporedivo luksuznije, pruza poseban uzitak svim culima, apsolutno je jedan vrhunski proizvod ali ako vam ne odgovara cijena od 34KM imam ovaj prijedlog za vas – Balea ulje koje je tako skroman ali efektan malisan koji ne isusuje kozu vec je cini mekom i nakon upotrebe. Mislim da cu njega koristiti do kraja zimskih mjeseci te cu ga i u buduce imati na umu ukoliko me suha koza optereti mukama kakve donosi.
*Some of these products may have been sent to me for review. For more information, see my disclaimer.
