First and foremost, I would like you to know that there is a reason why brands say to use all the products in their range. It isn't always necessarily because that is the only way to use them, but because the products have been formulated specially to complement each other, ensuring you get the best result when used together.
I'm a typical Nigerian girl with a fetish for bar soap and the long net sponge that comes in different primary colours. You can imagine how discombobulated I was with this.
The Skin by Zaron Papaya Brightening body wash had me up turning a lot of my in-born thoughts regarding bathing, body cleansing and vindicating my 4-step bathing process honed from my developing years and has never failed. Don't worry, I'll explain.
What Zaron says it is
A creamy and soothing formula that cleanses, softens and moisturizes the skin. Formulated with Papaya, Tea tree oil, Salicylic Acid, Niacinamide and Aloe Vera, which all together brightens, hydrates, rejuvenates and cleanses the skin, leaving it smooth, supple, nourished and hydrated.
Considering how old school I am with bathing, I spent the first week figuring out the best way to use this product that wouldn't involve wasting it and actually seeing some lather. These are the methods I tried
- Applying the Papaya Brightening Body Wash directly to the cute sponge that came in the PR package I received and then scrubbing my wet body with the sponge - this didn't work because I think I had to reapply the wash onto the sponge about 10 times so it could wash my entire body
- Replacing the sponge with exfoliating gloves - this was better because the gloves have a way of maximising soap and ensuring it lathers. But I still had to reapply the wash to the gloves multiple times
- Mixing the Papaya Brightening Body wash and water in a bowl and dipping the sponge in the bowl to wash my body - this was ok except for the fact that I discovered I had to have almost equal parts gel and water to make it work
Eventually, I decided to try out my regular bath 4-step routine which is wet my body, rub soap all over my body, scrub my body and rinse.
I did, AND IT WORKED!
I must confess that maybe if I had read the instructions on the body of the product before using, I might not have had to go through all this, but in the same vein, I'm glad I did because it helped me discover all the ways the Papaya Brightening Body wash wouldn't work. Win! Win!
My Experience with the Zaron Papaya Brightening Body Wash
There are 3 key things I noted in the 4 weeks I used the Papaya Body Wash - the lather, the fragrance and the moisturising after-effect.
I already mentioned my struggles with it right? But honestly, I'm a suds and lather kinda girl (I think lowkey every Nigerian is). I struggled with not seeing enough lather when I eventually got the hang of it (it lathers, but if you have been using a bar soap all your life and are used to the 'foam' that it produces, this will come as a shock to you). But I eventually got around it and didn't bother too much with it as long as I was clean.
I hate strong, over-powering fragrance in the shower!
Regardless of the fragrance, I'm of the opinion that I'm supposed to be washing it off and smelling it strongly makes me feel like my skin is not clean. With this body wash, I was kinda looking forward to smelling the papaya in the shower, but it was so subtle as to almost not be there. The fragrance is light and almost forgettable which is perfect for me actually. Giving it another whiff, it really just smells like really nice soap.
The other thing I had to get around was the feeling of moisture on my skin after bathing. I've never liked the feeling of moisture on my skin and don't blame me because I grew up mentally registering squeaky clean as the standard for clean and that's what I blame. The moisture this leaves is not significant enough to cause me to be uncomfortable and is a really nice complement to the Zaron body lotion I use daily.
The last thing which I didn't mention as the 4th, is the fact that if you are ever in a hurry and need to have your bath in under 10mins, this is not the product to use, lol.
I say this not because you can't try, but because the product will be wasted and you'll not enjoy the experience of using it. I honestly and truly do believe that using this body wash in the shower is an experience best enjoyed slowly and not in a rush at all.
My absolute favourite part of using this product?
After 7 straight days of figuring out the best way to use it and being afraid that I had wasted the entire thing, I held it up to the light and saw that I had barely used a quarter of the entire thing. I had barely used up to a quarter in 7 days of trial and error! Awesome!
My verdict
If you would like to start using a body wash or want to try one to see how it feels and how to work around it, this is an absolute must-have. For me, the advantage of this was the fact that there was no wastage because I was quite worried that when I figured out how to use it, there would be nothing left.
It works better with exfoliating gloves than with a sponge in my opinion.
With the gloves, you'll feel the smoothness of your skin and the luxurious finish of the product.
Did I mention that by the end of the 4 weeks, my skin was pretty much flawless? The back and upper arm acne I've had for a really long time now have disappeared and if I was a halter neck-wearing lady, I would have been sporting it confidently by now *grin*
What are your thoughts on the Zaron Papaya Brightening Body Wash? Have you used it? Are you more familiar with body washes and have more to say about it?
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