Champneys Aqua Therapy Detox Salt Scrub

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging for a while - unfortunately I have no laptop at the moment so I'm squeezing a quick post in to lunch hour and relying on Google images too I'm afraid. Once I can actually decide on a new laptop I have a tonne of things to review and a camera full of pics (maybe even a video!) to upload!

Just wanted to write about a scrub I bought a while ago and finished last night - Champneys Aqua Therapy Detox Salt Scrub. For those that don't know, Champneys is an old-school British spa, probably one of the the best known, with several 'resorts' in England and even abroad. It also has it's own range of spa products which are sold in supermarkets such as Sainsburies as well as on the Champneys website.

I bought a couple of Champney's products when they were on offer  recently - one was the Perfect Sleep Bath Milk, which is a quite pleasant lavender-scented bath product which I'd probably repurchase when it was on offer again. I also bought the scrub which I'm reviewing here, pictured below (pic: Google images).

First up, the good points. The scrub smells divine, sort of clean and marine-like, kind of hard to describe. The Champneys website describes this scrub as a "supercharged blend of marine minerals, sea salts and citrus essential oils", so that might give some idea as to the scent. Certainly very pleasant. The consistency is great; it feels pleasing to scoop a good heavy handful out of the tub and slap it on. I do find you need quite a lot to cover the whole body - I have actually just finished the tub and only used it about three times. It has a good balance of course grains and thick liquidy paste to hold it all together. And it does get the skin really soft.

Unfortunately, there is a big downside to this scrub for me. It leaves a horrible oily film on the skin - really uncomfortable - the kind of film that when you try and put a pair of pyjamas on afterwards makes them stick to your legs - and don't even think about skinny jeans the next day! I have also found this film issue with other salt scrubs, such as the Sanctuary, and perhaps its a feature of all salt scrubs, though I have to say I hope not as I've just splashed out on one by Ren....

Even today my hands and body still feel.... icky. Dry and uncomfortable. I did try and hose off the oily film but the shower had no effect on it - stuck fast! I do think this problem could be alleviated by using a sponge or flannel to wipe down the skin afterwards but really, kind of defeats the point of a scrub I think.

So despite the fact that my skin does feel smooth, it's just too messy for me - there are other scrubs such as L'Oreal Exfotonic that do a similar job without the sticky factor.

RRP £8.50.