Bonus Scents

I was in the shower recently when I got to thinking (as one does) about the stuff I buy and use around the house because it works really well and – bonus—smells great too!  In no particular order, and please feel free to share yours in comments:

    J. R. Watkins Lemon hand cream – I bought it in a moment of dry-hand desperation because it was sitting on the shelf at CVS and I figured if nothing else it’d look cute on my bathroom sink.  It’s super-moisturizing, inexpensive, has great online reviews and smells like lemon cream pie without being cloying. Several drugstores stock it, or find it online.

Acure Curiously Clarifying Lemongrass shampoo – I’m a longtime Deva girl, but this is also a wonderful-smelling and less expensive alternative (sulfate-,silicone- and paraben-free) and unlike 99.5% of the other products I’ve bought that say “lemongrass” but just smell like plain ol’ lemons, this actually smells delightfully like lemongrass.  Seriously, it brings a smile to my face every time I use it.  They make matching conditioner which is not as ultra-moisturizing as I need for my parched gray hair but it would be perfect for someone who wants a lighter condition. The only place I’ve ever found it is online (Vitacost, etc.). 

Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo– this is one of those purple shampoos for the silver foxes, to keep your hair from getting brassy. (No sulfates, ‘cones, parabens.) I bought it on a whim at Ulta when I realized how extremely tinted it is, and I use it every couple of weeks. (Be careful not to spill it or leave it on your towels, like a lot of blue shampoos it stains.) Bonus: it smells vaguely like the old-school Jergens cherry-almond lotion.  Speaking of which: 

Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap in Almond – I use this as my general hand/dish/body/dog-washing and household liquid soap.  I know the Peppermint has a cult following, but I find it a bit too bracing, and the almond is heaven. Frankly I’m a bit shocked and embarrassed that I didn’t realize almond was an option until fairly recently.  You can find it at all sorts of places including: Whole Foods, Target, online. 

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day laundry detergent in Lemon Verbena – I’m a sucker for the Mrs. Meyer’s line.  I don’t know who she is (probably the figment of some focus group’s imagination, don’t spoil it for me) but she knows how to make home/laundry products that smell nice and aren’t all up in your grill with the Fresh Laundry Musk, part of that headache-inducing miasma hanging over the cleaning-products aisle in the grocery store.  Anyhoo, not gonna lie, I specifically bought this FOR the scent, and it also works really well.  It seems pricier than some, but a little goes a loooong way, and I always add some borax and/or vinegar to my wash for extra brightening.  My laundry comes out of the wash (and the dryer!) and into my bureau smelling deliciously but faintly of lemon verbena.  I don’t use any of her other lemon verbena cleaning line because I’m weird and I like to associate that particular scent with my laundry, but I think there’s kitchen soap, spray cleaner etc. Find it at: World Market, Target, online. 

Your turn!  What do you use that works well and smells great?