Like to keep your beauty local? You’ll appreciate Tranquil Body Treats, a homegrown range of bath and skincare goodies. They’re all made by hand in a factory in Roodepoort and are the brainchild of qualified aromatherapist Leigh-Anne Burger. She’s v proud of the fact that they don’t contain any kak like sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens or harsh chemicals and make use of some of the finest natural ingredients available.

Leigh-Anne was kind enough to send me a little sampler pakkie of bath and body fabulosity that consisted of a Bluebell and Thistle bath salts (R40), Grapefruit and Fennel salt body scrub (R60), and Vanilla body mousse (R90). 

Of everything I tried, I was most taken with the bath salts. Bluebell’s, in general, is ‘having a bit of a mo’ right now. It’s the new must-have fragrance in Jo Malone’s collection and I’ve noticed that its beginning to crop up as a variant in a few bath and body lines overseas. Still, bluebell’s always been a winner with le hipster crowd. (Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Sadie Frost are huuuge fans of Penhaligon’s Bluebell perfume…) 

Anyway… Tranquil Body Treats’ bluebell is divine – a soft, pretty, ultra feminine scent that immediately puts me in a relaxed state of mind. I like that a little of the salts go a long way and they leave my bath water delicately scented, but once I’m out the tub, the lingering smell is so faint that it doesn’t interfere with my perfume.

I also really liked the Grapefruit and Fennel body scrub. It’s got this fabulously uplifting zesty yet sweet ‘orange creamsicle’ scent that makes me wish it were edible. In fact, the ingredients are so natural (salt, sweet almond oil, shea butter, flower extracts…) that I probably could survive a spoonful – it just wouldn’t taste as good as it smells.

In regards to efficacy, unlike other pieperige homemade scrubs I’ve tried (usually those that are sugar-based… tres kak…), it really does give your bod a thorough exfoliation. My best advice, however, is to use it in the shower. I first tried it in the tub, but it left a lot of oil on my skin and made it impossible for me to wash my hair. In the shower, however, it was a dream. Just make sure you use it on slightly damp limbs and not directly under running water to get the full ‘scrubby’ benefits.

Want to try Tranquil Body Treats for yourself? Visit their site to find a stockist near you (these are just about all situated in the North) or place your order online. They have a store in Tableview in Cape Town and next time I’m in the area I plan to pop in to smell their other yummy-sounding variants… think Bubblegum (part of their kid’s range, but how could I resist) and Chocolate & Vanilla. Oh my! 

Thanks Leigh-Anne, you’ve got some real gems – and at great price points too!

X x x