Let Too Cool For School’s Coconut Milky Oil Shower Moisturizing Body Wash Get You In An Island State Of Mind
When you’ve got a hectic schedule, even something you typically find indulgent and relaxing —like a warm shower — can feel like a chore. It’s a real treat, then, when a product actually forces you to stop rushing, slow down, take a deep breath, and enjoy your shower. That’s precisely what the Too Cool For School Coconut Milky Oil Shower Moisturizing Body Wash ($20 at Sephora.com) manages to accomplish — both because of its sweet and tempting coconut smell and because of its gentle on-skin feel. I’ve tried every coconut-infused shower oil and gel imaginable and I can say with absolutely no hesitation that this is my favorite to date. In fact, I found myself hiding it from my husband so he wouldn’t reach for it too and wind up using it all (end before you start shaking your head and passing judgment, allow me to disclose that, when I met him, he was using Ivory bar soap, so he’s not exactly persnickety when it comes to his bath and body products!).
What makes this body wash so special, you ask? Well, let’s start with the fragrance. Unlike so many coconut-centric products, which have an aroma that feels synthetic, akin to a can of Coco Lopez, this one smells like the pulpy inside of a freshly cracked coconut. In other words, there’s a creaminess and a milkiness to the scent that you don’t typically find in products that espouse to smell like coconut. It also doesn’t go off the rails into overly saccharine territory, where the smell is reminiscent of the inside of an Almond Joy bar. The scent, then, is surprisingly authentic, and it seems to be swathed in luscious vanilla for a more seductive aromatic effect.
Another winning quality is the unique texture of this body wash. As its name implies, the product does, in fact, feel milky when squeezed out of its bottle, and yet it’s not quite so aqueous as to drip right through your fingers. What’s extraordinary, however, is how the texture transforms once it’s massaged onto your wet skin. Most milky shower creams have moisturizing qualities, but they’re also a bit heavy. Given past experiences, I expected this body wash to feel creamy, but it didn’t — it almost seemed to melt onto the skin, creating a non-foaming but rich lather. It had the weightlessness and delicate feel of a shower oil, with none of the heaviness that sometimes accompanies creamy formulas. Its oil-to-foam transforming texture also offered the perfect amount of slip and slide, making it easy to massage the product all along the body.
But, of course, the best part is that, once you rinse this body wash off, your skin feels supple and smooth. Oftentimes, body washes leave skin feeling dry and tight, practically screaming for lotion. Other times, they seem to deposit an invisible, greasy, tacky film on the skin that’s uncomfortable and prevents you from feeling truly clean and refreshed. The Too Cool for School Coconut Milky Oil Shower Moisturizing Body Wash, however, leaves the skin feeling soft and replenished. Most days, I don’t even feel like I need to apply lotion after I leave the shower (even though I do because, well, it’s a key part of any body care routine!). The point is simply this: I’m left feeling clean and refreshed, but my skin is soft, smooth, and moisturized.
Made with 84% naturally derived ingredients, this unique body wash manages to preserve the skin’s natural oil barrier, so that it’s not stripping the skin of essential oils and then trying desperately to replenish those nutrients. In fact, the formula relies on coconut-derived surfactants to gently lift dirt and impurities — not on harsh sulfates that can erode the skin’s epidermis. These surfactants are then married with moisturizing coconut milk foam, hydrating and softening coconut oil, oatmeal extract (which soothes irritation, diminishes redness, and acts as a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin), soybean oil (which contains vitamin E and antioxidants that give the skin a healthy glow and protect it from free radicals), and vanilla extract (which helps to improve the skin’s texture, leaving it noticeably smoother).
Every time I used this body wash, I lingered in the shower for a bit longer than usual, allowing myself the small pleasure of a few extra minutes during which I could enjoy the tropical aroma; marvel at the refreshing, non-sticky, lightweight texture; rinse the cleanser off; marveling at the silky feel of my skin; then breathe in the coconut-scented shower steam still wafting through the bathroom. It’s the type of product that forces you to live in the moment, to enjoy the small things in life, to get into island mode for a bit and just unwind.
Think of it as a vacation in a bottle.
